She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not: Chelsea & the City

Hello lovelies! If you've been around for awhile, you know Wednesdays is when I invite one of my fave bloggers to come share their loves and love-me-nots for the week. Today I'm thrilled to be introducing you to Chelsea of Chelsea & The City. 

First of all, I die over her blog name. So cute, right?! I sort of wish I got more creative with mine :) This girl has such a zest for life, style for days, and the kindest of hearts.  She does some of my favorite style series in all of blog land. I'm excited for you to meet her and hear her rants and raves.
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Hello! I'm Chelsea and I blog over at Chelsea & The City, a lifestyle blog where I explore all of the little things I love, share outfits and a little bit of interior inspiration. I'm thrilled to be guest posting for Michaela today and sharing a few things I love and a big thing that I don't!

my daughter, lorelai // Lo just turned two and she's the best little friend a girl could ask for! I just love exploring the world through her eyes and it's so much fun to spend our days learning, going on adventures and snuggling.

tomato sandwiches //  Maybe this is a Southern thing, but there's nothing better on a warm Summer day than an heirloom tomato sandwich... YUM!

beautiful southern homes // My little family has spent the last few years in starter apartments and I can't help but daydream about the perfect plantation style home complete with Spanish moss covered trees.

hanging out in my pjs // As much as I love getting dressed up and being girly, I adore long mornings in bed. My favorite thing ever is a classic pajama set, a cup of coffee and laying like broccoli (high-five if you got that Pretty Woman reference!).

inspiration boards // I'm a collector/magpie by heart. I'm attracted to pretty graphics and inspiring words and I love to display them on an old fashioned cork board. Pinterest is AMAZING (check me out here) but I like having physical reminders to stop and enjoy life's pretties as well!

dinner al fresco // Thank God for Summer, everything tastes better outside. Am I right?

mornings // I just can't do it! I wish I were one of those people who could wake up at six, workout and get ready before the kids are up but I will sleep until noon if nobody wakes me and I'm not sorry. Lorelai has been on my schedule from the start and we have intense snuggle sessions until the very last minute. Early birds, teach me your ways!

Thanks for having me Michaela, this was so much fun to create! xoxo
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We're all with you on early mornings! Someone move me to the South in one of those charming homes. SO stunning! Who's with me?!

Go say hello over at Chelsea & The City today!

What are YOU loving and not loving this week? Tell me!
xoxo

PS. This is the last day to sign up to sponsor in August! If you're interested, please email me at michaelawarner90{at}gmail.com for my media kit.

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Back to School & Dorm Room Decorating Ideas

*my bedroom from my house in Seattle

When it comes to dorm rooms, moving, and decorating your tiny space for school, I'm your girl. After living in the dorms for one year, I moved into a little apartment with 3 other girls, and from there moved into a duplex house with 2 other girls, then moved to Los Angeles and got to call this studio apartment home. Throughout the past 4 years, I've lived in 5 places, all with different looks, space, rules and regulations. One thing remained the same, however, and that would be the space.  All of them were tiny!

I know a lot of my readers are young girls who may just be going to off to college this year, or who might be moving into their first apartment or small house.  I have a few pieces of advice, as well as my favorite places to shop for decorating your dorm room and / or apartments for school:

- We'll just get this out of the way first. Even though we want to focus on the design of the place, function comes first. Namely, storage. Large containers, boxes and baskets to shove under your bed or in a closet for extra storage is KEY. You can get creative by getting inexpensive ottomans / seats with storage under the seat.  This way it does double duty by providing extra seating for guests and storing more sweatshirts, shoes, toiletries etc. I like these items for storage:

Clear boxes
Long clear box with wheels to roll under your bed
Ottomans with storage

- Because the walls will most likely be white or neutral in color, it's all about the patterned bedding and fun wall decor. I came to college my freshman year with a bulletin board I upholstered in coordinating purple fabric {that matched our bedding!} We loved putting up our pictures there as it was personal and went with the room colors. Finding inexpensive wall art and prints to tape up with washi tape is a great way to decorate the walls without making permanent holes in the wall, or sacrificing style.  Check out how my friend Stephanie did just that here:

via // shop: stop and smell the peonies

- You can find some cute washi tapes here.

- Get a cute lamp for your desk to do homework with at night if your roommate goes to sleep and turns off the big light. Try this Target one or these from Pottery Barn Teen here.

