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

Another side table FAIL.

I had a bit of a DIY fail this weekend that I'm still trying to recover from. A while back, I purchased this little gem on craigslist for $20. Perfect size, perfect shape but UGLY color. I. Was. Smitten.

My plan was to strip off the gross burgundy paint and refinish the piece in a nice, dark stain and maybe add a handle on the drawer to create more interest. Sounds cute, right?

Well, after an evening of stripping and a day of sanding, I realized that the top of the nightstand was... VENEER. Read: not able to be stained.

For those that don't know, this isn't my first encounter with nightstand drama (post: here). Because of the awkward space, it's been outrageously difficult to find a nightstand that will fit. We're talking daily visits to craigslist, weekly visits to thrift stores and countless hours of trying to talk myself into the possibility of having to pay upwards of $100 for something that would work (sorry, dad but I almost had to).

So naturally, when I found the nightstand pictured above, I blocked out any possibility of the piece having anything wrong with it and focused on how cute it would look stained.

Where does that leave me now? Figuring out a Plan B. Which I believe is paint. Which I'm not sure will work based on the room's current balance of color and neutrals. Case-and-point being:

1. The nightstand is right next to a white plastic chair, making white a non-option.
2. The nightstand is right next to my duvet cover which is pretty much the only thing in my bedroom with some actual color. That actual color being one shade of green.

So I'm thinking I need to find a way to introduce an accent color that will allow me to paint the nightstand something bright - counteracting with the white chair and wood dresser while not blending in too much with the green duvet cover.

Here is a picture of my bedroom to-date:

And here are some photos I found to hopefully help me on my way.

fine green design

family circle

re-nest

pinterest

apartment therapy

Anyone else have any other ideas?

C'mon, just let me paint.

In the midst of redecorating, I am really getting the bug to paint my walls. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to (according to my landlord) so instead, I thought I'd daydream about it. 

Painting is one of the easiest ways to revamp a room. And, if you purchase accessories in multiple colors, all you need to do is change up the wall color for an instant shift in moods without the added stress of finding new accessories to match. 

If you are lucky enough to be able to paint your walls, here are some ideas along with reasons why they work. As for me, I'll just stick to daydreaming and hanging up tons of pictures.

To me, kitchens have always been the room that gives me the creeps and I'm pretty sure that being a lousy cook is the reason for it. Painting the kitchen  a bright color however, makes the room seem less scary and more approachable. Choose artwork and colors that are a little more unexpected (steer clear of the typical fruit ensembles and yellow hues) to modernize the space and take off some of the pressure.

Wallpaper companies have made huge strides in their patterning, making wallpaper a great choice for adding some texture to any room. If you take a look around and notice that all of your furniture and/or accessories look sort of plain (neutrals, patternless, etc.), wallpaper may be your best bet to add some visual interest. Focus on a neutral pattern or one with a few different colors to make the look more versatile.

I had this one bathroom in my first apartment after college that I painted two different shades of thick green stripes and absolutely loved the look. Paired with a claw foot tub, the bathroom ended up looking regal and luxurious and you almost didn't notice the gold laced linoleum floor (yuck). Striping can also let you paint a room with a brighter color (as seen above) without looking overpowering. Try a bright pastel or a monochromatic combination to keep the room looking fresh. Mix the paint finishes to add just a tad more drama.

Not exactly a room, the decoupage idea in this window display can translate really well on a feature wall or in a small powder room. Staying with newspaper can keep the walls neutral enough to stay versatile but if you're feeling up to it, magazine ads and feature articles would really add some quirk and humor.

I absolutely love the idea of painting an area dedicated for featured artwork. This painting frames the bed in a way that makes it more inviting while filling a corner that would have otherwise looked bare.

FAKE IT: Not good at painting? Check out etsy for some wall graphics to get the same effect without the mess.


top to bottom: design sponge, simply grove, decor pad, re-nest, paulhina