All Coiled Up

This is my random inspiration for the day... I had some old wire next to my desk, curled it up, and thought it looked pretty cool! I couldn't decide which one I liked the best, so I am putting them all up!

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I am also on the hunt for some patterned oxfords... or plain ones that I can do myself!

Whenever I'm putting an outfit together, I always find myself saying how I could really use a pair of oxfords to top off the look!

I liked these ones from Gilt Groupe (can't remember who makes them... Humphrey or something??)-- but very cool! It has a little city scape/house pattern thing going on!

I also liked these Jeffrey Campbell ones--leopard!

Going with the leopard theme, discovered these top-siders! (love them!)

Yikes!

Yikes what a crazy two weeks! Back to regular posting probably around next week some time!

Here's a little friend we made while making tissue paper flower's for my friend's birthday (on Sat.!)

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Excited for Valentine's Day!

(Martha Stewart)

(Martha Stewart)

(Martha Stewart)

(Bliss Tree)

Happy 4-day Week!

Sorry for the lack of posting.. just enjoying the long weekend!

While perusing organizing tips on one of my favorite websites (Martha Stewart!) I came across a pretty good idea for organizing papers, concepts, etc.- and decorative!

(Click here for the whole how-to)

And if you do this for work, then you can just grab the clipboard (contents and all) and go!

You know when you find a fun-covered notebook or even just a plain one that inconveniently does not contain pockets? Here's another cool idea I found, to add your own with a creative flair!

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I always love seeing unexpected uses for certain things! For example, it's fun to see an old flea market-type step ladder or an antique chair used as a bedside organizer.

(Martha Stewart-of course)

(all 3 from Apartment Therapy)

(from The Inspired Room)

ok and this one isn't really bedside table but I still liked the picture..

(from Nibs)

(from Newlywed Diaries)

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Oh and I also want to add that my heart goes out to everyone affected by the devastating earthquake in Haiti. What a truly terrible natural disaster. Here are a few links to check out for ways you can help!

-$2 Million in Donations for Haiti, via Text Message

-Haiti Disaster Relief: How to Contribute

-Haiti earthquake: How to help

-Haiti Earthquake: How You Can Help Victims

Unlocked

I don't know why, but I've always found keys so fascinating. Is it the secret that a key could be keeping? The millions of different ones that exist?

It is amazing to imagine how much power a puny little key could hold. Buried treasure? Someone's locket? A private safe? Handcuffs? (<- I've been watching too much 24!)

(Courtesy of The Laurel Hedge)

Their timelessness also fascinates me; even the crudest forms existed in ancient cultures! And to think that we still use a similar concept today! I always look at old keys, wondering what they could be hiding...

(Courtesy of Cut Out + Keep)

It sometimes pains me to swap them for convenience (i.e. swipe passes, key cards, etc.). All the history we are losing!

Besides the practical uses for keys, a few other ideas have caught my attention:

think Tiffany's & Co.'s new key collection, wallpaper in the kitchen of Christina Aguilera's house (featured in Instyle), a pillow from Jayson Home and Garden (as seen here in an earlier post!)

(courtesy of Country Living)

(Courtesy of Martha Stewart)

(From ad in Lucky Magazine)

(Courtesy of Flickr)

Sorry for the tiny pic... almost too small to see the keys =(

(Courtesy of Arte Styling)

Framed

Well! It seems that I am already slacking in the New Years Resolution department...!

Exciting news! I just got new glasses! I have long since exceeded the strength of the prescription in my old ones! This time I opted for frames a little more fun... and retro!

I figured that this is probably about the only time I could pass wearing these glasses without looking like a dated grandpa stuck in the '50s:

(wearing: Polo by Ralph Lauren glasses, my lovely school uniform, World Market earrings, Gap scarf)

Oh and as you can see, I just received the new Anthropologie mag in the mail and am loving some of the looks! They also included a home-furnishings section in the back with some great scenery and adorable duvet covers! They had a "voyage"-type theme going on... old-fashioned suitcases/trunks, framed b&w world pictures, animal-head masks, etc.

And.. I just got the new Architectural Digest and Lucky mags so I have a lot of reading to do!

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It seems that we have hit quite the cold snap and the temp. has ceased to rise above 15° ! Brrr!