- Favorite places for dorm bedding (don't forget to buy Twin Extra Long if you're living in a dorm!):
Urban Outfitters
Pottery Barn Teen {This is where I got my black and white bedding you see above. They have great deals for bedding bundles. Pssst-- they're having a bedding sale now!)
Target
West Elm

- When you can't paint or hang much on the walls, simple and colorful or patterned curtain panels are a great way to make the ceiling look taller and to spice things up a bit. Try the same places as listed above for these things.

Alrighty! Hopefully this helped a little bit! My last tip? Bake chocolate chip cookies on your first night in the dorms. You'll make friends really quickly. That's what I did :)

If you lived in a dorm already, how'd you decorate and what was the most helpful information you learned for small space living? If you haven't lived in a dorm or small apartment but are moving away this year, tell me all about it! I'd love to hear. If you need help finding special pieces for your dorm, I'm here to help and would love to send you my quick fix e-design packages.

Enjoy your day!
xoxo

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Color Palette: Coral & Lavender

reading nook / dress / tablescape / flower bouquet / popsicles / rug / you're pretty / straws

I just can't get this color combo out of my head. As you know, I love lavender, but when paired with tangerine, coral or peach, my heart sings even more. Reese Witherspoon's home in Ojai, CA (pictured above) dawns the sweets breakfast book with patterns to die for and a color palette that makes me instantly happy.  I do hope that my future husband doesn't mind a little lavender or coral in his life, because if that's issue...well, we might have some problems :)  

As mentioned once before, I'm currently working with talented designers and website developers to create my very own website! We're working on the branding, logo, business cards and more right now and these two colors are center stage. I can't wait to share more with you next week.

Do you love this combo as much as I do?!

In other news, I'm slightly embarrassed to say I'm really looking forward to tonight's episode of The Bachelorette. Though this season has been rather boring to me, this episode might change that. Apparently it's extremely shocking and dramatic ;) Who's watching?!

xoxo

PS. Welcome my sponsor, Katy, of Made By Katy!

This girl designs some of the best invitations, baby announcements, prints for your wall and more. Besides that, she is a true gem of a gal! Take a peek at her printable design shop that offers a variety of fresh, fun, and modern paper goods.

SHOP

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Advertise in August

August is only a few days around the corner! If you have a shop, business or blog that you want to promote, I'd love to advertise for you here on MND. If you feel you're a good fit for Michaela Noelle Designs readership, please email me at michaelawarner90{at}gmail.com for inquiries. Can't wait to chat with you!

Have a lovely weekend!  I wish I was back there at the beach, but alas, I'll be catching up on work, going to a sweet bridal shower and hanging out with our extended family. What are you up to?

xoxo

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Cherry-Lime Cocktail Recipe

*images by Michaela Noelle Designs

If you want to learn the recipe for this delicious girly cocktail, head over to Rue Daily today to find out!  Of course, this would be just as tasty without the bubbly, too. 

What do you have planned this weekend? I will be having a family BBQ at our house and attending a bridal shower for a family friend, as well as start work on a client bedroom. I can't wait to share some of it with you soon!

Happy weekend!
xoxo

PS. If you'd like to advertise on Michaela Noelle Designs in August, please email me at michaelawarner90 {at} gmail.com for packages and pricing. If you have a sweet shop, business, or blog you'd like to promote and think is a good fit for my readers, I'd love to chat!

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On My Desk No.8: Residential Thesis Project

Today I'm finally showing you my Residential Interior Design Thesis class project. I loved this class so much, probably because I'd much prefer to do residential design for the rest of my life than commercial.  We had to take an existing condo floor plan, renovate it (move walls and make improvements as we saw fit), then furnish the entire home.  To make things more interesting, we had to pick client scenarios out of a hat. As luck would have it, I randomly chose the family expecting twins, which was perfect for me because I really wanted a couple with kids so I could do a nursery! Woohoo :)

For the final presentation, we had to render the floor plan, kitchen and bath elevations, and do full 3D renderings of our "focus room" which I made the nursery.  I mean, how I could I not?! It's so darn cute.  In addition to what you see here, we had to made physical display boards with the materials glued on the boards and assemble a 100+ page spec book of every single item, piece of furniture, rug, mirror, fabric, and paint color that we put in the condo. A lot of work, you ask?! Oh yes!

I'm excited to share it with you today, though! 100+ hours of work right here, friends!

As most design students will tell you, you become so involved in your project over the course of the class, you really just want to move into your project by the end of it. This was definitely true for me! I loved every square inch of this calm, traditional yet shabby chic apartment. And yes, that is one of my favorite rugs from Lulu & Georgia in the nursery. Told you-- so darn cute. 

