I'm moving on.

I've tried several times and several ways to make this particular blog into what I wanted and I think I just burned myself out on it. I could delete and start over... but I wanted a really fresh new start. So... I went back to the wordpress account I opened and never used. Change your bookmarks to:

http://bookishwhimsy.wordpress.com/

Thanksgiving in Instagrams

Thanksgiving was very small - just Josh and myself. I did all the cooking, we made an ornament to celebrate our first holiday season together, and put up the Christmas tree. The Instagram pictures are just some random highlights of the past few days.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered.

What a lot we lost when we stopped writing letters. You can't reread a phone call. - Liz Carpenter

While I was babysitting today and the kiddo was napping I checked my e-mail on my iPhone. As I checked through random store offers and the occasional correspondence with a family member or friend hit me with a startling force how rare hand written correspondence is anymore. Most of the time when I check my tiny little mail slot all I find are bills and catalogs/magazines. Around major holidays or my birthday there's the occasional card, but often times even those greetings are sent via e-mail!

A while back I was on a HUGE letter writing kick... I'm big on thank you cards and the like as well. I felt that I had no clue how to write a proper letter be it just a hello or a thank you, so I picked up this wonderful book:

[amazon]

I'm hoping to start writing cards and letters again... find a few friends - especially those that live far from me - and trade letters. Anyone here interested? I'm a wonderful pen pal ;o)

There are so many wonderful sellers on etsy who specialize in stationary and cards... one of my all time favorites is this lovely Christmas card:

[citylight on etsy]

Or how about making your own cards like this lovely set here:

[The Scrapbook House]

Or just head over to Stampin' Up! and let your imagination run wild with all the possibilities!

I'm quite excited to send some cards out later this week just to say hello to a few people... and hopefully get to making some of my own creations to send out in the near future as well.

21 Day Organizational Challenge.

I've had a lack of motivation in the blogging and home making departments lately... life's been busy, and I suppose I've just become overwhelmed. I need to get a jump on things again, and I've been inspired by the 21 day challenge over at A bowl full of lemons.

Her list was great, but some of it didn't work for me as it didn't apply to my life and/or my apartment, so I created my own list. I may not follow it in order, but that's okay. The ultimate goal is to get the apartment clean and organized within 21 days and to keep it that way :)

So here's my 21 Day Organizational Challenge List:

1 - kitchen/dining table
2 - refrigerator/freezer
3 - lower kitchen cabinet
4 - cabinet under kitchen sink
5 - cabinet over stove
6- linen closet
7- medicine cabinet/medicine storage
8 - make-up/hair products
9 - big dresser drawers
10- small dresser drawers
11 - bedside table
12 - bedroom closet
13 - under the bed
14- gift wrap box
15 - financial binder
16- bankers box
17 -bookcases
18- donation bags
19- coupons
20-car
21- start at least one organizational diy project

Thanks to some fun blog posts I've stumbled across as well as my pinterest addiction, I have a serious excitement to get this challenge started this week sometime. I may do a few before/after photos, but no promises. I often forget to snap pictures of things like this, and also add to it the embarrassment of some of the areas of insanity at the moment, lol.

As for the blog... keep your eyes peeled for a cooking/recipe post sometime this week. I'm also hoping to get a new look for the blog sometime soon, and hopefully that'll help me become even more "into" blogging here.

She's a Tortie lovin', TV watchin', Book Wormin', Kinda Gal.

We have a new addition in the Moose apartment...



