How I hemmed my curtains in 5 minutes - no iron, needle, or thread!

Our beautiful old house as thrown a few design challenges my way. I recently tackled one of them. We had some company a couple weekends ago, and I really wanted to spruce the guest room up into something comfortable. Most of it was easy: fresh bedding, some vintage decor, a pretty new lamp, and patterned curtains. But those curtains - in fact, all the curtains upstairs - have had me trippin'. Literally.

Even though our second floor has the exact same ten-foot ceilings as the main floor, the windows are positioned lower on the wall. So on the main floor, my standard 84" curtains hang a couple inches above the floor trim, which I'm okay with. But on the second floor, the same curtains sag about six inches. See what I mean about trippin'?

10 Decor Details I'm Doting On | June Edition

Um, can someone please tell me where May went? And we're all ready ten days into June?! I thought that moving into our house would mean lots and lots of blog posts about all our projects. I promise: There are projects coming. We're just still getting settled in and doing some of the not-so-fun, not-so-blogworthy undertakings right now.

In the meantime, I'm starting a new little monthly feature where I can share lovely interior things that catch my eye - the little decor details that I'm currently doting on. To kick things off, how cute is that DIY elephant doorstop above?! It's simple, cheap, and adorable. You can find the instructions over at Max Makes Home.

My Spray Paint (Still) Brings All the Boys (err, Men) to the Yard

I can't believe that it's been almost four years since I published one of my favorite blog posts: My Spray Paint Brings All the Boys to the Yard. Back then, I was living in that lovely attic apartment down the street from favorite bars and hangouts in my college town. That day, a couple guys were drawn to how "I be killin' it with that paint." One even said that my "antiquing got swag." Still one of my favorite compliments to this day.

My Home Office | Tour + Decorating Inspiration

Certain parts of the house are coming along. (You can check out the master bedroom and bath, downstairs bathroom, dining room, foyer, and living room in this post.) While other rooms still feel disheveled and hardly unpacked.

My office was one of the first rooms to get set up with furniture since I needed to have a place to work. But style-wise, it's not as colorful or inspiring of a creative space as I'd like. It needs to function as a motivating office for working from home, as an inspiring space for the creative writing and blogging I do as a hobby, and as a pretty room since it's on the main level and will definitely be seen by guests.

At Home with Honeybees (AKA: Bees in our chimney?!)

I love Burt's Bees. I love beeswax candles. And I love me some honey... especially slurped out of those honey straws from the farmers' market or brewed into a refreshing Kolsch beer.

But I'm a fraidy-cat when it comes to the little buzzers that make honey: the honeybees. I'm embarrassingly afraid. Not embarrassed myself, but bound to embarrass any friends or family standing nearby. Like, flapping-my-arms and running-away, embarrassingly afraid. I know, I know... flapping your arms can make bees upset or afraid, resulting in a sting. And that's why I'm afraid. I'm afraid of being stung. It's a fear of the unknown because I've never been stung. I'm afraid of the pain. I'm afraid of turning out to be allergic. And I'm afraid of watching the bee die because it stung me. Ugh.

So anyway, long story short: For a few weeks, we've been trying to figure out how honeybees are getting in. But now we've seen it with our own eyes. The bees are coming down the chimney and into my office via small openings around the woodburner. We went outside and looked at the chimney. Lo and behold! A bunch of bees swarming around the chimney top!

12 Chic Desk Chairs Under $200

When it comes to the perfect union of style and comfort, there are three things in this world I believe to be universally difficult to shop for: jeans, swimsuits, and desk chairs. One size and one style most certainly does not fit all. I'll leave the jeans and bikinis to the fashion bloggers, but today I'm go to share my search for a chic and comfy task chair with a price tag under $200.

Decorating my Living Room with Kirkland's Flea Market Collection

The Lovely Side is excited to partner with Kirkland's for this post!

On Friday, I revealed some of the decorating I've been doing in the new house... specifically the vintage charm I added to the foyer using items from Kirkland's Flea Market Collection. Check it out here.

Flea market style doesn't always describe a vintage, antique, rustic, or distressed look. It can also mean bright, colorful, and bohemian... which is exactly what I'm going for in my living room.

Decorating my Foyer with Kirkland's Flea Market Collection

The Lovely Side is excited to partner with Kirkland's for this post!

It's official: I'm about 99.9% moved into our lovely old house! And while I'm spending most of my spare time trying to get things unpacked, I can't resist doing a little decorating... starting with the foyer!

I want the foyer to be a balanced but eclectic mix of Victorian character, vintage charm, rustic touches, and timeworn flea market finds.

The bad news: Flea markets haven't quite started up around here yet. And even if they had, I wouldn't have the time to go scavenge them. (Ugh, unpacking.)

