Renting textbooks this semester + a free printable!

I just started my senior year of college this past week... where does the time go?! I cannot believe I'll be graduating in May! Every year I dread finding out the handful of books that each class requires and I'm pretty sure that every college student can agree with me when there's a teacher who either assigns no textbooks or makes the text optional! I have one professor this semester who listed three books on his syllabus but wrote **OPTIONAL** next to them - and he made it perfectly clear that we didn't have to get them but that he had to list them. How crazy?! Very thankful for that though : )

7 Tips to sleep better at night

Last Monday night, I had the absolute WORST night of sleep I've ever had - seriously. I went to sleep around 1:30 AM and woke up at 2:15 for some reason and could not fall back to sleep! I ended up being wide awake until about 5:15 when I saw the sun coming up and light breaking through my blinds and literally forced myself to keep my eyes closed until I dozed off (thankfully I did). Although, this wasn't before I watched two episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond, three episodes of George Lopez and listened to an intense thunderstorm - I had a more productive night than I do most days! (kidding... not really)

Link-it to Me: Link Party #16

Another week another link-it to me party! Last week we had so many new bloggers whose awesome posts we got to read and share and I was so excited to find and connect with new bloggers! Link parties are such great ways to connect and expand your reach - which is exactly why I've added them to my daily blogging list! I think it's so important to have your blog on someone else's page. As we all know as bloggers, blogging successfully takes a LOT of work, time and effort. That's the beauty about link parties; new faces on your awesome content!   

The Must-have Items for your Crossbody Bag

You're going out and you don't want to lug around a big tote bag with you that weighs a ton of weight, forces you to knock into people and is a complete annoyance - we've all been there! That's why I've been using cross body bags ALL summer long. But these bags are small and there's no way you could fit nearly everything you hoist around in that big tote of yours... Just take the necessities!!

How to: Grow an Instagram Following

I started Daily Dose of Design's Instagram about four months ago - and actively started using it a little less than three months ago. Instagram is one of my favorite social media websites EVER. My personal account (you can request to follow me here if you'd like!) is what I use regarding social media most; after my blog was beginning to take off, I figured it was time that it, too, needed its own account!

Link Party: Link-it to Me #15!

I'm so excited to be hosting another link-it to me link party with Chantal! Link parties are such a great way to connect with other bloggers and as a part of my August goals, I've been trying to join more and more link parties!

Back To School: Style + Sales

I'm still finding it very hard to believe that I only have about two weeks (wait, I think it's less..) left of summer AND that I'm about to be a senior in college?! WHAT is happening?! I feel like I started high school just yesterday - let alone college! For those of you who don't know, I definitely plan on going to design school after graduation. I'm highly considering getting my real estate license and working in that field to put myself through design school - and then I'll be designing homes in a few short years - that's what I like to think anyway!
Anyway, every year before school starts my mom, sister and I spend a day or two shopping both for new clothes and supplies. We usually go to the outlet center and one of our favorite malls, so this Wednesday we're heading to the mall and I'm super excited! While I'm not ready for summer to end at all, I of course am excited to shop ; ) I always look forward to making a list of things I know I want to get and looking at the trends for the Fall! The only thing better than brand new clothes, shoes and supplies are the deals that go along with them. I've come to realize that this is the week that all the back-to-school deals really begin during these last few weeks of August making it the perfect time to shop!

What to Pack: 9 vacation essentials for your next trip!

I can't even begin to count the number of times that I've been sitting in the airport, staring at my plane and waiting to board and I start remembering all the things I forgot to pack! No matter how much I plan, how many lists I make or how many times I check my packing lists over and over, I still always manage to forget to pack things. Depending on where you're going, it's easy to replenish what you forget but other times it isn't. Like, when you're going to an island with barely any cell phone service - let alone a CVS with Sexy Healthy Hair hairspray.. yep, that's happened!   

Weekly Roundup + Link-it to me Party!

Is anyone else freaking out about tonight's episode of Pretty Little Liars?! This show consumes my life one episode at a time and I seriously cannot wait until 8:00! It's a super rainy day today so I'm working on tackling my to-do list, watching the PLL marathon on TV and making some PLL food for tonight!


