Love the look

I like pretty things. I have a particular fondness for pretty things that cost a lot of money. Just me? Didn't think so. As much as I wish I could afford to spend all the money in the world on clothes, it just can't happen. I have made many fashionable outfits on Polyvore, all of which I can't have for two reasons. 1. They cost thousands, each. And 2. they are normal sizes. So after making one more outfit that I can't have, I had the idea (based on yesterdays idea) of finding it for less.

I put together this look for work.

When you are putting clothes together on Polyvore, it doesn't exactly tell you how much they cost while you are doing it. The sticker shock comes at the end. Here is the price breakdown for what you see here.
Coral Blazer- SMYTHE- $830
Striped Tank- Level 33 - $18 (not too bad)
Black Slacks- Alexander McQueen- $300
Nude Pumps- Christian Louboutin- $845 (ouch. but so pretty!)
Black Handbag- Valentino- $1,995

Apparently Polyvore thinks I am a millionaire. This one outfit would cost me $3,988. H.o.l.y C.r.a.p.

I knew I could get the look for less.
For the Coral blazer, I picked this one from Torrid for only $58.50.



For the striped tank, I picked this one from Torrid. It was $24.50



For the slacks, I picked these ones, also from Torrid for $29.99



For the shoes, I picked these, also from Torrid for $44.50



And lastly for the handbag, I picked this Steve Madden bag, also from Torrid, for $98.



All in all, this outfit that I could go buy tomorrow would cost $255.49. It would only cost me $225.50 because I already own black slacks.

I know the merits of purchasing quality goods. By no means are the cheap-o patent leather nude heals in my cheaper version as awesome as real Christian Louboutins. I am not saying they are. But when you have champagne dreams on a Top Ramen budget, I think they will do.

Welcome to On The Cheap Tuesdays

It may come as no surprise to most of you to know that I spend my free time looking at various higher end home decor websites. I love scrolling through pages and pages of West Elm, Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, etc. And if you know me it may also come as no surprise that I don't make very much money. So I also spend a great deal of time on websites I can actually afford, like Target, Ikea and Urban Outfitters. While scrolling and scrolling through page after page of home items, I have noticed a pattern. There are some things on the higher end websites that I KNOW I can find for less on the other end of the spectrum.
Having run into this on multiple occasions, I have been inspired to start a new series called "On the Cheap" where I will showcase two items, one a high end favorite I lust over, and the other a cheaper version for those of you like me. Sound like fun? I thought so too!

So I bring you to my first OTC Tuesday with this lovely on Crate and Barrel right now, setting you back a pretty $1499.

As I was drooling at the computer screen one late evening, I started to think how much this sofa looked like one I had seen before!



This is the Ikea Karlstad in Sand Beige. And great news, this baby will only set you back $499 beans. Not too bad. :)

So there you have it. On the Cheap Tuesday. Enjoy the $1000 I just saved you ;)

Make it Monday- Chevron Glasses

I feel like a broken record stating that I love all things chevron patterned. That love doesn't stop at drinking glasses. When I saw this tutorial on Hi Sugarplum, I knew I had to make them.



In the tutorial she used frosted glass spray paint. While I think this works really great on things not designed for eating, I have heard it doesn't do well in the dishwasher. And I wanted something a bit more permanent. I have used glass etching cream in the past and I really liked the results. I thought it was easy to use also, so I plan on using that instead. That way I can throw them in the dishwasher and not worry about them getting ruined.

So there you have it. This week I will make those and post how I did it and photos on Sunday.

A pop of color

I loved how my last condo was decorated, don't get me wrong. It just didn't leave any room for variety. It was white, blue and yellow and that was it. I enjoyed it, but it made me sad that I couldn't throw in a coral pillow or aubergine elephant and have it make sense. That makes me sad. I want a home that is full of color. Every color. No colors are less welcome than any others. That being said, I have been thinking about ways to make it cool and classy, and not rainbow vomit...

I am sure it comes as now surprise to hear that I love chevron pattern. I think it's fun and spunky and awesome. I really think my house needs a huge burst of color in the form of a chevron patterned brightly colored rug like this one:

[caption id="attachment_799" align="aligncenter" width="276" caption="From rugsusa.com for $523.00"][/caption]

I love how bright and punchy it is, but that price tag makes me want to cry. It does look super plush and cushy, but I am not so sure it is worth that much.

I may just have to make my own out of a cheap Ikea rug like this tutorial (that I am pretty sure I have blogged about in the past...)

