As of Now

For a while now I have been stumblin' around and about, bouncing off ideas and such of what I would like my style to be. I love the whole bohemian thing a lot, a lot. Mismatched prints and textures, bold colors, very over the top vintage, quirky...you get the gist. BUT I have come to the conclusion that it is just not me. You see, I have a story.

Once upon a time, nah. So the way I dress really does reflect my style in decorating/styling. One of my roommates has all this pattern and color in her wardrobe (which she pulls off very well...all things indie-esque) and I kept getting frustrated by the major lack of color and pattern in mine. It basically consists of neutrals, solids, and stripes. Awesome, I know.

Random thought: my computer is screwing with me. The cursor keeps randomly jumping around and my sentence ends up in the middle of a previously written word. Driving me mad.

so. I go shopping and before I even put the car in park, I tell myself I will buy pattern. Guess what I bought? A navy blue thermal, and a gray sweater. No pattern and the same colors I already own.

I have discovered that no matter how much you may like a specific style, it might not be YOUR actual style. Get it? I love bohemian modern, but no matter how hard I try, I always have an unexpected end result. I am over it. No hard feelings. I actually love MY style.

I saw this quote in Rue Magazine and it said "refined, yet unfussy" and I think that really encompasses me. I have very expensive tastes (screw it) and very tailored to the point of preppy I suppose, but I still have a knack for all things vintage and feminine. Set me loose in a thrift store or flea market and I could go wild. I also like modern stuff more than I though I would (Ikea and West Elm).

I guess the whole point of this intriguing post is for me to inform you that, as of now, the style of this blog may take a turn (not necessarily for the better, but just for the different), and that I may need to change the tagline under my title too.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas!

xo

It's kind of a rockin movie.

Yes, I should be studying for my finals...but my brain hurts. (you can't see it because I fixed it, but I spelled brain "brian")

So I was just chillin and realizing how heavy my eyelids were getting so I opened up my email because on occasion I feel rather important when I check it, I had 35 inboxes granted half of them were junkmail and from organizations I am a member of but not presently active in. That didn't last very long, so I got on facebook, but noone loves me, that or they are all being better peeps than me and actually have their face in a book, so I started checkin out my pics and BAM I have something to do.

I looked at this picture and immediately wanted to watch "Anne of Green Gables" (is that right to put it in quotes)...

Meet modern day Anne. Do you see it. I hope you see it. If not, flip the computer upsidedown and squint...you should then.

This is a bedroom out of the movie. It brings back the memories. I love this movie. Totally watching it over Christmas break (so mom, get it ready because we are having a MOVIE NIGHT or nights because they are kinda long).

I have the doll and the book and the movie, so I guess you could call me a big fan. OH and I answered a final jeopardy question about the house once...correctly. It is such a charming house. I mean it might not be my first choice -- my first choice would be a Georgian style house (that is an English style and I should be making an outline for my Historical design class right now, but duty calls almost as much as my bed...baha I wish!).

Sorry for so much rambling.

If you have a liking for movie sets and the designs used on those, visit my friend, Katie's blog Reflections from a Coffee Mug. That's not all she blogs about, but just one I particularly liked.



Brass, flowers, and old scarves.

Genius.

Too small to wear, perfect to frame...

totally stealing this idea!

The Adirondacks.

I really want to go.

It is up in the mountains in New York and it is all wildlife-y. There are a bunch of lake houses and lodges all about, but here is my all time favorite picture from the adirondacks. Also, I found this collage of decor and I feel like it would be my perfect lodgy lake house style if I had one. Maybe one day, maybe one day.

ooh, ahh.

You don't have to have logs, moose heads, bear rugs, and an oversized couched to enter into the rustic lodgy design. Trust me, you don't have to compromise all of the feminine touches! Have fun with it and be creative...that is kinda the whole point of design.

