hello, 2014...

well happy 2014 everyone!

i decided that this super girly, sparkly, and leopard print outfit was perfect for the new year. 

i got these bottoms {as a christmas gift} from charming charlie.

and i discovered that leopard leggings are extremely hard to pull off when you are short and curvy! 

i completely wish that it was still as stylish as it used to be to wear skirts over leggings. 

a large oversized sweater would have been perfect but of course i don't have one!

i really should have one- everyone has one and they are so cute. 

so i had to get creative and go shopping in my own closet.

and i have to tell you- just about every single item i own was on my floor! 

it took me so long to find a top that went well with the leggings and was still flattering. 

so anyways, this is what i came up with! 

overly feminine outfits are the best- don't you think?

oh, and also- this scarf is from wal mart!

it's really hard to tell from the pictures but there are little gold sequins scattered all over it. 

i absolutely love it.

all of the scarves at wal mart were really cute actually.

sometimes that store can surprise me! 

pink top: petticoat alley via t.j. maxx

underneath top: collective concepts via nordstrom rack

leggings: charming charlie

boots: soda via t.j. maxx

headband: monroe & harlow {here}

scarf: wal mart 

necklace: charming charlie

have a wonderful first week of 2014!!

magnetic alphabet letters...

two months since i last blogged!

life has been so crazy.

i cannot believe that it is already october....

this time last year i was preparing to move to southern california.

now i'm back home in idaho- to stay this time! 

i have always had this urge to leave home and experience new places, but i always come right back.

i love my home. 

i love idaho.

and i am so thankful for all of the opportunities that i have had to travel and live in other states.

i absolutely recommend to anyone to travel while they are young and still can.

it is the greatest thing.

but ok, on to my diy!

i found this idea here.

inspired by charm did a beautiful and in-depth tutorial on this little project.

i just decided to do a slightly cheaper and quicker version since i'm on a budget and a time crunch!

i actually made these magnetic letters for my boyfriend's new apartment.

he lives right in the heart of downtown boise in a charming sixth floor apartment.

and of course he is all-boy and turned down just about every cute idea that i came up with for decorating! 

but luckily i was able to get him on board with these magnetic letters.

his kitchen is actually really small and a little drab so i thought it needed some character. 

so i got the magnets for like $1 at target.

but make sure that you get more than one pack because i only got one and discovered when i got home that there is only one of each vowel. 

and that makes it nearly impossible to spell anything.

the spray paint i got at wal mart. 

i had never used metallic spray paint before and it was actually so much fun.

(for a better quality paint job, inspired by charm also used a primer.)

i spray painted my letters outside on an old shopping bag- which i would not recommend because it was not big enough...

take the time to find something bigger to spray paint on, sometimes haste only makes waste! 

i did just a few coats.

inspired by charm also turned the magnetic letters upside down (magnet facing up) and spray painted them.

i didn't have time to do them upside down so i just decided to embrace the bits of color left in the corners that my spray paint couldn't reach. 

i felt like it added a bit of a vintage touch; as well as the paint scratches and chips that come along with handling the magnets. 

and here they are- completed! 

i love them, i think that they are adorable.

such a fun touch to any kitchen!

have a good week everyone!

p.s- i have a friend that just started her blog.

she is absolutely gorgeous and i'm telling you that she is going to make it big in this blogging community, so check her out! 

www.dreamingleggyblonde.blogspot.com

my day with michael kors and color

so i've been on sort of a budget lately.

i've really been trying to cut back on spending any of my money on things that I don't absolutely need.

but the other day i was killing time at the mall, and i walked into dillards.

little did i know, they were having a huge sale: 60 percent or more off on winter shoes.

omg, i just couldn't help myself.

i walked through each row and tried on so many drool-worthy pairs.

but i ended up staying strong and making my way to a new store.

however, while in that store, all i could think about were these michael kors boots.

it was killing me!

they were originally $250 but on sale for under $90.

so you can understand how it was killing me, right?

i've never owned anything michael kors so i convinced myself that i needed to buy them.

so i walked right back into dillards and now they are all mine...

and i couldn't be happier.

they are so comfy and i love them so so so much!

and for my outfit...

i thought that it would be fun to step out of my comfort zone and try some bright color blocking.

and well, it might just be a new love of mine...

top: pink (victoria's secret)

shrug: made for me 2 look pretty (ross)

skirt and scarf: american eagle outfitters

tights: wal mart (bought for a cindy lou who costume!)

leg warmers: unknown

shoes: michael kors (dillards)

belt: rue21

glasses: jo-ann fabrics

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!