The New New

Hey friends!!! It's been a minute, well 5 months worth of minutes. Lots of exciting things are going on, but the biggest is that I moved!

I had fully intended on renewing my lease at my prior shoebox, long story short, things started to happen throughout the last 6 months of my lease and I wasn't comfortable living there anymore. I miss that little space and how I made it, but I didn't realize exactly how uncomfortable I was with the environment until I moved into this new space. Y'all, it feels like the "big girl" apartment of my dreams and I'm so excited to share!! Always always follow your gut, friends.

My intention with this blog is to share fun finds and ideas. Like with my last shoebox, majority was found at Goodwill, Habitat, Hobby Lobby, and Amazon. I reused A LOT from shoebox 1.0, but it all feels so different to me in this space. I always link what I can!

Bathroom

I wanted to keep it clean in the bathroom because the space felt almost complete to me already. The counters and cabinets almost felt like decoration, is that weird? I reused my shower curtain and rugs, but I'm still on the lookout for a new big bathroom rug. 

Powder room sign here.

Bedroom

My bedroom is so comfy to me! My bed, side table, and TV stand were reused and my mama gave me the corner chair she thrifted. If y'all remember, I used that TV stand in the living room of my last apartment.

Bedding

Throw Blanket

Curtains

Living room

The living room is where I'm at the most when I'm home and I wanted it to be warm and full of pillows and throws. Essentially, the most perfect napping environment. I made all of my bigger purchases in this room, I *finally* got rid of the yellow couch!!! When I moved into my first apartment, I bought a $60 couch from a thrift store that already had been loved a lot and it was yellowed and h   e   a   v   y and worn. A new couch was the one thing I was the most ready for! 

Turns out, couches are freaking expensive. I was very naive. If you're thinking, did this girl really order a couch from Amazon? Heck yes I did sis and I fully have no regrets. I did my research and combed through review after review and waited for it to arrive. It came in two boxes that looked like this...yikes right?

All was well and when that piece was put together and I finally got to sit on it, it was awesome! I would 100% recommend it to anyone living in a shoebox with a pup. It's just big enough for two and naps like a queen. This coffee table is amazing! It opens up for storage and it was super affordable. My mom even got one when she saw mine!

Couch

Coffee Table

Rug

Couch Cover

Extras

I am all for a fun welcome mat, my last mat said Nice Underwear and it was a $10 score from Roses. After two years of tread, it was time for a new one.  Did you know funny welcome mats are freaking expensive too? What the heck. I was going to bite the bullet and chunk out the dough when I found this one.

It was divine intervention friends. I put it in my Amazon cart and sat with it contemplating my decision...y'all it dropped to $20!!! Literally sitting in my cart. I don't know if it will do the same for you, but I would try it. 

Mat

I had a dilemma with where to hang my keys and Messi's dog leash as well. I didn't want to nail a shelf to the wall, plus there really wasn't a place to put it. I found this scarf holder at Hobby Lobby and it was perfect! Perfectly on sale too.

This one has been with me since freshman year of college. My mom recovered an old thrifted bulletin board and it's been hanging where I have lived since.

As always, nothing is ever perfect. I shifted stuff out of all of these photos to get the "shot" I wanted and you can always find a pile of junk at my door that needs to be hauled off. The dog cage is an eye sore and doesn't blend in. You didn't see any pictures of my closet for a reason and every window has dog licks on it. Just keeping it real friends! We are 5 days deep into the new year and I'm feeling so inspired in this space. I hope 2020 brings the same for you!

Apt. Update: Living Room Shelf

Hey friends!! Just popping in with a little apartment update. Every so often I get the urge to do something big in my apartment. I like the change things up A LOT. I get it from my mom and nana- the women don't stop moving things around in their homes.

I have been tinkering with the idea of a large living room shelf for a few months now. The wall above my TV was so blank and bland. I didn't want another gallery wall, since there's already one in my living room. 

I decided to make a shelf on a whim, literally the whimsiest whim I've ever had. My friend Danner was with me and she was a real trooper. I think I took her into Hobby Lobby 4 times in one day? We were in Home Depot for a good bit too. She helped me hold the shelf up while I screwed it into the wall and made sure everything was level. Thanks, Danner!! Shout out to my bestie Sammy too, she was with me the next day when I took everything back to the stores I didn't use. Let me tell you, real friends go to Home Depot with you.

The shelf was really easy to make! I used one 1in. x 8in. x 6ft piece of common pine board and two iron brackets. Each bracket is 1 foot in from the outer edge. I dry-brushed white acrylic craft paint onto the board to make it coordinate with the other white decor I have throughout the apartment. Each bracket needed 3 screws.

All in all, the shelf took about 30 minutes to put on the wall. The brackets had to be put on the wall first, which was the trickiest part. The top part of the bracket was a tad bit shorter than the thickness of the board, so the brackets couldn't be screwed onto the board first. The most time consuming thing was decorating! Bless my friend Holdren for putting up with me while she sat on my couch and I decorated. It takes a village, ha!

My goal is to use the shelf like a makeshift mantle. I want to switch up the decorations around holidays and seasons. I'm still not done making it Fall-approved, yet.

Little Corner

Hey y'all!!

Back again with some apartment updates. I'm steadily getting things on the walls and this little place is feeling more and more like home. I've come across some super cute things I want to share with y'all at some really great prices! Here's a peek at my fav corner of the living room.

