Pretty Little Lady Design

Beauty in the Abandoned

2017-08-08T10:58:00.001-07:00

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♥

Quirky, Comfy, Eclectic Living Room [Decorating the Dream Apartment]

2014-11-03T07:57:00.000-08:00

Recently, I have decided that next semester I will be taking time off of school, and time on in real life. I've come to a convenient time in my academic career to do so, as I will graduate at the same time regardless of whether I take classes this semester or not. Any opportunity to learn outside of the lecture hall, I'll take. For the first time in my life I have the opportunity to get out, to go somewhere far away, live alone, and learn about myself. After a long discussion with my Mother, she said "you want to run away". My response was "Yes." I am running away, and I couldn't be more excited for my adventure.

A part of this journey involves living alone for the first time! With that comes so many amazing opportunities. What's more exciting than having your own apartment? Being able to decorate it. Duh. ;)

Realistically, I'll be working with a budget of like $50. But screw it. I wanna dream. My dream starts with an amazing Black and White print from www.invaluable.com, an online auction website. They've got tons of great paintings and prints for a fraction of the price you'd find elsewhere. Bid away.

The "Interpreter" Poster and Black and White print would serve as the focal pieces in a small gallery wall. Of course, I'll be renting; so break out those Command Strips! Honestly, after living in 3 dorms within the last year and a half, I swear by them.

The Chair and Couch are both from the awesome site www.joybird.com

Want a custom piece of furniture?! You can select nearly any color you would like for the upholstery, including leather. AND you can select the stain on for the legs/frame! I'm in love. No, I'm not sponsored by them. [But I wouldn't be opposed.]

Add a few other midcentury pieces, an awesome Moravian star [Have you seen the one I made yet?! Click here], some comfy pillows, a colorful rug, and you've got yourself a Pretty Little room.

Lets just say I wouldn't be opposed to a Wayfair sponsorship, either. I mean, this rug?!?!

Take in the Gorgeousness. TAKE IT IN.

Thank you.

Sources

Rug

Coffee Table

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Hey hey! It's been a while! Exciting updates for Pretty Little Lady.

2014-05-07T19:35:00.001-07:00

Hey hey, y'all!

It's been a while.

I'll be finishing up my freshman year of college in just one week. The last month or so has been busy with projects and finals, and I've had the opportunity to do some pretty darn awesome stuff!

Like, this happened.

I got to see Tramped by Turtles in Concert.
They're a bluegrass type band from Duluth, Minnesota. They're kinda like Mumford and Sons, but better. Never heard of them? Check out their music here.

The next weekend I partied it up in Iowa with my friends form my former college.

Note the gorgeous weather. I got sunburnt, and two days later it was snowing again.

Welcome to the Midwest.

Then last weekend, I unleashed my inner nerd.

Recognize the sexy gentleman in the picture below? That's none other than Matt Smith, who played the 11th Doctor in Doctor Who. I got to see him on a panel at the Minneapolis Wizard World Comic Con.

Of course you would know this if you followed me on twitter, in addition getting to sneak peaks into the next Pretty Little Lady Tutorials.

Long story short, Matt Smith lives with me now.

Fine. He's cardboard, but I still think it counts.

Oh, you're not following me on Twitter?

Don't worry. All you have to do is press that button.

↓

Follow @Misskaerose

The next thing is very exciting for this blog. A few weeks ago I just so happened to win this little contest.

All I had to do was submit a photo of a project I've been procrastinating on and write up a short description of this project.

Check out Duluth Trading Company's Facebook Page to see the other winners and
upcoming promotions!

With the prize money, I'll be building a geodesic dome tent! Read my [slightly sucking up] description that I submitted below!

Have I expressed my obsession with for geodesic domes on here before?

Weeeellllll, I've pinned many of them. What's this button below? A pinterest follow button?

I think you should click that one too. Just sayin'.

Follow Misskaerose

If you're interested in learning more about me, subscribe to my new personal blog.

www.katherineannrose.blogspot.com

Stay tuned for a decor DIY and some amazing geometric tutorials soon!

Yes. There is a lot of shameless self promotion in this post. Deal with it peoples.

♥

(#TBT) Power Tools are a Girl's Best Friend

2014-04-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Throwback Thursday! Today, we're throwing it back to my first (and only, really) interior design project. This is the basement bathroom of my parent's home.

The room was completely DIYed, but I never broke down the projects into their own posts.

I'll be re-visiting a project or two from the room over the next few months.

The vanity has quite a story of it's own. When I began designing the bathroom, I was set on using a dining room table as the vanity. I had even chopped the table in half, and cut the hole out for the sink.

As time went on, I fell out of love with the table. I didn't feel like it was the right height or style anymore. The idea of using a dresser was born. Let's just say it took a while. About a year, maybe? I'm kinda a procrastinator, and I wasn't going to settle for anything short of perfect.

