If I Could Live At… West Elm

I’ve realized as a designer, and a human with taste, there is a ton of gorgeous design out there. Not all of it fully affordable, for the average late 20 something, (or early 30 something) but still very gorgeous. If you haven’t heard of West Elm though, I’m about to introduce you to a sweet little treat of home design heaven. The price ranges somewhere between Ikea and Pottery Barn, but they have a lot of awesome home accessories that will suit almost any budget.

 

Here’s a picture of the inside of the store in Costa Mesa, California. Natural, earthy, and just my style. What’s better, is everything they sell to the customers. They even grew a live green wall in the store!

 

This is another one of the West Elm stores (and there aren’t many locations, so the web site is really the best place to buy things).

One (through ten) of the reasons I love West Elm as a company.

 

I did some browsing on the site and found some things to share. Yellow and grey are a really popular color combination right now, and the cute pillows in this picture are only $31.

They sell anything from dinner glasses, decanters, kitchen goodies, cutting boards, and more. You can get all of the accessories you need to throw a killer dinner party at West Elm.

Yes, I would love to live in this kitchen! Image link.

These little throws are only $39. That’s not so bad for a college kid like me.

They even have a list of “Green” products including jute rugs, recycled glass jars, window treatments, beauty products (deodorant?!), and recycled wood furniture. I can get behind that.

So, take a peek at the site, and order yourself a catalogue! I love when mine comes… it’s better than most magazines. Happy Shopping!

The Best Coffee Drink You’ll Make at Home

So I started making this coffee drink for myself recently, and it is THE BEST coffee drink I’ve ever had. Seriously. I drink coffee with cream and sugar usually, and that’s about what this is, but better. Maybe some of you already know these tricks, and this is old news, but when I learn new things I like to share them. Here you go!

So, you start with about a half cup of coffee. You can make stronger coffee for this drink if you like, you’ll be adding a bit of milk to it, almost like a cappuccino.

Get yourself a sweetener of your choice.

Get your dairy of choice. This combination worked great for this drink!

This is honestly the best use of the Magic Bullet I’ve come up with. You need a blender, Bullet, Ninja, or frother of some kind. Even a little battery powered, hand held frother would work.

Here I added about 1 part half and half to one part coconut milk or skim milk, totaling about 1/2 cup. You can add as much or little as you want to though, really. It’s personal preference. Then add your sweetner. I like to add a squirt of honey and a tablespoon of sugar. Then, microwave for about 30 seconds. If you don’t have a bullet, you can microwave in a coffee mug, then blend for a few seconds, or froth up.

Blend up!

Once blended, pour into your coffee, and you’re done! You can lightly stir, but don’t kill the bubbles. They are the best part. I think once you heat it up, it dissolves your sugars, and blending it mixes the sugar and the milk together, adding the froth, and it’s just such a delicious drink, from home too. You can save so much money, and it’s just seconds of cleanup.

Just look at that! A café worthy cup of coffee.

Enjoy!

Coconut Oil and Biotin- Saviors of Hair, Skin and Nails?

I’ve been looking into some of the interesting posts circulating through Pinterest about Coconut Oil being the best thing ever for your skin, wrinkles and hair as well at a vitamin called Biotin that’s supposed to save me from flaking nails and thinning hair. Well… I’m a skeptic but this is a cheap experiment.

Coconut Oil

The first post I saw by PoshGlam listed 52 things to do with Coconut Oil, but not how to use it exactly with some of their tips and some I would never do. Eat a spoonful? No thank you. So, more research ensued. I read that you can make a cellulite scrub with coffee grounds and your favorite massage oil. Coconut Oil maybe? I may mix up a jar and give it a shot. You just have to massage it in your “trouble” areas then shower it away… Sorry, no before and after pictures from me. But I will try this and report results.

I was off to buy some Coconut Oil for myself. My Coconut Oil was about $8 at Whole Foods but costs about $6 at Trader Joe’s, and they even have it at your local grocery store as well (I saw it last night for $6 at a local Pic N Save.)

My first experiment was an eye cream  made of Coconut Oil and Vitamin E. The post I read says it “replaces expensive eye cream!” Well, I was using an awesome anti-aging night cream made by Oil Of Olay that was a whole $25, which is why I stopped buying it lately, but I used it for about 5 years, and people always told me (and still do) how amazing my skin looks. I also think not smoking, staying out of the sun too much, and eating a healthy diet has something to do with it. So I mixed up the Coconut Oil and Vitamin E and will be using it under eye for a few weeks to check the results and get back to you. (I’m reading this article on Coconut Oil with a string of comments saying that it can clog pores and cause breakouts  on your face, so I don’t recommend using it as a moisturizer. Just an under eye rejuvenator, and even then it’s an experiment. If you notice anything abnormal, stop use. Some people swear by it, other’s won’t put it on their face at all.)

The next experiment was as a hair cure-all from HowDoesShe.com. I have always had frizzy hair. Summer, winter, doesn’t matter. I’ve tried every possible combination of hair products to cure dead ends, frizz, add shine, tried shine treatments, hot oil treatments, and i’m one stop from something made for african american hair. I can’t think about leaving my hair air dry after a shower without heat styling or at least 3 products. It’s fun… really. Thanks genetics.

So I put a big old handful (about 2 – 3 tablespoons) of this stuff in my hair (per instructions from How Does She) the other day and watched a few episodes of How I Met Your Mother, then hopped in the shower and shampooed and conditioned like usual. I was afraid that having oil in my hair would make it… well, oily. But it didn’t. You just have to shampoo it out. I thought my hair felt softer after just one time, but by the next shower, I was back to my old texture. Maybe you have to do it many times? The experiment continues. Also take the time to read this Hair Bootcamp article. They say to put a little blend of coconut oil, jojoba oil, and olive oil in your hair overnight and shower in the morning. Hmm. I’ll try that tonight and let you know how it goes.

