Inspiration Boards

As I've reported, I'm semi-obsessed with blogs and my Google Reader. I read a lot of wedding- and event-planning blogs, and these often provide color inspiration boards (collages of different images according to a certain color scheme).

If I got married tomorrow, I'd use this scheme from Snippet & Ink (a definite favorite blog):

Clemson students happiest!

The Princeton Review has named Clemson as the school with the happiest students!

"Clemson students approach life 'Southern style': We're pretty laid-back, we like to have a good time, we work hard and we have pride." "Clemson football and tailgating are the most amazing experiences of college," most Clemson undergrads agree. The city of Clemson, "a town completely devoted to the school," "comes to a complete stop for games, which is great." The surrounding area offers plenty in the way of outdoor activity, as Lake Hartwell borders the campus. "We're about a half hour from great hiking and mountain biking, and the weather is great most of the time, so we spend a lot of time outdoors."

[I was trying to put a Ren & Stimpy "Happy Happy Joy Joy" clip here, but YouTube seems to be having a seizure.]

font

Ecolier is my favorite font at the moment. It's scripty without being too wishy-washy. It looks kind of like my style...a little modern, a little Victorian.

Kitchen colors

Whenever I move into my next place (when and where that might be, only time will tell), I've already decided what my kitchen colors will be. In my living room I use a dusty Tiffany-robin's-egg-blue-aqua color along with dark brown and black.

My bedroom has that same color blue plus goldenrod, burnt sienna, and sagey green. My bathroom has that aqua color along with bolder blues, greens, and purples. Are we seeing a pattern here? I love that color blue. It's my signature color to the point that it makes my friends roll their eyes. (My office is subdued oranges and purples, but that's besides the point :oD )

My dishes are black and white damask (I think I've done a post on them before), I've got bowls in "that blue," black, and white, and my stemware is blue glass. So....my color palette for the kitchen will be white and black and.....

"that blue" and red!!! I can't wait to get moved and get started decorating! Now alls I need is a job....

Vinyl headboard decal

Aaack, sorry it's been a week since I posted!

I haven't had a headboard in several years; when I re-did my room at home (well over 10 years ago) I switched beds from my old painted wrought-iron one to one sans headboard and foot...board? The one I traded in didn't "suit" me, and its successor came with a brass headboard I smartly decided not to attach. Then I went away to college where I had a kick-ass extra-long twin and bunkbed setup. When I moved out of the dorms and into an apartment, we bought just a basic frame/boxspring/mattress combo and I had no desire to get a headboard, for simplicity's sake, so here I am 4 years later, headboardless, but with a greater sense of style and a fierce desire to be Martha Stewart.

I'd love to make my own and cover it with some kind of fabric - nothing frilly of course, just something simple but with commanding presence. In the meantime, between me moving to a new place and buying/making a headboard, I might go for one of these bad boys. I'm slightly obsessed with the whole "vinyl wall decal" concept, and this is pretty much adorable and non-committal for just $40. From this point of view it's almost got a little trompe-l'œil thing going on there. Elephannie has some super-cute stuff....check out her shop!

Vintage spoof coasters

You know when you were little at Christmas, and your parents told you that one day you'd have more fun giving gifts than getting them, and you're all "yeah right, that's crap,"? Well yeah, it's true. Over the past couple of years I've done my parents' stockings and have gotten so excited buying little things to put inside that I've gotten waaaay carried away and it wouldn't all fit.

This past year I got my parents each a funny coaster from Moxie. They're made of mouse pad material and feature a vintage-y photo and hilarious caption. Mom got the "grandma farts" one and dad's is the "how the hell was I supposed to know?" one.

Cocktail napkins

It's no secret that I want to be Martha Stewart. Well, I take that back. I want to be Amy Sedaris...check out her book I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence to know what I mean. My point is, I want to be a domestic goddess who isn't stuffy and who has a sense of humor and wacky style about things.

I have a ginormous Rubbermaid tub full of party supplies, including paper goods like awesome plates and napkins I happen upon every now and then. I don't necessarily have to have an event in mind when I buy something (which can be somewhat problematic).

I picked up these napkins somewhere because they were just RANDOM. I would love to be able to entertain on a whim, and I can't wait for the day when I've got my own home (and my own driveway - y'all know what I'm talking about) to have people over all the time.

I bought these at Moxie in December when buying things for my parents' stockings (see next post) and can't wait to use them, though I'm not sure I'll be able to part with them! Oh, and PS - Moxie was totally charming...I bought a few things and they gave me a gift and included a handwritten thank-you note for doing business with them! I'll definitely buy something from them again, and I'm sad I haven't yet.

To thine own self be true

I'm not exactly religious, but it would be nice to have some kind of object of affirmation to myself. I love this necklace featuring a quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet. I might totally buy one for myself once I have a steady source of income again. Click on the image to see a few other kick-ass inspirational pendants from charmingwords.com.

Apologies!

To all of those who read (hopefully I'll get that number to increase soon), I'm sorry for going MIA lately. I've just finished my thesis and will be submitting it TOMORROW MORNING!!!! I can have my life back! Only, for the next two weeks my life will consist of nothing but packing...at least I can do it without worrying about what I *should* be doing instead.

I've been reading so many great blogs lately and have gotten really inspired to be creative and do my own thing. I've got some plans in the works for my life over the next month or so (until I find a big-girl job), so hopefully I'll be developing those soon.

Anyway, I'm going to start posting here like a madwoman to try to hone my blogging skills....so be prepared.

Love,
Kat =)

Strawberry Bars

I'm trying to lose weight (duh) and am looking for anything I can to help me out. One of the things that has gotten me to the weight I'm at now is giving into cravings in a big way. If I wanted cake or ice cream, I'd totally just go to the store and buy it and eat it all. I have the biggest (fattest) sweet tooth in the entire world, and it seems like I always need something sweet to follow up anything I eat.

I'd eat sugar free popsicles, but biting into them is like fingernails scraping across a chalkboard...just thinking about it makes my teeth and ears hurt all the way down to my throat. I bought these hoping that they'd be of a softer consistency than mere popsicles, and THEY TOTALLY ARE. They even have bits of strawberry in them. Anywho, they're doing the trick lately...let's hope I'll keep it up.

Oh, and PS, the consistency of the Jell-O sugar-free fat-free rice pudding reminded me of cold vomit, as does cottage cheese. So yeah, that stuff doesn't help.

Aminals

I'm sitting here sobbing at this amazing video...I hope it's as true as it looks!

Get ready to have your heartstrings pulled HARD.