New York, New York: Itinerary

So just a few more days before I am off to NY for my good friend's bachelorette/girl's trip get away. Another friend of mine and I put together some short little itineraries along with another list of potential places to go eat and see as well as a cd for everyone to listen to on the flight. We mailed these out to all the girls last week to get them excited for the trip and to give them a little preview of what adventures are in store.

It's a fun thing to do for a girls trip of any kind and relatively easy to put together. And the theme was so easy with the Sex and the City movie coming out just days ago - what luck! My friend Kelsey is the ultimate researcher and planner, so she was the master mind behind putting the list together as well as the cd (well done!). Then I took all the info and made it look pretty and put a design to it. Paper Source was my go to place for all the papers: the slate grey petal envelopes from Waste Not Paper and the cream textured paper that I printed two to a page and then cropped down. Paper Source didn't have the exact stickers I wanted to enclose them so I had to use a little creativity and print out a solid colored sticky sheet of matching green and then use a circle puncher I thankfully already had to make them. I used the grey and green for the colors since those are Stacey's wedding colors so it's unique to her special day.

Doing these extra little touches for good friends and family are always a nice way to share in their excitement.

DYI: Add Texture to Your Walls

I have been struggling over our bedroom for the last year or so. I like all of the elements individually, but all together they have felt a bit bland. Granted, we don't have all of our furniture yet so that in itself adds layers and textures. I adore my duvet cover with the graphic black and beige pattern from Dwell. I like the soft butter color of the walls and the mushroom colored silk drapes...but it just seems so...beigish.

I grappled over the idea of wallpapering the main wall behind our bed, but that seemed like too much commitment to a pattern I may or may not still like in a year. I also thought of painting it an accent color, but that didn't seem like the best fit either. Then - a ha! Put molding on the one wall to add visual interest and texture! I love it and can just imagine how a headboard, some art work and new darker lampshades will pop with that added layer. It took my husband about a day and a half to put it up and paint it all and he did a fabulous job. It cost us only around $100 for something that adds a ton of architectural interest...AND I didn't have to face my fear and commit to a pattern! ;) Life is good.

Also notice the ceiling. We put a medallion around the chandelier for that extra touch. It's those extra finishing touches that really make a room. I guess you could say that having furniture adds that "finishing touch" too. Baby steps, baby steps.

Art: Highs and Lows

Last summer, the Starbucks in UVillage near UW was featuring these art sculptures that were for sale. They were simple enough; silver painted driftwood mounted on a thin post and stand. I thought they were pleasing and a clever way to display nature. I thought to myself, "I could easily do that". And I was also curious to look at what they were selling for (I am never one to pass up a price tag!). Holy smokies!!! They were running for around $1,200 a pop??!! Are you kidding me?! After that, my husband and I would always have a chuckle every time we went in and saw those ridiculously priced pieces of art.

So last summer, we were on a weekend trip at the beach and decided to do our own interpretation of the silvered driftwood and collected a few pieces that we thought were interesting shapes. We came home, painted one of them silver that took all of about 2 minutes and voula! Insta art that cost...well nothing since we already had the paint. I decided not to mount it on a post since I found a nice little nook for it laying horizontal, but you never know, maybe some day I will.

Point being, be creative in reinterpreting art that you like. It's always within reach or in some cases, right on the beach.