Hooked on Houses

This quarter I'm taking a class called Housing. Every aspect you think of in the housing realm will be covered.


I'm actually really excited about it because for some reason, I'm obsessed with houses, their floor plans, their value and how people function in them.  You may remember the advice my mom gave me before a first date..."don't draw any floor plans on the napkin at dinner!" Really, mom...(:


Yesterday in class we talked about the evolution of houses.  The first homes ever built were small, one room houses with a basic set of four walls.  That grew into a little larger home with one or two bedrooms.  After WWI, privacy and neighborhoods became very important to people.  More emphasis was placed on the family and on women's roles in the house.  If you look at a home built in a certain time period, you can clearly see what was important to the family through the floor plan.


A large kitchen with a dining room close by (for the betty crocker mom to perform her duties in), a separate living room, and more clearly defined spaces were important to families in post war times, today it is much different. We look a newly built homes and we're seeing a lot of eco friendly design, importance on function, more bedrooms (each with their own function), large gourmet kitchens (even if you don't cook!), and a Great Room instead of separate living and family rooms.


Studying this sort of thing, as well as the styles of homes got me to thinking. I'm wondering what type of homes my friends and readers live in?!  Do you live in a bungalow (craftsman), modern or contemporary home, georgian or colonial, ranch, tri-level, townhouse, cottage, or victorian?

Take the poll on my sidebar about which style of home you live in! And within the style of the house you live in, tell me in the comments what do you love or not love about the way it functions? These are all questions interior dorks like me wonder (:


I'm excited to be sharing my knowledge from this class with you!


Happy Friday!! Super fun giveaway coming on MONDAY!
Love,

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Glossy Glossy

The day House Beautiful arrives on my doorstep is always a great day.  It means I get to sit down and relax while reading and looking through pages of gorgeousness! Last month's issue really caught my eye.  One, because it was one of my all time favorite issues, and two, because the color palette of the issue as a whole is so fresh, cool and...oh, totally the color scheme for my room at school (:
IDEA.
Enter today's project.

Materials:
Canvas (your choice in size)
Magazine pages
Glue
Scissors 
Black paint & brush


Steps:
1. Rip out your favorite images from the magazine. I cut some of the edges clean and left others ripped for a different effect.

2. Paint your canvas edges black (or whatever color you'd like!)

 3. Take time to arrange your photos. I knew I wanted a symmetrical look, but with a touch of funk.  I grouped mine 3 across, all images staying on the canvas, but making sure to overlap and leave some edges jagged.  I played around with the layout several times before committing.  I love the placement of color and think everything balances out well!

 4. Finish and hang! You can also mod podge over your images to ensure their safety (:

It's hanging in my room and lookin' good. There's just something about tangible, glossy magazine pictures that still get me every time.  And with the latest HB edition being one of my favorites, I couldn't bare to let it sit in my magazine stash.  I hope this sparks you to display images, inspiration and things you love as art in your home!


I promise I'm showing you my room real soon. BIG NEWS. I found a dresser two days ago and have given it new life.  It will be on the blog next week. Pinky swear! Finding time to continue to set up and take well lit pictures of the room is the issue!


Hope you have a wonderful Thursday, loves!
Love,

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She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not: Me!

Every once and a while I like to share what I'm loving and not loving! So in this installment, it's little ole me (:


She Loves Me:


1. It's been 70 degrees a few times in Seattle since I've been back!

2. My Pottery Barn discount. Can't wait to show you my purchases for my room from PB.  Such a perk of working there (:
Here's a peak of the rug and white curtains:

3. My tie-dye Maxi dress.  I think it'll be a fun transition into Fall. I've already worn leggings under it and no one even knew...sneaky!

4. Martyn Lawrence Bullard's line for Schumacher.

5. Grilled Nectorines topped with honey and vanilla.  We went over to a friend's house the other day and she made us this sweet treat paired with vanilla ice cream for dessert. In love. 

6. Lady Antebellum's new CD, Own the Night. On repeat. All day long.

She Loves Me Not:
1. The dog who used to occupy our unit. I hope he had real bladder control issues and that his owners didn't just LET him go to the bathroom all over our carpet. I mean really...who lets that happen?!


