shopping cart : for under the toes

I am not at all exaggerating when I say that I've been stalking West Elm daily for the moment when their Souk Rug would once again become available on the site. At first, it was 6-8 weeks for the product to be re-stocked. Then, it disappeared from the site completely & my panic really set in. Then, followed the rug sale. This sale almost tempted me into buying another option, but a part of me knew that West Elm was clearing out some inventory for new items, like my beloved Souk Rug. Well guys, my wish came true & the Souk Rug has officially been ordered.

But, as my luck would have it, one rug problem was solved while another was created. 

For years & years I've been eyeing Ikea's Stockholm Rand rug. It's been featured on countless blogs & I just love the simple look (at a cheap cost!). This was another item that had long been sold out at my local area Ikea, but for the past 6 months or so they have finally had it in stock. If I had a car I would have snagged this up in a heartbeat, but I foolishly though that I could wait just a little bit longer until I moved into my new place & made my big Ikea trip of the year. Of course this rug went out of stock sometime in the last week & I am know down an option for my dining area (as planned here).

I've been going back & forth on whether I even need a rug for my dining area (that will probably drive another blog post to help me come to my decision), but since I don't actually have a dining room per se, I think a rug will be necessary to break up the spaces in my giant living room. In a complete change of events, I am now contemplating a cowhide rug for under my tulip table. As awful as it sounds, I've kind of got this whole glam/tribal look that I'm planning & I think a cowhide rug might be a good fit.

Here are some options I like:

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Thoughts?

the countdown

Apologies in advance, because things are likely to be a little sparse on this blog during the next week or so. I'm t-minus 2 days away from my big move. Finally! Last time I moved, I decided to sub lease my apartment last minute & things moved very quickly. This time, it seems to have dragged on forever. I think a lot of it has to do with the excitement of having my own place again, & a somewhat large one at that. 

I also can't wait to be in my new neighborhood. My current place in Wicker Park is pretty great, but I just feel so much closer to the action in my new apartment in Bucktown. I've spent the last several weekends wandering around that area & it honestly puts the biggest smile on my face. Or maybe it's just the Big Star tacos.

It's still TBD on when I'll be getting internet set up, but I promise to share the progress as soon as I can!

Oh, & my thoughts are with all of those at Roy's Home Furnishing (okay, my thoughts are with my new sofa too). I was just there 2 weeks ago ordering my new sectional & now the place is burnt to a crisp.

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summer anthem

"Deadbeat Summer" - Neon Indian

weekend warrior

It's Memorial Day weekend. That means 4 whole days of...

rooftops

time in the sunshine

& loving the country I'm from.

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

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you're in my web now..

"The Recluse" - Cursive

Tuesday brought some good news my way. Not only will Cursive be performing on Saturday, July 28th at Wicker Park Fest, but they will also be doing a show the night before at Subterranean.

I can't tell you when exactly when I started listening to Cursive, but my guess is back in late high school/early college when I was heavily into Bright Eyes. I got the DVD Spend An Evening with Saddle Creek & discovered several pretty great artists like Rilo Kiley, The Faint, & I assume, Cursive. They have a pretty intense sound & years later I'm still wanting to see them perform live. Come join me at Subterranean for their show!

fear of flying

Did you know that until recently Eric Prydz only played shows in Europe because he had a fear of flying? Did you also know that his new album is pretty great?

"Allein" - Pryda

someone great

Directing The Great Gatsby is no simple task, but it sure looks like Baz Luhrmann really outdid himself with this one...

The Great Gatsby is one of my all time favorite books (as noted HERE, HERE, & HERE) so I CANNOT wait for this film to come out. Baz Luhrmann did such a great job bringing Romeo & Juliet to life as well, so I have high hopes. The soundtrack seems pretty promising as well.

What are you favorite books that were brought to the big screen?

may flowers (kinda)

As my hunt for new furniture items keeps continuing, there was one item that I decided on pretty easily. Now that I finally have the space for a legit dining area, I knew that I'd want to fill it with a tulip table. These can be big or small, depending on the size you get, & really go well with just about anything. Most importantly (for me at least) is that they're pretty affordable. I plan to get Ikea's DOCKSTA Table, but CB2's Odyssey Table is a nice, affordable option as well.

