Don't mind me... over here creating myself.

I decided to take up a new hobby. Truth be told I was inspired by this instagram from Dallas Shaw. I saw it and thought, "I want to to do that."

So last night I marched over to Blick Art Supplies in Lincoln Park (well, drove) and snatched up some pretty Prisma markers just like the one in Dallas' photo. Then I saw Blick sold similar markers for a fraction of the price, and well, considering this lil hobby could go horribly awry (ie I lack any skill) or I could tire of it in a week (typical), I figured I'd start with the $1.88 markers instead of the $3.50 markers.

Now, I don't know if you've ever been in a bonafide art supply store, but they make these markers in every color under the sun. "Putty,""Latte," and "Stone" are all different. Fact. And I bought all of them. I could've gone primary colors - cover my bases. But I thought about what I'd try and draw... and one thing stood out in my mind.

Paris. 

So I went with the colors of my favorite city. My mom always said "Paris has its own light."Anyone who's ever been can attest that is true. The color of that city is indescribable. Like you're looking through rose-colored glasses. Everything is softer, hazier, prettier... I figured if I lack any and all skill, at least the colors on the page will be lovely.

So last night, after a late-night meeting with some of the Everygirl editors, I stayed plopped on my sofa, pulled up a photo Danielle took in Paris, and started... drawing? Making it up as I went? Trying to recreate a snapshot of my favorite place.

It turned out ok! I quickly learned I cannot draw straight lines... so instead I just kinda scribble back and forth until a line takes shape. Next, I recreated my living room. Unfortunately, the "Latte" color turned out a lot more pink than beige so the coloring is a bit off... I need to head back to the art store and pick up a proper beige and a lovely gold pen! I think it's really what the living room sketch is missing.

So yea! So far so good. It was so fun, and soothing, and nice to create something NOT on a screen.

Do any of you draw? Or paint? Or picking up a new hobby just for kicks? I highly recommend it!

LCY Yard Sale - Take 2

Well the last sale went so well, I'm selling more things!

Same rules apply:

Email me at alaina.lcy@gmail.com with the item name and your offer before midnight on Sunday! 

If a better offer comes in between yours and the sale closing time, I'll email you and let you know, and you have the option to out bid.

Cash and carry within the week. No shipping.

Teal Birdcage
$50 or best offer

Antique Wooden and Marble Side Table (the birdcage is on)
legs are very wobbly; it's an antique, marble top not in great condition but really pretty!
$75 or best offer

Ladder
$100 or best offer

West Elm metal side table
$50 or best offer

Let me know if you're interested in anything!

Ladyplace: The Bar

There are a few projects I have to left to complete - one being the bar area in my living room. Let's start at the beginning.

Pre-moving in. Here's the wall we're now working with. Right off the entryway...

Here's a photo shortly after I moved in. Clearly had no direction for what this home would look like. Color, hodgepodge of belongings all over the place... too much stuff for the smaller apartment!

The bar has moved from the Ikea expedit, to Danielle's old entryway table (which sold in my virtual yard sale), to my uber fancy and legit Society Social Worth bar cart. But I was sticking with how I've always styled it: colorful and perty with mint, pink, and yellow accents.

My Society Social barcart arrived in time for Christmas...

Alas, that wall just felt too bare, especially knowing that the tree was only a temporary fixture (despite my deepest wishes for Christmas to be a year-round celebration).

So I rearranged. Again.

And ended up with this...

Much better for the room as a whole! It feels so much more open having the TV against that wall. (And before any of you ask about the couch and TV being perpendicular, I actually love laying on the sofa at night to watch the tele - so this works out perfectly! Even if I'm sitting, I fluff up pillows behind my and have my legs stretched out. This way I don't have to turn my neck to the side.)

Alas - this wall. Still just... meh. 

I've gathered the pieces I haven't known what else to do with (mirror, crystal ball lamp, coffee table books, etc.) Nothing really goes. It needs help.

