Words of Wisdom

Well hello there! In case you've forgotten about me allow me to re-introduce myself! Hahaha! It's been quite a busy week for me. Classes have definitely geared up at this point and I have so much reading at this point that I'm actually starting to hate it a little bit. But that's not what the focus of today's post is...I'll save that for a day that I feel a little more bitter, deal?

Recently, my roommate and I have found ourselves horribly bored and desperate to find other things to do to keep us occupied while we are in our room--other than watching movies, which we are pretty much known for at this point. We found ourselves discussing our favorite quotes and our appreciation for the power of words. Then we got the idea: let's make a quote wall! So for the past few days we have been crafting little posters with some of our favorite quotes and hanging them at the entrance to our room. Once you walk in you meet power and inspiration! We plan on covering the entire wall so it is definitely still a work in progress.

<3 Ashley

What are some of your favorite quotes?

Four Favorites + A Beautiful Day

Print || Door Hanger || Umbrella || Nail Polish

Happy Hump Day everybody! The weather in Pittsburgh today is the stuff of legend--seriously it is GORGEOUS outside. Honestly I think the sun and warmth are responsible for my good attitude; I have an exam today...I should not be this peppy! Anyway, we're halfway through the week which means it's time to link up with Let It Be Beautiful and Fancy Things for Four Favorites! This week is random favorites. Here are a few of the things that have caught my eye in the past few weeks. 

- I don't think there is anyone who doesn't love Stephanie Sterjovski's prints. I love this one from her holiday collection. Also just made available are prints done with Glitter Guide which I already love as well!

- The door hanger says it all. This applies to my entire semester: if I could be in Paris rather than in class that would be ideal.

- This Burberry umbrella is definitely out of my budget, but that doesn't mean I can't stare at it online for hours. Burberry + leopard = wonderful!

- Fall is here which means my nails are going deep: blues, reds and greens. Bordeaux is my favorite nail color to wear in the fall!

I hope you all have a lovely day!

<3 Ashley

What are you loving this week? Join the link up by click on the button below!

Holiday Decor: Jack-o-Lanterns

Image: here

Well we're about half way through October (one of the best months!) which means we're pretty much half way to Halloween! My roommate and I are still scrambling to complete our costumes and bring a little taste of Halloween to our room. Tomorrow we're venturing out to a local farmer's market to pick up some pumpkins that we WON'T be able to carve but will definitely be taking a sharpie to. We've been back and forth with ideas of how we want to design our pumpkins and have been looking for inspiration all over the internet. Check out some of the best ones we've found!

This one has to be the cutest! Cinderella's carriage actually carved out of a pumpkin! 

We found a lot of pumpkins that people carved famous painting into. Neither of us are that artistically inclined, but these are very cool!

This is also a really cool option if you can't actually carve your pumpkin; just grab some yarn!

<3 Ashley

How do you decorate for Halloween?

Dorm Decor: Round Two

For the most part, my dorm is done and ready to be lived in. There are still a few things left to get on my shopping list (mental note: buy hole punch!) Despite being smaller than last year's dorm--just a bit--I do appreciate the existence of air conditioning, fridge, microwave and private bathroom. Her are some pictures of the room (at least, my part of the room!)

So, I know that it may look like my walls are a little empty, but I kind of actually like it! What would bother me is if I had too much on the walls. Of course I think it looks empty just because the ceiling is so high (the perks of living on the top floor!) You can also see my little DIY board that worked on one rainy day this summer; I thought it would be nice to hang my jewelry on. 

<3 Ashley

How would you/have you decorated your space for the school year?

Dorm Wishlist

Floor Pouf || Arrow Bookends || Love Print || Pillow

Since August has begun my roomie and I are now text each other back and forth with ideas and requests for our room design. We are trying to be as thrifty as we can, reusing what we had in our rooms last year and looking online for inexpensive products. This year we are also shopping for our own private bathroom (definitely a perk!) Even though I am maintaining what I already own for the dorm, that hasn't stopped me from scouring Pinterest for inspiration and ideas. Don't even get me started on what I've seen when I physically go into a store. Last Friday I went shopping and going into JCPenney may have been a mistake on my part...I happened to walk into Happy Chic by Jonathan Adler in the home department and I WANT IT ALL! In the display above I have two products from the collection--the pillow and bookends--that I kept picking up but ultimately decided I could not afford. My wishlist will no doubt increase through this month, above is just a few things that have caught my eye.

<3 Ashley

What products would you like to have in your dorm/apartment? 

Spring Cleaning

I would be lying if I told you that my spring break was all laziness, hanging out with friends, and waking up at the crack of noon. I have actually devoted this week to performing some major spring cleaning on my room! Before I had gotten back, my dad rearranged the furniture in my room and pulled out a bunch of bags of junk from underneath my bed. Luckily, I have finished going through these - most of it was indeed garbage. Now I am on to giving the rest of my room a refreshing clean. My room feels small enough without all of the clutter. My goal for this week is to get rid of so much and really open up the space a bit. Also, I need to make sure that I have logical places to put all of the stuff I have at school - moving back home in just 5 weeks!

I'm sure that if you haven't started yet, spring cleaning is just around the corner for you. Here are just a few of things that I have taken to doing to make my system just a little less disorganized and stressful:

1. Designate piles! This applies mostly for clothes. Make a pile for items that you plan on definitely keeping, a pile for things that are damaged - yet totally fixable! - that you would definitely like to wear again, a pile for items that you never wear and are ready to part with (give this to a community thrift store) and a last pile for items that are stained or ripped beyond repair that you can just throw away.

