MY LITTLE COTTAGE STUDIO {layout}

As promised, here are some photos of my progress. It took me a while to figure out the best layout for this 170 sq ft cottage. I wanted an office, sitting area, photo shoot space and inventory space. I dedicated half of the cottage to photo shoot and inventory storage and the other half for a small office and sitting area. My priority was to get rid of as much as I could (you can see how many boxes of junk I have in the before photo) and have the space to start putting furniture into place. As I mentioned in my previous post, I haven't purchased any furniture (except the wardrobe) everything is hand me down or from my previous apartment. I want to take my time to find pieces that would look good and fit nicely in this space. So what do you guys think of the layout? I cant wait for when everything is finished with nice furniture and decoration! The style I am going for is RUSTIC GLAM with a boutique feel without clothes everywhere. Obviously, it is far from that but hopefully the final result will be just like how I envision it in my head. I am so happy to have a place to work in everyday and the best part is its only a few steps away!

I've always wanted one of these wardrobes. I always see them in those cottage living magazines and now I have one! I am planning to get another one for the other side of the window so I can have more clothing storage space

The wall where my dress form is is where I take photos. My lighting kit is on the other side of the room.

Here is my little sitting corner. My sister gave me this awesome chair which I will be painting soon. My desk is right behind this shelf where I am keeping some handbags and magazines

I really need to figure out a prettier way to organize all the stuff under the desk and I could use an office chair

Does the chest of drawers look a little awkward here?

here is the mess

NEW AGAIN {chest of drawers}

My little cottage/studio is almost finished! I will be posting some pictures soon. I want to take my time finding the right pieces so most of the furniture is just what I have now. But today, I want to show you this chest of drawers that I found at the thrift store a few months ago. When I first saw this, I loved the geometric details on the drawers and also the fact that it had so many drawers! I thought this would be perfect for the cottage because it doesn't take up much square footage but now that I have it in there, it just doesn't look right for some reason. I've moved it around and tried almost every corner and wall but it just seems out of place. I also managed to get a ding at the top corner which you can see in the pics below. BUMMER! I will still keep it in there though because I could use those drawers for so many things!

I used rust-o-leum spray paint in gloss white and metallic gold for the pulls

I think eventually I will switch out the pulls for something more modern and add black contrast to the square detailing on each drawer

This location was the least awkward place for it

before: it was a bronzy brown color

removed the drawer pulls and getting ready to start spraying!

first coat done! 2 more coats to go!

THE MAN CAVE

I was waiting for all the furniture to be in place to show some before and after photos but looks like its going to take a while as Paul is really taking his time. But here is the garage all finished. We went with a darker accent color on one side, this is where the big black leather sofa will go. So far, it is looking really good!  As for my little cottage, it has made a lot of progress the last 2 days. I've been moving and rearranging furniture around with my little strong arms. The dolly has been my best friend!

We had the beams up top painted black and later on decided to add black trimming all around

lighter dusty teal blue was the main color. The floor is finished in grey epoxy with black/grey/white paint chips

before

JEWELRY DISPLAY - part II {DIY vintage china}

I am always looking for new ways to organize and display my jewelry. In my previous post Jewelry display Part I, I showed a few ways to store bracelets and necklaces. Today, I want to show you how you can organize your rings and things. I love the idea of using pretty vintage china teacups and saucers to hold sparkly gems. I just love the pretty pop of colors trimmed in gold! You can find pretty vintage china online (I found a lot on etsy) and cost anywhere from $15 to $75 for really intricate ones. I don't know about you but I'd rather spend my money on the jewels! So off I go to my local thrift store and for less than $20 I bought a ton of glass teacups, saucers, bowls, plates in whatever size I thought I needed and then some paint and gold sharpie (I love the gold sharpie!!!) Oops I forgot to take a pic of the sharpie but you can buy it here. I am very happy with how it all turned out and cant wait to make a few more in bright bold colors. What do you guys think? scroll down to see the BEFORE pics.

black teacup "keep calm and drink tea" the other side says "keep calm and drink coffee" sitting on a peach scallop saucer

loving my polka dots

tribal inspired

this piece and the white polka dot bowl is my fav!

I should've used 2 coats inside the bowl so the polka dots don't show thru but still cute! what do you think?

BEFORE PAINTING: These have been washed and dried // They cost about $1~ $2.50 each

AFTER PAINTING: I used acrylic paint $0.59 from Joann

the inspiration

DIY VINTAGE VANITY

I bought this mod vanity chair from the flea market a long while ago. I meant to give it a makeover sooner but it was one of those things I just kept putting off and its finally done! I used my left over stripe fabric from Ikea and matte black spray paint which is left over from the vintage valet stand.

first i want to show you my new backpack that I bought (from f21) to carry when I go cruising with Lola. It matches my helmet which makes me look quite dorky (i realized it when i saw my own reflection riding by store windows)

I would've kept the gold but it was very rusty

reupholster + paint

LIFE IS RANDOM

A few random things from last week

I received a package from my bff in the mail. It was such a sweet surprise! She sent me these luxurious japanese skincare products to prep my skin for the wedding. Thanks Jenn!

the best creamer ever.... doesn't matter what brand of coffee you use. it makes any coffee taste good!

choosing paint color for the man cave. Im thinking pink paradise?

ok, no pink paradise. We went with 2 of these colors. Cant wait to see it all done!

BIJOUX

For the next few days, our garage is getting a makeover! Paul is finally getting his man cave. It will be nothing like the cute cottages from my last post but it will be a cool space (unless we move all the junk back into it, then it wont be cool anymore). So you know what that means...i will be stuck at home in case the workers need something like what colors do you want the walls? why PINK of course! Since I am the one stuck here, I should be the one to call all the shots and make executive decisions. I think I am doing a pretty good job so far. Anyways, I had a few spare moments (ok, maybe a lot) today so I decided to make some jewels to take with me on my wedding/mini-moon in November. I cant believe its only 2 months away!

I love long necklaces for layering

these two are my fav!

                       I am using pendants that I've had for a while now and so glad I am finally using them! I used very delicate gold (non tarnish) chain for all the necklaces