without further ado, a tour of my room

i made this sweet flipagram!! i was going to go into a bunch of detail about all the things, but i don't know if i really want to anymore. i've had a lot of fun putting this room together, and i think it turned out pretty great. like i said the other day, i'm really happy with the mix of found and made and repurposed and purchased. i'm still missing a couple things, but overall i love it. here's to creating a space exactly how i wanted it!

a new bedroom

today i bought a bed. buying a bed is not exactly what you'd think it would be. all the parts come separately. so what i really bought today was a mattress and a box spring, with a frame thrown in for good measure. what i'm left without, though, are the cute parts of the bed: a headboard, comforter, and pillows. i feel like i need to have a more sophisticated bed now, whatever that means. i guess i really want a sophisticated room, though, one that feels like me. a brand new bedroom is one chance to reinvent yourself, to create a sanctuary.

so now i'm thinking about what i can do to make my room awesome without breaking the bank. diy headboard? simple bedding with cheery accent pillows? vintage-y dresser? it all seems a little out of reach, especially when compared to the lofty goals and ideals of the pinterest monster:

need a cute antique dresser? do it yourself, it's easy! no practice or training required! just pick up some sandpaper, spray paint, and some of those one-of-a-kind drawer knobs from anthropologie and you're done! but that's not all: now you're an expert, too! 

somehow i think there's more to it :) we'll see how it all turns out. i have visions of collecting cool pieces over time, but the thing is, i'm going to need that furniture sooner rather than later. and i also don't have tons of time to go hunting all over creation for a dresser, for pete's sake. anybody know of any upcoming estate or garage sales that could be a possible gold mine for attractive and perhaps vintage yet affordable bedroom furniture? if so, let me know. in the meantime, i'll be adding to my new room board and trying my hand at furniture restoration and headboard assembly.

another thing i love

i've been meaning to post this here just because i love it so much.

a neat rainbow of glitter. it's ridiculous how happy this makes me. well, happy wednesday!

stylewatch: polka dot jeans

it’s been a while since i did one of these, so i thought i would highlight one of my favorite trends of the moment. the proliferation of polka dots in the past year has aroused in me a long lost childhood love. my favorite swimsuit when i was a kid was this awesome pink and purple polka dot one piece. a real beauty. but anyway, back to the jeans. 

i’ve seen these all over the internet, and then yesterday, on the first day of school, i saw no fewer than two girls wearing polka dot pants. i probably would have seen more, too, but i was only on campus out and about for like an hour and a half. 

so, please come with me on this journey, through this gallery of polka-dotted delight. i’m on the hunt for a beautiful pair of my own.

i die over these jeans.

a more subtle polka dot print, but doubly awesome for the color.

images via my stylish board on pinterest and natalie holbrook's babble post on this very thing.

ubiquitous pinterest post

this semester as we were discussing issues paper topics in my classes, i strongly encouraged my students to try to talk about pinterest in some way. after all, our focus is new media, and pinterest happens to be a fascinating new media trend affecting people right now.

this might have been a little unfair of me, though i do think it's in their best interest to write about something that i care about; otherwise they have to convince me that i should care, though that isn't impossible or even discouraged. it's just harder. but i guess what i maybe should have done/will do right now is explore my own thoughts about pinterest. and it won't be 8 to 10 pages or even be very much of a coherent argument. just don't tell my students.

yes, i think pinterest can be just another internet time-waster. i know there have been times when i've gotten lost in the wonders of pinterest for an hour or two, though some pretty awesome pins probably came out of that. i do sometimes wonder how much will actually come of my pinterest boards, though, particularly my style board. i can make recipes and crafts, but in order for many of the things i pin to 'stylish' to actually materialize i would have to shell out lots of actual money. and i don't know when that will ever happen.

but what about the things that have materialized in my real life due to pinterest? i've made some awesome crafts and some of the best meals of my life (pecan-glazed salmon...hello yes) from pinterest. (i won't say anything about the macaroni and cheese i made that didn't quite live up to my pinterest expectations.) just this week my dinner group offering featured not one, but four, recipes discovered on pinterest. and it was pretty darn good. the possibility of delicious meals and adorable crafts was always there before, but the appeal of one-stop shopping via pinterest is pretty strong.

and i must say it's cool that people anywhere can access things i've pinned, or i can access things other people have pinned. i'm always flattered just a teeny bit when someone i don't know, who lives who knows where, repins something from one of my boards. it's like they're saying, yeah, you DO like cool things. and now we're part of a sisterhood (let's face it--most of the people repinning my stuff are women) of pleat enthusiasts or gray&yellow fanatics. i'll probably never meet these people, but we'll be forever connected through the internet, as long as pinterest lasts, at least.

that's maybe all i have to say at this point. pinterest largely doesn't matter to my eternal salvation. but, every few days or so when i get on pinterest, it does bring me quite a bit of joy. so i don't think that's too bad.

*all photos, some of my inspiration images, can be found on my pinterest board, 'stylish'

on the lookout

if i want to actually have the style that my "stylish" board on pinterest declares that i love, there are a few things i need to be acquiring, albeit slowly (in order to spare my bank account):

• t-strap and/or mary jane heels
• tailored, brightly colored coats
• statement necklaces
• pleated skirts
• blazers
• blouses
• tastefully sparkly things
• vintage-y dresses

so, this is my quest. any helpful hints or bargains would be appreciated.