glitter is glamorous

The warmth of summer hasn't entirely left and already my mom has asked me to create a list of what I want for Christmas. I feel that the older I get the harder it is to think of Christmas gift ideas. I really need a coffee table/ottoman like this one.

via Tulip & Turnip

But its hard to pick it out for someone else & then transport it across two states. So I need to think on a smaller scale.

via Pinterest

These glitter flats are sweet and feminine but not to gaudy with glitter that they can't be worn to work with some grey slacks.

via Pinterest

 You can always use more cardigans. They are one of the most versatile wardrobe pieces ever. You can wear then with jeans, a skirt, slacks - hmm... they don't really go with sweat pants though, but yoga pants might work. Cardigans also allow you to incorporate belts, a fun accessory.

via Vera Bradley

Vera B's fall Safari Sunset pattern incorporates a combination of colors that I think can carry you through every season. It's not too bright for winter, but not too drab for spring.

via OPI

Finally, glitter polish! Not the most professional manicure option, but the glitter is so lovely. There are some fun ways to use glitter polish too. I want to try a french tip and an ombre effect.

Wreath Wrap Up

Fall is officially upon me & as I break out my brown leather boots, I have the urge to spruce up my apartment door with a beautiful wreath. Thanks to Pinterest, I came up with some inspiring images that seem like pretty easy to remake after a trip to Michael's for some supplies.

The lace ribbon on this wreath steps up the elegance of the felt "feathers". 

via Burlap & Blue

Once again felt is fabulous when cut into a scallop design held with a satin ribbon.

via Etsy

via Aesthetic Outburst 

The letter is a great way to personalize this wreath. It might make a unique house warming gift. The teal is such a fun color & reminds me of a robin's egg.

via Liz Marie 

Peacocks are fabulous!

via Etsy

via Made With Love

I love the look of the letter wrapped with twine. Just by switching the colors to a blue base, for example, this wreath can be used for spring instead. Hanging letters from ribbon would be a cute idea for spelling out "E-A-T" above the dinner room table.

via Pearls, Handcuffs, & Happy Hour

Proud as a Peacock

I wouldn't call it a theme, but peacocks have been an inspiration behind putting together some ideas for a bedroom design. I like the combination of blues and purples while maintaining a look of sophistication. I think a peacock inspired bedroom would be so gorgeous. You even have flexibility with throwing some hues of green into the room. And, yes, I added shoes to my mood board.

When decorating a space, it's often a good idea to pull inspiration from nature when you're uncertain on what color combinations would go well together. What better way to determine whether colors go together than following the guide set by God, the ultimate Designer! 

It is also helpful to find one piece that you like and base a room's design off that item. Sherry & John of Young House Love have based their home off the colors of a napkin they found & affectionately named "Sue". 

I also have a fun activity for you to do! Check out this style quiz here to figure out what your decorating style is. While not always accurate, I always think its fun to take quizzes. I'm pretty happy with my results:

The Process Continues . . .

The apartment decorating is coming along nicely. Not my dream decor, but apartments with white wall are limiting... as is my post college budget. But I love having a place that feels like home. The bathroom was improved with the addition of a cute striped curtain I purchase for approximately $3 from Target on sale after Valentine's Day. Apparently this pattern is V-Day exclusive... who knew? Anyway, I bought it and have held onto it for over 5 months knowing it would be useful sometime in the future. 

The yellow stripes are nicely tied into the pineapple colored rug which I also found at Target. I am kind of on a yellow kick right now! My mom would be so proud since it's always been her favorite. Fear not! I have NOT pushed aside pink. Its just being appreciated alongside yellow for now.

The bedroom has also been improved upon since move in day. You can see the home I have given to the white rhino on top of my espresso colored dresser, along with a white ceramic bowl I found for $1.50 at a thrift store. 

Now my roommate will likely tell you that she is pleased to see my bed off the ground. Up until Saturday night, my mattress and I had been camping out on the floor. However, my dear friend Brie from Breezy Pink Daisies went with me to IKEA and I found a lovely little pine bed for under $40! It's the Fjellse bed (don't ask me to pronounce that!). Very basic, but I'm hoping to someday upgrade my twin bed to a larger size.  

Besides, the plain wood has caused my to start thinking of ways I can create a DIY headboard. I've been thinking something along the lines of woven ribbon? There is also the option to stain the bed. I didn't want to spend money on a black or brown frame that wouldn't match my espresso shelf and dresser. 