Eventually, my mom gave me an ultimatum. If you can't find a dresser in two weeks, you have to use the table. Well, day 14 came. I'd pretty much given up hope, but decided to stop by Goodwill one last time. And there it was. In all it's [perfect height, depth, and width] glory! The price tag? $25.

AHHH! I screamed! &*$@# FINALLY! Huzzah! Take that, mother. (JK, she's pretty awesome.)

Enter the power tools. Turning a dresser into a vanity isn't too complicated.
You can see a full tutorial over at DIY Network.

It mostly involves cutting out room for the sink and plumbing parts.
Sadly, this leaves most of the drawers pretty unusable.

A few coats of polyurethane later, and much assistance in the plumbing department, it was completely installed and operational!

Be sure to subscribe for a new #TBT next week!

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Hiding Behind a Sheet & Splattered in Paint? Dart/Balloon Art DIY!

2014-04-08T23:19:00.001-07:00

Growing up, my all time favorite movie was The Princess Diaries.
The movie came out when I was 6 years old.
When I first saw it, I was majorly in the middle of my princess phase. Still holding out hope that I'm royal.

Anyways. Remember this scene?! Bucket list worthy.

Well, I decided to start ticking things off of that list!

I fell in love with the following balloon painting:

Source: My Good Morning

This is definitely a different style than the movie, and I plan on eventually making both styles.

Ok, let's get started!

Gather the following supplies:

[I really using suggest all of these. Hint: I didn't]

-A canvas

-Tons of drop clothes

-Lots of coordinating paint colors

-Lots of balloons (I used about 16, but suggest more)

-Darts

-Pins
- Metal Key Ring (optional)

I cut down costs by DIY-ing my own canvas. I simply put two layers of indoor wall paint on an inexpensive piece of cotton fabric. After it dried, I stretched and stapled it to a thrifted bulletin board. Not perfect, but hey! It's going to be covered in splattered paint anyways!

Next is the setup. This involved lots of sheets/ drop-cloths around my workshop to cover things that couldn't get paint on them. Even if things are far away, don't take the risk. Paint flies, people!

BUT if you do it outside, you really only need one underneath.

Outdoors wasn't an option for me at this time, but I feel like that'd be much better! Splatter prevention and all.. hehe.

The next step is to fill your balloons with paint.

First, blow up your balloons a bit to stretch them out before filling with paint.

Here is where the key ring comes into use.

This created a bigger hole, and helped prevent paint ingestion...

OOOO. They paint in the balloon looked pretty cool in person...

Experiment with a variety of color combinations, amounts of paint, and amount of air in the balloons.

Then, randomly arrange your balloons and pin them to your canvas.

Then comes the fun part!!

Confession time. I didn't actually use darts. I couldn't find any, and was too lazy/cheap to go buy some.

I first attempted a Macgyver dart, made with a pencil, eraser, and pin.

I don't think it was exactly heavy enough or something. It kinda just bounced off of the balloons.

After chucking 3 random pointy things at the canvas (my mother's suggestions!), I gave up.

SO! Solution time!

Macgyver dart was back, but not really as a dart. Prepare to be splattered, people!

This involved a bit of hiding behind the drop cloth. Didn't do much in the splatter avoidance.

After all the balloons were popped, I did a little splattering to add a bit more color.

Splatter avoidance? Eh, I tried.

After a little finger painting, it was perfect!

Macgyver dart was preeeetty afterwards :D

And so were my hands.

TADA! Finished piece.

I apologize for the lack of nice staged photos. They'll be coming eventually!

This thing was still wet when I drove back to school.

Overall, NEXT TIME, we're going HAM.
More balloons, more paint, more like The Princess Diaries, and actual darts!

♥

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Put a Succulent in it.

2014-03-31T14:08:00.000-07:00

If you've never heard of Hannah Hart, it's probably because you're, umm, not a teenager.

I'm still 18. Guilty as charged. Today I just felt like talking, and sharing inspiration!

Anyways, she does a show on YouTube called My Drunk Kitchen. Yup.

Don't judge me! She's really entertaining!

So, back in January, she moved into a new house and did a video about how to decorate like an adult! And, I'm gonna to have to say, it's pretty darn accurate.

A few quotations include:

"You make pillows!"

"You frame posters!"

"You use mason jars for things!"

"You put nuts out for people when they come over!"

But most importantly: "Repurpose!"

She goes on to say that she found a cow shaped creamer pitcher in her closet, which had been nicknamed the abyss, while moving. Now who would ever throw that away? Instead, Hannah puts her clever decorator powers to good use. And makes it into a planter.

I feel like this quotation sums up the whole DIY blog community. Come on; you know it's true.

And because I'm getting pretty proud of my gif creating abilities, here is a quotation from the movie The Sasquatch Gang. Come on, though shalt not deny their shabby chic phase.

Basically, you can make AnYtHiNg into a planter.

How cool are these?!

Source

Hello. Slightly creepy, but totally amazing.

