Martha Stewart's No-Carve, Lace Pumpkin

My apartment is taking fall decorations seriously this year, I mean we even have a Halloween shower curtain. Since we have so many decorations, we obviously had to throw in a couple of pumpkins, so I bought some at Trader Joe's the other day. If you're looking for a pumpkin, it's worth noting that their regular pumpkins are $3.99 no matter which one you choose, and they also have a great selection of mini pumpkins and gourds, as well as fantasy pumpkins. Oh, and they have every delicious pumpkin and other fall flavored treat imaginable inside the store...I actually tried pumpkin greek yogurt.

Anyways, I knew that I wanted a real pumpkin for my front door and one for my room, but I wasn't sure what to do with the one in my room. I didn't want to carve the pumpkin and have it slowly rot in my room, but a plain orange pumpkin isn't much fun either. Luckily, on a trip to CVS, the cover of Martha Stewart Living caught my eye and I now have a cute, decorated pumpkin thanks to an easy DIY in the magazine!

    
Materials:

patterned lace stockings

pumpkin

spray paint

masking tape

tarp or mat

Instructions:

1) Cover the pumpkin in the stockings and pull a section tightly around the pumpkin. Then tie knots at each end and cut the excess. *I used the hips section for my pumpkin because the S/M legs were too small*

2) Put masking tape around the stem of the pumpkin so that none of the paint gets on it.

3) Spray paint the pumpkin: It works best if you do a half at a time, rolling it on it's side so that you don't crush the stem.

Tip: Martha's team used a white pumpkin and created their own mixture of paint with an aerosol sprayer. I chose to go the cheap route with a can of spray paint and the cheaper, orange pumpkin. My only recommendation is that if you choose to use an orange pumpkin, make sure you use a totally different color for the paint. The buttery yellow I used was great with the flowers I have in my fireplace, but maroon or another fall color would work great as well.

*original DIY can be found here*

xx,

Erin

Feels Like Fall...Decorations!

Today I went to Walmart for some supplies to fight this cold I am getting and of course the first thing I saw when I walked in was the Halloween displays. I was able to stay far away from the candy, but I did go through the decorations aisle. Decorating for the holidays is one of my favorite parts of having my own apartment. I already have a bunch of general fall decorations from last year, but I love the little touches for the particular holiday! At home, my momma always has great seasonal decorations and that has definitely been one of the biggest influences in my love for decorating here. 

Of course, on a college budget, it is no fun to spend all your social money on decorations that only last a month or two, so here are a couple of steps to add a seasonal touch to your apartment without breaking the bank!

1) Door Decorations: We (now) have a little Trick or Treat sign from Walmart, but a fall wreath would last even longer than that. You can get a wreath at Walmart, Michaels, Home Goods, or Target for a decent price. If you go to Michaels, you can even make it a DI wreath!

2) Pumpkins: Pumpkins and other gourds are inexpensive fresh, but you can also get fake ones. I have a couple of cute wood pumpkins for my mantle from last year that I got at Home Goods for next to nothing!

3. Scented Candles: I love candles, but at my apartment I just use a wax melter. Spiced pumpkin is always a good choice, but there are so many delicious fall scents!

4. Fall Flowers: I get most of my flowers at Trader Joe's and I love the rich colors that come out in the fall. Fake flowers are always a good, allergy-free option as well. For those, check Walmart or Michaels (especially if you have a coupon!).

5. Cozy Throw Blankets: A wool blanket draped over a couch corner just adds to the atmosphere of the room. Plus, you can grab a blanket, a cup of tea, and hunker down on the couch. I love, love, love sitting in front of a fire this time of year. We don't have working fireplaces in our apartment, but that doesn't mean I can't spend a lazy evening cozy on the couch!

How do you prepare for fall?

xx,

Erin

Beauty Bar Cart

Last year I had my eye on this bar cart at a consignment/candy store in Culpeper for two months before finally biting the bullet and getting it. I mean, it was $40 and I knew that I would use it in my current apartment and wherever I move to next. The only thing that had been holding me back was my hesitancy about having a full-fledged bar in my bedroom. Ultimately, I decided that wasn't the only thing the cart could be used for, and the "Beauty Bar Cart" was born.

