Glitz and Glam

Glitz and Glam by MarlieseMT featuring platform sandals

Vince sequin tee
$295 - barneys.com

Carven pleated wool skirt
225 GBP - brownsfashion.com

Carvela platform sandals
$258 - asos.com

River Island green handbag
25 GBP - riverisland.com

Silk Betsey Babe Scarf
$78 - betseyjohnson.com

Cath Kidston - Regal Rose Cotton Duck Fabric
18 GBP - cathkidston.co.uk

Do It Yourslef Blog

Since we had to do a Do It Yourself blog post and I love books I thought that this DIY project would be perfect for me.

I found a video on this website called videojug.com and it had different videos showing you how to install different types of shelves but I thought that this one was the coolest because it looks like the books are floating.

How To Install Invisible Shelves

You will need

1 "L" Bracket 1 Carpet Knife 1 Drill 1 Phillips Head Screwdriver 5 Small wood screws (flat-head) 3 Large wood screws (flat-head) 1 Tape Measure 1 Elmers Glue Bottle (filled with glue) 5 Books To Shelve 1 Big Book That You'll Never Read Again These are how the brackets should look when mounted to the wall

1. Step 1: Where's The Middle?

   Open the sacrificial book's back cover and use your tape measure to find the halfway point. Make a mark on the page, then trace the bracket from the mark out.

2. Step 2: Cut The Book

   Use your utility knife to cut into the pages of the book, following the outline of the bracket. You can toss the excised text to the wind. Cut deep enough so the back cover of the book can be closed tight against the pages. Then use your knife to make a notch in the book edge for the "L" bracket. This way the book can sit flush against the wall.

3. Step 3: The Book Screw

   Get your drill out and drill through the holes in the "L" Bracket. Secure the "L" bracket in place by screwing together the pages of the book. The pages will rise up the screw as you insert it, so use your hand to hold the pages down. Then drill two holes near the outside corners of the book, one on each side, and secure the pages by inserting screws into the holes.

4. Step 4: Glue

   Cover the inside back cover of the book in glue and close it. Place a stack of books or some other type of weight on top. Now let it dry - overnight. Cheating this step is not advisable.

5. Step 5: Sleep It Off

   We know you're excited, but just wait. Really. It'll be worth it.

6. Step 6: Mounty Hunter

   Figure out where you want the books to go and find the stud. Do this by knocking on the wall until you hit a solid point. Another way to find a stud is to get a stud finder. Now mount the bracket to the wall using the large wood screws.

7. Step 7: Stack 'Em High

   Find your favorite, most intellectually and artistically impressive books and stack them up high enough to cover the bracket. Largest to smallest. Now let your friends try to figure it out.
   
   
   
   
   

This DIY project was really fun and easy. I think that I enjoyed this project even more because I found a project that worked well with my interests and my personality instead of just looking for a project to do. The one thing I really didn't like about this project was that I had to destroy one of my books, so for the bottom book I looked for an old book that I didn't really enjoy or wish to read again.

If you wish to try this DIY project the website is http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-install-invisible-shelves.

Vignettes

When I first got the vignette assignment I had no clue what to do. I understood the instructions but I didn't know what to do for my vignette. I was so clueless I wasn't even sure I was going to be able to complete the assignment but then I got an idea!

I honestly don't know how good my vignette is but I think that it really describes me. It shows things I want to do in the future, things I do now and some of my favourite things. The things featured in this picture all have some impact in my life today which is why I think that this is a very good vignette for me.

The things featured in this photograph of my vignette are:

• My favourite DVD's (Degrassi Season 5, Charlie Bartlet, Honey, How to Deal, Remember Me, Stick It, Titanic, Remember the Titans, The Notebook, My Sister's Keeper)
• My favourite books (Wintergirls, Lock and Key, Just Listen, What Happened to Goodbye, Identical, Dreamland)
• iPod (playing Down With Webster, my favourite band who I got to meet at a concert)
• iPod Dock
• Seventeen fitness edition
• 5 postcards for trips to various countries

I chose to put the DVD's in because I love them all. They are things that I enjoy doing and can change my mood completely. Each one is different but most tell a story of resilience or are just enjoyable.

I chose to put in my books because they are all stories of teenagers just like me who have difficulties that they have to overcome. My books are some of the most important things to me because they are all different and tell a beautiful story.

I chose to put my iPod in because I listen to music a lot. Sometimes I can remember a day or a moment by what song was playing. Music is something that can completely change your mood but it can also make you think and inspire me. The reason my iPod was playing Down With Webster was because the memory I have of meeting them with my best friend Brianna is one of the best I can remember. That night was amazing. 

I chose to put the Seventeen fitness edition in because I want to continue to work on being healthy in the future. I also put this issue in because the girl on the cover is an actress in two of my favourite television shows. I also think that she is a very positive role model for teenage girls.

I chose to put the five postcards for trips to various countries because I would like to travel to these countries to try and make a difference in their communities. This is something I have wanted to do for a few years so this was something I had to add to my vignette. I am very passionate about helping people who aren't as fortunate as us.

Some things that I couldn't feature in my vignette for various reasons but I wish I could have are:

• My phone. I would have added my phone because it is something that I use all the time and connects me to anyone I want.

• Pictures of my friends

My vignette represents me and the most important things in my life.

Kids Furniture

This blog post is going to be all about children's furniture! I've always loved going to Ikea and looking at the kids rooms they have set up! So for this post I am going to show some products that you may find in a child's room. All of the products I am going to show are from Ikea and part of the MAMMUT line, which is designed by M Kjelstrup/A Östgaard/IKEA of Sweden.

