The end of a decade.

Can you believe it's the end of yet another decade? I've been alive for two and a half decades and this past one has definitely been the most momentous.

This past decade I:

- Had my first boyfriend (we won't go there).
- Had my last boyfriend (now my husband).
- Graduated high school, then graduated college.
- Gained the freshman fifteen, then lost it, then gained the post-marriage 20 (beware, newlyweds!) Then lost most of it.
- Had blond, black and brown hair (brown for most of the decade). I just died my hair black/brown!
- Got engaged, then got MARRIED!
- Had 4 jobs, hated all but one.

I learned a lot about myself and grew a lot. Here I am at 25 and I know there is a lot more to learn, but I can begin to see the woman I am becoming.

I really believe the next decade will be the best decade of my life. If all things goes as planned I/we will:

- Completely change career paths and *hopefully* become successful at doing what I love.
- Buy our first house (and maybe second, and knowing us... third!)
- Have our first, second, third and maybe fourth baby (yes, we want four but from what I hear that may change after the first. But Matt's cousin is on her fourth so maybe it runs in the family ;) haha).
- Finally stop living paycheck to paycheck

I have so many personal and professional goals for 2010, and I've touched on them a lot so I won't go there... but I do want to wish everyone a very happy and SAFE New Years! I'll be ringing in the new year eating really great food and spending time with family.

Cheers!






{The pictures are styles of houses that I really like... I always tell my husband I want our first house to have lots of windows and be nestled in trees}

Print & Scan

I was so happy when I saw my in-laws surprised me and got me the printer I've been really wanting lately. For those of you who are looking for a reasonably priced, great printer I really recommend this one. (It's $136).



I was giddy like a little school girl when we set it up... and just amazed when I was sitting on the couch in our family room and it printed images in the office. How did I ever live without a wireless printer?!

The quality of prints are great. The color is spot on, which was important to me. How do I know? I copied a picture from a magazine and the colors were almost identical. Again, this is very important to me because I often print design boards with paint colors on them.

The only thing is... I can't figure out how to scan really well. Perhaps I have the settings wrong, or perhaps the scanner just isn't made to scan perfectly. And I'm okay with that, because it copies magazine pages perfectly. (On a side note - I do not tear or cut pages out of magazines anymore... especially with the continuous demise of the magazine industry.. you never know if that magazine you just tore up will be the last. Boo hoo).

Here is an image I scanned from an older House Beautiful:



Definitely not bad, but not great. Just a bit grainy. Does anyone have any advice? Or maybe I just need to invest in a high quality scanner someday.

I scanned the page above because I just love that sideboard. It'd be a great DIY project... paint red, paint black, then sand!

Monday Eye Candy

Although I was so bummed to have to get up and go to work this morning (especially when my husband has this week off), it was a lovely Christmas surprise to see that Photobucket was no longer blocked at my work! Yay!

So now that I can access my huge inspiration folder, here are some great pictures for your viewing pleasure... especially if you are "stuck" at work today like me :/

Aaron Bros Penny Sale!

One of my favorite sales, the Aaron Bros Penny Sale, is currently going on! I've been waiting for it to purchase tons of frames for a gallery wall for my client, and it came sooner than I had planned which was great. If you need frames, run... don't walk to this sale.

And don't feel bad about laying out arrangements on the floor of Aaron Brothers, it's the only way to truly visualize your plan. You'll get some stares of annoyance, but mostly you also will get sweet comments and knowing smiles from other women who have done the same thing.



I'm really loving arrangements that crescendo and are a little uneven.

Also, as you can see, Aaron Brothers have convex mirrors that are relatively inexpensive.

An iPhone Christmas

My generous parents gave me the gift of an iPhone this Christmas. Oh, how I've needed a new phone.... with a camera! Now I can snap pictures of thrift store furniture for clients and more little things here and there for the blog. Ah, technology.

Out with the old, in with the new...


I got a pretty gold case, it's so slim, you can barely tell it's on.


When we got back to the in-law's, the first thing I did was take some pictures of Charlotte...


I got some good ones :)





Thanks Mom & Dad!!

Merry Christmas!

{image from Canadian House & Home}

It's 9:36 Pacific time, and Christmas is coming to a close. In fact, here at my in-laws house everyone is in bed! I'm up thanks to a lot of Diet Coke and a long nap this afternoon. My Christmas has been wonderful; it's my favorite time of the year! It didn't start off so well, I had a bad but very brief bout of food poisoning last night (Christmas Eve) that kept me up pretty late. Can I just say how much I hate vomiting? My mom was always very sick during her pregnancies... I can't imagine how miserable I'll be if/when that happens to me. Seriously people, I worry about it even now, a good 3-4 years before we are thinking of having a baby. But anyway! I woke up happy and feeling fine and thankful for everything and everyone in my life on this great day. And I'm thankful for YOU, those who support me and support this blog. I don't know the person I'd be without you all! Merry Christmas, again, or what's left of it ;)

Beautiful Arrangement!

It doesn't seem fitting to have a non-Christmas related post, but I just had to share this.

My wedding florist, Dodie Sy, just posted this on his Facebook. It's the most beautiful arrangement I have ever seen for the birth of a baby girl:



Just say NO to cheesy arrangements with "It's a GIRL" balloons! Matt - please take note and remember in about 4-5 years when we have a baby :)

If you guys are local to Southern California, you will NOT be disappointed if you use Dodie for your wedding or just for a one time arrangement. He doesn't even know I'm posting this, but because I adore him so much, I have to include his contact info:

3811 Schaefer Ave. Suite J & K
Chino, CA 91710
909.517.2447

He's AMAZING!

