{master bedroom artwork | kira luca art}

The master bedroom is easily my favorite spot in the whole house! It gets amazing light in the morning, has soft soothing colors, is bright and white, but still has fun texture and palm pattern! When Kyle and I began talking about what we wanted art wise above the headboard we agreed on one thing: it needed to reflect where we lived and us as a couple. We talked about Gray Malin artwork (we both love his beach scenes) but neither of us had even traveled to the places that were photographed. We then talked about something textural - maybe drift wood or a sculpture made by a local artist? We kept falling short.

When Kyle left for patrol a month after I moved in I made it my mission to search for something that told "our story". That sounds silly... but we basically wanted it to be about us. So I instantly thought about the colors of Key West water and places that we liked to go to together like the sand bars!

Going off of texture and bright colors I thought of a friend from college who had beautiful artwork on Instagram! Kira Luca Art - she worked with vivid blues, shocking pinks, and had textures to drool over. Her Instagram is so inspiring too! I reached out to her about making a custom piece and we got started - it would arrive right before Christmas so I could surprise Kyle :) Spoiler: he loved it! (I was actually really nervous he wouldn't like it haha)

I emailed Kira the size I had in mind and that I wanted two canvases. We then discussed layouts, inspiration, colors, etc. These are a couple of the images I sent Kira as inspiration:

Initially I thought about a boat moving across the canvases without any sand, but we've made some really great memories at different sand bars in the keys so I loved the idea of incorporating the sand and water. I sent her both ideas because I wanted her opinion since she's the professional. We decided on the layout that had the boats arranged as if they were anchored near the shore (#1 in the first photo below)! Then Kira painted the background of the paintings - the sand, water, and slight waves. Once I gave that a thumbs up she sent me a brief idea of how the boats would be laid out. I was so excited to get that little sketch I could hardly stand it! I gave her another thumbs up and she began painting... and I waited patiently haha.

I love the final design that we chose - incorporating the colors of those gorgeous blue Key West waters and the colors of the "boats" imitating the bright houses on the island! I like to think that the boat moving away is Kyle's Parker!

I love how it ties the whole room together :) definitely nautical which is both of our style!! The bright colors and movement in the water just creates such a soothing vibe.

I've tried to link everything I can below but if you have any questions feel free to email or DM me. Be sure to check out Kira's website too! Because we don't have a lot of space on the side of our King bed (similar bed) Kyle found these floating side tables (the sides of the bed open up into drawers where we store our sheets) but I don't know where they're from!

The striped pillows are from Home Goods (we switch them back and forth with the palm print pillows sometimes) and the Navy blue pillow was custom made for me by a commercial textile company called Geiger. Our curtains are from West Elm but I couldn't find an exact link. Kyle painted the paddle himself and made the leather strap from scraps I got during a furniture factory tour (I love how it all comes full circle back to us mixed with a lot of DIY).

Love Always,

{home tour | apartment updates}

It's been awhile since I shared my Apartment Home Tour last year. This little white box has become a safe haven for me and I'm always finding ways to change it up or add new things to personalize it. My favorite addition is my new blanket ladder... you should've seen how I carried that home ha! I've gotten a lot of requests to share a new home tour on Instagram so I figured why not share some new photos! I'm always rearranging my bar cart and dresser in particular - they're the easiest things to rearrange besides my bookshelf haha. I've attempted to link everything for you but if I missed something leave a comment or send me a message (just click through all of the photos).

Shop my outfit: Dress // Necklace // Hat

I love sharing these little updates with y'all so if you like them too please let me know!

Love Always,

{#NSale | home edition}

Whelp, the cat's out of the bag - I'm moving at the end of this month! I'm heading into the city (finally) and will be living by myself in a studio :) It's a pretty scary new adventure... I can't lie! However, what I'm most excited about is decorating my new space! All me. All mine. Now that is what I'm talking about! Everyone (including myself - check out my post here) keeps talking about all of the amazing clothes on sale but I recently browsed through the home section and it's just as good! I've listed my favorites below!

Psst! This post is shoppable - just click on the product you want to shop!