These took WAY longer than expected....try all day! But so worth it! Broken, bloody glass cupcakes - couldn't be more perfect for this show!

I've made August a month full of goals and I'm working super hard every day to meet them! Writing down a list of goals either weekly or daily really has made me much more productive and it's definitely something I recommend if you're having trouble getting things done - especially in these summer months! I also started working on my gallery wall in my bedroom and let me tell you, it's SO much more work than I anticipated. Finding images, frames and a theme to work with is never ending especially in order to get it exactly how you want it! Once I finally get it all together and put up in the next few weeks (ok maybe within the next month... lets be realistic...) I'll be taking lots of pictures!
For some reason it always seems like the best songs come out during the summer time. I've been listening to lots of new music lately while I continue to wait (patiently, sort of) for OneRepublic's new album!!! It's supposed to come out early Fall, so I've been occupying myself with other awesome music I've heard lately! Here's some of my current favorites:

These are my top 10 songs this summer (so far)! I have these on whether I'm working out, in the car, by the pool - anywhere and everywhere! I love listening to new songs so if you have any suggestions please let me know!
Okay - time for the link party! Make sure you're following Chantal on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter too!
Here's weeks featured posts!
7 Lessons I learned in my first year of blogging from Bella Brita
Banana Blitz Cookies from Lexi Michelle Blog
Fall 2015 nail polish trends from Mid Twenties Gal
DIY baby shoes from Eat Pray Create
Chicken bruschetta cheese toast from Art from My Table
5 Ways to build up your marriage not break it down from Mom on the Move

Now that you've had a chance to look at these awesome posts, let the party begin! Please be sure to link a blog post, not a Pinterest link; you want to make sure others are visiting your blog, not just re-pinning!
The Guidelines Are Simple to link up:
1. Check out our profiles on Pinterest; if they interests you, consider liking our boards and/or following us. 2. Share the party on your social media. More visitors = more eyes on your posts! 3. Add any family friendly blog posts or pins (maximum of 3) 4. Share the love; view, pin, or share at least 3 other links on the link up! 5. By linking up, you agree to allow Painted Teacup and Daily Dose of Design to share your links and photos (credit is always given to you) on our blogs and social media sites. You also agree to allow us to contact you via email to inform you of future link-ups.
Chantal and I will comment/pin/share all links to one of our Pinterest boards!
Happy linking! Thanks for joining, we'll see you again next week! Link Up will run from 8pm EST Tuesday – 11:59pm EST Thursday

Be sure to pin this image to your Pinterest boards - more pins will give more eyes onto your links!

An InLinkz Link-up

My Bathroom Makeover: before + after

I've been talking about my bathroom makeover for months now - and finally it's ready to be shared with you guys! It's been such a long process but I've loved every second of it! It couldn't have turned out any better and I'm finally extremely happy with the end result : )
I'm that person who scrolls through Pinterest looking at as many before/after projects as I possibly can! I love seeing a rooms potential and what it can become with some paint and new accessories. My bathroom was in major need of a makeover and when you see these "before" pictures you'll completely see why! Like I've mentioned before, it's much easier to find the accessories and details for a room before picking the paint color. I knew I wanted to paint, but there were so many color swatches I was loving so I stopped looking and first picked my shower curtain and all of my decor!
The best part of this bathroom makeover is that all the changes I made were cosmetic. Nothing major had to be done and everything was in great condition (thankfully). The most work that needed to be done was cleaning the grout on the tile floor and re-grouting in the shower/tub. In my perfect world, I would have a huge bathroom with double sinks, herringbone faux-wood tile and some gorgeous counter tops, but until I'm living on my own that isn't going to happen. However I really do love the way this bathroom makeover turned out and I'm so excited to share it!

Here's the before pictures and I am warning you it's scary, bright and needed to be redone for a very, very long time...


Every time I look at these pictures I cringe a little more...

I'm not entirely sure why this shelving unit was so messy or how it got that way! I liked having the extra storage, but having the shelf in that spot stuck out too much. It also let me have way too much clutter! My mess of hair straighteners, blow dryer and curling wands also got a new home off of the wall (thank god)

I thought I had the right idea with the towel placement but the zebra print is throwing me off big time. Don't get me wrong - I LOVED zebra print a few years ago. It was so in style and that was exactly when I made my bathroom bright pink and covered in zebra print everything (and anything) I could find! Thankful that stage has gone and passed...