You can see more about my dining area plans HERE, but I wanted to share some beautiful homes that feature tulip tables:

 

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coming together

Last week I bit the bullet & ordered a sectional for my new living room. I spent a lot of time searching for the perfect couch & for a while had my heart set on one from CB2, but it was pretty horrible when I actually saw it in person. I was getting frustrated with the options & prices when I sent out a call for help via Twitter. Every one of my Chicago friends responded with the same answer: Roy's in Lincoln Park.

Roy's is deceivingly large & had a great selection of furniture at very reasonable prices. The best part? Everything came in almost 80 fabric options. The prices also opened up the possibility of getting a sectional, as opposed to just a sofa, which I was secretly hoping for all along.

I've had my heart set on a dark, dark blue sofa since I needed a color that would work well with my little green love seat, & thankfully, Roy's had several options. Roy's was also pretty great & threw in the 3 pillows you see in the photo above. I went with a very nice black & white stripe for those. I figure I can always add new covers down the road as well.

I won't get my sofa until about early July, but so far I've been very happy with my experience at Roy's. They don't hassle you & follow you around the store, which I love, but are there to help when you need it. Some people are maybe a little more needy & want that extra attention, but for me it was perfect.

My first month in the new place with be a little strange as I slowly start collecting all of the pieces, but I'm feeling more & more like things are coming together.

sensory overload

Let's just say I'm a little excited for this show...

"Dark Steering" - Squarepusher

i was there : kurt vile + the violators

Show: Kurt Vile & the Violators

Black Bananas

Location: Lincoln Hall

Date: 5.20.12

Favorite Song: "Baby's Arms" always gets me. I was crossing my fingers that I'd get to hear this one & thankfully it was the first song of the encore.  "Freak Train" was also pretty great live, especially with the saxophone.

Memorable Moment: Honestly, Black Bananas, the opening band, was the most memorable of the night. Think 80's psychedelic rock hair band & that would be Black Bananas. I was pretty skeptical based on name alone, but they were fun & the lead singer was fucking crazy.

Biggest Letdown: There were aspects of the night that I loved, like Kurt Vile's acoustic performance, but I personally preferred his performance last summer at Pitchfork Music Festival. Smoke Ring For My Halo is such a great album & unfortunately he didn't play too many songs from it. I guess I was just hoping for a little more.

This Show: was a nice break from my heavy rotation of electronic. Many of my readers probably are not all that familiar with Kurt Vile & the Violators, but I highly recommend checking him out. He's one of those artists that I rarely "skip" when his songs come on shuffle.

i was there : above + beyond

Show: Above & Beyond

Location: Congress Theater

Date: 5.12.12

Favorite Song: You've got love it when a crowd really comes alive for a song & "A Thing Called Love" seemed to be the one to do it. It's one of those feels good songs, so it's easy to see why. I think this song also delivered the most hand hearts I've ever seen at a concert.

Memorable Moment: To be completely honest, I don't really like listening to Above & Beyond. They are meant to be heard live, not through shitty Apple earbuds. I went to this show because I was looking for something fun to do & I knew A+B would be a good time. They hit the nail right on the head this night.

Biggest Letdown: I really hate creepy guys that try to prey on girls at concerts. I'm talking to you, Mr. Mad Hatter.

This Show: was therapeutic. Really though, it satisfied my very rare desire to hear trance music. I can enjoy it when the mood strikes, but typically it's not my thing. Above & Beyond definitely put on a show.

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IV.

Four trends I'm loving now...

I. Berber Rugs

II. Moroccan Trays

III. Juju Hats

IV. Wedding Blankets

If you're looking for more inspiration, check out the latest Lonny. It's absolutely gorgeous.

