My Apartment, the 401 Palace

Before it's too late, aka I move out of this ghetto joint, I thought I'd show you my room!
I feel like I should have a disclaimer, but at the same time, I'm not ashamed.  I have too much furniture and not a big enough space.  Sometimes my room feels cramped, but it was my decision to bring everything in! I also get stressed that not everything matches, but it was my decision to buy everything so I just have to deal with it.   I live on Green Street - some fellow/former Hokies may be familiar with it - and it's a pretty old building, but the rent is cheap - I can walk to class - I'm a hop, skip and a jump away from Lane Stadium - and I can walk downtown in about ten minutes. It's mostly a win situation!   Walking into my room:

My bed is a double, but I love it and it's comfy, so it's staying.

The large bulge under my cuddly brown blanket is just a body pillow - not a real body. Don't freak out.

My bedding is from Target. The Lilly monogram pillow is from My Pink and Green Garden and the shift pillow is from the ESS sale last August! One of my favorite prints. Couldn't say no - especially to $14.

I have no shame in saying I sleep with a "stuffed animal", in this case, Stitch. Steven bought him for me from Disney World. I take him everywhere I go to sleep.

He is the perfect plush to cuddle up with.

 I actually have so many other stuffed animals, but they were taking up so much room! I had to send the others home :(

Desk:

I found my desk at Office Depot. It doesn't really "match" but I loved the set up. The simplicity and the hutch was exactly what I wanted.
The chair is a family chair. Not a comfy chair, but that's good because it keeps me awake!

My printer is underneath my desk -- sort of awkward, but there is no room on the desk!

The four cups on the wall are from IKEA. I love them! They hold pencils, pens, highlighters, Sharpies, etc. It was only $4 I think.

I try and keep my desk clean, but that gets tough!

I have sooooo many notepads and such - they're mostly kept in the top desk drawer. I just can't help picking up cute ones!

The green bins (minis of my favorite organization piece) hold random cords, CDs, flash drives, koozies, etc. Very random. The basket on top has other random items in it -- keeps my desk clutter-free!

The Lilly "S" is from My Pink and Green Garden on Etsy :)

On The Wall:

This memo board is next to my desk. It holds random things of importance to me, including a Save The Date & a postcard Steven sent me sophomore year of high school from Hawaii.

{also some fun stuff like Lilly tags & a Paula Deen comic}

 Bedside:

 This is my bedside bookshelf, as opposed to a table. I looked for a long time for the perfect bedside table but realized I need more storage space for books & happened to find this awesome bookshelf at -- you'll never guess where...Walmart!

It's great quality actually and is part of a Better Homes and Gardens line (only remember that because you get a free subscription if you buy it) and has lasted me moving apartments.

I keep novels, my Bible, lotion and tissues on the top,

My ticket stub jar, Steven's picture, 2 baseballs and a full box of mementos on the middle,

 and textbooks and my second box of mementos on the bottom.

I made this to put on top. It's one of my favorite Audrey Hepburn quotes!

Just used some scrapbook paper to jazz it up and then framed it.

The Other Side:

Steven took my closet door off for me when I moved in so I would have room for my dresser.

Again, kind of big - but I love it! Found it at a tent sale at Grand.

I put one of the Closetmaid 6 Cube Organizers from Target on the floor of my closet laying horizontally.

**I LOVE THOSE ORGANIZERS!**

On the top shelf of my closet I have some shoe boxes from IKEA, a Lilly storage bin full of scarves and sweatshirts.

I'm not so keen on having my "messy" closet always being seen but I'm basically the only one who has to look at it so it's not that bad!

TV Area:

My TV sits on another Closetmaid Organizer from Target. I seriously love them! I wish I had a 9 cube one. I have pink and brown fabric drawers for both of the organizers (brown is in the other one) and I love them for stashing random things away!

The Lilly prints above my TV are painted by my awesome brother. I wrote the quotes on the other canvas, "Let your faith be bigger than your fear," and "Enjoy the little things."

The fabric bins hold:

1. Stationary

2. Recycled plastic bags to use for my trash can

3. Random items!

I also have my movie collection and a Lilly box of random items & a small basket holding nail care items.

Dresser:

On top of my dresser is my nail polish stand (made by my other awesome brother!), my jewelry box from Target, a Vera Bradley heart jewelry box and a basket of ball caps I wear on comfy/lazy hair days.

The Lilly art above is a DIY that I think I have shared before...? Just cutouts from agenda pages!

Not seen:

I have a file box to hold worksheets and such I get from kindergarten, paychecks, bank statements and other important papers, as well as a storage box from the ITSO brand at Target with a bin in it I keep papers as well.

I have a green ottoman to the left of my desk that I keep my socks in and I stack extra blankets on top.

I also use underneath my bed for storage and, of course, none of my toiletries are in my room!

It's a small space and I've had to learn to be creative -- and learn how to throw things out when they're wasting space!

Well, there's my room! Nothing too special, but you can only get so fancy when you live in a rented space!

Hopefully I'll have a new, refreshed, more coordinated room next year :)

  Let me know if you have any questions! Happy Thursday!

Stick with Love.

via

  Thank you Martin Luther King, Jr. for all that you did for our country.

Recent Loves & Paying it Forward

Recent loves include:   My nail polish. I may never change it. OPI : Princesses Rule! {you're never too old for pink sparkles}

  Moving Slowly.

  Being back in kindergarten.  My little nuggets are so much smarter and can do so much more on their own now! Makes me proud.

  Parenthood. Just started from the beginning. Great show.

  iHeart Organizing. I could seriously (and seriously I do) explore this blog all day long. So many great organizing tips, tricks and DIY ideas to organize on a budget. I love it.

