new digs

Today I get the keys to my apartment! ahh! I'm a complete bundle of nervousness and excitement right now. I picked out my paint colors and I'm planning on tarping and blue-painters-taping the whole place tomorrow so it's ready to paint Thursday. They actually told me it was fine if I painted as long as I put it back to white before leaving. Honestly though I would have probably done it anyway... I can't even imagine living somewhere without color surrounding me like a big happy hug.

However! I am actually leaving my studio area white (gasp!) I settled on white chalkboard paint after seeing it on A Beautiful Mess a little while ago. This way I can still add pops of color whenever I want (imagine the possibilities -- snowflakes all over in the winter, easter eggs in the spring, etc.!) but wipe it away for a plain white photo background whenever I need one. Plus I'm planning on having colorful furniture to counterbalance the plain walls, and the trim is going to be pink! :D

I've been obsessing over my dream home board on pinterest all week, soaking up ideas and inspiration and, frankly, getting a little overwhelmed by the many things I want to do when I can't possibly do them all! I want wallpaper somewhere, giant statement art (I already painted a huge portrait of Dwight Schrute for my hallway!) family photos, colorful furniture, white furniture, pastels everywhere but also bright colors? I think I'm going to end up meticulously planning some things (like my kitchen design is already pretty solid) and then letting others evolve as I live there for a while. My bedroom took years to end up exactly the way that I wanted, and I'm sure my apartment will be the same way. But I think that's part of the fun! Waiting to see how rooms grow to suit your ever-changing needs and tastes!

Anyway, these are some of my absolute favorite pins that definitely represent the direction I want to take. Pastel, feminine, slightly kitschy and kind of retro. The photos link back to the source (except for two that I couldn't track down.)