Meet L'il Miss Cammie Squeakers!
We adopted her two weeks ago from the Cleveland Animal Protective League. They had a wonderful special going on to help get their cats and kittens adopted because their shelter was far too full of them.
The fella had been on a mission to help me find a new kitty companion, and as we went through the cages that day not one cat or kitten really caught my eye and heart. Of all the cats and kittens I held that day, not one did I feel a connection with. Then we walked past the cages of kittens again and there were two tortie girls in one of the bottom cages. I love torties and opened the cage to see if one (or both) would come to me. This sweet girl came right over to me (her sister had no interest) and it was love at first purr. She bonded to Josh right away as well. Within thirty minutes Josh had purchased her for me and we were on our way home with our new addition - Cammie!
It's nice to have a cat around the apartment again and I am very happy to report that Cammie has adjusted *SO* well! I was concerned that we may have a rough few nights at first - but from night one she's slept in bed with us. No crying or acting out. I was worried about her being left all day while we were at work (I actually came home on my lunch hour that first day - and got my first speeding ticket EVER in the process!!) but she was mellow and laid back - saving all her silliness and energy for when her humans were around ;o)
She's a tiny little thing... still more of a squeaker than a meow-er... (hence the middle name). Not quite three months old yet (birthday is June 6th). We are very lucky to have her!

Moving on.

In the past few years I haven't watched too much TV... I actually got rid of everything but local channels last October because I wasn't watching it nearly enough to justify the cost of it all. Plus, I have a Roku Player so I can stream from Netflix as well as watch Roku channels. Even old favorites that I'd watched during Prime Time, such as Grey's Anatomy, I stopped watching (though I think I will pick up where I left off eventually thanks to Netflix instant streaming). When Glee came on I fell in love and have watched it both seasons so far. I started watching Gossip Girl (thanks to Netflix and my library) and was caught up just in time for the past season to air - which I watched. But that was it.
I started to get excited to hear about a new show with one of my favorite actresses (and singers!) - Zooey Deschanel called The New Girl. Also The Playboy Club sounded appealing... but that was all I had really heard about. But then I got my new issue of Nylon today - the TV issue. Be still my usually television despising heart - there are shows I'm looking forward to giving a shot at watching! For all of these (with the exception of Glee and Gossip Girl) this is their first season - so no playing catch up is needed. Not too many time conflicts thankfully so I won't have to rely on Hulu too much :o)

September 15th - Thursday
The Secret Circle (CW)

September 19th - Monday
The Playboy Club (NBC)

September 20th - Tuesday
GLEE *season 3* (FOX)
New Girl (FOX)

September 21 - Wednesday
Revenge (ABC)

September 25th - Sunday
Pan Am (ABC)

September 26th - Monday
Gossip Girl *season 5* (CW)

September 28th - Wednesday
Suburgatory (ABC)

October 23rd - Sunday
One Upon a Time (ABC)

January 3rd
Apartment 23 (ABC)


I've been trying to catch up on reading to at least hit my minimal goal of 52 books for the year. I've read 28 so far this year, so I'm behind... but I'm still fairly certain that I can pull it together and come out ahead. I've read some great books so far this year - I'd say I've had a better year book wise this year so far than all together last year (with the exception of Water for Elephants last year which has become one of my all time favorites).

Top Book Picks from the 28 I've read so far this year...

* Trans-Sister Radio by Chris Bohjialian
* Room by Emma Donoghue
* Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
* Unbearable Lightness by Portia DeRossi
* Madness by Marya Hornbacher
* The Help by Kathryn Stockett (another that has made my all time favorites list)
* The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman
* Delirium by Lauren Oliver
* The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Updates

I know a month and a half ago I said that I would be updating here more often... and I intended to. I wanted to make some changes to the style of my blog and figure out exactly what I wanted to do here. I still do, but lately life has gotten in the way. To share the updates that I have of the life variety I've been thinking of weather to do it chronologically or go with the old bad news first, type. I think the latter is the best form for this though because while both are big news items for me, the bad news includes the loss of one of Miss Moose's own.

