The Bedroom - Inspiration

When I think of the bedroom I want, I think of something cozy, comfy, soft, and calm, yet 

elegant and classy. 

When I think of colors I want in a bedroom, I usually think of soft and neutral tones. 

 Since we have this "new" apartment, it's the perfect time to decorate/re-decorate. 

 

As I've mentioned before, I enjoy dark woods, mixing dark and light colors, and adding pops of color to things. When thinking of the bedroom I want, I usually imagine a dark wood or iron bed frame, with a light colored bedspread (think cream, grey, or blue). Of course, there will be pops of color in the room. I'm not afraid of color in the bedroom, I just want it to be a calm and restful place, and listen, red and pink aren't really that restful to me. But, don't get me wrong, I'd love to use them as my pop of color...they just can't be the main color. 

The photos below are some that are inspiring me on how our bedroom should look/feel.

Source: potterybarn.com 

Source: houseofturquoise.com

 

Source: macys.com

 

                     Source: decorpad.com

Source: houzz.com

                                                              Source: 6thstreetdesignschool.blogspot.com.au

                                                                                                                    Source: macys.com

                                                                     Source: bhg.com                            

What do you think? Do any of these inspire you? Which are your favorites?

Vision isn't Always Reality

I love dark and white woods, mixing light with dark, blues, creams, whites, greys, black, and pops of color (like red, yellow, and sometimes pink).  My vision of what our living room should be is something that's timeless/classic, yet comfy...I want it to look great, but I want you to still be able to feel at home. 

Maybe something like these photos:

1. Source: bargainhoot.com

   2.  Source:bhg.com 

Source: homegoods.com 

Source: madebygirl.blogspot.com

Source: paloma81.blogspot.com

What my husband's vision, well, I'm not entirely sure, because he doesn't really plan these things out. He's more of a see it and like it type of guy. He is very picky though. Ugh. He did know that he wanted all dark furniture, including the couch. He tends to be drawn towards earth tones, neutral color, and red. He loves red.

So, with all of this in mind, here is what our living room is turning out to look like:

bookshelf with printer. (The bookshelf itself is a mess! Need to work on that...)

Couch and Coffee table!

Couch again! Can you believe it's from Big Lots?!

Recliner from Tyler's grandparents.

TV, TV stand (which we got for free!), and a side table. That's not the tables permanent home, but that wall was empty.

What do you think? I think the couch needs more color haha.  We also need to finish deciding where to put things like pictures. The walls are looking bare! Ah well. It's slowly but surely coming together! 

I'm Back!

Good Morning everyone! Happy Monday to ya! 

I apologize for the impromptu hiatus, but you know, sometimes we all need a little break from things.

Something you may or may not have known about me, I love lists. When I email people, sometimes I email in bullet point. So, what better way to update you on what's been going on than with a list :p 

The Job Hunt...

• After the phone interview and testing for the one company, I got a call to come in for an in-person interview. I had a whole schedule that included interview times with four different people! AH! I hear back this week.
• That interview I had with the shelving company (it's the one where I would be doing temporary customer service calling) well, the interview went well, but they said they would pass. They didn't really say why, but the staffing agency thinks it's because they thought I was overqualified or too experienced or something. Sigh. Probably better this way.
• I had an interview to be an insurance salesman (ahhh!). Boy, did they love me! I told them no. Honestly, I can't see myself going in to companies and being like, hey, buy this policy. It's not me, and I know I wouldn't be happy. 
• Tyler got a job at Magginos being a server! Hooray! He starts training next week :) 

Life...

• We're finally getting the apartment together. Slowly, but surely. I really do love our new place, but in the future, I would like to have a dining area and a guest room/office. 
•  We're trying to plan when to have a house-warming party. I really don't know why this has been so difficult, but it is. Trying to find a good weekend is next to impossible it seems. That, and Tyler's birthday is coming up, so we thought, why not combine them! Well, now the problem is, we don't know when he'll be scheduled for his new job. Ugh. Any ideas? I really want this to happen. I love throwing parties. 
• When decorating the apartment, sometimes what I have in mind, and what Tyler has in mind, are two totally different things. We try to compromise, and usually do, but sometimes, one person just has to win. Haha.
• Still trying to stain our wine rack. There were some hiccups (it was finished wood and we thought it wasn't, ran out of sand paper, there was a huge rain storm...), but we should be getting back on track :) 
• We saw the film, Friends With Kids. I really enjoyed that movie, but it's a lot darker than I thought it would be. 
• On St. Patrick's Day, we didn't do much, but we did go to the mall to get Tyler's work clothes. Then, we made dinner and watched a movie. What was our dinner? Saurbraten, Spaetzle, and salad. Yay for German food! hehe. So good.

