buns and artwork.

I've got two things on the brain today - buns and DIY art. The bun because I happen to have a giant one on top of my head as I type this and the DIY art because I am very slowly putting in place a plan for my workspace artwork. Totally random I know, but I can't help it.

True to form, I decided to stay in bed until the last possible second today. This left me with a whopping 30 minutes to take Ruby out, get dressed and drive to work. Totally uneccessary stress I know, but I can't help it. That said, I was unable to shower this morning (eww, gross) and my hair was out. of. control. So I did what (I think) anyone would have in this kind of situation - throw it on the top of my head, shove some bobby pins in there and hope for the best.

Well, I got lucky. My 'fro somehow managed to wrap itself into a pretty bun. Sure, it's a tad frizzy and a little huge, but I made it work. I paired it with a striped long t-shirt, my "new" $3 rust colored blazer from Dress for Success, navy corduroys and some tall gray heels. I wish I could show you a pic so you can see how not-ballerina the look is but I'm typing this on my lunch break. In the office. At my desk.

Instead, I'll offer some example pics of how to work a pretty bun. The most important things to remember? Imperfections are good and always pair with something tailored or structured.

running on happiness

[kind of what mine looks like except for a little more curl and a lot more frizz]

glamour

wonder how to

pinterest

pretty stuff

As for the DIY art, I started hanging up some pictures in my workspace and want to blend places I've been, corkboards and artwork I've made. So I did what anyone (I think) would have done in my situation and headed to pinterest for some ideas. Here are the ones I've bookmarked so far. Something fun, a little 3-dimensional but simple at the same time.

material girls

apartment therapy

etsy

jeff canham

the mayberry home journal

design sponge

lemonade makin mama

another holiday, another whirlwind performance.

Per usual, I had a little too much fun with the Halloween festivities and am now feverishly adding to the infamous list of what not to do ever again. Like over-serving myself. And going to sleep before my BFF Jen could meet up with me. And dancing on coolers. I mean, who does this stuff anymore? This idiot, right over here that's who.
For those that weren't able to witness the mess show, here's a quick pic of me (AKA Big Bird) on Friday night. Which is the same outfit I wore Friday at work. And during my mere 3 hour Saturday night. Seriously, is there anyone else out there that does this? PLEASEDEARGOD.



But now, since you can't change the past and I'm almost done feeling bad for myself, I thought I'd pick myself up, dust myself off and begin picking up the pieces from yet another fuzzy weekend. No Mom, I still haven't learned.

Slowly getting the productive bug back today, I flashed back to my birthday (September 22nd) when I wrote this post, listing all of the goals and milestones I plan to accomplish before my next birthday.

My progress? None. Zero. Zilch. Nada.

So, with 1.5 months down the toilet and only 10.5 more months left before the deadline, I will need to cross off at least 3 items on the list each upcoming month. Which means I need to stop the shenanigans and get this little booty in gear. STAT.

Wanting to set the bar a little low for November - you know, get the old self esteem ready and raring - I chose the following items to complete:

1. Continue to regularly blog (Sundays are the only optional day).
2. Make (and successfully not kill) an indoor herb garden.
3. Teach Ruby how to roll over.

Seems pretty doable right? I'm already doing the regular blog thing so I just need to keep that up. The indoor herb garden is something I've been planning to do in my kitchen forever now. And I think I've successfully roped my entire family into helping me teach pup to roll over Thanksgiving break.

The goal will be to provide an update on my progress along with picking three new goals to check off the list at the end of every month. I think that will keep me pretty accountable, motivated and (hopefully) out of trouble.

For now, here are some pretty herb garden treatments I'm thinking about. I have one little window sill available for this project so the arrangement will need to be smart and compact.

re-nest

the lark

persephone magazine

my revelment

google images

design sponge

nothing but bonfires

stumped in my workspace.

I thought I'd have it all figured out by now. So cocky. So full of optimism. Sigh.

It all started Friday night when I tasked myself with putting together a moodboard for my craft nook/area/workspace. For those not aware of what a moodboard is, it's something that people use on occassion to pull together the look and feel of the space to gain a sense of direction. Yes, I'm one of those nerds that tries not to go out on Fridays to 1. save money 2. get a head start on my blog posts and 3. avoid being too hungover to run the millions of errands I pack my Saturdays with. I'm not always successful but have been lately since Jim works and I screen all Friday phone calls.

So there I was all snug in bed (AKA my second couch), Ruby happy as a clam with a new bone and an episode of Maury Povich playing in the background. It was one of the more successful shows I've seen - I think 3 out of the 5 guests were able to confirm who their baby's daddy were on the first try.

