Inspiration from Castle: Richard Castle's Office

My obsession with the TV show Castle continues.

It's just so good. Seriously.

Of course Richard Castle has an awesome New York apartment.

He is a rich, successful mystery writer, after all.

My favourite room is his office; not least because of these super epic bookcase walls...

...complete with typewriter, & lots & lots of books.

Books, books, books.

The view from the desk.

Castle's office leads into his bedroom with more bookshelves, which is awesome. 

More books, & a little Hamlet moment.

And of course; SWORDS.

Castle's office is amazing.

Can I move in here & write?

Castle's Office pictures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12

Fall Projects

There is something that happens to me every year when fall comes around. As soon as the air gets crisper & the leaves start to turn, I get the urge to make something. I think I've had it especially bad this year (can you start nesting in the first trimester?), so I've been pouring myself lots of tea, turning on BBC Radio 4, & pulling out my sewing supplies.

I have big plans for nursery sewing projects (a play quilt for the floor, a pink & purple quilt for the baby girl!, travel-themed cloth blocks, a rain & cloud mobile, etc.).

I'm also starting a quilt for our living room (5+ projects. See? I have it bad.). The quilt was inspired by this quilt and I am using random fabrics from my collection. We used a lot of my fabric as centerpiece tablecloths for our wedding, so it will be fun to see them around the house & in the nursery!

Hopefully this urge to make things will last long enough for me to finish all of these projects! It shouldn't be a problem, with a long winter ahead before my March due-date, an endless supply of Tetley tea, & so many great programmes on BBC Radio 4.

3 Tips for Living with Wanderlust

I grew up on the move.

While I spent most of my childhood living in one house in one town, my whole family spent every summer traveling around Europe in tents with a team of teenagers.

So while I generally crave stability & a home base that stays in one spot, I also can't quite keep still. I always want a bit of movement.

I think that's what they call wanderlust.

In my experience, wanderlust can not be cured. But it can be lived with. It's taken me years to learn how to both stay put & to wander well. And hopefully to remain a sane & semi-balanced person through it all. Here are a few tips that can help you live with wanderlust:

1. Remember the places you've been.

There have been stages when I tried to shut out the wander-y part of me, in favour of a stable life, or maybe in an attempt to look "normal." But ignoring this side of me has never worked.

Even if you are staying put for a while (or forever!) try to integrate your crazy travel experiences into your regular life. For me, this means having pictures around, using the souvenirs I've collected, & actually talking about the places I've been & the things I've done & seen.

It won't replace actually going on trips & being new places. But it helps.

2. Explore the place you live now.

Travel isn't just about exotic places & foreign languages. It's also about curiosity.

Find the things a tourist might find in your city or hometown. Find a way to be curious about the life that's right in front of you.

3. Cross a border, even if you have to invent it.

This is the magic trick I've discovered, that helps me to live with wanderlust & remain a semi-stable person. Cross a border, even if you have to invent it.

Every week, I go someplace that is not where I live. If I'm living in a small town, I travel to a slightly bigger town. If I'm living in the city, I spend a few hours in the suburbs. Go somewhere as different as possible from the place you spend the majority of your time.

It's a weird trick. But I'm not kidding -- for me it's been revolutionary. I GO for a few hours, & I come back to my regular life refreshed. When I skip a week, I can tell.

Part of the habit of travel is not so much that the places we visit are particularly exotic or so much more fabulous then anywhere else. It's the change, the habit of variety.

The routine of leaving the place you live & crossing a border - even if it's just to wander a mall in the suburbs - meets that need for variety & stimulates the part of you that usually lays dormant without travel.

It's not the same as jetting off to Paris for the weekend. And it certainly won't "cure" you of wanderlust. But for me it does the trick.

I'm always looking for ways to live better with my intrinsic wanderlust.

Any tips that work for you?

Wanderlust picture

Inspiration from Castle: Kate Beckett's Apartment

Nathan Fillion used to be in this great old 90's show Two Guys, a Girl & a Pizza Place with Ryan Reynolds.  (Jenny & I still refer to Ryan Reynolds as "Berg," his character in the show.)

Also, my friend Sharelle, who has impeccable taste, has been raving about Castle (Nathan Fillion as a writer!) for years.

So when I finally got around to watching Castle, I was not surprised to find that I loved it.