The first thing everyone needs in a room is a bed. I like this bed because it is simple and sleek but still fun and kid friendly. Another great thing about this bed is that it is easy to clean, which is something you really need to take into consideration with kids, all you need is a damp cloth and a household cleaner. This bed comes in blue or pink, and costs $169.15

A nice alternative if your child is too young for a bed is the crib in the same line. A nice thing about the crib is that the height can be placed at two different heights. Another nice thing is that if your child is old enough to get in and out of the bed, you can remove one of the sides so they can get in and out on their own. This item is also really easy to clean, you can clean it with by wiping dry with a clean cloth then, wipe clean with a water dampened soft cloth and a mild non-abrasive dishdetergent or soap, only if necessary though. This item comes in dark blue or pink with red feet. It costs $299.00.

The next thing everyone needs in their room is a dresser. This dresser has three drawers with large knobs which make it easy for young children to get into. A nice feature of this dresser is that it has drawer stops which prevent the drawers from being fully extended and falling out. This helps to not make a mess and keep children safe. You can clean this product with a damp cloth and a household cleaner then wiping it dry when finished. This dresser comes in a dark blue frame with light blue drawers and dark blue handles or a red frame, pink drawers and red handles. It costs $149.99.

The next thing that I am going to talk about is a wardrobe. This wardrobe has two adjustable shelves and clothes rail they are both very easy to adjust according to need. This is a great product if your child has a lot of items that need to be hung up and their closet is too small. It is deep enough to fit adult size hangers so you won't have to worry about finding children's hangers! Just like the dresser this wardrobe features drawer stops which prevent the drawers from being fully extended and falling out. You can clean this product with a damp cloth and a household cleaner then wiping it dry when finished. This wardrobe comes in a dark blue frame, light blue door and drawer and dark blue handles or a red frame, pink drawer and door and a red handle. It costs $249.00.

Another thing that is great for a children's room is a storage shelf. It is great for storing toys, keepsakes or anything else that you or your child may want to display. The cleaning instructions are the same as the previous items which is nice because then you don't need a different cleaner for each item. This item comes in red or blue and costs $129.00.

The next item is something that every kid should have in their room, a table! Wether it is for arts and crafts, playing board games or anything else you can think of, it is a great staple for any kids room. This item is also really easy to clean, you can clean it with by wiping dry with a clean cloth then, wipe clean with a water dampened soft cloth and a mild non-abrasive dishdetergent or soap, only if necessary though. This table comes in pink and blue in a rectangular shape and in green in a circular shape.

 Now that you have a table you need chairs! With this line you can choose between chairs or stools which is a nice option. The nice thing about a chair is that it has a supportive backing so you don't have to worry about your child falling off of it as easily but both are great. This item is also really easy to clean, you can clean it with by wiping dry with a clean cloth then, wipe clean with a water dampened soft cloth and a mild non-abrasive dishdetergent or soap, only if necessary though. The chairs come in pink, blue and green which match the table nicely. But if you want to go crazy with colour the stools come in white, yellow and green. The chairs cost $19.99 and the stools cost $9.99.

Window Treatments

Today's blog is going to be all about window treatments! I am going to talk about 3 different types of window treatments then I am going to define a few words.

The first kind I am going to talk about are curtains and they are from Ikea! They are part of the ANITA line. I like these curtains because they can be tied back or just pushed to the side. Some other cool features are that they are made ofheavy material that minimizes sunlight and reduces outside noise. Another thing is that the curtain is easily hemmed to your desired length with the enclosed iron-on hemming strip. These curtains come in brown, white and dark gray.

The next two kinds of window treatments are from Home Depot. The first one are blinds. They look like just simple wooden blinds but they actually aren't made of wood. They are called Levolor Faux Wood Blinds Visions Ii. 

The last kind of window treatments I am going to talk about is a roman shade. Levolor Roman Shades Flat are also from Home Depot. I really like these shades because unlike most of the other ones I saw, they are flat and smooth.

Finial: an ornamental termination to the top of a piece of furniture, or of one part of such a piece
Tie back: a strip or loop of material, heavy braid, or the like, used for holding a curtain back to one side
Curtain Lining: the inner side of the curtain that people do not see.
Valence: the fabric at the top of curtains that hides the rod
Grommets: a ring inserted into a hole through thin material

Bed Linens

For this blog post I am going to talk about bed linens again, but instead of just showing you what I like I am showing you different things that match a specific rug. I will be featuring a duvet cover, sheet set, bed skirt, pillow shams, a throw and show pillows. All of the things featured in this blog today except from the rug are from Linen N' Things. Below is the rug I am matching the things to.

The duvet cover I picked to go with the rug is called Nourish in Amber. I chose this bedspread because I thought that the gold and brown matched very nicely with the rug.

For my sheet set I chose brown sheets just because I thought that brown is a richer colour than gold. Another reason I chose brown is because there is quite a bit of yellow near the top of the bedspread.



For my pillow cases I chose brown as well. I chose brown because It matches with the sheets so it looks like a set. The brown is the same shade as the sheets so please refer to the picture above.

For my bed skirt I chose yellow because I thought that we needed some more and close to the ground to tie in the rug.

The last thing I am going to show you on this blog are some extra pillows that would go great with the bed spread.

Overall these items cost $460.96 and you can buy them all at Linen N' Things.