Patterns Between Fashion & Home {scallops, brass, & lace}

Lately, I've noticed a pattern. The fashion I'm drawn to is usually similar to the types of interior design/home products I like. 

Here's 3 examples of that observation...

Fashion:

Top Shop

Home:

Anthropologie

Fashion:

Fancy French Cologne

Home:

Van Dykes

Fashion:

Anthropologie

Home:

Designer Pearl Lowe's home as featured in The Style {with the Times}

Cool right? So maybe I could wear those things while being in rooms with similar details. And the room and I could match. And we'd look cute in pictures. (...I'm gonna stop now)

Oh and oops almost forgot this one...I've always wanted this coral ruffle tiered cloak:

Fashion:

source

Home:

source

Attention: If you thought I was serious with that last one...no. Welcome to my blog where I talk about design but am also ridiculous sometimes. I promise I will never wear that cloak. Or buy that fuzzy orange butterfly chair that looks like it was made with Zoe from Sesame Street's fur. 

(Although back in the day that chair probably would have been on my Christmas list for my dream room...)

But back to business. Does your fashion reflect the design of your home? 

Try looking at your Pinterest boards and see 
if you notice any patterns like I did!

Oh, the Possibilities {my favorite business cards}

The time has come to start considering business cards. Not only because I have my blog now, but next spring is the Senior Portfolio Show for design majors {senior year?!?!? what??}. It's an event where we get to show off our portfolio books and designers/anyone come around and take a look at our work. I'm already thinking about what I want my branding to look like! For now, I'm dreaming of business cards. Here's some that I absolutely looove.

Minted 

For designer Jennifer Hanlon of Bluebird Design - Printed by The Mandate Press

Minted

Minted

Minted

Paper and Thread

Sewn with thread!?? Yes.

Truly Smitten

I love the idea of a unique shape for a business card.

Minted

Maybe I'll take little pieces from each and implement 

them into one amazing card. Cannot wait. 

Oh...and maybe I'll keep them in these business card holders? Perfect for interior design right?!?

Oh, the possibilities. 

Confessions of a Less than Amazing Cook

Confessions:

*I'm not the greatest cook.

*I rarely make things from scratch {except cookies}

*I am terrified of burning myself on the oven

*When putting anything in a pot of boiling water I have to lower it in slowly with a spoon for fear of the water splashing on me

*I measure everything exactly according to any recipe...no eye-balling for me, or something will go wrong (sorry Rachael Ray, I know you'd be ashamed of me but I just can't risk it)

*I really do want to improve my cooking skills and have more variety in my meals

I've talked in the past about how I'd probably take my trash out more often if it was filling up a cute trash can... and now I'm thinking maybe I'd be more inspired to cook if my recipes were written out on these letterpressed recipe cards...do you think so? Or am I just lying to myself to justify buying them.

My problem with cooking right now is mainly just the time it takes. I'm in college and don't have a lot of free time...so normally when I get home I just want to make something fast and fool proof. I can't risk the time and stress it would take to attempt something substantial. So that's where the pasta boxes come in with a spinach salad on the side. Or the soup that I simply pour into a pot and heat. Or the cans of chili. With the Trader Joe's pre-made cornbread that you literally just wrap in foil and put in the oven for a bit. Anyone else relating to this???

 My sister Kylee is like the master chef in our family. She makes the most delicious meals FROM SCRATCH. Thinkin' about hiring her to come over and cook for me every night since we live so close.

This little recipe box and letterpressed recipe cards are from One Canoe Two, an awesome Etsy shop I found today. Go check it out if you love letterpress and stationery as much as I do!

How are you guys with cooking? 

Star chefs like my sister...or do you make simple things like me? Any tips or easy recipes that you love?

*UPDATE* Just to make sure that this is the longest blog post of my life, I forgot to mention that I was awarded the Liebster Blog Award by four lovely bloggers, Christina from Marriage from Scratch, Jen from Harrison Home Blog, Laura from Top This Top That, and Me, Ed, and Pea.

Thank you ladies, love all of your blogs! Go check them out, I read both every day!

This award is given to a blogger with less than 200 followers and is a fantastic way to promote and encourage new friendships within the blogging community.  Christina and Jen were so sweet to pass this on to me, and now I get the opportunity to pass it along to five other bloggers!  

This is how it works:

1. Post the award on your blog.

2. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave

 you the award by linking back to them.

3. Reveal your 5 picks for the award and let them know.

4. Bask in the love from the most supportive people in the blogosphere... other bloggers.

5. Finally, the best rule of all, have fun and spread the love!

Here's my picks...I'm always inspired by these blogs and love reading their posts!

