When Life Gives You Lemons

The current state of my new home. At least I have an amazing hairpin leg side table! 

A change in office scenery with zero styling. 

Not crazy about the woodwork. Still debating about whether to paint it or not. The rest of the house is too scary to even photograph. So much work to do!

I'm not sure how to start today's blog post. I could start by apologizing for my sudden absence on the blog the past couple weeks due to my busy schedule, but who isn't? Or I could talk about graduation and how much I'm enjoying the "real world", but in reality, I'm still looking for a full-time job. Or the fact that I didn't have Internet for a week kind of put a damper on the whole blogging and working thing. And to top it all off, I got my wisdom teeth pulled. To be honest, these last few weeks have been anything but extraordinary. Nobody likes a Debbie downer so I won't bore you with all the details, but a string of unfortunate events has taken its toll.

The more I thought about blogging and what I should write about, the more stressed I got because I didn't have anything new to say. Blogging is a funny thing. We see all of these bloggers living extravagant lives with designer clothing and gorgeous skin and assume everything must be perfect. I'm sure things are going well, but they have bad days too just like the rest of us. I was so hung up on everything else that has been going on that I lost inspiration and had nothing left to say.

A few days ago I came across a quote that really resonated with me. I didn't save it and now I can't find it back, but it went something like this: inspiration doesn't come to those wait, but to those who look. I didn't say it nearly as nicely as the original source, but basically you have search for inspiration, you can't expect it to come to you. All along I was tangled up in my own problems and found myself out of my element and the inspiration stopped flowing. I wasn't browsing Instagram, chatting on Twitter, or even attempting to blog. I completely shut off. How can I expect an awesome blog post idea to pop in my head without even trying to blog? Just as you can't expect to perfect your free throw shot just by thinking about it, you have to practice.

I'm happy to say I am out of my funk and ready to tackle my giant to-do list. No Internet for a week set back my blog redesign, but I am excited for the reveal coming soon!

I'm officially moved out of my studio apartment and into my new home with my boyfriend. He bought a house (which explains why I didn't have Internet) and now I have the joys of decorating a new place! Here you will find the living room, kitchen, and bedroom inspiration I blogged about earlier. Every room is painted except the bathroom, so now it's time to tackle the fun part.

My sister offered me a position to help with an app she and her husband are working on called Powder Room. It's an app that keeps beauty products simple and fun. You can easily search or scan products, organize them into lists or looks, and share them with your friends and followers. Since I didn't have a full-time offer I decided to take the opportunity to move to San Francisco for a few months and work on an exciting app! The Bay Area is my favorite place to visit so I am excited to explore the city for a few months. I fly out on Wednesday so I'm running around trying to select furniture for my boyfriend's house so it feels somewhat like a home before I leave. The blog will cover my new adventures in California along with regular DIY and home posts. I will share my house updates and decor selection when I come back to Iowa in a few months. I'm so excited for this opportunity and can't wait to spend the summer in my favorite state!

Have a wonderful and safe Memorial Day weekend!

Make It: Lipstick Holder

Hello! It's been quite the last couple weeks, you guys. I've graduated college, had a wonderful weekend full of good food, drinks, and family, coordinated a move, continue to work on a blog redesign, and now I'm knee deep in boxes as I pack up my apartment. Where did the weekend go? I need to be out of my apartment by 11am tomorrow! Fingers crossed I make it happen. I'll take any moving tips/advice you've got. I've moved six times in the last four years and it's still a nightmare every time. So as all of this last minute craziness was happening, naturally, I decided to tackle a DIY instead of packing. Luckily, the lipstick holder DIY was a breeze and turned out better than expected! Read on for the full tutorial.

Make It: Designer Inspired Zebra Dish

Hello from Milwaukee! I'm on a super quick school trip to Milwaukee today visiting the Kohl's headquarters. I was up at 4am to catch our 6am flight and heading back home later this evening. My marketing class had a competition with Kohl's and my group was selected as the winner, so we are presenting to Kohl's executives and touring the place. Wish us luck! 

