Bathroom Renewal

As I have been making plans for the rest of my loft apartment, I realize that I have not really been thinking about changing the bathroom. I moved into my apartment in January of this year and the look has been the same since. I think it’s time for some renewal.

Here is a picture of the bathroom as it is now.

The main things that will change on the room will be the shower curtain and the art above the toilet.

Here are some of the shower curtains that I have been eyeing at West Elm.

In the next couple of weeks I will decide on a shower curtain. As far as art is concerned, I plan to print out some of my Instagram shots and do an ode to black love. I plan to get the 4×4 pics and frame them in an 18×24 inch floating frame. Stay tuned for the finished look.

Which shower curtain would you choose? When was the last time that you updated your bathroom?

Peace and Blessings,
Michelle

 

In The Land of Instagram

I stumbled upon an app called Instagram earlier this year and I love it. You can use your iPhone to take photos then post them to Instagram. I have seen a lot of marvelous photography on there, and I have also built a nice little “community”.

I usually post decor pics, but once in a while I post photos like this.

Here are some of the other lovely photos that I have seen on Instagram. Evelyn Alfred posted a pic of her grandmother picketing. I thought this was a marvelous picture.

Wunderali posted a beautiful picture of a guitar.

“Beach” was posted by shorty_I_Am

“Biker Chicks” was posted by billiesimone

“Woman Walking” and “City Street” was taking by Tonychillz.

You can find me on Instagram under LifeInApt214. Are you on Instagram?

Peace and blessings,
Michelle

 

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things…

I am back to share some of my favorite things with you. I surf the web quite often, and when I come across things that I like and want to purchase, I keep them in a folder on my laptop. Here are the items that I have chosen.

Etsy always has marvelous stuff. I am going to purchase these earrings from AFroDisiacs. These are HOT!

Saw this card on Etsy, and wanted it to be my Christmas card this year. I contacted the shop owner and asked if she could changed the man to a woman. No go. She stated that she is only making the one letterpress card this season. How cute would that have been?

When I move into a two bedroom apartment I plan to order some of these new address notices. I think they are so cute. You can find these and other custom cards at Jack and Ella Paper

I have been looking for some cute coasters. I think I will get some different letterpress coasters for different seasons. Like these from Moontreepress.

Although I don’t do it often, I do crochet. So, when I saw these I knew that I wanted to attempt to make some for my niece. I will start them on my winter break.

I am currently saving my wine corks, and asking friends to do the same so that I can make a few of these. They would be lovely during the winter when there is snow on the ground.  This picture was posted on Pinterest by my twitter friend FlyCoolChick. The tutorial can be found on the blog Two Twenty One.

I also have friends saving toilet paper rolls so that I can make this next piece of art. I never would have guess that is what made up this item. Found on Pinterest.

FlyCoolChick also posted these wine racks on her Pinterest page, and I plan to purchase two from Crate and Barrel to mount on my wall.

What are some of your favorite things?

Peace and Blessings,

 

Time to Reconnect

I saw this picture on Pinterest and I immediately had an “aha moment”. A mom made up this basket with a sign that says, “Be with the friends who are here”. When her children’s friends come over they have to drop their cellphones in the basket.

I thought back to my family reunion, and at one point all the people from age 14 to my age group (39) had their cell phones out doing something. It didn’t hit me then because that is the norm now, but after seeing that picture yesterday, it really made me think about how disconnected we are. Instead of going to visit friends, we text them or we Facebook them. I spend a lot of time on my phone…not really on Facebook a lot anymore, or even texting, but I spend a lot of time looking at decorating sites and things of that nature. I felt my own disconnect when I saw this picture. Even when I am with friends or family I find myself checking my phone. So, I am making the pledge to reconnect.
I want a basket just like this in my entryway, so when friends and family come over, we can honestly be present in the moment, and not tweeting or checking our statuses on Facebook!

Have you found that you have become disconnected from what really matters?

Peace and Blessings!
Michelle

 

Revamping my Entryway

My entryway is very dull right now. I live in a one bedroom loft apartment, so the entryway isn’t very big, but because it’s the entrance to the apartment, I would like to make it a little more inviting. There is a wall space right by the bathroom that is 32 inches wide and 8 inches deep. I have had the hardest time finding a console table that can fit in the space…until now. I stumbled across Trueconnection on Etsy. She makes tables from reclaimed wood. I ordered one yesterday, and I cannot wait until it gets here.  The wait time is 6 weeks.

