Wednesday, November 30, 2011

"Our attention span is short, and our interests are broad!" - Mira!

Window Display Wednesday!!!

There are so many fabulous shops here in downtown Santa Fe, NM. And the majority of them have great window displays throughout every season and holiday. I thought it would be fun to help recognize those who put together these wonderfully creative window displays in this cute little town where there is ENDLESS window shopping to do! 


This week I am starting off with this cheerful store just down the street from where I live that I love going into to take a look around or grab some eclectic earrings or pick up some TOMS. Mira is located off of West Marcy street one block over from the plaza. The window displays fall nothing short to what is waiting for you once you walk into their colorful doorway. 




Mira! means Look! Behold! See! And that is exacly what you want to do from the window display to the very back of the store to the dressing rooms and back around to the counter. You want to spend time, look around and take in the edginess and culture of this contemporary boutique.

The fashion-forward manikins in the window display make you want to purchase the whole outfit and walk out of the store rocking it from head to toe!




Window shopping for some local Christmas presents or stocking stuffers? One look at the little display in this window and you know you will leave Mira happy with something different and cultural.

I noticed the hours on the window corner and it says 10 ish am - 6 ish pm. That was one of my favorite things. Let's be honest, shall we? Love it. I can totally see the girls who work in this shop saying "well, it does say 'ish' on the window..." 
These girls have been friendly and never "pushy" every time I walked into the store, whether I bought something or not. But looking at them, you know they fit in with the vibe of the store and the energy that they carry completes the laid-back, care-free, fun, and hip environement that you are browsing in. It's a very enjoyable space to be in, much like the holiday inspired and cheerful window display. Rhonda Huntress is the window designer       of Mira. She was very kind to let me have a little tid-bit about this store in my blog; Love & Light, Rhonda! 



No matter where your creativity and knack for design leads you, just make sure that you love your space and display it for others to Mira! and Enjoy!




Monday, November 28, 2011

"Always so dramatic"

                               MOVIE MONDAY!!!

My dad and I share a love for movies. We were talking movies the other day and he suggested I put up some ideas from movies on my blog! Perfect.







The movie for this week is "Because I Said So" with the set director being Maggie Martin and the art director is Christopher Tanden.

Given, it wasn't the greatest chick-click in the world, but the set on this movie was

fantastic.

Millie's apartment was filmed quite a bit.
The part that I like about it the most is that it looks like every thing could be from a flea market or hand-me-downs or collected from various places with various stories.
The open space and tall windows and the retro kitchen allow for the whole thing to flow together.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this space!

 There is no real place to start and no direction to go in so we shall just jump in:

On one of Millie's brick walls  she is hanging about five multicolored strands of lights. Which are an efficiant way to quickly and cheaply decorate a wall AND add color and lighiting.


On the windows over her beautiful full-length windows are solid and shear curtains WITH designs on them. Don't be afraid of a little pattern, a little texture. Expecially when you are wanting a room like this one.

What makes it all fit together and match, is just that; it doesn't match!

No worries if you don't have full length mirrors to brighten up your room. When you are ready for window treatments, just extend the curtain rod above your window however much you'd like, to the ceiling if you dare. And then let them hang to the floor. Drop it like it's hot, girl, all the way down!





        Did you see the chalkboard-faced fridge?  
      And that retro oven? To die for! Love it. 
Chalkboard spray paint is so easy to come by! Just make sure to prep everything accordingly. (And I am not sure yet on if you can just paint over it if you need it changed.) I'm down to chalkboard almost anything these days. So creative and so fun. Who doesn't like to write notes everywhere?

On the kitchen island she has a large yellow lamp with a spotted shade. Perfect! It's edgy and different and in a different place then you'd expect. Again, it adds mood and lighting.


Open pantry: So in love with idea if there are no little monkey's around. It can be a sure way to make sure all your dishware matches AND that you won't be having any wierd foods hiding behind doors (yeah, those cheesy, spicy puff organized. I feel that when you do have an open pantry it is important to still beclear where things are and have things sectioned off and stored properly. 





THE COUCH!

My favorite part of this interior decorating part would be this amazingly large, comfy couch. In the movie, Millie moves around her furniture twice, with the couch being the center piece. Her and Daphne also have a heart-warming conversation. And then Daphne gets a log awaited kiss... All on this very couch. 

Go big or go...wait. Home is where we want to go BIG! Yes, we even have a saying encouraging it.

bold.
red.
front and center.

Throw a bunch of crazy pillows on it, add a warm blanket or two, and you will love your comfy couch too. 