Miss Chloe Marie
(Adopted) April 2008 - July 27th, 2011

Sadly, kitty girl passed away. It absolutely breaks my heart and I'd give anything to have her back with me and healthy again. Long story short, her kidney's were completely shut down. The vet said that it may have been genetic and there was nothing that could have been done. Tuesday night they took blood and gave her meds and fluids so I could take her home until the final results were in. I got the call Wednesday morning that she was, in fact, in complete renal failure. I set the appointment for 4pm that day. Blessedly, my boss and co-workers are amazing and both Tuesday and Wednesday I was able to leave work by 1pm (instead of my usual 5:15) to tend to Chloe. I knew putting her to sleep was for the best, but I still dreaded it. I wanted her to pass away comfortably at home with me. Apparently that's what she wanted as well. She left this world peacefully at home around 3pm that day, only an hour before her appointment. I miss her like crazy and my apartment has been much quieter with her gone.

Now, the good news...
I have a fella in my life ;o)
(yes, I'm aware I got sunburned...)

The fella's name is Joshua. Or Josh. Or, as I like to be silly and call him - Ua. Haha. We met at a theme night at a local club back at the very beginning of May. We chatted much that night, but didn't trade info and I didn't really think much of it. A few days later it gets back to me that he's been trying to find out who I am... so we connect via the wonder that is facebook. We talk, a lot. A lot, a lot. For a while I was resistant. I kind of like my little single-gal bubble full of books and my own routines and structure. But, one day it was like a switch flipped. After a few months of hanging out occasionally in groups and talking nearly nightly I realized he was someone quite special who could possibly be something very special to me. Right before July 4th we hung out one on one for a movie night that went into the next morning with us just talking and watching movies. A few more one on one evenings and we decided that we would take it to the "official" stage of things. He's pretty amazing. He even took me to the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2...at the drive in! He's gotten me outside of my little bookworm box a bit, in a good way. He encourages me to expand myself and try new things. Having him by my side has been some new experiences not so scary... like shooting a gun for the first time (ps - I rocked it that day at the range! He was so proud! Haha). We have his birthday shindig at Cedar Point coming up this weekend, and I am **NOT** a coaster girl in the least... but I promised him I'd try and oddly I am looking forward to it quite a bit. I'm happy and apparently it shows. :o)

Other happenings...

My birthday was yesterday (July 31st). I officially entered my last year of my 20's! I'm 29 now and, unlike many people I know, it doesn't freak me out at all. Maybe it's because no one believes that I'm 29... most guess somewhere in the early twenties up through 25. I definitely don't feel like "an old lady" - nor should I!! It was a fantastic weekend, especially given the not so great week I had (including the loss of my dear Chloe, work was insane due to inspection). A few of us went downtown to see the TPN boys play. We left early due to the massive amounts of people downtown that night... by 1am I was ready to go! I don't generally do the late-night downtown Cleveland thing and that's a good reminder of why! But it was still a fantastic night with some of my favorite people.

Josh pays good attention to what I say, obviously because he got me a book for my birthday! It's a Jane Austen book that has seven of her novels in it. It's beautiful!! I also got a cute bookmark that says "Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake"... since Cupcake is a nickname from friends and an ongoing joke.

Jess and Michele both gave me the gift of beautiful memories. Michele made me a DVD of photos from our few years as friends... stuff of things we did together, a few nights out that I couldn't be at but she documented, and other random memories of people and places and things all montaged to the song "I Hope You Dance". Jess made me a BEAUTIFUL scrapbook. She took it home to finish some pages, but so long as she doesn't mind, once I get it back I'll post some highlights. It is absolutely amazing!

My good friend Bob is an author... his first book Prodigal is available on Amazon and he finished the first draft of his second book yesterday, my birthday. After he allowed me to read a few chapters a while back I've been bugging him to let me read more of it. I received an e-mail last night from him that had the draft of his new book attached for me to read. I am so excited to dive into it!! That's the plan for a little later on today ;o)

As for today... I took the day off work today. I wasn't planning to, but I forgot to say I wanted the day after Relay off with pay so I didn't get paid for it. I figured then that I'd use the paid day today. I have to pay bills and clean... and figure out what I'm making for dinner for the fella and I since he's stopping over after work. I'm finding myself rather inspired today... hopefully it sticks around for a while.

