A Word From Howard...

I may be against putting Howard in a Halloween costume...but I couldn't pass up this shirt. Too cute! Have a happy and safe Halloween.

What's Black & White...with Sequins All Over?

This zig zag pillow.

From Target. TARGET people!

I kinda want it.

(18x18" sequined zig zag pillow available HERE.)

& don't forget to enter my back-to-blogging giveaway for a FREE template from Rainy Day Templates!

A New Look For Apartment #412...(& a fantastic giveaway!)

Woot woot!

I'm so happy and excited to unveil the new look for my blog - Apartment #412. When I returned to blogging I knew I wanted a complete overhaul and as much as I'm a total diy-er sometimes it's just better (and easier) to leave it to a professional.

Enter Ellie of Rainy Day Templates. After looking at several designers online - the moment I saw her site I knew she'd be the person I'd contact. She offers really great templates at a very very reasonable cost. You can buy a template "as is" or customize it further by adding on features (again for a reasonable cost). Another bonus - she regularly retires templates so you can rest easy that not too many people will have your same layout - awesome. Everything is laid out really easy on her site so it makes the entire process a breeze. PLUS, she is super helpful and so quick to respond via email. All good things in my book.

I've actually been so looking forward to blogging this week but didn't want to post anything until I had a nice new look. I'm really visual and just couldn't bring myself to post pretty pictures and fun posts on, what I felt, was a "blah" site - so now that I LOVE the new look I'll be posting with a vengeance over the next few weeks =)

Ahhh, I just couldn't be happier with my new look. It's exactly what I had in mind. Simple, clean and super easy to navigate. Please look around and click on stuff - lol. I wish you all could feel the happiness I feel. Actually, what the heck - I WANT one of you all to feel the excitement and sheer joy that I'm feeling right now....so I'm giving away a template from Rainy Day Templates*! That's right. It'll cost you NOTHING** A nice shiny new template that screams YOU so we can exchange comments or tweets about how nice our blogs look ;)

Here are the rules:

First, you MUST be a follower of my blog. If you already are - great! (and thank you!) If you're not - just click on the 'followers' button on the sidebar over to the right hand side. Easy peasy.

Next, to actually have a shot at winning just go take a look around Rainy Day Templates then come back and leave me a comment letting me know what template you'd like.

What's that? You wish you could improve your odds? Okay fine. For ANOTHER entry simply tweet the following sentence "I just entered a back-to-blogging giveaway from @kayinto for a FREE blog template!"

And what the heck - for ANOTHER entry blog about the giveaway on your own blog. Even it it's just a sentence or two!

So there you have it! You can have up to 3 chances to win...and experience the new blog feeling that I currently have :) If you tweet or blog the giveaway be sure to let me know some how (twitter/email/comments).

The giveaway will close Monday, November 2 at Midnight EST. Winner will be randomly selected.

Good Luck!

Now for the fine print...please read them!

----------
*Rainy Day Templates are only useable for the blogger platform. Sorry wordpress and typepad users!
**This giveaway is for an "as is" template at a max value of $35. The templates are pretty great as is - but if you'd like to further customize it you'll be responsible for the additional fee/s - which is/are pretty reasonable.
***This giveaway is ENTIRELY sponsored/funded/paid for by ME. It was not a donated gift or done in exchanges for services/review/my OWN new template. I am just really happy with the outcome and want to pass it on to someone. Plus, it's a nice 'thank you for sticking around until I felt like blogging again' gift :)

Excuse The Mess

Please excuse the mess around here as I get a new layout installed and things looking pretty once again. Hopefully it'll only be two or three days longer...

Orchids & a New TV

I'll preface this post by saying "Ugh. Please excuse the experience of the blog over the next few days. I'm in the process of beautifying it. So if you pop by and it looks...a little less than lovely just bare with me :)"

I just LOVE orchids. I picked this orchid up at, of all places, Walmart. For only $10. Actually $9.97 to be exact. The blooms are the smaller ones and I just love how full it is with all these little blooms packed so close together - I swear there are at least 10 that are open...with 6 more left to come. My heart smiles every time I look at it. So it was my first week back to blogging and I'm glad to be back. I've had fun posting, getting reacquainted with some blogs I had fallen behind on, and reading all of your comments. Good times...with more to come! Have a great weekend!

[And yes, that is my NEW t.v. you can partially see. The big clunker is gone! The volume just finally decided to stop working so I bought a flat screen HD LCD. It's huge (to me) and I call it a "bachelor's tv"...but I kinda love it.]

Jonathan Adler Warehouse Sale

JONATHAN ADLER WAREHOUSE

38-16 SKILLMAN AVENUE

LONG ISLAND CITY, NY 11101

I'm actually a little bit nauseous thinking that this, these, or any of these will possibly be on sale. Why oh why could I not be in NYC this week? Hopefully one of you readers can make it out - and if you get something fantastic blog about it. Actually don't. I'll be green with envy. Actually...what the heck. Blog it.

