Hollywood Regency - Ain't Gonna Happen.

I have a confession to make.  I am obsessed with the 1930's and 40's.   As a fashion forward art student I dressed the part daily.  Oh yes, did I wear vintage heels and a skirt nearly ever single day? You bet your bottom dollar!  But what was even more fun, that I actually had the Bettie Page hair do and rolled my hair too.  It used to take FOR-EVER.  Wish I had a pic of that....  But here was the inspiration.

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It was more than a haircut and a style of dress, it consumed my life.  I went so far as designing my senior collection as a 1940's Pin-Up Bridal collection.  Well, while over the years I have tamed my attire, my love for that era has shifted to my home....

 Are you pickin' up what I'm layin' down?   That's right: Hollywood Regency.  You may have noticed I have a proclivity for the style "Hollywood Regency."  If you're not familiar with the style it was the uber glam style of the 30's and 40's Hollywood Stars and Starlets. 

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So the problem with Hollywood Regency is... it's pretty. stinkin'. girlie.  Ratz... Matt won't let that one fly in our new house.  He likes dark wood, metal and as modern as modern can be... hardly H.R.  Bummer for me.  But we all have to compromise.  Luckily, I like many different styles so I am totally fine with working things more into a masculine friendly home.  Anyhoo, that means I have to live vicariously through other peoples homes that are staged in a HR style.

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GAH-LOR-EE-US!!! Give me glamour or give me death!! Ugh!  Okay you probably think I'm totally nut-so now but good lord does HR get my heart pumpin'!   I hope it gave you a little beat too! Well go and have a FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC holiday weekend, Nesters! <3

When I was 17...

Heya Nesters.  I remember the moment when I realized I was no longer a "teen".  It wasn't when I turned 20, it was the day I asked myself "When did VH1 become cooler than MTV?"  I was about 17.  And that theory has gone one step further that now neither are all that cool. {With the exception of Teen Mom, I shamefully admit that show is a total guilty pleasure.}  In the spring, MTV aired a show called "When I was 17" where celebs discuss who and how they were when they were in high school.

{Image via MTV.com}

 

 

 

So, when I was 17, I loved pink, purple and silver.  Oh yeah... and don't forget Christmas lights.

A DIY of a Different Kind...

Heya Nesters!  I've shown you all kinds of DIY tutorials for your home and fun little projects.  But today I'm going to show you a DIY that I did with an abridged tutorial.  If I were to give you an in depth step by step, you'd be reading this for quite some time. So to give you background: Matt's friend Matt (there's two!) got married this past weekend.  I had my sights set on a navy blue dress and I searched high and low to no avail.  But I found these FABULOUS shoes that I knew would look amazing with any navy dress. And I happened to decide to get them when Amazon was having a sale on pumps!  Huge score!

Needless to say, I never found the perfect dress. {Lets be real here Karma isn't nice enough to let me find the perfect shoes and the perfect dress.}  

Booming Bunting

Good Morning Nesters!  Have any of you, trolling the blogosphere, noticed that insanely booming popularity of gas-station reminiscent bunting? 

Tray Chic!

Lately, I've been feeling like some of my decor is just floating on their surfaces and need to be wrangled in. While I thought of tying them together with dental floss, I thought it may not cut it in the aesthetics department.  Hm. Where now?  My thoughts turned to vanity trays...

I love this little vignette. So feminine and romantic.  How can I duplicate this without spending an arm and a leg though?

DIY Project: Pretty Little Dish Towels

Heya Nesters!  Today I'm bringing you a new DIY project to spruce up that kitchen of yours. Remember way back when I wanted to flank my LOVE poster with this lemon printed fabric?  Well I chose to go with a different accent for that piece and saved the fabric to use to make my dish towels look much more "Gina."

Oriental Rug Love

When I was living at my old house, I had to accommodate the interesting multi-level design of the apartment.  The old, wide board hardwoods creaked like crazy underfoot and caused some serious disruption for our downstairs neighbors.  We solved the issue with lots of throw rugs and one larger area rug.  You can see a couple of them here as well as my cute inexpensive living room area rug.

Conference Room Makeover

We have some VIP guests heading over to our office on Tuesday and I've been scrambling to finish up our conference room rehab.  If we could tear down walls and rebuild we would but that just isnt in the cards, since if you remember in this post we rent our facility and have been since pretty much the beginning of time!

