Cheap & Chic

I recently found out that Robert and Cortney Novogratz have a new collection of housewares at WalMart! They have everything from bedding to decor. I may have to take a trip there tonight because all of the stuff looks so chic! I know a ton of designers have teamed up with Tarjay before (mainly Nate Burkus) but it's nice to see high end designers also teaming up with a "lower end" store and making their wares available for everyone.

For those that don't know, Robert and Cortney are a husband and wife interior design team. Their esthetic matches right up with mine...mixing the old with the new. They also had a reality show on Bravo a while back called 9 By Design...9 being the number of people in their family as they have 7 children! All just as chic and beautiful as them. They have since made a move to LA but on the show they were known for taking run down NYC buildings and turning them into livable masterpieces. Here's some of their work -

#Swoon

Here are some things for their WalMart collection -

#DoubleSwoon

If you are interested in any of their pieces I would either order online or get to your nearest store ASAP...I don't think this collection will stay in stock for very long!

Fall Organization/Decidedly Delightful Headquarters

Every year as the end of August approaches I always get this urge to start redecorating/rearranging/cleaning for the upcoming holiday season. Here at the C household, we celebrate (and are decorated for) holidays from Labor Day(when the Halloween decor comes up) to New Years Day. Which of course means that every year, before and after said holiday season, I like to overhaul our tiny, yet cozy digs.

What's even better about this year is that we are selling a lot of stuff. I am figuring out eBay more everyday and will be getting a lot of our decor (related) things out of here for a fresh start. Since we don't have a ton of storage here (and due to my lack of emotional attachment to things) I like to have a high turnover rate of "things" around the house...this includes everything from clothes to toys & decor. So stay tuned for that!

In the mean time, this place has been on an organizational overhaul. I was starting to find corners of my house looking like this....

My (very black and white) brain could not handle such a colorful mess any longer. And since we just had Cy's birthday party it was the perfect time to go through toys/clothes and see what we were keeping and what was headed towards storage/Salvation Army.

Without further ado, this is what our floor to ceiling shelves looked like before - 

And after my organizational overhaul, this is what they look like now - 

I wanted to clear a few shelves for the upcoming decorations bomb that is going to hit this apartment. I also created more storage for toys (as those cardboard boxes pictured in the first picture were toast a few months after the picture was taken). We are trying to teach Cy to put away one activity before starting the next and I think the separate bins will help with that.

During my organizational overhaul, I decided I wanted to (yet again) redo my craft room and really turn it into a blogging/eBay headquarters. Also, I know I am going to need the space for the holidays and I was feeling rather uninspired in my work space so I knew a change was in order. This is what the Decidedly Delightful headquarters looked like before -

And here is what is looks like now --

#DecorDepot

#GlitterPumpkinLife

I think it is so much more open now and really offers a space that I can work in. I was also determined to devote a shelf to housing all of my decor that I am keeping but isn't in rotation at the moment. I added a small section for beauty prep too. In a tiny apartment I have to be smart with my space and if that means devoting a small corner and storage to getting ready in my craft room/blogging headquarters, then so be it. After all, a girl needs her space in a house full of boys.

Deets - Floor to ceiling shelves - Ikea | Clear bins - Ikea (Samla) | White Shelves - Home Depot | Desk & Chair - Ikea | Pumpkins - Dollar Tree

Entertainment Center Organization

Every time I photograph my entertainment center, I always avoid including the lower half of the structure in the picture. All the pictures I have taken of it are just how I have decorated the top row of boxes for various holidays. So today, I am finally willing to bare all in regards to this entertainment center. Now, don't get me wrong, this thing has provided copious amounts of organization for us. Not to mention that clean up at the end of the night is always a cinch because of how many drawers it houses. It's just that it does NOT photograph well....



The problem is, is that the drawers that provide the great organization have not only faded considerably (they were jet black, the same color as the entertainment center originally) but they also collect so much dust and lint that every few days I am lint rolling them to get them back to an acceptable state.

Now, we could of course just get all new drawers, but the fading will only happen again and the lint will still be there. So, I think I may cover them with fabric squares adhered with Velcro. I am just having the hardest time decided on WHAT fabric it should be. Patterned? Textured? Black? Color? (haha, yeah..right)

In the mean time, they are doing their job. I like when people can walk into my house and not immediately tell that I have a child running a muck in here most of the time.

I allow the Mike Wazowski chair because it's a little pop of color and it is well made. I hate that chintzy plastic crap that people essentially decorate with sometimes when they have kids and not enough storage. And Mike goes in Cy's bedroom if we have company over.