2. I can't pull off Toms to save my life.  Every time I see them in the store I try them on in every color, in hopes of being able to rock a pair.  I can't.  They're not me and all my friends know it.  I'm slowly coming to terms.

3. No In N' Out in Washington.  Really, I don't know how we make up here without it. And yes, this is the third time in n' out has been mentioned in this series. {Time number one, time number two.}

4.  My brand new car, Skylar, already has a crack in her windshield :(  I guess a rock hit it while we made our 14 hour drive from California ---> Washington.


5. Rude people in the workplace.  Come on folks...can't we all bare to put a smile on for the 6-8 hours you're at work? Where's the customer service these days?!


***
What about you? What are you loving this week?  Spill.
Yay for Wednesday!
Love,

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Little By Little

Since being in college, this is my very first time having my own room.  My space to call my own.  It's precious.  I don't know about you, but I'm a homebody, and when you're one of those, it's so important to have a room you enjoy spending time in.  To put it mildly, when I walked in the house I had a panic attack.  My room is the old dining room, so it boasts tile floor, 3 doors to the room, and no closet.  NO CLOSET...this is obviously a problem for me. Or anyone, really.  The previous owner also had a dog who apparently loved to use the dining room {now my room} as a bathroom, so it smelled just lovely.  After some serious freak out moments, a game plan, sanitizing, swiffering, taking full advantage of my Pottery Barn discount, shopping trip to Anthro, and a few gallons of paint later, I think it's almost finished!


Yesterday I went to the Farmer's Market to get my vintage furniture and I scored a desk and shelf, but another lady grabbed the dresser I wanted before I could get it :(  So, the hunt for a dresser is on! Because I have no dresser, clothes are still everywhere and that's no good for pictures! I have managed to take some fun small snapshots for you, though.  It's like a teaser, really. But hey- gotta keep you in suspense (;


Kitchen:

 Bedroom:

cure to any bad smell: Anthro candles.

Anthro knobs make me happy!

Desk area:

My desk is beautiful...I adore it. The chair and desk came as a set and I couldn't be happier with them. Now if only that lady would grow a heart and give the poor old college student the dresser (;


Hope you have a wonderful Monday! Today's my first day of classes. Should be fun!
Love,

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Just Around the Corner...

...is the month of October! And Michaela Noelle Designs is...

I truly love promoting cute shops, photographers, small businesses, and great blogs. I'd love to have your button over there -----> (: 


To find out more about advertising on MND Blog, go here! Email me at michaelawarner90@gmail.com if you're interested in sponsoring.


On another note, my first day of classes start tomorrow and I'm trying to get my room all together before 8am tomorrow morning!  I'm currently typing on my laptop, sittin' pretty on my new vintage desk I found at a farmer's market today.  Smitten.


Tomorrow I'll be showing little snippets of my new house, but here's one for today:

Happy Sunday! And I'll be catching up on blogging today. Last week was crazy with moving...sorry!


Love,

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Star Struck: Mary McDonald

Last week I was fortunate enough to be Cristin's date to the San Francisco Design Center to meet a very special someone.  Did you watch last season of Million Dollar Decorators?? Cristin and I both did and loved every second. You may remember who my favorite designer on the show was from this post I wrote.  If you didn't catch it, my fave is Mary McDonald!  She's an absolutely wonderful designer with so much personality, pattern, texture, and drama in each space.  When Cristin told me she was doing a book signing at the SF Design Center, I was thrilled! 


I was over the moon excited to meet Mary, and also to finally get my own copy of her book- which is amazing!

If you haven't grabbed a copy of Mary McDonald Interiors, you have to get one soon! The way Mary lays out each style and compiles her portfolio under each topic is so helpful to many different types of people. Whether you're looking for direction, eye candy, or inspiration, this is the book for you!


Thanks, Mary, for spending time and chatting with us! You're fab (:
Happy Weekend, friends!!
Love,

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Southern Charm

Southern homes have my heart. Someday when I design and build my own home, I will have Southern design at the forefront on my mind.  A front porch {complete with a swing and fans} will be the family hang out spot, columns will draw your eyes up, sweet shutters will frame each window, and pretty brick will wrap the bottom of the home while white siding sits on the top half.  I can see it now.


I took a packing break to sketch it for you...

