Your Decorating Style in Just 5 Words!

Time for some short and sweet fun. Describe your decorating style in just 5 words. Ready... GO!

Mine would have to be:

Colorful. Eclectic. Vintage. Feminine. Crafty.

What are your words? :)

Book Giveaway Winners! | Win a Copy of Suzanne Young's The Program

Winners were randomly selected. (Drum roll, please.)  And here they are!

Ashley, who commented "I'll be enjoying some great literature on my lunch break during my internship this summer. Hopefully I'll get a crack at this one!"

Katie, who tweeted "@TheLovelySide is having an awesome book giveaway! #TheProgram sounds like it is just up my alley. :)"

*** This giveaway is now closed. Please check back for future giveaways! :)***

Happy Tuesday, lovelies!  I'm pleased to announce that The Lovely Side has teamed up with Simon Teen  for another book giveaway... and just in time for summer! Whether you're looking for a beach read or something to devour while jet-setting, The Program by Suzanne Young should shoot right to the top of your list. We're giving away two copies! 

I'm moving into my new place this weekend! (So long as the roads aren't flooded over!)

The much-anticipated weekend has almost arrived! I'll be moving into my lovely, historic apartment in a charming Queen Anne house this weekend. I'm very excited to finally have my very own place—however teeny tiny—to decorate into a cozy, creative space. 

Obsessed: Copper in the Kitchen

Downton Abbey is my favorite show. Everything about it makes me swoon... The stately manor! The rolling hills of the English countryside! The elegant interiors! The gorgeous costumes! The mysteries and romances! The copper pans! Wait - what? Copper pans?

Yes, I swoon over the copper kitchenware in the Downton kitchen. I look at my own pots and pans and longingly wish for the copper luster. Oh, what I'd give for a kitchen full of copper!

Music To Your Ears | War Jacket

I've been trying to do a better job of sharing what I'm listening to, but lately I haven't spent as much time as usual searching for new artists. But recently, I did stumble upon War Jacket. For the life of me, I can't remember where I found them. (Facebook?) Oh well, that doesn't matter. What matters is that they make beautiful music. Ambient Folk Rock, to be exact. I love the strings. I love the haunting voices. I love the sense of emotion and storytelling that comes through their music. And I love that I can happily play it in the background at work while I'm writing.

Workspace in the Wardrobe?! | 13 Lovely Closet Offices

One idea I've always been rather smitten with is the Closet Office. Unfortunately, I've never lived in a space where such dreams could come true. My apartment bedrooms always had one closet - and usually not a very large one at that. Coincidentally, the place I'm moving into in a couple weeks has three closets. A huge one in the bathroom. A good sized one (with a built in dresser) in the hallway. And a small one in the bedroom that has a window and no door.

My Hunt for a Lovely, Historic Apartment

If you've been following The Lovely Side on Facebook and Twitter, you're probably in the loop about the ups and downs of my Cedar Rapids apartment search. It's been a rollercoaster rental hunt - far more difficult than finding living arrangements in my former college town of Ames, where there were really no complexes or communities deemed 'that bad' in the grand scheme of things.

My 9 Favorite Small Space Solutions from Small Cool 2013's Teeny Tiny and Tiny Entries

Artful gallery wall. Kacey's DIY Decor

My favorite time of year in the blogosphere is Apartment Therapy's Small Cool Contest.  I was really hoping to be moved into a place in time enough time to enter this year, but I supposed there's always next year... My favorite entries are the Teeny Tiny and Tiny spaces because the dwellers have to get uber creative.  I've rounded up my 9 favorite small space solutions from Small Cool 2013.  (In no particular order.)

Storm & Tornado Safety for Apartment Dwellers

Living in the Midwest, the threat of severe storms and tornadoes is all too real. Being an Iowa girl, I'm no stranger to the summertime storm sirens. Damaging winds, pummeling hail, flash floods, twisters, and fearsome lightning likely summer occurrences. Tragedies such as the recent devastation in Moore, Oklahoma hit close to home. My thoughts and prayers are with all of those who lost their lives, loved ones, and homes.

Since the season for severe weather is upon us, I thought I'd round up a few safety tips for renters.  Tornadoes often come swiftly and without much warning, so take weather warnings and conditions seriously. Having a plan in place will better protect you in the event of a tornado.

Be Still My Heart: Clawfoot Bathtubs

 

Clawfoot bathtubs. Those two words summon such lovely images to mind. These vintage beauties stem from my deep-rooted love of all things Victorian. And it is with great pleasure that I can say my new apartment has one in its bathroom. You can bet that one of first things I do after moving in will be filling that clawfoot tub with bubble bath and sinking in with a good book and perhaps a glass of mead. I am so excited.

Apartment Hunting: Reality Check

Hello from eastern Iowa!  I know I've been missing from the blogosphere for, well... too long.  So I figured I'd drop in and give you an update as to why.  To make a long story short: I landed a web content writing job two hours away from where I was living in Ames.  So in a mere two weeks I had to wrap things up at my social media job, pack up my attic apartment, and move all my stuff back home to my parents' place where it would stay until I found a place of my own.  

Last week was my first week on the new job.  It was a whirlwind week of training, navigating rush hour traffic, and a major apartment disappointment.