DIY Project: Jewelry Hoop

 

Heya Nesters!  I've been working on fixing up my bedroom for the last couple of weeks. I've desperately been looking for a new system in which to keep my jewelry.  After some brainstorming, I came up with going a little "crafty" and made my way to my local craft store to pick up a needlepoint hoop and fabric.

Delightful Design

Heya Nesters! I've been pondering more about my spaces, about what images I want to omit from my collection and what I feel like I'm missing.  I love the gallery and what that adds to the space and I am happy with the new placement of the kind of dark and moody John Singer Sargent painting.  The new clock is awkwardly filling the space between TV and the silver chest. I'm really having the most trouble when it comes to the space behind the TV....

Accessorizing the Secret Garden

Mornin' Nesters! Today, I thought I would regale you with a visual montage of some very apropos and stunning images. So take a peek and reverie in the notion that sometimes... just sometimes, there is a hint of romance and whimsy landing right here on the ground. 

{www.birdcages.net}

Switcheroo Number Two!

Heya Nesters!  I had been mooning over flipping the layout of my bedroom similar to the way I changed my living room around.  So, Friday night I carpe diem'd and started hauling all my accessories out of the room.  All the junk under the bed, the mirror off the dresser, pulled the drawers out were hap-hazardly thrown in the kitchen.  Remember the awkward lay out before hand?

Headboard Doubts

I've said before that I've been feeling like a bad Decor Mommy to my Bedroom because I've been completely neglecting it. When I was living in my old apartment, my bedroom was the only thing I had all to myself and I truly put all my efforts into making it a luxurious space for me to relax {in an otherwise tumultuous household}. So, now that I'm in a place all to myself and have the freedom of having guests over, I've been focusing my efforts on having a space where my visitors will be comfortable {AKA the living room}and thus my bedroom decor gets tossed by the wayside.  *sigh*

But I'm tired of walking into a bedroom that looks like a catch-all. I want my sanctuary back...

Perry Mason

Hey Nesters! Everyone knows that I'm a big glass fanatic. I love bell jars, vases, decanters and soap dispensers but the one thing that gets me choked up is a beautifully utilized mason jar.

Acting Shadey

Heya Nesters!  Welcome back and let me update you all on the latest and greatest.  I finally headed out to Target to exchange that darn lamp shade that didn't fit and was left as a slightly disgruntled customer. 

Hang Your Hat...

Heya Nesters!  Now that I've cleared out those two Ikea bookshelves and replaced them with this one. I've found the space around the TV stand unbearably empty. 

I want it not to feel empty anymore, but I also don't want to feel cluttered.  I've already started contemplating the space under the clock which I'll highlight in another post. But the other side next to the door deserves a warm, welcoming addition since its the first thing you see as you open the door. 

Click READ MORE to see some off the hook ideas....

Boudior Envy

Lately, I've been so focused on my living room decor that I've really been leaving my bedroom in the dust. I'm a little bit stumped as to how I want to set it up, and where I want to place images. {I'm still looking for the right Damask Wallpaper!}  So, I decided to look for a little inspiration to help me on my way.

Click READ MORE to see more inspiration!

I Love Lamp

Hey Nesters! You may remember some time ago I was on the look out for a lamp. While I did my best to find a unique (and possibly antique), inexpensive, glass jug lamp at flea markets, yard sales and on Craigslist, none really tickled my fancy.  It was one of those situations where nothing was exactly right... or if it was it was exorbitantly overpriced.  Something like this, for instance...

Sadly,  this lamp can be found here for a mere $428! Us common folk cannot dole that kind of green out for some green glass! So I kept looking.

Click READ MORE to see what I ended up with!

Brimfield: Part II- Loot

Yesterday I teased you guys and showed you some cool things that I saw at the Brimfield fair but I didn't get a chance to show you my loot. Well, "loot" really entails more than just two small steals, I suppose. So shall we call it my measly little purchases?  

Click READ MORE to see the real goodies I picked up!

Brimfield: Part I- Doppelgangers

Heya Nesters!  Did you all have a good weekend? You bet your bottom dollar that I did, Annie! Matt and I grunted and groaned, waking up with the sun to get ourselves to the Brimfield Fair.  The Brimfield fair is the second largest flea market and antique show in the country located in Western Massachusetts and we're lucky enough to be a short hour long drive away.  I had high hopes and a tight budget in mind but I knew I would pull away with a noggin full of ideas since lots of the antiques would be "out of my league."

Click READ MORE to see all the goods!