Remember that failed DIY that went horribly wrong no matter how I tried to fix it? Well, you're looking at it!  I had a brilliant idea of recreating the Jonathan Adler Zebra dish I love for  a cheaper DIY version. Last week when working on this project, everything that could go wrong, did. I set the dumb thing aside and whipped up the flower necklace DIY so I had something to post last week. The rest of the week I was thinking about how I could salvage the zebra dish because I had already spent so much time on it and I was too stubborn to throw the whole thing out. I stopped obsessing over it and analyzing my every last mistake, and a few days later when I came back to it, it didn't actually look half bad!

While it took me way to many hours than I want to admit to complete this zebra dish, I learned my lesson so I can prevent you from making the same ones. Keep reading for the full tutorial.

Supplies:

Air-dry clay, $10 Hobby Lobby

White and turquoise acrylic paint, $1 Hobby Lobby

Paint brush

Gold spray paint

Knife

Rolling pin if you have one

Cutting board

Total $11 

Step 1

I followed the instructions on the package of clay which said to moisten the clay with water and knead until it was easy to work with. My clay was already pretty workable, so I just dampened my fingers with water and kneaded the clay for a few minutes. 

Step 2

Roll out the clay on your cutting board into an even sheet, about a half inch thick. I would use a rolling pin for this step if you have one so you can get an even layer. My kitchen is far from well-stocked (I only have one pan!) so I used the palms of my hands to flatten out the clay into an even sheet.

Step 3

Next, cut out your desired shape! I used a knife while looking at a picture of the Jonathan Adler zebra dish shape online. If you mess up it's not a big deal because you can always add or take away clay. 

Step 4

Once you cut out your shape, you want to smooth any edges and even out the layer as much as possible, but be careful to not make it too thin. Now it's time to start giving your zebra a little shape. I just worked with my hands to create "edges" along the side so the zebra isn't completely flat. I continually dipped my fingers in water when working with the clay because it made the clay more pliable and also helped smooth out finger prints and other indentations. 

Step 5

After you have smoothed out the zebra and are happy with your shape, it's time to let it dry! I let mine dry for a good 24 hours before touching it. When my zebra dried it also "raised" so only the feet touch the surface. Weird, but ended up working out nicely! 

Step 6

If there is any unevenness or edges you'd like to file down, do that after your zebra is completely dry. I used a glass nail file and it worked well. This step is totally optional! My zebra had some areas I wanted to file down and it worked pretty well, but didn't make it perfect.

Step 7

Spray paint the zebra gold. I just painted the top side, but that's up to you if you want to do the bottom as well. Once that dries, paint the outside edges of your zebra with acrylic paint to clean up the look. Now it's time to paint the stripes! I just looked at a picture and free-hand painted the stripes with a brush. I'm sure a paint pen would work great as well. I did about three coats of white paint in the stripes to make sure it was well-covered.

*Editor's note: I thought I was saving time by cutting out a stripe template in paper to then lay on top of the zebra while I spray painted it gold, creating stripes. The template took FOREVER to cut out and it ended up not working at all, so I just spray painted the whole zebra gold. 

This DIY takes a little bit of patience, but if you don't make my mistakes you should have it finished in a couple hours. Overall I'm happy with the result! $32 is not a lot of money for the real thing, but DIYs are all about customizing it to your own liking, right? You can paint it how ever your heart desires! Plus there is leftover clay to make at least 3 more. 

Do you have any fun plans this weekend? My sister who got engaged recently is trying on a few dresses this Saturday and I'm so excited!! One of the dresses I actually spotted online :)

Shelf Styling Tips

A couple weeks ago I asked on Instagram if you are interested in seeing some shelf styling tips on the blog. I got great feedback and you all couldn't have been more excited about the idea, so I'm sharing my tips and tricks that I use when arranging my shelves and bookcases. Thank you for your input and enthusiasm! It's so exciting knowing how eager y'all are to learn.

When I moved into my apartment in August, I kind of just threw everything on my bookcase without much thought. It was the last of my worries at that point, so I figured I would come back to it and do some actual styling. While I did go back and arrange my shelves a little, I wasn't completely happy with the result, but I had other things to worry about so I just left it as is. Well, over the last several months I managed to accumulate more things, and while I'm happy to have some new jewelry, cute bowls, and clutches, my tiny apartment just doesn't have room to store everything. My bookcase became the catchall for a lot of trinkets and things and it started to get a little crowded.

Here is the before picture. There is clearly too much stuff and a lot of color going on, without any real organization or thought behind it.

