Revealing my #Shelfie!

 
  I moved into my home about 6 months ago, and with it came two, big and beautiful built in shelves on either side the best plant window & window seat there ever was.  But the shelves, as beautiful as they are, have been a beast to bring to life with the right mix of personality and appealing design.
So, I have been playing with the shelf decor ever since moving in... from girlfriends coming over to help me (this was seriously such a good start!), to looking at #shelfie pics on IG far too long for inspiration, to lots of moving items around, stepping back to review, repeat. 
It's been a work in progress and I kept waiting until it was "done" before I shared, but really,  I don't think it'll ever be done.  Home decor is ever changing like our personal style. Seasonal for sure, but unlike how we use fashion to express how we're feeling, home decor allows us to set the stage for how we want to feel. 
So, below if you're interested, I'm sharing my before (more like after my first attempt) and where I'm at today with a few tips I've picked up along the way that are easy to apply to your own style!
Before

The shelves just felt too cluttered. Too many mixed match pieces with not a strong foundation. So I cleared it off and started over...
Currently

{I've linked to my shelf decor at the bottom of this post}
More white space = less cluttered look and feel. I also streamlined most of my frames, opting for the same white frame in varying sizes.  And then forming little vignettes on the shelves helped to create a cohesive design.

A closer look at each shelf:

Tips
1. Texture
Mix textures to add contrast and depth to your shelf! I added two woven baskets (one to each shelf) to breakup my many frames, streamlined my books and added trinkets I found around the house to see a difference.  Plus, the baskets can hide a bunch of small stuff you don't really want displayed! Other ideas: little mirrors in the back can add some fun dimensions, pops of metal (bookends, trinkets, basket), bowls (think about your pretty serving wear you have stored away), plants - faux or real, etc.

2. Color theme or colorful
You can go many ways with this, and ultimately do what pleases you. The two options I toyed around with was either keeping in the same color family (like different hues of blue with neutrals) or keeping neutral with pops of (multiple) colors that work with my room.  I like a lot of colors, and was having a hard time narrowing it down - so I went with a neutral background with pops of yellow, blue, green and pink.  This also allowed me to work with different things I already had laying around my house, and showcase things I really love vs. be filtered by the hue fo the object.

3. Mix up proportions 
Wide, narrow, short, tall - mix it all up. Think about drawing the eye up and over to your most cherished pieces. Layer items to provide more depth by tucking taller objects behind or in front of shorter and wider ones (like a tall vase behind/in front of a wide photo).   This is where you can play with creating vignettes. 

4. Leave open space
Probably the place I struggled with the MOST. I want to fill every nook and cranny, and you really, really need open/empty/white space to keep the shelf from looking too cluttered (like in my before photo).  The best way to avoid stuffing it too full is to start with a blank slate - empty the shelf completely.  Then build slowly one vignette or shelf at a time, taking a step back or lots of breaks to let it digest! Then, be prepared to keep messing with it forever to come... 

Shelf Decor Items
1. Books

2. Baskets & Vases

3. Frames, Trinkets & Trays

Please share your own shelf inspo or design ideas in the comments below!

Follow along here: BlogLovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

Mamas & Minis Collective: 6 Toddler Books on Real-Life Heroes

 

  A few weekends ago I saw Hidden Figures with my friend and her 8 year old daughter (my Goddaughter!), and I was so inspired. I practically cried the entire time! Those women are my heroes! I cannot wait until my kids - both Liam and Nora - are old enough to see that movie (and learn from it)!  And since they aren't right now, it got me thinking about other things I could be doing to teach them and show them real-life heroes worth learning about and learning from. I want them to know all kinds of inspiring stories from those that have paved the way of so many others, but more importantly, show them that no matter their ideas, they can give them a voice.
I want to instill creativity and perseverance, and show them they don't have to follow stereotypes on what they should/shouldn't do, but rather go after their dreams whether that's becoming a scientist or a teacher.  I also was looking for books that had real ways to inspire and problem solve!
Shop my favorites here:

So, I did a bunch of searching and Amazon shopping, and picked up a bundle of great books! Then two-days later when I got them, I couldn't wait to to start reading them to my kids.  We've been enjoying them ever since - and my very favorite is when my kids ask me questions about these real life superheros after we're done reading the book, and we have a great discussion. My kids are only 3 and 5, but it's never too early to start talking about going after your dreams!