I'm going for a neutral look with textural and metal accents. I always make the big pops of color be in pieces that I can change out - like pillows, blankets, shelving decor, etc. Plus, I still have to purchase a sofa and furniture! Can't wait to bring it all together and show y'all :)

Love Always,

{design decor dreams}

We're currently missing some furniture pieces in my townhouse so the roomies and I have been searching Craigslist and scouring Pinterest for ideas of how we want to decorate. If you don't know this about me already then let me let you in on a secret… I'm obsessed with decorating. Perhaps it's the other side of my interior design degree (ahem, I'm not a decorator) but I love making a room feel loved and lived in with the perfect accessories. If I had the budget to change my pillows out once a month I would - I only switch them for Spring and Fall ;) I love little details and the story behind items. It's why I put all of my jewelry out and use it as decor items. I thought it would be fun to switch things up today and show y'all some of the pieces that I wish I could fit into my little townhouse… doesn't hurt to dream! These are kind of all over the place (no particular theme) but still fun pieces!

The Living Room is the most important room in the house (besides the kitchen) so it should be cozy, welcoming, inviting, and reflect your personality! It's kind of hard picking one thing when there are 3 other girls' opinions that matter but we'll figure it out haha ;) I couldn't help but flag some things that I think would be perfect for our space (and some things that are just too cute!)

Nordstrom Throw Pillow

Nordstrom Pouf

World Market Coffee Table

Target Hedgehog Lamp

PB Teen Nesting Tables

Nordstrom Throw Pillow

Crate and Barrel Coffee Table

World Market Ottoman

One Kings Lane Rug

PB Teen Wall Art

Pottery Barn Bar Cart

Nordstrom Throw Blanket

What is your favorite room to decorate? Do you have a specific style that you follow? I tend to be a little all over the place but stick with clean basics so that I can layer in the bright colors and never have to stick to one color scheme. Be sure to follow me on Pinterest - I post a lot on my Dream Home, Accessories for the Home, and Home Decor boards.

Love Always,

{THROW pillow giveaway}

Buy a pillow. Give a dream.

One of my favorite things to do on Instagram is mindlessly scroll and get lost in the links and users. It's one of the easiest ways to discover new brands and fashion forward people!

A couple of months ago I stumbled upon THROW. I was instantly drawn to their bright punchy pillows and cute little sayings but then I noticed their mission statement:

"THROW is a social call to action. For dreamers to rise above the bad and use their God given talents and dream to do more than just simply live, but to live on purpose. To leave a positive impact on this world, to make their life one to remember. THROW empowers dreamers of all ages to believe in their dreams, no matter their circumstance. THROW will use a percent of its profits to create the funding needed to provide beds to children in need not only in the United States, but all over the world."

This spoke volumes to me. Not only because of the power of dreams but because of the giving that's behind it. They're helping sweet little children get a bed of their own. How many times a day do you mumble "ugh I just want to be home in bed"? Just let that sink in… Yep, now you're thinking about it as hard as I did when I found their site.

THROW stands for Together Helping Reach Our World. With every purchase, you are helping provide a warm bed to a kid that may otherwise be sleeping on the floor.

I've recently been feeling like I'm not doing enough with my blog. I let negative attitudes get to me really easily and I constantly feel like I'm not good enough. Should I let others opinions get me down? Do I look pretty/trendy/cool enough to post this outfit? Will people like me? Do I sound silly?

This week has been tough in particular (it's only Wednesday, I know…) so this post is coming as a perfect reminder.  Coming home and seeing my perfect little pillow makes me lift my chin a little higher. I've always loved the phrase "don't quit your day dream." I consider myself a fighter because I've worked incredibly hard to get where I am job-wise and blog-wise. Losing faith in yourself is the first step in losing sight of your dreams.

I realized a good place to start would be with my readers… but I wanted to do more than just a giveaway for y'all… I wanted that giveaway to have an impact. A meaning. A reason!

So to help children have a bed to come home to and keep their dreams alive I've partnered with THROW to give YOU a special giveaway…

You can win your very own personalized pillow!!! This means you can choose your quotation, color, font, etc! The options are limitless :)

Enter the Rafflecopter below to find out how you can win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winner will be announced this Friday night at midnight so hurry!!

Even if you don't win - this would make a pretty adorable Mother's Day gift don't you think??

Hint, hint ;)

photography by Emily Smalling

Beds4Kids is an organiatization that provides beds and bedding accessories for children and teens who do not have the privilege of having a bed to sleep in. Every day they work to change lives, one night's sleep at a time. They believe that the future starts within dreams, and they want to give these children the opportunity to dream big. $250 provides a complete bed for a child. However, any donation helps!
For more information please visit beds4kids.org or email Lauren Glass at {lauren@beds4kids.org}

Love Always,