let's get down to business

The other day I was scrolling through my board Favourite Places & Spaces and  noticed that I've been pinning office spaces with similar styles, consciously unbeknownst to me. 

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These images tell me a few things. A) I love Mac computers (or everyone else does). B) Neutral palettes with hints of colour through accessories and flowers make me swoon. C) A collage or cluster of framed photos above a desk is the most conducive for creative license.  

My Southern Life... feat The Front Porch

I thought I'd continue my fantasy southern life by making this a little series entitled "My Southern Life." Any southern home is incomplete without a front porch with some rocking chairs. It's the space where you unwind after a long, hot day, and sip some sweet tea with your honey bee (rhyming ftw).

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Kick off your shoes and stay awhile. 

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Love the white and blue. Also, I would love to have a swing on my front porch, just sayin'.

Okay, these next three images from Emily Jenkins Followill are just bananas. I cannot even express how insanely perfect this home is. It's my southern dream! 

Imagine this view at sunset! 

A front porch, or even better, a wrap around porch is on the list of must haves for my future southern home. 

All of this day dreaming is fun! So now I have my southern front porch, and my kitchen. What space should I do next? Bedroom? bathroom? Front parlour? I can't decide! 

My Southern Life... feat. Country Kitchens

Everyone who knows me will not dispute the fact that I have a certain affinity towards country livin'. My ultimate dream, of course, is to live in the South, with my cowboy husband, and greet visitors on my front porch with a big ole jug of sweet tea. All while saying "hey y'all" of course. 

These are a few of the swoon-worthy kitchens that I hope will be brought to life in my future southern home...

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Rustic, worn cupboards with feminine touches like flowers, wallpaper and a valence are just what the doctor ordered. Someone has to whip a cowboy's place into shape, right? 

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This gigantic inset farmhouse sink is my kitchen dream. It just screams country!

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This kitchen is straight outta the 50s. Can you picture those curtains ruffling in the light, Southern breeze? I can!

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An eclectic mixture of new and old kitchenware. Hopefully hand-me-downs from my cowboy's grandma. Tradition is all part of country livin', if you ask me.

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Charming breakfast nook, suitable for Sunday breakfast with my cowboy husband. 

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The view out this window, will of course, be of our sprawling Texan ranch.

Siigghhh... A girl can get really swept away in her fantasy life... My country kitchen will be the heart of my home, where friends and family gather, and I'm a domestic diva/superstar/creator of delicious comfort food. Cornbread, anyone?  

just some crazy apartment schemes

This DIY rustic headboard has got me dreaming up crazy schemes for my future apartment. 

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And while we're discussing crazy schemes, I was drooling over Ruche's Sparkling Soiree 2011 lookbook last night and was totally inspired by their props/background.

How awesome would a blackboard wall be? You could constantly change your decor! Of course, it would require some artistic skill...which I sorely lack. Either way, I'm swooning hard over the shelf above the drawn fireplace. So cool. 

Beautiful makeover from House Beautiful

A million kudos to Michelle at Ten June for sharing her faves from the latest issue of House Beautiful. I was enthralled with the pictures of the 1940s Suburban house makeover from North Carolina, so I headed over to House Beautiful to peruse them for myself.

The double pedestal sink is BANANAS! 

The upholstery on the chairs is  perfect, and I love the round table! 

How cheery is the yellow? And how fun are those stools? And can we talk about the floor? Amazeballs!

I'm having a love affair with grey bedrooms. The muted, calm tones are accentuated with the bright turquoise bedside lamps and fresh flowers.

Can we talk about coming home to this every day? I adore this wallpaper. And brown and navy blue is a surprisingly sophisticated colour combination. 

Swoon-inducing, right? Click here to read the full interview with Lindsey Coral Harper who designed this space. Looking at these gorgeously designed spaces is making me a tad jealous for my own place. 

Fall Porch Decor

Fall is just around the corner, and I am slightly obsessed with seasonal porch decorating. There's something so home-y and inviting about a wonderfully bright and textured entry to your home. The vibrant colours of fall make me want to snuggle up with a good book and a tea. 

Here's what my friend and I did at my parent's house last year:

After browsing through the interwebs, however, I have an itch to try something new! Maybe something like this:

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Or something artistic like this:

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Or something rustic and country like this:

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I'm feeling super inspired with all of these lovely photos. There are so many different ways to decorate your porch for fall, but they all leave me with warm and fuzzy feelings!

Detox for your Senses

My best friends (holla M!) know about my obsession with all things white. A pure white colour palate in a space is not only timeless, but is also so refreshing. Not only does it clear your mind from all the hustle and bustle in our daily lives, but it just feels so serene and peaceful. Add to the white backdrop small pops of colour, inject freshness with cut flowers, and warm up the space with different textures and patterns, and you have the perfect recipe for utter bliss. 

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I'm all moved in to my new place- not sure how I like it yet. Hopefully time will tell... in the meantime, have a good weekend, lovelies! 

road trip recap

I had a blast road trippin' it up at St. Jacobs with my mom and sister yesterday. We went out for lunch, did a ton of shopping and saw some cool scenery and weather! Not only was it a great girl's day out, but I managed to cross off two items off my 12 Before 2012 list! I visited a flea/antique market (TONS of inspiration there) and I crossed off the clothing items I wanted to purchase. A successful day if you ask me!

What we wore.

We stopped in a furniture store and they had the most awe-inspiring displays and items. If only I had more money...

My dream bedroom. One day it will be mine.

A unique corkboard/whiteboard find at the antique store. I thought this would be a great DIY idea, and it could probably be done for way under $75. 

Of course we had to have num-nums. A strawberry and cream cheese roll up. Delish.

I think I did some really smart shopping. We went to an outlet mall, and I was able to get my winter coat for less than half price! A gorgeous black wool peacoat was originally $185, and marked down to $69.99. Of course I nabbed that up, along with a turquoise short sleeved sweater (for $15), and a great pair of statement earrings (for $1.99)! The clerk was even shocked at the low prices- talk about self-gratification! I also bought a structured jacket, a "pleather" jacket, a large clutch, new watch, 2 sweaters, and a professional yet fun laptop bag.... which I will share with you later. The day ended with a tornado warning, and my mom, sister and I spent the evening in our basement. A fairly eventful day!

Bedroom Revival

As I told you in this post, I moved back home for the summer. Which meant that I had to cram an entire apartment worth of stuff into my bedroom at my parent's house. Let me tell you, it was not pretty for awhile (okay, like almost 4 weeks...yikes!). On my first day off in 15 days I finally had enough energy to tackle this huge project. Here is what I had to work with- Warning: Do not judge me, this is embarrassing!! 

I've had this bedroom since I was 13, and the paint colour was chosen by me in grade 7. I don't have the time or the budget for a major bedroom reno, so I decided to vamp it up through my use of accessories and new bedding. I just wanted to work with what I had, minus the new bedding. It needed to be a little more adult, since purple tiger stripes hardly say professional, ya know? 

Here's the after (it took a few days to fully get it cleaned and organized):

Much more cohesive and professional. And tidy. Cough, cough. Here's the lowdown on what I did to the space to revive it. I bought a new comforter and sheet set (yay for crisp white sheets!). Everything else utilized was already owned. I brought in a small area rug, 2 new mirrors, bookcase and a few different accessories and it totally gives the space a new feel. 

My favourite part of the revival is the simplest. I cut two purple tulips from my lovely momma's garden, and I just can't stop smiling every time I see them. I set them in a small white vase I already had, and set them atop my bookcase- prime real estate. The inside of the tulip is absolutely stunning and intricate. It just goes to show you how big of a difference such a small detail can make.