Wednesday Decor // Jewelry & Night Stand Organization

Our bedroom is unbelievably small.  It's very, very small and I have a growing make up collection so there's shrinking room on my vanity for my jewelry.  A lot of my nightstand was being used as space for junk - both drawers were junk drawers!  So I decided to sit down, clean them out, and put them to good use - to organize my jewelry.

The first thing I moved over a while ago was this three tiered jewelry stand I picked up at Joanne's (I believe).  It's a soft velvet texture and is great for both bracelets and necklaces.  If the necklace is too long, I doubled it up & wrapped it around two of the tiers.  I don't really wear jewelry much - answering the phones and being very active at my job really limits the jewelry I wear!  But it's nice to have it all on display when I need it.  I actually have more bangles but I am notorious for taking them off & putting them in my purse.  So I'm pretty sure the remainder of them are in a bag somewhere.

Since I don't really wear too much jewelry I've been getting into watches.  For some reason they just seem a bit more classy & practical to wear for work.  I've been collecting a few but needed a way to store them.  Luckily I snatched up these divider things on sale at Meijer!  I'm sure you could find them in the closet section of a place like Meijer or Target, or even on Amazon.  (Hey! Here's a link for them on Amazon!)  The sections are great for earrings, watches, bracelets, etc.  Love them!  As you can see there's plenty of room for more since I picked up two of the dividers.  Oh, and the divider things comes out - so if I ever want to use it as just a plain tray, that's an option.

Then I just stuck a box on the side with hair ties, my ear plugs, & my chap stick.  A brush because I have long hair now, I have to brush it (gosh, so annoying lol).  Under the brush is a stylus for my iPad.  Then I have a few journals - my blog book, a Vera Bradley patterned one, & my Gnome Gnotebook.  On top of the night stand are some lotions & my alarm clock stand (from Modcloth here).  The lamp is something I've had for ages & it used to be white - then I painted it yellow - then I painted it black.  I forgot to mention that there is a night stand on each side of the bed in the same style.  I picked these up from Big Lots & almost totally missed on getting a second for Zach.  He had his own but I didn't really like the mix-matched feel.  His is now the nightstand for the spare room.  I had to snatch up the floor model of mine for him.  Phew!

The bottom drawer (not pictured!) just holds some more bits - bluetooth keyboard for my iPad, matches for our candles, a few empty Birchbox boxes for storage.  I've vowed all the junk will reside in this drawer only!  Also, in the first picture, you can probably see some yarn & half finished crochet projects in a basket under the night stand.  Yeah, that just sort of lives there I don't even know what projects are in it!  But I also keep a box of spare crochet hooks in the bottom drawer as well.

How do you organize your night stand? Where does your jewelry live?

xoxo, Moe

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Wednesday Decor // Bedroom on a Dime

I looooove decorating & have always tried to do so on a budget.  In college & after, decorating means anything that's cool creating an eclectic feel in my decor.  I've never been one to spend $$$ on decor because I like to change it up a lot & really want to afford other things too.  So far I think I've made our bedroom look $$$ for $$.  The mood board below doesn't do the idea justice.  I'm still waiting for things in the mail & actually had to contact Amazon to change the address on one of my orders because I accidentally had the old address still on there! So hopefully it will arrive, correctly, soon.

Zach already has a tall dresser, a short & long dresser, & a night stand from his old apartment.  He's also got a queen sized bed + a few lamps. The biggest thing we were facing is finding a matching nightstand + dressing table for me.

See the set here, on Polyvore

You may remember from all the past posts that the biggest thing for us is agreeing on decor.  We both have totally different tastes but as we're getting acclimated I'm excited to open up my design aesthetic to include classier elements.  Does that make sense?  Less bohemian more classic-meets-modern.

The elements of this I'm most excited about are below:

Damask Duvet Cover - This took a lot of deciding on!  But luckily we found one we liked enough on Amazon for cheap.  Amazon has been a great resource for affordable decor.  We've bought the sheets, the duvet, & towels for the bathroom.  Luxury items on sale, I'm telling you!  This damask pattern also brings in a sort of rococo feel to the room adding to the modern-meets-classic feel. 

Floor Length Curtains - The curtains were the first elements of the bedroom I got.  I just needed to start decorating so I headed to Big Lots & found super affordable yet really luxurious sheer curtains.  To create a more luxury feel, I got one textured panel & swept it to the side with a small tassel.  We also have small windows so i brought the curtains all the way to the floor.  I have to say this is by far my favorite part of the room right now!

