Cheese and Betty

What to do when your boyfriend who cooks dinner for you every night is out of town?  My solution is simple...wine, cheese, bread, some fruit and a Netflix marathon of Ugly Betty.

Does anyone miss Ugly Betty as much as me? I loved the playful yet chic sets and Amanda's uber stylish wardrobe that had me drooling every episode. It's one show I could watch over and over again - it always puts a smile on my face!

Photos of the Ugly Betty set via feature in Interior Design magazine.

Photos of Amanda's fab ensembles via Posh24

Crazy Comic Makeup!

If this isn't great Halloween inspiration, I don't know what is!  A MAC Makeup artist did this model's hair and makeup to look like Roy Lichtenstein's famous comic book painting.  I believe this is several years old now, but it is still just as amazing as it was back then!  Can you imagine how long it must have taken?

Image via Killahbeez

Image via Art 98

Designer Pumpkins

Over at Refinery 29, they did a roundup of designer pumpkins.  Lots of sparkle and glam in these gourds!  It's such a fun "adult" way to carve and decorate pumpkins for Halloween!  Here's a few of my favorites!

Louis Vuitton Pumpkin

Miu Miu Pumpkin

A Few of My Favorite Things

Dream Catchers, Elbow Patches and Unexpected Rainbows.

Neon Wedding

I know everyone has been re-posting the images of this Neon Wedding from Design Sponge lately, but I just couldn't help myself - I had to post it too.  It is just too amazing to ignore!  The contrast of the neon colors against all that white is absolutely stunning!  It's the perfect mix of elegance and fun and is totally inspiring.  I wish it was always appropriate to wear neon or decorate with neon - wouldn't life be so much more fun?!

Photos via DesignSponge

Inside Ellen's Home

I was so, SO excited when Ellen announced on her show last week that she and Portia and their home are on the cover of Architectural Digest this month!  The issue comes out this week and I cannot wait to buy it.  They give you a little sneak peek online and it only made me more anxious to see the rest.  Just the artwork alone in their home is enough to make you drool.

All images via Architectural Digest.

Front Door Fashion

When I first moved in with my boyfriend and we began discussing redecorating ideas, one of my first ideas was I wanted to frame the peephole on the inside of our front door just like they did on Friends.  I've always wanted to do it, but was never able to in a rented apartment.  Since he owns this place, it seemed like the perfect time to make it happen.  Sadly, he shot the idea down rather quickly so I've been looking for new ways to spice up the entry way.

The famous Friends framed peephole via Joe&Cheryl

In my search, I came across this gorgeous front door on Likainen Parketti's site.  It's not in English so unfortunately, I cannot read her whole design process, but I did discover that she did this entirely out of tape!! So amazing!  My boyfriend is on board with this new project, so now I'm on the hunt to find the right tape and then I think I'll try it out!

Via Likainen Parketti

P.S. Did you know that you can actually buy the same style of frame that they used on Friends?!  I had no idea, but you can buy one just like it on Amazon!

A Steal!

West Elm just added a ton of new items to their sale section online.  This rug would be absolutely perfect for my bedroom (I already have gold chevron throw pillows!) and you can't beat that price! 

Via West Elm

Design Star

Was anyone else watching this season of Design Star?!  I don't watch a ton of HGTV(of course I love House Hunters International...who doesn't?!), but for some reason I get really into this show.  The finale was last night and the final 2 contestants were both from Chicago!  I couldn't decide who I liked better - they both were great! - so I would have been happy with the results either way.  But in the end Meg Caswell won the show!  Her final room was gorgeous and I can't wait to see her new show. Congrats Meg!!

Meg's winning room via HGTV
 

Meg Wins!

P.S. Meg owns a shop in Lincoln Park called Design Shoppe!  I definitely plan on checking it out soon!

Union Jacks in the House

My time in London was by far one of the best times of my life, and I love being surrounded by reminders of that time and place.  I think that's why I'm drawn to these images of using the Union Jack as decorative pieces in the home.  A very special someone bought me an adorable Union Jack pillow that's proudly displayed on my desk chair at home, but I also love these larger scale versions!

Jessica and Ash Bettenay's Home via DesignSponge

Melanie's dresser via My Sweet Savannah

Union Jack Wall Tapestry from Urban Outfitters

Racket Mirrors

I adore these gorgeous mirrors made out of vintage tennis rackets from Velvet Ribbon, an online boutique from the UK. I'm not much of a sports person, especially when it comes to decor, but these I could get on board with!  I think they would look perfect in an entry hallway.

Ampersands

I've recently discovered a new love for Ampersands. Not only is the word itself super fun to say, but I think they are such a cute and subtle way to reference love or togetherness. Now that I'm co-habitating, I find myself wanting to incorporate little ampersands here and there around the apartment. I've looked around and found a little inspiration on how to incorporate them into my home.

I adore the color of this wooden ampersand from Hindsvik's etsy shop.  It would be perfect for my bookshelf!

I love what they did with this chair on Apartment Therapy! This could be a good idea for my dining room table makeover...maybe an ampersand painted on each chair seat?

This Ampersand pillow from Gracioushome's Etsy Shop, would make the perfect throw pillow on our bed!

Sweet Dreams

I just love this sweet banner from catbird.  I think banners are such adorable and fun decorations but they are always so limited in terms of when and for how long you can display them. But this one could live year round in my bedroom!  It would fit so perfect above my windows.  And for $10 why would I not buy it, right?!

Dining Room Table Makeover

Lately I've been playing with the idea of painting my dining room table or chairs or both.  I go back and forth on the colors, whether I should go for neutrals like black or white, or add in some bright colors. I think it's definitely best to start with the table since it's much easier to paint, and see what colors I want to add in after that. I've scoured some design sites and found some awesome inspiration...



Via Apartment Therapy

Via Unpatterned

Via Design Sponge

West Elm Who?

West Elm might be my favorite home store.  I imagine heaven looks a lot like the inside of their stores.  I could definitely die happily in one of them.  I just got an email this week announcing their new Fall collection - have you seen it yet?!  It is absolutely gorgeous and nothing like I've ever seen there before!  The colors are so deep and rich and I already want everything!

French Dish

I have a deep love for any and all things French (I mean, who secretly doesn't want to be a French Girl?!).  So when I found this French Envelope Tray from Jayson Home & Garden, it was so difficult for me not to buy it on the spot!  I'm currently looking for a cute little dish to house my keys in my entryway at home and my current orange thrift-store bowl is not doing the trick.  This beauty would be perfect!  But $22 seems a bit steep so I've dedicated myself to an Etsy search in hopes to find something similar.  So far, no luck, but I'm hopeful!

Stylish Wine

I stumbled across this Mirage Expandable Wine Rack recently and fell in love with it.  If only I had a place to put this in my apartment! Even when it's not full, it still looks so stylish.  Maybe keep this on the back-burner for a potential birthday gift for Mom this year!