Fabric Mania!

So I get the idea of making my own pillows in my head, and all of a sudden I'm obsessed with fabric. Some of the adorable printed fabrics on Etsy really make me wish I could sew something other than a square pillow. Maybe I should have paid more attention in home ec?

A few I really love:

• Paisley in Earth at uberstitch's shop
• Marimekko Sarastaa Floral from imaginefabric's shop (my favorite, and also the most expensive- because it always works out that way ya know?)
• Fresh Start from sewhappyfabricshop's shop (cute name, adorable fabric)
• Elephant print from KawaiiLovelyFabric's shop (would not match anything in my house, but is SO cute)

What do you think of my choices? Am I the only one who looks at fabric and just wishes I could sew?

PS: Just two exams this week and then it's summerrrrr :)

All images: their respective Etsy shops (see links above)

Feeling Crafty: DIY Pillows

via Bliss

For awhile I've been toying with the idea of getting my own fabric to make simple square pillows for my couch. This is partially due to the fact that actually buying pillows is entirely to expensive, and partially because of super cute fabrics that I keep finding on Etsy. One of my current faves is this pusswillow fabric from cicadastudio's shop. Wouldn't it look great on a light green couch (like, ahem, mine).

Anybody actually made their own pillows before? Where do you get your fabric?

Fabricadabra!

Aren't these pillows from Fabricadabra super cute? I sort of have a thing for bold, geometric pillows. I have neither the money nor the space for these ones- but in another life, I would totally buy them up :)

If you had more money/space, what's the one home item you would buy?

Images: Fabricadabra

What's your bathroom style?

I will admit that when it comes to home decor, I'm sort of all over the place. I realized this today when I was flipping through the file of pictures that I've collected from all over the internet for inspiration: the bathroom file alone has 4 distinct styles and I love them all! I'll admit though, that my own bathroom is mostly just white, with a few yellow duckies thrown in for fun. I'm thinking of revamping a little, so I thought I would ask all of you...

Which of the styles above do you like the most?

And happy Friday everyone! It's gorgeous outside, so I'm heading out as soon as I get my work done and I fully plan on soaking up the sun- with SPF of course :)

Images: top image, Domino website (RIP); bottom three, Apartment Therapy

Tempaper: Wallpaper for Fickle Sorts

I know it probably looks weird to have a wallpaper post just a few days after I declared my everlasting love for white walls. To be honest, I'm not usually a wallpaper person, more out of practicality than anything. See, wallpaper may look cool when you put it up, but it usually gets sort of dated after a few years. And the problem with wallpaper is that it just does.not.come.down. Ever.

But now, a company has come along and fixed all that by creating cool wallpaper that goes up easily and, most importantly, actually comes off. Tempaper, which I read about over at Living Loving Small, is wallpaper designed for people like me who can't or don't want to make a lifelong committment to their wallpaper. It isn't cheap, but they have super cool designs and a roll or two would take care of an accent wall, totally breathing new life into a naked wall you might have gotten tired of.

What do you guys think about temporary wallpaper? Genius idea or totally pointless?

Monday Random List

I can't think of too many intelligent things to say on a Monday after 4 hours of sleep. So here's a bunch of stuff that I've been thinking about instead :)

My walls are feeling a little naked lately, so I've been eyeballing all sorts of art that I'd like to see up there. I love this Red Wattlebird print from Etsy.
Summer is coming, and I am sans air conditioning. I'm going to need more fans (and this vintage one looks way cooler than my ugly plastic dustcatchers).
Whenever I go to Aveda to get my hair cut, one of my favorite parts is the delicious herbal tea they serve there. My only beef is that they only give you a teeny little dixie cup's worth. Now I can get 4.9oz of it (!) off of their website.
They need to make more moisturizers with high SPF. Preferably ones that won't make me look like I dunked my face in oil. This Aveeno one is promising, but it only has SPF 15, which is not going to work for this pasty white girl. The search continues.
In addition to the perfect sunblock, I've been searching high and low for the perfect white casual dress that I can wear with flipflops all summer long. This Modcloth one was in the running because of the cute stripes on the skirt, but unfortunately it's sold out.

All images via their respective websites (see links).

