A Tall Stack of Books

Did you guys catch Alaina Kaczmarski's tour on The Everygirl (which she co-founded!) last week? I love everything about her apartment, from the archways, to the neutral colour palette, to the really really tall stack of books:

via The Everygirl

via The Everygirl

via The Everygirl

This book stacking is a technique that Alaina used in her old apartment as well:

 via Live Creating Yourself

I love the look! At first I worried that I would knock them over daily, but then I noticed that if you look closely the books are actually supported by a rather cleverly hidden bookshelf.
This also means you don't have to unpile a million books to get to the one at the bottom.
While Alaina got hers at West Elm, The Everygirl sourced similar shelves from CB2 and Design Within Reach! Perfect for book lovers like myself.

See the full Everygirl apartment tour here.
xox

A Place to Hang your Hat

Hats of all shapes are so in style right now, and I'm loving it.
Some of these hats are just too good to be hidden in a basket or drawer. Two of my favourite rooms ever have a hat displayed that doubles as a chic decor accessory:

Ralph Lauren's Bathroom via Architectural Digest

via Domino

In my closet, I've simply put a few nails in the wall to hang some of my favourite hats, including an extra nail for guests (M. almost always shows up with a fedora on his head).

I really adore the result! In case you missed it, you can see the full closet reveal here!

Where do you hang your hats?

Update: I just noticed that my girl Lucy from Craftberry Bush posted about her hat wall today too.
It is so glorious! Puts mine to shame!

via Craftberry Bush

 And to all my American followers, Happy Memorial Day!
xox

Red Walls: Yes or No?

As I look around my apartment, I realize I have absolutely no red in my space. I think red is tricky. I also think it can be fabulous (see this post about how Jenny of Little Green Notebook does tomato red so right), but I'll admit I'm intimidated by it.

Are you guys watching Nate Berkus's new show American Dream Builders? After Elaine's misstep with her red grass cloth walls, and Nate's declaration that he HATES red, although he has seen amazing red rooms, I decided to hunt down some red rooms that I think are done rather well. On this search I came across many horrible red rooms, but in the end, this round up proves that the bold risk of red, when done right, can really pay off.

Jamie Meares via High Gloss Magazine

Donald Robertson via Domino

Bibi Monnahan via Elle Decor

via Little Green Notebook

via Lonny

Cath Kidston via Lonny

Colour theory tells us that red is associated with richness, power, passion, energy, anger, love, and danger - to name a few. Red is clearly an intensely emotional colour, actually increasing the human metabolism (it can make us feel hungry!) and blood pressure.
Would you paint your walls red? I still don't think I would do it in my own home, but I am a fan of these examples.
 xox

Instagram Giveaway

Yesterday I hit 2000 followers on my Instagram account. This was my instagram goal for the year 2014, so I feel really happy to have surpassed it already! More important than numbers, however, are the amazing connections I've made with so many inspiring, supporting and uplifting people. I feel so blessed by the Instagram community.

Thank you so much to anyone who is following along my journey.
To show my appreciation, I'm hosting a pretty fun giveaway! I will be doing a custom illustration for two lucky winners of a vignette or piece of furniture in their home! Winner can choose either a watercolour or a marker rendering!

To enter, simply head on over to my Instagram and regram any illustration that I have done on my feed, there are lots to choose from! Be sure to tag me (@tiffanyleighid) and hashtag #tiffanyleighcustomgiveaway so I know you've entered the contest!

 Good luck and I can't wait to do some illustrating for the winners!
Both winners will be announced on June 1st!
xox

Decorating with Crystal and Stones

Every room needs some natural elements. Typically this includes a living plant and some fresh flowers. Due to my black thumb, however, (remember my fern?...it didn't work out), I look for other ways to incorporate nature into my apartment. One way that I do that is through stones and crystals, which are sculptural, textural, beautiful, and add that much needed natural touch. 

Here are the current pieces that I have in my space:

If you'd like to find some crystal for yourself, I recommend keeping an eye out at antique stores and flea markets, where they always have a good gem or two! The bookends are from Home Sense!
xox

Record Collection Goodness

As I mentioned in this post, M. has a pretty extensive record collection. I thought it might be fun to do a round up of attractive record collection ideas for other vinyl lovers. I think I might be turning into one myself. I just love the sound of the needle meeting the vinyl and the crackling once the record is done. (Disclaimer: I let M. preview this post and he pointed out that the first image is books and magazines, not records....but I love the style in the shot and records in those boxes would be so cool, so it stays).

via Dwell

via Apartment Therapy

via Apartment Therapy

^M. also says that it is not good to stack records on top of eachother like this as it can warp them. Who knew?!

via Carolina Iriarte

via Apartment Therapy

via Because Light

The Selby via Desire to Inspire

via The Everygirl

Do you have a record collection? How do you store your records?