Source

Awww... :)

Source

I actually started this post on March 26th. The next day, Brynne, from The Gathered Home, showed off this little thrifted treasure on #thriftscorethursday. Animal shaped creamer/pitcher turned planter? Needless to say, it made me very happy. Coincidence? I think not!

[Image:The Gathered Home]

Oh, Hannah. You belong in the DIY community.

A few parting words of wisdom:

Follow me on Pinterest for more repurposed planters!

Misskaerose

♥

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S.R. Harris. Minnesota's must-visit fabric store.

2014-03-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to S.R. Harris. This place is nuts-o.

You'll find this store in the middle of an industrial park in Brooklyn park, MN; which is a suburb of the Twin Cities. Normally you wouldn't expect businesses in inconvenient locations such as that to do well, but this place is ALWAYS crazy busy.

So what is it, you may ask!? Only the biggest and best fabric store I've ever been in.
Go there on any sewing mission and you will walk out successful.

Fabric for miles. Ok. Not miles. but even this picture doesn't show off just how enormous this place is.

Anything materials could possibly need can be found here. Stop shoppin' around!

And what's the best part? All fabric is 50% off. All the time.

You may be thinking, they just mark it all up then! And there may be some truth to that, but here is a little example. Green Vinyl [purchased for my Anthro-Inspired Knock Off Chair] is $20/yrd at JoAnn Fabrics. And, $20/yrd at S.R. Harris. Hopefully you can do the math.

Originally priced competitively, plus, always on sale!

The ends of every aisle are capped with bins of remnants for a fraction of the price of fabric off the bolt. No more work than digging through the fabric in my house.. hehe..

Nah, this isn't a sponsored post. I've never done one of those. S.R. Harris has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I asked my mother when she started shopping there and she recalled making little Lion King print pants for my brother when he was about two! Which would make me about, well, zero. This place is tons of fun for crafters of all kinds!

Now go! And,

See this fabric in action in my Anthropologie Knock Off chair!

You can visit their website here

♥

(Sometimes I feel like I'm just talking to myself. Hellooo? Anybody out there?)

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Anthropologie Leather Lasse Chair Knock-Off [DIY]

2014-03-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

Anthropologie is kinda the bomb. I have an unnatural obsession with browsing through their furniture. When I came across this particular chair, I fell in love! The green leather and the midcentury modern lines made my heart sing.

I stopped by my local Habitat for Humanity Restore to pick up a chair with similar lines to the original. See it tucked in at the beginning of the second row? Potential! Ugly beyond belief, but potential..

My store always has a large selection of chairs, and I picked this one up for just $2.

I took the chair from dumpster worthy, to living room ready with the help of a jigsaw, drill, and electric sander. First off, I had to change the shape of the frame. After removing both of the cushions, I tackled the legs.

First, I chopped off the part connecting the front and back legs that ran along the floor.

I also used a jigsaw to taper them.

After some quality time with my sander, the legs were completely transformed!

The back of the chair was rounded, and I needed it to be straight across. Once again to the jigsaw. The curve was cut off of the back and screwed into the front to square off that side as well.

Last step: arms. Screw on a simple 1x4 and voila!

After that, it was ready to be upholstered. I stopped by my favorite fabric store to pick up materials. I actually did a post just on that store! Fabric for miles, people. Check it out. It's amazing.

I matched the green leather, and found black and white

chevron fabric for the cushions.

So, once the frame was done, I covered it with batting and was ready to upholster.

Then the upholstering began. This being the second chair I've ever upholstered, I am not going to do a tutorial. I really had no clue what I was doing.

With the price of fabric and foam coming out to $82, the total was $98! That total includes $2 for the chair, $12 for upholstery tacks, and a $2 board that was used on the arms! A far cry from the original, which rings in at nearly $1,500!

♥

So I got voted off the island...

2014-03-25T21:32:00.000-07:00

Yup, it happened. Round 1 of CWTS and I've landed in the bottom 3 already.

While I am a bit disappointed, I'm really not surprised.

Did you see who I was up against?! These women are truly amazing! They are much more experienced and skilled than I happen to be. Many have been blogging for years, some are professional designers, some are full-time bloggers, etc! And I am none of those.

If I'm being completely honest, the more I thought about this contest after I got in, the more disappointed I was to have made it in. Now before you go all crazy on me, hear me out! Blog Puberty. Looks at projects I was doing a year ago. Two years ago. And now?

I wish I waited until I gained more experience.

So, overall, sorry to say it, but I am relieved beyond belief to get that weight off of my shoulders. No more thinking about only if other people will like my project. I'm doing this shit for myself! And if you like it? Awesome! And if you don't? That's totally fine! I started this blog to document my changes as an amateur designer and share my fun things with the world.

If I were to win, I don't think I'd use the title as well as other bloggers out there!

Good Luck to the rest of the bunch! I'll be playing along for fun, so stop on by!

Support the rest of the contestants over at East Coast Creative!

While you're here, check out my knock-off project!

♥

The Three Stages of Complete and Utter Shock.