Etsy Finds: Pretty Birdies

Lately I've been loving anything with a bird on it, seriously. I'm blaming it on spring, along with all my other obesessions this time of year (see below for some yellow lovin').

Some of my favorite bird-related etsy finds:

• Pretty mint-green bird pillow (from joom).
• Polka-dots AND a cute birdie? I'm pretty sure this notepad is designed for me (from boygirlparty).
• I don't wear a ton of necklaces, but I'm drawn to the whimsy of this pretty bird one (from VirginiaGeiger Jewels).
• A take-it-everywhere blue canvas tote with an adorable birdie print (from Kainkain).

(PS: I will be getting links to the items up later, but you can also do a seller search on etsy if you like them- Internet Explorer hates me right now and has crashed about six times every time I try to open etsy to get the links. And this is why I normally use Firefox.)

Yellow for Spring

I always know it's spring when I start craving pops of yellow every where. It isn't even my favorite color, but I get obsessed with it every year when the weather starts to warm.

From Top:

• Cute girl in an even cuter yellow dress from The Sartorialist (I think this is from last year, or the one before).
• Yellow flowers and a beaker as a vase (and I'm a dum-dum and forgot to mark the source down).
  
• Pops of yellow in a kitchen (via the late Domino).
• Yellow boots (and awesome wallpaper!) via Cup of Jo.

Spring Daffodils

via Apartment Therapy

Don't these spring daffodils look lovely? Le sigh.

According to the folks over at AT, they're in season too. I will be on the lookout for them in my local grocery store tonight.

PS: I also think the wooden hippo in the middle picture is awesome.

Have a hankering for spring flowers too? What's your flower of choice?

Sleep Makeover Update: Week Four

via Domino

Well it's sleep makeover makeup time. To recap, last week (during finals) was the first week I saw real progress, getting very close to my goal of 7 hours on average. Aaaaand this week...

I did it! I got 7.07 hours of sleep on average.

Of course, I am on spring break, which makes it a lot easier to get sleep. And the bad news is that while I slept more, I still struggled with going to bed any earlier than 1am. But still, this is progress, right?

Next week will be a bit of a test because not only do I work early part of the week, but I have morning classes too. No late mornings here! But I don't think it will be too bad- if anything, it will force me to go to bed and get up more consistently, which should help.

I also have some more incentive now: sleep makes me feel great!

• I get lots more done during the day, so I feel more accomplished.
• I have more energy to work out and I'm not downing sugar to stay awake, so I feel healthier.
• I know that sleeping puts me in a much better mood now :)
• AND- remember when I brought up the acne/insomnia link a couple weeks ago? Well, my skin has looked a lot better lately! That's not necessarily what I started this sleep makeover for, but it's such a huge bonus since my skin has been stubbornly bad lately. I'm so excited by it!

We'll see how next week goes when I'm back to being a responsible adult and getting up in the mornings.

You can see the rest of my sleep makeover posts here.

PS: I know you all like canopies, but what about more alternative headboards? I think the yellow canvas on the one above is super cool.

Sleep Makeover Update: Week Three

I'm very excited this week because I can actually report progress with the sleep makeover. :)

You'll remember it wasn't going too well last week when I got an average of only 5.4 hrs of sleep a night with a 2am bedtime. Well the good news is that the stats have gone up, way up: 6.7 hours of sleep a night on average! I got at least 7 hours on every night but two- Tuesday I just could NOT fall asleep and last night I had an exam to study for. The time I went to bed didn't improve a ton to be honest, and I still went to sleep around 1:30am on average. But it's a half-hour improvement and I was very close to the 7 hours a night I wanted, so I won't complain.

I can already tell that there is a huge difference between my well-rested self and my sleep-deprived self. I'm a lot more grouchy when I'm sleep deprived (like today) and I eat a lot more junk food, too (I'm eating a PB&J right now). My well-rested self is so much happier, that alone is worth it, not to mention that I had more energy to do healthy things this week like cook actual meals (vs. mac 'n cheese) and work out. So while I still have lots of progress to make (especially in the time of night I go to bed), I can see how this would benefit me a lot if it became a consistent thing. So that's my motivation for the week ahead.