Some changes may be afoot for this blog.... but it'll be the same Miss Moose, only better ;o)

And hopefully I'll be back sooner than later. Every time I promise it, I fail so hopefully not using a promise will be, well, promising!

Epic fail for Miss Moose.

Several things/reasons have kept me from blogging lately. In general, I've been busy.. yet I feel like there isn't much of my life that's interesting enough to document on here. Silly, right? I know better... but sometimes creative waves ebb more than flow.

I also have been nannying often to save up money for Vegas and also a trip to Colorado next spring or summer to see my best friend tie the knot. Said best friend is moving to Colorado next weekend, so I've been spending time with her and was planning out her going away shenanigans.

I also participated in Relay for Life on June 11th-12th. It was an amazing time!! My team was the top team in money raising with nearly $7,000 raised :) So proud of Team Donate Life!

My plan is to start writing here again. I just need to figure out exactly what I want to do ;o)

From zero to YAY!

In an attempt to kick myself in the tush when it comes to reading, I began reading the book Social Lives by Wendy Walker. It seemed like a fairly "easy" read; chick-lit account of privileged adults and teens and the troubles of their lives. I also began reading A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. It's on my TBR list for 2011 and I've been looking forward to it. I'm quite excited by both...
Then I get two e-mails today from my library informing me that two books I had on hold are ready for pick up:

Beastly by Alex Finn

and

Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

Beastly is on my 2011 Movie Adaptations list, which is pretty much any movie coming out this year that I want to see that had a book predecessor.

My problem now is to figure out how to juggle all four books... I'm thinking of reading Beastly and Sing You Home now, and saving Social Lives and A Clockwork Orange for after since I'm not crazy far into either one of them as of yet.

Hooray for a good library "haul" (I use that loosely since it's just two books). Now the trick will be to stop watching Season 3 of The O.C. on DVD and read this weekend... and get other things done too, of course ;o)

30 Days of Lists days 1-9

A few of you asked if I was going to post my lists... I was hesitant to do so. This is my first attempt ever at any type of prompted journal and any type of "art" journal (aka a journal where I do more than just write as fast as I can when I'm really ticked off).

But, I figured what the hell. It's fun.. and I'm having fun doing it. So.... here we are with days 1-9 of 30 Days of Lists:

Day 1 - A Few Things About Yourself

*Shy and awkward
*Cat-mom
*Book worm
*Writer
*Cleveland Girl
*Wanderlust
*Soft on the inside <3
*Fighter
*Music lover
*Loyal
*Random
*Volunteer
*Activist


Day 2 - Things I'm Good At

Procrastination
Making salads
Obsessing
Dreaming big
Remembering/knowing weird/random things
Being a cat-mom
Being messy
Being organized
Being a mess
Trying my best

Day 3 - I Am Looking Forward To...

Vegas with my momma (just found out about the trip today!)
Relay for Life
Summer
Reaching my goal weight
Autumn
My ever after... whatever it may be...

Day 4 - Today's Playlist

Born This Way - Lady Gaga
Jar of Hearts - Christina Perri
Rolling in the Deep - Adele
Chrome - VNV Nation
Cinnamon - Ron Pope
Everyday and Every Night - Trailer Park Ninjas

Day 5 - Weekend Goals

Get Relay for Life FB Page up
Gather some courage...
Organize around the apartment
Finish The O.C. Season 2
Update blog
Develop work photos

Day 6 - Least Favorite Words...

Biscuit
Many words that are onomatopoeic...
i.e. crunch, sizzle, plop...
Panties
Moist
Irregardless

Day 7 - Blog Goals

Find a design I love
Focus on fashion some and a lot of home (design, tips, etc) and Books (subsidiary)?
One weekly segment
Other segments periodically
Update at least twice a week
Incorporate tumblr and pintrest

Day 8 - What's In My Bag?