Last week I got the new Elle Decor in the mail, and the cover is rustic, cozy, and has an abundance of texture. I am personally attracted to the neutral palette contrasted by the texture and accessories. Whoever the photographer was, props to them because the light through the windows creates real depth in the room.

Ya'll enjoy!



Louis Vuitton

So I was browsing one day and I stumbled upon this picture.

1. Let me just point out Ashley Tisdale's killer outfit.

2. The trunk. I love how she sophisticated the trunk by putting a glass tabletop on it. Probably a good idea too considering it definitely isn't cheap, and I would be the last person to set a sweating cup on Louis Vuitton.

I found a book online while looking for more pictures of his masterpieces...maybe one day, maybe one day.

Below is a picture out of Louis Vuitton's 100 Legendary Trunks.

Click here to view a video by Louis Vuitton featuring the book!

And just in case I haven't provided you with enough trunk eye candy:



Reminds me of you.

Dear Auntie Shannon,

I sure do hope you are reading this because this post is pretty much dedicated to you!

The poster says "HORSE SINS" and that fits you to perfection.

First off let me say that this is freaking ballin'! Love the contrast and the detail on the door.

Please, put a huge brightly colored horeshoe out front of your gate..tehe.

Do you remember those really high orange heels of yours oh auntie of mine?

I love you!

{Sea of Shoes}



Miss Kristen Bell.

I have lots of favorite things.

If you ask me what my favorite of something is I am likely not going to tell you any useful information because all things are my favorites. Nah, just kidding. It is actually because I have multiple favorites. A good example would be friends. I have lots of best friends, not just one best friend.

ANYway...Kristen Bell is one of my faves. I am kinda addicted to Veronica Mars (kinda would be an understatement). For one, she is sarcastically hilarious and she is one of my fashion icons. She is very classic. Solids, neutrals, with pattern and some glitz and glam every now and then. Well her house matches. Now I love things about her house, but I, unlike sometimes, don't want to copy the whole thing. So let me inform you on her awesomeness.

Modern meets traditional. The high points of this room that are calling my name right off are the color of the wall/the pattern on the ceiling and the mixing and matching of the chairs at the table. I chairs at the ends of the

table are to dies for. One other thing I just noticed is the dark hardwood. I think one of the many reasons that this is working is because of the white trim that breaks one dark color to the next. This way is isn't dark floor, dark wall, dark ceiling. We have a breather moment. 

I like the concept of the open shelving, but if it were me I would be worried I would knock something off the wall when walking by, but I suppose if you are Kristen Bell, you could afford to replace it. 

BAM! Pattern on the ottoman. I WANT IT.

Oh and I like her dress, bot sure I could pull it off though.

I would be afraid my couches would get rained on or my pillows would blow away??

Love.



OBsessed.

Technically I should be studying for my Textiles test that I have in the morning, but I just woke up from a nap and my mind isn't fully working yet. Hence the blog. Sorry if it sucks.

Today is the third day of my sugar cleanse (exactly what it sounds like...NO SUGAR). Well through all of this, I realized how much of a foodie that I am and what a serious sweet tooth that I have. ugh. Only four more days to go. Well I stumbled onto this blog post about Emerson of EmersonMade and her home. I found a picture of her pantry, and as much as I would love to be this healthy all the time, I am OBsessed with sugar. So my pantry could never look like this...even though it is super cute.

Cute, right? All organized and everything. I probably couldn't keep mine this clean even if I wanted to.

In her little interview-ma-deal she said they don't eat any processed food, and hardly any sweets. No sir-ree (you know what I am tryin to say, don't laugh at me 'cause I am pretty sure you have never tried to spell that out before. That or I never got the memo on how to spell it)!!

Alright. Time for my second OBsession.

This practically fits my style to a T, and I want it. It is mismatched and maximalized without being over cluttered, still remaining feminine, and of course is casual sophistication. I can only dream of coming back to a place like this. Only one change though. You see, I follow way too many shows for my own good, so that super painting over the fireplace would need to be a tv, no matter how bleh that may look aestheticly.