Next week is spring break for me so I get to relax with NO classes. Though I know I'll probably stay out late a few nights with friends, my goal for the week ahead is to go to bed earlier overall. Especially since in a week and some days I will start in with morning classes almost every day of the week *duh duh duh*, so I want to be prepared for those. And since it's spring break, I don't really have an excuse for being sleep deprived, right?

Also, I haven't seen any improvement in my skin due to getting more sleep. If anything, I'm breaking out now more than ever. Guess I have to be patient, huh?

PS: For all you canopy (or faux-canopy) lovers out there, I found this picture on the Domino website. I love how big and bright the room looks thanks to the gigantic mirror and light fabric. Also, loving how the canopy looks like clouds. What says you?

What I'm Not Buying (Yet): Affordable Bathroom Upgrades

Maybe it's because the weather has warmed up (for now) and put me into spring cleaning mode, but I'm feeling the need to upgrade my bathroom a little. I like my bathroom to be my retreat, my own personal spa since I'm way too poor to be going to a real one. Of course, right now I'm still off spending for another month BUT that doesn't mean I can't have a little fun looking right? Consider this my post-spending hiatus shopping list (items pictured above, from top):

• Thomas O'Brien white towels. These are probably the softest, fluffiest, thirstiest towels I've ever seen for under $10. ($9.99, from Target)
  
• Isaac Mizrahi ceramic soap (or lotion) pump from Target. Probably looks chicer than the plastic Softsoap pump I currently have on my counter. Plus, I'm a sucker for anything with polka dots, and the white color won't make my counter look cluttered. ($14.99, from Target)
  
• Method Shower Daily Cleaner in Ylang Ylang from drugstore.com. I actually own this right now, so listing it here might be cheating a little. But I'm in love with it enough that I will probably run out and need to buy again soon. It's naturally derived, works really well to keep my shower looking fresh, and (best of all) smells AMAZING. Like a spa, in fact, which is what I'm going for, right? All for less than $6. ($5.99, from drugstore.com. I got mine at Target for about $5, though it wasn't on the website)
  

And one not-so-cheap, in-my-dreams item I would love to have in my bathroom (or anywhere):
Jo Malone's Sweet Lime and Cedar Home Candle. Any spicy, woodsy smell always gets to me and this one just sounds amazing. Stacey over at TDO agrees. Unfortunately, at $65, this is one purchase that won't be happening anytime soon.

Images: towels and soap dispenser from Target.com, Method Shower Spray from drugstore.com, candle from jomalone.com

Mustache Mania Continues.

Can we agree that this mustache key holder is pretty nifty? Also, I've decided to bring back the word nifty.

It would go well with mustache pencils. I apparently have a thing for the 'stache.

PS: Check out my post on tall girls down below. For some reason blogger posted it below this one, probably because I started it earlier and finished it just now.

Affordable Art: Ten Dollar Drawings

I love art- but usually find that anything artistic is WAY too expensive for my student budget. So I get all excited when I find new forms of art that don't cost too much. I saw this cute spoon drawing (above) on Simple Lovely and just had to check out the rest. Apparently Alicia Carrier is the artist, and is offering custom 5X7 drawings for $10 a piece. You can check out her previous work on her blog Ten Dollar Drawings.

How cool is this collection of bug drawings?
Both images via Ten Dollar Drawings.

Hoot Hoot: Are Owls Cute?

Wall Owls

Today I was flipping through some of the vintage shops on Etsy, and I noticed that I was oddly drawn toward vintage owls. I've never really felt one way or the other about owls, if anything I've always thought they were a bit cheesy, but all of a sudden I am liking them. They look quirky, and sort of cute. Either that or I am losing my mind.
An owl family is cute, isn't it?

And this sweet glass owl?
And c'mon, how adorable is this little guy?

Tell me, am I insane or are owls, like, really cute?

Brass owls via bluebellbazaar. The other three are via OliveVintage.

Design Idea: Framed Magazine Clippings

I loved this idea from Apartment Therapy: clip out magazine photos that inspire you and frame them for inexpensive art. I already have a huge collection of magazine ads and pictures that I just fell in love with and I wanted to make an inspiration board with them, but I balked at the idea because I felt it would make my place look too cluttered (a huge problem in my tiny apartment). But with this, I could arrange a collection of pictures in different frames and it's like an inspiration board/art display. It's such a simple idea, I can't believe I didn't think of it before.