Creating My (Bedroom) Vision

Week 1 in Apartment Therapy’s 2009 Fall Cure is about ‘Creating Your Own Vision’ (what am I talking about? see this post ) and came with three tasks.

Task #1 - “Create a list of big & small things that need to be fixed in the space and things that are missing/needed.”

My list:

• paint baseboards white
  
• paint entire room? (what colour)
  
• add curtains to finish off window
  
• proper night tables (no more dog crate!)
  
• drawers for storage
  
• change light fixture?
  
• focal point for the bed - headboard!
  
• creative way to display jewelry
  
• full length mirror (every girl should own one right?)
  
• decide on some kind of style direction!!!!!!!!!

Task #2 - “Create a style tray for inspiration.” I have dozens of inspiration photos saved to my computer and have them organized into rooms (bedroom, kitchen/dining, entryway, accents, for the wall, etc...). I went through my bedroom folder and really pulled what attracted me. The last time I did this (early in the summer) I found that the photos were so different in style - I just couldn’t really pull a direction. This time though, a clear direction/style emerged...here’s my current style tray for my bedroom:

Task #3 - “Bring in one thing of beauty (flowers) and remove one thing that doesn’t get used.” Tomorrow I'm buying an orchid orchid and removing the volume-less TV that was just sitting in the corner. 

Check back on Sunday for Week 2's progress update!


Update: My inspiration pic above has been used on the Fall Cure discussion thread over at Apartment Therapy. Fun!

Let the Bedroom Decorating Begin!

I’ve been in my apartment, my first place, for just about 9 months now. And while every room is coming along decor-wise...my bedroom remains virtually untouched. I mean, I’ve done NOTHING, literally nada, to it except hang a blackout shade. I’ve bought no furniture and have no furniture except for my queen sized bed (no bed frame or headboard). 

I think the main reason it’s remained untouched is because I’m having a really hard time deciding on a design direction. Do I want dark & dramatic, light & airy, eclectic & worldly, modernly playful, monochromatic, colourful...patterns no patterns....ahhhhh! Too many decisions.

So last week I signed on for Apartment Therapy’s 2009 Fall Cure . It basically takes place (online) over 8 weeks and the purpose is for you to get a room/area/space in your home under control and looking more like you really want it too - so you can enjoy it more. Over the course of 8 weeks you’re given small tasks that help you move from point A to point B. They post tips and discussions 3x a week and also have a flickr group for participants to upload pictures of their progress too. I figure it’ll at least give me a push to get SOMETHING done in my bedroom, and I thought I’d share my progress here, each week, for all of you to see.

Before I go any further here’s a few pictures of my bedroom as it is right now. I did NOT clean-up before I took these photos. Just keepin’ it real ;)

It’s a decent room - big enough to comfortably fit my queen-sized bed without feeling squished and to add some other pieces. The window faces south so it gets good light. The closet is pretty wide - big enough for all of my stuff. But the room itself is nothing special, pretty cookie-cutter.

Hopefully, in 8 weeks there’ll be a big difference!

To get caught up on 'The Cure' I'll post Week 1 tomorrow and Week 2 on Sunday. Going forward updates will be posted each week on Sunday. Check back tomorrow for part week 1 - “Creating Your Own Vision.”

This Wing Chair Is Calling My Name...

I spotted this pair of wing chairs and am debating buying one.

I know what you may be thinking, "Seriously, wing chairs Kay - aren't wing chairs a bit...I dunno...stuffy, grandpa, old-ish?" But I think they have potential. I love the shape...the curves (espeically the ones right near the 'elbow' joint). I also like that the arms aren't big & bulky. I'd spray the legs a high gloss white and recover it in a fun print...or maybe a nice neutral. I think it could be a lovely addition to Apartment #412. When I spotted the chair I immediately thought of this chair:

as seen on the blog m.a. belle 

a view of the whole chair

How CUTE and CHIC is that?! Not stuffy, grandpa, or old-ish at all!

The chair I currently have in my living room is a hand-me-down leather club chair from my sister. It's in perfect condition and I do like it but I've always thought, I even said it on my old blog, that it's a bit too....square for the space. I feel like I need to add something more feminine or curvy to break up all the straight edges currently going on. Something a bit lighter. It makes that corner a black hole - hence the pink throw and turquoise felt petal pillow to lighten it up.

Anywho, back to the wing chair. What do you think - yay or nay?

Two Happy Souls

It feels like so much has happened in the 3 months since I took a blog break. Wow! I can't believe it's been 3 months since my last real blog post (well, if you don't count Friday's post). While not too much has happened to me personally (I did turn 1 year older!), there are some things I'll be sharing in coming posts. There's also been small additions to the apartment which I will also share. Like what you ask? Well...