Alright. Off to study some more, but my motivation will be that Thanksgiving is just around the corner!!

bad day anyone? going once, going twice, SOLD to...me!

I thought this EmersonMade flower captivated my mood very well.

Ok...maybe it is a tad more optimistic than me currently, but as it says...

xo.



Way past due.

Hey guys!

So way back when I said I would be making pillows. Guess what, I finally did! My first pillows ever and I do believe they are very awesome...and surprisingly enough I had fun making them. Perhaps I should make a living out of pillow making (I should probably graduate college and get a job though right??).

so my grandma had all these doilies and lace and placemats, etc that her mom made. She wanted us to be creative with them and she wanted us to make her some pillows with them (us being me and my mom). My mom wanted to use muslin, but I convinced her to make the pillow reversible and use toile on one side. I have pictures to post for viewings. Feel free to be impressed by our fantabulousness.

Here goes nothing.

So these are the two sides and also if you haven't figured it out yet, we made 2.

We (haven't yet, but will soon) hand sew the doilies to the muslin side of the pillow. Awesome I know.

This is the detailing on the doily. Can you believe it is hand made? One word. INTENSE.

You can see the muslin better in this snapshot.

Toile.

I kind of might have an OBsession with toile. Also with ikat, linen, and wool. Maybe one day I will make a post dedicated to them. Woo textiles! Hard class incase you were wondering (the tests are epic).

Ok well this is obviously the detailing of the toile. I just love it. I can honestly say I haven't seen brown toile before this. So my mommy gave me a tip before we started making the pillows (total common sense tip, but I would have overlooked it). Always wash the fabric first. The size of the fabric shrunk by a long shot. We started off with just over a yard and a half, I think, which was way more than enough and after the wash we had barely enough. CRAZY.

Well this was my project for the weekend, and hopefully it will be again.

the end.

Did you know...?

Did you know...

that it is better to collect things over a period of time than all at once?

It will give your space a feeling of effortlessness instead of looking like you meant for it to look like that, and it just so happened to look awesome like you wanted or planned for it to.

Also, did you know...that I really want this bedding and that you may see this pic again later just based on the fact that I am way too in love with it?

Did you know...?

So along with the "silly things you should never do" posts that may become a once a week type of thing if I find enough funny things...that is 52 funny things, I have decided to also provide you with a few fun facts. These posts will be called the "did you know..." posts, and they may also become weekly (or may start off weekly until one week rolls around and I just don't have anything to say or my brainn just isn't functioning like it normally does--kind of like when I spelled brain just a few words ago--not that my brain is normally normal).

But anywho.

Did you know...

that I love the color blue?

Create a display of objects only of your favorite color or colors...it will give you something to smile about when you walk past it, and it is 100% just purely you.

J'aime tours de magie!

Meet my hat box (my hypothetical hat box).

He is vintage and his name is..Hat Box.

Today we will be performing a very special magic trick. Hat Box will be helping me with my super tricky talent!

I will draw one picture from Mr. Hat Box and then another. Each picture will be different, but also a perfect match.

Drum roll please?!

&

This is a match you ask?

Pick me pick me...I know why!!

She likes uniformity, but thrives off of imperfections. Her color palette is neutral, but she loves contrast. A lot. She loves contrast more than her accessories, but when she does use her accessories, they are bold. They blend in, but you can't miss them. She is a girl that takes life as it comes.

silly things and not so silly things all in one

I wouldn't have pinned her for picking it, but she did. This she is one of my best friends miss Emily Bryant. She is going to be famous someday. Not really sure what for, but she will be and she will handle it very well and take me shopping and out to fancy restuarants while I decorate her house. Yep that is the plan.

Oh right...what she picked.

