Halloween Throwback DIY: Gold Skull

I was at Michael's the other day grabbing some watercolour supplies and was happy to spot that this year they restocked the little cardboard skull that I used for my gold skull DIY last year.
This skully used to be a permanent figure on my coffee table, adding the perfect amount of edge to an otherwise pretty space. The zebra has since taken over, but I brought this guy back out for some Halloween fun!

 Pretty glamorous for a dead guy, right? Check out the full throwback DIY HERE. I promise it is quick, easy and inexpensive.

Do you guys go all out or minimal with your Halloween decor?

Advanced Residential Project Inspiration: My Abandoned Dream House

This term our big studio project is advanced residential, a 4000 square foot house that we must design from scratch, including the exterior. It also must be barrier free as one occupant is in a wheelchair. Oh, and the plot of land we are designing on is a hill.
It's an intimidating challenge to say the least, but I'm ready and excited to face it head on.

As I started thinking about ideas, I knew I had to go visit my dream house for inspiration.
This house hasn't been lived in for years and is now owned by a large company whose warehouse is adjacent to the property in St. Jacob's, Ontario. It sits mostly abandoned. There is a haunting, historical, charming presence to the house that has always drawn me to it.  With halloween right around the corner, it was the perfect time to go snoop around this abandoned beauty.

I've always said if I ever have enough money to build my own house it will look exactly like this. The red brick, large porch and balcony, regal columns, ivy covered walls and tall windows are all speaking to me. I also love the formal courtyard that is enclosed by a low brick wall and shrubbery, although it's in a state of disrepair at the moment:

 If the house wasn't right next to a giant parking lot now (such a shame), well I think I'd move right in - ghosts and all! I swear I heard a door shut while I was peering into the windows at the empty rooms!

Hope you are all having a lovely week!

Happy Halloween!! &Top Gun Costume

Last week I posted about my favourite Halloween costume ever, Audrey Hepburn, so today I'll post a close second.
My boyfriend gave me the idea for this costume and I really loved it!
Top gun boys and girls. Third year university.

Costumes are so expensive these days, but I put this one together for around $25 dollars. I went to a local army surplus store and found a basic green coverall. They only had really large sizes so I got my mom to take it in quite a bit. I glue gunned on some of my old girl guide badges, bought a pilot pin at the costume shop for a dollar, and the sunnies I already owned. Voila!

Happy Halloween Everyone <3

ps. I miss my cat. I think I need to do a post solely in his honour next week.

All About Audrey

Who doesn't love Audrey Hepburn? I know there have been a ton of blog posts about Audrey and her iconic style, but that's the one great thing about Audrey: you can never get enough! (kind of like Sugar Crisp, only WAY better). She is amazing for her classic sense of style, beauty and grace, and for her admirable philanthropic achievements. They just don't make them like this in Hollywood anymore folks!

Audrey is also a humble homebody, reportedly saying "I have to be alone very often. I'd be quite happy if I spent from Saturday night until Monday morning alone in my apartment. That's how I refuel".

What better way to celebrate this quote than to explore some simple ways to incorporate a little Audrey into our own spaces to refuel:

1) Audrey Hepburn artwork:
I have three pieces of art work/prints of Audrey Hepburn hanging in my bedroom. Audrey prints can be found all over the place, including poster stores and IKEA.

^^Here is my desk area with pops of hot pink in these Audrey Hepburn canvases given to me by my brother for Christmas a few years ago.

^^ There she is again beside my closet and above my make-up storage area. This is a seriously glamorous shot of my style idol that my mom picked up for me from a street vendor in New York City. It inspires me when I'm picking out my outfits and getting pretty. Here's a pic of me channeling my inner Audrey:

Okay okay, you caught me! This was for Halloween back in my first year of university! (You can notice that behind me I had a gigantic Breakfast at Tiffany's poster decorating the cinder block walls of my dorm room).
While we're on the topic I might as well show you my pumpkin from this past Halloween as well:

Alright you get the idea...I'm a big fan. Now back to decor!

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2) As the star of the film, Audrey Hepburn has become synonymous with  Breakfast at Tiffany's. As a decor idea, why not try to incorporate some Tiffany Blue either through paint or fabric!

via House Beautiful

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3) And my third design tip (and probably the most unrealistic) is a clawfoot bathtub turned into a couch! Ha! Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's has one in her apartment, so why shouldn't we? I guess I would also settle for a clawfoot bathtub, you know, the kind you take an actual bath in.

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via THIS Etsy seller

"I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles" 
- Audrey Hepburn

Get the wall decal here!

Don't you just love her?!
Tiffany Leigh