The Lovely Side

Welcome to my cozy little corner of the universe.  My bedroom is my creative haven and where I spend most of my free-time.  It's where all the magic happens: blogging, writing, crafting, and the occasional five-hour long Downton Abbey binge.  Prepare yourself for lots of color, mucho florals, eclectic tendencies, and a teensy bit of creative chaos.

I love pink.  Hot pink.  Rose.  Fuschia.  Magenta.  
Speaking of magenta.  On my last trip home, my mom enlightened me with a funny little anecdote about my childhood.  Now, I've always loved color.  I remember as a little girl being very picky about my ever-changing favorite colors.  And I was fascinated with the color names of Crayola crayons.

I'm going to be sharing several of my favorite studios from Apartment Therapy for this series... the first one being Rodelle's chic, eclectic, vintage-infused, 450-square-foot Los Angeles studio.  Right away, you see a lot of white.  Decorating with plain white walls is something I've always struggled with, so I have to share a space when it's well done.

Today kicks off a little series I'd like to call Studio Living.  You, see... I've also been drawn to the idea of living in a teeny-tiny studio apartment.  Now hold in your gasp of horror at the thought of dwelling in such a small face.  And let me proceed to tell you why:

Last week I was on a mission to thrift.  Unfortunately, the world was not on my side that day.

Remember back when I gushed about my work in Storage magazine?  Well, here's a little something I did for Do It Yourself magazine.  It just got put up online as part of a slideshow on BHG.com.

Oh my goodness. I've fallen head-over-heels for an adorable little shop on Etsy. Amanda Catherine Designs sells "unique affordable art prints." Her prints sum up everything I want my life to be about. So naturally, I want to surround myself with them  and plaster them all over my bedroom wall. Problem is... I can't decide which one I want first...

The one thing I love more than a ravishing red dress... a gorgeous green one! Isn't this woman lovely with her green silk dress and red lipstick?

I love green.  It's one of my favorite colors.  I don't decorate with it much, but I plan to have a beautiful green room someday.  In the meantime, in the spirit of St. Paddy's Day... I want to share some of my favorite green rooms.   I love the lustrous green and turquoise damask wallpaper in the room above.

1. Flora and fauna. Bedding, pillows, or a fabulous floral chair like the one above, introducing bright, lively floral and nature patterns into your room freshens up every square foot.  
2. Sheer loveliness.  Take down the old curtains and replace them with simple white sheers.  Easy, breezy, and so springtime lovely.  Plus, you'll love how the sunshine through, brightening and cheering the room.

I like clutter.  Pretty clutter.  Lovely things to look at everywhere I look.

I've always been a slightly messy person.  I'm pretty good at keeping the common areas of an apartment clean... and I was a very organized roommate in a shared dorm room.  But unfortunately my own personal bedroom often falls into creative chaos.

Spring is in the air.  And I'm kicking it off by sharing my springtime beauty essentials.  Here are my top nine loves this season:

Say hello to my new ^friend.  Well, sorta new.  Coffee and I go waaaay back. 

Spring is in the air, but winter hasn't gone for good.  It's a tricky time of year when it comes to dressing.  We're all eager to get out the dresses and sandals, but mornings and evenings are often too cool for such apparel.  One of my favorite ways to ease my dresses into early spring is by throwing on a cardigan over top and belting it at the middle.

Oh my stars.  These boots were made for me.  I'm serious.  If these gorgeous turquoise cowgirl boots ever had a soul mate... I would be it.  Hands down.

Feeling a little retro, I entered Olioboard's current Mid Century Modern Design Challenge.  The idea was basically to decorate an updated bungalow---incorporating vintage accents with a modern feel.  For my entry, I took my cues from iconic interpretations of Mid Century decor: Mad Men, The Jetsons, Brady Bunch, and Leave It to Beaver.  Then, I translated the dated into modern day.  Real retro pieces mingle with the vintage-inspired---since retro is soo hot these days, it's hard to tell what's old and what's new!  Thrifted finds mix with luxury.  And the tried and truly color schemes of a bygone era (burnt orange, deep turquoise, olive green) breathe new life into an updated bungalow.