Moroccan Mix up

Happy Monday Hope y'all had a fabulous weekend! Mine was great. Too short, but great. Over the next few weeks I want to share with y'all some of my inspiration for my new place here in New Orleans. Oh, and how convenient is it the polyvore added a home section last month? Loving it!!!

Table lamp / H M throw pillow, $6.39 / Fabric bed frame / Regina-Andrew Design metal accent table / Rug / Jiti linen throw pillow


Now, this is where I wanted to go with my bedroom. Grey headboard, white bedding, gold accents and maybe a pop of color with the pillows.

Not exactly the direction I went, but I'm still loving this look!

Moroccan Madness

We continue to get closer and closer to the big move and I keep getting more and more excited! Since I'm still a bit too far away to start taking tangible steps towards getting decor for the new place (I don't have room in my car!) A while back Betsy took us on a tour of her new place and I fell in love with her fabulous rug. Ever since then I've been on the hunt for my own version.  I'm almost ready to pull the trigger on a rug, but as always I need y'all's wonderful counsel on a style/color.

Moroccan Trellis Wool Rug / Luna Flatweave Moroccan Trellis Purple Wool Rug / Alliyah Handmade New Zealand Blend Wool Rug  / Handmade Flat Weave Moroccan Wool Area Rug

To give you a little insight into my thoughts on color schemes I've come up with a few options.

Option 1. I'm thinking about gray, hot pink, navy blue, white and light pink. (Super prepster girly I know).

Option 2. Same general vein, but trading black for the blues. This is pretty much the color scheme I have going on in my room right now. Grey walls, white bedding, pink curtains. I love it, but am I ready for a change? Maybe.

Option 3. Completely different. Grays with teal and orange accents. Okay, this is completely different. I'm thinking Gray walls, white bedding, dark gray furniture with maybe a fun piece or two in one of the accent colors. A fun teal rug, and a few orange pillows. I don't know that this color scheme screams "me" but I'm really liking it right now.  

In the end I'm going to paint my walls a light gray. I want my room to be a soothing oasis away from the craziness of school, but I also really like having a pop of color to make me happy. So, now that you know what I'm thinking... Which rug should I go for? 

Bedroom Workspace

First of all, don't forget today is the last day of google reader's life. I'd love for you to keep following along with me and this little blog as I take on law school and life in Louisiana. All you have to do is click here!



A few things have changed since we last chatted about my New Orleans plans. I was 110% set on living by myself, but after a trip down there I realized that wouldn't really be the best plan for me moving forward, so I ended up finding a fabulous three bedroom right next to campus. I can't tell y'all how excited I am to get down there and enjoy having a grown up walk in closet (first time in my life!) and my own brand new bathroom.

But, this now means that instead of locating my home study space in the living room,  I'll need some sort of desk situation in my bedroom.  That is where y'all come in. I need some opinions.  Should I just make a cute little corner of the room into a pretty desk space like this?

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Or do I devote more of the room towards a work space? Really make sure I have space to spread out, put up shelves to hold books or other pretty bobbles? 

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I love this last look especially. That desk is amazing! Anyone in Louisiana know where I can pick one of those up? 

Four Things

Happy Wednesday! Seriously, I feel so much better on Wednesdays because I know the weekend will be here before we know it, and this weekend promises to be wonderful. So today I wanted to join some of my favorite gals in a four things link up, and share four things I'm loving today.

gelato / havaianas / fathers day / lulu and georgia 

Is there really anything better to cool you off during the summertime than some ice cream? I popped in to pitago gelato over the weekend, and I haven't been able to get the stuff out of my head. DC area folks. White Grapefruit Sorbet. If you want to get crazy add it to the Chocolate Noir sorbet. It's beyond amazing. 

I picked up a new pair of havaiana's at south moon under a few weeks ago, and oh my gosh I forgot how comfortable they are. If you've never tried them, go get you some ASAP. 

Father's Day is this weekend! What are you getting your dads? I love getting to celebrate a day of Dad's, but let me tell you... mine is SO hard to shop for! If you have any awesome dad gift ideas please send them my way!

I'm sure by now y'all have heard of lulu and georgia but as I'm apartment hunting I can't help but dream of a new place decorated entirely with their gorgeous pieces.

What four things are you loving today? Don't forget to link up!

Wonderful Walls

As we get closer and closer to moving day I'm continuing to dream about what my little apartment will look like in New Orleans. You already know about my bar cart, but there's a whole lot square footage beyond that. I know that I want a very clean ascetic. No clutter and tranquil colors, while still soft and feminine. While I love a good gallery wall (this one is fabulous), I feel like they can be overwhelming at times. If they aren't done correctly it makes a room look shorter and utterly cluttered.  No thank you. So instead of buying or creating some big artwork to fill up a wall, I'm thinking of going another direction.