Well, I had trouble falling asleep last night and let my brain wander the Internet...

BEHOLD:

A sassy-meets-classy bar for a ladyplace!

PRODUCT SOURCES:
chandelier print | boat print | zebra stripes print | spots print | mirror ball | vertical shelves | Society Social bar cart | Ikea mirror | Lulu and Georgia chair (sold in set of two, other would go at my desk) | leopard velvet pillow | "press for champagne" button | Serena and Lily lighting fixture

Almost entirely small companies, women-run businesses, Etsy shops, and artists which I think is very apropos for a small-business-owner home.

And yes - that is a "PRESS FOR CHAMPAGNE" button. Brilliant.

If it all turns out, it will look something like...

Probably need one more piece to fill in that gap but I was eyeballing dimensions of art here so what's on the wall isn't set in stone. Speaking of the wall, note my walls are actually white but look grey in this photo.

So yea! I'm loving this general direction. Sticking with neutrals in the living area and doing color in my bedroom. It works! Can a home have too many gallery walls? Hmm nah... I don't think so.

Yay! Good plan.

Ladyplace: My New Yellow Sofa!

Just like I always wanted!

Like my favorite living room ever (that of one Jenna Lyons).

Well, ok I didn't really get a new couch. But I had a lot of fun in photoshop the other night.

Playing around with different colors to see what it would be like with say... a delicious green velvet couch?

Or pink to really make it a lady apartment?!

But no... here's what my place currently looks like.

Not too shabby if you ask me!

But I sometimes wonder if it would be better with a much lighter color couch. Softer. More ladylike.

Or dare I say a white couch?

No, Alaina. You have dogs. Don't be ridiculous.

What say you? Stick with the the dark grey? Or slipcover it? Pottery Barn has some great light options for the Carlisle couch.

Happy weekend all!

Ladyplace: The "Office"

Well the peekaboo shelf arrived faster than a Jimmy John's sandwich. And it's perfect! Just what I needed for storage, a place to stow the printer, and some extra surface area (for paperwork and the like).

So I figured I'd snap a few good photos not with a camera phone to better paint the picture of how this space is coming together...

 

Not too shabby!

Not entirely sure what I want to do with my desk chair. If I keep it I desperately have to re-cushion and recover the seat. It feels like I'm sitting on a piece of plywood for 10 hours a day. Also not sure I want to keep the pink in the office area or just go completely neutral in these rooms (entry, living, work, and dining). I'm thinking neutral. Also not sure if I want to even attempt to hide the kitchen floor. The tile is pretty grimy... I was thinking a gold speckled hide. Or something soft in color like this one from Lulu and Georgia. But I'm worried it'll be too many rugs at the point. And I'm not sure how comfortable I'd really be having animal skin. Faux hides exist right? I need to look into that.

That's all for now, folks!

GET THE LOOK:

Ladyplace: Making an Office in a Living Room

For the first time since I moved downtown five years ago, I don't have a separate office in my apartment. Transitioning from 2+ bedroom apartments to a one bedroom has meant my living room is also my office. Fortunately, the transition to working in my main living area has been fine. I don't have any difficult walking away when I've had enough work. I cook (yea - I do that now! What?!), walk the dogs, go to the bedroom to read, take a bath, or just kick back and watch tv, ignoring the ever-present desk and computer.

That being said, it's not so much the living/working combo that bothers me so much as the lack of an organized work space. For storage and papers and product and shipping materials and files and office equipment et al. With the addition of a product line, managing part-time editors, and my new printer that's lived on the floor for the past two months, I need to get my "office" in proper working order. It's not just me, the ole iMac, and a glass of wine working late nights anymore.

So I've made a few small changes in the living space. Drastic to me. Barely noticeable to anyone else.

When I decided to move the desk by the window, I had it far over to the left, practically against the radiator. Notice you can fit an entire pouf between the desk and the end table next to the sofa.

