a deeper look

so i promised that i would give more details about my bedroom.

so i hope you're ready.

because today is the day!

so here we go...

believe it or not, this was a stocking stuffer last christmas.

ok, well kind of.

it wasn't actually stuffed inside of my stocking, but it was sitting underneath.

yes i know, i am 21 and i still get a stocking.

it's my favorite part of christmas morning.

and it will be forever.

my mom and dad got this sign for me from good goods & co. in boise (glenwood ave).

if you haven't been to this cute little gift shop, you should definitely make a trip sometime soon.

the store is full of handmade pretties like this one.

 so this piece was a bargain!

if you're not shopping at ross, tj maxx, or marshalls you are probably spending too much moolah...

i bought this hutch from ross for less than $60.

at least i'm pretty sure of it (it was over a year ago).

i bought it on clearance because there were some chips in the wood.

but here's the trick- use sandpaper to make the rest of the peice looked antiqued, and it will blend right in!

i believe that most everything is cuter antiqued anyways.

this was actually one of the first things that i bought for my apartment in coeur d'alene, so it's pretty dang special!

and adorable, right?

i keep all of my dvds and books inside.

it's just perfect.

so this was something that i actually did myself.

i bought some sheer curtains from wal mart and decided they were a little drab once i put them up.

my mom had just been to the quilt store and had brought home some adorable fabrics.

she cut them in strips and that's when i got this brilliant idea!

at least i thought it was brilliant.

i just tied a knot around each ring and trimmed the ends so that they were even.

and voila!

now my curtains have some serious character.

this chair was bought at a second hand store in coeur d'alene.

i'm not sure of the price, but it couldn't have been more than $20.

isn't it so charming?

and the great thing is, we didn't even have to paint it.

it was already painted this awesome teal color.

we just antiqued it a little bit with sandpaper and threw on a cute pillow.

the pillow i bought at peir 1 imports.

it definitely helps with the chair's comfort!

an addition that i later made to my chair are these buttons.

there were empty holes here and my mom thought that it was a perfect spot for some buttons.

what would i do without her great advice?

so we set out for jo-ann fabrics and found these little shabby chic babies.

we just filled the holes with hot glue and inserted the buttons.

such an easy way to add character!

here is another treasure that my mom found at a second hand store.

who would have thought you could find so many cute things at second hand stores?

definitely not i!

but it really is a great way to find unique peices of furniture.

this table was originally an ugly brown color.

so the key to being successful in second hand stores is having an eye for what the peice could be.

 we got some pink spray paint from hobby lobby (i beleive the color was ballet slipper).

we used spray paint because we first attempted the project with regular paint and it was taking way too long.

so we sprayed and then sanded!

isn't this so cute?!

i just got it this year for christmas so i am still super excited about it.

there's actually another wing to make a pair, but there was just not enough room for it in my room.

so this was bought at francesca's in the mall.

it's a brand new store and if you haven't been there, you seriously need to go.

it is such a great addition to the boise mall.

so anyways, here's the story.

i went shopping with my mom and pointed out the wings to her.

i thought that maybe i would get them for christmas, but i didn't want to get my hopes up.

my dad met my mom at the mall that night so that they could get some christmas shopping done.

i was really hoping that she would convince him to get the wings.

a couple days later, kaleo and i went back to the mall to do some christmas shopping of our own.

i went into francesca's hoping that the wings were gone, meaning that my mom and dad had bought them.

sure enough, they were gone!

i realized that anyone could have picked them up, but i just had a feeling that anyone was my mom and dad.

i was so right.

they had gone straight back to francesca's after i left.

i'm so good ;)

so one of my favorite things to buy are handles.

if you go to stores like hobby lobby or anthropologie, you will be sure to find handles that are nearly impossible to live without.

this particular handle i bought at hobby lobby (much cheaper than anthropologie).

i had bought a desk for my apartment in coeur d'alene from target.

it was just plain white.

cute, but rather boring.

when i redecorated my bedroom i thought it was time to dress up this desk with a handle.

and that's how it came to be.

just another easy way to add character.

so for the sake of time, (and completely boring you) i will close this little post.

i took a lot more pictures that i wanted to share but i will save that for another day.

i hope this post was able to give you some ideas if you are about to venture on a redecoration project.

goodnight!

dream home, anyone?

i remember when i was little and my mom would turn on hgtv.

i would moan, roll my eyes and beg and plead for her to turn the channel.

funny how things change isn't it?

because now it is one of my very favorite channels.

if you're not tuned into hgtv, you are seriously missing out.

wow, i never thought i would say that!

but okay let me get to the point here.

hgtv has about the biggest, baddest giveaway ever.

yes, the baddest!

at the beginning of every year they give away a home (along with everything in it, i must add).

but not just any home, it's a dream home!

and i mean that literally.

i would know because i have a strong addiction to day dreaming.

and the hgtv dream home always sets the stage for so many of my day dreams!