You're all invited over anytime (:


Happy Thursday!
Love,

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She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not: Coral Cafe

As you're reading this, I'm probably almost to Seattle and getting ready to unload my things in my new house!  So happy it's Wednesday again, as I get to share another one of my favorite bloggers with you.

Meet Drew of Coral Cafe! She's spunky, adorable, and quite chic. Drew has a serious eye for anything and everything design.  We also share our love for all things modern-vintage!  I hope I'll get to meet this sweet girl in real life one day (: Let's hear what she's lovin' and what she's not...

Hello lovely followers of Michaela! I was so excited when my sweet blogger friend asked me to participate in this series!! It's such a fun way to get to know bloggers a little more beyond the usual.

Loving is the easy part! So here goes:

She Loves Me:

Traveling: I absolutely adore traveling and visiting places I've never stepped foot on before!

It broadens your perspective on life and makes for a quite enjoyable journey.

If I could take a trip at least twice a month, my life would be exceptional. 

It doesn't necessarily have to be the most glamorous place, just somewhere

 I can breathe fresh air, take in different scenery and talk with someone 

that has a different take on life in an unfamiliar place.

Making Lists: I am an avid list taker. I love jotting down my to do's and checking off accomplished tasks. It's like a reward to get the list completely done!

(Checking them off on pretty paper is a nice perk!) 

Coconut Frappucino's: I LOVE Starbuck's Coconut Frappucino's!! They are extremely fresh, sweet and delicious!! The toasted coconut on top is such a pleasant surprise! If I'm honest, I can pretty much indulge in anything coconut! The taste, the scent...anything!

NYC in 2 Days:  I am traveling to see my best friend who recently moved to NYC. I'm leaving in 2 days and am ecstatic!! Blair and I have shared in traveling adventures around the US for almost 18 years! Now that she finally lives in her dream city, I can visit and enjoy the hustle and bustle of this spectacular place during the greatest of months! It gives me a chance to take in the wondrous sights and twinkling lights, as well as be inspired for design work I'm in the middle of. 

Plus, the art galleries are pretty amazing in NYC!

Gyros: I lived in Pittsburgh, PA a couple years ago and was introduced to the famous gyro! It is so mouth watering delicious! The tzatziki sauce that comes on it is pretty yummy too! (It's like a cucumber ranch, if you've never tried it before) In Pittsburgh they use lamb to make a gyro, but you can easily substitute it for chicken, which is just as delicious!

Zara: I was thrilled to hear that Zara finally opened up their online shop!! I've tried for some time to purchase from the site, but it was pretty much a tease!! The layout of the sight came across as an online shopping site, but for the longest time was just a place to "look" and not "touch" or "buy." Now it is finally available and I'm super excited! I fell in love with the store when I lived in Florida and now I can search through the lovely site with ease knowing that if I run across something I just have to have, I can head to the checkout button ;)

She Loves Me Not:

Far Away from Dana: I recently traveled to Oklahoma to move my sister and her husband. I love the fact that her husband has a great job there and they can be near his family. But selfishly, I want her back with me. We are extremely close and I love just laying around laughing and having heart-to-hearts with my sis! Good thing Christmas is right around the corner and she's coming back to visit me! 

Laundry: I detest laundry! Plain and simple. My laundry will overflow x10 until I finally cave and do the dirty chore! By no means can I afford to keep buying clothes because mine are all dirty, but it's sometimes the awful case when I'm too lazy to do laundry. Something about it is just so overwhelming to me. I can separate the clothes before they go through the wash pretty easily but can't stand touching the wet clothes when they're done. Ick!! And folding, I'm just too lazy to make it happen. I am a firm believer in paying someone to do it for me ;)  Pretty sad, I know. I don't have the funds to make this happen, either, but boy it would be great!

Allergies: I don't know anyone that welcomes them. I used to never have allergies until these last 2 years. Now I'm having a huge dose of them. 

Along with allergies, I HATE having to use those disgusting nose drops that 

drain down the back of my throat! But, hey, I could have it worse...so I'll suck it up and spray!

Thanks again for having me Michaela! and letting me rant and rave towards the end. ;)

~Drew

Thanks, girl! 


Be sure to stop by Coral Cafe for lots of eye candy.  And if you're in the market for a new blog design, Drew has you covered (: She's amazing!



To stay updated on my trip to Seattle, follow me on Twitter (:

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