nesting doll tattoos

how great is this tattoo idea (altho these "tattoos" above were actually created with a felt-tip marker)? such a cool tat for brave (and like-minded, of course) siblings or a family! y'all know i love my matryoshkas.

idea & photo by stealing hearts on flickr

cocktail nook

i've been a terrible blogger and haven't bragged with pictures of my adorable new orleans apartment (well, except for here). so, over the next couple of days, i'll share some of the "nooks" becky and i have carved out of our little place. our apartment being as little as it is naturally lends itself to the creation of nooks, since there isn't enough space to really create separate areas; that, and we don't have enough furniture for that sort of thing. after i saw this post on a cup of jo, i knew we would need to have a fully stocked, old school bar (um, hello?). becky came up with the idea of mad men-inspired crystal decanters (which we have yet to fill with booze), and i obliged by seeking them out not surprisingly in my parents' basement. my parents also had this amazing bar cart, which happens to have been one of their first purchases in the united states. how cool!? from chicago in the 1980s to new orleans today, it is now adorned with some select libations and a traditional albeit slightly scary-looking mask.

IKAT!

i seriously cannot get over my obsession with ikat. i must find a way to incorporate it in my new place (unfortunately, that ambition has, thus far, fallen through). the other day i encountered some beautiful, heavy ikat-printed fabric at the fabric store and almost danced away with the entire spool before determining that a 10'x11' room of ikat curtains, pillows and a duvet cover might be a bit much. so i am back to the drawing board. here are some of my favorite ikat items from around the web:

robert allen ikat pillow from etsy seller elegant touch

drum lampshade from etsy seller and lampshade designer studioJOTA

slipper chair from urban i wish

folding chair from anthropologie*

so this next item might not really decorate my apartment per se, but i could leave my closet door open:

ikat clutch from felix rey

finally, some babes in ikat dresses. i. want. them. all. (the dresses. okay and january jones)

which item is your favorite? i need suggestions!

*ahem. let me be clear that none of these items (read: anthro folding chair for $200) are within my price range. but a girl can dream. and be inspired. and ask for giftcards.

fyi (for your inspiration)

roomie and i have signed a lease! my obsessing over decorating can continue. now i need to invest in a proper measuring tape in order to ensure that my dream interiors actually fit in our little but perfectly affordable, clean and well-maintained apartment in the garden district.

i've re-started scouring the internet for inspirational images. we have a small balcony, big enough for a bistro table and two chairs - perfect for pre-work coffees and gossip!

of course we don't have room for a set up like this - but i love the mix of colors

a tiny little bouquet of fresh flowers (like this, too) is a must!

don't know if we'll be having any romatical outdoor meals, but this is ideally shabby-chic and the color is perfect against the wood and rust

like my favorite little studio, the variable colors and patterns work perfectly here

and i thought i was good at mixing patterns!

i am starting to obsess over the teal-orange color combo - perhaps i've moved on?

admittedly, this room is kind of scary - try and focus on the colors and not the freakishly coordinated wall-and-headboard combination

first, second, fourth and fifth images via saved by the southern belle

third image via green wedding shoes

sixth - eight images via turquoise, tulips and bliss

lolla!

i spotted this image on we heart it today and it reminded me of a few things:

1. there is a light at the end of the tunnel! after the louisiana bar, marty, becky and i are going to lolla!

this led me to realizations 2 and 3:

2. i need to start working on getting to know the acts coming to lolla. as of right now i only know a few and that is unacceptable. as such, i am determined to research at least one act per day. this probably goes against the advice we got the first day of bar review, which was do not do new things.

3. i need to start putting together seemingly effortless, hip, fashionable, comfortable, flattering and most importantly breezy outfits for lolla (see above for an example).

image via we heart it

garage sale!

the lil bee posted yesterday about the yvestown blog; i took this as an invitation to get lost in a new blog and ignore my responsibilities for a little while. the proprietress of yvestown, yvonne, recently posted these awesome pics of a garage - ahem, garden - sale she had in her front yard (of her 1896 BREWER'S HOUSE IN BELGIUM!!!). now i totally want to have a garage - garden district - sale once i'm all moved in!