I am definitely not enjoying this- and to top it off, we are cross-country skiing in P.E. tomorrow!

This is probably the only the ice I could get used to... the inner diva in me!

(Courtesy of dalesdesigns.net)

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And working on getting that shirt DIY up sometime soon!!!

Cravin' for Organization

[Reluctantly] getting back in the swing of things- and all of the chaos that seems to ensue- I have suddenly gotten this mad craving to organize! A few weeks ago, while surfing the Martha Stewart website, I came across this brilliant idea that is organized, has the potential to be chic, and is quite clever!

I always find myself on a website for an unnecessarily long period of time, hoping that the next thing I click on will be something magnificent... it usually takes my a while to find something... or else I just seem just give up (it gets so frustrating)! Buuut... like I said Martha Stewart really knows her stuff:

And voila! It's a hidden office!

I really want to do something like this with my kitchen island, but instead of desk-y type stuff, it will be my craft-stasher/hold-all! Our island has so much potential: good size, hollow space inside, convenient location... the list goes on!

Kudos to Martha! Take a look at the how-to here!

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Oh and here are some pics of the new-and-improved desk! We gave it a face-lift! (by raising up and clearing all the junk off). I think that the higher desk sort of gives off the art-meets-business vibes!

...and as you can see the office itself is still a work in progress, and so is my desk décor! And note my beautiful textbooks with all my homework!

Adieu to the Holidays for Now...

Well this is the end of my happy, carefree Winter Break... back to the books! But, I am really going to try to keep up with my New Years Resolutions and keep posting!

Here is a little recap of my break:

We started off the holidays with a little soirée in the city at my aunt's impossibly chic apartment! (Here I am cleaning up after all the festivities; too bad there weren't any good shots from the actual party..)

(wearing: cashmere scarf-Lands' End, turtleneck-H&M, watch-Target, skinny jeans-Rerock)

Our great Christmas tree!

Every Christmas, we decide on an ornament to make (each of us get to make our own variations), but sadly this year my sister and I had finals before break so we didn't have time to make any :( so we're going to have "big plans" for Valentine's Day!

Christmas Day at my grandma's house!

Some fun pics from the yard after our great blizzard (15 in.!)

(Lydia in the snow!)

Here's a nice candid of me while playing Charades at a Christmas party, showing off my new necklace (Christmas present from the rents!) :

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As a great way to end the break, we went downtown with some friends to see In the Heights! Overall, really good... it put me in a Salsa-dancing mood!

... and a lovely close-up of my bracelets, etc. ... and chipping nails...

Hope that everyone's holidays were as fun as mine, and that going back to the monotonous, regular routine isn't too painful... and I'm totally jealous of those not done yet!

New Years Resolutions

"It's so tempting to keep postponing and setting aside those things we claim are important. We keep telling ourselves, 'Once I get through this, I'll start prioritizing differently.' "

This is what I seem to have done with this blog... so first off, HAPPY 2010! As New Years Resolutions, I have decided to post at least 4x a week (for starters) and find a "purpose" for this blog.

By "purpose," I mean that I need some real motivation to keep going. A few ideas I have include new trends (some posts in the near future for examples), documenting the transformation of my new office and my mom's new office (both works-in-progress), DIYs, maybe a few features about being eco-friendly/"going green," recipes, and maybe some features that I do weekly??

I am totally open to any suggestions on what to write about, what I could do better/change in my blog, and pretty much anything else!

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And to leave you, here are some "inspiring" pictures of things that I love/want to try to recreate...

Some cute pillows I saw in Jayson Home & Garden (that's the website)

A beautiful painting in Neiman Marcus which I would love to wear and dance around all day/hang in my room as a painting... for it's actual purpose! (it's actually larger-than-lifesized and so fabulously alluring!)

And, a funky cuff I found in Jumbalia (a really fun and kooky shop on N. Wells) ... totally should have gotten it while I had the chance...

(maybe I could make this... need to find thin, faux leather and a flat piece of turquoise hmm..)

And lastly, this awesome light tract from Dwell Magazine (one of my new fav mags!)

And again, I apologize, I swear I really do have a good camera

*note to self: use real camera, NOT iPhone*