Fashion Inspiration

My friend J is an incredibly talented fashion designer. I blogged about her before and the dress she made for our friend L's wedding.

She recently moved back to Chicago and is planning on opening her own studio and starting up shop! I'm so excited for her and I know she is going to end up being incredibly successful! Just look at some of her designs...

I can imagine wearing this so many ways.

LOVE this blouse!

The detailing on the belt is so intricate.

The dress is her raw collection and it's so beautiful in person.

If only I had a tenth of this talent!


Don't forget to enter my Lush Cosmetics giveaway. Ends tonight!

Weekend DIY

So I've seen a bunch of posters like this and Krystal from Village even blogged about a vintage looking sign over here.

I've always liked the look of these, but I never fully agreed with the street names they used or the neighborhoods. So I thought, I can make this. And I did. But let me just say this before you start...it takes some time. Not 8 hours, but not a quick, painless DIY.

The top "Dearborn" needs a lot of TLC today and some perfecting...it was the last word I did and patience ran out!

The stenciling of the letters took about 2 hours and I'd say I have another 20 minutes or so of perfecting to do. That's just because I'm OCD, though... So if you're interested here's how to do it:

I bought 2- 16" x 24" canvases because it was cheaper for the pair and I'm thinking of making one for my friend who just bought her first house as a housewarming gift...

You will need:



-Canvas
-Stencils in whatever font you'd like and in different sizes. I did Helvetica in 3", 2" and 1" & 3/4"
-Acrylic Paint (I chose black & white) Pick whatever colors you're looking to incorporate in your house.
-Paint brushes of varying sizes (the man at Michael's recommended these brushes because they would be easier to handle and less of a chance of paint going under the stencil and all over in a mush of color.)
-A good idea of words you'd like to incorporate on the canvas. Type 'em up and spell check...you don't want to have misspelled words hanging up! Try to come up with a handful of shorter words/sayings/#s as these will help with tight spaces.
-Patience...it can get annoying here or there.

FIRST:
Set out some paper and paint your canvas the color of the background (for me, black) I used a painter's paintbrush for this to make it easier and faster. Don't forget to paint the sides too.



SECOND:
Let this dry COMPLETELY. For me this was about 4 hours outside in the 80 degree heat.

THIRD:
Have an idea of where you'd like to place the words and phrases (I typed out a word doc) Start with your main focal point/word and put that in the middle. When you're doing this I suggest you take the 3" letters and space it out to make sure you're utilizing the space. Paint this word.

***When you're painting, less is MORE. The paint will dry faster and it will be easier to work around if it's not super thick and mushy***



FOURTH:
Start varying the stencil size and continue to paint your phrases/words/#s.

I wanted mine to look like it was a slew of closely connected words so I didn't do everything perfectly horizontal. Some of my phrases are in between others and scattered about. I liked this, you may not so bust out a ruler.

****If the paint goes under the stencil and becomes a blob, don't worry! Grab your skinniest paint brush, dip it in the base color and slowly and carefully paint over it. I had a hard time with "O" so I would wait until it was kind of dry and then run a black line through the middle for the stenciled "O" look****

FINALLY:
After you've painted all your favorite phrases let it dry completely. I just let mine dry overnight. Then when it's finally done you can see if there are imperfections or things that are out of place and fix them the next day.

I think my first go at it was okay but I wish I would have taken some more time with it. And if I have a recommendation, I'd say practice on a piece of paper first with the paint and stencils so you get the hang of it and the amount of paint you need to use!

I hope this was something you thought was neat and easy enough to do. I think it adds a lot of character to your home and every time you read it, it includes places and memories that are special to only you!

Modern Design

Like I blogged about earlier this week, I spent some time in Colorado at a friend's house and I have to say their house is amazing. It's incredibly modern and breathtaking. It's right on the mountain and is all glass, concrete, and clean lines. Plus they have the best style in decorating. She truly can do no wrong with all the little details!

Here are some pictures to show you how fabulous it is:

View from the living room looking out on the patio and to the kitchen

Can you say wow?? Look how lovely it is when it snows...

