Ever need a pick me up? Yeah. I do to. It's been one of those weeks. Well, really the last couple of weeks to be precise. When I have a moment of down time, I like to explore on Pinterest to gain inspiration and at times, need some words to live by.  Maybe just need some good 'ol fashion advice or sometimes find some Ah-Ha moments! Take a look at these recent finds from Pinterest.

1. Family. 

There is nothing better time worth spent then being with family around the holidays. Mom, Dad, brother/sister, cousins, aunts, uncles, in-laws, and grandparents. I love how we used to do the secret Santa on Christmas Eve, talking away with catching up on our lives and what we've been up to.  Oh and to also catch up on the latest gossip on people from your small town.  Does your family do that to?


2. Friends

There has been a lot of holiday parties around here. There have been great company of some friends and then making some new ones.



3. The smell of a Christmas tree.

Needless to say more?!
Wait a minute,... I have a fake one this year...

So my allergies are not so forgiving this season .. but I still love to smell them.



4. The smell of burning Yankee Candles. 

Ah! The scent of Christmas Eve was the one scent I grew up on. If you ain't smelled one, ya gotta.



5. Memories of Christmas Eve on Scotts Lane.

It was grandpa and grandmas Daugherty's house. It was an absolute beautiful mid-century modern houme on a beautiful piece of land. And Christmas Eve made that house was so magical. Open floor plan, cozy family room with the fire place roaring, HUGE Christmas tree all over looking the great wall of windows to the winter wonderland woods. It was one of the most beautiful settings you'll have ever seen.



6. Christmas Eve.

I remember growing up coming home from our family festivities of the evening, lighting candles, our family room lite by our glowing tree, and my dad reading to me T'was the Night Before Christmas.



7. Christmas Mornings.

The smell of cinnamon rolls, and breakfast casserole baking in the oven just before we would open presents. And not to forget drinking a cup of coffee with some Baileys.



8. If your lucky, a snowy evening on Christmas Eve. 

Have you ever experienced a perfect snow fall on the eve of Christmas? If you haven't, you should add it to your life's bucket list. It's magical, beautiful, and kind of serene.  And when you step out into it, it's so erringly quiet, even when your in the middle of town. You can even hear the snow sprinkle on the clinging leaves with some of the trees.



9. Christmas Movies

Miracle on 34th Street, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Christmas Carol

You know... the classics.



10. Christmas Music

The hymns, Tony Bennet, Frank Sinatra.

So darn wonderful.


Hope you all are having a wonderful Christmas week!

Let's have a small discussion about hallways, shall we? Hallways is one of thee most lived in space, believe it or not. We always go through them, like, everyday. Therefore, they really should be a celebrated space, or at least, a space to really be a part of your home. Seriously. Think about it. Here are some of my favorite designed hallway spaces.

Source: Pinterest

Wainscoting. Beautiful, traditional use of space. Plus cozy.  Give it more a gem feeling by adding a statement piece through the use of pendant lighting. 

Source: Pinterest

Adding a collage of your most prized photos.

Source: Pinterest

Adding texture to the ceiling, contrasting colors,  but light and an airy use of space. 

Source: Pinterest

The one favorite thing that I love about this hallway is the shine to the ceiling and the drum shade lighting pendent.  THose pendents are my favorite now a days. 

Source: Pinterest

Ah! This space. Purely simple. This color is so underestimated but works so beautifully with the natural walnut colored wood flooring for contrast. Don't you think this space is striking?  Plus the vocal point really adds to the sparkle.

Hope this gave you some inspiration like it does for me. Lately, I've been obsessing a little of hallways and the "entrance" feeling it can give you. It's probably because I'm currently looking into an adorable modern/craftsman house to buy. Ever since then, I've been planning in my head what I would do to the inside. Right when you walk into the home is an hallway entrance.  Of course, I'm plotting the way to make it better. I will definately keep you posted whether or not we have purchased this home. 

See you Wednesday!