Be inspired by the things around you, including movie set designs. There are hard working and talented people behind all of those rooms. Just send a little love and appreciation to those people. I know I do. And always Love Your Space. 

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

“I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let’s face it, friends make life a lot more fun.” - Charles R. Swindoll

Living with my dear friend Lauren, and deciding to walk down the interior decorating path was a very convenient blessing. I was not only able to start this passion with my own room in our house, but Lauren also allowed me to have a hand in re-decorating her room. I know that she is my dearest friend and no matter what I did to her room, she would forgive or embrace it with a smile. But I also felt a little bit of pressure because she does mean so much to me, so the space that she keeps needs to reflect just what type of person she is. 
Living in a house with four girls makes the rooms that we live in that much more special to us. If you are able to make a space for yourself, amongst roommates or siblings, make it YOURS. Even if we watch chick flicks to the early morning hours, then get up to eat breakfast and drink coffee together, we still need our own corner to go to for our own R&R. 

So this was my time to make my best friend a space of her own. 

Though I don't have the before pictures, it was plain. Plain cream walls, no color scheme, and just a typical working girls' room. She deserves a room to escape to that resembles her. She is a hard working woman, always-there friend, thoughtful sister, caring aunt, and intuitive daughter. She is always going and always anywhere that anyone needs her to be. My heart was full of love for her when I saw that she needed a space of her own to escape to. 

We were on a TIGHT budget, which was a challange I was willing to take on. For the girls out there who would love to have a place for themselves but are living on rent and groceries, this is a great project to learn from. 


1. We took an old floor length mirror and spray painted the frame black and hung it above the bed. Lauren doesn't have a headboard, which is perfectly fine, because that gives you room to use whatever you'd like as a focal point above the bed. The mirror also allows more light from the opposite window to come in. 
2. She had these cool candle holders but they were brass. Sticking with the color theme we also painted those black and hung them by the door. I got candles from the dollar store for those. 
3. The two side tables were from the ARC Thrift Store. I think they were around $7 each. One of the cool things about having boyfriends is that hers was able to sand and paint and finish these end tables along with two others at his shop. One is black and one is purple, by the bed. 
4. You can clutter up these side tables all you want. But it's more pleasing to the eye if you keep things that are color related out. 

I do want to point out that the bed was shoved in the corner before. Lauren says it was "comfy." But we had to have the "older then sixteen" talk. Being a woman and on your own, it is a form of maturity to have your bed front and center, not in the corner. I am proud of her for keeping the bed in it's place. 

 If you live in a house or apartment on a lease and paying rent, you need to get the approval of your landlord or lease holder before you paint or put holes in the wall. Our landlord was an angel to let us both paint our rooms.

We painted 3 of the walls straight up white. This allowed us to paint the 4th wall a deep grey. (It's a little lighter in the 2nd picture.)

After those coats dried, it was time to put some things on the walls!
Lauren already had these boxes and painted them black, purple, and
green. I had the other pictures frames already and gladly handed them over for the cause. Lauren's family is so important to her, so framing pictures was a no-brainer. I did want the grey wall, from ceiling to the desk, to be all picture frames. (We are still working on that project, which goes to show that there doesn't have to be a time limit to your prejects. Whenever you are ready to move on to something else is totally up to you and your budget.)

1. A painted black frame hangs on the wall with decorations inside it.
2. A green shelf, painted and hung to be amongst the potential picture frames. 3. A painted black framed mirror was mounted on the wall near the desk to show more space and add more light to the area.

Lauren didn't have closet doors. But she needed something to cover up the appearance of clutter. The sheer lime green curtains work perfectly.

She also mounted a battery operated clock right her the wall. These are stickers, so they can come off easily if you'd like.





It's hard when you're on a budget to do everything that you would like to your room, especially when you have work, school, family, friends, and all the other demands of life. The goal was to get the entertainment center also painted black. But that project needed to be put off for the time being, which is NO problem! And NO stress! It will happen when it needs to happen. For now, this set up totally works. The two side shelving units are from a friend of Lauren's and painted black. The matching storage bins are perfect for hiding any clothing or crafts or paperwork. The window treatments are temporary, with a lot of promise! But again, it goes to show that we are all real people living in the real world. We can't be upset if we need to put a project on hold for time or $$ purposes. It will all come together exactly how it needs to. 

Lauren's room is in a much better place then it was before. At the end of the day you need your stuff exactly where you can find it and use it. That is a big part of re-organizing and re-decorating your space. 

Thank you so much, Lauren, for allowing me to tear apart your things and put them back together. I hope that you enjoy your room all the days that you are there and that it helps you to relax and regroup from your amazing life. I hope that you are loving your space, girl!