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illuminateshawnn · 7 years

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valentine's day

masterlist

word count: 1,655

A/N: I know it’s already past Valentine’s Day but better late than never right??

**warning: SMUT**

I sat on the couch, watching some cheesy, romantic movie that I had no idea what the title was. My mind kept wandering elsewhere too often to actually know what was going on in the movie. I was too upset about Shawn not being home for Valentine’s Day to think about anything else. I decided to celebrate it by myself with a movie and all the candy I bought at the store yesterday.

Shawn had to go to L.A. for the week and had tried his best to make it home, but told me he just couldn’t. He promised to make it up to me when he got home and I knew that, as always, he would keep his promise. I glanced over at the clock to see that it was nearing eleven o'clock. The movie was boring and if I stayed up eating these chocolates, I’d gain twenty pounds before the night was over. I walked to the bathroom, brushed my teeth and washed my face. I then changed into another one of Shawn’s t-shirts, one that was more comfortable and had a stronger, more pungent scent of him lingering on it.

As I was pacing back to the living room to turn the tv off, I heard a noise outside. I knew Shawn wasn’t due home until Friday so I knew it couldn’t be him. I peeked out the living room window to see nothing. Not a vehicle, not a person, nothing. Soon, keys rattled in the doorknob and I wondered if it could actually be Shawn. I stood in living room, waiting for the door to open. The door hinges squeaked slightly, like they always do, and the door flew open.

In the doorway stood my boyfriend, but it front of him, a vase full of white and pink daisies. A smile spread across my face, not only at the fact that Shawn was actually home, but also because he knew me so well. He knew how much I absolutely loved daisies. I ran to hug him, letting his arms engulf me after he had set the vase of flowers on the floor. His scent overpowered everything else and I inhaled his smell. Oh, how I had missed him. I buried my head in the crook of his neck and wrapped my arms around his torso.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, beautiful.” He whispered into my ear, right after tucking loosely falling strands of hair behind it. He shut the door behind him when he realized it was still wide open, forgetting the cold February air was drifting into the house. He sat multiple bags onto the ground, a couple being his own and the rest looking like gift bags.

“Oh my gosh, Shawn, I missed you.” I told him. I cupped his face into my hands and kissed his sweet, plump lips. They were soft, smooth and his breath tasted of wintergreen mint, something I’ve always loved about him. I continued kissing his perfect lips, having to stand on my tip toes to do so. I pulled away to admire the flowers he’d brought and placed them on the kitchen counter. I walked back to the living room, where Shawn had compulsively placed every gift bag in a specific spot.

“I feel so bad because I was going to cook for you for Valentine’s but it’s too late for that now. I’m sorry babe.” my voice trailed off. He assured me it was okay and rubbed my back lovingly after doing so. “How about a Valentine’s breakfast tomorrow morning?”

“That sounds amazing, honey.” Shawn assured me. He handed me a bag from Sephora, which contained a few lipsticks I had shown him a few weeks ago and a beautiful eyeshadow palette. Two gift bags later and I was to the last bag, which Shawn took out from behind his back. A Victoria’s Secret bag.

“If you don’t like it you don’t- you don’t have to wear it, baby,” He stuttered, “I just thought it might be something kinda fun for the both of us.”

I opened the bag, finding a dark red piece of lingerie inside. I took it out, examining it thoroughly. It was lace all over and had tiny bows on the straps. A blush creeped across my cheeks, shocked that Shawn would buy something like this for me but eager to see how he would react to me wearing something of the sort. I looked up at Shawn, who was biting his lip awaiting my response.

“Thank you, I love it. Thank you for all of it,” I said, “Do you want to, uh, see me in it? Tonight?”

“Only if you want me to. If you want me to, then damn right I do.” I laughed at how excited he seemed. His cheeks had became a splotchy red and his eyes had turned darker, slightly shy yet filled with lust all at the same time. He followed me to our bedroom. He sat on the edge of the bed while I went into the bathroom and closed the door. I slipped off the shirt that belonged to Shawn and my panties and replaced them with the one piece lingerie. I suddenly felt confident in myself for one of the first times in my life. The color of the lace went perfect with my skin tone. What little support was in my bra cupped my breasts perfectly. I stared at myself in the mirror, messing up my hair slightly to add to the effect.

Figuring this was as good as it was going to get, I walked out of the bathroom. I opened the door, revealing an anxious Shawn. His face was still flushed and he bounced his leg up and down out of anticipation. His gaze met mine and I waited for him to break it, to examine over my body. Before even moving his eyes down my body, he bit at his lip. His eyes flickered down. The look in his eyes told me he was mentally taking off what little clothing I was wearing.