Can someone please tell me what I was thinking?

If you're still reading after seeing those pictures, a big thank you! I promise the next couple of pictures are going to be much more pleasing to look at. As you can see, my bathroom isn't a huge space. When we added on to our house the second time, my en-suite was added and I only had the space that was there to work with. That was, unless I made my closet smaller and if you know me at all, you know that was not going to happen! Do you have a small space and think there's not much you can do with it? Guess again because there's SO much you can do no matter how many square feet you have to fill up!

Once it came time to pick a paint color that matched the shower curtain I picked, I went through so many swatches and shades of seafoam until I finally made up my mind!


After going back and forth with different shades and colors, I ended up choosing Tide Pools by Behr and I'm so glad I did! I typically only paint with Behr paints because the quality of the paint and the way it hits the walls seems to be better than others. You saw that shade of pink - I didn't even need a primer coat to cover that up! You can read about my tips on painting a room if you're getting ready to paint also!
Now here's the new, improved, de-zebra-fied bathroom:


How much better is this?! It still blows my mind knowing that this is what came from that bright pink mess!



My tissue box, toothbrush holder and tumbler are all from Home Goods. They always have different sets of bathroom organizational products in different themes and this one was (and still is) the prettiest I've ever come across! When I purchased this set I was contemplating between this and another similar one but I'm so glad I chose this one! At this point of picking things out, I still hadn't found my shower curtain but seeing this set, I knew that I wanted color in the sea-foam green palette!

The following week, I found my shower curtain!! This is also from Home Goods and I fell in LOVE with it when I saw it! It's Tahari and I got it for $19.99 which was an incredible deal! I found the same one on Amazon and am so happy I was able to link you guys to it!

I never really thought that something simple like shower curtain hooks could make such a huge difference in a bathroom like they have for me! Before I just had plain white hooks and once I hung this new shower curtain up, I started to look for some prettier ones. Mine are from Pottery Barn and unfortunately aren't available anymore, but I have seen some cute ones on Joss and Main lately!

In all of these pictures, you've probably noticed my two pull out mirrors on either side of the vanity mirror. I bought one of them from Ikea and I absolutely loved it so I bought another one to install closer to the window. This mirror is under $10 and is super easy to install!

This tray is another Home Goods find!! I bought this the same day I purchased my shower curtain and the design on the bottom matched perfectly so I had to buy it! I originally wasn't going to keep the mini white chest in the bathroom, but once I found this tray I changed my mind. I do display my perfumes, but this bottle of Aqua Kiss from Victoria's Secret is one of my favorites AND matched the paint perfectly so I put it here for display! My makeup is all stored within this chest but it's no where near organized as of yet so I figured I'll talk about my makeup storage sometime in the near future!

It took me about four different tries until I got this wall exactly how I wanted it to be. I went to Target with my shower curtain once the room was painted to pick out towels and a mini rug and it just so happened that they had a perfect shade of sea-foam to match my walls! There were a couple different shades of brown that I liked but I decided to go with the darker brown to help make the lighter colored towels pop against the walls.
I knew I wanted a large frame for this wall, and I was originally going to create and print one of my favorite quotes for said frame, but then I found this frame and loved it! I actually found it by mistake while shopping for supplies to create my mugs for Sip of Sass. I still planned to print my quote for this frame, but once I hung it up to see where I liked it, I ended up really liking the stock picture that came with it! The colors were perfect so (for now), it stays.


Okay - how adorable are these scoppio spheres?! I fell in love with these wall decor pieces from ZGallerie! The same day that I found these, I was in Target (shocker) and I found a cheaper version that look exactly the same if not prettier! I loved them because they were a dimensional object and was different than the frame and normal wall decor. I love looking at them and I love that they're all different sizes!