  

Weddington Way,  an online boutique for all your wedding party essentials, has asked me to create a custom look for a bridesmaid for a New Year's Eve wedding.  This site offers such a variety from bridal shower dresses, to maternity dresses, rentals, and even groom accessories! So Brides, you have to come and check out this website. This will help narrow down all your searching into just one place. And for us other ladies who are either already married, waiting to get married, - you can still come and search this site. There are beautiful options on here for wedding parties, dance events, showers, business parties, graduations, or whatever!

Below is my custom bridesmaid look for the New Year's Eve wedding. The palette is truly inspired (but of course) by the traditional colors of the night such as champagne golds, whites, touch of black.. Though I went for a more traditional look, the aim is to be simple, elegant, classic romance with the use of soft gold, ivory, pearly white, neutrals, and then adding just small hints of "black". When I visually see this wedding, all shades of gold, champagne, white, and hints of black will be all done in the bouquets, the lights, and other beautiful accessories throughout the event. Before you go, be sure to check out their latest dress collection.

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Hands down that fall fashion and beauty is the most fun and most inspiring to me. Just love it. Here are this months favorite beauty products you must try. 

1. Essie's Carry On. One of my top color picks for this years fall fashion. Just a  deep merlot color. What can I say more about it? It's just a beautiful color. 

2. Olay's Autumn Renew. This is honestly my first time trying Olay body wash. Well, I'm hooked. Not only does it smell well, fall, but it is so moisturizing! 

3. Charlotte Tilbury. Okay. I honestly don't have this (it's a bit pricey), but it is on my most wanted list. These colors see, so perfect for the eyes this time of year. Especially if you have hazel green eyes like myself. I bet they'll pop! 

4. BareMinerals - jack of all trades in Sure Thing. Love. I'm not really a lipstick kind of gal but I do like wearing some every now and then. However, this - this is a lip balm lip stain. It gives just a pretty subtle hint of color on your lips without looking too overdone. I just love this product - perfect for daytime.

5. Smash Box Halo Long wear Blush. This is one of my other favorite products. A little bit will go a long way. I personally like to blushes with a hint of bronzer with a soft hint of pink. It gives a natural glow. You need to try this. 

Have you tried any of these products? Which one is your favorite?

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, 

Yesterday, after church, I've convinced my husband earlier in the week to go and pick some apples at a local orchard.   It was surprising to learn that he has never done this before. Throughout our marriage, I've manage to expose himself to many things that he has never tried or has never done before. And honestly, I find it very entertaining. He puts a good effort into trying things I introduce him to just because he knows I love it. It's one of the many reason why I love him so.

 This is such an unflattering picture of me! Anyways, moving on...

After the orchard, I decided to try something new for myself. For a while, I've been really wanting to make my own applesauce to just eat as is, and adding it some baking goodies that I plan on making later this week. When fall comes, I really get in the mood for drinking tea, to reading more, cozy up to my blanket and baking.  I'll have to let you know how my homemade applesauce turned out. So far, my home smells A-mazing. How was your weekend? Do you do some apple picking?

Thanks for visiting!

Catie

This week has been a busy one yet, really rewarding.  For the first time in my young career, I saw my interior renders come to life on a project. To me, there is no greater award to see something you've help create come to life. If you haven't been keeping up with my on my Instagram, I traveled to Phoenix, Arizona to job train on installing and to shadow on project manage. Honestly, I'm not sure how my principal does it. By the end of my short 2-day trip, I was throughly exhausted.

Here are my top 5 for the week.

1. My husband and I on Sunday, went to an orchard to purchase cider. Guys, this was a big deal for me. You know why? Because when I left my home state of Michigan, I feared that I will never again taste raw, made on site, fresh apple cider ever again.  Well on that Sunday, I was wrong. And my husband, never tasted it either. He loved it - I loved it!

2. Flying down to Arizona for work, I got to do the touristy thing. Well, for a few minutes, in the air anyway. I've always wanted to see the Grand Canyon. Well, I did. :)

3. I've said it earlier, and I'll say it again. What a reward it was to finally see this project almost completed and to see my interior renders come to life for the first time. That was awesome.

4. I'm probably going to sound silly, but I thought it was cool to see palm trees and cactuses. More so impressed to see cactuses since it was my first time ever to see any at that size. Sheltered, I know.