Aside from a new rug with lots of color, I also have been lusting over a new dining table and chairs. In our new space, our rectangle table won't make the most sense, so I have been eyeing a few round ones. I have my eye on this one from Ikea:

I love the clean lines, and the white color will be easy to jazz up with fun colored accessories, but it really needs some punchy dining room chairs to make it pop!

These are fun from overstock.com and at only $159 for a set of 4, they are the cheapest I have seen! They also come in three fun colors!

I also love these ones from lowes.com.

The color and pattern are so exciting! They are more expensive, about twice as much, but I think they are almost worth it!

These from Homedepot.com are the most expensive, but so cool.

Any of these chairs would add the right amount of color to really make, what seems like a plain white table, pop.

So my goal this time is to add as much color and pazazz as I can. So what do you think of the new boldness? I really think it is more me, and most importantly more "us". Our last place was all me, and i didn't really love it. So this time Andy is by my side, with a say on every single decision. It truly will be our home.

On the Right Track

I know I keep talking about getting on the right track. Well, it's time to stop talking and start doing. SO I have started a second blog just to fill with weight loss stuff. I will still share big news on here, but most of the weight loss stuff will be over there. Check it out at http://lifeontherighttrack.wordpress.com/

I know, I know, how can I update two blogs when I can hardly seem to update one?! (I am looking at you Kristen...) And rest assured, I will be able to handle it. We have almost found a place to live, and when we get moved in and settled, there will be lots of decor and DIY to be had. So be patient and stay tuned.

I'm a Junkie

I am a crafting/diy junkie. And man I am jonesing for some diy! I haven't crafted anything in almost 2 months! Ugh! Things have just been off since we moved into our temporary situation. I have also had a lack of motivation to blog, which makes me sad. I chalk it up to being psudo-homelss... So I have an idea! I think if I have theme planned for some days, maybe it will help with both problems. SO I am going to try to have "Make It Mondays" where I blog about a craft I have been dying to make, and "Show Off Sundays" where I show off (and tutorial) the craft from Monday :) I think a whole week is plenty of time to complete any MIM craft.

So I am starting there. I am tossing around Weight Loss Wednesdays, but I would have to get back on the program first :) I haven't been to a WW meeting since early March. This day would include a weigh in, an update on work outs, and other healthy related things.

So look forward to some new theme days :)

101 in 1001

I was thinking about how much has changed in the last few months so I went and updated my 101 in 1001. I crossed off some things, added some new ones (to replace ones that are no longer relevant). Check it out!

Sew Inspired- Easy Dress

I can't believe it is almost summer! The warm weather has me dying for fun flower print dress! Flower prints can be on the edge of frumpy, but a big, bold and colorful print can be fun and flirty! I have fallen in love with this dress from Torrid, but I know I could make something for even less!

I blogged about this tutorial back in March, which looks so easy. And I love that the dress in the photo is a great floral print!

I am loving these fabrics!

I love all of these prints and I think all of them would make great dresses!

Re-upholstering a chair part 3 (ish)

Remember how we bought a chair from the ARC and started tearing apart with reckless abandon in November?



 

Well, that is about where work stopped. We stashed it in the corner of our master bedroom with a blanket over it until we moved. My father in law actually wanted to throw it away. Yeah, it's looking a bit worse for wear. Well, now it is sitting in the same state, in my in law's garage, until we move again in about a month. But after that, we want to finally re-upholster it to put in our living room or bedroom (wherever it will fit in our new 600 sqft apartment). So we went to JoAnn's to get some fabric inspiration, and here is what we came up with!

The chair is an old wing back chair, and we want a fabric that looks like it would work on that chair. Something that is a fun take on on a classic pattern.

This pattern caught my eye. I like how it is a fun take on a chevron pattern, one of my favorites, and I really like the different colors. I am not sure how flexible it is tho, in the long run. It might be better for a pillow.



I love damask patterns, and in this not quite tan or gray color scheme, It can go well with either brown or grey schemes. I think the pattern all over the chair would be gorgeous, but would it be too much?



I love how easy and cool this light blue gray fabric is. The pattern is easy on the eyes and would look great all over a chair. The color is a nice neutral too. But is it too boring for an accent?



This is an old favorite of mine. I love the pattern, the colors, everything.



I think this pattern is really fun too. It adds a nice geometric element to any room, and is a nice neutral color.



Another nice, neutral color with a punchy pattern. This all over would be a darker chair than most of the other ones, but I like how it would stand out.



OR do we go with something bright and punchy in a classic pattern that adds just that amount of pop!



