Giveaway Winner! | Snap Decision: Are you going out or staying in tonight?

The winner of this fabulous giveaway is Valerie! (I assigned each comment a number and she was randomly selected using a random number generator.) Congrats, Valerie! I'll be in touch. :) Here's what Valerie said she'd be using her gift card for:

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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * Please stay tuned for future giveaways. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Eeek! For some reason when I re-published this page to show the winner, it deleted all the other comments. :( I'll keep that in mind for next time.

White Space | 10 Simple, Chic Examples for Your Dorm or Apartment

When faced with the blank white walls of a dorm or apartment, it can be hard to see the potential. You linger on the "What If's" and how lovely your space could look if you were allowed even just to paint one wall. But hold it right there. White doesn't have to be boring. White walls a blank canvas upon which you can paint your style and personality. Even Rachel Ashwell agrees.

So in the spirit of all you lovely ladies moving into your white-walled dorms and apartments, I'll be featuring White Spaces that showcase a lot of different decorating styles, ideas, and ways of organizing. From the cluttered, creative, and chaotic to the modern, minimal, and tranquil... and everything in between.

To start off, I've rounded up ten rooms that are simple yet chic so that you can see how easy it really is to make your mark on the blank canvas that is your living space.

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Get eclectic by forgoing a color scheme, mixing floral patterns with graphic prints, and embracing taxidermy.

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Stay clean and minimal with a surprise up your sleeve. Sleek lines, a light toned curvy chair, and ta-da! A bold, gold-framed chalkboard lends a punch of black and an ornate touch.

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Mix vintage and color to bring out character. Minimize clutter and let furniture do double duty.

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Live in the pale. White, light wood tones, and a pop of pastel accented by kitschy knick knacks keep the colors soothing but display interesting.

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Go bold. Pick a color (like red) and go for it. But not all over. Just in strategically placed punches.

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Mix and match the pillows. Let black be your backdrop. And add art.

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Let books work as art, bringing in visual interest and color. Keep the rest simple, but with a little mix and matched flavor.

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Combine the crispness of white with bright, bold colors and patterns. Then add a wood touch here and there to bring the colors and print back down to earth.

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Go glam. Metallic finishes, ladylike curves on furniture, and lush texture make for an elegant, dramatic space... even with all the white.

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When in doubt, and if you shy away from color... pull the classic B&W card. It never fails.

Which of these are your favorite? And how do you deal with white walls?

Green Pleats + Chambray + Snakeskin | What I Wore Wednesdays (8.28.13)

I've had some recent requests from some of you lovely readers to bring back more fashion content, specifically Polyvore sets and outfits that I actually wear. So to start, I'm kicking off this new Wednesday feature. I'll share what I wore and I'd love for you to create a Polyvore set and leave a link to it in the comments. Whether you're dressing for campus, your internship, a job, or brunch with the girls... now's your time to share. 

Today I wore a green, pleated hi-lo skirt from Target. I tucked a chambray shirt into it and rolled up the sleeves. I added a metallic gold belt, my snakeskin flats, and my favorite pair of big black-fading-to-clear glasses. Oh, and a little reddish coral lipstick. 

What's you wear?

I'm Finally on Instagram | Follow to Stay Lovely!

Happy Monday, lovelies! This is just a quick note to announce that I'm FINALLY on Instagram. (Yes, I had been living in the Dark Ages of a non-smart phone up until now. I know, I know.) 

So head on over to Instagram and follow me (jessjhansen). 

The above photo is a sneak peek into what I've been up to in my bedroom! I can't wait to share, so stay tuned this week for the full post!

Elizabeth's Fresh and Chic Grad Student Apartment

Elizabeth, a grad student at the University of Delaware, sent me these photos of her first apartment. She just moved in, but has been busy decorating the space to feel like home. The airy, light-filled bedroom with white walls and trim is furnished with white furniture that lends itself to a crisp, clean feel in the space. She incorporated shades of turquoise, robin's egg blue, gray, and sunshiny yellow into her color scheme.

