Showing posts with label Apartment Living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apartment Living. Show all posts

Fall Home Decor





 Last Thursday was the first day of fall, and I put the final touches of decor throughout the house this weekend. Fall decorations have never been my fave, as I much prefer Christmas glitz, but the more neutral fall palates I've seen growing in popularity the last few years have grown on me. Throw in a little glitter and some mellowcreme pumpkins, and I'm all set!

My lovely tea towels were a gift from a sweet friend, and I know, I know, I need to put pictures in some of my frames. But I wanted to share a few pics of our home {once it was cleaned over the weekend!}.

Now if it would come out of the 80's and give me some crisp and cool 60 and 70 degree temps, I'd be really happy. I've got stacks of sweaters just waiting to be worn!













How to Cut the Cable Cord




Let me start off by saying two things. 1. I'm addicted to trashy TV. Real Housewives, Teen Mom, Marriage Boot Camp, etc. Maybe I'm more addicted to reality TV, because I love AGT, the Bachelorette, and any/every food show, too. 2. I love to save money. I love coupons, cutting financial corners, and basically anything that makes me feel like I'm getting a deal. Which sometimes makes shopping for clothes {and cars!} a little bit challenging.

When I graduated from college and moved to the Atlanta suburbs, one of my monthly bills was a $125 {first year deal! ugh.} cable/internet package. I moved back to Statesboro literally one year to the day of the contract starting, so I never actually experienced the price increase. A high bill, plus the rather disappointing South Georgia cable and TV offerings pushed me over the edge: I cut the cable cord.

Acrylic monogram tray, Kirklands, old | Similar, here
For a few months, I survived solely on Internet, Netflix, and an antenna in my attic to get local Savannah stations but when I moved across town, the antenna option just really didn't work for the new house. I added Hulu to the mix and knew the combo was almost meeting my TV needs, but I identified one major hole: Bravo. I had no Real Housewives. At least not in a timely, and visually pleasing manner.


This week, I decided to take advantage of a one week free SlingTV offer. I've heard of SlingTV a lot of the last year or so, but it was never quite right. Lately, they've updated their offerings to two basic packages at $20 and $25, with handful of "themed" add on packages for $5 or so. Lucky for me, Bravo is included in the $25 SlingBlue package.


I downloaded the app on my Amazon Fire {I have the stick in my bedroom, and the box in the living room through which I stream Hulu & Netflix, too} and have been so impressed! You can watch the channels in real time, there is a guide of what's coming up and when, and there are on demand offerings, too! I was able to watch RHOC when it actually came on Monday night, and caught up with RHONJ on Wednesday. CJM and I have enjoyed starting Season 2 of UnReal on SlingTV, after watching the first season on Hulu a few weeks ago {in like one day. Go watch it.}.


The loading speed is good, and the picture quality is very high. There are a few maneuvering things I wish the remote and the program would respond to differently, but overall, I absolutely love it. I'm able to watch what I want to watch without limitations such as available the day after it airs, and can even catch up on some local and national news. For roughly $45 a month, I've got all that I need for TV. Depending on your preferences, Hulu + SlingTV or Netflix + SlingTV may work just fine. I like having all three, because I feel like they each offer different things. I just love having the ability to control how much I'm paying and for what.

This review is completely my own; post is not a collaboration with any company listed above. 

{Flashback Friday} Top Pins




After switching to my new domain this week {www.piperellice.com | yay!}, I had a lot of updating to do. Instagram profile, Facebook profile, Pinterest profile...oh, wait. All of those pins from the old URL won't forward to the new site. Unacceptable! But I also don't have time right now to update every. single. pin. 

So I pulled up every Pinterest pin from the old startingsouthern.blogspot.com {be sure to update your bookmarks with the new URL, or follow by email/Google+!} and looked for the most popular pins to edit and update with the new links. It was pretty easy to spot the top pins from my blog, but also really interesting! It seems there's definitely a theme of popular Christmas pins, followed by home decor and fashion. 

Here are the top pins from my blog over the last three years: 

 

15 Pins Grinch Cookies. Just peanut butter sandwiched between Ritz crackers, dipped in green candy melts, topped with sprinkles, but oh so delicious! I love the sweet and salty combo of this Christmas treat. I also am addicted to candy melts. If they're in the house, I will eat them. Weird, I know. Obviously, these don't have to be dipped in green, that's just all I had on hand at the time and it seemed fun. This year, I just used white almond bark. 





16 Pins Still one of my most popular posts, these earrings from my Christmas list two years ago were pretty popular. I still want them! The classic pearl circled by delicate diamonds is a truly timeless piece of jewelry. 