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you can't be replaced

"Lazuli" - Beach House

Beach House's new album Bloom got a highly coveted 9.1 rating from Pitchfork earlier this week & based on "Lazuli" alone I can see why. I love their calm, airy sounds & they're definitely one of the Pitchfork Music Festival artists I'm most excited to see. I can see myself listening to this album a lot over the Summer.

take a dip

Dip-dying seems to be all the rage as of late & personally, I'm really loving it. It's a fairly easy process to create some ombré-esque looks like these:

 

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I will definitely be crafting as I start to settle into my new place.

problem. solution.

As I'm prepping to move to my new apartment in a few short weeks, there is one problem with the new place that I need to address right away. I had mentioned it before, but the closet space (or lack there of) is pretty horrific & I'm a chick that loves to shop. Thankfully, I have Pinterest to the rescue to help inspire me on how to rectify this problem. 

Essentially, I want to do this in the back corner of my living room by the creepy basement steps:

(via)

I want to create a little mini walk-in-closet with clothing racks, dressers, etc. 

Unfortunately, I don't think that I'll be able to keep things so neat & perfect, so I plan to get a screen, like this one from Ikea, to hide the mess:

Although this might not be the most ideal solution, I think I'll be able to have a little fun with this space & make it a little girly. I think this will do the job just fine.

to be continued

"Days" - Creep (Super8 & Tab remix)

This song was dropped in Above & Beyond's Essential Mix last year, and well, we know how much I love all things associated with The XX. I thought I'd continue on the A&B celebration a bit after their great performance on Saturday.

Happy Monday!

squint your eyes and look closer

I want to dedicate this Music Monday selection to my wonderful mother. "32 Flavors" by Ani DiFranco always kind of makes me think about my parents. I think it's because of the line: "both my parents taught me about good will & I have done well by their name," but there's still something more. "32 Flavors" is a song that is very much about being true to yourself & since my mom is so much a part of who I am it only feels appropriate to play for her.

"32 Flavors" - Ani DiFranco

oui

"Retour a Vega" - The Stills

And now, let's daydream we're in Paris...

 

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i was there : m83

Show: M83

Location: The Riviera

Date: 5.4.12

Favorite Song: "Wait" really was my favorite once again. I think it just puts me in a good place. In an effort to mix it up a little from last November, I'll go ahead & say that "This Bright Flash" was a close second. That song is just 1+ minute of straight energy. If I was ever to head bang at a M83 show, this would be the song to do it to.

Memorable Moment: I personally preferred seeing M83 in the more intimate setting of Lincoln Hall last November, but you could see that the band was in awe of playing a place as large as The Riv. That's a pretty big leap of venues in such a short period of time. Not only that, but The Riv was sold out & packed to the brim. Kudos on that win.

Biggest Letdown: This show seemed to be a little on the shorter side. I thought the same thing back in November, but just chalked it up to it being the second show of the night. After Lollapalooza, M83 will have played 4 shows in Chicago over the course of 9 months. Why not dig a little deeper into your six album discography & mix it up a bit?

This Show: Was pretty on par with their performance in November. I hope that they mix it up a bit at Lollapalooza, but it was still a really good time.

fat kid

I haven't really been big on sweets ever since my bag of Halloween candy got stolen in 4th grade, but give me something sweet and savory & I'm all over it. I think my inner fat kid just about peed her pants in excitement for this wonderful treat. Guys, we're talking ice cream (my favorite sweet) in a PRETZEL CONE. Too good to be true. Get the ice cream recipe HERE & purchase pretzel cones HERE.

sweet dreams are made of these

Now that I know where I'm living, I can really get started with the planning. My bedroom is going to be pretty small, but that just means I can invest a little less time & money & work on ways to be a little bit more creative with the small space. Here's what I'm thinking:

I love the idea of having rows & rows of shelves to store the little bedroom knick knacks.

This is a simple solution if a side table on each side of the bed isn't an option.

I could also save a little space with wall sconces on each side of the bed.

I really loving the idea of climbing out of bed & feeling sheepskin under my toes.

I've kind of got my heart set on painting a dark accent wall. I'm thinking dark grey/black?

I might add a little bit of whimsy with a fringe canopy.

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a little bird told me : april

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