Sketch Inspired by Stephanie Sterjovski

A few months ago I did this sketch of my friend Stephanie Sterjovski's place from her feature in The Everygirl, as captured by the photography of Anna with Love.
If you guys aren't following Steph's blog, you should be. She is gorgeous, talented, and has one of the biggest hearts out there. I can't believe I forgot to blog this little rendering!

Here is the shot that the sketch was inspired by:

Photography: Anna with Love, via The Everygirl

Can you get over that black and white striped chair? She found it at Homesense Canada. I adore it!
Happy Wednesday! xox

5 Organizational Tips for your Closet

 

  If you didn't catch the full reveal of my closet makeover yesterday, check it out here.

 Today, I'm getting into more detail about the transformation and organization. These changes cost me around $100 and prove that glamour and organization don't always mean spending the big bucks!

Before implementing these strategies, I recommend completely emptying out your closet and going through everything you have in there, deciding what to keep and what to donate. You might be surprised how much stuff you have hidden away in there!

1. Matching Hangers

 I never really gave much thought to my mismatched, mis-sized plastic hangers until I looked at some pictures of my closet. The visual clutter! Not to mention they often left the shoulders of my clothes dented or my clothes just ended up on the floor altogether.

I opted for thin felt hangers in black, which I LOVE. They help maximize hanging space and nothing slips off. 

Funny story about these. I snagged 80 hangers on sale at the Superstore for around $16. I could not pass up that deal, but I was on my bike (and had a load of groceries to get home as well). To say that was a struggle of a bike ride is an understatement. I would not recommend it! But it was worth it for the hangers. 

2. Storage Boxes

Much of the visual clutter in my closet in the 'before' picture is all my Interior Design textbooks. These are books that I want to keep, as I reference them from time to time, but that don't need to be constantly on display or super easily accessible. I placed them spine up in these storage boxes from IKEA, so that when I open the lid I can see all of the titles and quickly choose the book I need. 

3. Colour Coordination

This is a tip some people might roll their eyes at, but I do feel that arranging my clothes by colour and style makes finding what I am looking for in my closet that much easier.

4. First Impressions Count

Consider what you see when your closet door is left open. That should be the prettiest section of your closet. This is where I display my favourite shoes, my favourite palette (black, white gold and blush), and some art and decorative accessories. The art and decorative pieces came from other areas of my apartment, so I saved money here. The Chanel Store front is from Anna With Love Photography and the 'Leopard is a Neutral' print is from SS Print Shop. The girl in the dress was torn out of a Barbie calendar (see this post here).

On the other hand, I keep the less attractive stuff (cleaning supplies, toilet paper, bulky coats, my mini fridge etc). on the other side of my closet so you can't see it unless your standing inside.

5. Good Laundry Sorter

I picked up this laundry sorter for $35 from the Superstore. I hand wrote the labels on them to keep myself more organized. I love that it's on wheels, so I can easily roll it out to the laundry room.

Some other details: I placed a $12 faux sheepskin IKEA rug that I have had for years in here, painted my shoe rack gold, and hid my clear storage towers in the corner behind my maxi dresses. I also put up the octagonal mirror (I still am working on a solution for my bathroom mirror) and placed one of my vintage bamboo chairs under it. I also hung up my faux leather hat which I think is the cutest touch. 

I hope I've inspired you to do a little closet organization of your own! xox

My Walk In Closet Makeover Reveal

Well ladies (and gents, if you're out there), my $100 closet makeover is complete! I managed to add organization and some prettiness with some easy and affordable solutions. I scaled back my original plan considerably (like my idea about painting it blush...which I still think would have been beautiful), but the end result is glamorous and most importantly, functional. Mostly I used things I already had around my apartment for decor, like the sheepskin rug, art, chair and decorative touches. The money went to a new hamper, all matching hangers, some storage boxes and a can of gold spray paint.

Let's just take a look at the before...My laundry hamper had broken and the whole thing is generally a disaster. My mother would be ashamed....I'm ashamed!

And now the incomparably better afters:

It really is the closet of my dreams! Tomorrow I will be going over the changes I made in more detail, as well as sharing sources and looking at the other side of my closet which is less glamorous than this side (needs to house cleaning supplies, etc.) but is neat and organized!

I can't wait to hear what you all think!
xox