I might be on a theme party here with the damask neutrals... but this one is kinda shiny :)



This fun grellow pattern is classic and not too feminine, and the grellow color really is close enough to a neutral to work with a lot of different schemes.

So I am sorry this is more of a tease than anything, but we have started to think a little more about what we want to cover our gorgeous chair with. Any thoughts? Love one, hate one?

Siri

So as you probably know, I have an iPhone 4. I love it. I had wanted an iPhone for years, and finally getting one last year was pretty great. Well, I am sad to say I kinda want to upgrade, to an iPhone 4S. See that little S on the end of the 4, it stands for Siri (I think...). I want Siri.

Don't get me wrong, I love the iPhone 4 for all that it is, but I can't help feeling like I am missing out on one awesome feature that I don't have. Maybe it's the new commercials with Samuel L Jackson and Zooey Deschanel. Haven't seen them? Watch:




Also, this video makes me laugh:



So I am looking into upgrading. We do have an upgrade, so we can do it without spending a million dollars. So I guess my question is, to those of you who have Siri, what are your thoughts? Love her, hate her? Think I should get her?

 

You may say I'm a dreamer....

As you probably have figured out, about 74% of what I blog about is a dream. Dreaming about design, dreaming about a house, dreaming. Well, I have been dreaming again. For our first house, we want to buy a "fixer upper". But for our second house, we want to build something custom. And not just help with the floor plans, we have the fortune of having some super crafty people in the family who, if we asked nicely (and paid) would build us a house, and we could help too. We obviously haven't asked anyone, but it's in our heads. So we came across this fun website called floorplanner.com and started dreaming.

On floorplanner.com, you start from scratch and put together a floor plan. You can use it to conceptualize your current home, or to dream of an imaginary future one. Without further ado, The plan.

 

Here is the main level of our imaginary second home :) This obviously won't be the final plan, but here is the general idea :)



You can see the entry way (and the white rectangle are the stairs to the basement). The room to the left is a guest room/ playroom. There is a formal dining room above that, and lots of space to set up extra tables to entertain. To the right of the front door is the mudroom off the garage, then the stairs upstairs. Below the stairs, and all the way to the exterior wall, is a room we are going to make for Max, so he has a place we can put him when we have company. It will have a dog door to his dog run and personal patio. Maybe he is spoiled :) You can also see the kitchen and the family room. There are double doors to the patio from the dining room and the living room.

The upstairs:

When you come up the stairs, there is a loft area, and a large bay window with a window seat. Then there are two bedrooms that are attached by a jack and jill bedroom. These will obviously be kids rooms. At the end of the hall is our huge master bedroom. We have a walk in shower and tub. We will also have a patio off the master, which will be over the patio on the main level. The large room attached will be our dressing room :) There is also a pocket door to the laundry room from the closet/ dressing room. There is also a third bedroom, which could be an office or play room.

Onto the basement! This is the roughest floor plan, lots of open space. Lets call it a work in progress.

So there is a large movie room, obviously! Those lines are different levels. Outside the theatre room is a bar, some seating, and a karaoke stage. On the other side of the stairs are a pool table and poker table. (Andy designed this level....) There is also a guest room/ playroom, that I want to outfit with double bunk beds for sleepovers like these from poetichome.com:

So there you have it. Our dream :)

What do you think?

 

Project Playroom

We don't have kids, yet. But, when my in laws moved into their new home, they designated a large room in their finished basement as a playroom, I was dying to get my hands on it! I knew I could make a fun, colorful playroom for our nieces and nephews (and future children) to play in. When my Mother in Law asked us to revamp it, I was more than up for the challenge. First, I had to get some inspiration. I LOVE the kids furniture at IKEA, and until now had no real reason to look at it, so I started there.

Andy and I went to IKEA and scoped out the kids section and fell in love with a few pieces! The green Mammut table and yellow Mammut stools were a must have. The colors are so bright and fun, and the shapes are very cute in a playroom! I also fell in one with the Trofast toy storage. I am not sure that it is in our budget, but I think a white book case would work great too! We also want to paint one of the large walls an awesome bright color, like a lime green or fun orange color! There is also the perfect place to paint with chalkboard paint, for the kids to color on! Lastly I want to cover the other large wall, or around the whole room, with fun ABCs in different styles. Check it out!

I am excited to get things together and see how it comes out!

I'm working on it.

I apologize for the long hiatus I have taken. I am a little overwhelmed with life, and I have let this blog suffer. I am working on it. In the next month, we will move into a new apartment and there will be lots of decorating to do. In the mean time, I can work on some inspiration to keep going until I am able to get back on the ball.

 

Thank you for sticking with me.