I like the shape of the sink/faucet and how it's set on the stainless steel on top of the granite.

View from rooftop patio on the 4th floor.

How cute is this bench?! And it was a super sale buy from Anthropologie. It's so whimsical.


If I could build a house I'd love to mix modern style with traditional layouts. It would be quite complicated but I have the vision in my head haha


Are there any details in houses you love to see? Any in your own? Or rather, any you'd like to see in your house??

Mountains = Perfect

"The quieter you become, the more you can hear"
Ran Dass

We made it to the top, yeah!!!

Quick post from CO...had to share these pictures. It is so beautiful here!! Lots of rain the last couple of weeks so everything is green, lush & smells fantastic.



Today we hiked up to the Hallelujah Nature Trail. The name fits it perfectly. It was a great hike (feeling it already, ouch). Breathtaking views, perfect weather and a picnic on the rocks :)



It is so peaceful here, I don't want to leave anytime soon...although I could do without the altitude headache. My organs are practically floating from all the water I'm drinking and I'm popping ibuprofen like tic-tacs :)

Happy Wednesday to all!

Housewife in Training??

So today a very weird thing happen. Around two o'clock as I sat on my laptop at the kitchen table I realized something. I was acting very much like a suburban housewife! Since I am neither married nor the owner of my house ahhh the joys of moving back in with your parents. Just call me failure to launch.
it seemed a bit odd to me. But then I thought, well since finishing the bar exam I haven't had anything to do. Literally not a thing. I moved and that was it. I'm currently unemployed and unpacking :)

Seriously...this is what I did today:

-woke up and went to grocery store to get refunded for the 58 redonk ears of corn.
-came home and made chocolate chip zucchini bread with the monster zucchini from the farmer's market. Future Blog post following. It was so so so tasty!
-took the left-over zucchini, cut it in thick slices and made a marinade. Mixed 'em together and put in a bag in the fridge for the afternoon. Who am I, Emeril?
-stared at my unruly eyebrows for twenty minutes wondering why they look so crazy
-contemplated working out. remained seated while the thought passed.
-got my hair cut & colored I no longer look homeless. Cheers all around!
-came home and cooked dinner.
-talked on the phone for 2 hours with a college friend while unpacking and tossing away a HUGE bag of clothes for goodwill (only honorable action of the day)

UMMM really? When did I become so domestic?? Zucchini bread & homemade marinades? I'm rolling my eyes at myself right now. But I have a confession to make...so far, I enjoy it, like a lot. I love looking up recipes...searching blogs for new recipe ideas and just doing the "housewife" thing. I think the reason I'm enjoying it so much is in the last 7 years I have never had time off to do nothing. I always had a job or something going on with school or externships. Which reminds me...finding a job is terrible! I'm just looking for something PT until my results and apparently no one wants to hire a law school graduate. I can't even get a job babysitting! Whatevs. Their loss.

It was a VERY rainy early morning here in Chicago. People are flooding everywhere :(
In my unpacking I rediscovered these fun boat shoes and wore them all day because they brought me out of the gloomy weather mood I was in.

Shoes by Coach, Cankles by yours truly hahaha

ANYWAY...on to more important topics like my hair :) I'm natural sandy/dirty blonde. I like highlights but I hate super dyed blonde on me b/c I feel like a fraud. So over the past 6-9 months my hair stylist has made me a bit too blonde for my liking. It wasn't all her fault, I never said anything. I brought in pictures of what I was envisioning (Whitney Port's color) and she did it pretty darn close. I'll have to post a picture tomorrow as it's currently in a hot mess of a bun on the top of my head thus ruining my blowout...

Big fan of the color up top...it's pretty blonde on the end. We'll see what I end up with...

Oh and as for posting pictures, my darn camera isn't working! What the eff! I guess a trip to Best Buy is in my future tomorrow and hopefully I still have that insurance coverage...probably not. Add it to the list of things I need!

Do you guys have anything in your closet that makes you instantly happier? I'm a big fan of rediscovering everything while I unpack and I hope to put it to good use! Too many things still have the tags on and that is a problem...