5. Over all, I learned a lot from this trip. Met a lot of people to help make this project possible. In a way, I felt like I was back in college. Did I mention I really love what I do?

How was your week?

Okay, I'm such a music nerd. Perhaps it is because I came from a very artistic/talented family or it could be because I learned to really appreciate music since (at one moment of my life) I used to be a bandy.  Either way, I love listening to music to match my moods. If I'm feeling fun and playful, it's usually upbeat and ready to get my dance on. Or if I'm kinda of sad, I listen to soft instrumental stuff. This months playlist is all about jazz. Tony Bennet to be exact. September 23rd is the first day of fall, and I personally happen to be ahead of it. This playlist to me reflects relaxation for a "quiet" evening, curled up to faux-fur blanket, sipping wine or herbal tea, and thumbing through some magazines. Oh and don't forget to light up some candles. Especially ones that are scented just for fall. Didn't I just set up your evening plans now?  Let's sip some wine shall we?


Click here to listen to September's playlist.

Feeling fall fashion? Strips and plaid are the way to go! This look could be great for work or just casual. I dressed it up a bit with a light jacket yet add pop of red color with the red shoes, the scarf, and some red lips.

Shop my look!

Stripped Shirt: H&M,  | similar
Plaid Scarf: Old Navy, last winter | similar
Pants: Old Navy
Bag: Target
Shoes: Old Navy, old | similar
Jacket: The Limited, old | similar
Glasses: Dolce & Gabbana

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.

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Most of these beauty finds are the main essentials of my everyday needs. This would be the Clinique foundation in pore refinement, bare minerals foundation powder (yes, I use both at the same time), EOS lip balm (smells heavenly), and the make up remover. I love those products and have for years. My skin tends to be a bit oily in the T-zone and the pore refining does its job well. The 3 minute miracle deep conditioner was a recent find. Its smells really, really good and made my hair silky soft. I do recommend that you try this product and it was only $2.99 at Target! Lastly, is of course OPI Cajun Shrimp. I absolutely love this color! It's a bit pink, or red, or reddish orange. Whatever color you see it as, it is perfect for summer. Perhaps for fall to!

Thanks for visiting today! I should be back to a normal schedule from now on. Work was owning me for the last 2 and half weeks! Again, thanks for being patient with me. I have missed you!

Love, 

The Catty-Did

Sheesh all I feel that I talk about these days are how far behind I am, work this, work that... Are you getting sick of it as well as I am?

I'm trying to get back in the game of things but (here I go again!) I am so busying with work. Still! I've honestly been working weekends and doing 10 - 12 hour work days. Bare with me, okay? I sure miss doing posts, and sharing my interests with you. Every now and then when I'm working I get side tracked with inspiration to do fun posts on my blog. Get ready for them.

So again, I was hoping that I would be back to regular 8 hour days by now. That still won't happen just yet. And honestly, I don't know how long this will keep up. Crossing my fingers that it'll be til the end of this week.

For now, I put together a little August side tape to listen to. It is music that calms me and helps me get through the long
hours. Or just taking a moment to be in the house alone and listen. I hope you enjoy it!

Visit here to listen to the August playlist:


Thanks for baring with me for the last couple of weeks.

The top I'm wearing has been hanging in my closet forever! Never been worn. I know. I've probably committed a sin. Tonight I had a great excuse to pull it out and wear it. Finally. One of the best things I love about my job is that my boss really doesn't care how I dress. Except when it comes to meetings, meeting clients, our reps, etc... So tonight I had a visit with one of our rep from the designer industry. This outfit is sophisticated yet flirty enough to have a night out with the love of your life or a night out of town. I think this could even be dressed up even more with faux leather pants paired with a blazer jacket. Perhaps I should do a post on that as well! Well thanks for visiting! It might be quite til next Wednesday since I'll be Cali bound with no communication to the outside world. Maybe. I still haven't made up my mind. Til then, have a wonderful rest of your week!

SHOP MY LOOK:

Flirt Jeans // Old Navy

Down East Basics (old) // (similar)

Nude Wedges (old) // (similar) 

Floppy Hat Shopko Spring '14 // (similar)

Bag: Coach '12 // (similar)

xoxoxo,