Living Room

So Lately, I've been making decorating mood boards as a way of procrastinating from doing menial school work. Here's one that I did for a living room, the paint color in the background is Benjamin Moore Van Deusen Blue. The Silver Vases are from West Elm, Curtains from Urban Outfitters, Leather Pouf Ottoman from Amazon.com, BIlly Balls, Table from West Elm, Chair from Urban Outfitters, Leather Sectional from Big Lots, Vase that I up-cycled, My UO coat rack, and finally a lamp that looks like the one I like at Big Lots.

Professional Enough?

I have a super important interview coming up over Spring Break. So I went to Old Navy yesterday and found this really cute peach dress that I think would be perfect for the interview. It's a great color and pretty simple plus I think it looks like something you'd find at the place that I'm interviewing at, I'm going to accessorize it up and it'll look really cute with the tan wedges that I got from Target in January. Is it professional/cute enough to land me an internship?

White Chocolate Brownies Recipe

I'm really hoping to try this recipe over Spring Break, because they look and sounds so yummy. I'll post pics after make them. Here's the recipe link if anyone wants to try making them:
White Chocolate Brownies Recipe

My Spring Must-Haves

I haven't really been shopping since I bought a pair of shoes, tights, and a shirt from Target in early January. Before that I hadn't been shopping for clothes and accessories since August, so to say that I'm a little desperate for a little shopping and a lot of clothes would be an understatement. I went to Old Navy today, just to do a little window shopping and see if I spotted an outfit worthy of my upcoming interview, what I found was a lot of really cute clothes that mocked my empty wallet. So I decided to list some of my must-haves for spring in an effort to live vicariously through my blog self. Blog Jolene will be wearing these things this Spring:

Great Tank Top from Old Navy, I'm thinking I would pair it with my jean jacket that I've had forever, $24.50

Fun Lace Necklace from etsy.com shop WhiteOwl, $32

Cute Merona Wedges from Target in Bordeaux, I have a pair of Taupe ones that I got in January, now I really need these, $29.99

Awesome Hat from Anthropologie, $48

A Tie Front Flap-Pocket Skirt, now $19.50 at Old Navy

Home Stuff I'm Loving Right Now

1. Knitted Poufs: I was browsing some home goods online and found some really great, interesting things. On one site I found some really neat knitted rugs and poufs, they're done by a woman named Christien Meindertsma.

2. Tray Table: I really love this tray table from West Elm, with its gold base and interesting wood top. Sadly, at $129, it will be quite a while before I can afford it.

3. Mustard Sheets: I'm obsessed with anything mustard yellow and these sheets from Anthropologie are no exception, the pattern is awesome and has a 70's feel which I love.

4. Wine Rack: I was always a fan of the wine rack that Carrie Bradshaw had in her kitchen on Sex and the City and this is the closest I've come to finding one like that. It's from the Container Store:

5. Mason Jar Towels: These towels are from an Etsy shop: Oh, Little Rabbit, they have a different images on flour sack towels, notebooks, and some produce sacks.

Current Reads and Room Inspirations

Lately, more than ever, I've been thinking about interior design and about the possibility of trying to eventually transition into the interior design field. I've always enjoyed decorating and I've already started planning how I would decorate the place I get after college....and I don't even have a place for after college. I read more decorating, design, and recipe blogs than I do fashion blogs these days. So I decided to rent some books from the library, so I'm now reading Domino The Book of Decorating and [the nest] Home Design Handbook. The first book from Domino is really great, it has great pictures that are really well styled and accessorized and even better advice on getting started decorating a room or your entire home. I've created some mood boards for my future abode and I'll have to snap a picture of it.

Here's some other rooms that have been inspiring me lately, I'm obsessed with mustard yellow bedding for my bedroom and a dark blue or green paint color for a living room. The first three pictures are from Design Sponge Online and the last one is Emily Henderson from the glass box design challenge from Design Star. I love the idea of fabric as cheap wallpaper and think it would be a great thing to try for an accent wall.

Ugh Flu Season is Here Again

So yesterday I wasn't feeling my best, but today I woke up feeling terrible and now I think I may have the flu because I have most if not all the symptoms. I have a fever of over 100, cough, runny nose, the chills, achy bones and muscles...the works. I blame student health for making me go in for an appointment amongst the diseased just to get a prescription refilled. Here's hoping that I feel better tomorrow since I have a garment due Friday and a test Thursday, neither of which I'm prepared for yet.

Wal-Mart: The HIgh Cost of Low Price

I watched this documentary last night that detailed the many problems with Wal-Mart, like the way they kill small businesses, how little they pay their employees, the terrible over priced insurance that they provide, the outrageous subsidies that local governments give Wal-Mart when they are closing down schools, etc. in that same area because of low funding, pollution of rivers, sexism against women, the unfair treatment of factory workers in China, and the fact that they completely discourage any speak of unionizing to the point that they'll send a company representative upon even hearing any mention of unionizing. We all know the shady practices of Wal-Mart and if you don't, you should watch this movie. I know that it is much more convenient to get things from Wal-Mart, but until people take a stand, they'll continue to be unethical. They don't pay their employees enough and even encourage them to use financial assistance such as welfare and other forms, and many of their employees have to use these programs. They also cannot get overtime and in many cases are encouraged to work off the clock to keep their jobs.

I encourage everyone to watch this movie and I intend to stop buying things from Wal-Mart, this will be difficult since there aren't many other stores in Boone, but after watching this film I don't think I can continue buying so many things from Wal-Mart when they do all these unethical, unfair things.

Random Acts of Kindness

Lately, David and I have both been a little cash poor, so we usually don't go out to dinner, but this evening David and I went for out for dinner at Troy's, this really yummy diner that serves breakfast all day. We ordered breakfast for dinner and when our food came the waitress told us that these people that had been in the booth next to us had paid for our dinner. The girl's parents give her money for Christmas to spend on other people and she said that she thought it was nice that we were out to dinner together, so she paid for our meal. They left before the waitress told us so we weren't able to thank them, but I still can't get over how incredibly nice that was. It might sound kind of dramatic to say that this act restored my waning faith in humanity, but it really did. It not only reminded me that there good people in the world, it also made me realize how much little random acts of kindness mean to people and how much you can brighten someone's day just by doing something like that. I have had a tendency towards being cynical and kind of pessimistic lately and it just really made me realize how wrong I've been, because yes there are bad people in this world and there are very bad things that happen, but there's still a lot of good in the world. So I'm going to make sure that I pay it forward and find a way to make someone's day and hopefully anyone who reads this will do the same.