2014-03-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

If you have no clue why I'm being so dramatic, pop on over to East Coast Creative.

Because THIS just happened.

Third time's a charm!
My Moravian Star Light Fixture was selected as one of 12, from 299 entries, to compete in the Creating with the Stars 2014 contest. I am honored and extremely excited to be paired with the amazing Shelley [The House of Smiths], whom I have been inspired by for years.

Message to myself:

[I'm destined to become a crazy cat lady. Which is fine by me.]

Wish me luck throughout (hopefully) the next four weeks!

♥

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Geometric Moravian Star Light {Tutorial}

2014-03-07T16:18:00.000-08:00

Ok. Here we go. You see this thing? You like it? Well make your own then! Here is how I did it.

I apologize for the lack of actual pictures. But think of it this way: You get to see how talented of an artist I am. ha. ha. ha. yes. It's on notebook paper.
Like in most cases, I didn't really know what I was doing until I was done.

First off!

Supplies

Cocktail/Coffee Straws.
Lower (Stronger) Gauge Wire. [I used 16 gauge.]

Higher (Weaker) Gauge Wire. [I used 24 gauge.]

Thread. [Optional. You could use wire if you desire.]
Clip. [Optional. See step 5.]

Brass Fasteners. [You'll need 17 in total.]

Hot Glue Gun.

Spray Paint. [I suggest one formulated for plastic.]
Pendant Light Thingy. [I have no clue what they're called. I think I'm close?]

LED Lightbulb. [or any low to no heat producing bulb.]

Preparation.

First order of business, cut your straws!

The lengths I used were about 5" and 2.5". This doesn't have to be exact, but they do have to be the same as each other. I've seen tutorials on cutting straws with a roller cutter, but this didn't work for me. So, I cut one and trimmed the rest to the same length with scissors, using the same first straw as a guide/reference.

Cut out 48 of the 2.5" straws and 68 of the 5" straws.
[If you're not in a rush, I suggest gradually stealing these from your local coffee shop. Or, if you're me, you find an enormous bag of them in your mother's car trunk. We don't ask questions.]

This step, string 8 short straws onto your strong/16 gauge wire.

This will create a straw hexagon. You'll need 4 of these.

Now, we're attaching these four hexagons to each other. Cut 8 short pieces of the thinner wire. Tie/wrap this around the intersections of the four hexagons.

Hopefully the drawings explain where they attach to each other. This going to be the frame.
We're starting to form a geometric ball shape.

Keep the thin wire out for this step. We'll be finishing off the frame. See how the tops create squares where they intersect? You will be making the entire ball/frame into squares. Attach all of the intersections. You will end up with 8 triangular shapes and 18 squares. The points/spikes will stick out from the squares.

Here is an easy step. Take your thread (or wire) and cut 4 strips around 14 inches long. (Basically, the length of two longer straws put room to tie them to the frame at the end. The longer, the easier.). Tie the four strings together in the middle. Now repeat this 16 times, until you have 17. One for each point.

This step is tying on the points to your star. Separate out two strands of thread, and attach a clip at the knot area. [To be honest, I just used my teeth] String these two pieces of thread down one long straw segment. Take the two ends and tie them around any corner of a square on the frame. Repeat with the opposite corner, pulling relatively taught, but not enough to snap the thread. Finish off the other two corners, and VOILA! One point down! 16 to go. Sorry. This will probably take you a while.

At the end, you'll have one square without a spike in it. I recommend tying some string through the square before you put too many spikes on, so you remember not to put one there. Pick one of the squares that was created by the hexagons with stronger wire through them.

Now it's time to take out your glue gun.
I used a small amount of glue on every intersection of straws. This is to eliminate any shifting, and unite the structure. The points are especially important, as you want them to be lined up nicely to look professional.

(Did I mention my horrible spelling skills? You'll need Pliers. Not Plyers. I'm ashamed.)

Pull the little legs of each fastener away from the center and chop them off with a pliers, wire cutters, pair of scissors you don't care much about, etc. Just get them off.

Take the Brass Fasteners and hot glue them to the end of the points on your star.

The ends look so much nicer covered, rather than having the straw ends showing.

Spray painting time! Hang your star outside, or in a garage.
[I know it's cold outside. Trust me. I live in Minnesota. But still, skip wearing your nice winter jacket during this step. Learn from my mistakes. ....It's actually kinda sparkly and cool now.... But don't!]

I also spray painted the top of my pendant light, which I recommend doing for aesthetics. This is taking up the visual space of another point, and uniform color makes sense.

10.

This part is kind something you need to figure out for yourself. Attaching the pendant light. My light was round, and twisted onto something, so I took a small piece of plastic, cut a round hole in it, punched holes in the corners and used wire to string it into the remaining/non spiked square.

And, you're:

You can see more pictures over in this post

Yay Geometry!

Did you make one? Planning to make one? Questions? Tell/ask me below!

♥

Let's go shopping! On Craigslist that it. And a Designy-Life update.

