Wait... What now?!

I am almost done with the apartment! All that is left are little details. I apparently need to varnish all of the white furniture I have painted. I am quickly learning that white paint likes to get very dirty, and it is scratching in parts! I am very disappointed, but at least it looks cute? I am feeling like I have the forever 21 of decor- It's great until you look up close and see the little flaws. My future projects will be dedicated to touch-ups and improving on the projects that I have already started.

So I got this table for $25 on craigslist. I'll give you some close-up shots, because the details are the best part!

Three coats of satin-finish white paint later, and I was ready to put it in it's new home!

Here is that desk I painted with a fun little shabby-chic chair I DIY-ed last week.

In other news, one of my friends from college came to visit me and we travelled to Niagara Falls! (Which is visually... disturbing for lack of a better term. It is mini vegas, but without the "classy" aspects. Think a wax museum, 3-D theatre, cigar shop, and neon chachskis galore!) But we did win $360 on the penny slots! Yeaaaaa! And I played my first table game- Baccarat. It was SO fun, and I doubled my winnings! (Which I then promptly lost...)

Creative Title?

So this weekend one of my best friends from college is coming to stay with me. Yay! We are going to hang out in Rochester for a few days, and then spend Sunday night in the Canada side of Niagara Falls and do a little gambling!! Does canada have jackpot party? I really hope so.

(Image via Jackpotparty.com)

So, I mentioned previously that I really wanted the white pintuck duvet cover from West Elm. Well, I have a confession- I kind of already have it, just in a different color. I ordered the "sea spray" color as pictured below, but I just didn't love the way it looked in my bedroom. Not to mention, that last year, I didn't have a couch, and so I basically lived on my bed- resulting in spilled coffee stains, red spots from a popsicle incident, and even burns from being left against my heater (whoops).

(Image via West Elm)

But I thought to myself, why buy another one for $125, when I still have a (somewhat) functional version? I saw a blogpost on Younghouselove, where they dyed their dining room chairs with this awesome dye, called iDye, that can just be thrown in the washer. I settled on "gun metal" and went to work!

For precise directions, check out this blogpost on YHL.

The final result was more blue than I intended- but still more grey than the picture shows. The dye did an amazing job. All of the stains (even the burns!) were totally covered, and I am really happy with the way it turned out.

Remember me? Ugly desk? Well, I am no longer ugly! Yay!

Two coats of paint, and a world of difference (at least to me).

I'm embarrassed... but here is what my living room currently looks like. So I have 3 days until Clayton comes, and I gotta get his room (the living room) all set to have guests! Today at four, I am picking up a shabby chic coffee table, which I'll be painting white this week, along with some shabby chic chairs that I have been storing at my friend Becca's house. I can't wait to show you how it turns out!

On another note- this is really getting addicting. As soon as I finish a room, I find a new decorating idea, or design detail that I want to test out. Maybe I can work on the side as an Anthropologie design intern? : ) Eh, a girl can dream!

Escape

So this last Wednesday night, I got the chance to escape Rochester for 24 hours, and venture to the Mirbeau Inn and Spa in Skeneatles Lake. The hotel was designed to make you feel like you were vacationing inside of a Monet painting. It worked, and it was truly one of the most beautiful hotels I have ever been to.

This picture is of the hotel restaurant, Savor. I got a beet, goat cheese, balsamic salad, lobster mac and cheese, filet mignon, and spearmint ice cream (It was supposed to be peppermint... it wasn't... it was not good- but the rest of the food was amazing!)

The gardens were designed to look just like one of Monet's waterlily paintings, complete with the turquoise bridge. So gorgeous!

This was the view from outside of our balcony.

I could only take one picture in the spa, well, because I felt like a huge peeping Tom. But it was so beautiful and relaxing. Totally worth the sunburn I got laying out : )

Random Collection of Posts

This post covers some little projects and happenings that were too small to use in their own posting. So, here they are, randomly muddled together to make one rather sizable posting : )

I wanted to show you guys the park that I live in. It's called Highland Park, and it is the most amazing escape in the middle of the city. I could walk around this park for hours, and on many days- I do. I especially love it in early spring, when the magnolia trees and lilacs are in full bloom. Right now, it is mostly green, with some pops of hydrangeas and daisies.

Now, my bathroom really isn't that exciting. What bathroom is? But I did take the dove grey color of my bedroom, and paint the bottom half of the room. The best part of the room? It's mold free! Score.

So this is actually a piece of fabric that I had framed. My mom is a costumer, and has a huge collection of fabric scraps. I found this one in her sewing room, and stole it (sorry mom!!) because I loved the colors and the scene. Isn't it great?

I've also been collecting Mason jars. They are so handy, and add a really cute design detail. I also use them to hold pencils, pens, make up brushes, and cooking ingredients.

So, I re-did my gallery wall, and I am very happy with the result!

When we went to Ikea, I wanted to get a great frame to showcase my letterpress "California Love" print that I showed you guys earlier. However, due to a not-so-surprising mistake on my part, the matting was wayyyyyyyy to large for the print. So, I searched high and low for a great substitute, and just couldn't find anything I was happy with. Then one day, I went to the fabric store, and saw this grey lace. I thought I'd give it a shot, and I really like the way it looks. It also helps to tie in the grey of my bedroom with the blue of the living room.

I never learn. If you know me, you know this. I like to force things. I'm the kinda person that will totally hit the DVD player until it works, or keep trying to hit the nail into the wall, even though it clearly is right in front of a stud. Well, it happened again. I tried to force the glass back into the Ikea frame, it shattered, and I ended up with cuts all over my legs! This picture really doesn't do it justice- there were bloody footprints all over the place. Gory... I know, I'm sorry! Being a nurse has kind of tainted my perception of what is socially acceptable to talk about.

Now... this was annoying. The first time I walked in my apartment, I realized that my fridge was smackdab in the middle of the kitchen. Even worse? There were no other outlets anywhere close, and so the fridge was just eating space, and making the whole kitchen feel awkward. Until I found a solution, I just used a powerstrip as an extension cord, and pushed the fridge over as far as I could.

After painting the kitchen, I purchased a 3-prong extension cord, and nailed it along the detailing in the wall. Pretty sneaky, huh?

When you aren't looking directly at the cord, you would never know it was there. Now the kitchen has much more space, and I do not have to showcase that eyesore of a powerstrip.

I think it is also time that I introduce you to my roommate, Daisy. She is awesome. She is much more of a dog, than a cat. I'll let her prove it to you.

Look, in my defense, most of my friends are gone until August, and I am without a TV and internet, ok?

.... Ok... I know. I'm a little embarrassed for myself, too.