Here's the after! While it might not look that different, in person it looks way more thought out and organized, so I'm happy. I kept most of the items I had before, but removed some extras and exchanged a few for items I had laying around my apartment. One thing to remember when styling is that it takes time! I did not whip this up in ten minutes. Honestly it probably took me over an hour. You have to be patient and play with it for a while before finding the "right" design you like. I arranged and rearranged many times before deciding on this.

The two bins are full of DIY craft supplies, so I placed them on top so you can't see the messy stuff inside. If I really want to be picky, I would have painted the pink storage bin white, but I decided not to bother and save time. Also, try grouping similar items. I stacked all of my white books together and kept my jewelry together for the most part. Paying attention to the little details goes a long way. I stuck to only magazines with white binding for a clean look. Just like anything else, as you experiment and practice you'll keep getting better and better.

Were these tips helpful? Do you have any other tips you use when styling? Questions?

Now go test your styling skills and tag me @amandarisius on social media so I can see your awesome job!

Make It: Marble Tray

Go ahead and file this DIY under "smallest effort, biggest impact." For all DIY novices out there, this one is for you. Break out your gluing skills from elementary school because that's all this little wonder takes! Despite the fact that this DIY is foolproof, it's seriously a favorite because 1) it's marble 2) I love trays. Basically every room in your house should have a tray! They keep things looking neat and organized by keeping items "in place." Like, say, on your coffee table. Your stack of books, trinkets, TV remote, coasters, and other things are scattered across your coffee table looking a little messy. Just by arranging those items in a tray, your coffee table looks put together and intentional. 

If you want to see how I did it, read on for the full tutorial.

Supplies:
Kitchen knobs of your choosing - Home Depot, $16 for two
Marble tile - Home Depot, $4
Gorilla glue - Home Depot
Gold spray paint - Home Depot, $4
Total $24

Home Depot had a couple different options for marble tiles. I originally saw the Carrara Marble which was a little thinner slab and shaped as a rectangle instead of a square. The tile I chose is Calacatta Marble. Calacatta is known for having more dramatic veining, and when using just one slab, I wanted the marbling to be more noticeable. If you want to get technical and read up on the differences between Carrara and Calaccatta, Houzz did an entire article. It doesn't matter which you choose, just go with the one you like best!

Step 1
Spray paint your knobs! Gold makes me happy, and gold combined with marble makes me even happier. In store, Home Depot's knob selection was a little sparse. There were few knobs that were big enough for the size of tile I was using, and the gold options were even slimmer. I decided on the modern knobs because they were substantial enough to work with the thick marble tile. They were spendy, but definitely achieved the look I was going for. I gave my knobs 3 coats of paint, letting them completely dry in between coats. Always use thin layers of paint to avoid drips.

Step 2
Measure the placement for the knobs. I took an old fashioned ruler and measured the knobs so they were placed in the center of the tile. Mark the spot with a pencil.

Step 3
Glue your knobs in place. Drop enough glue to cover the bottom of the knob and press on the tile. Use your ruler to double check your placement is even.

Not too bad, right? I would also suggest gluing felt to the bottom of your tile so you don't scratch your furniture. After coming home from the craft store I realized I didn't have the felt on hand like I thought I did. That's the way the cookie crumbles.

Also, the newest issue of La Petite Fashionista Magazine came out yesterday and I love the story on a fun bridal shower and a cute lemonade bar with delicious recipes! You can read my article on how to build your dream closet (while doing a little spring cleaning) here. I hope you like it!

First House: Bedroom Inspiration

Biscuit Katie Duvet / Biscuit Blue Border Shams / Floral Print Pillow / West Elm Hanging Cord Lamp / Reclaimed Wood Vanity DIY / West Elm Mirrored Side Table / Floating Wood Shelf / Turkish Towel / Kate Spade Saturday Nesting Boxes

Hello again! I hope you all had a fab weekend. I was busy trying to get things finished before I leave for Go Blog Social this Thursday!! So excited it's finally almost here. The past couple weeks I have shared my inspiration for the kitchen and living room in the new house project I'll be working on. My boyfriend bought a house and I'm thrilled to have an entire house to play with and decorate! We can't move in until May, so until then, I'm brainstorming decor ideas and creating mood boards for each room in the house. If you'd like room updates or want to see more inspiration photos, follow along with me on Pinterest with my Bedroom, Kitchen, Upstairs Living Room, and Entryway boards. I'm constantly pinning new ideas!