i think this is a far cry from the garage sales i'm used to

obviously my garage sale would never be so adorbs, put-together or matchy

seriously? this is too cute for words!

is it bad that i totally want to buy all of yvonne's unwanted stuff?

images via the yvestown blog

abu dhabi, anyone?

i found some incredible images of the sex and the city girls on their "trip to abu dhabi" in the new film (which was actually shot in morocco, i believe) and they're really inspiring. i love the bright colors, the beautiful accents and rich details (and the CAMELS! they're so cool!) - it all reminds me of the little studio i posted a while back and absolutely loved. these images are definitely going in the inspiration folder for my new place...

images via perez (who else?)

a cluttered wall

the day my future roommate and i move in together is drawing near. i wish we knew what our apartment looked like so i could start furnishing and decorating it in my mind (and in my parents' basement). i've had to satisfy my decorating cravings by scouring the internet for ideas. the one thing i do know is that becky (an artist) and i (a collector of all things artsy) are going to have a lot of things to hang on our wall. i've come across a lot of images lately of cluttered or bunched wall hangings that look really cool and not at all too cluttered:

the colors make me want to puke but i like how the frames follow the silhouette of the workspace

i like the alternating shapes and sizes

love the dance-themed photographs above the piano

the problem is that both becky and i have been inspired by these mirror clusters - the problem being that we own all of one mirror between the two of us, so creating a mirror cluster would involve more collecting. i think it's a sacrifice we're both willing to make

this is ideal. and the beautiful cabinet beneath it. and the wall color. and the flowers and branches, adding texture. and the beautiful hardwood floor. can i move in?

images via apartment therapy and cupcakes and cashmere

dad & daughter project

so i'm finally following up on my "big reveal," as promised last weekend. a few days ago i showed you an incredible, eclectic new york studio i was absolutely in love with. i was especially smitten with this little spice cabinet, and decided i had to reproduce it for my dream kitchen:

my other inspiration was this rustic teal armoire. i love the color (obviously), the rusty hinges and handles and the overall distressed look:
i knew my dad had bought this little cabinet forever ago at a flea market and never used it. as it turns out, it was only 75 cents!
so, last weekend, mark and i ran out to menards and picked up some sprucing supplies - rust-oleum semi-gloss paint in "turquoise" ($8), two crappy little paint brushes ($1.76) and pretty new knobs ($2.49 each).
i know it looks like i did nothing, but there really was nothing to our project. we taped up the glass with painter's tape so we could be messy, and sloppily applied two coats of turquoise paint (the sloppier, the better; it let the wood peak through a bit, making the aged, rustic look easier to accomplish).
after the paint was very, very dry (this takes a few days), we gave the cabinet a "distressed" look by sanding parts of the cabinet with sandpaper to re-expose the wood. we screwed on the new knobs, and that was it! now i just need some spices!
here are some close-ups of the sanding:

aren't these the cutest?

thanks for the help, dad!

turquoise!

remember the other day* when i told you about my dream kitchen full of pink and teal accents (emphasis on the teal)? well check out these images i found on apartment therapy in a post devoted completely to turquoise touches in the kitchen!!!

i would kill for this teal cabinet

... and for this teal stove! swoon.

even when teal takes a backseat, it looks great

a teal door? brilliant!

would it be too much if i took all of these pieces and put them in one kitchen? probs.

images via apartment therapy

*more proof that i am, in fact, a trailblazer

it's a diy weekend...

... i'll make the big reveal later. for now, check out these hand painted mugs, cups and saucers i discovered on etsy:

aren't these the cutest? i love the colors and the fact that the designs are just slightly off enough to look perfect. to learn how to make your own (it looks super easy and fun!), go here - i'll definitely be trying this! think of the gift ideas!!

image via etsy.

fyi (for your inspiration)

i found photos of this adorable ny studio and absolutely loved the eclectic mix of worldly-inspired pieces.

at only 800 sq ft, a place could get cluttered, but i think it's perfect!

i love the colors and mixed patterns

i need this ottoman, and the beautiful, seemingly useless tray on top of it

this may be a bit too symmetrical for my taste, but again i love the mix of colors and patterns. and those lamp shades! i die.

some close-ups of the perfect little details strewn about the studio

when can i move in?

images via apartment therapy

view the whole apartment here!