Design Resolutions 2010

Hey folks, I'm over at Discover: Interior Design today chatting about my 2010 Design Resolutions! Check it out!



Happy Christmas Eve Eve!

nye dress

Confession: I really don't like New Years Eve. You'd think I'd like it even just a little bit since it was on NYE my husband and I became an official couple (7 years ago, omg!!) But truth is, I've never liked it... I'm not a big drinker and it's a bit too anticlimactic for me.

However I know a lot of people love it, so if you are one of those people I have found the perfect dress for you!


Um YEAH! How awesome is this dress? And it's only $58! It looks so much more luxe than the price tag.



It would look pretty sweet with some fishnets and super high heels. And when the clock strokes midnight and your feet can't take the heels anymore, you can slip into these:



Yeah, it's not even Christmas yet but I'm posting a bit early in case you do want to get the dress; it gives you time for shipping :)

Homies: Thank you!

I was very very surprised and honored to see my little blog has been nominated for Apartment Therapy's Homies Award! Especially during this weird in-between time for the blog right now. THANK YOU!



I definitely don't expect to win or even place this year, but I promise 2010 will bring BIG super exciting changes, just you wait ;) And those of you who already know, please don't spill the beans!

Thanks again, friends!

Pretty

{Originally from Domino Mag}

I'm posting this picture for no reason other than I hate seeing my face when I open my blog to read my blog roll :)

But isn't this room so pretty? So simple, my favorite kinds of spaces.

Flat Iron

I got my new flat iron, and overall I'm happy with the products I purchased! Friday night I was anxious to use it, so I took a shower, blew dry my hair and then flat ironed it.

It didn't turn out as great as when my hair stylist does it (obviously), but I was happy with the process and products. The brush made things go by pretty fast, it really gripped my crazy hair. I was able to get my hair dry in about 20-30 minutes and my hair flattened in about 20 minutes. YES people that is how long it takes my hair to get straight! Early January I'm going to get my hair relaxed, so it should speed up the process.

My only disappointment is that my hair will never look authentically straight, but what can I say. I was born with curly hair!

Here is a picture I snapped on Saturday:


Although it takes a while to do, it's so so easy after that initial long process and it's still good to go today (Monday)!

Let me know if you guys have any questions about the products or process!

One Week!

One week to Christmas! I'm really looking forward to it. There isn't anything better than quality time with family.

{Beautiful Holiday scene from Candian House & Home}

ho, ho, ho.....?

Thank you, husband, for sending me this delightful little website called "Sketchy Santas". It has given me many LOL's and also frightened me a bit. I've always been a little freaked out by mall Santa's, haven't you?

One Rug, Two Rooms

I always love teaming up with Jamie to play make believe. We pick one item and design a room around it. Remember our last installment? We have another one for ya, this time the item is this Anthropologie rug.

Here are the boards! Check out Jamie's post for more info.


My fun femme bedroom:


Jamie's cool chic sitting room:

Note to self.

Note to self. When Matt and I finally buy our own home, I want floors just like this <3 The black lacquer credenza is not bad, either.

These are a few of my favorite things...

I've always wondered why that Sound of Music song plays during the Holidays.. I've been hearing it a lot at Home Goods lately ;)

Anyway! Tis' the season and as I mentioned earlier this month I wasn't doing any gift guides besides Buy Handmade This Holiday. BUT I thought this is a good time of year to share some of my favorite go-to things.

Enjoy!

IKEA VIVAN Curtain Panels

These filter the light beautifully and are only $10 a PAIR! I buy the 98" pairs, fold the bottom up 3", run through a sewing machine and am done hemming in one Regina Spektor song ;)

Pier 1 Wicker Chairs

Ah, Wicker. You either love it or hate it. I personally LOVE it. It can turn a modern/contemporary room turn from cold to inviting and casual. Maybe I'll do an entire post dedicated to them someday. I love Pier 1's wicker chair designs, and they are usually always under $100.

Lowe's Valspar Paint


{"Vintage Map" by Martha Stewart for Valspar}


{LOVE Lowe's Mistint section!!}

I've tried a lot of paints but I always seem to gravitate towards Lowe's. It's really thick (which covers nicely), it's a great price, and they beautiful grays. HOWEVER. I was very upset to see they got rid of Martha Stewart's line of colors and according to her Twitter, Home Depot picked her up. So I may be a convert in 2010. But for now, I'm still a Valspar girl.

I love Lowe's Valspar Mistint's too!

Burt's Bees Pomegranate Lip Balm

I'm a no-frills type of girl when it comes to makeup.. and this is my go-to lip stuff. It's simple enough to slap on in the car or at my desk but also adds a touch of color. And the smell (taste?) is amazing!!

Target Trench

This trench coat is currently in the sale section at Target for less than $30. It's paid for itself in compliments! Definitely a staple for years to come.

Regina Spektor

For the first time, ever I think, I have been listening to non-Christmas music during Christmas time... and it's all because of Regina. Her voice and words go deep into my soul.. cheesy I know but it's the only way to describe it. And I love that she has curly hair, too!

nevermind..

I spoke too soon.... here are some Kelly Wearstler spaces I really like. Sorry, Kelly, I hope you can forgive me.

{credit: House and Home}