Elizabeth's sleek white desk is kept clutter-free and overlooks beautiful greenery just outside the large windows. The clean desktop promotes organization and lets the view take center stage.

Elizabeth personalized the room with artwork and prints that represented her and her personality: inspiring quotes, monograms of her initials, and favorite places to travel to.

She also hung up fabric circles for a fun splash of color and pattern, as well as favorite photographs and art.

Her bed, with its billowy gray comforter is a relaxing place to curl up at the end of a long day of studying.

Turquoise and white chevron print pillows add a punch of color and pattern to the bed.

Thanks for sharing your apartment, Elizabeth! Good luck with grad school!

If you have a lovely apartment or cute dorm you'd like to show off here on the blog, please email photos to [email protected].

Happy decorating!

Orange Skinny Jeans Style for Late Summer + All Autumn

I recently scored a pair of bright orange skinny jeans. They were marked down so low and fit so perfectly that I just had to snatch them up, even though I wasn't sure how I would be styling them. The tangerine color just seems ideal for the end of the summer and the entirety of autumn. So I scavenged Pinterest and rounded up these great looks to inspire how I'll wear my orange skinnies. Like maybe with leopard print and a super soft sweater, like the chic young lady pictured above.

Or styled preppy with chambray, a navy blazer, leather bag, and gold bracelets.

A classic ivory and black stripe with black accessories is always classy. 

 Or maybe a sassier look with eye-catching heels and a feminine white blouse.

This rocker-chic look is simple and sexy, perfect for the last days of summer.

And paired with a cute jacket, this fall ensemble will easily go from work to happy hour.

Hippie-chic always makes me happy. Especially those beads.

But this is my favorite. Slouchy sweater. Big leather bag. Cozy scarf. Sooo autumn lovely.

What bright color of skinny jeans will you be sporting this fall?

What shoes and belt should I wear with this lovely lacy dress for a wedding tomorrow?

I'm attending a wedding tomorrow and got this lovely, light blue, lacy frock. However, I'm terribly indecisive about what shoes and belt to wear with it. I'm picking between brown t-strap, patent nude, or coral pumps and a sage green, golden yellow, hot pink, or metallic gold belt.

I'd also love your input on what type of jewelry and makeup to wear.

Fashion help needed. Ready... set... go!

Giveaway Winner! | Custom Decor Board + Floor Plans + Advice for Your Dorm or Apartment

The winner of this giveaway is Jamie Seibert, who said:

Turns out, you didn't even need Twitter, Jamie! Your comment was randomly selected using Random.org.  Congratulations! I'll be in touch and can't wait to help you pull together a design for your bedroom.

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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * Please stay tuned for future giveaways. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Style Cure Day 6 | Picking Colors

Day 6 of Style Cure is all about color! Check out the post over at Apartment Therapy to learn about warm colors, cool colors, black and white, neutrals, the 80/20 rule, and putting colors to use. 

I'm not sticking to a super strict color scheme, but rather drawing inspiration from the things that I already own and will be using in my bedroom decor. My main inspiration comes from my bedding quilt, which is a floral pattern full of bold red, fresh green, and cream... mixed with some yellows and oranges. I'm focusing in on that cherry red and yellow green since I love pairing the two together in a non-Christmasy way. Plus, all of my furniture and walls are cream, so I'll be using a lot of ivory whites as well. For good measure, I have to throw my favorite color in there: turquoise. Since the colors of my quilt are predominately warm (even the green has a golden warmth to it!) I'll be adding splashes of cool teal. 

If you struggle with choosing colors for your space, give the Let's Learn About Color article a read. If you have additional questions or want a second opinion, please tweet @TheLovelySide or leave a comment on The Lovely Side's Facebook page. I LOVE to discuss color and I'd love to help you. :)  

What's your favorite color to decorate with?

P.S. I just noticed that my bedroom colors will kinda-sorta mimic the colors of this blog. ;) What a coincidence! 

Design Crisis | What to do with this out-of-place shelf?!