Let's take a moment & admire Detective Kate Beckett's sweet loft apartment, shall we?

A union jack pillow, always a good thing.

Check out those bookshelves on the left. They are individual shelves, staggered randomly on the wall.

Industrial lights attached over the bookcases. In fact, the lighting in general is really good.

Supposedly that door leads to a rooftop garden.

And Stana Katic (who plays Kate Beckett) is adorable as always.

Those bookshelves again.

A little fireplace.

And that room you can see is a little home office.

The look of Beckett's apartment is more stark & industrial than the way I tend to decorate.

But there are a lot of great little details & the whole thing just works.

The view from the front door. The fireplace & office are on the left, the kitchen on the right. And see those stairs on the right, with books stacked on them? That's the spot that leads to the roof.

The kitchen.

The stairs with stacks of books.

That table/stove top is awesome.

And I think this use of small space would make IKEA proud.

In the second season of Castle, Beckett's old apartment was blown up by someone trying to kill her. (It's rough being a NYPD Detective.) So when the designers planned this new apartment for her, they intentionally made it eclectic & industrial, with bits & pieces from her old apartment mixed haphazardly with new stuff.

I just love that Kate Beckett so much. She has definitely joined the list of my favourite strong female fictional characters.

And I wouldn't mind living in that great loft apartment of hers.

{More Inspiration from Castle: Richard Castle's Office}

Kate Beckett's Apartment pictures via: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Inspiration from You've Got Mail: Kathleen Kelly's Apartment

Don't you just love You've Got Mail?

One thing I love about it is that it has great scenes from each season.

Fall: "Don't you just love New York in the Fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies."
Winter: Of course I want to see Greg Kinnear sing "the horn...the horn...it sounds so forlorn."
and it would be a shame to miss New York in the Spring...

And of course I could watch it countless times just to see Kathleen Kelly's apartment.

Here are a few things I love about it:

Books everywhere (on bookshelves, in baskets, stacked on the table)

Quilts & floral patterns

Pictures hung in obscure places 

Anything is better with Tom Hanks! & daisies.

a comfortable couch: hard to beat.

Kathleen Kelly's apartment is not spotless. It looks like someone actually lives there, which is refreshing for a romantic comedy.

There are lots of old-fashioned things (floral prints & framed family photos), 

but it doesn't look dated. 

Her apartment is rearranged throughout the movie. Even the bed linens change. 

Gotta love that Nora Ephron.

Lots of plants & fresh flowers

Sunny windows & sheer curtains

Interesting furniture placement. The bed comes out diagonally from the wall, the desk is in the middle of the room, & she has two couches - on opposite ends of the apartment. Good ideas for decorating a small or oddly shaped apartment. 

Note the framed doily. Awesome. 

My sister & I lived together for a few years after I graduated from college. One day we were watching You've Got Mail, and I said "bah! I just want our apartment to look exactly like that!" She paused the movie and said: "Look around."

Comfortable couch, floral fabric, sheer curtains, books everywhere...the same wall colour. Years of studying Kathleen Kelly's great apartment - & absorbing her style by osmosis while watching You've Got Mail so many times - had apparently paid off.

Come to think of it, it's almost fall & it might be time for a walk to Starbucks for a tall decaf cappuccino. And it's always a good time for a re-watching of You've Got Mail.

Post & pictures adapted from Life on Canvas.

Easy DIY Lavender Spray

I have a little blue bottle filled with lavender & water & I spray it on everything. Sheets, pillows, curtains, & even my hair in the morning to tame down frizz. Lavender relaxes you & smells great.

Whenever my sister sees me spraying lavender mist all over everything, she says "You're such a hippy." But she also regularly walks into my room & asks why it smells so good in there.

Lavender Spray is crazy easy to make. It's so much cheaper than buying expensive linen sprays at home shops.

How to make your own Lavender Spray

All you need is a glass spray bottle (I get mine for a few bucks at Whole Foods) & a small bottle of lavender essential oil. You can usually find essential oil for ten bucks or less at Whole foods, or you can even order it from Amazon.

They usually say to add 10-12 drops of oil to a small bottle of water, but I tend to add about double that. I put the water in first so if I accidentally overflow the bottle I don't waste any of the lavender.