Well friends, I think that about does it! I promise I will have pictures up of our place/how decorating is going soon. :) Have a great day!

Trying to Find my Style

When decorating, most people have a certain style or direction. Me? Well, I'm trying to find my style. For some people, this is an easy task, for me, well, it's been interesting and somewhat difficult. Why you may ask? Well, for one thing, I have an opinionated husband. I guess I should be thankful he has an opinion, because some people would kill for their spouse to have such a big opinion about decorating and helping organize the house. Granted, I do enjoy that he helps me out, but sometimes I just want to do things my way.

Another reason that this has been such an interesting and difficult task is the fact that I can be indecisive. So, I've been trying to be proactive and read articles, take quizzes, and find inspiration for our new place in order to find my style.

My style according to some quizzes online is: French eclectic, French country, vintage, and classic. Seems about right if ya ask me. I like to entertain, in fact, we both like to entertain and have people over. I want our apartment to have a homey, yet sophisticated and classy feel to it. I feel with the results of these style quizzes that that feel could work out nicely.

I recently have found inspiration in some of the things that I love/are meaningful to me: 

damask patterns, french stuff (European things in general), things from the places I've traveled, floral, pillows, colorful things, dark wood, white wood,...Sigh, I like a lot of things, haha.  

I have also found inspiration in our apartment and some of the furniture we already own. Our apartment is very beige, tan, and white, and most of our furniture is dark...I'm talking black/brown and cherry woods. 

Master bedroom with our wardrobe. (Our German Apartment didn't have closets)

I really like the dark and light combination with pops of colors. 

 

I may have too much to choose from. I want new stuff, but I still have cool old(er) stuff. Tyler and I already have four huge trash bags for goodwill, throw away, given away, and recycled many things. It will all come together soon, I hope. 

How do you guys find inspiration for decorating?

How did you/do you find your style? 

We've Moved!

   Hello Friends! Sorry for the impromptu hiatus, but hey, life happens. 
   Sunday, I helped one of my dear friends with a wedding. Oh my goodness, it was so beautiful and so much fun! And a bonus, I saw and spoke with Jenna Fisher (aka Pam from The Office) at the hotel with her baby. No, she was not a guest of the wedding, she was just a guest of the hotel.
    This week has gone by so quickly! Monday was moving day for Tyler and I. We packed up all of our things at his parents house, and everything from my storage, and made our way to our new place. Tuesday, the Army movers came with all of our stuff...Happy Valentine's Day to us! In fact, Tuesday was the first night we spent in the place, since we now had our futon haha. For the rest of Valentine's Day, we unpacked, went to the mall for dinner, bought things with our Macy's Wedding money (hello new vacuum, knives, and cooking utensils!), and went grocery shopping. Delightful :)
   The rest of this week has been filled with unpacking, relaxing/enjoying the new place, and buying the things we need to make this apartment a home. I'm so excited that we get to start decorating! Eeeee! Our new chapter has officially started!

Well, Hello There Monday!

    And, it's Monday again. Where did the weekend go? Sometimes, I think they go by too quickly. I mean, it's not like I have anything real pressing to do anyway.
    Thursday, I had my interview at 9. Like I said in my last post, it was ok, but I've done better. I've done MUCH worse. I could kind of tell that one of the woman didn't really like me, and honestly, she rubbed me the wrong way. Oh well. I found out the next day, in the evening, that I didn't get the job. I think it's for the best...something better will come along, right?
    Speaking of Friday, that morning, the family dog (kind of Tyler's dog) Buddy starting shaking and acting really weird. He just wasn't himself. So, we told Tyler's mom and they went off to the vet. Tyler and I would've gone, but he had to take placement tests at his college. I had to go with him because we were going to sign our apartment lease after. Buddy had blood tests, ultra-sounds, and x-rays...poor thing. It was finally determined that there were 3 rocks in his intestines and he needed surgery. He was rushed to the emergency vet, where they took more x-rays and did that thing where they take a video camera inside you. While looking for the rocks, they decided they were far enough along, that he could just pass them naturally. But, he was so dehydrated, and his pancreas was inflamed, so they kept him over night. :(

    The next morning (Saturday), Tyler's mom and I went to go get him. Boy, was he happy to come home. Buddy is doing well, but still has some shaky pain moments. He's on a restricted diet, lots of rest, and of course, pain meds. I hope he gets better soon.
 