For the first several months, I just left the natural wood stain finish because I didn't have time to paint it during the school year. Luckily, I had a week back in Charlottesville before classes started and I used my time to paint the cart. It was incredibly simple and took two days to finish thanks to fast-drying with primer spray paint.

I am so happy with how it came out. I went with gold because my room is off-white and I wanted it to pop off the wall a bit. Plus, one of the first bar carts that I saw and absolutely loved was gold. It's the perfect color because it is fun and sophisticated, just like a bar cart! One last note on painting with gold: the dust tends to get everywhere but it will come up with a Clorox wipe or Swiffer so don't freak out if it looks like your entire room was covered in pixie dust!

So what do I have on this bar cart?

Nail Polish: I got these nail polish holders from The Container Store over the summer and they are absolutely perfect. Now I can see all my polishes and they add some color to my cart!

Makeup: I keep my makeup necessities in a Lilly cosmetic bag which allows me to just grab it and go if I am getting ready somewhere else and it keeps my supplies organized and out of sight when I'm not.

Tools: I really wanted to be able to somehow incorporate the wine bottle holders into this cart and using it for my hot hair tools is perfect. It keeps them out of the way and they fit nicely in the divots!

Hair Box: I didn't really know what else to call this, but basically it has hairspray, headbands, bobby pins, etc. I like sitting on my floor to do my hair and this keeps everything within reach.

Bottles: Since I tend to paint my nails and do my makeup in my room, it makes sense to keep some of this stuff in here. I also keep makeup-removing facial cleanser wipes on the cart to use when I get back late at night. 

Books: These don't really have a purpose on here, but they are some of my favorites and they don't really belong on a coffee table, so instead they've found a (temporary) home on my bar cart.

Sewing Kit: If you don't have a needle and thread, I would recommend going out and getting one ASAP. You never know when you're gonna need it!

What would you keep on a Beauty Bar Cart?

xx,

Erin

A Wall of Jewelry

Okay, we have been over my love of Statement Necklaces multiple times on this blog. One thing that we haven't covered though is how to store them. I don't know about y'all, but tangled necklaces drive me absolutely crazy. When I plan an outfit, I don't want to spend time freeing up the necklace I want to wear. Oh, and that's if I even remember to wear it.

I am a very visual outfit planner, it's one of the biggest reasons that I tend to wear the same couple of bracelets and earrings that sit in my jewelry tray. So, how do I visualize my outfits with my necklaces? Say hello to the Jewelry Wall!

here's a close-up:

So necklace wall might be a more appropriate term for this, but you get the idea. Honestly, I need a better system for displaying my bracelets so that those get some more wear, but for now most of them are confined to the jewelry box on my dresser.  I made the decision to have one of these walls after seeing so many cute jewelry displays and frames with chicken wire in friends' rooms and on Pinterest last year.

{via: left and right}

The only think that caused me to hesitate with making that jump was that I wanted to really be able to see all of my necklaces and access them easily. Luckily for me, I had this big, empty wall in my walk-in closet and what better way to fill the space than with some practical decorating?

This wall has allowed me to really show off the variety of necklaces I have and to remind me that I actually do have them! Did I mention that it takes absolutely no effort to make? Seriously, I just used clear thumbtacks to hang them. The thumbtacks allow me to move around the arrangement of the necklaces when I add a new one to the collection and the marks they leave behind are practically invisible, perfect for a rented apartment!

see? just thumbtacks!

This wall has saved my outfits more times than I can count. I just do not function well without coffee, and having my options displayed like this make my mornings a tad easier. Another perk is that it's in my walk-in closet so I can just hold up a necklace and shirt combo whenever I'm trying to decide.

Of course, if I want to wear a dress, I have to go to my other closet to pick that out. Yeah, I have two closets...how many college girls can say that about their apartments? Just another reason to absolutely love where I live, of course, it helps that I have an awesome roommate, too!