Have you heard about this new product? Wallpaper for renters.  Amazing right? The mild adhesive keeps the walls safe, and then it saves you from having to re-paint before you move out. Love that.

So I'm thinking an accent wall in the bedroom, maybe in the kitchen as a backsplash? Or in a dinning area to make it feel like a separate room.  I can't decide.

What I am certain of is my love of gold wall paper. I found the most perfect chevron cream and gold adhesive paper this weekend (at Union Market, haven't found it online yet).

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I just love how decadent and sophisticated it makes a room feel. I love this one and these.  There's just so many options out there!!! What's a girl to do.

So what do y'all think? Metallic wallpapers, yay or nay? 

Bar Cart Beauties

With only two months left as a Washingtonian I'm beginning to dream about what life in New Orleans will look like. I'm foreseeing some long nights in the library, lots of warm weather, late nights on Magazine Street, and cocktails on the porch of my new New Orleans abode (that I have yet to find). Sounds pretty good right?

Since I'm planning on living on my own for the first time I'm thrilled to get complete and total control over the decor. Yay!!! So in the coming weeks I want to get y'all's oppinions on a few decor options I'm considering. I've come to learn you folks have the best taste around. 

First up, the ever important bar. I'm not sure what it is about having a "bar" in my house that makes me so happy (beyond the obvious bottle collection), but I just love the sheer decadence and sophistication of devoting a chunk of your living space to pretty glasses, bottles and trays. Whatever it is, I've decided that a bar is a must in my new abode. 

Right now I'm using a massive Ikea bookshelf turned on it's side for storage/ bar wares, but I'm thinking of switching over to a pretty bar cart. 

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I mean, come on. Don't you love them all? While I'm still debating if I want to go for a cart, ooh... or maybe a tray or two on top of a buffet? I'm pulling all of the elements together.

bar cart by bluedogbelle featuring beauty products

Beauty product, $38 / Waterford Crystal Lismore Ice Bucket & Tongs, Cobalt / Riedel Ultra Decanter - 225mm 1230ccm, $340 / C. Wonder Neon Lucite Serving Tray / Casa Couture Platinum champagne box of 4, $53 / Tabla by Mikasa® Circumference Shooter Glasses, Set of 4 / Worlds Away Bar carts

What would you put on your bar car?

Guest Post: Paint Wine Repeat

So, we are in the home stretch of LSAT studying 22 days to go! I have another fab guest post for y'all today. Amy is a craigslist hunter extraordinaire. I hope y'all love her (because I do), and go visit! Take it away Amy. 

Hello Blue Dog Belle readers!

I am honored to be guest posting for the beautiful and talented Emily today.
I'm Amy, a Canadian blogger, from Paint Wine Repeat. I love to complete DIY projects, test out new recipes and blog about life! I hope you will check out the rest of my posts if you like what you see here.

I, like many other people out there in cyberspace, love to find furniture online. As you probably know, there are services such as Craigslist that are online versions of classifieds (if you remember when newspapers were relevant and they had a whole separate section dedicated to such things!)
If you're willing to use some elbow grease AND if painting, staining and restoring furniture interests you, I encourage you to peruse these online classified for what you might be looking for. I should assure you that there are some items to be found that won't need any work, too!

I decided that since Emily is based in DC, it would be fun to find some awesome deals where she is!

Let the fun begin!!

This dresser is available for $100... and just needs a coat of paint and/or new hardware to brighten it up. You could probably barter to get a bargain and fix this puppy up with some TLC! I'm certain that mirror is removable too, if you'd rather not have it attached.

This next one... is a $75 accent chair that I wish I lived closer to, so that I could snag it for myself! Love the mix of wood and fabric, but mainly - it looks so cozy!! If you don't love the colour, you could always reupholster it down the road. But as is, this chair is pulling all the right moves... maybe its lines are just whispering sweet nothings to me? Anyone? Bueller?

This next one needs a little love... it's a round table with an awesome chrome base. It looks like he's worked his whole life in a conference room, but you could let him retire in your home! For $55...it could be yours. The top looks like wood veneer to me, so you could easily paint it a fun colour to add some spice to your kitchen. I think this baby is a diamond in the rough.

Here's a great example of a perfect as-is piece. This rocking chair would easily fit into a nursery or a porch without much fuss! At $25 only for the chair, you could also spend a little extra on paint or cushions to spruce it up if you like. That's the beauty of inexpensive finds, its up to you to discover their potential!

Things to expect when buying online:

1. You can barter. Try offering a lower price and see where it takes you. Be prepared though, that some sellers won't budge.

2. You'll have to be able to pick the item up. Some people offer delivery, but most expect you to make the trek and use your vehicle to transport the item.