Biotin

I guess I don’t have as much to say about Biotin as Coconut oil. It’s a vitamin derived from B7 that people take for many medical reasons, some extreme being a biotin deficiency (related to hair loss) to kidney dialysis and even Diabetes. It’s said to help with hair growth and nail health as well. I’m going to start taking it today since I’ve been blessed with flaky brittle nails ever since I could use nail polish. Which looks like crap on little broken nails by the way… I also deal with thin brittle hair too. I eat a good diet, and am a healthy person. I never understood why my hair was like this. Again, genetics? So I’m going to see if it helps me at all. I think I have to give it at least a month.

Some people have claimed it helped them incredibly, and some said it didn’t do a thing for them. Some claimed it gave them acne. I have been blessed with good skin, so I’m not that worried about this side effect. Again, everyone will react different than the next person when it comes to certain vitamins. It’s not proven to work, so this is an experiment, and I will keep you updated on the results.

 

 

New Place: A Design Blank Canvas

So in a few days I’ll be moving to Milwaukee to attend the School of Architecture and Urban Planning. I went to the new place and got the keys and took some pictures to start planning on the design. I will have a roommate to help me figure things out as well, but there are a few rooms in the house that will need a lot of help.

This is one half of the living room. So much space to work with!

This photo shows the living room on the right side, the entry door from the staircase, and more living/ dining space on the left side.

This picture shows the living/ dining room on the left side. Not a fan of the wood panel wall, but maybe I can paint it. What do you think we should do with this part of the room? Dining? Sitting/ book/ study room?

The kitchen has so much potential! It will need some wall shelves for storage. I was thinking of maybe using re-purposed wood and some brackets from the local antique store for wall shelves. New ones cost quite a bit of money, especially when we would need enough shelving to cover this wall. Also, we would need some kind of cabinet between the sink and stove. There is nowhere to put food that comes out of the oven.

There’s plenty of room here in the middle of the kitchen for an island. Now, where to get a cheap one… Craigslist?

This is the only storage in the kitchen. With my things and my new roommate’s things, there isn’t near enough storage. I mean throw a coffee maker, toaster oven, and microwave on here and you’ve got NO room for anything else.

I was thinking of taking the fridge and moving it to the other wall, and putting a little table next to it so there’s somewhere to prepare food. I was thinking of going to the re-store and looking for some cabinets.

This is an adorable bathroom. All that’s needed is a cabinet on the other side of the wall for storage.

This is my bedroom! There’s a window bench seat and a ton of natural lighting. The closet is a little small but I should be able to make it work. The door in the back goes to a 3 season porch.

Here’s one picture of the porch. It’s pretty basic. I was planning on putting a sofa back there, my old box tv with a DVD player and some curtains with some christmas lights. A perfect study and craft retreat.

So, blank canvas? I think so. I’m pretty excited and open to suggestions!

 

Happy New Years!

As the year comes to an end and the tree starts coming down, we start to reflect on the year past and make resolutions for the next year. I know there’s a number “13″ in the next calendar year and the Mayan’s supposedly predicted mankind’s demise, but let’s throw superstitions aside and know that it will be a great year full of good luck and abundance. What are your plans for New Years? Do you make resolutions and do you follow them? How about not making unreasonable resolutions for the New Year, (I will lose 20 pounds and fund a trip to Paris!), but how about making ones you can stick to, and be happy about?

Image link

Here are some easy resolutions you can be sure to stick to:

1. I promise to treat myself better. (No more negative talk.) I won’t say anything bad about myself I wouldn’t say to my best friend. After all, I AM my best friend, and I love me. If I am truly unhappy about something in my life and want to change it, I will make the steps to do so.

2. I promise to eat better. I will make a conscious choice to make better food choices and think before putting something in my body that could be bad in the long run.

3. I promise to keep in touch with my loved ones. Life is short. Let them know you love them. It doesn’t take long to make a phone call and brighten up someone’s day.

4. I promise to look into saving for retirement. I know I should have technically done this when I graduated from high school, but I didn’t. A consultation from Northwest Mutual is free and extremely eye-opening… Hey, it’s your future.

5. I promise that I will spend more time with my friends. An occasional lazy weekend instead of hitting up a party happening is ok, but if you stop hanging out with friends altogether, you stop getting invited places. Lately I’ve realized the importance of cultivating meaningful relationships with friends, and I want to put in the effort to spend quality time with those who are important to me. Throw a girls night, go to brunch, or sit on the sofa with someone and chat on a lazy Sunday. Make memories, grow friendships, and meet more people!

6. I promise to read more books and less magazines. A mind should never stop learning. Books on my list this year: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Ruben, The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus,  and You are Not Your Brain (a book about changing your way of thinking in 4 steps to be more positive).

7. I will be better with the money I DO have. I use Mint.com for budgeting and financing and I rave to my friends about it. I also keep a check register for months ahead of time so I know when to be on the lookout for low balances. It doesn’t hurt to talk to a financial planner to see where you can cut back on expenses and save more money for things like vacations and emergencies.

8. Last but not least, I will listen to my gut. I will stop ignoring my instincts and find ways to be happier. If something genuinely doesn’t make me happy or feel right, I will find a way to either change it or change myself, otherwise, it has to go. Happiness should be a way of life, not an end goal. Make it happen!

Happy New Years, friends! Be safe, and I’ll see you next year!