So, there is it in all of it's entertainment center glory. I suppose it's not THAT bad. But I am always looking for another DIY project and it definitely bothers me at least once a day. So, if you need me, I will be scouring all the fabric sections of every craft store I can find!

Oh and if you are wondering, the entertainment center and drawers were all purchased at Ikea. Because virtually every piece of furniture in our apartment was purchased at the best/worse place on earth.

xoxo

House Tour {Craft Room}

In our apartment, we have a sun room with french doors off of our dining room. When we first moved in I knew it would be the perfect space for a craft room/shoe storage area. Since I have been taking pictures of the apartment for my small space decorating portfolio, I thought I would also do a few house tour blog posts as well.

In my creative space, I like to surround myself with special things I have collected throughout my life, pictures, other little knick knacks and shoes that are meaningful.

I made the headpiece pictured above for an Alice In Wonderland inspired bridal shower..

This whole area is my "project" area. All of my supplies are in one place on the shelves. (#organization). Those green pillows will eventually be turned into pillows for my couch once I cover them in a more acceptable fabric...And we will also be getting a new desk as soon as I can talk The Mister into going to Ikea for our once a year trip. 

Left - Right | Amazon | MissKL.com | Charlotte Russe | JustFab.com | Cohoes | Forever21

Like I said, my shoes are housed in there as well. It's so nice to be surrounded by these beauties when I am trying to get the creative juices flowing.

#CraftRoomTrash

The two pictures above contain three of the best craft room purchases ever. The easel (Ikea | $14.99), my drafting table (Craigslist | $30) and a wrapper paper holder (Target | $15).

xoxo

The Bar That Dreams Are Made Of..

This is what our bar looked like at Christmas time - 

When I hung the dollar store bells, I realized what our bar is missing...lights! So I of course commissioned The Mister to engineer the ish out of it and hang some lights for me. I have been searching for some inexpensive options..

Ikea

Etsy

Although I love an industrial look, the bar is really masculine and I am thinking the ones from Ikea are going to be my choice. 

Stay Tuned!

Super Mario Trance

You'll have to forgive me for not blogging yesterday. The Mister brought our Wii up from the basement and every spare minute I had (nap time and bed time) was spent playing Super Mario. I grew up playing that exact game, so I am really good at it. So good, that my video game loving husband has to ask me to beat levels for him! I am not, however, as good as people that have gotten world records on the game...apparently there are people that can get through the whole thing in an hour and 25 mins! I can probably get through it in about 5 hours.. #proudrealization

Anywho, this is what my blog was going to be yesterday...

Floor to Ceiling Shelves

For anyone that is looking to make an impact in their house or apartment, I would recommend (at the very least) a set of floor to ceiling shelves. For me, these are such a game changer as far as design goes. They not only offer storage but they also offer the ability to make everything look just a little bit prettier.

I change my shelves every few months or so. And they always get a redo after Christmas. I have changed up these babies more times than I can count. When I do redo them, they always give my apartment a much needed face lift without being too expensive. 

The actual shelves are from Ikea. The bottom four shelves house my magazine collection in the white file folders (Ikea). And the polka dot boxes (which Cy has commandeered) are from Ikea as well. He is a rough little boy and those boxes have not only lasted and looked decent in the process, but they also have not really fell apart. They withstand a one year old's wear and tear. And they were only $2.99 a piece!

#OnceUponATime #DisneyReference 

I have about 5-6 old school cameras. They were part of our wedding centerpieces. Those were honestly one of my best antique store purchases. They look great no matter where you put them.

I finally got around to displaying my new cast iron bookends. Aren't they purdy? And the fire sprinklers fit in perfectly. They are The Mister's personal collection. 

#LifeWithAFireProtectionEngineer

So, for anyone looking for a small (read: cheap) change with a big impact, Ikea shelves are the way to go!

Living Room Wall Reveal

I am finally ready to reveal my living room wall! As y'all remember, I painted it black and was waiting until everything was dried and hung to take pictures and reveal it! So, without further ado..here she is! - 

Decidedly Delightful

Decidedly Delightful

#PleaseRemoveYourShoes #AndDontTakeABetterPairWhenYouLeave

Decidedly Delightful

Details - The two faux deer on the left I got at HomeGoods; Lamp - Target; All three wedding canvases we got through our wedding photographer; The shoe sign I got at Francesca's; I got the silver antlers at Tarjay; The Cinderella Castle print I got off of Etsy and I got the frame at HomeGoods; And the other piece of art was also a (on sale) Target purchase!

I really love the way it came out. After looking at these pictures, I am noticing my couch is in desperate need of some chic throw pillows!

Edit - The paint color is "Tuxedo Tie" By Allen and Roth (Valspar)