One thing I loved most about Shawn is that he always knew how to make me feel beautiful. Just something so simple as the way he looked at me. He stood up, placing his hands on my waist. He guided me to the bed slowly after letting me strip him down to his boxers, covering us with the sheet after laying me down. His lips kissed mine lustfully yet lovingly at the same time. I kissed back with equal passion. My lips fit perfectly against his much softer ones, feeling like time was standing still in the very moment.

“You’re so beautiful. The most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” He spoke softly against my lips. His forehead rested against mine and his eyes stayed shut as the words fell out of his mouth. His lips returned to mine and I was thankful. I needed him in every way possible right now. My lips no longer felt his. He had started to kiss at my collarbone. He kissed down, kissing my skin through the thin red lace.

“I need you,” I blurted out while Shawn was kissing my body, “so so bad and right now.” He didn’t tease like he normally would. He removed his underwear and tossed them to the floor. His left hand went to my hip, his right to my cheek and he caressed it with his thumb. His lips pecked mine softly while he lined himself up at my core. I was dripping wet for him and we had only kissed.

He slid into me with ease but kept the pace slow. I felt him filling me up completely, a feeling I still wasn’t fully accustomed to. My eyes fluttered open and closed over and over again. His thrusts were agonizingly slow but I could feel every ridge of his shaft. I could feel the way the head teased along my walls. Each large vein rubbed me pleasingly.

Shawn’s pace picked up slightly, still thrusting slowly, however. I moaned out his name loudly. I needed him to know how much he was pleasuring me. His hand gripped onto my hips harder whenever I moaned. He moved damp hair off of my cheek and rubbed it gently.

I closed my eyes from the massive amount of pleasure washing over me. Shawn’s thrusts were slow but hard and deep. He hit the right spots with almost every stroke. His press his forehead against mine. His hot breath fanned over my cheek and he peppered my face with soft kisses.

“I love you,” he moaned out, cutting off his own sentence momentarily to thrust into me all the way, “so so fucking much.” he mumbled whenever he bottomed out. Even with the slowest possible thrusts, I already neared orgasming.

“I love you too.” I barely made out, the pleasure was almost too much. Shawn could tell I was close, as my legs became weak and I was more of a moaning mess now. He picked up his pace only slightly, wanting to see me come undone underneath him. I looked up into his still dark brown eyes that stared back into mine. With only a few thrusts more, I was there.

My back arched and soft moans left my lips. Shawn struggled to keep his thrusts steady and smooth, so close himself but wanting to make me come first. Absolute, pure bliss came over me as I came. Shawn only helped push me over the edge by pressing his sweet lips into mine so lovingly.

Only moments later, Shawn came too and cuddled up next to me. He rested his chin on top of my head and kissed my forehead. I changed back into Shawn’s t-shirt, him seeming happier to see me in that than the lingerie. I cuddled into his chest, we said our goodnights and with that, we were both asleep.

#shawn mendes #shawn #shawn mendes smut #shawn mendes dirty imagine #shawn mendes dirty au #shawn mendes dirty #shawn peter raul mendes #shawny

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gethealthy18-blog · 6 years

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How My Kids’ Capsule Wardrobe Simplified My Life (& Laundry)

New Post has been published on http://healingawerness.com/news/how-my-kids-capsule-wardrobe-simplified-my-life-laundry/

How My Kids’ Capsule Wardrobe Simplified My Life (& Laundry)

I must admit… when the capsule wardrobe trend took over Pinterest, I was mostly uninterested. As a mom, I based my wardrobe much more on function and flexibility. Times like pregnancy and nursing required certain types of clothes and limited my options. Then, I discovered the concept of a kids’ capsule wardrobe. Freedom from endless laundry, shopping, and the great seasonal switch-out? Yes please!

I can honestly say, this is one “mommy hack” that changed my life.

The Great Laundry Monster

I used to joke that based on the amount of laundry I was doing, there must be people living in my house that I hadn’t even met.

Then I figured out the real problem:

Kids’ clothing apparently has the ability to reproduce. That was the only answer that made sense. I’d buy a couple pairs of jeans and a few dresses for the girls and suddenly the clothing monster was peeking out of every closet and drawer.

Of course, their clothes weren’t actually reproducing, but the kids were constantly getting t-shirts from community activities and hand-me-downs from friends and I’d keep everything “in case they could use it one day.”