Camera Prints - While reading through some blogs I stumbled upon some great camera prints in black & white.  While we aren't trying to create a camera themed casa I'd like to try to tie in all of our collections across the board.  My biggest fear is that our house becomes laid out like a museum with each room being a different theme.  My hope is to accomodate all of our collections across the house.

Creative Elements - I'm excited to throw in a bit more of me into the style of this room.  While I like all the elements it really doesn't scream me.  Me would have bright colors everywhere & a bohemian mix of styles but I think adding a crocheted blanket & decorating my dressing table/nightstand will give the room more of a me feel.  I've got a lamp to paint & lampshades to dye so as long as there's something creative I think I'm satisfied.  I am so very happy we went away from a black & red bedroom and moved onto purple.  The lampshades are all going to be a lovely plum color as well as the crocheted blanket.

Because I love finding deals I know that we can get a great deal on a dime from places like Amazon & Big Lots.  We've looked all over the place for nightstands in furniture stores but mine finally came from Big Lots for around $75.  That was on a special Buzz Club day where members got another 10% off.  Then to make it match the silver accents around the room we got $3 hardware from Meijer.  The style is a bit different but I'm hoping that the style of the dressing table will help even it out the differences in the style.  Here is a little breakdown of the elements added:

Things We Have

duvet cover - $66 (compared to ones up to $150 we were looking at)

nightstand - $75 +$3 hardware (compared to ones we were looking at that were $220)

sheets - 2 sets, 1500 thread count for $30 from Amazon (I don't believe the original price they had listed!)

mirror - $10 from Big Lot's ages ago & from my apartment.  Needs to be painted silver or black (it's currently gold)

lamps - both of us already have lamps, mine needs to be painted & it was a gift!

Things We Still Need

dressing table - may be a thrift store find & repainted

storage basket for under my nightstand - also may be thrift store find & painted OR another sweet sale at Hobby Lobby where we got the ones for the bathroom

lampshades to dye - again, probably from Amazon or Big Lots.  Just a plain white one to dye since I can't find the right shade of purple

camera prints - printed at stables & I've got some 12x12 inch frames to use.  Maybe we'll print them here! I want them to look kind of distressed anyway.

We also currently don't have a bedframe.  Zach didn't have one & the way our bed room is laid out one can't really fit.  The roof slants & any ones we see have too high of a head board.  Eventually we may build our own but for now I think I've found a solution.  While it's not ideal, I've decided to put a black fitted sheet on the boxspring so it doesn't look so tacky.  I've been sort of channeling a look like this with a twist of this.  I think (& hope) it looks sorta so comfy & beautiful you just want to fall in.

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Dorm Dec Wednesday // Dream Home - Closet Space

Since there has been a lot of change in my life in the past few weeks (days even) I've been thinking a lot about what I'd like to have in another, more permanent, home.  Right now where I live doesn't have much storage.  There's an attic & a few closets but no real storage space for things for everyday use.  For example (and I won't show you a picture) we have a spare room that was supposed to be a craft room but has been turned into a let's just put this crap here room.  It's rather frustrating!

I also have too many clothes & shoes for the small standard closets in this place.  My Junior year of College, I had a lovely walk in closet with some over head storage, it was wonderful.  Every year since though, closet space has just been diminishing.  My rack even fell off in my closet in the middle of hanging up clothes! What??

Anyway, if I had it my way, I'd have all of these things in my room:

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images found through pinterest

On the quest of decorating a small space, it's hard to display things.  I love to display my collections of shoes, jewelry, anything really & a lot of space gets cluttered easily.  For example, my vanity is just full of bits of things.  I am a clutter bug who thirsts for minimalism.  I don't think I'll ever make it....

I love to turn to Little Chief Honey Bee & A Beautiful Mess for decor inspiration.  I've also been obsessed with thumbing through the hashtags on Instagram.  If you're on Instagram, come find me! My username is fivesixteenths.  I love finding other crafty & inspirational peeps!

What do would you have in your dream home?  Do have a dream home already decorated through Pinterest? (I do!)

Dorm Dec Wednesday // It's Jess

Have you seen the new show on Fox called New Girl? I am obsessed! Recently my room mate signed us up for Hulu Plus on the Xbox & I watched all nine or so episodes.  I am in love with their loft style apartment & it makes me yearn for my old apartment my last year of college.