So, who wants to move in with me?!
Happy Thursday!
xoxo

PS. Welcome my sponsor Perfect Salt Paperie

Carli is the talented owner and artist behind this adorable graphic design studio. She produces unique, lovely and sweet wedding invitations, baby announcements and more. You'll love her style!
SHOP

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She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not: Style Me Swanky

It's Wednesday again! Where do the weeks go?! I'm excited to share my friend Megan with you today from Style Me Swanky.

Megan is sweet as can be, has impeccable style and is always a great source of inspiration! I know you'll adore her, just like I do!

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Hello!  I'm Megan from Style Me Swanky, where I post about fashion, beauty, home interiors, and my life as a newlywed in Charleston, SC.  I am so thrilled that Michaela asked me to be a part of this series!  Here are some of the things I'm loving and well, not so much.

1//  These three scents.  

In my home, you can find the NEST "Bamboo" candle, Archipelago Botanicals "Charleston" diffuser (& its candle!), and Voluspa "Laguna" candle.  All three of these scents flow so well together... all three are light with hints of white florals.  

2//  Dr. Loosen Riesling

This is, by far, my favorite white wine.  It's incredibly refreshing and pairs well with all of my favorite chicken and fish dishes.  Plus, it doesn't break the bank! 

3//  This sunset spent with my husband last weekend.

4//  This Catherine Melandrino romper.

Ahh... I need it.  In my closet.  Yesterday.

5// This tub.  That view. Can you imagine relaxing in this bathroom every night?  My ideal form of relaxation is soaking in the tub with lavender epsom salt, a good candle, and a stack of magazines.  Doing that in this tub would be Heaven!

via

5//  Chinese Laundry "Easy Does It" D'orsay

These d'orsays are only $59 and look almost identical to the Jenni Kayne d'orsay's for $450!

1.  Email Hackers! 

I knew it would happen eventually, but my email security was compromised this weekend by someone in the Ukraine.  Hundreds of inappropriate emails were sent out to people on my contact lists.  What a headache! 

2.  Losing your favorite shades.

These Gucci glasses were my absolute favorites and they went swimming at the bottom of the Beaufort river this weekend.  I'm so sad! 

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Thanks, Megan! Why is it that we loose sunglasses so much more than anything else?! :) A relaxing bath in that tub is definitely on my list of must-dos.

Go say hello at Style Me Swanky today!

What are YOU loving {and not loving} this week?
xoxo

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Farmer's Market Treats

Last weekend after church, my mom and I went to the local farmer's market. Since my new eating habits started last week, we've ben eating a lot more fruits and a veggies so the farmer's market will become our weekend routine, I'm sure! We picked up fresh kale (for a fruit + kale smoothie), zucchini, cheese, freshly squeezes strawberry lemonade, and some roses. The roses you see in these pictures below cost us a total of $5! I could barely believe my ears when the man told us they were $2.50 per bunch.  Thank you, farmer's market!

*all images by Michaela Noelle Designs

Do you have a local market you like to stop by for fresh food? I'm going to be trying out some recipes from Gwyn's book this week. I can't wait. Any suggestions of favorite recipes from her book? 

Also, I'm selling a TON of my clothes in the SHOP tab here on my blog. I did some summer cleaning and decided to part with some pieces to give me more room in my closet. 

Also, you can catch me at The Short & Sweet of It today!

Have a wonderful Tuesday!
xoxo

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Stop & Smell the Peonies

My sweet, talented and amazingly beautiful friend Stephanie just launched a new print today in her lovely shop, SS Print Shop. If you're like me {and many other bloggers, let's be honest!} your favorite flower is the peony.  Together with Anna, Stephanie has designed this print for the girly-girl, the lover of pink and gold details, and most importantly, the peony-obssessed.  I was so excited when the mailman arrived a few days ago, SS Print Shop package in hand.  I couldn't resist styling it in a gold frame to make the gold lettering really pop.   My best friend gifted me with the dainty tea cup candle, and I think it fits perfectly next to my new print. This little night stand represents a few of my favorite things: flowers, gold, tea, and candles.

Here's a short, fun movie Anna made about the essence of the print:



What are you waiting for?! Hop over to SS Print Shop for your very own Stop and Smell the Peonies print.  Every time I see it, I'm reminded to take a breath and thank God for where I am presently in life. He is good and His timing is perfect, so we are able to stop and smell {or take 1000 pictures of} pretty peonies along the way.

You can follow along on instagram for Stephanie & Anna's peony launch party!
 @stephsterjovski @annawithlove @michaelanoelle

Happy Monday!
xoxo

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