2014-03-03T07:47:00.000-08:00

Good morning, lovelies! This post is brought to you by sleep deprivation and a need for entertainment.
First things first. Some very exciting things have been happening to me lately!

Behold!!

Um, hellooo!!! What?! Super exciting for me!

Did you see it? Check out the post here!

I always put nice comments as my computer wallpaper for a while, so thank you everybody! You may just have earned the spot! [Just like I did when Mandi Gubler visited my blog!]

[Note the tabs I have open in this screenshot. Um, yup. I'm a geek]

On to another life update. College.

The last semester was crazy and all ended with the decision to transfer universities and switch majors. I've decided to major in Housing Studies instead of Interior Design, to eventually reach my goal of being a realtor and renovating houses & historical properties. My old university will be dearly missed, but it's all for the best.

Oh yeah. And today, by blog views just passed 10,000! That's so crazy! Thank you, everyone!

Ok, back to Craigslist.

Whenever I have no money or space for new furniture, I turn to craigslist. Cheaper and easier than actually shopping, and less likely to result in another piece of furniture shoved in my bedroom! (Seriously. I was home this weekend and attempted to clean it? I have two headboards, a papasan chair, two wingback type chairs, lockers, two matching nightstands waiting for a makeover, two desks, about 3 bookshelves and a crazy huge plywood thing that started it's existence as a dollhouse. Oh, and I just got rid of a couch from my old dorm room. Then there was the $20 couch from about a year ago? My mother made me get rid of that. It was vintage adorable. But she was right, I have absolutely no space for it. And that's just what is in my bedroom. I've gone through so much furniture. Have I ever mentioned how many beds I have had in my lifetime? 8. yup. (bed, other bed, bunk, loft, other bed again, other other bed, plywood things, current pickle bucket arrangement.)

My mother likes to joke that I could furnish an entire apartment by myself. And, yeah. Pretty sure I could. Whoa! Coffee induced ramblings! Let's get to this!

The first post that caught my eye. Really?!

Okay. I'll admit it. If I saw this for $5 in Goodwill, it would painted some crazy color and sitting in my room. It's a goat! What?!

This next one shows one of my biggest pet peeves. So, you're selling a table? Because I cannot see the table? Understand my problem with this picture?

Oh. My. Gosh.

Gorgeous. I really need a house, right now, to buy these for. And for $50? That's not bad, right!?

*drool*

I would go for these, if they weren't quite $30 per locker. I'd really sell them per unit. Plus, I have a set of four lockers sitting in my garage that I bought 2 years ago and never did anything with.

[Well? I attempted to scrape the layers of paint off with paint remover, but gave up pretty quickly.

You have to look pretty closely to find the gem in this one. See the wicker headboard peeking out from behind the wooden one? I actually visited this store, and it was gone already. Darn it.

Here is an interesting couch! I feel like someone could make this work in the right space. All white room with red, purple or green accents? Hmm!

The next two are gorgeous midcentury modern pieces. I would never pay nearly $600 for a dresser, but I think the right buyer may come along for it.

But honestly? Would anyone, rich or poor, pay $2500 for a desk? I sure hope not. This is Craigslist, people. Honestly.

And that is where I leave you! Go off and find interesting things of your own!

♥

DIY Geometric Moravian Star Pendant Light! (Oof. That's a mouth-full.)

2014-03-01T16:39:00.001-08:00

What happens if you combine spray paint, a butt-load of straws, and a Katherine?
This.

[Oh yeah. Add brass fasteners, 16 gauge wire, 24 gauge wire, cotton thread, hot glue, a pendant light, and about 8 hours of my life to that list. See more in the tutorial post!]

DIY Moravian Star Light~!

I've been loving the geometric trend lately, but had yet to indulge in it till this project.

For years I have been totally in love with these Moravian/Moroccan Star Light Fixtures.

Recognize these geometric beauties?

I used to see them everywhere, in all my favorite spaces. I guess I've always wanted to be a bohemian hippie. [Have I ever mentioned that my goal in life is to build and live in a geodesic dome for a summer? Yup.]

Side note: If you're thinking of doing this yourself, use a low/no heat emitting bulb. Go LED!

First draft experiment. Eeek.

Tutorial now available here!

Pop over to www.eastcoastcreative.com and support me in Creating with the Stars!
I have so many amazing ideas racing around in my mind for this competition. Let the games begin![Even if I don't make it in, I'll be playing along anyways! Visit PrettyLittleLadyDesign throughout the contest to see tons of fun projects!]

LINK TO HOST

Linking up at Work it Wednesdays here:

The Happy Housie

Liked this post? Let me know down below!

♥

Pretty Little Lady Design is now on Facebook!

35 Cent Faux Washi Tape Gallery Wall [Dorm Room Decor!]

2014-02-21T17:11:00.000-08:00

Dorm Room Series Post 4
See the rest of the Dorm room series here!