Does This Bring Me Joy?

I’ll also admit that I rolled my eyes more than once while reading The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. It’s a great book, but the idea of talking to clothing seemed a little unusual. I also realized that the great majority of things that are necessary to my daily life don’t bring me joy (laundry, kids’ toys, etc). I figured the KonMari system must not work for moms.

It wasn’t until I was helping my kids deep clean their rooms at the change of seasons that I realized the value of her system. Their clothes may not bring me joy, but they loved certain items and were only wearing those items the majority of the time anyway.

I was sorting through piles of clothing from all seasons. It all fit in the drawers so I left it there in case they needed it (because where we live, you really can have all the seasons in one week!). But they were choosing the same 5 outfits most of the time and they were stressed out with all the clothes.

And I was stressed out with all the laundry. Something needed to change.

Switching to a Kids’ Capsule Wardrobe

I realized that all of the things that made a capsule wardrobe difficult for a pregnant/nursing mom made it perfect for kids!

They changed sizes and needed new clothes at least once a year anyway.

They choose the same outfits over and over.

Having too many clothes was completely overwhelming them.

How We Switched

I decided to do a combination of the 40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge and Project 333 to pare down all of the kids’ clothes. Rather than going through stuff and seeing which items to get rid of (always tougher), I took everything out of all their rooms (very KonMari of me) and only allowed the things in that we were keeping.

Step 1: Make a List and Check It Twice

Instead of just looking through clothes and deciding if they liked an item or not as a criteria for keeping it, I made a list of what each wardrobe would contain. If something didn’t fit into that list, it didn’t stay. In other words, they kept two pairs of jeans for the spring and summer wardrobe. I let them pick their two favorite pairs of jeans and the rest were donated.

This list will certainly vary based on your own lifestyle, kids’ ages, school (uniform or not), etc., but this is what worked best for our family…

The Capsule Wardrobe Master List for each child included:

10-12 shirts

2 pairs of jeans

4-6 pairs of shorts

2-3 swimsuits

2 pajamas

2-3 dresses for the girls

6 pairs of socks (more on my sock system soon)

sneakers

dress shoes

sandals

slip on shoes

10 pairs underwear

1 light jacket or sweatshirt

Full disclosure: I also kept a handful of other items that they can still fit into for a fall/winter wardrobe. I also kept a few items that aren’t worn regularly: a suit for the boys, wetsuits, snow suits, camo gear, jujutsu gi, and two pairs of much older clothes for camping.

Step 2: Choose a Color Palette

My kids typically chose to wear their 2-3 favorite colors 90% of the time. I focused their wardrobes on these colors. The boys both chose blue and red so I built around these and added neutrals like gray and white.

The girls all chose pink and aqua so I built around this with neutrals like gray and white. They also had a few dresses that matched the color palette. These could be worn alone or with leggings and a cardigan for cold weather.

Step 3: Get Rid of the Extra

If clothes didn’t fit into the master list, they were gone. This was the toughest part. Especially because it meant donating a lot of clothes before I’d filled in the gaps. But as soon as the extra clothes were gone, it was like the weight of the world (or at least the laundry) had been lifted off my shoulders and theirs.

I did this at the changing of the seasons last year (this is round two of seasonal wardrobes for us) and it was magical. I sorted the clothes into piles:

Keep pile – Smallest pile

Donate pile – This was by far the biggest pile. I only donated the clothing that was nice enough that I’d still want my kids to wear it.

Reuse pile – Second smallest pile. I still have trouble throwing things away and wasting. We reused the clothing that wasn’t nice enough to donate or wear. We cut it into cleaning cloths, paint rags, and other household items.

Sentimental pile – This was actually a small bin in our attic where I kept the few items that were sentimental to me. These included the baby outfits all the kids wore (that weren’t good enough to donate anyway), clothes I wore as a kid that they wore too (3 items total), and a few other small clothing items. This bin will stay in our attic and I’ll probably eventually turn these items into a quilt when my kids get older.

Step 4: Fill in the Gaps

This part was the most fun! Looking at the master list for each child, I made a list of all the items I still needed for each of them. I checked a local consignment store first and then turned to online shopping for the remaining items. The list kept me from buying extra clothes we didn’t need and made it easy to find the clothes we did.

Step 5: Kid-Friendly Folding

There is heated debate about if kids clothing should be hung up or folded. Obviously, this is based on personal preference. My kids prefer folding to hanging clothes up, so that is what we did.

