2011: The year of ME

First let me wish anyone reading this blog, a very Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday with those near and dear to your heart. I spent the evening with some of my closest girlfriends, snacking, laughing and playing games. Perfect :) 


With today being the 1st day of 2011, I know everyone is making new years resolutions and while I normally never make them because I'm not motivated to actually stick to them, and they usually just leave me feeling bad about myself, I am making resolutions this year. This year will be the year I take back my life. The year I stop putting everyone else's needs in front of my own, and actually take care of myself, my finances, and my future. 


This year I will....


-Spend less time criticizing and putting myself down, and more time building myself up for the wonderful qualities I have
- Put $1,000 into savings
- Pay off my credit card
- Make an effort to keep in better touch with distant friends
- Work out 4 times per week
- Send random "Thinking of You" notes to those whom I care about




I wish each of you a year full of happiness, love and growth. May you find peace within, flourishing relationships, and experience self-improvement. I wish you enough :)

Inspiration Board

I've never fully understood why people create inspiration boards, but as I work to complete all the little things around my house that I've wanted to do for the last 4 years (that's how long I've lived in this house), I am finally seeing why. Putting my thoughts and ideas onto paper (or a blog), really gives me a sense of what I want, what I'm looking for, and will keep me more on budget because I won't be buying things to see if they'd work. I'll know it, exactly when I see it, because it'll have been on my board/this blog. I'm excited to see what portion of this inspiration board I'll be able to accomplish this year, as I'm not the most handy, do-it-yourself, type of person, and I'm on a budget as I attempt to get my finances under control as well. SO, here's to an, on-a-budget-first-time-ever-inspiration board :)

1. Entry way Chandelier

The 1980s called and they want their chandelier back! I'm
replacing the hideous gold chandelier with this blackish iron
one I found at a garage sale for $20! I'll need to put a
fresh coat of black paint on it first though.

2. Garden Window

So bleh! My current window above my kitchen sink offers nothing exciting.
I'd love to get some roman shades like this AWESOME print. I think I'll
have to custom make it though because I've found kitchen roman shades are
hard to come by. Any other idea? I haven't made up my mind on this one.

3. Entry way landing

This is my current entry way. I've got a wall
on the left of various black frames with
black & white photos in them, and then on the
right I've got a black shelf and then that black mirror.
I'm kind of over the black basket on the ground and want
to change it up a bit with...

this black side table (or something like it), and then a unique
ceramic jar like the ones shown here. I would want one that
incorporates burgundy, sage, & golds, which are the colors in the house.

4. Master Bathroom

My current bathroom. I can't afford to redo the
countertops or floors, so my ideas are to.... 

replace the current mirror, with a framed mirror
like this, which will add some richness to the space.

And a new shower rod. No real reason, I've just
wanted one FOREVER :)

5. Living Room/Dining Room Lighting

SO hideous! Again, I can't afford to redo the cabinets (although
I SO want to), but this 1980s lighting has got to go! Because
the house gets so hot in the summer, I'd still like to have a
ceiling fan, so here's my new choices.

7. Headboard

This is my room now, and I've been dying
for a headboard. I don't want to buy a wood
one because it wouldn't match my dressers (that
I hope to get rid of soon). So I'd love to made a
fabric headboard and I was thinking something grey like this...

I like this fabric but I wonder if it'd be too much.
Maybe something less busy?