Pinterest recently brought me and this awesomeness together:

              
                                                                            via
                         

To the 4 beloved followers I have, thank you for joining me on my journey! Like my new mantra says, it's gonna take a while. I've gotta fight my way through some disappointments. I have next to zero patience so I want to be this amazing design prodigy over night. Let's be honest, who doesn't want their dream to come true today, or even tomorrow?

I can promise you I will keep working past my 'good' phase, until I get to mind-blowing! I hope others can see my potential and will also join me on my journey. I know I have killer taste, I know I have the passion. Enough passion to keep me from quitting. I never knew another person could love interior design as much as myself until I started reading design blogs. It felt like this part of my soul that had been screaming out how amazing throw pillows and faux bamboo chairs were was finally being heard and answered back.

My impatient self demands weekly posts worthy of 100,000 hits. Someday, someday.

2013's goal is to work my butt off and create one post or one project a week that I poured all my ambition into. If one or two of those happens to be killer and soar past good, well, I'll be alright with that.

Striped Finds from Target

While at Target this weekend I saw so many darling designs with stripes! These were my favorite finds (I bought everything but the cardigan because I have so many cardigans!)

                                                               (skirt, dress, skirt, cardigan)

Weekend Recap

                              

How was your weekend? We had an amazing one. Earlier this week Alex found a great deal on a 2012 Chevy Malibu, too good to pass up! We have been needing a second, more reliable car and this baby fit the bill. So, on Friday afternoon we got off work early and drove down to pick up our new car! While in Salt Lake we met up with my sister & her fiance. It was so fun to see them! I need to be better at taking people pictures (clearly). We also ate at Chipotle. Their chicken tacos with corn salsa are TO DIE FOR. Especially with their homemade sour cream. Yum yum.

My wedding ring has been getting a little tune up at the jeweler's and this is the first time we've been able to pick it up. I have missed wearing my ring!

We also stopped at Target. Oh Target, how I love thee. Where else can you find cute affordable clothes and an awesome dollar section all in the same place? The first picture is of a striped skirt I found. It is sooo comfortable! Check back tomorrow, I will be posting some of my favorite clothing finds from Tar-jay!

Off to a Good Start

When I group together all the images that inspire me, I realize that I like, nay, love, a lot of different styles. But just because I love and enjoy different styles doesn't mean they are the styles that are ME, or the styles that I want in our home.

So, through the process of elimination and inclusion, I've decided a few things:

1. Color

This baby's gotta have color. Caitlin of Sacramento Street has this absolutely brilliant neutral dining room and I love it! But it doesn't have enough color, for me. Aren't those chairs just darling though?


                                                  via

Anyone catch Modern Family last night? Aside from it being one of the funniest shows I've ever seen,  I love that there's always a few tender moments that make you stop and think.

I know a clip would be better than trying to explain it, but I couldn't find any from last night's episode just yet, so bear with me (or go watch the episode and then read this!) ***Spoiler alert, in this episode, despite Phil's love of jumping on trampolines, he decides he wants to improve his golf game, in the hopes he can close more real estate deals. He gets some tough love coaching from Jay that helps his golf swing! The part I loved was at the end of the episode when Phil decides to go with what he knows, and he gets on the trampoline with a client equally as skilled at the art of jumping as he is. They bond over a shared love, as nerdy as it may be, and the client signs the contract.

While this moment was hysterical, it was also such a great example of how being  a "first rate version of yourself" is light years better than being "a second rate version of someone else." Phil isn't a snooty golfer, he's a goofy trampoline guy. By being himself, and sticking with what he knew and loved, he achieved success.

It made me wonder how many times in my life I've been a version of someone else, instead of the best version of me I can be. Our personalities and loves and passions are all different and that make us who we are as people, and that is so wonderful! That is one of my favorite aspects of the world of interior design. Although there are trends designers may loosely follow, every designer brings their own flair to a room. And you know what? It's the designers whose personalities are evident in a room, who let their "first rate self" shine through, that are successful. The designers who design rooms that scream "hey, it's me!" are absolutely amazing! Jamie Meares is a great example of that! I posted about her & her shop, Furbish, a couple weeks ago. Once you've seen a couple pictures of Jamie's work, you could pick a room she designed out of a thousand images. Let's not forget Jonathan Adler. That man has some incredible designs, and a lot of products that are not your run-of-the-mill everyone's style. But, he is doing what he love and is achieving great success.

Friday Finds (Under $25)

Happy February ya'll! I am happy to report that we had sun here yesterday, for the first time in weeks! And if the weather forecast is right we will have sun for the next 6 days! That sure makes a girl happy.

I'm still offering the $25 gift card giveaway when I reach 25 followers. Here are some fun finds from Furbish you could purchase with the gift card:



1. Pink Ladies Print




2. Pink Ikat Cocktail Napkins

A Liveable House Tour

One of my all time favorite house tours featured on Design Sponge last July was the home of photographer and blogger Raya Carlisle. The mix of bright and pastel colors, with ample amounts of white, make this home feel so airy and cheerful. Every room welcomes you to take a seat, and make yourself comfortable. I love how absolutely liveable this home is. It is refreshing to see an environment that is well styled but can handle the impact of children and day-to day wear.




I'm thinking this accordion peg rack has a DIY future in my tiny entry way! I love how unassuming and charming this is, setting the tone for the rest of the home.



The slip covered sofa and Lucite coffee table make for quick clean ups if a stray Popsicle makes it out of the kitchen. Speaking of the kitchen.....



  How cute is that? And now for my favorite room of the house, the dining room:


Eek!! Those pink vinyl original Thonet chairs are to die for! The lucky girl got them on Craigslist! I am always amazed at what treasures can be found on there! Especially if you live close to a big city, Craigslist can be a gold mine. The pops of yellow from the vintage dishes and that darling little vintage oil painting make this (in my opinion) the cheeriest room in the house!



They converted their formal dining room into a play room. What lucky kiddos! That awesome rug is from Rugsusa. Sadly, it's sold out. It gives this room great personality and ties the drapery, lockers, and couch together.



I am coveting these lockers! How great are they for storage!



This wardrobe is killer. I'd love to have something like that for my bedroom!

What do you think? Wouldn't you love to come home to this quaint abode?