House Apartment

okay, I know I said I wasn't going to post until after all the holiday madness was over, but I have to be a total girl for a minute and tell you about how my amazing boyfriend surprised me for Christmas...
WE'RE GOING TO COSTA RICA!

this is going to be a trip of many firsts: first time leaving the country (um, yeah), first big vacation with a boy, first passport, first bikini (yikes!), first time even planning a trip like this...to say I am beyond excited is putting it lightly. I am the luckiest girl in the world.
we're going in February and are trying to tie up most of our plans by this weekend...we want to be there as long as possible and do a little bit of everything. Costa Rica has so much to offer, it's tempting to stay for the entire month!
have any of you been to Costa Rica? I wanna know everything, so please share your travel tips and stories with me!

I'm getting super psyched about my new apartment, mostly because IT HAS A BEDROOM. that's right, I'll have a real bedroom for the first time in 6.5 years. amazing.

this means that I'll get to buy a bed...but I'm torn as to what style I should go for. I've pulled some of my fave beds from my inspiration folder and they're all pretty different...

love this image from Rubie Green. their sheet sets, duvets, and shams are incredibly fresh and chic...definitely a bit on the girly tip. I'm a big fan of the crisp Classic bedding as well as the cheeky pink chevron pattern of the East Village set...either would look great if paired with an eclectic rug and some heirloom furniture.

but back to the bed...should I go with an upholstered headboard as pictured here??

you guys, I die. come ON, how fantastic is this bedframe??? it was designed by John Himmel for Holly Hunt, both of whom reside in Chicago...perhaps it's a sign that I'll come across something stunning like this on craigslist. let's all keep our fingers crossed, shall we?

it's so simple and classic and would look fantastic in just about any setting. though, I must say, the image above is just about as nail-on-the-head as it gets, with those wall-mounted task lamps flanking the headboard and the natural color palet. I'd push the nautical envelope just a hint and swap that sandy bedding for Dwell Studio's Draper Stripe shams and pillows, but keep a simple eggshell coverlett pulled tightly across the mattress.

I also have dreams of one day building my own bed. I'm not quite sure when that project will weasel its way into my future, but this photo definitely encourages the fantasy.

hell, any excuse to hit Home Depot to pick up a piece of plywood and various lengths of steel pipe sounds good to me. throw in a little varnish, some couplers, a sexy concrete floor, and you've got a princess bed that even a dude would wanna sleep in.

by now you and I are close enough for you to know that I do not, DO NOT, do "shabby chic". however, I think there are many pieces that have started to get a bad rap, thanks to Rachel Ashwell...the iron bed is one of those things. I see them so often: white paint flaking off in all the right places, an adorably frayed floral quilt casually draped across the foot, a pair of cream colored nightstands (which have also been distressed, natch) on either side, and all pushed up against a wall that's been carefully stenciled with barely-there seafoam green stripes. barf.

but when done RIGHT, an iron bed can be a real stunner. I think it's much more appropriate in a setting like this. hints of Morocco and the South are incorporated in the decor and the bed feels like it's traveled 'round the world in 80 days and not, like, mailed straight to your door from a warehouse in Texas.

so yeah, my new bed will depend on what options are floating around within my family's homes, what I can find on craigslist, and what my mom can scout at various garage and estate sales in Kentucky...I'll keep you posted.

"honey, I just need to go lay across the bed."

it's one of my favorite things that my mother says. she'll use this phrase when something is just too much to take, good or bad. I'll often hear it around holidays, when she's always going going going, or when someone does something exceptionally nice for her. I've found myself thinking about saying it a few times recently and it makes me giggle.

this verges on shabby chic so there are obviously things that I'd promptly do away with (the end tables, the puny lamps, and that horrid accent pillow), but this bed is beckoning me to come lay across it. I think it's mostly the bench/chandelier/brick wall (with that arch!)/white linens combo...or maybe it's that I've been feeling a little heavy.

I've been without a job for a while now and it's starting to make me nervous. I'm up every morning with hopes that my inbox will be filled with offers and responses, but lately it's just Daily Candy and some personal correspondence.

I'm sharing this with you because I'm trying to figure out how I feel about this situation. I've never really been "unemployed". I've always had some sort of job, something to do, something that brings in an income. being in a brand new city makes networking a bit harder, and while I'd move all over again in a heartbeat, it's tough not being able to turn to my familiar web of people in the know. I'm feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and a little lost. this blog is one of the things that grounds me, and I'm very thankful for the platform.

but you guys know that I'm a positive person and I know that things are going to work out eventually. this move happened for a reason and my life is like a secret plan that unfolds a little more every day...

now if you'll excuse me, I need to go lay across the bed.

in case I neglected to mention it, I'm in Kentucky for 2 months, working for a designer and an art gallery. it's beyond great to be back in the 9-5 world, but whooooooooa buddy, is it weird living at home again. W-E-I-R-D.