Finally - my favorite part of the room! I found this also at Home Goods and I first noticed it because of the color. I bought it to try in my bathroom and once I hung it up, I realized that the arrow graphic was pointing toward the bathroom door! That's the best part because it reminds me to have a beautiful day when I leave the room : )

The best part of this project was that I completely designed my bathroom on my own; from the paint to the hardware to the accessories, picking everything out was so much fun and I would do it over and over again in a heartbeat! And I'm pretty sure we can all agree what a difference a couple coats of paint can make!
Other products seen above:
Facial pad holder: Home Goods
Small candle: Bath and Body Works
Foaming soap/silver holder: Bath and Body Works

I'm SO happy with how my bathroom turned out and am so glad to have gotten rid of that pink! Are you in the midst of re-doing a room in your home?
XOXO
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Decorating with Florals

Using floral prints and patterns to decorate a room can seem sort of risky in hopes of not making it look gaudy and old fashioned, but these prints come in so many different shapes, sizes and colors and is a real trend these days! Not only are floral patterns extremely stylish, but they also can bring life and light into a room that may have a before picture of being dark and gloomy.
Gorgeous floral pieces for your home:
Floral accent chair// Chanel flowers wall art// Floral table lamp// Watercolor floral throw pillow// Framed floral print// Floral wall mirror// Gray couch// Floral accent pillows// Colorful flower wall art// Watercolor floral lamp shade// Floral tassel pillow

The key to decorating with florals is to find a certain pattern that you like - the colors, size of the flowers and the style of the print - and sticking to it!
Here's some tips for decorating with floral designs in different spaces:
Floral doesn't mean ancient: believe it or not, you can decorate a space with floral prints without making it look like you just raided your grandma's attic. If you're going with floral prints on your couch or the pillows, balance the pattern out by adding bright colored pillows, a statement rug, or a stylish coffee table.

Don't overdo it: trust me, there is no time that you should ever try and decorate every aspect of a space with floral patterns! More is less. Flowered fabrics are usually bright and vibrant and are "popping pieces" - or pieces that you first notice when you walk into a room. If you have a floral patterned couch or accent chair in your living room, get throw pillows that are a solid color that matches the floral print. If you have a floral comforter in your bedroom, use matching colors for decor pieces.

Be aware of the print sizes: be sure to remember that the scale and size of a floral print can make a huge difference depending on which aspect of a room you're decorating. For example, if you're doing a floral accent wallpaper or styling a furniture piece like a couch, bigger floral prints will look better than small, cluttered floral prints. On smaller scaled pieces like a floral lampshade or an accent pillow, smaller flowered prints will stand out more.

Hanging plates: a trend that's really popular right now is decorating your walls with decorative plates. I really love this look - especially in an open concept living/dining room! Try brightening up a room by playing with different patterned floral plates to create a focal point on your walls. This is one (of few) examples where it looks good to use many different flowers - just try to stay within a theme or color scheme!

Accent walls are everything: I absolutely love the idea of having an accent wall - especially in a bedroom! Wallpaper can be tricky and seem daunting, but finding a modern, floral print wallpaper that you love may be the answer to your bedroom decorating woes. Try a monotone floral print instead of going too bold and hurting your eyes. A larger floral print that's a simple color can go a long way!

Pairing with patterns: even though floral patterns already have a lot going on in them, pairing floral prints with other patterns like chevron or stripes can really make it pop even more!




source & source The floral wallpaper (left) is absolutely stunning! I would love to find a similar wallpaper for my closet or (future) dressing room/office! It's so feminine, chic and makes a statement without overdoing it! I love the tan/gold and the colors that were matched with it! The second gorgeous room is a Lilly Pulitzer dressing room - which I could LIVE in! Every time I go into one of Lilly's stores I fantasize over the dressing rooms. The floral wallpaper is super bold with such a pretty color scheme and has larger scaled flowers versus the smaller scaled flowers in the first picture. They give such a different look yet both are so bold and make a gorgeous statement!

Floral Comforters:

Floral pillows:

Pretty floral clothing and accessories - just because : )

Would you ever decorate with floral patterns?
XOXO

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Welcome to August + Weekly Link-it to Me Party!