"I love this. It reminds me of the library from beauty and the beast except much smaller. Recreate this for me with a classy vintage feel?" -Emily

This picture is slightly lodge-y and masculine without being themed and this is why I wouldn't have expected her to pick it. She has very sophisticated and big taste (my description doesn't really do it justice, but I will see things and say..."that is so emily") and romantic. I am talking full wall drapery, jewel tones and creams, soft flowy fabrics like silk and velvet, chandeliers, golds, and vintage. You get the gist, right? However, she will likely read this and think I am mental?

Personally I picture a library as being warm and cozy and piled with antique books. Her favorite things about this picture were the fireplace and the shelves. So I thought about a color palette and bounced it off of her. I was thinking woods and browns/golds, deep purple (jewel tone), and muted greens and creams. So a picture popped in my mind that I saw in Domino a while back and I personally think it is a wonderful jumping off point when placed next to the original she pulled.

Just imagine it with more shelving, a sliding ladder, furniture, and candlesticks, teacups, and a grandfather clock oh my!

I crack my self up.

And I know this is a really random thought..ok not all that random, BUT when on the subject of Beauty and the Beast, I think of the line "I use antlers in all of my decorating!" in a song. Here are a couple pics that deserve this quote as a caption.

Perfection.

Oh and here is, for the first time ever, SILLY THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER DO....

"Butterfly kisses"

I love iron railings and all that jazz, but please oh please just don't put shapes that look like noses and then have them touch each other.

Everyone say hello to Ann. "Hi Ann!!"

Check out her blog...it is ballin!

Dear Domino,

I miss you.

Love forever and ever until death do us part (even though you kind of already died),

Lauren

Just incase you were unaware of what Domino was...it was a design magazine, and it was epic. 

Domino was "the guide to living with style." 



The premiere issue was launched in the spring of 2005.

It folded in the spring of 2009...very unfortunately.

I have yet to find a magazine that will replace its spot in my heart with its ballsy pictures and beautifully new and shiny pages.

Just incase you were addicted to Domino/looked at it occasionally/are just bored...you should check out these links posted below.

Rue Mag

Lonny magazine

{this is by far my runner up to Domino...I can see myself getting hooked}

And to this link, I am hooked. This is Emily Henderson's new blog. Well it is the same blog except the fact that it isn't called "The Brass Petal" anymore and it is no longer on blogspot. It is on squarespace...maybe one day I will upgrade. 

so this should provide you with hours--days of excitement!

Toodleloo.

Long Live Domino! 

Nap time...yes, yes it is.

It really is nap time. I am watching Titanic on tv, but I will probably pass out long before it is over. It's almost like I am a sixty year old woman trapped in a nineteen year old body. I am always craving a nap even though I NEVER (and I mean that when I say it) have time for them, but I make time. Seeing that I am tired, my tiredness is influencing the topic of this post.

SUCCESSFUL PICTURES.

So I am kinda interested in becoming a prop stylist. They are those people who make the pictures in the magazines that are all pretty and special. The ones that make us really jealous because our lives aren't as idyllic as the one we are looking at, and we don't understan (no matter how hard we try) why our couch or our cups will never be as perfect as the ones in the picture that the prop stylist staged. Sorry for that really weird and long explaination there.

In my personal opinion, a successful picture is a picture that makes you want to jump on into the scene and make yourself at home.

{Anthropologie}

Who can honestly tell me that they don't want to put on a pair of sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt, curl into a tight ball with your knees to your chest like a little rolly polly, pull the covers up over your shoulders, and slip into a deep sleep for the winter?

I love all the mixed matched covers and pillows and the sheets with little ruffles on them. I love how it is snuggled up in a niche by a window with the burlap-y window shades. It has a very country/ cottage flare to it and I want it. I want this in my house some day. Successful indeed.

Well the ship is about to split in half and chaos is breaking out!

I think I am going to take a nap now...yep. It is a dorm bed (nothing super awesome like the pic above), but it is a bed none the less, and it will do.