Welcome back to Pretty Little Lady! I've been working hard between classes and on weekends to make my little dorm room feel like home. Today's topic is decor. Particularly on the largest wall in my room, above my bed.

The high ceilings and near-white walls used to draw emphasis to this blank and boring section. I tried many things

After wasting a little bit too much time on Pinterest, I decided to go with a simple washi tape gallery such as these.

Hello Inspiration!!

Here is the blank slate before

And after

[obviously there was a bit of furniture rearrangement as well]

I loved the look of the black electrical tape and the washi tape patterns. The problem? I don't have any. The only tape up in this res. hall is duct tape and masking tape. I first arranged the images with the masking tape where you now see black, but it just didn't show up well enough on the off white wall. So, I cut strips of black paper to replace it! It was the perfect solution, and honestly looks like tape to me, with raw torn edges.

Costs? $0.05 per piece of paper printed. All the "artwork" you see, with the exception of the Marilyn Monroe poster , was printed from a black and white printer. I took an x-acto knife to the letters in the quote and backed it with gold tissue paper. The red lips and blue eyeliner on the vogue poster were colored in with colored pencil. The flower was traced from a computer printout and cut out of gold paper [hint, you'll be seeing that pattern again very soon if all goes to plan]. The inkblot was glued to a black paper frame. Amelia Earhart and Twiggy were pieced together from two pages.

Hope you like it! Feedback and Comments always appreciated! :)

♥

Well, that's a little embarrassing...

2014-02-19T00:54:00.000-08:00

I always say: If you hide where you came from, it's impossible to see how far you have come.

Today I'm having a little fun with a #TBT, design blog style! [#TBW I suppose. I'm too impatient to wait a day to post this. Another post coming to you on Friday though!]

Before I stuck with PrettyLittleLady, I had a few blog projects I started up.

I would now like you to marvel in how un-attractive this little blog is.. hehe.

2011. Huh! I was only 16 then! Back when I was working on my bathroom remodel.

Now for the real fun part! My first ever blogged projects.

Crafty DIY- Netbook Case 2011

Remember netbooks? It definitely used to be my most prized possession. Let's just say I've upgraded since.

Design DIY-Pallet side table! 2011

100% free, made from one pallet, blood, sweat, tears and multiple curse words.

[Note the editing I did to this picture. Throwback enough in itself!]

I think it may have gotten thrown away. Poor thing. It's kinda cute.

Bedroom Wall- My Beatles phase 2010

Complete with deep purple walls, records, and a DIY clock. Gallery wall? Darn straight. I rock.

Here is one more throwback, coming to you from my indecisive mind.

This was the original vanity for my bathroom, before I found the perfect dresser!

Thanks all, folks!

♥

The Power of Arrangement.

2014-02-05T19:20:00.000-08:00

Dorm Room Series Post 3

You don't need to spend any money to update a space in your home!

It's kinda crazy how a little bit of rearranging and staging can make such a huge difference in a space.
I spent a little time in three areas of my room, to make them look just a bit happier. Think it worked?

Tapestry Wall

before.

after.

The simple change?

I started by hanging my Canadian flag on the far wall. With the other wall covered by the tapestry, the plain white wall opposite of it was just too plain white. Plus, I had no where else to show my Canadian pride! [I worked there all of last summer, and next summer! Plus, I'm a Minnesotan. They're pretty much the same place. hehe] Then, rearranging a bit allowed me to access the hamper easily. Then, I organized the shelf and carried the "beauty" trend through to it. I condensed the food to one shelf, made my radio-thingy more accessible, and added mirrors to the top. I didn't want the fridge/microwave to stick out too much, so I relocated the coffee stuff and added decor that matches the room.

Er, this is supposed to be a productive work space or something.

before.

after.

The simple change?

First thing I did was remove the hutch. I just didn't need the space and it was way too clunky for my taste. I like having room to spread out. Where did it go? Under my bed. Lots of unused space there, actually! Oh, and I found a missing sock down there! Overall, very successful venture.

Next was clearing off and relocating. I moved all of my books to another shelf, since I felt like they looked messy, no matter what way I arranged them. Only essentials and a few decorative pieces stayed in sight. I also utilized the wall with the calendar and space for notes. [I go through post-its like no other]. The last thing I did was add cover the desktop. The white brings a little bit of modern into the outdated desk.

My cozy little dormer cove

before.

after.

The simple change?

First, the lamp. The chair occupies the area well, but still leaves space feeling bare.

Then, adding decor to the deep windowsill makes it seem shallower and appear cozier. It also allows for covering up a bit of the curtains [which wouldn't have exactly been my choice, if you know what I mean]. The heart pillow pulls the bright/modern hues of the books through to the vintage chair.

Overall, adding more color into the cove made a huge difference.

♥

I think it's time to look at cool stuff now.

2014-02-04T13:29:00.002-08:00

I thought it was time for a “Things I Love” post. So, here are some images that have me dreaming of the day I can afford to replicate these places. Enjoy!

