The Best Trash Room Find Ever!

Look what I found last night in our trash room... the CB2 Big Dipper Arc Lamp! I cannot believe this lamp was going to go in the dumpster. It works perfectly, is in great condition and best of all it fits perfectly next to our new Pottery Barn Armchair. And I even I blogged about it's sister lamp at Crate and Barrel on my NYC Living Room Mood Board. Whoohoo... I love free stuff!

The OLD Herbal Essences

Look what my mother-in-law found in her the back of her linen closet... it's a bottle of the ORIGINAL Herbal Essences! I loved this shampoo soo much, back when Herbal Essences actually smelled herb-ally. Using it was a trip down memory lane and it evoked remembrances of high school. Why do shampoo companies continually change their formulas? It's such a shame... I'm a total loyalist when it comes to shampoo and I miss the old brands! Which ones do you miss?

Navy Friday

Happy Friday everyone! See you Monday!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! I myself am looking forward to a ginormous slice of pumpkin pie and Navy told me he's looking forward to a turkey leg. Enjoy the day with the ones you love!


Photo by Pillsbury.com

My Picks for 2011 Calendars

It's my favorite time of year again... calendar shopping time! It's never too early to start picking out your 2011 calendars. Here are some of my top picks:

The very practical Perpetual Letterpress Calendar by Orange Beautiful, $22.40

This foxy Wall Art Calendar by Sycamore Street Press, $35.00

The starkly simplistic Letterpress and Steel Calendar by The Paper Thieves, $30.00

The pretty letterpress Limited Edition Calendar by Parrott Design Studio, $30.00 (Each month was beautifully hand calligraphed by Li Ward of Fat Orange Cat Studio)

The delightful Desktop Calendar, perfect for a child's bedroom by Salix Studio, $25.00

The always whimsical and charming Critter Calendar by Night Owl Paper Goods, $24.00

This elegant Mini Wall Calendar by Pearl Moon Press, $7.00

The artistic watercolor Bouquet Calendar perfect for a sunny kitchen by Ling Chang, $29.00 One of my readers clued me into this beauty... thanks Ann!

The health inspired interactive An Apple A Day Calendar by Vik Design, $24.00

The thrifty print-yourself Simple Woodcuts Calendar by e.m. papers, $5.00

This great standby, the Vintage Travel Poster Calendar by Cavallini & Co., $21.95 For years I've been buying and cutting out the pages to use as wall art.

And finally, you can't go wrong with any calendar by Snow and Graham. I personally love them! From $14.00 to $95.00

Bedroom To-Do List

It was a busy weekend over in the Snell household. It felt great to check some things off in my Bedroom To-Do List. First I bought two rolls of light blue artist tape from Amazon. After I bought it I realized that I probably didn't need to buy it online because I saw the same exact tape in several art stores. So just check out your local art store to see if they have colored artist (or masking) tape.

Then I enlisted the help of the hubby who reluctantly agreed to assist me with this project. He just didn't have the grand final vision that I did. The thing is, it's a little bit tricky getting the tape at exactly the right angle and measuring it so each line is precisely the same width apart. It's definitely a two person job and there was a lot of eyeballing and re-taping. We ended up taping the lines 13 inches apart at an angle.

The this-just-isn't-going-to-look-good-and-I'm-annoyed Mike.

Once we taped the lines in one direction, it was much easier going in the opposite direction because we just taped from end to end of the first tape lines, to create a diamond pattern.

Mike cutting off some tape edges with the x-acto knife while thinking to himself, "hmm... this doesn't look as bad as I thought it would. Maybe I was wrong... Janis is always right."

All in all it really only took an hour and a half and for the $12.00 that I spent on tape, the transformation is incredible. It just gives so much more interest to our bedroom. The best part is that it can all come down with no damage to the walls when we move. Thank you Little Green Notebook for the fabulous idea!

Navy tried to help but mostly he got caught up in red blue tape.

Finally, I just ordered the Deirdre duvet cover and shams from Pottery Barn. They were a splurge (even on sale) but I'm absolutely in love with the pattern and hopefully the blues will match the blue tape on the wall. I think this will pull the room together nicely.