(i hope this isn't sounding weird.)

so to me, the hgtv dream home is truly, well, dreamy.

for a whole entire year the hgtv dream home team designs, builds, and decorates a home.

and each year they get better and better.

my favorite part is that they keep the location completely secret until the reveal.

this year's dream home is in...
drumroll please (if you don't already know)...
 ...park city, utah!
was that as exciting for you as it was for me?

ahhhh... i already dream of park city.

doesn't it seem meant to be?!?!

i'm feelin' that this is my year.

so here's the scoop if you don't already know.

you can enter to win twice daily.

you have until february 17th, 2012.

you can enter once on http://www.hgtv.com/ and once on http://www.frontdoor.com/.

you can follow my links, they will take you straight to the place!

along with the house, you will also recieve a brand new gmc terrain, and $500,000.

seriously, could it get any better?!

i mean really, how could you not sign up?

so, here are some pictures for you to drool over.

let the dreams begin.

introducing... my fairy tale room

so i'm a home body.

that's just all there is to it.

the weekend rolls along...

i just want to be tucked in my safe little home with the people i love.

there's noting better than getting in comfy clothes and watching a chick flick on the couch.

so when i moved back home a few months ago, my first goal was to create a space that would make me happy.

i wish i would have taken before pictures of my bedroom.

(why is it so easy to forget such an important part of the tranformation process? after pictures aren't near as fun when you don't know what it looked like before.)

so please don't be mad. 

i really am sorry.
now that i've stepped into the blogging world, that mistake won't be made again.

so anyways.

my room use to be painted bright orange.

definitely a bedroom fit for a teenage girl.

i shed a few tears when i had to let it go.

ahh the memories i had in that orange bedroom.

getting ready for football games, homecomings, prom.

oh how i hate change.

but a change was needed!

so a change was what that little bedroom of mine recieved.

and here's the part where i got the fairytale room of my dreams.

truly, it's like a princess room.

it's my space to escape from real life.

cause we all need that from time to time don't we?

so i took a lot of pictures of my room today.

and i mean a lot.

but with a lack of time, i am just going to post a few today.

and in the next day or two i will post more pictures and i will let you in on a few secrets about how my fairytale room came to be.

enjoy yourselves.

but please, try not to be jealous.

p.s.

to those of you who work with photoshop or photoshop elements,

i bought my very first action pack today from flora bella.

umm.....amazing!

it's like the clouds parted.

i feel like i now have the key to all things photography.

okay, thats probably exaggerating just a teeny bit.

but really, i am so so so excited.

i experimented just a little bit with these pictures.

but i still don't really have a clue as to what i'm doing on photoshop.

it can be a real headache, if you know what i mean.

but i guess that's just life for a newbie like myself.

i'm getting there.

slowly.

but surely.

care for some scrappin'?

those of you who know me might say i'm a crafty kind of girl.

well- I hope you say that.

do you say that?

please say that.

so.
what do you do when it's gift giving time and that special person in your heart has just about everything they could ever want?

cause it's tricky, right?

wrong.

just make 'em something!

okay, okay...

are you thinking- easier said than done?

probably.

trust me, i know the feeling.

well if you want an idea, i'll surely give you one.

this is a little something i made my boyfriend this christmas...

okay, so are you thinking this is just a tad girly looking?

guilty.

i just can't help it.

i'm a true girly girl.

and i'm so fortunate to have a guy that is secure enough in his manhood to not mind being given gifts like this one.

i know, i'm so lucky aren't i?

cause i don't know what i'd do if he wasn't ok with it.

so what do you need to complete this cute little thing?

simple.

1. wooden frame from craftstore (i got mine at craft warehouse).

2. paint.

3. scrapbook materials (paper, ribbon, rhinestones, etc. oh and i can't live without magazine clippings).

4. picture stand.

so.

all you do is paint the edges of your frame, or however much of the wood you want exposed.

then cover your frame with papers and other cute little details.

notice how i said cute?

uh huh.

and just a tip:

 i use lots and lots of hot glue to adhere pretty much everything.

if you use regular scrapbook stickers, things will likely fall off.

it's no fun.

and that's all you need to know!

as you can see, my frame is covered from head to toe.

yes, i tend to go overboard.

but it's truly up to you how you want yours to look.

cause simple can also be adorable.

just make sure to add a meaningful touch here or there and your sweetheart (or whoever) will love it.

if not, i owe ya.

 

p.s. happy 2012!

new girl on the block

alright.

so before i start i think it's crucial that i let you know i'm a newbie.

this is my very first post.
ever.

this is my first time taking my nikon dslr seriously.

this is my first time experimenting with photoshop.

and i'm here to tell you, it aint easy.

 so i'm a little scared, ok?

but bear with me here for a while.

i promise i'll try to make it worth it.