For the Office: Simple Desktops

Looking to add a little flair to your office life?  Simple Desktops is a good place to start!  They have pages and pages of quirky, fun, high-quality desktop eye candy to choose from and none of them are epic images of snow covered mountain tops, thank goodness...unless that's your thing, then no judgement!

Russas

Vinyl

Rocket Launch

Squares

Bob

Wayfarer 2

Etsy Roundup: Back to School

I don't miss going back to school one bit.  I do, however, miss going back to school shopping.  Even though I've never been to New York, Joe Fox (Tom Hanks in You've Got Mail) makes me all swoony every time I hear him say, "Don't you love New York in the fall?  It makes me wanna buy school supplies.  I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.  On the other hand, this not knowing has its charms."  And I hear him say this a lot since I will watch this movie every single time it's on TV, I don't care what plans I've already made.

So in the spirit of the new school year, I have done an Etsy roundup of what I would buy myself if I was, in fact, going back to school.

1 New Backpack - wolike Etsy Shop

2 Mustache and Gentleman's Hat iPad Sleeve - StudioPapilio Etsy Shop

3 Don't Forget Notepad - QuillandFox Etsty Shop

4 Adventure is Out There Totebag - rachelwalter Etsy Shop

5 Khaki/Black Wool Jacket - happyfamilyjudy Etsy Shop

6 Arrows Pencil Case - UrbanBirdandCo Etsy Shop

7 Payphone iPhone Case - LYCshop Etsy Shop

8 Macbook Keyboard Stickers - kidecals Etsy Shop

Weekend Projects!

I love a good weekend project as much as the next girl, but my weekends have been booked full lately!  I'm not complaining...they've been awesomely fun (yes, I just said "awesomely"...live with it) but our apartment is not quite complete and we definitely need a few more chairs around the kitchen table.

My incredible deal-finder of a roommate Craigslisted this slightly used DOCKSTA Table and two URBAN Chairs for a mere $35 just a short drive away from our place!  We tipped the guy $5 for hauling all three pieces downstairs and helping us pack them into our tiny Los Angeles-sized cars like a life size game of Tetris.  If you're not as well-versed in the IKEA Catalog as we are...that's a retail value of $279.97 for just $40, Bob.  Cue the happy dance!

We're trying to figure out how to introduce a small, but standout pattern into our mostly neutral white and gold palette and maybe something like these DIY folding chairs will do the trick.  Featured on Poppytalk's 10 Summery Weekend Projects these Drab to Fab Folding Chairs are to die for!  I mean, come on...burlap with gold polka dots!?  See the full DIY's on Whipperberry and My Fabuless Life.

$75 Giveaway: Uncommon Goods & MDP

My lovely friend, roommate, and avid blogger over at More Design Please is hosting an Uncommon Goods $75 Giveaway!  We recently moved into an apartment in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Silver Lake and after DIYing as much as we could, decided to add some extra (and affordable) touches.

ALL IMAGE SOURCES FOUND HERE

Not only is Uncommon Goods a great place to get fun gifts for yourself, it's perfect for birthdays, graduations, housewarmings, Shark Week...anything, really!  And with our Mad Men themed housewarming coming up soon, you bet we'll be sending our friends our Wish List!

  

So head over to MDP and enter the Giveaway!  One lucky winner will be chosen on Friday, August 9th.

Connect the Dots

Polka dots are one of my all-time favorite patterns.  I can't resist them!  There's just something ultra-feminine and fun about them.  Here's a roundup of some of my favorite polka dot finds...

1. Retro Cap-Sleeved Knit Dress - Garnett Hill

2. Foiled Dot Napkin Set - Antropologie

3. Kate Spade New York Dinnerware - Macy's

4. Polka-Dotted Pillow - Anthropologie

5. Pink Polka Dot Paper Straws - Etsy

6. The Cherry on Dot Dress - ModCloth

You Sly Fox

Birds, owls, and foxes, Oh My!  One can find these woodland creatures everywhere now from clothing to accessories to home decor.  Even though I love a cute little owl face, right now I'm seriously digging the sly and mysteries fox trend.  Here are some of my favorite fox finds!