And that's it, you've made your own lavender linen spray &/or hair de-frizzer. Put the cap back on, spray liberally, & wait for someone to ask you why your house smells so good.

Dorm Room Decorating: Comfort & Ambience

Your college years can be hard. While I was in school, I went through a bad breakup, lost a beloved grandparent, & my parents moved across the country. Even when I was just dealing with stressful midterms, it was always helpful to know I could go back to my room, where I knew a cozy blanket & a nice cup of tea were waiting for me. 

Even if you get through your college years without too much interpersonal drama, sometimes you just miss your mom & your home! A cozy, comforting room is just what you need. 

Comfort

Dorm rooms are often filled with wooden furniture. Soften it up! Make sure to have lots of cozy blankets & pillows for studying, chatting with friends, & the all-important nap. 

Put down some throw rugs, have framed photos of far away friends & family, & a few favourite things from home. 

A Beverage Corner

I don't know about you, but I drank a lot of coffee in college. Make sure when you do, it's out of a cute mug! In my dorm room, my roommate & I set up a beverage corner on top of our small fridge. It included: 

a coffee pot

an electric tea kettle

spoons in a small cup

 sugar

cream in the fridge 

We hung pretty coloured mugs on the wall using 3M hooks. 

It was always fun to have girls in for a cup of tea or coffee & a study break. 

Light

  

Just say no to fluorescent lights! As if all that homework isn't already giving you a headache! In college, we were all in a Facebook group called "People Against The Use Of Fluorescent Lighting." 

Open your blinds, turn off the overhead lights, & bring in some ambience! 

Target has great battery operated candles (some are even scented & flicker like real candles!) if you can't light candles in your dorm room. 

Paper lanterns from IKEA are fun. 

Get some cheap standing lamps for lots of light. 

Clip on desk lamps & fun patterned lamp shades make it cozy & pretty! 

Put twinkle lights everywhere. These are great for getting ready on those early mornings after a late night of studying. No one needs to see you looking that tired! 

Fresh Air

It's hard to think clearly in a dirty room with musty air (plus it's kind of gross)!

Open your windows. At least once a day. 

Clean your room. Keep Clorox or Method wipes close by & shake out your throw rugs often! 

Make your bed every morning. In such a small room, it will make a huge difference! 

Spray a little perfume on your curtains to make your whole room smell good (make sure your roommate likes the scent first!). Or use a few drops of essential oil (lavendar is great!) in a spray bottle filled with water. 

Most of these ideas can be done be using things you already have plus a shopping trip to IKEA, Walmart, or Target. 

Well, we've covered creativity, style, storage & comfort. Have fun decorating your dorm room!

Dorm Room Decorating: Creativity

College is awesome, isn't it? Yes, it can be one of the most stressful times of your life, but there are so many things about it that are fun!

I went to a community college for two years while living at home in Minneapolis, then transferred to a Bible college in Chicago. The school pretty much required students to live on campus, so I was in a dorm room for three years with four awesome roommates (all at different times).

The dorm rooms were tiny, with two small closets, lots of regulation furniture and about 2 inches of floor space. Decorating each year required some creativity!

Looking back, I am shocked to remember how poor I was a college student (my roommate & I once turned down an event because it cost $2.00. Two dollars.) So I wanted to pull together a few things that are helpful for decorating your dorm room (or other small space) on a college student budget.

If your dorm room is like mine was, there are about a thousand rules for what you can't do: no nails, candles, paint, fun... So you have to get around those rules with some creativity.

Here are a few of the things my roommates & I came up with to creatively decorate our rooms:

*We couldn't put nails in the wall, so we painted 3M hooks (which are made to not leave a mark when you take them off the wall), stapled two looped pieces of ribbon to the back of a $5 Target mirror, & hung it sideways. Voila! Something on our wall & bonus: it made the tiny room look bigger.

*My desk chair was one a friend had found in the Home Depot dumpster, which I covered with brown & pink fabric using safety pins.

*We covered the back of our door with 3x5 cards where we wrote down funny quotes (or at least they seemed funny after an all-night study session).

You'll be surprised what you can come up with when you think outside the box a bit to decorate your dorm room!

Come back on Mondays in July & August for ideas on how to store your stuff, make the room cozy, & use things like paper & 3M hooks to give your room some style.