These kids’ capsule wardrobes fit into a single drawer easily. I taught the kids the “KonMari” method of folding… or at least my interpretation of it based on her description. It basically means folding clothes and stacking them horizontally in a drawer instead of in piles. This lets the kids see every item so clothes don’t get lost at the bottom of the drawer. It also seems to be easier for them to put clothes away with this system.

Shopping Tips

I found secondhand and consignment clothes locally for many items. I also used three main online sources that for filling in gaps in the capsule wardrobes. They are:

Primary: Hands down my favorite online resource for kids. They carry only high quality staples in solid colors and most are gender neutral. They have pretty good prices and were perfect for solid color shirts, shorts, leggings, etc. TIP: Use the code “AFF20PCT” to get 20% off and free shipping on a first order.

Hanna Andersson: More expensive than Primary but I love that they have organic clothes for many items. Their leggings last forever and my girls love their jeggings over regular jeans. I get underwear, undershirts, and PJs for all of the kids here since this reduces their exposure to non-organic clothing by at least half. Their clothes also last a long time. I’ve had friends have their items last over a decade and for multiple children.

Thred Up: An online secondhand store that is searchable. I’ve found great deals on some name brands on this website. This link will give you a $10 discount on your first order.

Benefits of a Kids’ Capsule Wardrobe

My only regret is that I didn’t start doing this sooner. Having these capsule wardrobes for kids have greatly simplified our life and laundry routine. This type of minimalist wardrobe is perfect for kids because:

It Tames the Laundry and Bedroom Messes

I’m not sure how the kid clothes managed to multiply and take over their rooms and the laundry, but they did. Since switching, this hasn’t been a problem at all. I’m washing much less laundry and the kids aren’t overwhelmed when putting clothes away.

More on my laundry routine soon, but I also found that keeping one laundry basket in each of the kids rooms simplified laundry. Now, the girls bring their clothes down, I wash it in one load and they take it back up and put away. Same with the boys. Their wardrobes don’t contain any white clothing (this was intentional) except underwear and undershirts. Because of this, I can wash all girls’ clothes together and all boys’ clothes together. There is no need for color sorting and it saves a lot of time!

I fact, it took me more time to photograph and write this capsule wardrobe post than it does to do my laundry now!

It Makes the Seasonal Clothing Changes Much Easier

I used to dread switching clothes with the seasons. I had to pull everything out of the attic, sort it, fold it, and it took hours. Now, I just evaluate which clothes will still work in the next season and add the items we need. Usually jeans, undershirts, underwear, and short-sleeved shirts can move into the next season if they still fit. With kids, we have to change out clothing every season anyway (or as they out grow it) but I actually look forward to it now.

It Simplifies Picking Outfits

My kids used to somehow always pick clothes that didn’t really go together. They’d end up with a red shirt and orange shorts or patters that didn’t mix. Now, everything coordinates and picking outfits is so much easier. The only rule they have to know is to pick one solid color and one pattern for each outfit or two solid colors. Jeans go with everything. (Secret bonus: I like all of the items in their wardrobes too so I don’t cringe like I did when they always seemed to pick the one shirt that I didn’t like and wear it constantly.)

We Have So Much More Space!

The kids’ favorite part about the new system? They can put their clothes away in under ten minutes and they have so much more space. Our girls’ room has a big closet that was always full of clothes. They always wanted to turn it into a playhouse and play in there but it always ended up a mess with clothes falling off hangers. Now, the closet is a playhouse and their capsule toys (more on that soon) are in there. They happily play in their new-found play space for hours.

Kids’ Capsule Wardrobe: The Bottom Line

I absolutely love this system and found the method that works perfectly for us. The specifics of our system won’t work for everyone, but the basic idea will:

Choose clothes intentionally and of high quality.

Absolutely use hand-me-downs and secondhand items when possible but pass on the ones you don’t need.

Fill in any gaps with high quality items that you and your child both love and that can last and be passed down to other children.

Check out the details of our kids’ spring and summer wardrobes here:

Final Tips for Kids’ Capsule Wardrobes

I learned these tips the hard way and they won’t work for everyone, but I’d personally recommend:

Not including white in kids’ wardrobes except for dress clothes. Totally personal preference but it simplified my laundry with my tribe of tree-climbers and fort-makers.

Spending a little more on high quality items that last. I used to keep all hand-me-downs and buy everything secondhand to save money. Except my stress level was through the roof and nothing matched. Now, I find we spend the same or less on staple clothing items that last longer and that the kids love.