Do you have any favorite books?? For National Reading Month, you can check out other book recommendations from these mama bloggers: Laura is sharing toddler books for difficult situations. Sandy is sharing kid book subscriptions to keep them flowing in easily! Carly is sharing atypical fairy tale books.

Lipgloss & Crayons | Sandy a la Mode | Chasing Davies | Walking in Memphis in High Heels

Follow along here: BlogLovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

DailyBuzz Style 9x9: Month of makeovers

  With a new year fast approaching, I can't help but think about starting new, getting refreshed and making a few changes!  The first change I plan to make starting sooner than the new year: get on board {or in bed} with a better night sleep! I'm feeling rundown and like a lot, getting the less than ideal amount of sleep each night!  By the time night comes, I'm rushing to get all I need to do for that day done, then taking it to bed with me, stewing over everything I must do the next day, making shut eye completely restless.    To help me get into a better routine, I'm starting with what I can easily control: my bedroom surroundings.  For me, a messy, unorganized nightstand can have me up {of course just after I've gotten comfortable, again} grabbing various items I find I need and feeling stressed with disorganized just before I should be relaxing. So I've given some thought to making over my space and creating the perfect, yet streamlined, bedside table with the must have products to help kick start a total nighttime makeover.   For me, I want stuff easily accessible for when the mood strikes, so anything too simple won't work, but streamlined & organized is what I'm going to need to work on. Having drawers will {hopefully} help keep all the stuff organized and things I don't use regularly out of sight.      

  The stuff and why:   1.  A good nightstand - one with clean lines and drawers to store {aka, hide} the stuff!   2. Sometimes at night, I feel my most inspired or remembered all the things I need to do. Writing them down helps get them off my chest, resting assure I'll be able to pick them up the next day. Plus a beautiful journal looks lovely on any nightstand {and makes a great gift}.   3.  Appease the senses starting with smell. A lavender candle to induce relaxation.   4. Storage you can look at! Keeping miscellaneous items contained in a beautiful bowl for easy grabbing and keeping!   5. Let there be light, easily accessible to turn on or off with a lamp with a narrow base as to not take up a ton of table space.   6. Because sometimes at night I'm feeling inspired {a la #2},  love to flip through the latest magazine or table books which helps me ease away from other things on my mind, like work. Favorites: Domino, Lauren Conrad Style & Tim Gunn's Fashion Bible.   7.  Those cuddled up in bed, last minute products... favorite lotion for any dry areas, Vaseline for my lips is a must have and overnight anti-aging face cream stay close by!   8. Little jewelry dish to keep your ring or earrings that you've hopped into bed with but find uncomfortable to sleep in. I like to keep my valuables close!   Once I have this new nighttime-ready surrounding off and running, I'll report back! In the meantime, do share your favorite things to keep by your bed? Or any bedtime routines that send you off into a peaceful slumber worth sharing?   //Inspiration photos via West Elm; Domino Files on Flickr; Elle Decor  

The Radleys: Entertaining Book Review {for even the non-reader}

Hi Friends!! I have something special for you!  A brilliant, beautiful and overall amazing very good friend of mine will be providing some great book reviews (& commentary) for you all!  Great  timing, too, as summer time is more of a book reading time for me.  Is that for you all?  I love reading outside in the sun - whether at the pool, on vacation, in my backyard or even after a long day in the sun, back in the a/c of my house!  Enjoy the first review!