54 Pins My shabby chic dining room in my first apartment! I'm no longer using that table in my dining room, but have moved it out to my sun room now that I have more space. I recently purchased a beautiful hand painted dining room table that I'm using with those same chairs. The chest behind the table still serves as my wet bar/china hutch until I get my china cabinet down here from South Carolina. And the wall art: once a ceiling fan medallion, painted and hung, is something I still use! It's now in the living room. 



381 Pins Fabulous work wear inspiration from a post about thrifting for Pinterest inspired outfits. I'm glad that so many others found this picture to be as stylish as I did! This reminds me that I need some tweed...

Do you follow me on Pinterest? Follow me, so I can follow you back! I'm always looking for new inspiration!


Warm Hands, Warm Hearts




Confession: I've had my tree up since the week before Thanksgiving. I love Christmas! And I like to put my tree and decorations up early because I am so busy and travel a lot that if I waited until a normal time, I don't feel like I'd be able to enjoy it all. 

Christmas decorating is kind of always a work in progress situation, as I'm finding new ornaments for my house a tree. I think I'm kind of done for the year...that is, until December 26th when it all goes on sale and I can stock up for next year! 

I hope you enjoy these pictures of my sweet little cottage-y home at Christmas...I'll post pictures of my fabulous front porch soon! 


 Glittery pine cones and bottle brush trees, and snow-topped pine cone S&P shakers. 



My quick version of a stocking hanger!


Bulloch County Courthouse ornament!
I won this ornament at the Phi Mu Alumni
Christmas party--isn't it stunning?
One of my pretty Christmas gifts from the bestie last year.
I love how it catches the light.
Bringing Christmas into my bedroom
with my favorite vintage ceramic tree!
I'm obsessed with this year's wrapping paper--all that glitters, is gold and silver!

I Want it All




I want it all, and I want it right now! I haven't really done a "home tour" of the new house yet because I've got a couple of significant craft projects happening soon, and I also want to invest in a few new purchases. It's amazing how quickly you can decide you are ready for a new look, but I'm really tying to prepare for the future. Someday the 'fancee' and I will live together, and I highly doubt he wants to drown in all of my pink things. So I'm slowly transitioning out of the pink/gray/blue/white thing I had going on, and am focusing on more gray/white with some blue. Calming colors.

I would really like to get a new sofa and rug for the living room. Sofa because I'm tired of the fabric cover and the original fabric underneath keeps tearing, and rug because my new living room is much bigger than the last and it is all dark, hardwood. Beautiful floors, but I'm really not a sock girl and I need something soft underneath my tootsies. And since my Sweet Magnolia Cottage is surrounded by lots of old trees, I thought a big white rug would brighten up the room.

Now for decision time...what color for this couch? I'm definitely leaning towards this style from Rooms-to-Go, but don't know which color to pick! Maybe after seeing it in person I'll be able to decide...and once I paint my wing back chair gray, that may make my decision.
Rugs can be quite pricey, but Rugs USA has great prices and amazing sales! The rug below is originally $296 for the 6'7" x 9' size that I want, but is currently 55% off with free shipping. A big rug for less than $150? Sign me up!


Oh, and can I just have these cutesy C. Wonder sunnies while we're at it? 
Chunky Square Cat Eye Sunglasses

On the Move




I thought I was a pro-mover. Having moved every two years growing up {and sometimes on only three weeks notice} taught me the importance of throwing things away before the movers pack trash in a box, and organizing things to be packed in the way you want them to be unpacked. But see here's the thing: we had movers. While I did move three times by myself in college with friends' help, and moved last year with my family's help, moving all by yourself is a totally different experience. I keep looking around with no idea where or how to start, especially since I've spent maybe five whole minutes in my new house. Last year I spent time in the apartment, looking at the floor plan, and plotting where everything was going to go. This time around, I'm not totally sure my kitchen table will fit in my kitchen.

I know I've already committed some cardinal moving 'sins.' I wrapped fragile kitchen pieces in newspaper {I was being stubborn, okay? Determined to make the newspaper work. And yes, I realize my hands and my glasses are now black}. I packed a whole bookcase in one box. Whatever, I'll carry it.