Use online discounts and sales to save money. I wait for sales from our favorite shops and combine with discount codes to get most clothing at 20% or more off retail (sometimes as much as 50%!). Our favorite shops are Primary (use this affiliate link to get 20% off as a new customer), Hanna Andersson, and Thred Up (use this link to get $10 off a first order).

Also, I’m the first to admit that I’m not a fashion designer or anywhere close. I don’t claim to have made perfectly fashionable wardrobes for my kids. These are just their capsule wardrobes that they like and feel comfortable in. I’m not giving fashion advice, just sharing what worked for me!

Whew – your turn! How do you handle kids’ clothing? Share your best tips for others in the comments!

Source: https://wellnessmama.com/195162/kids-capsule-wardrobe/

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fashiontrendin-blog · 6 years

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Comfy Clothes and Cookie Dough: Harling’s Fashion Week Diary

http://fashion-trendin.com/comfy-clothes-and-cookie-dough-harlings-fashion-week-diary/

Comfy Clothes and Cookie Dough: Harling’s Fashion Week Diary

8:30 a.m.

I’m awake! And very hungry. Probably because I had a slice of pizza and two glasses of wine for dinner the previous evening, which in addition to being the favored meal of an adult child, is neither nutrient-rich nor filling. I wish I had slept in even just half an hour longer, so I pretend I did by laying in bed and scrolling through Instagram for that exact amount of time.

9 a.m.

I edit the copy I filed the night before for Man Repeller’s daily fashion week recap because I wrote it at 10 p.m. while drinking the aforementioned wine and it wasn’t formatted correctly, which Haley kindly pointed out to me over Slack. (She’s an earth angel). I also fluffed up the intro a bit with some jokes about goat cheese and brainstormed a new headline. You can read it here if you want to provide feedback.

9:30 a.m.

Okay, now I’m VERY hungry, especially after waxing poetic about goat cheese. I look outside a window, see that it’s pouring rain, pull on a weird amalgamation of clothing and head out the door in search of food. I am panicked because I have no idea what I want to eat. I decide to go to Gourmet Garage, because it is gourmet. I pick up a greek yogurt, a bag of my favorite Early Bird granola and a blueberry muffin.

10 a.m.

I hang out at my boyfriend Austin’s apartment for a bit. He eats the blueberry muffin and we talk about how muffins are just cake without frosting.

11 a.m.

I head to my apartment, shower and start thinking about what the heck I’m going to wear in this disgusting weather. It rained the day before, too, and I wore patent leather loafers that held up remarkably well, but I can’t bear to put them through round two. I resign myself to wearing actual rain boots. As for clothing, I put on a Topshop dress, Outdoor Voices leggings, a J.Crew peacoat and Ganni beanie. While I enjoy these pieces individually, I’m not sure how I feel about the outfit. I look like a cross between Steve Zissou and a kindergarten teacher who sprouts her own almonds for fun.

11:30 a.m.

I remind myself that I have some time before I have to leave for my first show, so I take off the beanie and the peacoat and catch up on work. I post two of Simon’s delectable street style shots to Man Repeller’s Instagram, attempt to clear out my inbox and check off a couple things on my to-do list for the week ahead.

12 p.m.

I’m not hungry, but I decide I should eat something because I have a chunk of back-to-back shows and presentations in the afternoon and won’t have time to eat again until later. I eat a single chicken sausage link and a bag of lime and salt-flavored popcorn, thus continuing my adult child diet. As I pop the last chocolate from a box handed out at the Cushnie et Ochs show on Friday, I make a mental note to ingest something green later.

12:45 p.m.

I start walking to Varick Street, where my first show of the day (Mansur Gavriel) is taking place at 1 p.m. It’s only a 15-minute walk from my apartment, but by the time I arrive the bottom of my dress looks like a Kleenex that New York City used to wipe its nose.

1 p.m.

Fashion shows routinely start 30 minutes late, but I try to get there on time if I can just in case I’m sitting in the middle of a back row or something. I’ve had to climb over people on numerous occasions, which is always embarrassing, especially because I’m still a relative newbie at these things and I prefer not to meet people for the first time by accidentally sitting in their laps. Fortunately, at Mansur, I am both on time and sitting in the front row of my section — a treat!

1:30 p.m.