1. Fox Friends Art Print - Society6

2. Sly Fox Knocker - Anthropologie

3. Ceramic Fox - Nordstrom

4. Fox Dish Towel - Etsy

5. Fox Ring - Etsy

6. Dapper Fox Necktie - Etsy

7. Fox Rubber Stamp - Etsy

8. Fantastic Fox Hat - Etsy

Spotlight on: Katie Kutthroat

My current obsession is Katie Kutthroat's Etsy shop.  Her hilarious and sarcastic cross stitch creations have recently been featured on HBO's Girls scattered around Hannah's apartment.  They range from television and movie quotes to quirky sayings and she'll even do custom orders!

These are some of my favorites...

Amazing, right?  They range from about $35-55 but she also sells smaller magnet versions for $15 and patterns for those who like to DIY for around $3-4.

Instafabulous

I may or may not have a slight obsession with Instagram...okay yes I do.  At least I don't take pictures of every meal I eat...only the really delicious looking ones!

Anywho, my next project is finding a way to display my Instagram snaps.  Apartment Therapy (my fave!) shared their 10 Coolest Real-Life Instagram Displays and the best part is...my crafty friend, Katie's was one of them!!  Her DIY can be found on Under the Red Umbrella.  She didn't even know her DIY canvases were featured until I happened to run across it.

And here we are in that very same apartment back in February for our monthly Craft Night.

So maybe it was more the morning...and we were drinking mimosas, but same thing!  Oh and we like to watch The Craft whilst crafting.

Have you found any other cool ways to display your Instagram shots?



My Room: A Work in Progress

At the beginning of the year I moved into a rented room in a cute 3 bedroom house and have slowly been decorating it.  This will be my third rented place in three years, but the first I've actually taken the time (and energy) to really paint and decorate and make mine.  It's a work in progress, but I am very happy with it so far!

Here are a few "before" shots, taken with my (not so fancy) iPhone.

Don't you dig that creamy beige?!!?  I wasn't much of a fan so I was dumb brave and chose a paint color without even painting a swatch of it first!  Thank goodness I loved it.

The lighting isn't so great, and I'm an awful photographer, but you get the idea.  I am obsessed with my striped accent wall and must give a special shout out to Frog Tape for helping me with those crisp lines!  These pictures were taken a few weeks ago.  You'll notice those chicken wire frames have since been DIY'ed into a jewelry display and Vegas is now only TWO days away!! Woot Woot!!

DIY Envy

I don't even recall how I came across willcraftforfood, but I'm so happy I did because I immediately fell in love!  I mean, her tagline is "If Bob Villa & Martha Stewart had a lovechild"...obsessed.  I am having serious DIY envy over what she did with her sister's tiny New York City studio apartment with a budget of $500 and only 5 days.

I've tried to find hidden treasures at places like Goodwill, but I don't have much patience for messy stores. And I want to be one of those people who discovers a roughed up piece of furniture on the curb and transforms it into something amazing, but I'm a germaphobe.  Well, willcraftforfood is good at both of those things and I am jealous!  Here is a little before and after, but this is just a little taste of the whole makeover.

See the full makeover here!

I've Got the Moody Pinks

Well, here it is, my first blog post on Too Pretty for a Cubicle.  Prepare yourself for a DIY inspiration, design dreams, and life in LA overload.  Wish me luck!

I just moved into my new place and am in the process of designing my bedroom around this mood board.

1 Shades of Light - Young House Love Collection

2 Urban Outfitters - Romantic Floral Scarf Duvet Cover

3 West Elm - St. Jude Ceramic Owls

4 Urban Outfitters - Madeline Chair

5 Anthropologie - Mirrored Dresser

6 Home Decorators - Faux Sheepskin Area Rug

7 Urban Outfitters - Market Basket Table

Colors by Glidden - Granite Grey, Dove White, Very Berry