2. Commit somethings to storage. Especially for my situation this works. I am moving the remainder of my childhood stuff out to make room for my current possessions (books and movies) At the same time I do not really want to give them away so I am putting them in organized boxes and storing them in the attic. All of my childhood books - A Series of Unfortunate Events was a favorite - are being saved for my own children.

3. Be realistic!  Do you REALLY need this or that? If you have not touched something in a very long time and cannot think of anytime that you will need it again soon, toss it or give it away. Spring is all about starting fresh, so don't save anything that will simply remain clutter.

That being said, I am attacking a bulk of my room tonight - closet, bookcase and desk. Wish me luck!

<3 Ashley

Do you have any tips for major spring cleaning?

A Bit of Rearranging

So I told you earlier that my roommate and I made a few changes to our room to switch things up and make the room seem a little bit bigger. Here are just a few of my spaces that I have organized:

Here is my desk. We moved it over a bit so it wasn't so close to the door. We also put our chair in between the desks since the space was so empty.

I am now the bottom bunk. I actually prefer this. It's cozy.

This area use to be where I put all of my food and dishes. But I decided it would make more sense to store the food away (in a box under my bed) and put my mugs on top of the mini fridge. I think this arrangement looks a lot nice, yes?

I am a lot happier with our room now. The room itself seems a lot bigger, and even my bed feels a little more private now. 

<3 Ashley

Dorm Decor

Decided to change the scenery a bit and am currently penning (or typing!) this entry in the library coffee shop. I figure I should get out of the dorm once in awhile, right? Lots of fun planned for this weekend starting tonight! Tonight I am going with a group to see a showing of Rebel Without a Cause at Pittsburgh Filmmakers, tomorrow is Friday and I am finally Skyping with my friend from home that I miss beyond understanding, Saturday we are up early and heading to the Strip District to try and find some fabric (remember those bags I have been talking about making?) and Sunday is shopping day at SouthSide with a stop at our favorite Irish Pub for lunch!

I have decided that today I will discuss dorm decor! After looking through those pages up top (organized based on what kind of posts you like to read) I have decided that I need more in the realm of both 'decor' and 'college.' So here is the best of both worlds. Over the course of my freshman year, I have accumulated and gotten rid of things and am in the process of re-organizing and would love all suggestions...within reasonability since my bank account is indeed lacking. I have also started thinking about what I want to do next year. I will either be in a single, if I get the RA position, or in a quad with some other girls. Completely opposite ends of the spectrum, I know. Either I get supreme privacy and total space, or I get both severely limited.

Here are pictures of 3 of the most important spaces in my room:

Where I slumber and write most of my blog. It is surprisingly comfy for a school provided piece of furniture. Unfortunately, since I lowered the bed those wooden pegs stick up on the sides and aren't the most attractive. Next year I want to make a headboard or drape some fabric down like a canopy. Curtains for the windows will also be in order!

The second most popular place for writing this blog! This is the cleanest the desk has been this entire year. Hopefully it stays that way. :)

And my beautiful closet! This is my favorite part of the dorm because not all the rooms have closets big enough for clothes, shoes and a human! Seriously...this is where I change clothes. It is the closest thing to a walk-in-closet I have ever had.

Suggestions are very much welcome! I probably wouldn't be doing much now since I will only be in this room for 3 more months. But I would love to start planning for my dorm next year :) 

<3 Ashley

Any good, inexpensive DIY projects?

Coffee Table Books

I bought this book "100 Years of Fashion" by Cally Blackman closer to the beginning of the school year and just got the chance to look through it yesterday. It is a look at fashion in the past century through some of the most beautiful photos ever. I highly recommend it, especially if you aspire to enter into the fashion industry. It's nice to know your history. ;)

In general, coffee table books are a great thing to have around. They are great for decorating, are good conversation starters, and if you do get the chance really go through one, are very interesting and educational.

Some other good books to look into:

Diana Vreeland by Eleanor Dwight

Allure by Diana Vreeland

Dior by Ferid Chenoune

Unseen Vogue: The Secret History of Fashion Photography by Robin Derrick

Balenciaga Paris by Fabian Baron

Chanel: Collections and Creations by Daniele Bott

Christian Louboutin by Christian Louboutin

Hope you find some of these interesting!! 

<3 Ashley

What kind of coffee table books would you be interested in?

TGIF Pins

Here are my pins of the week! Two entries in one day?! Someone write it down in the books!

Fashion

Shoes

Accessories

Beauty

Food

Home/Decor

Travel

Humor

There you have it. :) If I can say, my favorite has to be the old Cosmo cover. I think it is so funny if you read all the lines. Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest! 

Happy pinning!

<3 Ashley

Pins o' the Week

I am so sorry that I did not update last night about the final day of fashion week. I ended up being very busy. I may be able to squeeze in a blog about it later today. I honestly all depends on how much comes up tonight. I did, however, want to make sure that I posted my weekly pins. Can't fall out of a budding tradition, can we? So here they are; my pins o' the week!

Fashion

Beauty

Food

Home

Shoes

Accessories

Travel

Humor

There you have it! This week's pins. My favorite is the elephant ring. It calls back a bit to the cat ring that I put in my first entry Favorite Pins. I also love the pilgrim hat cookies. I will definitely give these a try for Thanksgiving; there are usually kids a Thanksgiving dinner anyway so it will be a really cool idea for them. 

Don't forget to follow my boards here!

<3Ashley