Etsy.com

Etsy is one of my favorite websites! It's like ebay for craft people. Most things on Etsy are handmade or vintage. I cannot tell you the amount of products I have ordered from Etsy for gifts or to decorate my house.

Here are some of my favorite purchases...

I recently purchased this newborn tutu for my friend Megan who is expecting baby Mia any day now. I have also ordered a big girl version for my god daughter Josie's birthday last year. Tutus are every where on Etsy, but Trinity's Tutus is who I order from. I love the quality and the owner has a great turn around time!

This is the "Design your Dream Wee Ones" Tutu by Trinity's Tutu:

I also just purchased this picture to frame for my master bathroom. It's a print of the painting called "Floater" by Robert Foster. I love the "relaxed" vibe you get from looking at this picture.

I am such a sucker for pretty stationary so last Christmas I gave these personalized note cards as gifts. These are made by Katie Dyd Designs.

Now here are some items I've been eyeing on Etsy and want to purchase...

I am totally loving the IKAT pattern. Here is a pillow from Turquoise Tumbleweed which I would love to own!

Here is another piece of artwork I would love to have in my bathroom. The style of the Etsy store vol25 is so fun and girly! What girl doesn't want to be told she is the prettiest girl in the land?

This print by the love shop is quirky and attention-grabbing.

I think these tumblers by the Preppy Polka Dot would be perfect for patio parties!

I absolutely love Etsy.com and check it out each morning to see the featured sellers for ideas on unique gifts and home decor. I highly suggest you hurry over to the website and see what treasures you can find!

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Dreaming...

I am in love with these Calypso rugs! I often wonder why rugs have to be so expensive... especially the beautiful great patterned-ones. It seems that one big beautiful rug can transfor a room. I'm going to need to start saving now for one of these.

Here are a few of my favorites...

Let's just say I love them all! I'm dreaming of a day when one of them will be featured in my living room.

Who is your favorite rug retailer? Any suggestions for affordable styleish rugs?

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The Little Black Dress

My friend recently sent me an article about a woman who challenged herself to wear only the same six clothing items for a month straight. My friend accompanied this link with the message "I don't think I could ever do this."

The author of this article provided a link to the Dallas-based stylist, Valerie Elizabeth, who wore the same black dress for 31 days straight. On her blog, she posted pictures of her outfit each day changing the image of her black dress with accessories and other clothing pieces. Valerie Elizabeth even posted where each piece of her outfit came from and the price she paid.

Here is my friend and I rocking our little black dresses:

Not sure if I could do this challenge in my current position. Would you up be to it?

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Map It Out

While on a recent trip, I came across this personalized world traveler map in the Sky Mall magazine on the plane. It comes with RED pins to mark the places where you have visited, BLUE pins to mark upcoming trips, YELLOW pins to mark favorite places, and GREEN pins to mark dream destinations. It is even personalized to read "The World Travels of ... (your name here)."

I feel in love with it and mentioned to my aunt, who also loves to travel, that I was going to try to recreate a version of it for cheaper price. I searched ebay and purchased a map online for $6.00. It just arrived at my house two days before my birthday and surprise, surprise... my aunt actually purchased the personalized map from Sky Mall as my birthday/Christmas present! My personalized map has not arrived yet, but I cannot wait to start pinpointing all the places I've been, the places I'm going, and the places I want to visit.

This is a project from the writers of one of my favorite blogs, Young House Love. She utilized the same concept as the store bought map to create her own.

Here is another map inspired idea from Young House Love:

Maps are such a wonderful way to incorporate memories of your favorite places and trips into your home. I'm sure you will enjoy them as much as I do. Now go book your next trip!

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Featured Frames

I have been collecting inspiration ideas of walls covered in frames that I love. I plan on covering two walls in my home with frames... one in my hallway and one in my office/guest bedroom.

Here are some walls that inspire me...

We will see how it goes when I create my own.

Happy Thursday!

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Birthday Wishes!

Today is my birthday... Another year older and wiser. This weekend has been an ongoing celebration with my family and friends which I love!

While I received practical gifts for my birthday which I needed for my house, here are some items I have been dreaming of...

I love these Michael Kors watches which run roughly $195. I think they would be the perfect stable to many outfits.

Luckily, I found similar versions by Fossil for half the price ($95):

I'm also dying to become an iPhone owner. After a year of holding out, I will finally be eligible for an upgrade on August 13th. I cannot wait!

Lastly, I just received confirmation from my aunt that our LA trip to visit my cousin has been officially booked for September. This is something we have been planning for awhile so I could not ask for a better present!

Happy Monday everyone!

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The Last Rodeo...

Tomorrow is my birthday and to celebrate my friends and I are going to see Brooks & Dunn for their Last Rodeo Tour. It's bitter sweet! I remember my first Brooks & Dunn concert being one of the best concerts I have ever attended. It was their Neon Circus tour featuring seven acts including Rascal Flats, Brad Paisely and other up and coming singers.

A college friend and I actually stumbled across tickets when we went to downtown Lexington to try to win tickets from the radio station the day of the show. Unfortunately, we were not the lucky winner of front row tickets and backstage passes, but we did end up with FREE tickets for the nose-bleed section! We approached the winner of the front row tickets and asked her what she was going to do with the tickets she already bought... AND she gave them to us free of charge!

I remember loving every minute of this show and thinking Brooks & Dunn were fabulous energetic performers!

Today I will see them perform in concert one last time! Kix and Ronnie, let's "Play Something Country."

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Home Sweet Condo

I never thought I would want to live in a condo... none the less own a condo! I have always been the type of girl who enjoyed living in a house with a yard and plenty of space, but as I graduated college I knew it was time to find a place of my own.

Luckily, my uncle is a real estate agent and was able to show me properties within my price range. Out of a list of 68 properties, I selected seven and we set out to go visit them. After seeing many properties I was not interested in, we made our way to our final destination where I fell in love with a beautiful new(er) (four years old) condo in my hometown! It was so much larger, cleaner, and newer than the other properties we had looked at that day. To my surprise, it was in my price range! It had been on the market for only two days and my uncle was certain it would be sold by the end of the weekend, so on a whim, I made an offer on it.

One month later, I was a proud owner of a beautiful large condo in convenient part of town!

I have included pictures of the condo in the "as-is" sold condition. Keep in mind this was a forclosure so there were many fixtures missing as well as many odd things.

Here is a picture of the kitchen in the condition I bought the condo.

Below is the "after" photo. My friend, Mark, who is an archiect painted my condo in the blue and gold tones I choose.

Here is a shot of the living "before." Notice the random yellow light hanging from the ceiling. Sadly enough, it is still hanging there today because I need to find a handy man to take it down and add my living room fan.

Here is the current state of my living room area:

The last room transformation I'm going to share with you today is my bedroom. Here is the "before":

The "after"...

It is definitely a work in progress but I am enjoying every day of it!

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This is my first attempt at blogging. I love reading others' blogs on design, decorating, and fashion so I thought I would try my own to share my home improvement projects and great finds with my familiy and friends. I end up spending hours on end at my computer learning about what others are doing in their homes and with their wardrobes.

I recently purchased my first home and have been having a blast decorating and redecorating. I have had my home for seven months now but am already getting bored with the decor so, of course, by reading others' blogs I am inspired to do new projects!

Please bear with me as I learn the ins and outs of the blogging world. I look forward to this new adventure!

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