Jess (played by Zooey Deschanel) is a quirky school teacher who sings to herself & is a little self conscious about her awkwardness.  After breaking up with her boyfriend of six years, Zooey's character moves into an apartment with three guys after seeing an ad for it online.  They help her through her break up & get into some shenanigans along the way.  Not only is the show hilarious, but her style is oh so cute & their apartment is to die for!

My college apartment was a hodge podge of items with an all over boho feel.  My room is still that way (though it is a total mess right now) but I've been told I need to refine my tastes, that I am 'no longer in college'.  But I love it! Hopefully I'll be able to add a bit more of myself in the common rooms in our current house.  We are only going to be there another six months though, so perhaps not.

My favorite type of decor involves color, pattern, & inspiration.  I want to feel cheerful & inspired when in my room (or my whole house for that matter).  I dislike things too matchy-matchy & love things with a vintage feel.  I am a clutter bug but I try to keep it down to relevant collections or bits & bobs displayed perfectly.  Showing off my eclectic, colorful, & sort of childlike tastes is important to me.  If you view my room I want you to know it's mine! It should be as loud & colorful as I am!

This is Jess' room in the show:

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Don't you just love it? It's to die for! I'd like to get back to a little bit of simplicity like this in my decor. To incorporate collections with a bit of a more grown up feel, if you will.  A lot of the items in our home are from thrift stores or discount stores like TJ Maxx.  In fact, my bedspread in the pictures above is from a thrift store & I got it for like $3.  Nearly all of my sheets are thrifted, my bed frame was Katie's before we moved, my dresser was from my child hood, etc.  Our living area downstairs has two hand me down couches & coffee tables and the dining set is a hand me down as well. 

Passing on perfectly good pieces of furniture is really important to me in friendships and families.  All of Zach's furniture is brand new & a bit boxy.  I am a very organic person & Zach is pretty technical.  There aren't too many sharp corners in my house but I've run into the edge of the coffee table or dresser or something a few times at his house!

I'd really like to try out a lot of the Decor Crafts in both the Big Ass Book of Crafts & the Big Ass Book of Home Decor.  Next Monday, I always say Next Monday....Mondays are my day off & I get the whole house to myself (unlike the weekend when everyone is home).

Some inspirational things:

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How do you describe your style? Do you find it hard to decorate with room mates?

Dorm Dec Wednesday: Fave Colors - Lavender, Robin's Egg, Pumpkin

These soft colors are my fave pallet for the summer.

Can you tell? Nearly every Dorm Dec Wednesday post has one of these colors in it.

I am usually not a pale/pastel color person, I prefer bright & bold colors & patterns but there is something about summer that makes me just love these colors.

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One of my friends told me that her aunt has a huge collection of bottles she's found on the beach. 

Over the years of having them sit on windowsills around her house they have turned colors from pale yellows, blues, & greens to even this beautiful lavender color.  

How beautiful!

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My friend had her wedding colors this purple & pumpkin. It was perfect for a fall wedding!

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Moving Board: Bedroom

Moving time is almost here & I have big plans for some cool stuff! (Hopefully)

Mostly my room will be like it always is - sort of a bohemian/gypsy/eclectic/granny feel - but I do want to do a few things differently

1 - I have a white dresser that I really want to put a mirror on top of.  I want to lean it against the wall & I want it to be big! I also plan on doing the rub-the-mirror-part-off-&-put-fabric/paper-on-in that I saw a while ago on Vintage revivals.

2 - I'd like to have a few little crates here & there to corral some of my items.  This will probably be better in the craft room (which I will have!)

3 - A lamp that hangs over my night stand.  I do have a paper globe lamp but I'd like to make one like this with spray painted beads & a hanging planter basket.

4 - this tin foil night stand is from Vintage Revivals as well.  I am looking to do this to one of my jewelry boxes & my bed frame (if I grab the one from my room mate & she gets a new one).  This will also fulfill a 20 before 24 goal!

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5 - Hanging inspiration boards.  This is probably for the craft room as well.  But I do have a big papasan chair that I might hang some stuff over.

6 - Speaking of papasan....I'd like to make some cool pillows to go with the chair.  The crocheted blanket that is usually on my bed will probably be draped over the papasan.  I want to create a yummy little nook to sit it (or throw stuff on as I usually do to chairs!)

