statement necklaces

Statement necklaces have been on the fashion radar for a few seasons now and I think it's safe to say the trend is still going strong. Whether it is a collar necklace or the popular bubble necklace, necklaces of all colors, materials, shapes, and sizes are everywhere. My current favorites are below - click on the image for the link!

                    

              

I've been on the fence about getting a bubble necklace, but love the purple Bauble Bar one above. However, a chunky pearl necklace like the J. Crew one would go well with my outfits..... decisions, decisions! Which one is your fave??

xo-ally

Spice up your space!

Last fall, I wrote an article for the pilot issue of Sweet Lemon Magazine about decorating tips on how to add color to a room without painting the walls. 

I photographed my room at home for the magazine, but since moving into an apartment at school, I've had to work with different furniture and space. Here are some photos of how I set up and organize my new dresser - I hope this provides some inspiration to those of you who want to spice up your space!

Here are three ways to add color:

1. Jewelry! I have a lot of big, trendy, colorful pieces, so I use a jewelry stand to organize it and put it on display. I got this jewelry stand from PB Teen many years ago, but they have newer versions. Urban Outfitters is usually another good place to look for jewelry storage as well. 

To the left I have necklaces hanging on thumbtacks to draw the eye up and keep them (mostly) untangled. The more necklaces you hang, the less you can see the actual thumbtacks!

2. Board of inspiration! I have a leopard-print whiteboard from Target that I learn up against the wall and place papers on with magnets. I ripped out an article that I liked from ELLE magazine, put up a clipping from The New York Times style section, and a couple other little notes from friends.

3. Stack of books! I love stacking a few small "coffee table" books on a tabletop. Depending on the type and number of books, you can play with size, color, and height. Since you don't actually need a coffee table for displaying books, this would be perfect in a dorm as well!

Here you can see the necklaces better (and part of my Fiorentina soccer scarf hanging below!)

A closer shot of the top of the dresser

Small dishes for watch, bracelets, and lip gloss

I like to keep daily essentials separate, so I put the watch/bracelets combo I often wear in this dish I got from American Eagle last summer. On the right, I have lip glosses and balms (from M.A.C. and Benefit) sitting in a dish I made at one of those paint-your-own-ceramic places. What I liked about painting my own dish was that I could choose whatever colors I wanted! I used brown, red, and purple colors to match my room.

xo