Wallet
Check book
Coach coin purse - to hold gift cards
Planner
Pens
Chap stick
Lip tint
Rose Salve
Meds
Tampons
Inhaler
Book
Keys
iPod
GPS
Camera

Day 9 - Favorite Blogs and Websites

Facebook
Tumblr
Etsy
Youtube
Google Feed Reader (does that even count?)
Daydreaming on Paper
Goodreads
Lakewood Library Online
Amazon
Cleveland Craigslist

Not so much excitement, but I'm alive!

Once again I've been MIA. I have been trying to keep up on my feed reader though... trying being the operative word here. Yikes!

The reason for my absence: life. Babysitting a lot on the side to save up money for....

LAS VEGAS!!!

This girl has been to only four states, including the one I live in. This girl has had only one "major" vacation in her life (Disney when I was like 7 years old). So this is exciting. My mom and I are going with some other friends in October. Woohoo!

I am keeping up with 30 Days of Lists. Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to get a really nice journal to use for it... but the old notebook with pages ripped out is working fine :) It's my first venture into any type of "art journal"... and it's interesting to say the least so far. Pretty much magazine cut outs and my own handwriting.

It has inspired me though (along with Lauren who did something similar for her 30 Days journal) to use my Christmas 2010 TOAST catalog as a journal of sorts. Quotes, lists, reminders, etc. It's a HUGE work in progress... but I'm hoping I can turn it into something special.

My Bookshelf page is updated... not with much though... I've been addicted to watching The O.C. on DVD. And Greek on Netflix instant. I'm trying to make time each day to read though so I can pick up the pace again. I usually drop off a bit later in the year, but hopefully this will be my only slump.

I finally got my invite to pinterest and have been pinning like crazy!! I've also been working on making my tumblr more of a photo collage of this blog.

And in the interest of winter ending and hopefully soon (Go away, Lion!! Bring on the Lamb!!)... I thought I'd post one of my recent winter ensembles... so comfy!

Dress - Forever 21
Black cami - Thrifted
Belt - Came with a dress from Kohls
Leggings - Marshall's
Boots - Target
Necklace - H&M

Crazy blogger has gone crazy (busy, that is).

I know I've been MIA recently... it's just been a very busy and hectic couple of days/weeks and things may well continue to be busy for a while. I'm quite okay with this, overall.

I say overall because while it keeps me busy and the busier I am the more organized and productive I am, it leaves less time for doing fun lazy time activities such as reading large amounts of books (my goal is still 100 for the year, though!) and watching cheesy 90's and 2000's TV shows on DVD/Netflix Instant.

One thing I am VERY excited about is The American Cancer Society Relay for Life!



I am a part of Team Donate Life. Our goal is to raise awareness for organ donation as we raise money for cancer!
Our relay is June 11th and 12th, and we have such big plans for fund-raising and event antics.

On a more personal, free time type note I'm pumped for the 30 Days of Lists

And I'm hoping to come up with a fun, cute and portable way to be able to take it with me. I have a serious love for list making (seriously, it's even on my Facebook page under interests, haha) and my goal is to post my lists here on Moose as well.

I've been babysitting a lot more lately. It's a great side job for me and I may have even managed to pick up a good fairly steady gig for summer.

I have a long list of ideas for spring and summer clothing that I'm dying to try and hopefully purchase. I'll have to make my own look-book and post it up!

Also in the (hopefully) near future look for a new book post and a new I *heart* Etsy post!

Taken by Taupe!

It may only be February, but spring fashions are hitting sales floors and mailboxes (in catalog form, of course) full force. The trend of neutral colors and natural (or at least natural seeming) fabrics are popular again this year. And for the first time, ever, I am quite excited for this scheme in both my own personal fashion as well as home decor.

When it came to home decor in the past, I was really hesitant to go for anything in neutral tones because those tones were generally white or cream. I can't seem to keep anything that's white, well, white. Plus, I have black cat... super light fabrics and a super spoiled Miss Chloe Marie do not go well together no matter how often she's brushed and how often I de-lint and dust.