How do you store your jewelry? Any bracelet display suggestions?

xoxo,

SSP

Happiness is a Polka Dot Wall

I love polka dots. The fact that I have yet to dedicate a post to them is baffling to me. Polka dots just make me happier than a pig in poop kid in a candy shop (that's more lady-like). Stripes too, but for now, let's just stick with polka dots...specifically, polka dot walls. I mentioned that I was inspired to do a polka dot wall by Lauren Conrad a couple of weeks ago and I finally did it last week.

{original on instagram}

Decorating a rented apartment can be tricky because you don't have the flexibility to paint the walls, no matter how massive and white and blah they may look. I already did a gallery wall above my couch, and I was stuck with this big blank wall across from it and nothing to fill it. 

Well, thank you Lauren Conrad because now that wall is anything but bland.

I ordered my dots on Etsy from Polka Dot Wall Stickers. The price was great ($20 including shipping for 2 sets) and they came in no time at all. I highly recommend this shop if anyone else is inspired to polka dot their walls after reading this. Are you inspired? Well, here are the easy steps to putting up the dots:

1) pick your polka dot size

so many polka dots in one picture...

I went with the 4" polka dots. I didn't want them to be too big and I didn't want to have to space out a bagillion tiny ones either, so I found this to be the perfect size. Measure and cut out a template circle to figure out what size dots you would like.

2) decide on a pattern

Do you want them to be laid out in a grid? or random? This is something to decide on ahead of time and it will honestly probably affect number 3 quite a bit. If you are a mega perfectionist, the organized chaos pattern might be your friend unless you want to spend hours with a ruler.

3) pick a number and order them!

Honestly, I Pinterest searched for polka dot walls to figure out how spaced out they should be. Cut out a template or two and stick them up on the wall to see how much space they take up to guess-timate this number. Also, pick a color. The shop I used had a bunch of colors, but I knew I was going for gold from the beginning (accidental Olympics pun?).

4) start to "lay them out"

When the dots come in and you start to apply them, make sure you are only lightly sticking them to your wall. Get an idea for the spacing of them before you stick them down totally. They're vinyl stickers so they will stick without being fully pressed down. This took me probably about an hour or so to do...but I am a perfectionist so I had to move them several times before I was happy with them.

5) press them down and enjoy

Yay! You have a polka dot wall. Get ready for a daily dose of happiness every time you see it! And, as you can see in the pics above, I still have a couple of things on my wall. You can still lightly decorate, but don't over-do it!

How did you decorate your apartment?

xoxo,

SSP

Inspired by a Calendar

Where are my fellow Target lovers at? Seriously, Target is the bomb dot com. I could (and sometimes do) spend 4x as much as originally anticipated when I go there because they just have the greatest stuff. Yesterday I stopped by to check for a blouse and, naturally, got everything but that. I am actually sitting in the robe I got there yesterday and staring at the calendar I picked up. Speaking of this calendar, I am obsessed.

Y'all, it was love at first sight. I was checking for a desk calendar for my friend, Meghan, when I stumbled across this one, and while I had seen the Sugar Paper Los Angeles display before, I somehow just never noticed it. As you can tell, I bought it and I am so glad I did. This company has so many amazing products...I just want it all. I mean, those cards are just adorable.

sweet as sugar paper los angeles by sugarsnappearls

Oh, and it wouldn't be a trip to Target without peeking in the One Spot, where I picked up a couple of other cute stationary items. If you like the other items I got, definitely head out to your local Target (like you need an excuse?) and go grab them...they're so cute and happy!

{original}

Well, this post title is about inspiration, and I swear the post is too. As I have begun decorating my apartment and maturing in my tastes, I find myself drawn more to gold than silver and with pink and navy as my go-to color combination (with splashes of green, still). Well, this calendar has pink writing with gold polka dots, as in the pattern that already covers my bedspread and a decent portion of my wardrobe. So, this got me thinking...how can I incorporate these elements that I love so much into my room? After a bit of snooping, aka pinteresting, I discovered that the ever-fabulous Lauren Conrad already did something similar to what I'm thinking, so I'll leave you with that little hint.

