Pretty in Pink Valentine's inspired decorating

I love Valentine's Day. And not for the reasons you might think. It's not a chance for me to get flowers and candy. I just love the pinks and reds and a chance to go all out girly with a perfectly valid excuse. Here are some beautiful examples of some lovely pink and pastel Valentine's Day decorating.

 dottie angel

I love the simplicity of this one (and it's a DIY to boot!). This spot would be great to change out seasonally. The pretty whites and pastels make this little corner relaxing and not screaming "Valentine's Day!"

1. veronabrit 2. the house of smiths 3. thoughtful designs 4. slumber designs

All you need is a touch of pink, maybe even a little gray. No hearts or tiny naked cupids required.

My Target shopping spree

Target is awesome right now. They have a brand new collection of home decor. So, I bought a few things. It is really dangerous when I go to Target. It is my biggest weakness.

I've been slacking in the decorating department lately, but I'm ready to get our apartment looking good again. I used to love all the compliments I'd get when people came over to my last apartment. It was smaller and I took pride in decorating it. Then, I went from a small one bedroom apartment to a large two bedroom. Things look too spread out now and all the accessories look too small.  So here's what I bought for my new gradual apartment transformation.

 Target

The picture frame is in the dining room and currently has a picture of Lucy (the rat terrier aka best dog ever). I love these white birds for the wall. It gives a little texture without screaming, "I have birds on my wall!" This jewelry tree was only $14.99! It is for the bedroom dresser. I'd also like to find a nice tray to go along with it for lotions and things. This super styling pillow is for the living room couch. I bought two of them. I am completely obsessed with it. They also had some great lamps, picture frames and ceramic trays.

Saying goodbye to winter...DIY Friday

Yeah, so winter isn't really over yet. But, here's a few fun winter DIY's to do right now and then I'll focus Valentine's day and getting ready for spring, yay!

 

Martha always gets it. I love these snow globes. I'm making these for next Christmas...if I remember.


Another cute kid-friendly do-it-yourself snow globes.


A fun way to preserve your memories for next New Year's: cookie tin time capsule. I always loved doing the time capsules in school.

Anything with oreos is okay in my book. Here's some yummy and easy peppermint cookie bark.

 And I can't get over how extremely adorable these polar bear cookies are.

Our Christmas decorations debacle

Saturday was the day we decided  to put up our Christmas decorations. We were determined, since we missed last year. The year before we had our Christmas tree up until June. Yes, June. We would hide it in the guest bedroom whenever anyone came over. 


We brought up our fakey tree and box of ornaments from the basement. Growing up, we always picked out a new ornament every year to add to the tree. I still do this every year. Some of the ornaments I have are at least 20 years old and very special to me. Well, guess what? The box was empty except for some cheapie glitter ornaments and a few balls. ALL of my ornaments are missing! Including the little frog with a crown I bought last year from Papyrus. And the black sheep I bought in memory of our dog Poco (I have no idea why that makes sense to me). We tore up the entire apartment looking for them. I still have no idea what could have happened and why I have some, but not the good ones.


So, we decided to go on a late night ornaments run to try to get something to put on the tree. To cheer me up, since I was feeling a little blue. The tree isn't all that Christmas is, but it's a special time to decorate the tree together. We went to 5 stores trying to find lights for the tree. Apparently, don't wait a week before Christmas to buy lights. Everyone was out. We found one of two sets at our last Target (the rest were pink). Michael's was cleaned out. Pier 1 had lots, but they weren't on sale. I can't restock a tree at regular price. Although, I did come out of there with an ornament I love. Walmart was a mad house. But, they had a few things. Despite the pains, I do think this is my favorite tree yet. 

It's a glitter fest! And I wouldn't have it any other way. David picked out these cherry red balls. I wasn't thrilled with them at first, but now I love them! They really pop off the tree. Our tree skirt is made with purple fabric left over from our wedding. We got the fun red and green bows from Walmart. 

This lovely swan comes from Pier 1.

Found some cute penguins at Target.

This is our official ornament of the year. It's a dachshund in honor of our little monster, Elroy. He comes from Z Gallerie. 

And this is kitschy corner. A collection of odd things, like a blue reindeer with a feather boa.  Somehow these did not go missing. 

How was your holiday decorating? Have you ever lost all your ornaments? Doesn't it seem like things go missing every year? 

My frivolous post of the day-Pretty picture frame

We also need a pretty frame for a photo of me and David. I came across a frame this weekend at Bed, Bath and Beyond, of all places! It's Kate Spade so it's a pretty penny. Oooh maybe I can get it with a 20% off coupon! I've always been in love with this shape. I use it all the time. I have a new necklace I've been working on in this same shape. Can't wait to list it! 

Modern dream offices

I'm thinking about ideas for making my office nice, cozy, efficient and a place I'd actually enjoy spending some time while I work. Yes, our couch is nice and soft and comes with a loving pup, but the t.v. remote is just too convenient. Starting out, as you have seen in a previous post, our office is monotone and already has some furniture. The desks are staying, the chairs are awful. So, I have to work around those desks. Which...have...no...storage...at...all. That is the challenge. There are a lot of windows too, which is great, but it provides little wall space. I've got to get creative. I need a space that encourages creativity, after all.


I found some great photos for inspiration. My office will never look like these, but I love the ideas they give me and the feeling they evoke.

Photos House to Home

Photo Decor Pad

Just look at all that storage space in those offices. That's envious. And I'm loving yellow with black or gray lately. What I find most interesting in the top and bottom photos is the mix of modern and Victorian. They blend so well together.

Design inspiration: Sea Fans

I recently fell in love with sea fans while perusing the August 2011 issue of Living. There's a great tutorial on working with sea fans. Find it here: Sea Fan How-To. This is a sconce how-to, but really once you get the gist of working with a sea fan, you can apply it to a number of possibilites. 

Since I'm on a design kick and starting with my home office, I found some pictures for inspiration. Will I use sea fans? I'm not sure yet, but I will definitely use them somewhere in my home. 

photo from Elle Decor

photo from House Beautiful

And of course Etsy sellers always have the greatest stuff.

photo from beautifuldetailswed

If you're asking, "What else can I do with sea fans?" Here's some ideas:

• Stand upright and secure on a sturdy base for a sculpture
• Put behind glass for instant framed artwork.
• Use in a sea life/seashell 3D collage.
• Place in a shadow box.
• Place on top of a decorative box and seal.