Dear Meggy,

Hi lady! How’s the fabulous KC treating you? I know you’ve been traveling a lot so I thought I’d drop you a line about a perfect book for your next voyage….

I know you <3 teenage vampires as much as the next ten-to-twentysomething-year-old-girl, but I think we all agree that a) half vampire/half human babies are fuh-ree-key and b) sometimes less yearning is more…hence I bring you The Radleys by Matt Haig.

Yeah yeah, I know…since Bram Stoker the whole blood sucking motif has been a bit overplayed…but there is something undeniably seductive about relinquishing control to have the life drained out of you by a dreamy (sometimes sparkly) vamp. Throw in a pinch of bildungsroman and a dash of secrets-your-parents-never-told-you, and you have The Radleys.

Here is an excerpt from the cover:

Just about everyone knows a family like the Radleys. Many of us grew up next door to one. They are a modern family, averagely content, averagely dysfunctional, living in a staid and quiet suburban English town. Peter is an overworked doctor whose wife, Helen, has become increasingly remote and uncommunicative. Rowan, their teenage son, is being bullied at school, and their anemic daughter, Clara, has recently become a vegan. They are typical, that is, save for one devastating exception: Peter and Helen are vampires and have – for seventeen years – been abstaining by choice from a life of chasing blood in the hope that their children could leave normal lives.

Haig, through simple yet devastating prose, tells his story from the perspective of each family member – plus a few of the characters they meet along the way. This device is a great tool for grasping the implications of history on the immediate future, and creates a book that has a wide appeal to many readers.

I thoroughly enjoyed this modern, fresh take on the vampire genre, and I think you will too. And because I know you of all people will appreciate this, here is my suggestion for a “Reading a Book About Vampires” outfit:

And a Radley look for less:

Next Review: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness - yay!

Your Friend, Fflow

OMG, I love her.  Can't you just see me laying around my house reading The Radley's in one of these outfits?  I can. :) I hope you all LOVE this review, book reading outfit (hee hee) and just Fflow's great writing as much as I do!

If I Were Shopping...I'd Be Shopping at Boden!

I'm doing really good on my shopping band!  Not bought a thing, not even groceries!  Ok, well, groceries aren't part of the challenge...just anything fashion-wise, clothing, shoes, jewelry - anything I don't need to live a proper life (for 1 month)!  And I actually do need groceries.  So I should get to the store, I'm sick of eating Girl Scout Cookies, Frozen Pizza, Apple Sauce and Popcorn for dinner.  But it's snowy out, like really snowy.

Anyways.  If I WERE shopping for the fun stuff - I'd be hitting up Boden's clearance section!!  Have you heard of Boden or shopped there before?  I just randomly received a little catalog in the mail (no idea how they found me), never have heard of them before, I then went online to check out the clothes...and found A LOT I liked. 

They also have tons of great stuff on sale.  It's killing me not to buy...but I did some looking!  Here is what I would buy, if I could.

This wool skirt would be perfect for work and play.  One of my favorite colors!

I LOVE dresses with sleeves, that aren't super bulky for the winter.  This one  looks so comfy and chic:

I love velvet jackets, and this one is so sweet.  How fun it would be to wear all dressed up or with jeans, like shown:

Either way you wear these, rolled up or down, they look so comfy!  I want to sink my feet in these sheepskin boots!

So have you shopped at Boden before?? What is your experience like? You know, for when I can shop again... I'll be coming back to Boden!

Wanted: Anthro Look

When this outfit appeared in my inbox yesterday, I swooned. I immediately clicked on it and was taken to Antro site.

I want it all.  Great, I can shop this look.  Perfect.  Ah, there is the dress.  Done.  Love. Want.

 
Super versatile boots - they are actually tall boots scrunched down to create this look:

I love these, but have enough tall boots (and for $400....), I'm looking for some grey ankle boots that look more like the scrunched down version!

Miss Me Women's Olen Riding Boots in Grey