Happy Tuesday! Can you believe we're already in August?! I'm enjoying every little bit of summer that I possibly can! This past week has been very exciting and I feel like I've gotten so much done - which is something I usually don't feel during the summer. (I can't be the only one!) I purchased and super successfully set up my domain which was such an amazing feeling! I was excited to make the move but I had such anxiety about the difficulties I was planning on having when I set it up, but this post that Dana Fox wrote was SUCH a lifesaver! Seriously - if you're on Blogger and are thinking about purchasing a domain/have purchased one and are hesitant to set it up, use this post as your guide!!! It's completely step by step and SO simple to follow. I can't even describe how many "tutorials" (if that's even what you could call them..more like useless!) I've read on adding your domain that made zero sense! Trust me you will not be disappointed with Dana's post - it's a serious life saver!
I also am in the midst of setting up Daily Dose of Design's newsletter (finally!) and some other exciting projects that I can't wait to share with you guys! Also - if you haven't already seen or heard, this past weekend I finally opened my Etsy Shop!! I've had this all wrapped up and in the works for the past few months and am so happy to finally be up and running! I have four different mugs available for purchase right now but am working on SO many more great sayings (including one really adorable one that you're all going to LOVE that Chantal gave me the idea for!!) and also accepting custom orders if there's a certain saying you would like! You can check out this post for a coupon code!
I'm a pretty organized person who plans every single detail out (which you also likely already know!) which is why I'm dedicating most of this month to organizing myself better! Both for my blog, now with my new Etsy shop, and the dreaded Fall semester starting in roughly a month - I definitely am going to need to be more organized! This is my 8th month as a blogger and I've seriously come such a long way and still learn new things every day - which in my opinion is the best part about blogging! I'm always looking for ways to better brand my blog, create better and original content; the list could go on forever! It can be a little discouraging at times, but knowing how excited I get about blogging every single day is what proves to me that I'm meant to be blogging and am in this for the long haul! So I hope you're enjoying this journey as much as I am, and I can never, ever say it enough - thank you SO much for reading my blog : )
A couple pretty pictures I've taken over the last few days:
Last night's sunset! Steamy weather always leads to the best sunsets and I love the daises growing in the front yard!
Last winter ruined our pool liner so at the beginning of this year we got a new one. It looks like a totally different pool! I love the way it makes the water look too!
I'm currently reading Fredrik's book! It's SO good - he's such a good writer and as I read it, I hear it in his adorable voice! His story is really amazing - and as someone who loves real estate and interior design as much as I do, the Million Dollar Listing shows are series' that I never miss an episode of! I plan on interning for Ryan Serhant after I graduate next year - high hopes? Anyway this is definitely a must read!

I also wanted to show you guys some of my July product favorites! I did a lot of shopping (shocker right?) and with such amazing summer sales like the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale that just recently ended, there were SO many great deals - too great to pass up on! Here's some of my July favs that you can shop!

Now I'll stop ranting and get to the link party! Make sure you're following Chantal on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter too!
Here's weeks featured posts!
One Kings Lane knockoff table from Savvy Apron
Grilled Zucchini Bruschetta from Fuchsia Freezer
How to Style the Instagram Widget from That Natalie
Favorite DIY Projects for August from Haley's Vintage
The Sleep Smoothie from Steam Powered Family
50 Essential oil diffuser recipes from Wise Wife Soaps

Now that you've had a chance to look at these awesome posts, let the party begin! Please be sure to link a blog post, not a Pinterest link; you want to make sure others are visiting your blog, not just re-pinning!
The Guidelines Are Simple to link up:
1. Check out our profiles on Pinterest; if they interests you, consider liking our boards and/or following us. 2. Share the party on your social media. More visitors = more eyes on your posts! 3. Add any family friendly blog posts or pins (maximum of 3) 4. Share the love; view, pin, or share at least 3 other links on the link up! 5. By linking up, you agree to allow Painted Teacup and Daily Dose of Design to share your links and photos (credit is always given to you) on our blogs and social media sites. You also agree to allow us to contact you via email to inform you of future link-ups.
Chantal and I will comment/pin/share all links to one of our Pinterest boards!
Happy linking! Thanks for joining, we'll see you again next week! Link Up will run from 8pm EST Tuesday – 11:59pm EST Thursday

Be sure to pin this image to your Pinterest boards - more pins will give more eyes onto your links!

An InLinkz Link-up