    Saturday afternoon, Tyler, his parents, and myself went to a "Life Celebration" for his neighbor that has passed away. It was beautiful. There were videos, pictures, and wonderful words spoken. After that, there was lots of wine and appetizers. I think that's how I want my funeral to be...a celebration of my life. It was so great. Afterwards, we went and saw The Artist. Oh man, if you haven't seen that movie, I HIGHLY recommend it. It is a silent film, but it's great! I loved it.
    Sunday, Tyler and his dad were off to Los Olivos to pick up Tyler's mom's valentine's day present ( a wine barrel), so his mom and I prepared food for the Superbowl. In the afternoon, Tyler got a call, and we officially have an apartment! I can't wait to move out and have our own space!!! I'm so excited!!! Eh hem...anyway...back to the Superbowl...now, honestly, I don't really care about the Superbowl...I watch it for the commercials, the half-time show, and the social aspect. Haha. There were a couple good commercials, but honestly, I remember them being a bigger deal. Speaking of being a bigger deal, let's talk Madonna. I enjoy Madonna, and I enjoyed the half-time show, but honestly, it was nothing to right home about. Ah well.

   So friends, it's Monday again. Buddy has a doctor's appointment to check up on him, Tyler starts school (YAY!), and I, well, I will  figure out something to do haha. I always do. :) Happy Monday!

Weekend Review

    Hello friends, happy Monday! Well, at least, I hope it's happy haha. Today was a day filled with grocery shopping and helping Tyler's mom take stuff to storage. Oh yeah, I also scheduled a phone interview! Eek! It's on Wednesday, wish me luck.
   This weekend started off relaxing, but got busy towards the end. Saturday, we relaxed and had dinner with some dear friends. Sunday, I woke up early to go to a flea market, had brunch at Mimi's (yum!), came home and hung out with Tyler's grandparents (who gave us a recliner...I do like free things), and chilled with the family. I got the cutest tea cups from the flea market! I can't wait to display them. Speaking of which, I can't wait to put a deposit down on a apartment. I'm getting so antsy. I can't wait to decorate and have my own space! Sigh, it will happen...soon.
   Before I start making dinner, I'm going to leave you with this:

Source: Uploaded by user via Beth on Pinterest

Great Finds

    Wow! It's Saturday already? Can you believe it? Where did Thursday and Friday go? I'll tell you.

    Thursday consisted of apartment hunting and playing phone tag with a potential future employer. I just have to have another phone and in-person interview. Tyler and I fell in love with this one apartment, now all we have to do is get approved and we'll be moving out of his parents house. Woohoo! I'm so ready and excited!
    Yesterday, Friday, we test drove a car, went out to dinner, and just stayed home, relaxed, watched a movie, and had some wine. A good night if you ask me. Oh yeah, we also got this amazing coffee table from Craigslist.

This, my friends, was only $25. WHAT?! The previous owners only had it for 5 years, so it's in pretty good condition; only a few scratches and what not. Tyler and I want to change the drawer handles, but other than that, we love it! Our future apartment is slowly, but surely coming together.
   
  

Thoughts for Friday

    As you may know, Tyler and I are currently apartment shopping. However, lack of car makes it hard...don't really wanna bring your mom to apartment hunt when they're not co-signing or anything, ya know? Sigh. I'm just ready to get out of his parents place and have a place of our own. I also can't wait to decorate (I have SOOOOO many ideas) and have all of my stuff in one place. Sigh. That day will hopefully come soon. Hmmm...maybe I should write blog segments on what I want my future place to look like...I like it.

    What does this week have in store for me? Vegas. Yup, we're going to Vegas friends! It's not a totally random Vegas trip, Tyler's brother is turning 21, and Tyler has never been to Vegas. Should be a good time! :) Catch up with you all Monday. Have a great weekend everybody.

Magic

With so many transitions comes a lot of stress. I wish I wasn't a worrier, but alas, I am. I knew coming back that I wouldn't find a job right away, but it's stressing me out. I can hear my mom now, "Just breathe Beth. Relax. Pray." Etc. etc. I am trying, but there is still some stress. It's hard for me to totally let go, but I'm doing the best that I can.

Last night, Tyler and I went to the Magic Castle with some friends. Oh man, it was so cool! We went to a Houdini seance (haha...oh boy), some magic shows, and just walked around the "castle." And, do you know the best part was, I met NEIL PATRICK HARRIS! OMFG!

{Via}

He's amazing.

Today, Tyler and I are FINALLY looking at apartments. Hooray! I can't wait. And tomorrow, we're going wine tasting. See why I keep thinking that we're on vacation? Haha.

Hope you all are having a good weekend! :)