Has anybody else made an inspiration board before? Or am I the only one out there who collects magazine photos I like?

Yarn Flowers

These cute 3 Valentine Flowers from Etsy make me happy :) I want them on my desk looking all cheerful right now.

Saturday Project: Getting Creative (and Organized)

Not my office: picture via Domino

Hope everyone is having a splendid weekend- right now I'm working on going through some of the less organized areas of my apartment and getting rid of clutter. I'm going to tackle *gulp* under the bed next, which should be interesting since I tend to stash all my crap there when I want to forget about it, and now it's full.

Along that vein, check out this article by Domino on establishing and organizing a creative space. I've been going through the Domino website ever since I found out that they were shutting it down with the magazine- basically nabbing photos and articles that I find particularly inspirational and stashing them on my computer. At any rate, this particular article speaks to me since I am working on my own desk project.

Here are a few of my favorite tips from the article:

choose your space Maybe it's a studio out in some bucolic garden. Maybe it's a miniscule desk stowed in a bedroom nook. Either way, what's important is that this space feels good to you. Do you love or loathe natural light? Will you be too distracted around a lot of books or the television? Does one part of your house or apartment just feel better to you? If possible, try out a few different spaces. Find the one that works the best, and set up camp. (maybe it's shoved against the wall in your living room because there is literally no other place for it?)

to thineself be true If you need a lot of room where you can spread out all your crafty projects and leave them overnight, it's extra important to have a worktable dedicated just to this. You don't want to use set-up and clean-up times as excuses. If you know you work best when actively blocking out distractions, maybe all you need is a laptop and a corner café. Remember that not everyone works best in his or her own home. It's all about learning what works best for you, and not judging it.

it's clean-up time Get rid of everything you don't need: old projects, other people's stuff, pieces of furniture or accessories irrelevant to the tasks at hand. Clutter is a great way to distract yourself and provide a built-in procrastination excuse ("Oh, I'll finish that sonnet, I just need to organize my tax returns first..."). It also blocks energy, in case you speak feng shui. (oh, how very true- I have all kinds of clutter around my work space, which is maybe why I have trouble getting work done)

prepare your arsenal If you are a visual artist, separate your paints, inks, and pencils into individual containers. If you're a crafter, set aside separate areas for felt, thread, googly eyes, and the like. Once you actually get to sit down and work on something, you don't want to have to spend a lot of time finding the tools you need just to get started. There are enough obstacles to making art; no need to create your own. (for me, this means having several cups for pens, pencils, highlighters, plus a bookshelf right next to my desk where I can store textbooks and research articles I'm working with- otherwise they end up all over the place)

gather your totems Surround yourself with meaningful objects that spark your creativity. Maybe this is an inspiration board collaged with images and sketches. Maybe this is a special souvenir or relic that conjures a creative state of mind or reminds you of what you want to create. The surface area of my desk is dedicated solely to a laptop, a playful and expressive lamp designed by Marcel Dzama, one of my favorite artists, and some totem-like objects: a glass globe of sand from White Sands, New Mexico accompanied me as I wrote my book which took place in the southwest. (some people aren't into personal things, but I don't know what I'd do without my smattering of trinkets from my grandma, my mom, Nathan, etc- they keep me happy and inspired)

Also: if you're really wanting to get organized check out this book by Julie Morgenstern which is all about making organization work for you (instead of you working for organization).

Alright, back to my own project. Tigger just came out from under the bed and she's got tinsel on her head. I don't even know how tinsel got under there- ugh.

PS: you can read the goodbye letter to Domino readers here. Try not to cry.

Awesome Dinner Napkins

Along the vein of "Things that are Awesome," how cool are these Dress for Dinner Napkins? You can even get them in different prints!

I won't be tucking one into my shirt anytime soon, but they would be sweet for a party.

Via Drinkstuff

Ants on my bottle!

An ant bottle to go with your ant spoon (previous post). Also, a humorous gift for a beloved aunt?

Image via Etsy.