When I told my mom I was making a DIY rattan pendant light, she laughed. Not because she thought it was stupid..but because she grew up in the 70’s and thinks it’s hysterical that I spend my time looking for rattan chairs, macrame and crafting while I blast Fleetwood Mac. What can I say, I was born in the wrong decade, I’ve thrifted and DIY’ed most of my house, other than things I can’t, like bedding and rugs. See..my loom is broken. Just kidding, I just really can’t make things out of fabric, I do not have the patience for that. Bless those who can! So I just assumed lighting was up there with things I could not make. I mean, sure I can spray paint a light fixture and wrap some sisal rope around an existing lamp, but when it comes to pendant lighting, I decided I would just get my check book out (my credit card because it’s 2018 and I never even owned a check book) and just buy a light for my basement. So there I go..Googling my life away like everyone else and these are the results I get when I search for a rattan pendant light. The prices are not horrible, but I also could not find the type I really wanted. Discouraged, I just pushed it out of my head. Later that day, Brian (the boyfriend/handyman/super human) and I went shopping, and I found this at Five Below. All it is is […]
Traveling with Fido
My boyfriend and I bought our house, and an SUV for two reasons. First, we wanted to invest in property, and second, our precious pup needed a yard. Have you ever tried to keep a 70lb pit-bull in an apartment? Imagine caging a Tasmanian devil..that’s what we were dealing with. Now he as an acre of fenced in green space! And the SUV..well that was for Wilbur (the pup) too. See..we are those crazy dog parents who take our dog everywhere. Farmers market, parks, festivals..and of course, all of our vacations (that don’t require flying). Wilbur is part of the family, and essentially our child, so when we started traveling with him, it was quickly made clear to me that put putting him in the back of the car and just winging it wasn’t going to cut it. I’ve grown up with dogs, all big, all energetic, and all of them traveled with my family. There is nothing like having your four-legged best friend join you on your adventures! If you’ve read this far, I’m guessing you too need help on figuring out how to travel with your dog. So whether your pooch is a teeny tiny, or you have a bear of dog like me, with just a few tricks, and some key products, traveling with your dog can be stress-free and simplified for both of you. Safety The most important thing when traveling with your dog is safety of course! I put Wilbur in a crate that […]
What I learned during my 1st year working from home: Tips for success!
It’s been a year since I made the transition to working from home full time. To say it’s changed my life would be an understatement, and I think it’s now safe to say that I will never return to a 9-5 outside the home. If that makes me a home-body, so be it! It all started last spring when my boyfriend and I decided to bring a little wrinkly pup into our lives; Wilbur! He was undeniably the cutest thing I’d ever seen, and from all the people who would stop me to take a picture of him, I know I wasn’t alone in that belief. Having a puppy is a full time job, anyone who tells your otherwise is lying. At the time I was working 40 hours a week at a design office, and would rush home to take Wilbur out, spend an hour training him after work, and then have little time to myself. I didn’t like it, and I knew my job was a dead end, so quitting is was a no-brainer. When I landed an at home part-time design job, I was thrilled. I also did a lot of freelance interior design work in my city, and consequently got to be a stay-at-home dog mama [ dream come true right there ]. It wasn’t without much trial and error however that I learned how hard it can be though to work from home, especially when your hours are flexible. I realized I had been […]
My DIY gallery wall hack: Modern Boho
When I started to makeover my basement living room, I knew I wanted to keep my modern boho style going down there, which meant keeping things light and airy. I love gallery walls as much as the next home decor enthusiast, but I was also wanted to see something new above my sofa; a simplified version of a gallery wall. The walls in my basement living room were dark wood paneling when we moved in. They were dark, had a tiny of orange, and were oddly shiny (Why did anyone think this was okay to ever put in a house?!) Needless to say, the first thing I did after getting keys was slather the walls with as much primer as I could manage to put up until the paneling was out of sight! After I put my furniture in the space, it still felt like it was missing something. I still need to change out the light fixture, and have future plans to add hardwood flooring, but until those items are done, I continue to decorate with smaller and budget friendly tricks that make the space feel cozy. This brings me to my modern boho gallery wall. I wanted to keep it simple and use muted colors. I’ve been drooling over cactus art, and photography of Joshua tree that is currently sweeping the modern boho decor scene (that IS a thing). But there are two issues there; I’ve never been to Joshua Tree National Park, and the photography I do […]
Creating a Bedroom Sanctuary: why it matters for your health
bedroom: noun 1. a room furnished, primarily for sleeping sanctuary: 7. any place of refuge; asylum. When I moved into my new house, I focused on the rooms I felt needed the most TLC. My outdated kitchen and boring bathroom to name two. They did in-fact need a lot of love from me, and I poured all my energy into them, but I abandoned the most important room in my house; my bedroom. Creating a bedroom sanctuary and why it matters for my health never crossed my mind; I have to work on practicing what I preach! I’ll start by saying it doesn’t matter what your style is. It doesn’t matter what your budget is, the size of your home, your marital status, if you have kids, if you pet is your child, your occupation, your gender, race, or age. It doesn’t matter, because everybody in the world sleeps. We all understand that concrete concept right? But do you understand what your bedroom does for you? A bedroom should be a safe space. For kids it’s their own space, regardless if they share it with a sibling or two. Have you ever met a child who was so excited to show you their room and so proud of everything in it, because to them it’s their safe space, it’s catered to them. A child’s room is fun, it’s bright, it’s full of toys, cozy bedding, child-sized furniture. It’s adorned in things that make the child happy. Fast forwards – teenagers rooms. They are […]