1) Jenna from Life of the Wife

2) Jadyn from Dutch British Love

3) Diane from Diane Again

4) Sarah from Design Me Daily

5) Colleen from Dashing Pearl

Thanks guys!

The Story of An Interior Design Student

Houzz

I've always loved houses. That's nothing new. But when I think about it, there really are so many things I did when I was younger that revolved around houses. 

I used a landscaping software on my mom's computer and tried to replicate the exterior of my house (but I had no idea how to use it so it was pretty lame looking). 

I played a video game called Animal Crossing mostly to decorate my house in it. I even collected all of the green themed furniture...to match my real life room at the time! Ha.

I played Beetle Adventure Racing on my Nintendo 64, and while I liked racing, sometimes I just liked to pretend I was a mom who was driving her kids home...and I'd pick what building was going to be my house. I'd even try to drive at a normal speed limit instead of 100 mph, to pretend like I was in a real neighborhood. True confessions = I was am a nerd.

Martha Stewart

I was obsessed with a massive blue house in my childhood neighborhood. I even had my picture taken in front of it (I'll post it someday when I find it! Ha). I called it...The Blue House. Creative right? One of the highlights of my life at that time was when I was told that there was a Christmas Home Tour...OF THAT HOUSE. I died. I got to walk through it and admire the inside of the house I was so in love with.

I decorated my (real life) bedrooms with care...complete with a bed area, reading area, and music area. I even had plans/hopes of making the crawl space in my closet a bean bag LOUNGE. I probably didn't call it a bean bag lounge at the time but...it has a nice ring to it doesn't it?

Atlanta Homes

Then, I discovered The Sims. And The Sims 2. And The Sims 2 Pets. And The Sims 3. I would take a few minutes to make people, but then mostly just design their houses. It was thee coolest thing EVER. Slash still is. I even found out how to cheat and give my Sims unlimited money, so they could have the best houses ever. Wouldn't that be nice to have in real life?

And now, here I am, a junior in college majoring in interior design. Doing CAD drawings, making color boards, learning SO much and being surrounded by people who share my passion for interior design. You guys, it's the best. 

My Favorite Rugs...as of late.

In honor of the LOVELY exam I took today, with one part involving minute details about rugs, I'm going to show you some of my favorite rugs. What I will not be doing is telling you the components of each one, how they were made, if they're wool or nylon, tufted or hand knotted. Or how they were dyed. Or what types of tests have been performed on them to make sure they're safe for a fire. Or each of their pile height. 

Not today. I'm sorry.

BUT what I will do is show you all a few of my faves lately:

Alice Lane

West Elm

West Elm

This one above isn't sold anymore apparently and everything in my being wants to know WHY? It's like a cozy blanket/sweater but in a rug?!? Could anything be better than that? No. Why West Elm, tell me why. 

Alice Lane

Dash & Albert

One Kings Lane

West Elm

Home Decorators

I love a good jute rug...this one even has a subtle zig zag/chevron pattern in it, cool!


Which one is your favorite?

Going for a Dip

I am seriously loving these dip dyed/ombre pillows right now. A few of them are even hand-painted! Want them. All of them.

Alice Lane Home

Alice Lane Home

John Robshaw in Pewter -via Design Serendipity

ABC Home

ABC Home

ABC Home

I could have just chosen to leave this post at that...but I can't help but add something from my favorite movie that kept popping into my mind while I was putting this post together. I'm weird, I know, don't judge me. 

It's in the first 30 seconds or so of this vid. (The Parent Trap)

Disclaimer: there may be a man in a speedo.

The part where Martin says "Going for a dip Madam, do you mind?". Get it? Dip? DIP DYE? Okay you're judging me. 

Respect me.

I'm a Knitting Guru. But Not.

A week or two ago, my sister tried to teach me to knit. Was it successful? No. I mean maybe a little bit. But not very much. I thought I was a natural when I first started...but then I realized I was only casting on and wasn't even knitting yet. OOPS. Somehow the way I was knitting was way too tight. I think I need thicker needles, or something.

In my defense, it's a little hard to learn to knit when your psycho dog is laying on the ottoman, staring at you, waiting to lunge toward you and clamp his jaw down on your knitting needles.

But you know what, I'll try again someday. And when I learn, I will be making infinity scarfs all day every day. And then when I'm a professional knitting guru, I'll make this cable knit throw:

Herrschners

Can you guys knit? How long did it take you to learn?

PS: I mentioned here that I was gradually dyeing my hair back to my natural, so for those of you that wanted a pic, that was it up there!