a project

(the living room - FYI: a flat screen LCD will be next to the yellow vase)

So, dudes, allow me to impose upon you my interior design experience as of late. I REALLY dislike sitting in front of a computer all day, and since my job normally consists of that said activity, I jumped at the opportunity when my boss nominated me to furnish our corporate apartment because "Elizabeth is the only one around here who could do a good job at this". Yee ha!

(the master bedroom - I really love this duvet from IKEA)

The next week and a half was spent at 3 different trips to IKEA, 1 trip to Wal-Mart (hate it), 1 trip to Costco, 1 trip to Best Buy, almost 7 hours of overtime and $2,700 of reimbursement on my credit card. I had to recruit David to come to the apartment until midnight so he could help me assemble furniture (dang IKEA! sweet husband!) and then spent several hours alone in the apartment while I fretted about the mysterious footsteps on the 2nd floor - convinced that there was a "bad guy" lurking in one of the bedrooms. I stress myself out. Anywho, it was surprisingly hard to furnish an entire 2 bedroom apartment on a $2,000 - $3,000 budget from furniture to lamps to rugs to mops and cleaning supplies. However, I think it turned out pretty cute and not to "girly". All in all, it was a much more enjoyable work week and very fun for me to decorate on someone else's tab.(the guest bedroom - very cheery, don't you think?)

{rules to live by:decorating}

Two things I've learned from redecorating my living room: One lesson is from Domino Mag and one is from my charming sister-in-law, NieNie.

The first is that the placement of a sofa can do a great deal of good in a room. I moved my white sofa from against the wall to a great open area in front of our exceptionally large window. The natural light bounces off the white fabric and makes the room seem so fresh. I also noticed that all the pictures that I like of family rooms all have a coffee table of some sort. I especially like the bold fabric on this one.

NieNie and I shopped together for a few fabric selections when we were both set on recovering some upholstered chairs for our homes. I felt so lucky to have her there for her opinion and as we walked through the aisles of fabric, she looked through anything and everything and picked very different things. When she had selected a few seemingly "uncoordinating" fabrics, she asked what I thought of them to which I replied, "Well, they are very cute but they don't really match." And then NieNie's secret to her lovely decorating style came out. She said, "Oh, I don't really pick things that go together. I just pick things that I love." That's when I realized why NieNie's home is so wonderful. When you walk in, you feel something that you love but you can't put your finger on it. It's stylish, whimsical, charming and very pretty but it's also very lived in and very loved. Every piece of furniture, every piece of fabric is loved. She loves her home like she loves her family and you feel it when you enter her Dutch door and see the silhouettes hanging on the wall, the delicious green kitchen, the red armoire that my brother made, the leather couch that the children jump off of onto piles of blankets, the fireplace hearth where they sit together as a cozy family, the larged framed Family Proclamation on the wall showing their family beliefs, the uncovered windows leading to the backyard with orange trees dressed in lanterns and the soon-to-be Mulberry Bungalow. It's a very comforting sight for anyone. No matter who you are, you feel at home. I don't know about you, but that's how I want my home to feel. So, I bought a coffee table and purchased a few things that don't necessarily "go together" but I love them. I'll post some pictures after I complete a few finishing touches. Does anyone out there have a few decorating tips that they live by?

{resolutions}

10. Crack open the self-teaching calligraphy book I bought 4 months ago.
9. Train for the half marathon.
8. Look smoking hot at the beach without shorts on (see above as a reference).
7. Save at least $5,000.
6. Grow hair 3 inches or cut 3 inches.
5. Learn to sew more than a straight line.
4. Resist impulse online purchases.
3. Watch less television.
2. Read the Twilight books.
1. Get a little closer to who I want to be.

{gift cards}

If you are ever at a loss when trying to figure out what to get me for Christmas/my birthday/Easter/whatever - know this: I love gift cards.

People (or my husband) are always saying, "Gift cards are so lame. It's like you couldn't think of anything else to give them." Do you feel this way? For me, it's as if that person knows me so well that they got me a gift card because they know how much I love to shop and how much I hate to pay for it. My mom must agree with me because for the last 7 or so years she has given me a gift card to Nordstrom for Christmas. More often than not, I don't use the balance of the card almost until the next Christmas. I just buy little purchases here and there and each one makes me happy.

I currently have just under $300 worth of gift cards in my wallet right now. Most of the gift cards are pretty old (some over a year) but this is why I love having them: Some days, I just really hate my wardrobe/home decorations/makeup/cereal bowls but I don't have the pennies to purchase them myself. This is where the gift cards in my wallet come in.

For example, last night while David was at school, I went to Macy's to look for some black shoes for Stephen's wedding. I found these adorable peep toe pumps that for $47 on sale! At the cash register, I whipped out my Macy's gift card for $74 and paid for those puppies without paying a single penny out of my pocket. (That sentence had a lot of "p"s in it. Did you notice?) Then I bought mascara and eyeshadow from Lancome and got a free make-up bag! Woot for me!

Then, the V.P. of my company he gave me a $50 Visa card as a thank you for a big project that I did a few weeks ago. So, I headed over to Forever 21 and bought myself 2 delicious tops and a really, really, really awesome dress that I adore. The balance? $2.50. I paid it in cash.

Speaking of gifts (as it is The Most Wonderful Time of The Year) Jordan over at Oh Happy Day is currently compiling a grand list of gifts under $30. If you are looking for some great "little Christmas gifts" for friends or family, you should definitely check it out. I especially love this and this!

{jeans}

Have you all heard of Zafu.com? I know I’m not the only one who can’t find a good pair of jeans to fit my thighs while making my waist appear smaller and my behind appear tight (emphasis on “appear”). I have yet to go jeans shopping lately but when I do, I know that I will be able to pick and choose between 47 choices of jeans that look good on my body type. I'm really leaning toward these David Kahn's.

P.S. The website can also help you determine pants, plus jeans and bras for your body. Rock on Zafu!