Being an emerging professional of interior design has its perks, don't get me wrong, but it also has its downfalls. The biggest downfall is that I'm surrounded by what I call "design couture". Great and beautiful things that I will probably never be able to afford. I've been to showrooms with rugs that are worth $30k! Yep, you heard me right folks, $30,000 rugs. Well, personally, I'd never ever spend that kind of money on rug. Anyway, there are so many other great finishes that are so beautiful and such a work of art and craftsmanship... I digress.

I need to get back to my bedroom... As a designer, I'm always looking to improve. I'm not even near the level I want to be at. So, I'll just practice some of those skills at home. My bedroom really needed to be updated but really can't afford (yet) of what I'd really love to do. Besides, it is a rental after all.

Here are the existing furniture:

- Bedroom set - Mine is fairly nice overall; it's a bit traditional looking.

Solutions:

- Keep the existing furniture then move furniture to the other wall, facing the window.

- Add more artwork to the walls.

- Add curtains.

- A reading nook chair in the corner by the window.

- A touch of contemporary

- Add more white to the bedding (This could be dangerous folks. If any of you know my husband, he                                                         is truely a mans mans and likes to get dirty)
- Do my own artwork, and photography. This will be added to the walls.

- Make this as affordable as possible!!

Now bare with me on this, this is may take a while for me to complete for the after. I've said this before, and I'll say it again, this should be and will be a home investment!

Here is my concept board (or inspiration board) for my room. My goal is to give it more of a contemporary feel but it'll be more of a eclectic feel due to the existing bedroom pieces which are a traditional style. The colors used would be black, grays, browns, with accents of silver, gold, and hints of soft soft pink to add just a touch of girly to the room. The room will have more of a rustic flare to just so my husband will like it more. Just so that it can have a mans feel to the overall space.

You're probably wondering what the room looks like now. Well I got to starting on this project when I totally forgot to take my before. All that was done was move the bed and night stands to the  other. Plus it is pretty messy right now. Hey, I think it'll give the end results more drama when the after is revealed. 

See? Pretty messy. I've already been working on the after, and I'm already very happy with the current results. Thank you for visiting!

K-T!

I bet you know by now that I love fall. There is no better way to add touches of coziness to your home with these few ideas that I put together for you. Here is are a few ways (and some afforable) that you can do now to make your home more cozy.

• Blankets. Lots and lots of blankets. Not just any blankets, but the one that are knit or faux fur to drape on chairs, your bed, or your couch. 

Source: Pinterest

•  Now you gotta have a lot of pillows to also cozy up to. LOVE pillows. The best kind are the down feathered pillows. And I think the best place to get affordable ones would be at Home Goods store or TJ Maxx. They are not only comfy but do fluff nice and hold a good shape.

Source: Pinterest

• Tea. Yes tea. Perfect simple way to make you feel extra cozy at night. 

• Lighting. I love how task lighting can actually make a home interior just glow inside.  Task lighting can be found easily by bed side lighting, lamps in the living room, or just simply dimming your lights. 

Source: Pinterest

• Candles. Lots of them. Unless you have children and you may be better using Scentsy. Back at candles, I love the warm glow and the scents. Yankee Candle is a big favorite of mine. Then of course, if you have decor lanterns, candle pillars or whatever grab some general candles for those to. 

Source: Pinterest

• Grab one of your vases and put flowers in them. Make it fit for the season. Just about anything will do for fall as long as it is fall-like colors. A no brainer right? Place them in you kitchen, on your kitchen table, on your bed side table, coffee table, office desk... Plenty of places! Keep in mind of scale to. Go big on kitchen table but go smaller on the bed side table and office desk. But really whatever you see fits. 

• Bake up some of your pumpkin or apple recipes! Yum!  This one is a favorite of mine or this one. By the way, they make your home smell A-mazing!

• Then lastly, pull out fall decor in general. Love bringing them out to start the season of the holidays! Don't forget to refer to this post or even this post to get your DIY juices going!

Thanks for visiting today! I hope your enjoying the fall season as much as I am. 

Much love, 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

1. This is cute lil twist to your bedroom mirror. Love the grey and gold touch. I think I may have to do this to my bathroom mirror.

2. Hollow out the lemon seems like a really cute unique idea. I may have to do this put them out on my patio. Or an evening to add a decorative touch when having guests over. 

3. Owls. Nough said. 

4. I've been wanting these fringe boots for like years! But they are so much $$$!!! One of these days. 

5. Isn't this phone case pretty!? I love the geometric detail. 

6. Really, really need to get my hair done. Trimmed, touch of freshener of color. I'm confessing a sin right now and I haven't had my hair done since March! 

7. My anniversary is coming up, I'd really love to add this somewhere in our home. 

8. The "oh deer" sign, perfect to hang in home for the upcoming fall and winter season. 

Do you Pinterest? You probably do. 

Thanks for visiting today! Happy Friday!

Fall is just around the corner, and believe me,  I'm ready for the season. Aren't you?  I've officially gave into my temptation of my fall decor. Am I the only one that brings out the seasonal decor out a little early? Please say that I'm not.  I love fall colors, the crisp cool air, the fashion, the smells... It's the best! Oh and pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING! Yes I am one of those fanatics that loves the flavor of pumpkin. By the way, I do have a couple of past posts here and here that are perfect DIY fall decor projects to display in your home. I've found a couple of really great inspirations into your fall temptation. Or just come and visit my pinterest board of more inspiration to get other fall decor ideas.

By the way, I've noticed that my Friday post didn't go up! OPS! I accidentally set it to the wrong day. Oh well. But thank you for visiting today. Have a great start of your week. 