The show begins, fashionably late as predicted. The first four looks are head-to-toe white, simple enough to encapsulate ease but special enough that they might suit a bride for a courthouse wedding or similarly low-key venue. The color palette transitions into pinks and lavenders next, and then browns, yellows and blacks. It is very aesthetically pleasing to behold, almost like a ROYGBIV ASMR experience. More importantly, though, everything looks distinctly relaxed and elegant at the same time. It definitely makes me want to start wearing more monochrome.

1:45 p.m.

I hop on the subway to head further downtown for the Tibi show. The venue is tucked away by the docks at South Street Seaport, which is also where the Cushnie show took place so I feel like a pro making my way to the slightly hidden location. It didn’t hurt that this time I am following throngs of colorfully-dressed attendees whereas on Friday I was running late and it was pitch black.

2:15 p.m.

Elizabeth waves to me from a bench. I’m very excited because my seat is right next to hers. And then Haley arrives! And Amelia! We’re all sitting together and I immediately feel the comfort of being with my people spread across my chest like butter on hot toast. (As I mentioned, I’m still a relatively new to the industry, and Man Repeller’s team is so small that we usually divide and conquer during fashion week, so I often feel like an anxious weirdo lurking in corners alone at various events. If you see me doing that, please come say hi. I will give you the scrunchie off my back and the deodorant in my purse.)

2:30 p.m.

The show starts and the first thing I notice are the shoes. They’re patent leather cowboy-esque boots, and they’re fantastic. Then I notice the clothes: like Mansur Gavriel’s, they look supremely comfortable and sophisticated at the same time. How wonderful to be a living, breathing, moving, eating woman in these outfits, I think.

2:45 p.m.

I exit the venue and run into Phoebe Lovatt, founder of the WW Club and upcoming participant in a fun story Man Repeller is doing with Ted Baker. She echoes what I was pondering during the show: How nice it is that Tibi’s clothing is designed with women’s actual bodies in mind. I continue contemplating this as I walk to the Rosetta Getty presentation in Tribeca.

3:15 p.m.

I slack Amelia that I’d like to write a full story about Tibi and Mansur Gavriel, and she responds, “Cool! Can’t wait.” Then I stash my pink umbrella amongst a sea of black ones in the vestibule outside Rosetta Getty and walk into the presentation. I immediately want to throw away all my clothes and replace them with what’s in the room: a sea of loose-fitting dresses, belted coats, sumptuous sweaters and patent leather shoes, including a pair of white mid-calf boots I would trade a toenail for.

3:30 p.m.

I walk back to Varick Street, where Tanya Taylor is having its presentation at 4 p.m. It’s a quick walk though, and I arrive too early, so I meander around looking for a place to crash while I kill time. I find a Starbucks and sit down inside. I’m minding my own business uploading some photos from Rosetta Getty to Man Repeller’s Instagram when all of a sudden a guy sits down right next to me and opens up an enormous container of fettuccine. I have nothing against fettuccine, in fact I enjoy it, but this particular batch smelled extremely questionable and I felt myself getting a little nauseous, so I make a quick exit.

4 p.m.

As I enter the venue for Tanya Taylor, I run into Christene Barberich, the editor-in-chief and co-founder of Refinery29. We joke about how wet we are and how all water in New York feels like it might contain small traces of urine, even if it’s coming straight from the sky.

4:05 p.m.

I take a lap around the presentation and snap some photos. My favorite piece is a shiny, striped turtleneck that I would love to wear out every night of the week from December through February. The shoes are great, too — lots of practical-but-not-boring flats and kitten-heeled mules.

4:15 p.m.

I leave to go home. I decide to stop at Sweetgreen on the way to pick up a salad because I’m hungry. It’s kind of a weird time to eat, though, and I deduce that I’ll probably be hungry later, so I take preemptive action and ask Instagram Stories where I can find the best chocolate chip cookie in Soho, figuring that would make the perfect late-evening snack.

4:30 p.m.

I purchase my salad but I’m too hungry to pursue the cookie mission at the moment, so I hightail it to my apartment, change into a T-shirt and gym shorts and prepare to dive into my salad, only to realize my plastic fork is missing a tong. It feels like a sign that I should have gotten the cookie.

5 p.m.

I start writing my review of Mansur Gavriel and Tibi. I take a moment to appreciate how nice it feels to be wearing my best and ugliest home clothes while I write about fashion getting more comfortable with comfort.

6:30 p.m.

I’m done! I slack the finished copy to Haley and Amelia to edit. Then I do some boring stuff like clean my room and take ANOTHER shower because my hair has been subjected to the whims of rain and beanie-smushing all day and could use some refreshing in the form of shampoo and conditioner.

