Domestic To Do's

This is an extremely boring post....but I need to get all my thoughts and to-do's out there. Sorry, more interesting things coming soon!

I can be honest with myself and admit I'm not skilled at decorating. I have such a hard time thinking of buying random knick knacks to store around my house to make it look "put together." However, I really want to learn about design, about putting a room together, about color coordinating and especially about how to incorporate what I love (clean, open spaces with few unnecessary decorations) into spaces that actually look good.

I have always put off decorating our current apartment since I was in school. But now that I work, I have time in the evenings and I have a little more money. :) I'm not really in the mood for sewing clothes anymore (shh..don't tell the unfinished skirt in my closet...) but since I still have a crafting resolution this year, I figure I should spend the rest of the year crafting up the house! So, before December 31st, here are my crafting to do's:

1. The bathroom
Clearly this isn't the most seen room in the house, but it feels the most bland to me. All we have are grey towels, a black/white striped shower curtain, and a grey rug. It needs color!! I want to do a picture display on the wall and also some flowers or something on top of the toilet. Here are some inspirations. Does it look cohesive at all?

Color Scheme

Homemade artwork in blue color scheme (source)

I really like this vase- what could go in it? (source)

2. The bedroom
Our bedroom looks truly sad. We currently have a bed (no headboard), a dresser, and...curtains? No nightstands, nothing at all on the walls...pathetic. I plan to buy these nightstands at ikea to match our dresser. The curtains have a blue stripe in them, so it'll probably be the same blue/grey/black as the rest of our house. Here are some ideas:

Color Scheme

I bought these lamps and love them!

These nightstands are on our list once they're in stock!

Unfortunately, bedroom artwork is where I'm at an extreme loss right now, so I'll keep hunting! Maybe I could do another painting, or a watercolor? We'll see what's in the budget. :) For now I'll just be happy when we have some nightstands to put our lamps on!

3. The kitchen/living room
This room is actually decorated pretty well- or at least better than the rest of the house. I did the artwork on one wall, and we got our wedding pictures up on the other wall. However, there are still a few things I'd like to have done before the end of the year:
-Picture above the kitchen sink. My current life motto is "Live Sweetly". I'd love to have some subway art or other art displaying that phrase in my kitchen.
-Decor for above the cabinets. This space is daunting to me. I don't just want random things up there that mean nothing and that I have to dust all the time. The space is fairly small, but it's long so I'd need quite a bit up there to make it look good. Plus the only idea that ever comes to mind is fake plant garlands, which I know I couldn't stand. So it just stays there, as a big blank focal point.
-Couch pillows. This last one is super small, so hopefully I can get it done. I would just like some matching pillows to make the room look more comfortable. Maybe eventually I'll change them out for seasons, but right now I'd just like anything! Also for small things, I'd like some flowers in vases or other decor around the house (not too many knick knacks :D) but something to make it look comfortable.
-And eventually I'd like to recover our kitchen chairs, but that's at the very bottom of the list since they're plenty fine as they are.

Here's the color scheme and some ideas:

(source)

(source)

Fhew. I think that's it. It's only three rooms, but there is quite a bit to keep me busy this fall and winter. I can't wait to get started now that all my ideas are finally listed out!