Catie 

If anyone knows me, they know that I love to decorate with antlers. If any designer knows, you have to decor this piece just right and in the right area.  It's great to add a primitive touch to just about any room. Best would be in living rooms, entry ways, kitchens, and bedrooms. Back in college, I've even designed a furniture piece that have antlers as a accent. You must be thinking; "she is crazy/weird if she love to decor with antlers!" Let me tell you, your husband will be very proud! Just try it. Of course, I posted photos to get your inspiration juices going.

For this weeks of my series of getting healthy, I'll be sharing with you my typical workout. It does vary really. Sometimes I play a game with myself on the cardio machines. But I always, always at least get in 40 -60 minutes in for the day. Always. The first cardio machine I head to would be the treadmill. You can find what I do here for my treadmill work outs. I do try to run on the treadmill for up to an hour but I tend to get bored. I'll either head for the elliptical or the stationary bike to finish the rest of the my goal time.

The gym I attend is Planet Fitness, and they have a great circuit training section. It includes stair stepping for adding cardio, and weight machines. I love the circuit training. Cardio and weight training for a half hour. It really seems to go a lot faster then you think. When it comes to time, I always at least do 30 minutes of hard cardio and then their circuit training.

On my long days, 45-90 minutes of cardio, and weight training. You should concentrate on a certain group of muscles like legs, arms, abs, you get the picture. What ever machines are there around you,  target the muscles you want to work on, and do 3 sets of 8/10.  I hope this helps you get an idea of what your wanting to do at the gym. Happy working out!

Thanks for visiting!

*But sure to consult with your doctor before doing any exercise program. I'm not a professional trainer in any way, this is all by my opinion and what I find works well for me.* 

                Adding line to your design is a great and beautiful way to add texture, drama, sophistication, harmony, and simplicity to a space. There are many ways to add this sort of element to your home such as a wall covering, carpet, tiles, fabrics, paint... Lines do lean towards a more modern look but it could be a bit traditional as well. If you add line to your wall vertical it'll make an illusion of a taller space. If the the lines are horizontal they kind of "shrink" the space but they are calming and will give more of a traditional look. Here of some images that I love or find interesting of adding lines to a space.

Which one do you like?

I'm always on the lookout for the right tools to help me, motivate me, and encourage me with my weight loss journey. These tools are to help me keep on track and to add variety because I just get bored really fast. Especially with exercising. However, this past week, my husband and I decided to join a gym. Man am I glad I did! First off, the price was unbelievable. Like to good to be true. $20 for the both of us! Yep! Plus, we get to sit down with a personal trainer and come up with a workout program to fit our needs or goals. I was going to share that with you today but my appointment was cancelled because the trainer got sick. Hopefully next week.

For this weeks series, I'm going to share with you my favorite apps, sites, and other great tools to help keep you motivated and perhaps more accountable. At least give them a try.


Favorite apps:

myfitnesspal  - to track your food intake and exercises. You can even scan your foods to make tracking faster.

lolo   - this is an app as a personal trainer. There is an variety of them like training for a 5k, 10k, dumbbells, kettle bell, etc,.. I love working with kettle bells which is the one I have.You do have to pay like $3 for the app but I think it is well worth it. It does kick your butt! :)

10k - A free app to get training to run a 10k. I was hoping to do a half, but for the time I have left to train for one, I'd be pushing it and potentially setting myself up for injury. So I'm looking at a more realistic goal, and that is the 10k one.

Pandora - Do I really need to explain this one? They do have great music if you need to listen to       something else on your smart phone.




Favorite Site:

Skinnytaste.com - LOVE this site. I've been following her for years. She has a lot of variety of skinny dishes with great eye candy. She also breaks down all the nutrition value of her dishes so you can calculate it.




Favorite Magazines:

Cooking Light - great dishes and ideas to get creative with your meals.

Weight Watchers - Oh you know, keeping up with the latest science on weight-loss and such.

Muscle & Fitness Hers - Great motivating magazine and workout routines to try.



What are your other favorite media tools? Please share - I'm always on the lookout.

Time to head out to the gym!

Today, I'll be heading to a horse derby event. I'm really excited.

One of the things that I've always wanted to do in my life's bucket list is to attend the Kentucky Derby and wear one of those big fancy hats! Or try and look as glamorous as Kate Middleton - style crush! Anyways, tonights event is a very mini Kentucky Derby with a twist. It's the (Interior) Designer Derby event where you can drink mint juleps, mingle with other professionals, and watch the horse races. And what wouldn't be a derby if you didn't look the part? Yep, that's right! I'll be dressing as if I'd be going to the actual event. However, I had to make and put together my own derby hat. There will be a hat making competition.  And, I will share with you what I've put together! I thought this would be easy. Nope. It was challenge putting together this derby hat. Of course, I went with safe colors. Black. Mainly. Don't worry, there are emeralds, dark blues, ... browns...

First, I needed a base, a hat with a big rim. Next, are the glamor accessories. I ironically went with only two. I thought I'd have 5-10 different items, but I think I'll go tame this year. :)

You can shape and mess with the feathers gently.  Just take the "spine" with your thumb and index finger to curl it.

Then, I went to place the feathers and the flower of where I wanted them to go. Next, I grabbed my hot glue gun, placed a dot as to where my feathers will go. Lastly, I glued the back of my flower and placed it on top of the end of the feathers to hide the wire. Wala! 

But wait.. I'm not ready to show the final result just yet. 

Stayed tuned!

Ca-ca-Catie