cha-cha-changes!

first off, YHL—you guys never cease to amaze! thank you so much for the mention in your blog post! i am beyond flattered that those little 'staches are something worth mentioning!

second, amazing how life can change so quickly. in the past week, many things in my little life have been flipped upside down (and to top that off, i got jury duty.... really?!) but i'm keeping a smile on my face and looking forward to what the future holds. 

and with that, i'm proud to announce the launch of my new portfolio site. still very much a work in progress but, hey, you've got to start somewhere!

michellekonar.com

and with those changes, i think i'll finally have some time to dedicate to this little ol' blog! coming up next, that promised DIY tutorial showing how to make those 'staches (they're easy to make, i swear!) and get ready for some more mood boards!

check it out!

smiles and 'staches

sometimes you have an absolutely amazing evening, one that you hope to carry with you forever. i definitely had one of those evenings last week! bet you'd never guess that it involves this lovely couple:

way back when, there was a hurricane that hit new york city. hurricane sandy, you may have heard of it. kind of destroyed the jersey shore, wrecked staten island, stole the board work from the rockaways. luckily, the upper west side was spared. i went about life like nothing had happened... except that the lovely sherry and john from younghouselove would have to postpone their nyc book tour date for months! really, it felt like years.

fast forward to january… i get an email from the flor store reminding me about the YHL book signing. after a few freak-outs (what—they are no longer accepting rsvps; if i got that email, does that mean i already rsvped?! wait—it's a carpet store, they don't sell books; do i have to bring my own?! shit—will the world think i'm pathetic if i show up by myself?!; i have no one to force to go with me!), i find myself feet away from the wonderful couple.

besides my crazy frizzy hair (it was raining) and my inability to talk, i hand over my book, dig out a ceramic squirrel from my purse for the lovely sherry to sign, and pull out my infamous 'staches. 

if you stalk on instagram or facebook, you might be familiar with them… if not, you can see them here, here, and here:

yep, i forced john and sherry to take a picture with me with THOSE. dear world, don't judge me for this horrid picture of me (they look great) but here's proof that i met them:

as little ol' clumsy me started to step away from the table, i offer the 'staches to john and sherry. one of 'em made a comment about how every picture for the rest of the night would now have mustaches. i didn't think there was anything wrong with that. but then sherry, yes mrs. yhl herself, starts inspecting my little 'staches, asking me if i made them myself, commenting on the glittery paper. let's just say, i answered her but barely. dumbfounded. beyond words. elated.

she then had the brilliant idea that i should drop them off at the photobooth set up downstairs… so i venture down the stairs with a huge smile on my face and leave my 'staches with the person working the photobooth. and since it was me and myself, no i did not take a picture in the photobooth.

now, fast forward to today… i'm sitting at work, creating some beautiful ishares mobile wallpapers (really, i spent how much for design school to be making what?), when i get an email from flor. OH and hey, look at it:

mmmhmmm, that would be a photobooth image with my 'staches. oh and it gets better, there's an entire album on flor's facebook page.

so the book—AMAZING! john and sherry—SO SWEET!

enough about that…. who wants to make some 'staches?! i'm sensing my first ever DIY post happening. get your hot glue gun ready, sharpen your xacto, and get out your wallet to purchase these and this.

i'll be back on monday with a tutorial! 

get ready people!

new resolutions

like i mentioned before, new years normally comes and goes without too much thought. but 2012 was a rough year and i'm ready for a fresh start. instead of creating a resolution that i will never keep (like going to the gym—ha!), i wanted to create a list of activities, goals, and wishes for this next year. some may take a few months to tackle, while others are there to encourage new experiences. so here it is:

my hope is to continue adding to this list as the year continues. and as i accomplish tasks, i will cross them off the list!

and now… the difficult part: actually starting! my plan of attack is to figure out a few items to focus on each month. of course, i'll share those attempts here. up first, trying to straighten out my finances (that'll be a big focus for 2013). i'm also going to limit my shopping which will help me to rediscover those hidden gems in my closet! and my favorite—redecorating my apartment without really redecorating. i'm going to contemplate a few design decisions (i think i've picked a color palette!) and hopefully start tackling the first few changes in the next few months!

let's get started!

happy new year!

hope that everyone had a wonderful and safe new years! 

here's to 2013!

shedding layers

as a new year approaches, most everyone stops for a moment to reflect on the past year and then, they look forward to the new opportunities they hope to encounter in the new year. honestly, my thoughts around new years have always been around finding an awesome party and the sparkliest outfit. however, this year is different. maybe i'm maturing… but probably not.

as i reflect on this past year, it's been a roller coaster. if i were to nickname this year, 2012 would be the year of the apartment and the asshole. my highest high and my lowest low, and, unfortunately, the two are so intertwined that reflecting on my highest high is somewhat upsetting. that's when you know it's time to shed some those old layers and try on a few new outfits. warning: sequins may be required.

so two cheers—first, here's to all that was learned in 2012 and second, here's to new adventures in 2013.

happy new years!

inspiration board // gold

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 

recently, i have found myself wanting to bring in some metallic items into my apartment. there are so many wonderful gold pieces out there right now but gold tones don't really work with my cool, dark palette. so what can i do? i guess, i'll have to bring it into my wardrobe—gold nails, gold jewelry, that gold clutch...

yes please!

the apartment

since my parents dropped me off at college eight years ago, i've lived in so many different places—four dorm rooms at risd, a building in central rome during my year abroad, a dorm room at columbia for one summer, two summer sublets while interning in the city, my sister's couch, a sublet in a hipster loft in greenpoint, a sublet in an apartment that was falling apart in murray hill, four months with two guys from college in brooklyn... and i'm sure i'm forgetting one or two places. i never realized how much i moved during those years.

it was the few months living in brooklyn that led me to start my search for my first real apartment. i looked at apartments all over the city—brooklyn to the financial distract to the upper east & west sides. i knew what i wanted but my budget was so low that i knew i could not be that picky. but then again, i own a large round antique table that i had to fit within the space. 

i saw over 50 apartments... and there were three that i had considered. first, was a tiny one bedroom in hell's kitchen, literally around the corner from my office. second, again in hell's kitchen, but the price was just a little too high for the space. and finally, the apartment i now call home—a studio in the 70s on the upper west side with a tiny patio. 

when i moved into my apartment, it was fairly basic. four white walls that made up the main living area, a typical new york rental bathroom (with a built-in hamper—what? why?), and a small kitchen. things have changed quite a bit in my two plus years of living there. heck, a lot of things have changed since i submitted my apartment to a contest in april.

let's take a quick look around:

and finally, here's a floor plan to help visualize the placement of everything:

i'll go into detail about various DIYs projects and stories about the furniture with time, but if you're interested in seeing more click here or here or here.

until next time!