New Design For LLT!

So lately I've been scoping out everyone's pages (not just your posts!) and I've been admiring all the blogs out there and how creative everyone is with their own "space". I messed around on Picasa and made a couple collages with some header pictures and then my favorite travel & random pictures. I love my new header but might switch the background color. Still looking to tweak a few things here and there. Want to set up a better way to list my daily blog reads, so if you know of a way, please share!

It was very therapeutic to tinker around with everything after today's bar exam. Totally over it and not going to dwell on it!


Any tips for a better blog format...send them my way!! PursuitOfLLT@gmail.com

Happy Tuesday, Bloggers!!

and I just realized my whole collage didn't show for the background haha only the sides...so here it is, just because!

Do You See What I See?

Image via Tham &Videgard

This reminds me of those freaky books that were all the rage in the 90s...you know the ones where it's a design and you're supposed to see something else in the picture too, like another shape? Anyone know what I'm talking about? I can't remember the name!!

So anyway, I saw this today online and had to do a double-take. Do you see it? It's a tree house hotel in Sweden that is completely mirrored on the outside. It's like being hidden in the forest but in plain sight. Very cool. And I bet this is making every backyard tree house in America look like a joke!

The idea behind the Eco friendly hotel comes from Tham & Videgard who are wildly talented and inspiring. Seriously, check out their recent works on their website. I had to pick my mouth off the floor after seeing some of their designs. Here are more pics of the hotel:

Chic modern interior with radiant heat floors & incinerating toilet...that sounds a bit scary

A special film is put on the outside only viewable by birds so they won't be slamming into the mirrors!

All images from Tham & Videgard

This tree house hotel is just another of the many eco-friendly hotels and resorts popping up all over the world. And to that I say, Kudos! I am proud to be a bit of a tree-hugger myself but I don't think it's a bad thing. Like you learn in 1st grade, it's our Earth and it's up to us to keep her clean! (that was cheesy, even for me...yikes) I don't think being Green is a fad, I think it's becoming necessary as we go forward. For those who disagree, that's okay. (Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one!)

As hotels are opting to be more environmentally friendly bits and pieces of eco-flair seem to be popping up everywhere. One of the first steps they seem to be taking is in their toiletry department and thank goodness for that. Nothing better than scoring a free oatmeal & honey soap or green tea shampoo!

If you're looking for your next Green hotel for vacay or just want to see what's out there look no further

So my question to you is this: Has anyone been to an eco-friendly resort or hotel? If so, where? What were your thoughts? 'Amazing, I'll do it again?' 'Weird and pretentious?'



If you want the to read the whole article about the Tree House Hotel click ME

I Have a "Following" Problem..

I can't help it! It seems like every time I stumble upon a new blog, I fall in love. Now, I know it's not 100% true because there are many I have never returned to (probably what some of you are thinking right now...) but I've been loving everything lately. Everyone is so darn creative & interesting!

Since I'm new to the blogging world I'm trying to get the hang of it. I absolute LOVE reading all the comments people leave and then heading over and checking out their blogs. Which, guess what, I normally adore.

I've been making lists of things to write and I feel like I'm in creative overload right now. Which is a good thing b/c in 10 days I'm going to be done with the bar exam and waiting for my results and a job. Let's not think about that though...back to happy thoughts :)

I also want to give a shout out to my first follower and the first blog I starting following: http://ilikeitdt.blogspot.com/

She had me at infused vodka ;)

So fellow bloggers, how long have you been blogging for? How do you keep up the inspiration? Are there certain blog posts you love reading about? And more importantly...lemme know some fab blogs to check out!


Happy Blogging, everyone!

The GREAT Brick Wall

I currently live in a loft, I say currently because I'm moving soon and I'm so depressed I can't even bear to talk about it right now... The building is an old printing press in Chicago's Historic Printer's Row. I absolutely LOVE it. I have 12 ft (maybe 14...) ceilings, exposed brick, timber ceilings, 8ft windows, and my own vault! :)

My apartment used to be the office so I have a very large walk-in closet that is completely concrete (and a fabulous storage space...it's the length of the brick wall you're seeing) I only wish they would have left the old vault door on. Now that would have been ahhmazing.