[I always come back to this image. It’s like my dream chill-space. It has been my background image on my computer multiple times…]

This is gorgeous. Dream Home.

♥

Dear Organization Gods.. Help?

2014-02-02T20:08:00.002-08:00

This is my bedroom. No, I'm not kidding.

Yes, this is the same exact place.

I have a curse. I'm horrible at organizing. I'll make things look good, but it won't be practical placement, or I'll be too lazy to put it back. Then I get overwhelmed by the mess and leave it!

Luckily, I don't live in that room right now. I'm hanging out in a residence hall for the semester! Every time I've gone home so far, I haven't slept in my room. It's kinda operating as a storage facility right now. hehe.

It's not just at home though. Behold.

My dorm room desk right now? (Cleared it off a bit for the picture...) Um, no homework can really be done there. I think I'll blog instead. Good solution, Katherine. [I get distracted easily. Obviously]

Think that's it? well. This is the only shelf in my closet.

And another shelf.

What is it? How can I never keep anything nice looking and organized? Who else has this problem?

TaTa for now! I think I'll shovel off my desk and get to that homework.

♥

Bucket-Pouf! DIY Upholstered Ottoman.

2014-02-02T16:53:00.000-08:00

Dorm Room Series Post 2

A few weeks ago, I bought a chair. An adorable, pink, vintage, wingback chair.

But first, a little history. Last semester, I was planning on majoring in Interior Design. The farther along I got in my classes, the more I realized that I was interested in more than simply decorating. Because of this change, I made the decision to transfer universities and switch to a Housing Studies Major.
How does that have anything to do with an ottoman? Well, I was assigned to a single room. And I bought a chair. And I wanted an ottoman. So I made one!

I was inspired by the ottomans made from 5 gal buckets, like this one, but it wasn't quite the size I wanted.

More pretty inspiration!

Hmm... Garbage Can. Stool. Bucket?

Cost being a big factor in this project, I ended up purchasing this 17 gallon bucket at

Walmart for about $5!

Ideally, I would have found something that didn't taper, but I can handle it for the price tag.

Next step was the fabric store, at which I bought a small bag of quilt batting, a piece of 2" foam, and white fur fabric. All for 50% off!

So then! Stuff I did!

First, I cut off of the rim of the bucket with a box cutter.

Next, I cut the foam to the size of the bucket bottom/top.

Uh, so now I just covered it with batting? Not too complicated.

Note the use of duct-tape... I'm quite professional.

Then, I cut out a rounded piece of the fabric and tacked it down around the top.

Things got a little hairy..

Haha. I'm so punny :) jk

(And fashionable. Obviously.)

Finally, I wrapped the rest of the exposed batting with fabric, folded down the raw edges, and tacked it down.

The whole project took me about an hour to complete, and looks perfect in my room!

♥

From Ikea to Urban Outfitters. {Cat face clock tutorial}

2014-02-01T18:42:00.001-08:00

Dorm Room Series Post 1

Let's get one thing straight. I'm a little strange.

I frequently drool over www.UrbanOutfitters.com, and recently fell in love with a quirky clock!

Yeah. A cat face :)

But at a price tag of $50? $*%# no. Just, no.

How about a price tag of $1.99?
Well, here is my version of the whimsical cat face clock.

Here is what I did.

Behold! The IKEA Rusch!

All right. Ready to create your own clock zoo?

Mind you, I don't really expect this to last very long.

Maybe I'll put actual effort into a different one later.

For inquiring minds, here is what I did.

1. Find picture on internet. The higher the resolution, the better. Try searching for "large" images, if using Google.

2. Copy picture into Microsoft Word.

3. Enlarge picture as much as possible.

4. Print out picture.

5. Cut out face of your kitty, puppy, armadillo etc.

Whatever turns your crank.

6. Glue onto flat, sturdy, non-corrugated cardboard.

(I just used a simple glue stick. Again, not exactly high quality here.)

7. Cut the cardboard to the size of the paper. Set clock face aside for now.

Time for the fun part! Disassembling the clock!

I really didn't know what I was doing at this point.

8. I started by removing the clear plastic that covered the clock face.

9. Then, I took off the clock mechanism, to keep it safe.

10. On the back of the clock, there is a part that protrudes from the rest. Take some kind of knife (I used a pocket knife) and cut if off. See below if you do not understand what I mean.

Back to kitty.

11. Next thing, I punched a hole in the cardboard/paper where I wanted the hands to come through.

12. Then, I taped the cardboard to the remaining part of the clock and reassembled the hands/battery mechanism.

Tada!

Eventually, I hope to create a high-quality wooden clock. But for now,

this one hangs adorably on my dorm room wall! Not bad for $2?

♥

Comments and questions are always appreciated!

So, sometimes things don't turn out the way I plan...

2014-01-31T11:06:00.000-08:00

{I wrote this post during the summer, when I had nothing to do. Deciding to publish, since I still have nothing to write about!}

Ok. Not just sometimes. All the freeekin' time.

