My blog has reached 6000 hits and I just wanted to take a minute from studying to say thank you to anyone who has clicked on my blog and took the time to read what I have to say. I know I haven't uploaded a ton lately, but you guys have stuck around. I promise once school work settles down a little I will start doing more weekly blog posts. I've got a few posts coming up such as an intense workout music playlist and a relaxed workout playlist, some study organization tips, hauls and more just general life updates.
Follow me on my social media accounts:
instagram: @connietran13
twitter: conniethuytran
I don't have a lot of followers or posts but if I got an influx of new followers, I may be inclined to change that ;) It also gives me a good reading on who follows my blog so give me a follow.
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Redecorating PART 1: Furniture, Furnishings and Fluorescence
So I moved into a new house back in my hometown while I'm still going to college in another city. I thought I would share my whole process of decorating my room in a few steps.
Step 1: Decide on a central theme/color scheme
This is important to having a unified room. It is especially important if you have an ensuite bathroom. With multiple rooms, you want something that ties the place together. For my room, I decided on a sea/beach theme. I was at a crossroads between beach or nautical but ultimately decided on a beach theme because I wanted to incorporate turquoise and sky blues in my color scheme.
Step 2: Get the big furniture
I had previous furniture so I didn't buy anything else. I may buy a desk and nightstand in the future but for now all I have is my bed and dresser. It's also important to arrange it in a way that suits your liking and maximizes the space. My room isn't very big but it was important for me that the bed was arranged lengthwise since the footboard would close off the room. They were green and I didn't want to go through the process of repainting the furniture but I think it suits the room.
Step 3: Find the right furnishings
This is probably the most important part to personalizing your room. Adding small things here and there help to convey your theme. For me, it was about a three day shopping spree finding things to decorate my room and bathroom. I went to Kohl's, Kirkland's (check out my previous posts for that), Burlington Coat Factory where I got my amazing bedspread, and ROSS where I bought hangers and new pillows.
Step 4: Small details
Little things (or not so little things) put the final cherry on top of a perfect room. This means changinck out my paint swatches. I'm thinking the one on the top. The lightbulbs I had before gave off a warm tone which didn't go well with the blue tones of my room so I changed to cfl bulbs with natural lighting. They were the coolest (cool as in color) ones on the warm-cool spectrum, plus they are more energy efficient.
What's left? This is obviously a work in progress. I have only been here a few days and I am satisfied with what I have accomplished so far. I am hoping to have the bathroom and shower room painted with shades of blue before I leave. I also wanted hardwood floors but I don't think that is going to happen anytime soon. I also want the walls in my main room painted grey and the trim painted white. I have to get paintings ordered to put on my bare walls and hopefully a desk and nightstand. I also want to change the curtains in my room. And you can't see it in my photos but to the right of the sink in a linen closet. The way the floorplan is, the doors run into each other so I plan to take out the door and put in a pressure rod and curtain.
Step 1: Decide on a central theme/color scheme
This is important to having a unified room. It is especially important if you have an ensuite bathroom. With multiple rooms, you want something that ties the place together. For my room, I decided on a sea/beach theme. I was at a crossroads between beach or nautical but ultimately decided on a beach theme because I wanted to incorporate turquoise and sky blues in my color scheme.
Still very messy.
Step 2: Get the big furniture
I had previous furniture so I didn't buy anything else. I may buy a desk and nightstand in the future but for now all I have is my bed and dresser. It's also important to arrange it in a way that suits your liking and maximizes the space. My room isn't very big but it was important for me that the bed was arranged lengthwise since the footboard would close off the room. They were green and I didn't want to go through the process of repainting the furniture but I think it suits the room.
The bedding was only $47 and it came with the comforter, four pillow cases and two small pillows.
Step 3: Find the right furnishings
This is probably the most important part to personalizing your room. Adding small things here and there help to convey your theme. For me, it was about a three day shopping spree finding things to decorate my room and bathroom. I went to Kohl's, Kirkland's (check out my previous posts for that), Burlington Coat Factory where I got my amazing bedspread, and ROSS where I bought hangers and new pillows.
Check out my paint swatches. I'm thinking the one on the top.
Step 4: Small details
Little things (or not so little things) put the final cherry on top of a perfect room. This means changinck out my paint swatches. I'm thinking the one on the top. The lightbulbs I had before gave off a warm tone which didn't go well with the blue tones of my room so I changed to cfl bulbs with natural lighting. They were the coolest (cool as in color) ones on the warm-cool spectrum, plus they are more energy efficient.
See how changing from incandescent to cfl lightbulbs make a difference?