What is your favorite paper company?

xoxo,

SSP

p.s. have you seen this? Libra is "a sports fanatic" soooo accurate

Mirror, Mirror

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that I did a mini DIY project when I got back to school on the first. I had been looking for a full-length mirror that I love since getting to school. Traditionally, I would just grab a $19.99 mirror from Bed, Bath, and Beyond before school and deal with its slightly warped structure. However, after coming home and realizing that it solidly made it look like there was a 15lb difference between each half of me split right down the middle, I became fed up with those mirrors and decided I would find a cute mirror that would be both ascetically pleasing and practical. Finally, while perusing Pinterest during a study break, I found one. 

I got this stand-alone mirror from Kirkland's for Christmas and I love it. Plus, adding this mirror to my room meant that I had an excuse to rearrange my furniture, something that has been a semi-annual event for me for years.

Mirrors are a great addition to any room as they both add light to the space and can make a small space seem bigger.

mirror, mirror by sugarsnappearls

xoxo,

SSP

Just Another Priceless Work of Art in His Gallery

Please tell me some of you got that reference? Hypothetical High Five for throwback music. I mean what's better than a little Mario Vasquez singing about how amazing you are? Turning 21 at an Aaron Carter concert? Oh yeah, that'll do it ;P Spoiler: That's what I'll be doing in a couple of weeks, anyways....

I love gallery walls. I kept seeing them on Pinterest and knew that I had to do one once I got my own apartment. Of course, once I got here I had a dozen things to do and decorating just couldn't be a priority (aside from my desk). There were some minor setbacks, like realizing I didn't bring a screwdriver to school, but as of this morning I can say that my gallery wall is officially complete.

Living on a tight budget in college made decorating a gallery wall a challenge. I would fall head over heels in love with a print and then realize it just wasn't where I wanted to spend $25 (J. Crew Factory being 50% off today is more my cup of tea) and it was getting discouraging. Then I decided to search for free printables on Pinterest and now I can proudly say that the only things I purchased for the wall were frames, a clock, and the wooden symbols. I decorated my wall just how I wanted to, but for a fraction of the cost. Of course, finding prints was the easy part, planning the wall is a whole different story:

How to Decorate a Gallery Wall 101

1) Pick a vision.

I realize this seems like a big step, but do you want crisp white lines? Do you want an antique vibe? You need to know what your end goal is (to an extent) before starting. I actually changed mine a bit, but it was definitely helpful to have a starting point.

2) Get frames.

I highly recommend BigLots. I got 3 of my big frames there for $7 a piece. Since I have so many big, white walls, I wanted frames that weren't totally flat. I like the dimension a simple border can provide. Also, color doesn't matter because you can always paint them. I still might paint some of mine.

3) Make a layout.

This is really important to do before you go on a crazy journey picking out prints. You want to have an idea of what size, color, and images to put where. I knew that I didn't want all text on one side of my wall and images on the other, etc. Plus this is a great time to incorporate any other accents you want to put on the wall. I got the cheap wood symbols from Michael's and just glitter painted them (see here). 

4) Pick out the prints.

This will take a while and it should. I basically did this in all the free time I had on a Thursday a few weeks ago. If you are saving by finding free printables, definitely block out more time. It will take longer to find the free ones, but on the plus side you get to instantly print them instead of waiting.

5) Scramble.

My idea for my wall kind of evolved through the print selection process and the placement of prints changed as I added more. Find a balance that works for you, after all, you're the one who has to live with it.

6) Hang them up.

Ideally do this with a hammer and nails, but as I have proven, thumbtacks get the job done too.

7) Enjoy.

There is such a sense of pride in seeing something you took the time to decorate (hello, mantle) and this is one of those things.