So I know that I'm usually the one dishing out apartment decorating tips around here, but I need to flip things around for once. You see, I'm stumped. And I need your creative ideas.

The photo above shows a corner of my bedroom where my bed and nightstand are. Hung high up on the wall (too high to easily reach) is this closet-like shelf and rack. It was put there by my landlord. I'm a renter, so I can't just take it down. Plus, I'm pretty sure it's not only screwed into the walls... but also GLUED! Asking him to take it down is a last resort, since he's pretty reluctant to change things he's done to the place. 

I'm really not sure what to do with it. Hide it? Seems impossible. Utilize it? But how? 

So here's where you come in. Hit me with your inspiring ideas and creative suggestions.

Leave a comment here. Comment on The Lovely Side's Facebook page. Tweet at @TheLovelySide. Or even shoot an email to [email protected]. 

Happy brainstorming!

Style Cure Day 5 | Floor Plan of My Bedroom

For Day 5 of the Style Cure, Apartment Therapy assigned participants to create a floor plan of the space they'll be decorating. (I didn't skip Day 4. It just consisted of setting up a one-room outbox, so it doesn't require a blog post.) 

Above is my bedroom floor plan. I'll admit that I didn't take the time to take exact measurements, but the floor plan pretty much matches up spatially and furniture-wise. The door along the top wall leads to the hallway. That's a radiator in the bottom right corner. My desk and chair are in the bottom left corner, right next to the closet that has a window (and will become a book nook). In the top left corner I have a dresser, hutch, and tall lingerie chest. Obviously, you can see my bed and nightstands along the right wall.

The bed will definitely stay where it is, but I'm undecided about the dressers, hutch, and desk. Those may end up moved around a bit. We'll just have to see.

If you made a floor plan of your space and are taking part in the Style Cure, please leave a link to your blog post on The Lovely Side's Facebook page so I can follow along on your decorating! :)

A Little Spray Paint Makeover Action

You know I love my spray paint. I spray paint whatever I can get my crafty little hands on. From fat little birdies to Grecian busts to leather boots (yes, really!)... nothing is safe or sacred. Like a good milkshake, spray paint can even bring boys to the yard. This time, I found myself in the yard with my favorite boy. I'd been itching for a nice day to spray paint a couple things, so on Saturday the bf and I went out into the backyard armed with Rustoleum red and Krylon sunshine. 

I used the Rustoleum red (my all-time favorite spray paint!) on the base of my bedside lamp. It's always been an antiqued sorta gold, but I heard it begging for a bold splash of color on multiple evenings. "The gold is getting old," the lamp communicated in Morse code flickers. Okay, not really. But I swear, the thing was begging for a makeover. And it turned out lovely:

The other item was a small white cart, which the bf spray painted Krylon's sunshiny yellow.  I was mainly inspired by Ikea's Raskog Kitchen Cart. And while my little cart has three baskets as opposed to three bucket-like tiers, I thought a brighter color would do it some good. I'm not totally sure if this little beauty belongs next to my desk or in my bathroom... but it'll be a cute caddy wherever I wheel it!

I have several more things to spray paint. (I never tire of it.) So stay tuned!

Have you spray painted anything lately? Post it to The Lovely Side Facebook page to show it off and it might just show up on this blog. ;)

Style Cure Day 3 | "Before" and "In Progress" Photos

For Day 3 of Apartment Therapy's Style Cure, I was assigned to choose which room to decorate and take some "Before" photos of it. I knew right away that I'd be decorating my bedroom. It's where I spend most of my time. Since moving in, I've made some progress as you can see from some of these photos. 

For me, this Style Cure is going do a lot with editing while decorating. I have a ton of knick knacks, books, and objects. I really want to edit them down and cut out some of the clutter. (Note the cluttered dresser tops and bookcase above.)

Above, the photo shows my desk area and the nearby closet. I like my desk here because I can see out the window to the right and out the window to the left (not pictured). I really want this space to become a headquarters for blogging and creative writing. I need a comfier chair, for one. The closet is still full of some moving boxes. I'll be clearing it out and turning it into a book nook for reading.