6:45 p.m.

I foam roll for a bit in my living room because I have iliotibial band syndrome (the fancy term for runner’s knee) and this is supposed to help. It’s incredibly boring, not to mention painful, so I listen to the Dear Sugar podcast as a distraction.

7 p.m.

I chat with one of my roommates, who just got home (thankfully, after I’d already put away the foam roller — I look so weird when I’m doing it). I tell her the most important news of the weekend, which is that I discovered our bathroom sink water tastes significantly better than our kitchen sink water.

7:30 p.m.

As predicted, I’m starting to get hungry again. I really wish I’d gotten that cookie, but I’m way too lazy to put on real clothes and go back out in the rain at this point. I decide to pivot my dessert plans and order some ice cream. I order two scoops of vegan chocolate chip cookie dough from Van Leeuwen’s — one for me and one for my other roommate, who isn’t home yet but texts me that she wants in on my nightcap.

8:15 p.m.

Our ice cream arrives!!!! I put my roommate’s scoop in the fridge and take mine into bed with me, where I make sweet love to it by way of a spoon. I feel a little sick because (surprise!) there is a bucketload of sugar in cookie dough ice cream, but very content nonetheless.

8:30 p.m.

I answer some more emails and will myself to get sleepy. My body is exhausted (I check my iPhone and discover that I walked a grand total of 26.5 miles going from event to event over the past four days, so it was a literal marathon), but my head is still buzzing.

9 p.m.

I am not sleepy. I watch the most recent episode of Grey’s Anatomy, which is having a topnotch 14th season, thank you for asking.

10 p.m.

I’m still not sleepy, so I start reading a book that Haley recommended to me called A Fraction of the Whole. I love it immediately.

11 p.m.

Nope. Still not sleepy. I want to keep reading but I also want to turn off my brain, so I take a melatonin.

12 a.m.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Photos via Harling Ross.

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endlessarchite · 6 years

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Dueling DIY: Guest Room Gauntlet!

Dueling DIY is BACK! Between talking shit and getting shit done, I’m bringing back my favorite DIY series to face off with another master DIYer and give my guest bedroom its official makeover.

You’ve heard me hinting at it over the last few weeks. I said I would be bringing my Dueling DIY series back, and today is the official launch date! This time, it will be bigger and more badass than ever, because my friend Charlotte (from At Charlotte’s House) is absolutely PERFECT for the role of soon-to-be-beaten guest host.

With SO much going on over the next few months, I quickly realized that the guest bedroom project will quickly slide to the back burner if I don’t keep my focus. So, much like I’ve done in the past with other Dueling DIY sagas, I’ve brought back this reader favorite so I have more motivation to get ‘er done.

My sad little guest room

A good number of you guys have already seen some info about my guest room and what it looked like just a few months ago. Since then, my boyfriend brought a few things over from his place: a giant TV, his dad’s vintage stereo equipment, and other items more suited for a media room than a pleasant place for guests.

Ultimately — obviously — it makes for one very confused, very disjointed, very un-guest-bedroom-like space. I had plenty of ideas for what to do inside of these four walls already. But it wasn’t until K brought over his “big-ass tv” (as you’ll see me calling it in the video below) that I realized: I have a few other things to plan for where he and I are concerned. The more we talk about our future plans together, the more his stuff starts trickling into my house (what once was a slow drip is now a steady stream), the more my reality is shifting toward too many knick-knacks and more furniture than my tiny home can fit.

my inner shame

ugly boob light

But as many a seasoned homeowner knows: just because I have too much stuff, doesn’t mean that I’m going to part with it or get organized overnight. In fact, all of my other projects are making the guest bedroom the opposite fo a priority right now. So, I need a little help. Enter: DUELING DIY.

The backstory

If you don’t already know about Dueling DIY and what it’s all about, I’ve got the full info for you right HERE. It all started a number of years ago when I was neck-deep in 247 projects with no end to my to-do list in sight, and I desperately needed to refresh my focus. Sometimes, my project A.D.D. gets the best of me, and my ambition and the number of hours in the day just have no hope of overlapping enough. It starts to feel like I’m working and working, but nothing is being achieved. In truth, there is also a limit to how fun fixing drywall is when a second season of Stranger Things could use rewatching.

That’s where a challenge like this comes in. It helps me regroup, start making actionable goals, and really make some progress. Because there’s nothing like having your friend send you memes of how she’s kicking your ass with her own home’s progress to make you feel like a lazy chump and get you painting walls again!