I've also struggle with what to do on that wall by the desk. Months ago, I posted this instagram and asked for ideas!

Meanwhile I've had my beloved DIY bulletin board hiding under my bed, waiting for a spot. I can't bring myself to part with it; it's so practical and pretty and a lot of labor and love went into making it. The main reason I hadn't hung it was because I lost the hanging tools it came with. Little did I know you can go to the hardware store and pick up a "photo hanging kit." Very simple w/ a drill. Took two seconds.

And bam! I hung the bulletin board, complete with spring wardrobe inspiration, some personal mementos, and a TEG editorial calendar (even though we work primarily in Google docs).

I moved my CB2 folding table over there for the sake of seeing what it would look like. Finally got the printer off the floor.

Stepping back...

 It's like a little office!

(Excuse the mess in the kitchen. And yes, the giant dog bed is a part of my life and my home.)

But... I needed more storage in that nook. And quite frankly really loved having the gold folding table next to the couch like it was here...

So.

I'd been eyeing this other CB2 piece - the rolling peekaboo shelves - but the price point just wasn't in the budget. Did a little rummaging through my desk drawers and wallet, and it turns out I have a CB2 gift card from ages ago and a Visa gift card also from ages ago. Enough to put a huge dent in the $350 price tag! I called the store to make sure they accept Visa gift cards. They do. So I was planning on going today to get it.

When all of a sudden, I clicked on the Joss and Main sale that popped up in my inbox last night. And look what was on sale!

For $250 no less! Checked my J&M credit... awesome, I had enough.

Wham. Bam. Got it for "free."

I'm thinking I'll put the printer in the middle shelf, files on the bottom, and make the top look practical and lovely at the same time. Yay!

All of CB2's "lucite" peekaboo items are in the LA Modern sale - for less than CB2 sells them for! Coffee table, console table, side table, you name it. Check it out!

So the gold folding table can go back by the sofa. Not sure where that ceramic garden stool will end up living. Might have another yard sale.

You'll also see back in the corner this new floor lamp from the kind folks at Kenroy Home!

Darling thing really. And great price point on Amazon! I love how it adds height to that corner where before the gallery wall just kind of ended and there was this big blank wall.

So that's that! I'll have more updates on the new tv and bar areas since I switched that up as well.

Sorry for the dodgy photos. Literally shot them this morning on my iPhone. 

But hey - it's a post! Go me!

Happy weekend!

And re: the yard sale. Almost everything sold save for the rectangular mirror. Which makes me happy because I realized I needed it anyway. Thank you everyone!

LCY Yard Sale!

When I downsized apartments over the summer, I clung like any good hoarder would to a few near and dear items I didn't want to part with. Worrisome thoughts raced through my mind: What if I need them in my next apartment? What if I need them for a photo shoot? What if I never find anything like it again?

Well, my closets and basement storage are officially overflowing, and I've realized, Alaina, it's time. Let someone else enjoy these gems.

So here I am again selling off some of my belongings. Note I listed the asking price and "or best offer" because I know some of these items are highly sought after and because some of these items might not sell... and I need to eliminate. So after 24 hours (Friday at noon CST), I'll choose the best offer. I'll let you know when you email if someone has offered more and if you want to counter.

Email me at alaina.lcy@gmail.com with the item name and your offer!

Cash and carry within the week. No shipping.

May the best lady win!

4 vintage bentwood chairs - $150 or best offer

they are not in perfect condition; they creak a little but they look great.

vintage mirror - $100 or best offer

best to lean and not hang, 25" x 35"

antique runner from Istanbul - $150 or best offer

9'4" x 32", usually sells from $300+

5x8' rug from Lulu and Georgia - $100 or best offer

gently used, retails for $374

console table - $100 or best offer

34"w x 20"d x 30"h, hidden storage, originally from Wisteria for $250

patterned pouf - $45 or best offer

retails online for $200+

mirror - $150 or best offer

32" around, includes proper hanging supplies, retails online for $315+