A Little Bit About Me

So, I have been blogging for about 9 months now, and I have loved it everyday.  I love reading new blogs and sharing my thoughts and opinions, there are some many amazing people out there that the blog world allows you to interact with.  Crazy!  I'm really trying to expand my blog right now, and I have recently decided to work with  Wacky Jacqui's Designs to have my own personalized layout.  I finally found some time to contact her today, and I can't wait to see how it will turn out.  So stay tuned for a new look!

I decided to share a bit more about myself today, because I like to know a little bit about the bloggers I follow, so I figured you might too :)

1. I'm a nursing student living in downtown Chicago, and I am currently in my last year of undergrad!  Woo-hoo!  Although I complain about school all the time, I actually really do like being a student, and I know I am going to love being a nurse.  

2. Come winter break, I am going to be applying to grad school.  Ahhh, scary I know.  I'm applying for a double masters in Women's Health and Midwifery, which has been my passion all my life!  I remember when I was really young seeing a TV show where triplets were born, and my obsession began!  My Barbies, my doll house people...they were regularly pregnant and giving birth (or what my idea of all this was).  It's stuck with me ever since, and I can't wait to start this journey.  

3. I have a secret (or...maybe not so secret) love for interior design.  A lot of my blog is about inspirational design that I find, because it is the only place I can share these beautiful pictures.  I think it is so fun to transform a plain room into a beautiful place to be, and you can constantly change it as your loves change.  You can design beautifully on any budget, you just have to be willing to work hard at it.   

4. Coming from my love of interior design, I have recently taken to painting furniture.  I love all things white, and over the summer, I began to take this love and put it to work.  I found several old pieces of furniture (Goodwill, some laying around the house, some even garbaged picked) and transformed them to work for me.  Feel free to scroll through my older posts to see some of the transformations, and I have a few more to share!

Well...that's just a little bit about me.  I hope you continue to enjoy my postings, and as always, I love new followers.  Thank you for taking time to stop by!

xoxo, Erin

Friday Follow

I'm participating in another blog hop today!  I had so much fun doing the one yesterday, and found some wonderful new blogs to follow, and have some awesome new followers!  I think this is such a wonderful idea!

Welcome new readers, I'm so excited to have you here!

Blog Hop

Today I am participating in my first blog hops.  I have been writing my blog for a while now, and am looking to gain some new followers.  Right now, my blog is a mismatch of stuff, from decorating, to party planning, crafts, school...and more.  I would really love to expand what I am doing, because I love reading other's blogs so much.


For some reason, I cannot get the Acting Balanced blog hop button or her regular blog button to work on my page right now, I keep re-coping and re-pasting it, but it doesn't work.  Here is the link to her page to join in on the fun:
Acting Balanced

Lately, I have added a lot of "mommy blogs" to my reading list, which may seem strange to a lot of you.  I'm a 21-year old who is not pregnant and I do not have any children.  However, within the next 6 months, I will be applying to grad school, and am applying for a double master's degree in Women's Health and Midwifery.  Women's health, and the process of pregnancy, labor and delivery have been my passion for as long as I can remember, and I can't wait to start school again to be able to do exactly what I want to do.  I have started following some mommy blogs because I think it is great for me to hear real mom's reviews of products, breastfeeding, and just to hear what has been working or not working for them.  Eventually, I will be working a lot with pregnant women and new moms, and I think it is great to be able to make product recommendations based on what other real moms have experienced.  

Anyways, I would love to expand my reader base, so hop and board and follow me along my adventure!  I have begun to get a few offers to do reviews and giveaways, but I feel to be fair to the company, I need to gain some more followers first.  So welcome, I hope you enjoy!!

xoxo, Erin

Some Special Thanks

I have won a few giveaways lately, and I can't tell you how excited that made me!  I feel like I enter them all the time, and within the last month, I actually won 3!  So exciting.  I just wanted to give a special thank you to the women who hosted these giveaways:

I won the Smart Cups from Lipo in a Box from Life with the Lebedas. 

I received my prize last week, and have used it several times.  Thanks again!!

I won the Striking Skincare giveaway from Mommy's "Free" Time.

I also received my prize in the mail last week, but have been waiting to use it until I finish my current product.  But its sitting on my nightstand and I can't wait to try it!

Finally, I won a Phubby from Still Blonde After All These Years Blogmania giveaway.

Still haven't received this one yet, but I can't wait for it to come.

Thanks again for hosting these wonderful giveaways!

Nightstand

Holy cow...can you believe it is almost the end of September? I certainly can't. School is actually flying by, but its keeping me constantly busy. Next week is my last week on my psychiatric floor rotation, then I'm on to pediatrics for the rest of the semester. I must say I cannot wait!

So for a while now, I've been saying how I did all these DIY's this summer, but I keep forgetting to post pictures. Well...here is one of my favorite projects from the summer.

Before:

I picked up this little guy at Goodwill for $4.99.  As soon as I saw it, I was ecstatic.  I have been seeing posts everywhere of beautiful drop-leaf tables used as nightstands, and I wanted to make one of my own.  It was actually in decent condition, just a little sanding was needed on top.  I also found this lamp at Goodwill for cheap too, and knew it would be the perfect lamp for atop my new night stand.

And the after:

A few coats of primer and some white paint, and this baby looks brand new!  I took apart the lamp and spray painted the gold bottom black, and with that lampshade from HomeGoods, it looks brand new!  The plate and silver candle holder are Goodwill finds, and the pink bowl with the decorative glass balls are from Homegoods.  I keep a basket underneath to keep all my toiletries like contacts solution, glasses, etc.  So now I have my own pretty little nightstand :)

Escape!

I wish I could escape to this tree house right now and be in my own little world for a while. I've been having a rough couple of days, and those bright quilts hidden among a forest with an unexpected tree house sounds pretty perfect to me right about now.

Image via Bloomingdale's Lookbook via Elle Decor

Halloween

This year, I've been really dying to host a Halloween party. This summer when I would stop in at Goodwill, I would find so many cheap things that I thought could be transformed to make the greatest Halloween decor, so since then I've been burning to have one. Unfortunately, I have a huge exam the Monday after, so its probably not going to happen. :( I was looking tonight through some of Martha Stewart's Halloween decorations, and found some fabulous place settings.

I think this last one would be better for a fall dinner party than for Halloween, but I love the white pumpkins. These pictures are making me want to host a party so badly! I'll have to try to figure something out.

All images via Martha Stewart