The bedroom is super important to me because that is where my office will most likely be located. As you can imagine, I'll be spending lots of time in there writing blog posts and other fun projects so it needs to be inspiring, bright, and cheery. I'm sticking with the same blues, greens, and reds that are used in the living room and kitchen to keep things unified. My boyfriend likes rustic, so I'll add some natural wood pieces like the hanging light and floating wood shelf. I need to do some measuring to see how big the room is and what size of furniture will fit. The room is long and narrow so I may have to get creative when arranging. I love this DIY wood vanity (using IKEA legs and a slab of wood) with the TV mounted above, but if space is too tight I'll have to resort to something like the hanging wood shelf instead. I can't wait to get in the house to start making final decisions!

My bf has a nice headboard already, and we both have dressers so I'll need to figure out what space we have for those. We need major storage solutions, but I'm afraid two dressers won't fit. When you have a shortage of storage, use wall shelving! It gives you more space and doubles as both storage and decor. The floating wood shelf could display my jewelry and pretty perfume bottles, and colorful cute handbags or scarves could hang on the hooks.

Congrats to Cait on winning the Maddelyn bag from the Mishqua giveaway! Thanks everyone for participating!

Blending His & Hers Home Decor Styles

One peek at my blog or Instagram and you notice my love for color, especially pink. Growing up my favorite color was always purple, but these days I'm constantly drawn to hot pink, whether it's a bag or a tray. In my own apartment I don't have any problem plastering my place in shades of pink, but since I will soon be sharing my home with my boyfriend in his house, I want a place that reflects both of us and that means taking the girly notch down a bit. It's kind of nice to have someone keep me in check from buying anything pink in sight. All of my current pink items will find their way into our place (spray paint is my best friend), but when it comes to new purchases, I am thinking about how they will fit both of our styles. My style leans toward mid-century modern with a touch of glam. His style is a little more traditional rustic.

His and hers decor can be tricky, but the it's all about finding balance. When you are decorating with two different styles, you want to incorporate different elements from each into your home. A good blend makes for a well-decorated space, instead of a mismatched mess with no clear direction. For me, I'm choosing to stick with more traditional textiles and colors, and simple and modern furniture lines. If you have your own separate office (or any other room) in the house, go ahead and lean towards your preferred aesthetic, just keep one or two elements that it tie it back to the rest of the home.

Take a look at this amazing home transformation combining his shabby chic style and her mid-century modern by Sabrina Soto. Sabrina, interior designer and host of HGTV's The High/Low Project, is one of my favorite designers. We share the same budget decorating mentality, so that pretty much makes us BFFs. The entire look is completely different but she only brought in a few different pieces! The before and after photos are seriously amazing!

Do you and your significant other have opposite tastes? How do you blend both?

If you haven't already, head on over to enter for your chance to win a Mishqua vegan leather handbag! It's one of my all-time favorites and retails at $70. Enter here.

All images via

Best Color Combinations

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 Happy Monday! I'm feeling extra chipper and ready to work today! The past week I was on spring break and it was so nice to have a break from classes and get a little extra time to cross a few things off my to-do list. Although it would have been nice to be basking in the sun somewhere warm, I'm pretty happy I got to work on a few projects and just relax. I love a change in pace, but I'm ready to get back to my daily routine and in the swing of working out. A girl can only handle so much green beer and fried food!

The warmer temperatures may have something to do with my extra boost of motivation on a Monday, but these gorgeous photos don't hurt either. I'm ready to break out the lighter textures and colors in my closet and home decor and and bring on bold colors. I was browsing Pinterest and came across some of the most beautiful color combinations that made me even more excited for spring, so I decided to make an entire post out of it. Whether it's an outfit, home decor, or even a flower arrangement, these color combos are seriously inspiring.

What is your favorite color combination?

H&H has joined Facebook! Be sure to like our page to receive blog updates and more DIY tips and tricks :)

In other exciting news, my twin sister got engaged! I'm beyond excited to help with the planning and throw some amazing parties. Let me know if you want to see bridal shower decor, wedding decor, etc. on the blog.