I found two items to make the entryway more inviting. I also stumbled across GraceHesterDesigns on Etsy, and I fell in love with this piece. I ordered it and I plan to sit it on the top of the table to cover up the electrical panel.

I found TreasuredTotes08 on the same site that I found the picture. I loved the basket when I first saw it, and knew I wanted it in my space. I plan to put the basket on the bottom of the table, and will put either magazines or due library books in it.

Another etsy favorite is Roughfusion.  I love these mini concrete pots, and I plan to buy one to sit on the table. I will purchase a cute little succulent to go in it. Can’t wait until I am able to show off the look.

Do you have an entryway? If so, how did you choose to decorate it?

Peace and Blessings,

 

 

Dining Room update

I finally bought a frame for the poster that I wanted to go on the sideboard in my dining room, and I love it. I thought this would be the perfect spot for it. I am happy with the look in the dining area, so I can now focus on the living room and entryway. I also need to get some art for the kitchen. I think it’s all coming together rather nicely!

Peace and Blessings,
Michelle

 

Can’t Get Enough of Ikea

As you all know by now, I am totally in love with Ikea. So, I never pass up a chance to go to Ikea. I went to Ikea last weekend, and I picked up some items for my apartment. I am still trying to get the look just the way I want it. When I went to Ikea a few weeks back, I picked up two baskets to go in my Expedit. This is the smaller one that I use as a nightstand. I picked up two more for a more cohesive look. Now I can hide items away and achieve that non-cluttered look.

I bought a vase during the summer, and had been trying to decide what to put in it. I stumbled across these “sticks” at Ikea and decided to get them and add a little spray paint to a few of them.

I have been admiring “Dave” for a few years now. I finally decided to buy it, but was saddened by the fact that they didn’t have the red one in stock. Either way, I love it. It makes blog surfing and tv watching so much easier.

I picked up these letterpress post cards earlier in the summer from Ikea and finally decided to frame them. I think they look cute.

 

Are you a fan of Ikea?  What are some of your favorite items?

Peace and blessings,

 

Dreams of Interior Design

I am currently a Junior at a University here in Dayton. I have an associates degree in Social Work and my current major is Women’s Studies with a minor in African American Sfudies. My goal upon graduation is to work with aged out foster kids. That has always been my desire and I still plan to do that. I plan to get my masters in Social Work.

Having said that, I have always had a passion for Interior Decorating/Design. I LOVE it and I believe I am good at it. So, T. and I were talking and as a result I decided to look into getting a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. So, I contacted my school and found out that their program is linked to the community college that I graduated from. Long story short, I won’t be able to do the program because they cater to the traditional (day time) student. I am saddened by this because I was really excited! I will look into alternative ways, but in the meantime my dreams of studying interior design will remain just that….

 

Fashion Forward…Part 2

As I stated a few blog posts back, I am working on maturing my look. I would like to start shopping for more age appropriate clothing. On the weekends I revert to what’s comfortable…sweats or jeans and a tee. I would like some less “college-like” and more “grown and sexy”. I am going for a more mature look, but still comfortable. I believe that is doable. So, my search has led me to the web, where I came across a site that I am absolutely in love with.

The name of the site is Polyvore and I have found quite a few lovely style boards that are comfortable looking and chic. I love this site because it tells you where you can get each item from.

Of all the looks that I saw on Polyvore, this one is my absolute favorite. I can see me rockin’ this!

I would probably change the top on this one, but I like the overall look.

Here are a few other looks that caught my eye!

Has anything in this collection caught your eye?

Peace and blessings,

 

Project DIY Bookcase

I have quite a few books in my loft apartment, most of which are stored in my Ikea Expedit bookcase which acts as the tv stand in my living room. (I had not bought my tv when I took the pic below, and the book display has changed.)

At times I feel like this bookcase looks cluttered and at times I don’t. So, to deal with the times that I do feel that it is cluttered, I plan to do a DIY project that I recently found on HGTV’s website.

They have taken wall paper and adhered it to the back panel board of an Ikea Billy bookcase. I love this look. I have to return the shoe organizer to Ikea, so I will purchase this bookcase in it’s place. I am contemplating painting it red and placing it in the hallway near the dining room.

I have been searching for wallpaper, but I haven’t found any that I like. So, my next step is to start searching for fabric that I can staple to the panel board.

As soon as I find my fabric and purchase the bookcase I will blog about this project. I hope you will come back to see it!

Have you seen any DIY projects lately that you have been wanting to try?

Peace and blessings,
Michelle