The bed was actually very easy to assemble and light to carry. In the last picture, you can see how basic the frame is, but my quilt is long enough to cover it nicely. Yes, I do still have a lot of pink in my room, but I really love the quilt and it's texture. Besides, if I ever decide to get married, my husband might not like a pink bedroom. I'm trying to take advantage of this freedom while I'm still young and independent.

As a side note, I realize I'm a little late to the game, but I just started using Pinterest. Feel free to check out what I've been pinning at Pinterest.com/ritainthecity.

White Rhino

While looking through pictures of John & Sherry of YoungHouseLove's living room, I spotted this fun rhino from Cardboard Safari. 

Of course, this is a sophisticated rhino and the medium version cost $30. While many of my close friends understand that I have an obsession with white decorative items, I knew I wasn't going to spend $30+ on a cardboard rhino. Maybe in a future life, but not as a recent college grad living without a bed frame (a problem I have recently remedied).

So, I set off to recreate the decorative appeal of the white rhino! Thanks to the wide selection of crafting supplies at Michael's, I went to work. 

I purchased some Super Glue, high gloss white spray paint and a wooden 3D rhino puzzle for ... $3! The rhino took some time to assemble especially since I kept confusing his left legs with his right legs.

After putting the rhino together, I brought him outdoors for a couple coats of the high gloss spray paint. I'm sure regular paint would have worked as well, but I wanted him to be more dramatic.

Here is what my finished rhino looks like:

Worth the $27 savings? I know it's not entirely the same look, but the concept it the same. I'm pleased with the results and the fact that I got to release some of my creative urges in the process.

Michael's also has a lion and elephant that I had my eye on. Maybe a high gloss apartment safari is in order? However, my roommate may already think it's a jungle living with me without adding glossing African animals into the mix.

The Girls at No. 304

Tonight's the night! My friend and I spent hours hauling all most of our belongings over to our new apartment. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by the place since I didn't remember much what it had looked like from before.

Also, major bonus - they just put in new carpet!!! Always the grossest part of renting an apartment in my opinion. So the space seems wonderfully clean just having the peace of mind that the carpet is clean. Tomorrow should be fun trying to determine where everything should be located to as its new "home". I must say the kitchen is lacking on storage cupboards. Unfortunately the stove sticks out to far and renders one of the two drawers useless. Off to find a utensil holder I guess!

Here is the kitchen mid-chaos:

I am really curious to see if I can replace the 1940's handles for something cuter and more updated... The kitchen is probably to most outdated portion of our apartment. However, I am excited to have 1/2 a fridge to fill and part of a freezer! I see a blank spot above the stove just begging for some cute wall hangings.

The difficult part about an apartment is that you are often limited with what decorating advance you can make. We aren't certain whether or not we can take a nail to the wall yet. We may need to get by with those lovely wall hooks with the pull-y tabs. All the white space is making me anxious to do some crafts.

This is the dining area where we will soon have a table to accompany our two chairs. (Two chairs & table for $10! What a deal!)

Here is a view of the living room from the kitchen. You can see a bit of our balcony. We cannot wait to get some plants to spruce up it up! And some patio furniture -- but with no couch or real bed frame yet, that isn't exactly a priority.

The bedroom is actually going to be a great size for our two twin beds. Unfortunately I need to slim down my closet usage and find a dresser for some of my clothes. I went from being spoiled using two closets to half a closet... A good reason to finally get rid of some of those clothes I never wear but cannot seem to part with.

I'm very excited to bring over my bathroom stuff tomorrow. I went with a yellow (which I prefer to call pineapple) color scheme (with pink mixed in, of course) at my current apartment. I'm anxious to see how it all looks in the new bathroom, especially once we get the shower curtain hung.

Tomorrow should be a fun day of organization! Too bad I don't have an unlimited decorating fund. I'm anxious to see what can be done with the place though. Don't blame me if I stick to the basics though ... I have to answer to management if they don't appreciate my "additions"!

Arriving Soon

An aspiring home decorator's dream come true - a "Home Goods" store coming soon to the area. Yes, I am pumped & have begun to mentally create a budget for browsing the store. I have never been to the store before but have seen such amazing finds from others.

I also embark on a new decorating canvas this weekend. A new, but smaller apartment, will soon be mine for the decorating (and living in). Looking at my packed boxes makes me gape at how much stuff one person accumulates.

All this potential for new decorating has made me antsy to splurge for the Holy Grail, in my opinion, of decorating books - "The Book of Decorating" from the editors of the former Domino magazine.

I am looking forward to finally putting my new KitchenAid mixer to good use. It was an amazing graduation gift from my parents and it has been sadly sitting in a box for the past couple months. Oh, the possibilities...