After the first "you ARE NOT the father", I opened up my laptop and headed straight to polyvore to whip out a moodboard. And.... nothing. I have a few specific ideas in my head of what I want to do but am having a hard time pulling it all together under a common theme. Let's take a look at what I'm dealing with. And yes, that is my not clean bedroom in the back and Ruby's toys she decided to place right after I picked them up. So inconsiderate that one.

First of all, I don't think I've been realistic about how large the space really is - the size of a hallway. This leaves me with limited floor plan options and very little room to do something cool. Like these.

baubauhaus

ffffound

ffffound

well appointed desk

Second, the space has a crazy amount of wood in it right now - real and fake. I'm not opposed to painting wood (see my nightstand project here) but don't want everything to look all painty-painty. That bugs me. Which is why all of my inspiration pics have such a great blend of materials and colors.

apartment therapy

four horsemen shop

design sponge

new house of art

Third, I NEED all of the stuff I currently have in the space. Lois (mentioned here), a desk/work station, a hutch for housing all of my crafty stuff and Ruby's food and water bowls. I also have a couple of rattan cubes that need to go under the work station holding tons 'o fabric along with maybe a chair with a back that I found on the side of the road a while back. Sewing can take its toll on your back.

So what is a gal to do? Do I refinish the hutch using a gradient treatment like the photos shown below? Do I find a new top for the desk to get a little more variety in terms of finishes? Should Lois get a makeover? Can I break up the wood floor with a long rug? Decisions, decisions. All of which I can't. freaking. make.

Speaking of not making decisions, here are some more storage ideas I've collected on pinterest and can't make up my mind on.

french by design

pinterest

primitive and proper

little green notebook

apartment therapy

One of my biggest design flaws is not being able to start - let alone complete - something until it all comes together in my head. I've tried to push through based on the one idea I've had for a space but it's always turned into a giant messy ball of ugliness in the end. So for now, it's just a giant messy ball of possibilities and a variety of ideas that I can't figure out how to tie together. Ugh.

Picture perfect work spaces.

Aside from a few odds, ends and a couple of big ticket items (hello flat screen TV), I have my bedroom and bathroom pretty much wrapped up and nailed down. So what's next you might ask? My make-shift craft/work area! In this work space / home office / whatever you want to call it, I'm looking for somewhere to:

• complete projects/crafts (read: large workspace)
• hang inspiration pictures, moodboards and other random finds
• store all my crafting gear
• store Lois, my grandma's old sewing machine

Since I'm limited to a small, narrow breakfast nook, I'm going to have to get creative with the spacing challenges and furniture arrangement. And, since it's also kind of part of the kitchen, I want to figure out a way to separate the two spaces since they will be serving such different purposes. As of right now, I'm too embarrassed to take any before pictures (my place is A MESS) so I'll offer up some inspiration pics I've been storing to help pull the space together.

flickr

(clipboard idea organization method and tons o' drawers underneath)

amber interior design

(color palette and inspiration board)

design sponge

(faux cow hide seat cover and make-shift desk)

me oh my mama

(rug and fabric chair)

small place style

(corner shelving)

english muse

(LOVE the bright red desk and turquoise cabinets underneath)

ffffound

(awesome idea to use a vintage bed frame as an inspiration board)

A wine crate kind of bathroom.

Since I got absolutely ZERO done this weekend, I decided to show you a couple of hints as to what my next project is. In case you forgot, my bathroom looks like this (and is posted about here):

Gross, right? And, since I'm renting, I don't have a ton of options around the old pink and green tile. So instead, I'm forced to try and "make it work" (thank you, Tim Gunn) by adding some artwork and other forms of texture to help liven up the color and overall visual interest of the space.

The first mission is to try and balance out the behemoth of a vanity I've been blessed with. To do this, I'm looking to add some wood accents which will at the same time add texture and warm tones to the tiny space. Stealing the idea from my BFF, Jen, I marched straight over to The Wine Merchant and bought a wine crate for $5. The plan is to stain and hang the crate over the toilet, creating a boxy shelf, adding bulk, height and WOOD to the space. Plus then I can add some cute accessories and hopefully give this guy a little fresh air (pun intended).

But, since I haven't completed it yet, I don't have any after pics showing the crazy transformation that will just blow your socks off. Instead, I've got some good old-fashioned inspirational pics of other ways you can use a wine crate in your home. Plus a couple of pics I used to get an idea of how I should accessorize.

At $5 a crate, I'd say this idea is definitely something worth looking into.

design sponge

casa sugar

archiphile

kissing cousins

style-files

design sponge

apartment therapy