7 - My tan bookshelf I may paint white to match my dresser & then paint or wallpaper the inside of the shelves.  Just to give it a little character.

8 - Finally (if there is room) I'd like to have a rolling rack.  The closets in our new place are very tiny.  Even though I'll have two (one in my room & one in the craft room) I may need to put more in my room.  A rolling rack would be perfect.  I will probably become a hardware pro as I'll try to make it myself.

- colors -

I have to work within a specific color range because my room has been painted a pale pink thanks to the lovely little girl who's lived there before.  It even comes with complimentary 'vine-y' painted things above the doors & windows.  I foresee some art covering these things :)

- here's the lay out plan -

not necessarily to scale :)

I am very excited to get to work on a new little place.  I am trying very hard to get rid of a lot of stuff!!

Dorm Dec Wednesday: Urban Outfitters

Recently it was brought to my attention the media surrounding an instance where Urban has reportedly copied an etsy artist.  While I am super saddened at this hit at the little guys, this post centers around the feel of this picture found on their website.  I outline that a lot of the items found in Urban can be found in your local thrift store.  I am all for supporting the little guy as I am one of them myself.

I hope this whole thing smooths over & until then, enjoy reading about the alternatives I've picked over the more expensive chains

 I love Urban's style. I also love that a lot of the things they have for sale can be found in your home or at thrift stores. 

It's great that they have these things but it's also awesome that you can collect other peoples memories while still achieving a really cool aesthetic.

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For example, this image was on the Apartment section homepage at the beginning of the summer.

I love the eclectic collection feel.  I in fact have two non-matching curtains on my windows. I like things to look like they go together but not too matchy.

The posters on the wall are reminiscent of college days but this collage can totally be spruced up with printable art work, photos of friends, & pages from Urban, anthropologie, or free people magazines.  Urban has a great 'make it your own' aesthetic.

I love the idea of using a chair as a night stand & may even grab that idea for later.  Collect some from the thrift store, paint it with a chevron pattern & call it golden.

That bed frame is also easily a repainted brass bed frame from the thrift store.  I've gotten a really awesome quilt from the thrift store (that I washed a zillion times just to make sure) & I am sure you can find this mexican-dress print one at a discount store like TJ Maxx as well.

Throw in some different pillows that are in the same color scheme & you've got it!

Like I said, the cheap alternative to the Urban aesthetic is second hand shops.  

Keep more money in your wallet with out sacrificing style in your pad with a trip to your local thrift shop.

How do you achieve your favorite aesthetic?

Like I said before, look to these big chains for inspiration but but you can totally grab this aesthetic on the cheap & in a morally sound way.

PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!

Dorm Dec Wednesday: Fave Colors - Robin's Egg & Marigold

Robin's Egg & Marigold

Here's marigold coming back. I can't get rid of it!

I love a pop of color especially against white walls.

Growing up we weren't allowed to paint our walls & I always hated it.

Now I really think it's a blank canvas & you don't have to change the paint every so often.

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I am loving Decor8 right now too....can't get enough of those old & new posts

really inspiring since I am getting ready to move & have so many grand ideas!

PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!

Fan Fridays: Anthropologie Bedding

I am loving me some patterned bedding right now

especially in robin's egg & salmon!

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These are gorgeous from Anthropologie!

I am so excited to be able to show you soon some of my inspiration boards for the new house.  I can't wait to get to getting when it comes to making things!

Enjoy your Memorial Day Weekend as well! What will you do?

Dorm Dec Wednesday: A Little Bit of my Fave Color

Right now I am working on a blog design for a new blog project between a few girls & I from college.

This blog is set to launch in July & is about fashion & style in VA.

we'll post about affordable fashion, what inspires us, some DIY's, where we shop, & our outfits.

Why am I sharing this with you? 

Well the fact is that I am in love with yellow right now & the whole blog design is centered around a light marigold yellow.

I am just in love!

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I especially love these because I am moving into a place with white walls (though I may be wrong, I think my room may have been painted pink by the previous owners).

I need a way to add color even though the walls are plain.

This variation on mustard yellow is just gorgeous!

Do you have a color inspiration?

How about a pop of color in your house?

Would you like to share your decor inspiration on the next Dorm Dec Wednesdays? 

email me at crossxmyxhooks@gmail.com

PS. Don't forget to check out the link parties in the Side Bar or click here!