But I have learned a few useful tips that I'd like to share and hopefully make some other single person's life a lot easier in the future:

  • Take out the Trash: Every time I start packing, I throw stuff away. It's my goal to throw out a whole bag of trash after each packing session. This is hard for someone who wants to hold on to every note, coupon, sauce packet, etc. Maybe I am a hoarder...
  • Little box carries a lot: My new box packing mantra. I took all of the boxes that yearbooks came in from school to pack the majority of my things for this move. I figured if they carried heavy yearbooks, they could carry my stuff. These boxes are wider and much more shallow than your traditional moving box, so it forces me to pack less which lends to more boxes but a lot easier time hauling them down a flight of stairs and across a parking lot. Another box favorite? Chick-fil-a fry boxes. Probably the sturdiest boxes I've ever run across. Call before lunch and have them hold their lunchtime boxes for you to pick up after 2 p.m. You'll get a ton. 
  • Mix and Match: Fill your china boxes with dish towels. Your book boxes with small blankets. Your suitcases with hangers on top of the giant stack of clothes. My somewhat OCD brain wants everything to be organized and orderly, but mixing allows you to save packing filler materials, and also prevents over packing too many heavy items {see bookcase box above}.
  • Pack what you want First, Last: We're loading the trailer Saturday morning and driving to the new house four hours away. I know I'll be exhausted. So I'll need my bed, linens and pillows, and bathroom things first. Pack everything first and make sure all bed and bath items are easily accessible. After dragging in the mattress, you'll probably have just enough energy to hang the shower curtain, brush your teeth, and sleep on top of the mattress with just a sheet...and not the fitted one. 
  • Clean out the Kitchen: Do Not take old food to the new house! Even if its just a box of brownie mix. Moving is a great time to clear out and start over with a fresh, new outlook on life. 
  • Organize You: For me, this means my personal files. All of my copies of bills and receipts from the past year need to be filed. My new lease needs to go in place of my old. I need to print out all of my references about transfers from my email {mail, power, etc.}, that way in case anything goes wrong or isn't turned on, or is lost, YOU have reference of what was supposed to happen at your finger tips in your personal file folder. 
What are some of your best #movingtips? 

Making Plans




Happy May! I love May, it's probably my favorite month. Everything has bloomed and looks so lush and beautiful, the weather starts to become {somewhat} more reliable, and you can see summer just around the corner.

This summer I really want to do some crafting. After doing all of my pieces of my apartment in essentially a two week time span last year {check them out here, here, and here}, I hung up my paint brushes and took a break. Unfortunately, life got in the way, and I have been pretty un-creative during the past year. So this summer, I want to work on some projects that I've never gotten around to.

Thrifty Chair Makeover by artsychicksrule 
I have this pink chair in my living room that I bought for $20 two years ago with hopes of learning how to recover furniture. Well that is intimidating as all get out. I've toyed with the idea of just painting it, and this chalk paint tutorial has encouraged me in that direction! I figured out a good at-home chalk paint recipe last year, so I'm excited to turn my sad, pink chair into something new...or blue...or gray...or white...
I also have three rugs from TJ Maxx a few years ago, blue with a brown flower pattern on them, that I have throughout my house in the kitchen, living room, and laundry. They work great with my decor, but I'm really wanting a new rug so I may try this chalk paint tutorial from Stellar Junk on one or all of them. I love the Moroccan stencil look on just about everything, and think I would really like it as a focal piece, especially in the kitchen. 

by stellar junk: rug redo with chalk pain
Other projects on my list:
  • Restore the cabinet/side table that my jewelry chest sits on
  • Re-learn how to sew!
What's on your summer to-do list? 



Happy Spring!




"I stuck my head out the window this morning and spring kissed me bang in the face." --Langston Hughes
I hope you enjoy the first day of spring; here are a few of the springtime 
decorations in my house! 

Handmade Easter wreath with glitter eggs from Wal-Mart


Please excuse the teeth marks--eggs are Layla's favorite

Mementos




I was born late in October, so I suppose that prompted people to buy a lot of "Baby's first Christmas" ornaments that first year. I'm not sure that's where the Christmas obsession started {thank you, Mother} but ever since them, my collection of ornaments has grown exponentially year-to-year. At some point, my family established the tradition of exchanging ornaments between the siblings, and children to parents. It's a really great thing for us because we've all always had trees in our bedrooms, and it also provides my parents and grandparents with Christmas lists that they can split between fewer people. Below are a few of my most favorite ones right now {it changes each year as I get new ones!}: 

In love with this acrylic monogram my future sister-in-law gave me last year!
You'll notice that I use hot pink balls and different colored
snowflakes as my filler ornaments. 

I had some mirrored picture ornaments sitting on my dresser before
I figured out what to do with them. They're perfect for pictures
from the day I got engaged!

I've looked high and low for a "Layla" ornament. This will have to do:
I've decided it's Layla's mom!

Look at that wrapping paper--so in love with it!
But I also love the magnolia clip-on ornament I found at the Dollar Tree.
You can also see a vintage pink shiny bright, and my beloved
Barbie ice skating ornament. 

Georgia....Southern! Isn't this one cool?!