Peace out girl scout!

fashion!

Yes, this is a design blog (all artsy fartsy and stuff), but I am a big fan of fashion. Well fashion is a broad term...clothing fashion would be a better choice of words probably.

...so when I get bored and/or I am in the process of procrastinating, I usually end up on design or fashion blogs, or making word documents full of pictures that I think are pretty or clothes I wish I could afford. BUT since I can't (my favorite stores are Anthropologie, J Crew, EmersonMade, Gap, Urban Outfitters, TopShop, etc...you get the picture), I feed the fire or desire really with pictures and stuff.

Man, I can go off on a tangent...yep.

So, where I was planning on going with that, was that I like clothes just as much as I like design, but the difference is that I can't see myself doing fashion for the rest of my life (I can just see myself spending all my money on it for the rest of my life). Being that I like it so much, I tend to kinda tie it in to my taste for design.

I really didn't know what my style was for like ever and it was really frustrating. I knew what I liked, but not what was "me" to say the least. Well guess what? My style in design is pretty much exactly the same in what I would wear or want to buy. As much as I like the really extravagant and over the top, ornate things, I wouldn't dress like that.

Never.

I mean, come on.

Even for prom I didn't go all out. I wore a knee length, black and white plaid dress from White House Black Market and a hot pink bow headband.

Me: simply, easy, and randomly fun!



What you can normally find me in is jeans and a cute shirt...I like florals and stripes. LOVE accessories, but not too many. Usually one or two layered necklaces, a vintage bracelet (maybe), and a couple rings. I am not a walking accessory. I am minimalistic (as minimalistic as you can be while still enjoying vintage and bohemian things).

If I am in a dress, it is usually more on the modest side, and typically paired with a sweater. I am a huge layerer (is that a word...layerer?).

I like boots and tights. Together, but also apart.

I don't do heels. That would be because I am tall, and I personally would like to stay under 6 feet, but that's just me.

So now that you have my whole life story...let me show you what I would do with it.

This is "me" (not me personally, but my style...I would so wear this if I owned it. Mom, how much do you love me?). Classic black jeans paired with, oh yes, brown leather boots. Whoever said you can't wear black with brown is stupid. It obviously is rockin. P.S. rules are just there so that we can break them...in case you haven't gotten the memo.

STRIPES. There is the pattern.

Can you spot the random funness....bright yellow flower pin! It is linen which I also am obsessed with btdubs.

So this outfit has visual interest, but remains simple.

When you design a room/ style it, you don't have to do a literal translation...not that there is anything wrong with it if you do.

With this I would get ALL vintage pieces, a cowhide rug, yellow floral drapes (there is me being literal for you), a dark grey linen couch, white moroccan and leather poufs, lots of pattern in the pillows and ottoman, and of course a wing back chair and maybe a victorian style one. Something like that.

Ok. I have just made a command decision and have decided not to hypothetically design a room for each outfit...just the first one.

The pattern on this dress is small white stars (more in the shape of the North star), not little polka dots. I am not a big fan of polka dots (not to say that I don't have anything with polka dots on it, because I do...a new pair of underwear, but it is balanced out by the leopard print--you didn't really need to know that).

LOVE this picture anyhow!

One word.

Nautical.

Ok...that is a VERY LITERAL translation, like walking out of the ocean literal. No creativity done on my part there.

Classic NAVY cardigan.

Walls would be navy in this hypothetical room that I will be decorating no further.

Hey, I like her pink nail polish here too.

Knowing me, I would be the one who designs around the nail polish...am I insane? Maybe a little bit.)

Want this jacket and clutch, but mostly the jacket. Hey mom!?

Beige...not so much for me, but I would wear this and I would live in it too (with colorful pillows and a toile wallpaper), yes I would.

Aight. I'm done...thanks for stopping by!

credits: all pictures and clothes by EmersonMade