           

Y'all might recognize some of these things from previous posts. My Instagram has a little more behind-the-scenes as well! Mom and dad gave me the slip-covered club chair, which perfectly went with the color theme I was going for. Both throw pillows came from previous dorm rooms ('hello' pillow still available at Hobby Lobby) and the striped throw is from Goodwill. My rustic diploma frame is from Hobby Lobby and the beige triangle wall decals are from Etsy ($8!!!). The wicker footstool was picked up at a yardsale for $5. Such a good find. The tobacco stick blanket ladder is from a local thrift store for $18.

My absolute fav thing about this corner is the macrame wall hanging. Y'all are going to die when I tell you the price...$5!!! It's still available too! I have been looking and looking for one of these for less than $20. TJ Maxx has them for $17 and I was debating and debating with myself on whether to scoop one up or not. Bestie Sammy came to the rescue last week when she told me about these $5 macrames and I ran to the computer and ordered immediately! I couldn't believe it. I was skeptical too, but it. is. so. well. made. It's thick and sturdy, plus the best neutral color!

I live for the natural light in this apartment. It's crazy bright all the time and I'm in love. It picks up all of the tans and neutrals I have going on in this space so well!

   

DIY's have started!

Hey y'all!!

I have officially spent my first weekend in my new apartment! *squeal* This is such an exciting time. I moved in this past Saturday with the help of my awesome family and of course Sammy! I may be biased, but I want to say it was record time. I think we had everything moved in about an hour? Maybe two? Then the real fun began!

Mom and Sam stayed to help me unpack and begin decorating, which we all know is my favorite part. We went to the store and picked up some of the essentials (mainly creamer and sugar for my morning cup of joe) and began digging into some of the decoration boxes. I knew I wanted to get things done in my bedroom first. The walls are still a little more bare than I would like, but I couldn't look at white walls for too long without feeling like I was in a jail cell. I'll be sharing the bedroom a little later on. I'm still searching for a couch, so I haven't really touched the living room. I have a big chair that was slip covered and a foot rest in a corner, but that's about all. 

This post is mainly dedicated to a new addition I just put up last night in the kitchen. I'm too excited about it. I wanted something to hang my keys on, but also be an accent piece on the wall. I had this image in my mind from Pinterest:

I knew this was a little too elaborate for the space I had to work with and the book shelf boxes up top were completely out of the question. This was really just a dream space and that's not the kind of space I had to play around with. What I loved the most about this was the layering of pieces on the shelf. A simple shelf on the wall made such a statement! I wanted to put my own spin on it.

I showed the picture to my mom and I scoured the Internet for a shelf like this to buy. I couldn't find anything that I just loved and most of them were overpriced and out of my budget. My wonderful dad came to the rescue and made one for me! I'm in love with the way it turned out and everything came together perfectly.

It's 24 inches long and has a large enough shelf to layer a few pieces, including my beloved letter board. I dry brushed it with white craft paint and added 5 cup hooks to the under side. I'm thinking about getting some fancier hooks, but these will do for now! I found the two prints on Pinterest, here and here. The wreath and gold mirror came from dorm rooms and the 'L' tag came from my bedroom at home. I'm going to get so much use out of this!

Things are coming together slowly, but surely! I'll be updating y'all along the way, of course. Happy Monday, friends!!

New Apartment Buys

Hey y'all!!

I've been slowly, slowly getting things together for my new apartment. Did I say slowly? It's definitely been a process and the train has stopped at Procrastination Station. I'm in the middle of painting all of my furniture to match and deciding what I'm taking and what I'm leaving behind.

I'm "shopping the house," as my mom put it, and I really just want to take it all honestly. I recently made a few new purchases that I'm excited to bring into my first place. I wanted to share with y'all in case you needed a little inspo for a move! 

Apt Sweet Apt Turquoise Key Tag

I'm squealing over how cute this keychain is! I am an Etsy lover lover lover. I think it's so awesome when people curate and make their own things and having a place for them to showcase their work is that much better. I was looking for an apartment keychain and my mom brought this one to my attention! It's $6, the perfect shade of blue, and exactly what I was looking for. I can't wait to put some keys on it!

Better Homes and Gardens Camrose Farmhouse Industrial Chairs

I scooped up two of these chairs from Walmart last week and I. Am. So. Excited. These chairs were on sale for $20 a piece! I couldn't find the individual link for the chairs or them on sale online, but I believe they are still on sale in Walmart stores right now. Half price!! I'm going to place these beauts on my balcony with a couple of super cute cushions or pillows.

Triangle Wall Decals Set - Set of 30 Triangles

I know what you're thinking...why is this a nursery pic? Well, apparently people only put these triangle decals in children's rooms. *shrugs* I had these triangles in gold in my junior year dorm room in college. It was by far my favorite dorm room ever. I didn't buy them my senior year and I regretted it everyday I looked at my door room walls! I ordered these triangles in beige for my new apartment, a little more subtle than gold. They are 3 inches and come in a pack of 30. My vision is to put them on the couch wall in the living room and carrying them into the kitchen for an accent wall. Possibly the bathroom? 

Junior Year dorm room:

These are just a few new things I can't wait to actually style and see come together! A little apartment update, as I am less than two weeks away from moving now. Yikes! Everything is linked through the titles.