  ---------------------------------------------   I can't believe my last semester starts in just three days! Students are rolling back into Blacksburg, textbooks have been rented, laundry is done...AH! Lots of emotions.
---------------------------------------------   I saw the neatest Pay It Forward idea on one of my favorite blogs: Turtles and Pearls. I love to 'pay it forward' (although the movie makes me so sad and I haven't watched it since the first time I saw it because it is too sad) and love giving so I knew I wanted to participate.   Here's the details: The first five people to comment on this post with their blog URL and email will receive a gift from me at some random point during this year. It could be anything from a book to a set of notecards to a piece of jewelry. You never know!   My request: That you also post this on your blog and pay it forward! Spread the love!   I just love this idea and I am happy to be paying it forward :)    ---------------------------------------------   I'm off to do some tidying and then watch the Flyers play now that the lockout has ended! GO FLYERS! Happy weekend!

Snow Day!

My neck of Virginia got hit with a snowstorm on Thursday that gave us about 8 inches of powdery goodness! The school I work at was closed today so I had the whole day off to play with Sadie, shovel and watch Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta literally all day long.  

  I'm certainly enjoying it while it lasts!   Anyone else have a snow day today?

Adding a Pinterest Mouseover Button

Hey y'all! Not sure where you're reading from but we are expected to get a lot of snow today! The elementary school I work at has already scheduled an early release. This either means we'll get a a LOT of snow...or no snow at all. We shall see!   Back to business! Recently I've noticed when I place my mouse over a photo on someone's blog, the Pinterest "P" pops up and I can pin that image to Pinterest! I think it's so neat and easy/quick to use. When I'm browsing blogs I'm always seeing cute pictures or fun products that I would like to remember and pinning them is a great way to do so. Clicking the Pin it button will take you right to your Pinterest!   You can test the Pin It button on this quote I made if you would like:

    Here is a tutorial on how to install it on your blog that I found on a great blog - Kevin and Amanda - in case you are interested!   You can also add a Right-click Pin it button if you prefer! You can find that on Kevin and Amanda's blog as well :)   What are your thoughts on the Pinterest Mouseover button? Yay or nay?

Fast-forward...to the BEACH!

I know many of my friends have exciting things coming up, whether it be a wedding, a new baby, graduation or a big trip. While I have graduation to look forward to, of course, my mind has recently been on one thing: the beach! My mom has booked a beach house in Avon for a week in June and - y'all I could NOT be more pumped.  I haven't spent a week at the beach in FAR too long! Last summer I didn't get to go anywhere near the beach! I am long overdue for some beach bummin'. Here are some pictures of the house we have rented -- it's called High Hopes. {And yes, Mom and I eliminated some of the houses just based on what they were called!}   Not sooooo cute on the front...

  But it has two decks! And those windows, yeah they face the ocean.

I can see myself sitting here, watching the waves, drinking a mimosa...

I'll be cookin' some grub in this kitchen! I love the breakfast bar. So beachy.

Call me a 5 year old but I kind of want dibs on a top bunk...I haven't slept in one since the 2nd grade, probably...

Okay, YES. Me. This deck. A beach read. A margarita. KTHANKSBYE!

I'll be heading for those stairs every day! So happy that we'll be so close to the ocean. Gonna be tannin' for dayyyys...

Another plus -- it's pet friendly! Which means Sadie girl gets to come :) I think we'll have some extended family there as well. It's going to be great! Is it weird that I've already thought about things I'm going to wear?
AHHHH can it be June already!? Plus this means ONE WEEK off from work! Besides the boo-boo to my paycheck, I could not be more excited.   Anyone else going to be in the OBX this June? I would lovvvve to see some friends!

Now, I return to the rainy, dreary day that is Blacksburg...I'll keep dreamin' :)

Recently...

I realized I haven't done a "catch up on life" post recently and, although nothing major has happened, I still want to document some fun things!

Recently...I finished my first cross stitch that I gave to my mom for her birthday:

 Not the best picture, but after I was finished with it I ironed it and framed it.  I also added the quote and heart on my own to make it more unique. I think I did pretty good for my first one ever!  Definitely some mistakes, but thankfully no one but me can tell where they are :)
Recently...I rang in the New Year on one of the best NYE I've ever had!

I wish this picture wasn't blurry :(

I honestly couldn't have asked for better people to spend it with -- although I was sad my roommate Lindsay wasn't able to come back for the night!   Recently...the weather (last weekend) has been gorgeous!

 I got to pleasantly run outside down in the valley.

Then I went for a run at Pandapas Pond!
Recently...Steven got me a new Vera Bradley wallet for an early Valentine's gift/happy spring semester of senior year gift :)

I love VB wallets.  In the past I've used their basic Euro Wallet, the All-in-One Wristlet {as a wallet}, the Clutch wallet and I've been happy with all of them. However, I hadn't found the perfect style quite yet -- either they were too small, didn't have enough card slots, the change pocket was too tiny or they just didn't work well with carrying them around campus. This is the Turn Lock Wallet in Plum Petals - one of my favorite prints. I wanted this style because it's easier to access your IDs than it is in the clutch wallet (what I've been using up until now) and there's plenty of card slots! So far I love it and I love that Steven remembered the style that I wanted! He picked out the print on his own though :) (Although, I did tell him some of the prints that I do not like...)
Recently...my brother built me a nail polish stand for Christmas!

Wouldn't ya know...it's already filled. I actually even had to eliminate some! I guess I'll have to ask for another one to match for Easter or something... :)

Like I said, not too much going on, but still I've been keeping busy! This is my last week before classes start and I'm working every day & going in to kindergarten on MWF. I'm starting to organize my room, car and purse TODAY! Wish me luck and send any tips :)