Just look at this collage-type picture I put together as the original plan for my bathroom.

Let's see. The mirror is similar?! Everything else is different.

I feel like I never end up with that I originally plan to do.

And does this chair...... Look like this one?

Kinda? Not really?

Well, that was the original goal. And the goal during the process.

So the point is, things never turn out the way I expect them to.

Or I plan them to turn out.

That is what happened to my little desk makeover. When I saw this little beauty in the dump, I knew it was until-death-do-us-part. But relationships can be tricky.

Sadly, this relationship is not being worked on. This desk currently is sitting in cabin at a
closed summer camp. In Canada. See ya' next year, table!!
If you weren't thrown away. Definite possibility.

♥

There's this place.. called college?

2013-10-09T09:26:00.002-07:00

It’s finally happened! I am now a college freshman. Currently, I am taking the basic first year program for design students. At my university, all design students apply for specific majors before sophomore year. Therefore, I will not be doing much with Interior Design this year. Sad stuff. Still, I have a dorm room for little projects! Luckily my roommate and I have very similar tastes.

If I choose to stick with the design college, I will apply to Interior Design, Industrial Design and Integrated Studio Arts. I am also considering majors in Communication Studies, Religions Studies and Advertising!

So, what have I been up to, you may ask? Learning principles of design basically. We have completed one of three projects in my design studio class; here is me presenting it! [I got an A… Just sayin’…]

The project was to create a poster concerning an issue; using words and pictures chosen by the professors. We used montage method, which is basically cut-and-paste. Hopefully my message is obvious. There are still changes I am going to make to this poster, since it's going into my portfolio.

Here is my rough draft, or second-to-last iteration.

It’s fun to see how projects and ideas develop, as more time is spend on them. Here are a few of the first iterations I did. These were a way to get our ideas out of our heads quickly, so we didn't spend very much time on them.

My current project is a collaborative with three other students to create a collapsible “passageway”. Once this project is farther along, I’ll post photos.

Little projects and peaks at my dorm room coming soon! Keep checking back! Love y’all!

♥

Whooohh!! That's a lot of pageviews.

2013-07-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

Sooooooooooooooo, I was planning to do a fun post when my blog reached 1000 pageviews. Sadly, that milestone passed before my eyes too quickly to mention it at all!

Instead, today I celebrate:

Yeah. You read that correctly. 3000. I jumped from 850 views to over 3000 in 2 days!

It's all thanks the following. The most exciting thing that has ever happened on my blog. Mandi!

WooooowwhhhooO!!! (Nope, I'm not sure what that sound is either)

Or, at least I thought it was the most exciting thing. Until this:

See it? See it? See it?

Best. Day. Ever.

Am I allowed to print this out and frame it?

(I'm pretty sure this was my exact expression. Thanks Google Images!)

Thanks to all y'all in the bloggy world for visiting and showing your support!

Look What I Found Friday!

2013-07-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

I remember when Mandi {Vintage Revivals} would post "Look What I Found Friday" on her blog. They were always some of my favorite posts, due to the fact that they simply displayed a picture of something she (or someone else) had found and are planning to "revive". Its just like when I walk into a thrift store and see all the sad little furnitures and think about what I could do to them if I chose to adopt! (That was a strange sentence)

Now, technically I did find this on a Friday. I just didn't pick it up or do anything with it on that particular Friday. So, I am officially saying that it counts and I can title steal the post title.

I found this lovely little gem in....... umm... the dump.
Yup, I was on a run (well, mainly a walk because I am lazy) and made it all the way to the dump, which is about a mile from the camp I am working at this summer. Being adventurous, I walked around the fence and examined the piles of crap. It was fun :D I felt dangerous. Is that sad that is the most daring thing I have done in a while? Sneaking into a dump to look at old garbage? Well, I kinda think so. Sadly, I did not want to carry a desk down the road for a mile. Instead, my devilish self stashed it in the woods next to the dump entrance.

The next day, I was a bit more ambitious. Yup. I carried a desk from a dump down a road for a mile.

Without further ado:

Check back in a few days to see the makeover!

For those who love change: temporary wallpaper tutorial

2013-06-16T12:10:00.000-07:00

This is probably one of the easiest projects I have taken on!

I found these two wallpapers and fell in love! The only problem? I'm a broke-soon-to-be-college-kid!

So, I changed it into a DIY

Supplies:

Tissue Paper of your color choice
Spray Starch
Paper cutter or Scissors
An old rag

First, decide on a pattern and Tissue Paper color

I chose gold, from Party City, where they had a huge selection of colors

Then, I simply cut out my shapes from the tissue paper!

Spray with starch, stick on wall. Spray with starch and wipe to flatten. Simple.

(And, honestly, I didn't do the whole wall because I ran out of time :D )

To remove, peel off paper and wash wall to remove starch.

I apologize for the crappy ipod photos :)

Expenses:

Tissue paper: $1.99

Other supplies: had on hand!

Total Cost: $1.99