When it came to fashion... well the first point about me and the color white above stays true. I'm also quite pale (and quite proud of it). I also felt that darker colors were best for me because I tried to, well, hide my body because I wasn't comfortable in my own skin. Sound kinda silly? Maybe... but it's how I felt comfortable. I spent a lot of time in black, gray, navy, etc.

But this year... will be different.

Black and gray will still pepper my wardrobe, to be sure. Gray and brown will still make cameos in my decor. Of course using white and cream as well to accent in both areas.

My new color obsession is:

TAUPE.

Seem kind of... plain, boring, and blah? How about pairing it with...


Turquoise is a happy color!


Or a pretty shade of coral, perhaps.

Or maybe a pepper berry shade of red.


Maybe use some ochre accents?

Using one or two of these colors with taupe can make for pretty decor and pretty ensembles. The best part is that taupe, with any of these colors can be nearly any season. One could even mix two of the accent colors with the taupe for a really beautiful look.

[source]

The lovely blog owner at Creature Comforts created this pretty taupe and pepper berry color board.

Taupe with turquoise and red. Not entirely my style, but I really love how it works none the less.

Taupe, white and coral. Looks very fresh and clean and comfy!

What is your color crush for the spring season?

I *heart* Etsy - Vintage Sweater Finds

Cleveland winter. I generally don't mind it. At least until I have to go somewhere in it.

I'm sitting here quite comfy wearing a vintage Lacoste cardi that belonged to my Poppa, listening to Pepper Rabbit and drinking tea. Oh, and I just finished a book as well! Pretty much the perfect winter evening (minus that whole pesky up early for the hellish commute in lousy weather thing). Pretty much an ideal winter night. Add to that my love for sweaters and vintage. What better night for this post?

Vintage 70s Peppermint Stick Wrap from hellcatvintage

French Vanilla Boyfriend Cardigan from StopTheClock

I've always been true sweater from TinyWingsVintage

Grey and Black Deer Print Sweater from thewitchinghour

Vintage Norwegian Wool Knit Sweater from Baptuma

Stay warm, loves!

Pretty *Basic* Fashion

Fashion: Fashion is the style and custom prevalent at a given time. In its most common usage however, "fashion" describes the popular clothing style. Many fashions are popular in many cultures at any given time. (thanks google)


Some things I'm really digging currently:

[source]

Beige/taupe/nude color heels. I'm digging the platform bottom and the patent look (as opposed to a matte look).
And apparently, heels this color are great for pale girls because they give the appearance of longer legs since there's no sharp contrast between your leg/feet and the shoe. Bonus for this barely five foot tall chica.

[source]

Tom's shoes are adorable, and I'm really digging the saffron cord shoe.
I generally have a hard time justifying spending $54 dollars on any one clothing or accessory item, but with Tom's "One for One" campaign I view it as 2 pairs for that price.
The result? These may be purchased sooner than later.

[source]

Stockings.
I'm not sure what my obsession has been, but I'm loving stockings this season. Under my dresses and skirts they've done me well. The post-weight loss shopping has allowed me to work these in slowly but surely.

[source]

I'm loving mid-calf boots this winter. With jeggings/skinnies or a cute dress/skirt with tights. Fall and winter in Ohio are perfect for rocking this look.
Hopefully it will still be "in" next season, haha. Oh, who am I kidding? Even if it was the biggest fashion faux pas, I'd *STILL* wear them!
I saw these Frye boots in a fashion blog over a year ago, but they were red. I absolutely love them in all the colors in this style but the price tag keeps it on my "dream on" list.

[source]

Big.Friggen.Purses.
I carry my life with me nearly every day. My friends and family make fun of my "luggage". But, I'm a girl who carries a small pharmacy, my small digital camera, a planner, some pens, several lip glosses, a book, my GPS... you get the picture (well, at least a mental image... maybe I'll do a "What's in my bag?" post sometime).
I'm a big fan of Duex Lux bags, which can be found at UO.

