that time of year again: IKEA frenzy

Two weeks ago I ventured out to IKEA to pick up a couple of odds and ends, and realized the second I hit the parking lot that I'd made a huge mistake. The place was absolutely swarming with university students and their parents, stocking up for dorm rooms or first apartments. It's that time of year again.

I think it goes without saying that I'm not a huge fan of buying all your furniture and accessories in one place at one time. If it can be avoided, it should be. The reality is, though, that when you're starting from scratch and heading off to school you have better things to worry about - and better things to spend your money on - than a well-curated room.

But just because you have to stock up IKEA styles doesn't mean you have to live in a hot mess. It's all about making smart choices. Take this cute and simple bedroom scheme as an example:

Bed frame = 149$
Solid red curtains = 29.99$
Indian inspired curtains = 14.99$
Black sheet set = 23.99$
Flokati rug = 39.99$
Striped throw = 29.99$
Woven diamond pillow = 9.99$
Red velvet pillow = 12.99$

What you have there is a stylish, grown-up room for only about 300 bones. It's not perfect (it's still all from one place after all) but it's pretty, pulled-together, and doesn't look cheap.

A big part of achieving that is doing your best to stick to quality materials - like iron, wool, cotton, and velvet - that feel rich and add loads of texture. Texture might not be the first thing you think of when throwing together a student room, but it should be! I really think it's one of the major keys to actually enjoying your space. I own that rug, for example, and stepping onto it in the morning is one of the only things I don't hate about getting out of bed.

You might also scoff at the idea of layering two pairs of curtains when you're trying to cut costs, but think about it for a second: the price of both of these adds up to less than many of IKEA's solo options, and you get a much more luxurious feel for your money. It looks like you splurged when you didn't, injects some much needed pattern and personality, and accounts for the need to block light in the bedroom. I call that bang for buck.

When it comes to IKEA you either love it or you hate it. Personally, I've always fallen on the side of love. While that doesn't mean I'd suggest a full blown shopping spree, if you have to do it, you CAN do it right! And maybe, just maybe, that'll mean a little less landfill fodder when the year is up.

underwater garden wedding

I spent five full nights pairing, arranging, re-pairing and re-arranging my favourite photos from this styled shoot before I finally gave up. The fact that I'm still wholly unsatisfied with the result lets me know how truly proud I am of what we created. I loved every minute of dreaming up - and bringing to life - this "Underwater Garden Wedding".

After our borderline opulent winter wedding shoot, Dallas and I knew we wanted to switch it up and create a dreamy, d.i.y affair to inspire brides on a budget. Top on our list of priorities? Finding a dress that was cheap by anyone's standards (less than 200$), but was in no way forgettable. The off-the-rack beauty we chose ended up inspiring our entire theme, and was the talk of every onlooker. By drawing attention to - rather than away from - our thrifty find, we ensured that no one would suspect it was chosen with the bottom line in mind. 

How incredibly adorable was our couple? I truly don't understand working with professional models - you just can't fake that kind of love. 

I'm still convinced that I haven't managed to properly convey the beauty of the shoot and of Dallas' work, but here's hoping you disagree. Just in case, please visit Dallas' blog for more (better laid-out) loveliness, as well as a list of vendors and sources.

Dal is also planning to post a behind the scenes look at how we pulled it all off, including details on some of our d.i.y projects. I'll be sure to post about it here once it's up! For now, I'll leave you with my favourite pic of me "on the job". 

That's what you get when you combine wind, a tablecloth that won't stay straight, and one anal retentive perfectionist. 

labouring for labour day

For the last couple of months I've been tackling a project for my day job (web comms at a university) that has had me working non-stop. Evenings and weekends. Endlessly. I'm tired - both mentally and physically - and sick of neglecting other areas of my life. The fact that I actually wish I could clean my apartment (if I could only find the time or energy) is a very bad sign. I hate cleaning.

Yet the last few days have brought with them a very different perspective. I'm finally in the home stretch, and even though I'll be working over the long weekend, I'm so close to the pay-off that I'm fine with it. I can practically taste freedom.

More importantly, I'm really damn proud of what I've created. I don't know if it's any better than the work I normally do, but the knowledge of how hard it was to get there makes it oh-so much sweeter. Even if I'm the only one who knows, that's good enough for me. All of a sudden I feel grateful for the pressure. Pressure makes diamonds.

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