What's left? This is obviously a work in progress. I have only been here a few days and I am satisfied with what I have accomplished so far. I am hoping to have the bathroom and shower room painted with shades of blue before I leave. I also wanted hardwood floors but I don't think that is going to happen anytime soon. I also want the walls in my main room painted grey and the trim painted white. I have to get paintings ordered to put on my bare walls and hopefully a desk and nightstand. I also want to change the curtains in my room. And you can't see it in my photos but to the right of the sink in a linen closet. The way the floorplan is, the doors run into each other so I plan to take out the door and put in a pressure rod and curtain.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
What's my favorite place to shop? + Home Decor Haul
I get lots of question as to what's my favorite store to shop? For a while I would shuffle between Charlotte Russe, Forever 21, Wetseal Papaya and lots more. Recently I rediscovered a store that has now become a clear favorite for me: Kohl's. Before this year, I hadn't stepped into a Kohl's in maybe five years and now I'm mentally kicking myself for it because I have missed out on a lot of cute clothing.
So you may ask, why Kohl's? It's simple really. 1) They do that thing where they jack up the prices but always have sales so you think you're saving a ton of money when you're probably not. 2) They have a points card and Kohl's cash (get $10 gift voucher for every $50 spent) so you actually are saving a lot of money. 3) It's a dept store so I can buy cute dresses, kitchen gear and home decor all in the same building.
This is the third time I've been to Kohl's in the past month. I thought I'd share what I bought and how much I saved.
Candie's Pintuck Tank in Spring Bouquet Blue$38.00 $9.99
I absolutely love the Candie's brand. Bright florals and colors are my bread and butter. This was on sale at $9.99. I think it was around $15 when I first went so when I saw it at $9.99, I couldn't resist. If it's still that price, I might buy the same thing in peach.
So you may ask, why Kohl's? It's simple really. 1) They do that thing where they jack up the prices but always have sales so you think you're saving a ton of money when you're probably not. 2) They have a points card and Kohl's cash (get $10 gift voucher for every $50 spent) so you actually are saving a lot of money. 3) It's a dept store so I can buy cute dresses, kitchen gear and home decor all in the same building.
This is the third time I've been to Kohl's in the past month. I thought I'd share what I bought and how much I saved.
Candie's Pintuck Tank in Spring Bouquet Blue
I absolutely love the Candie's brand. Bright florals and colors are my bread and butter. This was on sale at $9.99. I think it was around $15 when I first went so when I saw it at $9.99, I couldn't resist. If it's still that price, I might buy the same thing in peach.
Candie's Reversible Woven Cami in Tossed Rose, Perfect Chevron & Botanical Pearl $38.00 $9.99
I think it's pretty clear how much I love this top since I bought it in three different patterns. I love this concept. A reversible cami. It's like buying 2-in-1! And again, It was on sale for $9.99 which is lower than I remember it was. This is so versatile. You can wear it on its own, or under a blazer.
SONOMA life + style Shoreline Fabric Shower Curtain $29.99 $17.99
I recently moved houses so it was time to buy some new housewares. For my bathroom, I wanted a beach/nautical theme. I saw this one online and instantly thought it was perfect. It has a burlap feel so I bought a basic shower lining $6.99 with it so that water wouldn't soak through.
SONOMA life + style Shoreline 3-pc. Nesting Basket Set $19.99 $11.99
Of course I had to buy some matching items with the shower curtain to have a unified look. What's cuter and more functional that these baskets. Be warned if you want to buy them online, they're a lot smaller that they look online.
SONOMA life + style Shoreline Live Laugh Love Hand Towel $14.99 $8.99
My bathroom has a ring for a hand towel so I figured I should buy one from the Shoreline collection. Even though they are on sale, $9 for a hand towel is a bit excessive so I only bought one. I love the phrase "Live Love Laugh".
SONOMA life + style Coastal Blend Vase Filler Set $19.99 $9.99
I love vase fillers and going along with my beach themed bathroom I bought this pack to put in my vases. I thought about buying a bigger bag of fillers for $12.50 but I passed on it. Lucky I did, I saw a bigger bag of similar product at Kirklands for $10. I bought another one on clearance for $3.99 that was full of brown small pinecones and similar things that I plan to spray paint gold and turquoise. (I can't find a picture online)
The total before tax was $99.90 so I qualified for $20 of Kohl's cash which I can use as a gift card but only between 3/16-3/22. I was scared I would only get $10 since it wasn't over $100 but the cashier gave it to me. So in a way I only paid $80. Along with it I got a coupon for 20% off which I can combine with the Kohl's cash later. Kohl's does this to keep it's customers coming back and it is definitely working! Also with my Yes2You Kohl's points card, I get $5 for every 100 points (aka $100 spent) so that's another $5.
Total after tax: $108.14
Total Saved: $163.04
Kohl's Cash Earned: $25
Kirkland's Pearl Shell 3-piece Bath Accessory Set $14.99 $7.99
As much fun as I had saving money at Kohl's, this was my favorite purchase of the day. This was my first time at Kirkland's. I was immediately enchanted by their beach collection but it was the sale section that caught my eye. This three piece shell set which I thought was marked down to $9.99 which I still thought was a good deal and then at the check out found out that it was only $7.99. Can you believe that three pieces for $8. One of these at Bed Bath and Beyond would cost more than this whole set!
Bottom Line: 4 tops, shower curtain and liner, 3 nesting baskets, hand towel, 2 vase filler boxes, 3 pc bathroom set for $90. Seems like a deal to me.
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