[source]

Congratulations, cardigan sweater! You are my favorite clothing item, no contest. Especially if you are vintage, like the lovely floral one above.
I love that cardis can be dressed up, down and in between. The colors, weights, patterns, knits, ages (yes, ages... as in new and vintage), styles... all of it. They are the all year 'round, one for every outfit, adorable as all get out piece.

[source]

T-shirts. Especially ones like this fabulous literary tshirt from Out of Print clothing, featuring another one of my all time favorite books. Bonus! When you buy a tee from Out of Print Clothing, they donate a book to Books For Africa.
I have a weakness for t-shirts that show off my personality, the things I like and the things I believe in. For more great t-shirts check out the I *Heart* Etsy post featuring them!



There are so many fantastic things out there that I'm loving right now, these are just a handful of pretty basic items. This brings us to the unveiling of another new post grouping. Pretty *___* Fashion. Each PF post will showcase some great fashion finds and ideas! I'm quite excited to add PF to the ranks of Sweet Spots and I *Heart* Etsy. Soon to come will be an 'inspirations' post, of sorts. That will round out the quartet of regularly posted (I hope!) theme specific posts for the time being.

Fashion is ever changing and ever evolving. Fashion seems to be on lazy susan of sorts, as it goes away and comes back around again. Fashion is highly personal. Everyone has clothing that they feel their best in. Now, more than ever, can you walk down the street and see so many years of fashion all at once. Thanks to the wave of vintage and thrift fashions so many "old" pieces are becoming new and not just by being worn as is... some are up-cycled and others are worn in a different way than intended.

Recently (mostly within the last year and some change) I've lost quite a bit of weight. As a result it means going through my wardrobe and getting rid of a lot of it (donations to friends and Goodwill). Some of it has been salvaged for me by my wonderful seamstress, Tracy. But, there's still a lot that I need. I've even had the courage to attempt some fashions I stayed away from before because I wasn't comfortable. It's been fun. But, I tend to get fixated on a few items here and there that just aren't in the budget, at all. So, then I bargain hunt my way around until I find what I want at a price that I'm willing to pay. Sometimes, I win. Sometimes, I lose out. But it's always fun to dream and for me the hunt is a good part of the fun!

What are your current favorite fashions?

Sweet Spots - Word Decor

My current favorite is anything that has words on it. I love the term Textorating. Word Decor sounds nice too. Unfortunately I don't have much in my little apartment like it at this time:

Over my table I have this current arrangement. "Home is where your story begins", so very true.

"Christian Dior could lower forty million hem lines by lowering his pencil" I found this photo and quote in a Vogue magazine someone gave me. It fit perfectly int he frame which I got super cheap on clearance at Michael's.

My Believe sign. Believe is my favorite word.

Maybe it's the book-nerd in me, I don't know.

Here are some more great finds that I would love to have adorn my walls:

[source]
Because in this ladies mind, cupcakes are the most perfect food. Ever.

[source]

Vintage china turned into text-o-ration. Love it!

[source]

But of course The Beatles would make an appearance.

[source]
I absolutely **LOVE** the overnight accommodations sign. It's silly and unexpected.

I think, for the most part, we all gather our likes and dislikes in terms of decorating based off of what we were surrounded by in our home while we were growing up. I seem to pull away from things that my childhood home had much of (mirrors, crystal, super colorful art) and veer more towards things like metal wall art, vintage photos and prints, black and white pictures/photos and text wall art.

I have some great ideas forming for my apartment... more things that really reflect me. I need to start listening to my head and my heart when it comes to decorating, and not what my mom/friends/etc are saying, because while they do have some awesome ideas - what I like is what I like. I live here, so I need to be the person the happiest with it.

So maybe blogging will help me realize the potential I have to play decorator in my own home ;)