Next up, painting the nightstand and hanging some wall art. The big reveal to come soon.

Busy Bee

Sorry for the lack of blog posts this week. I'm working on my new website! Stay tuned, I'll be back next week!

Navy Friday

"New York...Concrete jungle where dreams are made of"

Happy Friday everyone! See you Monday!

Gifted Magazine

Another fabulous e-zine, Gifted has hit the web and just in time for the holidays. It's the brain child of Ez from Creature Comforts... and like her blog, it's super inspirational with gorgeous photographs. Happy reading!

Pocket Posh Books

How cute are these puzzle books by Pocket Posh? This really goes to show you that everything in your life can be pretty and well designed... it just takes a little searching. Now that I'm a New Yorker again, these little puzzle books are perfect for those long subway rides. Just toss one in your purse and you're good to go. And since it's so pretty, I won't look like a total geek. Well...at least I'll be a stylish geek.

Available on Amazon and at the Container Store.

Navy Friday

Navy sleeping in his favorite chair (the one I want to get rid of!)

Happy Friday everyone! See you Monday!

Essie Merino Cool

I found my new favorite nail color, Merino Cool. It's from Essie's 2010 Fall Collection. It's the perfect shade of purple with lots of gray...LOVE!

L.L. Bean Signature Line

I'm really impressed by L.L. Bean's Signature line of shoes, bags and accessories. They all have great texture and updated styling and it's L.L. Bean so you know they're really well made. Plus the price point is right in my range. Love!

Saltwash Canvas Picnic Bag, $75

Downeaster Sport Wool Tweed Bag, $85

Pebbled Leather Clutch, $75

Cuff, $39

Wood Inset Ring, $29

Leather Brogue Shoe, $129

I envision wearing these shoes with cuffed boyfriend jeans, a tweedy blazer and scarf, along with the cuff, the ring and one of those swell handbags on a blustery day. I love getting my prep on in the Fall!

True Prep Book, $19.95

And of course, L.L. Bean Signature line wouldn't be complete without them selling True Prep, and updated spin off of the classic Preppy Handbook.

Bedroom To-Do List

One of the great things that I love about having a blog is that it holds you accountable. So I'm blogging about my bedroom so that it will give me the motivation to finish it. I have so many projects to do but I find myself losing steam. Hopefully with your encouragement I'll get it done!

Click to Enlarge

1. I absolutely need to do something with this white wall. Since we're just renting temporarily, I don't want to go through the mess and hassle of painting the walls. Plus we don't have the budget for the headboard I want right now. So I think I'm going to use colored masking tape to create a diamond pattern on the wall. I discovered this great idea via Little Green Notebook. Once I add the grid pattern, I'll add some picture frames above the bed.
2. I've had this nightstand ever since I was a little girl and it's age is definitely showing. It needs a new paint job (I'm thinking a fun color like red) and a fancy new knob.
3. Ugh, I hate this Ikea chair and I'm dying to throw it in the dumpster, but it's Navy's favorite chair. He sleeps on it and we push it next to our bed so he can easily get on and off the bed. I need to find another alternative but since he rules the roost, I have a hard time throwing it out!
4. I just bought this full length mirror and it's one of the best Ikea purchases I've ever made. It's a steal at $69.99 and it looks much more expensive than it really is. I love the simple, classic lines and instantly makes the room appear larger.
5. I need new bedding and a new bedskirt. I'm tired of this pattern and I'm looking for something a little bit more sophisticated. I like Pottery Barn's Deirdre set, but I'm still looking. Any suggestions?
6. I want to snazz up this lampshade but think I'll hold off until I finalize the color scheme of the room.
7. Finally, here's the Flotki rug from Serena and Lily that I blogged about here. I love it!

So there you have it, I'm partially there but still have a long way to go. I hope in a month or so I'll have some after pictures to share!

Any comments, suggestions or even a little encouragement for my bedroom re-do would be greatly appreciated!