RECIPE: A COZY HOME UPDATE.

This is a very VERY good time of year for dressing yourself, but it's equally as good for dressing up your space. As you guys know, I have zero self-control when it comes to decorating, shopping for decor, looking at decor, touching decor, thinking about decor. There is not one free inch of space in my apartment, so now I have taken to decorating under things. You guys, UNDER things. This is very bad.

There are a ton of super easy ways to change things up without buying any new major furniture. Have you guys seen the new West Elm catalog? Throw game is strongggg. I chose one of my faves and put together this little fallish update for you and your square footage.

cozy home decor

'LADIES' PRINT / NICKI MINAJ PRINT / WEEKND PRINT / GOLD CANDLE / MARBLE CANDLE / MATCHES / FEATHER PEN / GLOBE / THROW / ANTLER / WOOD COASTERS / SIDE TABLE / TRAY / BASKET

Yesterday I found some extra frames under my bed (???) and framed some old cards I had been saving for legit years. Clearly I have a very hard time letting go. Can you imagine how bad this is gonna get for me when I actually have more than 1 bedroom to address? I am losing sleep over it already. Thanks for putting up with me.

IKEA HACK: DIY VITTSJÖ BOOKSHELF.

EW, sorry for the wait, but this just in…DIY-ing is no freaking joke. Blood, sweat and tears went into this piece. So did a lot of "whatevers" and one solo trip to Arby's. I'm not proud of that last bit. All that being said, I am SO happy with the final product, I have been dying to share it with you guys! Let's start with my old bookcase. Nothing was really wrong with it, but I bought it when I had a brown leather couch (no mo!), it was $26 at Target and it felt SO very college. I have been out of college for far too long to own such a piece. Ahem. #lemmeupgradeya

OLDIE NOT-YET-GOLDIE SHELF:
STEP TWO was purchasing the VITTSJO shelf from IKEA, seen below. It comes in two sizes and I chose the larger of the two ($79), because I had more space to spare than my original shelf actually took up. My friend Brandi and I tackled this project together, and she got the smaller version ($49) for a narrow wall in her new house.
After a lot of debate about how to handle the solid brown bottom shelf, I found this "marble" contact paper on Amazon and snapped it up to give it even more of an upscale feel. This was actually a lot easier to apply than we thought it would be. Sighhh. I just love when a vision really comes to life.
STEP THREE is what I lovingly call the "hell phase." Building anything from IKEA is cruel and unusual punishment. This actually wasn't so bad, and having the real drill helped a ton. I highly recommend doing this with a friend and not a family member to avoid excessive obsenities & possible murder.
Priming and painting took the longest. I think overall, I used two cans of primer and three cans of gold spray paint to cover mine completely. I still may buy a 4th can for touch-ups later.
 After a LOT of cans of primer & gold spray paint (buy extra and thank me later), I give you NEW NEW in all of her glory!
Close up of the "marbled" bottom shelf. Ahh! I love it so much!
I am still playing with the decor on each shelf, but that is the beauty of shelving like this. You can change it all up as many times as you want!
Baby Coco Chanel approved. Looking pretty proud of her mom's handywork. Either that or she is thinking about what a total freakshow her mother is. Both extremely likely.
The two baskets on the bottom shelf were another IKEA find. I love the way they look against the metal frame.
Those sad little paintings were done by yours truly, ha I apologize, but the great metal 'H' is one of my favorite pieces. I love that it adds height without being too bulky.
Little shell my Grandpa Poppa gave me on top of my most intellectual stack of books. Paris Hilton, anyone?
Love this picture of my Aunt Rhett and my Dad at my graduation from CofC. I lost my Dad in 2011 to lung cancer, and like to keep as many reminders of him around the apartment as I can. 
Annnd a double-cameo by my most favorite five...well, four, excluding myself.
Coco is pretty happy that it is warm outside again. She got very adventurous yesterday and even made it cautiously out onto the patio! She is an indoor girl, through and through.
Look at that little woman taking it all in! I love her horribly. I really need to clean my patio off...sick pollen.
IKEA VITTSJÖ SHELF / GIANT METAL 'H' (℅ Shop Alix)
OVERALLS: Express (no longer available) similar here + here / CONVERSE

So there you have it. I lost brain cells due to paint fumes, but in the end, I think it was all worth it as I now have a much better view from my couch for wine-sipping. DI-WHY.

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RECIPE: FOR A STYLISH HOME.

So this morning over my coffee I was perusing Domaine, as I do so many mornings, and I came across this amazing list of things that stylish people have in their homes. Naturally, I panicked at first and thought "wait...AM I A STYLISH PERSON?!," but then, I clicked through, calmed down and realized my priorities were that of a spastic lunatic. Let's break down my top four:

1. DECOR WITH DETAILS: Swap out the hardware on your dresser drawers to make them more unique.
2. A STYLED VIGNETTE: Use photos & pieces you have gathered over time to make this a mini representation of you.

3. ANIMAL PRINT: Needs no explanation, but I can't get enough of it in pillow form. Or rug. Or wallpaper. Send help.

4. A LUXURIOUS THROW: Probably the easiest in the bunch, but also one of my favorites…especially when it is 24 degrees, ATLANTA. #woof
throw blankets

Why did I end with blankets? BECAUSE THAT IS WHERE I AM HEADED RIGHT NOW. Blanket, couch, cat. I am sorry for shouting. Did I mention that it's really really cold? More wine please. <peace sign emoji>
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