The smack talk is the best part…

The fact that I get to talk a lot of shit at another blogger is, frankly, the best part of this whole thing. This challenge not only forces us both make progress on similar room/space, but also adds in a thick, delicious layer of friendly — but snarky — banter. To keep it more apples-to-apples in terms of challenge, it’s always the same project type (staircase vs. staircase, kitchen vs. kitchen, and this time, obviously, guest room vs. guest room!).

via GIPHY

Schedule: every other Wednesday

Since Charlotte and I both have eight billion other things going on (and in just a few weeks, we’ll see each other in person at a DIY conference, so I hope we’ll have time to do a Facebook Live or something), the schedule won’t be every week like it was in previous years, but every other week. This will let us fit in the other DIYs that aren’t related to this room (I still have the shed and the master bedroom stuff going on, plus some other kitchen updates).

The goal: finish and fun

As with previous versions of this series, there is no official end date picked ahead of time. It’s meant to give the both of us something new for you guys every other week, which is plenty motivation by itself. Someone finishing first still offers plenty of bragging rights, so that threat is always looming. Maybe this time, I’ll actually have to send Charlotte a golden hammer… or maybe I’ll be a THREE TIME CHAMP.

via GIPHY

Vlogging progress, too

As you guys already know, one of my goals this year is to mix in video with my DIYs and tutorials. It’s meant to complement the posts I write, but not replace them (like many of you, I like written tutorials and don’t plan to abandon that for video anytime soon). So, a vlog will pair with this series once a month on my Youtube channel for anything I think I can add in for the update (especially clips of me laughing at Charlotte’s defeat). I think a series like this lends itself perfectly to video… personality is such a huge part of what makes a challenge like this so fun!

You can catch my whole intro vlog describing the series for new followers, plus an updated tour of the guest room from where it was a couple of months ago (which happens to have a lot of K’s stuff in the room, coughcoughfuturepostscough) here.

youtube

And, you should also check out Charlotte’s first post and vlog about her room here and let her know that you’re rooting for ME in this game. While you’re at it, make sure you’re subscribed to both of us so that you can catch all video updates.

Subscribe to my Youtube channel here

Subscribe to Charlotte’s here

My guest room inspiration and plans

That’s the whole series plan in a nutshell, but what I haven’t covered yet is the actual room plans! Here’s what that’s currently looking like in my head:

contains affiliate links

Sources (clockwise from top left): ceiling fan / macramé hanging plant / paper shadowbox art / office swivel chair / paint colors: Sherwin-Williams Retreat and Stone White / rug / faux fern / wall sconce / black and white pillow / leather pillow / tassel throw

One of the biggest projects, as you can see, is the custom Murphy bed setup that will hide the bed when not in use. This room will serve double- or triple-duty as office space for my favorite bearded dude and his design work as an engineer (in fact, he’s the one who is drawing up these Murphy bed plans to turn my 2-D drawings into 3-D plans for you once we’re finished).

I’m also sticking to a really simple color palette and adding visual interest via texture. Lots of global-inspired textiles, keeping the room comfy, with a sort of eclectic influence. And of course, my favorite black and white combo! I figure this will be the best palette for allowing the multi-use space to be calming for guests and clean for every need this room will serve (but still refreshing with plants and visual interest). I haven’t really picked out art yet, but I expect a city map, some of my vintage map collection, and more botanicals to find their way in.

Other DIYs planned:

a coffee/info station (for things like the wifi password, toiletries, etc.)

art

curtain rod (woodworking project)

floating shelves

So, there you have it! If you’re the kind of person who prefers to stalk every minute of this makeover (I’ve already been sharing some sneak peeks on social), you should definitely follow me as well on Instagram. IG stories are becoming a new favorite way to share my thought process behind the scenes and give hints at what’s coming next.

UPDATE: I added one more tour video to walk you around the room and share room plans. See that here.

Ready? Let’s jump right in! Oh, and Charlotte?

via GIPHY

P.S. I realize that’s a number of different things to follow, but think of it as a smorgasbord to pick and choose based on preference — aka, a way (if you want) to see more stuff as we go. My posts will still cover the updates just fine. But behind the scenes stuff is going on IG between posts because it’s easy to share them there, and video is meant to add that “real life” layer in because it puts me in front of the camera. So, a little mix of everything!

The post Dueling DIY: Guest Room Gauntlet! appeared first on Ugly Duckling House.

Dueling DIY: Guest Room Gauntlet! published first on https://bakerskitchenslimited.tumblr.com/

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