I wanted to do something on the brick wall that juts out from the vault. It's such a large space and the brick is a beautiful color and it really grabs your attention when you walk in. Problem was, I didn't know what to do with all that space. So I looked for inspiration from Crate & Barrel, CB2, Ikea, West Elm, and numerous design magazines. Only problem is everything I wanted was $$$$. I just graduated law school so naturally the only $ I have is in student loans ;) I made the best of what I could with things I found and received from all over.

Here's a shot of the wall from the front entrance (a quick peek at my apt too)



The frames are all different shapes and sizes and have come from Ikea & Hobby Lobby. The console table (that I just adore) was a floor sale at Crate & Barrel. It's the Aldo Console table. I got it for $199 from $600, SCORE! Its sister side table is next to my chaise...$99 from $250!



The pictures are from all over. 3 prints I picked up of Firenze when I lived there. A shadow box filled with the business cards of my favorite Florentine restaurants. Another shadow box with wired flowers from Chait Gallery in Iowa City, IA


(artist is Justine T. Zimmer http://www.thegalleriesdowntown.com/dynamic/artwork_display.asp?ArtworkID=6786)

And of course the pictures are from favorite memories of mine. Blizzard in Denver with a dear friend, Antigua with my random roommate from college (still best friends!!), a kiss with my grandma from when I was 2...ah, memories. It's what I like to call a happy wall. I always stop, look and feel complete.

My bamboo plant is a recent gift from my attorney Uncle who gave it to me as good luck for the bar exam. It's in the shape of a triangle, so 3x the luck. I NEED IT!

The beaded bowl is where I toss a little bit of everything. Mostly my keys but you'll find hair ties, pens, stamps in there.

The glass box to the right of the middle is another fave of mine. A gift from the friend (in the blizzard pic) from the Denver Artisans Center. It's truly beautiful and the glass work is phenomenal. I put a picture from my trip to Prague in the holder on the top. It's a box for any and everything...and b/c it's mine it's full of RANDOM junk (of course I cleaned it out for you guys hehe)



Then I have my art books. I wish I could have 1,000 coffee table books. I love art. I love going through the pages and just staring. I got these books at the Printer's Row Book Fair which is a treat itself. Didn't pay more than $14 for any of the books!




So tell me, how do you like to decorate? What's your style? I feel mine is ever changing and as I stumble across many of the blogs on here I'm in awe and intimidated by the creativity that's out there. A lot of you have an eye for design that I would KILL for! Now I just need to keep a running tab of all your smart DIYs and goodies that you find and implement them into my space. Like I said, my apt is always changing and I never really know what I want.

'Til next time!

Jeweled Inspiration

Yesterday as I sat in Starbuck's drinking my iced latte I noticed two girls animatedly chatting next to me and plotting their day through the city. Then one girl's wrist caught my eye. There it was. The coolest & cutest piece of jewelry I've seen lately.

Ever see a piece of jewelry and instantly wish you had it? I could feel myself turning green with envy. Notorious for my mobile uploads (sneak attack pics of random things/people) I attempted to get a shot of the bracelet. Do you know how hard it is to get a pic of a bracelet when the wrist is flailing about?! Let's just say Plan A= Failed.

I finally thought to myself, screw it...and stood up. I walked over, told her I was sorry if I was being creepy (is this creepy, I don't know?) but I wanted to know where she got her adorable bracelet and if I could take a picture of it. She bought it in Toronto. Of course she did since I'm currently in Chicago! So I snapped a picture and have been thinking about it since.

I used to dabble in jewelry making back in high school. I loved the creativity of it and of course, the benefits. I had so many fun necklaces/bracelets. So it got me thinking...I need to try to make this bracelet!

I'm attaching some pics. Let me know if you've seen something like this or own one similar to it yourself. It feels very etsy to me...and I LOVE LOVE LOVE etsy!

If you're in the know about these stones/materials...let me know!