3. You'll have to pay in cash.

4. It can be disappointing. Spot something too good to be true? It could be! If you want to be cautious, always arrange a time to view the piece before committing to buying it. This allows you to inspect it and make a decision without pressure.
5. You might need a thesaurus. Lots of people have different words for the same thing. Want a buffet for your dining room? Search buffet, but also try sideboard.

Disclaimer: Be alert when using these services of scams or giving out too much personal information. Always practice safety and don't meet someone alone.

What have you had the pleasure to find online? Is it too much work for you? Let's talk adventures in babysitting furniture finding...

Thanks to Emily for having me guest post and thanks to all of you for reading!

Happy searching :)

WILW

I'm back for another week of What I'm Loving Wednesday. 

First and foremost, I'm LOVING the awesome Rouge and Co. Giveaway I'm hosting right now. Have you entered yet? go here.

Next I'm loving this cooler weather that we are having in DC. I went swimming after work the other night and OMG it was chilly at 7:30 pm. LOVE it. is it too early in the summer to say I'm ready for fall?

I'm loving these pretty bedrooms. One day I will have something this glamorous  

I'm thinking about doing a super bright fun color like this now though... thoughts?

I'm loving that the Cap Fabb meet up is tonight

Who else is going? 

Y'all know I'm a political nerd, but I am SO EXCITED for the Congressional Baseball game tomorrow. It's AWESOME. A bunch of Congressmen and Senators get together for a friendly game of baseball. Dems vs. Repubs. Last year was a blow out for the Democrats, so we shall see if they continue to dominate or if the Republicans will be out for blood. 

I'm loving that the fourth of july is only one week away!

if only this is what it really looked like

I've been on a STRICT budget this week (testing to see what it will be like when I do a month long spending freeze for my 25 before 25) and let me tell you it's been tough.

Once my spending freeze is over here are a few things I'm loving

ugh. Can some one just by me a whole new wardrobe? k. thanks. 

So that's what I'm loving today. Hope to see some of you tonight!!!!

DIY: Nightstand Revamp

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but I moved up to DC with only 2 suitcases and have eventually brought the rest of my stuff (as long as it fit my my Jetta) so I have been lacking furniture for the past year. I spent 4 months sleeping on an air mattress! I know. But now that I have a real bed, I needed a real nightstand. After numerous trips to ikea, target, and a few more "expensive" furniture shops I decided I needed to DIY something to get the look I wanted. I trolled craigslist for a few days, and found this baby for a STEAL.  

What do you think? It's a beautiful solid wood piece, and I wanted something basic (and small) for my bedside table. I love that it has this cubby to display books, baskets, trinkets or whatever else I would want, and still has a drawer (which is currently housing lots of papers). So I thought about this for a while... How should I paint it? My room is painted grey with white bedding and pink curtains. Since I'm obsessed with my grey walls, and I love the monochromatic look I decided to save some $$ and paint it the same color as my walls. I also I wanted something that would blend nicely, but would still work with a new color scheme should I chose to change it in the future. I also decided to tackle a stencil. I realize it was a tad ambitious as my first project, but hey when I was 8 my mom and I re-did an antique dresser for my room. We painted it white with an antique pink for the handles. THEN when I was 14 we spray painted the handles silver... so it's not exactly my first attempt at re-doing antique furniture. I attempted to take pictures all the way through, but I missed a few steps so I apologize and please just use your imagination.

Once I settled on a color scheme it was time to execute it. But... one problem. I live in a small apartment, no porch, no garage, nothing but a sidewalk to paint on. So spray paint was out. Then I decided I didn't want to invest in any industrial sanders, so what to do? Oil-based primer my friend. Yes. Not only didn't I not have to sand the piece, but the primer was so thick the application with a brush created these lines similar to wood grain. Love it.

One coat wasn't quite enough to cover the dark color, and while I'm sure it would have been fine, it really didn't require that much paint, so here's coat #2.

Background information. I have a black and white damask bedspread. I love all things black and white damask. like... LOVE. I was going to attempt a damask flower on top, but couldn't find a good stencil and decided it was too difficult. So, what to do? After searching blogs and blogs for stencils, I finally decided on a fleur de lis. I work for a Louisiana company now, so why not? Let me tell you, thank god I did something simple, because this part was HORRIBLE. as opposed to creating a stencil, I simply cut out the shape, traced it, then taped over that (the worst part), then painted over the whole thing, peel off the tape. Done. Thankfully it turned out well, and I only had to do some minor touch ups.

Time for the big reveal... are you ready?

Yay!!!!

So cute right? I am planning on spray painting the handle white, but haven't gotten a chance to get back to home depot. What do you think???? I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with myself.

Oh How Pinteresting

I'm linking up with Michelle from The Vinage Apple for

I love Pinterest FAR too much. It's such an amazing time sucker. Love it, here are some of my favorite finds

Oh to dream.... God I love Pinterest.