• I finally picked up the ceramic monkey I ordered to my besties house in NJ. It's kinda cute and slightly life-like looking which makes it a bit creepy and less cute. I love it.
• I wallpapered my bathroom (something I had been debating about here ). 
• I bought ikea fabric for curtains - they're hanging now but are in a rough state...I have to hem them...actually, I need to make a decision about them (I may move them into the bedroom).
  
• I added more frames to my gallery wall. 
• I finished painting the rest of the visible baseboard trim in the living/dining/kitchen area.
• I finally got around to re-purposing my over-sized picture frame (that I got for $1 yard sale) into an inspiration board.
• I added a small rug to the kitchen.

Yes, I'll be blogging everything...with photos. For those of you who follow me on twitter you've probably seen random pics here and there. During these 3 months I also discovered, re-discovered & found some products and stuff that I've really been diggin' you'll want to check back later this week for that blog post. (hint hint blog giveaway hint hint)

Most importantly, over these past 3 months I've become re-inspired & re-invigorated. I wasn't a sad person before - but the earlier in the year (late winter, early spring & early summer) I felt...blah. But now I feel happier than I've felt in a long time. You know, being happy really is a choice. I know that sounds weird but try it. A day when you wake up feeling blah and down, say to yourself "I'm going to be happy today." In doing this you'll will yourself to see the brighter side of things. To smile more. To laugh more. And all of those things makes you a happier person and in-turn, you feel better. Also, something my bestie said to me that she's been doing - is reminding herself that sometimes it's not all about her. I never thought it was all about me but in some situations lately, when it comes to other people (mainly family & friends) where I might kinda not show enthusiasm in a situation or be kinda blaze about a situation - I've been reminding myself 'it's not all about you....how would you want them to react if the situation were reversed?" And you know what, just thinking that makes you change your reaction and the way you interact with other people. It makes the other person feel good which in turn makes you feel good.

Anyways, not trying to be preachy. Here's a pic of me* and Howard taken this past weekend.

Two happy souls.

*Ya, ignore the hair. We were just coming from my brothers' b-ball practice and the dog park. I just threw on a hat...

Colour Inspiration from MarieClaire

Okay, I know I said I'd be back with my first real post on Monday but - what the heck, I'm in a blogging kinda mood.

I'm a huge fan of Marie Claire magazine and when I saw the October issue on stands I immediately grabbed it. Now, that's really not too different than any other month but I was particularly drawn to the cover this month. We all know how important a cover is for magazine sales and this one, I think, is gorgeous. First, it has Drew Barrymore on the front. I'm a Drew fan - kinda love her. And she looks great. Second, it has fellow canuck Ellen Page on the cover too...and she looks pretty darn good as well-softer than I've ever seen her.

But then I was looking at the cover more intently and it hit me. Switch the redy-orange to a hot pink and the coverer is the colour palette of my apartment, Apartment #412! Gray (the background of the magazine is gray though it looks kinda blue in the picture), Hot Pink, a not too bright but still vibrant Yellow, with Black & White thrown in. Heck, even Page's hair represents the Dark Brown of some of the items in my apartment. Doesn't it look great seeing it laid out on a cover? (Note to self-must add more white accents to Apt. #412...)

This photo spread on the inside of the mag almost left me breathless. LOVE the colours, LOVE their poses! And how fab is that oversized flower??? It's definitely going up on my inspiration board...

...in one photo they're dressed in sparkly gold. GOLD! Can this get any better?

Actually it can. The entire spread is pretty great - so playful & colourful.

I just LOVE all the colours! So what's the lesson? Well, if their MUST be one I think it's this: if you're stuck in a rut for a colour palette literally just look around you. This is proof that the perfect palette for you may just be staring you in the face. Or at least on the front of your favourite magazine.

Have a great weekend! See ya back here on Monday.

I'm BACK!

Hellllllllllo bloggers!

I'm finally ready to start blogging again. I'm feeling inspired again. Like I have things to share and talk about. And things to comment on. Hopefully you're all making your way over from my old blog to this shiny, new one. Take a look around - I hope you like what you see. I've tided it up a bit and made it super simple to navigate. I like it. Nothing fancy but it feels good :) A few small details will be added soon but I decided not to wait any longer. I can't wait to start blogging here.

I have two new features as well. One is for book lovers and the other is something I've wanted to do for a while. I'm still thinking of a name for it but it'll debut next week too - when my first 'real' blog post goes up.

Please, please, please - if you currently have me in your blog roll can you update the link to reflect the new address. Also, if you were 'following' me on my old blog - why not follow me here now? Just click the thingy over on the right-hand side. Oh, and if you were a lurker on my old blog - why not de-lurk now? Say 'hi'!

So, that's it for now. I'm gonna keep this post fairly short. I'll be back on Monday with my first real post. You'll want to come back next week to see the new feature and for my big 'back to blogging' giveaway!

Thanks for sticking around!
k