Do any of y'all have a gallery wall?

xoxo,

SSP

Mantle Decorating...Like My Momma

First, PSA: If you go to UVA and have not gotten a ticket for Concert for a Cure, come to the lawn and buy one today (plus, I'll be there from 12-1). Seriously, do it. So many a capella groups...it's gonna be great. Anyways, back to the blog...

I'm ready for Fall, y'all. No seriously, I just need more pumpkin, cinnamon, sweaters, and duck boots in my life right now. Can you make that happen? Great, thanks.

But seriously, I love Fall so much and these last few days have been such a tease compared to the weather for the next few. Well, that can't stop me from enjoying my free Pumpkin Spice Latte today (thank you gold card!) or decorating for Fall. I know this is a total mom thing to do, and several of my friends have already pointed out that this is further proof that I am my Momma's daughter. Regardless, I have decorated the mantle in my room for the season and all I have left to do is to find a cute dish to store my candy corn in!

Decorating a mantle can be a bit daunting, especially on a college girl's budget. I am lucky enough to have gotten a fabulous mirror from my Momma that she wasn't using and it fills the big space above it perfectly. The nice thing about the mirror is that it can stay there year-round and go with whatever theme I put on the mantle.

How to decorate a mantle on a budget in 5 easy steps:

1) get a space-eater piece

This can be a mirror (like mine; similar) or even a framed poster/print that you like. Just get something to take up the space above the mantle so that your decorations don't look strangely small.

2) get elements that aren't seasonal

I got apothecary jars (thank you for the term, Kathy!) from Home Goods for $12 a piece. These are perfect no matter what time of year. For now I have them filled with pine cones for Fall and I am going to add some fake snow to the mix for Winter. This $24 investment will get me through years of use.

3) pictures!

This is another element of my Momma shining through me, but I love having pictures on display. I've moved on from the corkboard displays of a dorm room to frames now, but the same idea stands. It gives a nice personal touch to the display, plus frames can add great architectural elements and varied sizes.

4) Fireplace Flowers

This probably only applies to us college girls who have fireplaces that aren't usable, but I love this look. I didn't just want to stare at an empty fireplace and these flowers that were on sale at Michael's were perfect. I just got a couple of bunches of their seasonal flowers to throw in there and will probably switch to poinsettas for the Winter.

5) Go to Michaels and/or Home Goods

I got the pumpkin on the ground at Home Goods and the mantle elements are from Michael's. Their home line is currently 60% off so I scored the pumpkins, roosters (again...influence of my Momma) and flowers at a great price. The fall leaves behind everything just make the bland whiteness of the mantle a little less boring and helps to make my smaller decorations look bigger against such a big part of the wall.

Other mantles I love (thank you Pinterest):

why didn't I think to monogram my mantle? 

Have you started decorating for Fall?

xoxo,
SSP

Desk Obsessed

Okay, I am obsessed with my new desk! Seriously, it is amazing what some knobs and a few coats of paint can accomplish. While I am not ready to do an apartment or room tour yet (so much decorating left...but it's already the most amazing apartment ever), I do want to share this desk and vertical file shelf. 

So I got this old desk from my Momma's boyfriend because its the perfect size for me. I don't study at my desk a ton because I am better off getting serious studying done at the library, but it's really nice to have the option. 

This was a super simple project, but it did take a bit longer than anticipated because of work schedules, paint drying, stenciling, and a couple of design overhauls. In the end, I love this and it has totally won the prize for "Favorite Room Decoration." 

To paint this I used Behr paint, furniture primer, a Martha Stewart Stencil, and Anthropologie knobs.  

Not only did I paint the desk, but when my momma and I came across these filing units in TJ Maxx, we knew they were perfect for my room. I love having a place to store important papers or documents that's easy to sift through. This was a really, really simple task. All I did was prime it, paint it, and then paint the brackets and put them back on. 

Now these project may seem like a lot of navy in my room, but my room is MASSIVE and has white walls. I need all the color I can get! And I know I am not giving away my room yet...but here is a hint for those of you who've actually read this whole post:

Oh, and I can't wait to show you my closets...yeah, plural...

Have you ever up-cycled furniture before? 

xoxo,

SSP