Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Project progress - Issue 5

Do you ever get asked "what's new?" and you just aren't sure how to answer? That has kind of been my life lately. Working in the design industry is interesting especially when you aren't necessary doing what others in the design industry are doing. It's hard to explain to people what a "typical" day consists of when you're an interior designer/project manager/general contractor/specifier/estimator. Yes, that's a lot of slashes. Don't get me wrong; I love every minute of it --OK not every minute but most minutes.

I digress.

It's been awhile since I shared a mega project update (see 1, 2, 34, 5, & 6) so here is where we are with things:

Our third floor is receiving finishes! The tile work here is covered with cardboard so you can't see it's prettiness. But the wall tile looks great, as does the casework and plumbing fixtures.

 The glass storefront system is completely in on the third floor and over halfway complete on the second floor. OH and what's that?! Carpet!? Yes, yes it is. Here's another look at the combination.

 You also get a peak of the ceiling tile which is installed only on the perimeters of the room for now. The humidity outside has killed us even with the air conditioners and dehumidifers inside so for now we are holding off.
 Here is a close up of that gorgeous carpet pattern. I can't wait to see this room complete. Soon it will house the billing department in a row of Herman Miller cubicles that we picked up for a steal from a company going out of business.

If you can't tell, I'm a fan of this room. The colors look great here because of the southern windows. Lighting fixtures in this room looks great too. You can kind of see them here.

Our main focus now is the basement which is receiving drywall as I write this. Second and first floors are somewhere between these images: painting, ceiling grids, and lighting fixtures.

What do you think of our project? Do you love or hate the carpet tile? I kind of can't wait to show you the rest of the palette as it unfolds. :)

xoxo

photos by yours truly

collection of NEVERFAILS

Normally I post OOTD's over on my personal blog but I'm having some issues over there so today's is your lucky day. I was first inspired by Michele1218's makeup tutorial (link below) that was super simple but classy. So I decided to make my entire day up of simple, go-to items that never fail me:


nails: OPI You Don't Know Jacques
lips: Loreal Fairest Nude
bag: Mulberry Alexa
hair: naural

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

holy gift giving

i know. it's way too early to discuss gift giving. BUT. kate spade is having a sample sale and i couldn't help pull together my favorites. as a little hint to *anyone* wanting to get me a gift. (ok, by anyone i really mean the FH.) so here they are with helpful links below.

[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

what arrived in the mail

I am loving my new pretty from In Honor of Design. The Candy Gem Bracelet in Swan White looks great by itself or as part of the arm party.

Monday, August 22, 2011

an Ikea wedding?!

 Two things that have been consuming my life lately: wedding decor planning & furniture finds. Actually, furniture is a big part of my work day so I would say it consumes my life all the time, not just lately. This past weekend I went to Ikea with my grandparents to look for some new living room chairs and picked up a few things for the wedding. I decided to share some of the inspirational photos along with the item from Ikea that would work well.
 Chalkboards are a huge wedding trend right now whether they share directional information, the dinner menu, or just sweet quotes. This easel can be found in the children's department for $15 and has a chalkboard, marker board, and large paper roll. The small frames come in a pack of three for $2 which is an amazing deal. Spray the inside of the frame with chalkboard paint and you have a great way to mark table numbers.

 Lanterns are perfect for garden and rustic weddings and look so pretty with burlap and flowers. This lantern is $8 but they also have smaller ones that hold tealight candles for $4. The four pack of candles is an awesome find for only $2.
Placing picture frames with engagement photos, song lyrics, or messages around the reception space makes the room personalized. I also love them at a gift table or guestbook table with a thank you note inside. This frame is $1.99 which means you can generously sprinkle them everywhere.

 I'm currently working on a way to feature our engagement photos and I really like this display. For $5 I can put up 15 photos behind our guestbook table.
Our reception hall (like most) do not allow an open flame candle. I will be using vases like this one for pillar candles to still get the look I want but keep the candle concealed.

[images via: Ikea, the KnotStyle Me Pretty, & Sparkle and Hay]

Friday, August 12, 2011

f r i d a y

made it another work week. the next couple of days consist of invitation making, a wedding, and a funeral. love on the ones you love, celebrate life, and acknowledge your blessings.
xoxo
photo by Josh McCullock via Ruffled

vintage find

 a pretty little box...
with vintage perm rods inside...


{sorry for crappy iphone photos}

Missoni for Target: My Favorites

Just thought I'd share some of my favorite items in the Missoni for Target collection. The collection will be released September 13th and includes women's, men's, and girl's clothing, accessories, home goods, and decor.







What are your favorite things in the collection? See the entire lookbook here.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

A Chair Dilemma


 via
It's what takes the reception up a notch. A gorgeous chair. As many of you know, I have this thing for amazing furniture, especially chairs. (evidence 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; i think you get the idea) When I image my dream reception site it looks a-bit-a-like-a-this:
The good news: I'm almost there with the venue; mine has gorgeous architectural woodwork and a pretty view. However, the chairs the venue offers (dun-dun-duuunn):


The classic brown, metal folding chair. What's a girl to do? I looked up chair rental prices from our local rental place.

"I'm sorry? What was that? You want to charge me $2.50-$6.75 per chair? Are you out of your freakin' mind?" Who can afford that with an a guest list around 200? Not this girl, that's for sure.

"What's another option? A super cool, stretchy, condom-like chair cover? Oh yes; send them right over because I want to pay $4 a piece for those." So, I hit my beloved pinterest for inspiration. I'm happy with some images I found but I'm still not sure the best solution.





Do I go all out and plan for each chair to have pretty curls? This seems like a lot of last minute work that I may not have time for. Or keep it rustic and simple? I would use a bit of burlap and a bit of lace tied in a knot. Not as much work so it's more realistic. Or stick with my streamer decor and tie it to each chair like this ribbon one? Again on that time thing... Or attach tissue paper flowers? 200 flowers is a lot of tissue paper (about 1,600 to be exact).

What do you think people? Which do you like best? Which seems most do-able? Talk about it below.

xoxo