Old House Inspiration: Unpainted Wood Trim

From the glossy pages of magazines to the irresistible, infinite scrolling of Pinterest, one thing is clear: white trim reigns supreme in the decorating world. And for good reason. It can look as clean and crisp as it can cottage chic. It boasts versatility with different furnishings. It makes colors and hardwood floor really pop. (Above image: Houzz)

But in the lovely old house we'll soon be moving into, we'll be surrounded by unpainted wood trim - most of it original to the house. (Bits that aren't original are actually salvaged from houses of similar age/period.) And I couldn't be more thrilled about it. In fact, my heart breaks a little when I think about how someone painted the original trim in my Victorian apartment.

10 Desk Options for Small Spaces

A good desk space has always been an important part of where I live. A writer simply needs a desk, right? As a kid and teenager, my desk was where I wrote stories. In college, it's where I did homework and NaNoWriMo. Today, it's where I blog, write creatively, and sometimes work. Whether you need it for homework, creative work, or remote work, a desk is important. But sometimes, it's just so hard to set up a nice desk space in a dorm, studio, or tiny apartment. Unless, of course, you take a cue from some of these:

Springtime Decorating with Gordmans | Win a $25 gift card for your own spring shopping!

As Springtime settles in, I get the itch to not only do some spring cleaning, but also do some spring decorating. I don't want to overhaul my apartment, but I do love swapping out heavy winter fabrics and incorporating bright, fresh bits of color. One of my favorite one-stop-shops for decor is definitely Gordmans.

A Dark, Richly Colored, & Eclectic 'Woman Cave'

Everywhere you look on Pinterest and design websites, you'll see something about decorating man caves. And lately, "she-sheds" are trending all over the place... backyard sheds transformed into creative little hideaways for ladies. Don't get me wrong: I'm all for guys have a place to go do their man things (video games, tools, beer recipe making). However, I'm not the backyard type. I'd take a woman cave over a she-shed any day. 

So when the folks at Chairish invited me to curate a styleboard as inspiration for my dream woman cave, I hopped on board!

Infographic: Mad Men Interior Design

Remember way back when I posted a guide to decorating your apartment with Joan Holloway style? The stylish folks over at High Fashion Home were inspired by it when creating their infographic about interior design in the TV show Mad Men. I'm super flattered - and I love this infographic.

Decor Board: Foxy Office

I was inspired by this charming fox print - and I love how orange looks alongside warm gray, creamy whites, and gleaming gold.

5 Inspiring Styles for Decorating Your Bar Cart

Inspired By: Gold, Glitz, and Elegance

I love the idea of outfitting a boldly colored bar cart like this green one with all-gold accessories. Brushed gold here, metallic gold there, and some glittery gold sprinkled around. Hang some pretty, fashion-focused artwork on the wall and throw down an elegant rug. It's festive, feminine, and a whole lot of fun! And I think Daisy Buchanan would approve! (Shop this bar cart here.)

Four more bar carts after the jump!

Can't splurge on a Smeg appliance? Save on these more affordable options

Smeg. The word - err, the brand - pretty much sums up #HouseGoals for me. Show me a kitchen with one of those curvy, delightfully-colored, retro-inspired fridges and I'm instantly swooning. Brownie points if it's that lovely shade of minty blue-green. (image above via Design*Sponge)

But if you're a just-starting-out young professional like me - renting an apartment and strapped by a pretty tight budget - chances are good that Smeg appliances must remain a Pinterest-fueled daydream for now. 

Decorating on the Cheap: 10 Ways I Save Money on Decor (and you can, too!)

I love decorating. And truly, I love decorating on a budget... not despite my budget.

"You spent how much?! You bought that where?"

Decorating on a budget means getting creative, getting thrifty, and getting my DIY on.

Flora Overload (AKA: Is it spring yet?!)

Brace yourselves. I'm about to unleash some seriously saturated flower power. I'm about to go all-out garden-party on you. I've been cooped up for far too long through this snowy, shivering Iowa winter - and the fleeting fifty-degree temps we enjoyed this past weekend gave me some serious spring fever. Don't say I didn't warn you. ;)

(image above: Deer Circus)

6 Ways to Hide a Bulletin Board

From the coral and turquoise color combination to an inspiring view of my Birth of Venus folding screen, I really love having moved my office into the front room. It's brighter, less isolated, and vibrantly colored to fuel creativity. All in all, it's a great space to walk straight into after work - and perfectly situated for evening blogging or writing. 

Decorate like Scarlett | A Guide to Adding 'Gone with the Wind' Elegance to Your Space

Gone with the Wind is my favorite movie. And like most of my favorite movies, my love affair with the film was sparked by its beautiful sets. I distinctly remember two things I fell head over heels for at the age of seven or eight, when I first watched this movie: First, those green velvet drapes that Scarlett turned into an elegant gown. Second, Rhett Butler. I've loved curtains and that irresistible cad ever since.