Fashion to furnishings: Hello, summer

So even though it's not officially summer, it sure feels like it's arrived here in the AZ. With temps inching toward the triple digits, a pretty dress is essential to beating the heat. The bright colors and flirty lines of the sun-dress were really inspiring. 

Get your shop on: Dress | chair | candle holder | art | pouffe | book | table

See more inspiring dresses-turned-interiors here.

Happy Memorial Day!

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Into the wild

Now that you know what to pack ... Find a destination! Hope you're having a fabulous and fun Memorial Day weekend!

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Five for Friday: Camping, Craig and color amongst other things

Keeping it short and sweet today friends since I gots to get packing for our fun weekend escaping the heat camping up north. Hope you dig what I'm digging from this past week! And may your Memorial Day weekend be filled with tons of good times!

1. Fun Craigslist transactions

The fiance and I met the nicest mother and son during a really great Craig experience on Sunday. They even delivered the pieces we bought for free, which was super helpful since they wouldn't have fit in my car.

It was our first time getting ish off Craig, and I can only hope our future transactions are as good.

Stay tuned for a major project reveal in the coming weeks. Have you scored anything off Craig lately or had good/bad dealings? Please, do tell.

2. Linds' DIY monogram stool

The queen of modern monograms is back with another DIY goody. Be sure to check out Linds' other projects on her rad blog.

3. Death Cab's new album leaking

After months of fake leaks floating around the Internet, a legit one finally arrived the other day. I listened to the album in its entirety four times while I re-painted the master, and although it's good, I love their previous efforts way more.

They're still one of my fave bands in the whole world, and hopefully this offering will grow on me. You can listen to the full album here.

4. Erika's magenta + blue roundup

Erika is always serving up kick-ass inspiration on her blog, and this roundup really caught my eye. Blue is my favorite color (my car is even blue), but for whatever reason, I haven't incorporated it into the townhouse much. Her curated mood board of pretty is definitely making me think twice. There's something really amazing about the blending of masculine and feminine colors.

5. The League of Moveable Type

FREE. MODERN. FONTS. HELL. TO. THE. YES!!!!! As a designer and typeography geek, I'm always searching for new fonts and this open-source type foundry's manifesto is really cool. My faves are League Gothic and Blackout.

Get more Five for Friday in your life here.

Comfy camping

The fiance and I are heading up north to do a little camping this weekend in honor of Memorial Day. I love, love, love the outdoors. But just because you're out in Mother Nature doesn't mean you have to completely rough it. These essential surviving-the-wild goodies will definitely be making the trip.

Pack these: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

Design crush: White bedding

In a world of design overload, it's good to get back to the basics. I'm a girl who loves the ish out of bold color and print, but sometimes a space can look like the designer vomited patterns and hues everywhere. Enter white bedding. A plain duvet cover or comforter provides a foundation to showcase yet ground pops of color and pattern.

It's a look most everyone can pull off. And if you get tired of certain pillows and throws, switch them out for an overhaul that doesn't break the bank (hell to the yes for saving dolla dolla bills y'all). The basic but pretty look is serving as inspiration in my own bedroom makeover, which I started yesterday. Stay tuned, friends!

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See what else is stealing my design heart here.

Weekend snaps on a Tuesday

The ingredients to a way rad weekend include ...

A fun photoshoot with my favorite feline.

A most successful trip to Ikea.

A picturesque late-afternoon Arizona sky.

Experiencing the delicious beer and chill atmosphere of Sleepy Dog Brewery.

Tasty breakfast burritos and fresh-squeezed lemonade at Luci's Market.

Ending the weekend with highly-competitive games of Yahtzee.

Design crush: Beauty in the beauty

Who says the ish that helps you feel pretty can't be pretty itself? Spice up your beauty routine with well-designed products bursting with fun patterns, colors and details. Your bathroom counter and medicine cabinet will thank you.

Get the goodies: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

Need more cool design? Go here.

Five for Friday: Paint, shoutouts and Cheerios

This weekend will be devoted to switching up the paint in our bedroom. I'm so over the purple accent wall we did (what was I thinking?!) when we first moved into the townhouse last March. And even though the fiance isn't thrilled about painting again, the purple ickiness just gots to go. Are you working on any projects this weekend? 

In the meantime, here's what I'm loving (not purple paint) this week.

1. Rad blog homies

I can't even begin to accurately convey how much all of your kind words have meant this week during the launch of my design studio. I truly appreciate the support. It's amazing what you can do with a little encouragement and a big dream.

A special thanks to the fabulous and stylish Louise over at Table Tonic for the Twitter shoutout ... Head over to her shop for some global goodies; my super talented client Amber of Amber Interiors and my next client and Texas' finest Lindsey Lee.

2. Bri's incredible lamp revamp

Seriously check out Bri's blog. She is the most hilarious blogger out there, and her DIY skills are outta control! She's the ish for sure!

3. Caress Scarlet Blossom body wash

I bought this body wash last week, and it smells so yummy! The red lychee and patchouli oil scent lasts all day, but isn't overwhelming.

4. Collected

Have you seen Collected? The new kid on the block of online shelter mags is holding its own in the debut issue. The clean and minimalist layout is a graphic designer's dream. And Chad Peterson's bed is basically how I'm feeling about bedding right now. Hello, inspiration!

5. Cheerios

I have a crazy obsession with cereal. I could eat it for every meal, and lately I've been taking my breakfast old-school with Cheerios. I loved, loved, loved them as a child and for some reason they've found their way back into my bowl.
 

Get your Five for Friday fix here.

In rotation: Soars + Thao & Mirah + Bon Iver + Hooray For Earth + She Keeps Bees + Led To Sea + Yarn Owl + Ennui

It's been a little while since my last In Rotation, and this batch of artists are rocking my world and speakers, while providing a perfect return to the series.

Worthy of your ears are Pennsylvania shoegazers Soars, Indie rock queens Thao + Mirah, the latest from Bon Iver, synthed-out rockers Hooray For Earth, gritty Brooklyn duo She Keeps Bees, folk dudes and fellow WSU alum Yarn Owl (GO COUGS!), Seattle classical/folkie Alex Guy's solo project Led To Sea and ambient pop group Ennui.

Soars: Self-titled

"Throw Yourself Apart"

Thao & Mirah: Self-titled

"Spaced Out Orbit"

Bon Iver: Self-titled

"Minnesota, WI"

Hooray For Earth: True Loves

"True Loves"

She Keeps Bees: SKB​-​005

"Make It Easy"

Yarn Owl: Montaña Y Caballo

"Go"

Led To Sea: Into the Darkening Sky

"Is This The Last Time"

Ennui: Formation Of Tides

"Coconino"

See what other artists found a permanent home in my iTunes library here.

In the studio: Amber Interiors

As you know, I officially launched my design studio Tuesday, and I'm so stoked to show you the project I just completed for Amber Lewis of Amber Interiors. 

This is one chick you want to check out. She's sooooooooooo talented and hilarious! We share a love of clean design with pops of color, which is reflected in her revamped blog. Speaking of design, hit her up for an e-design consultation.

Open for business

It started with a few e-mails, phone calls and kind words. The compliments on my blog design and the inquiries into creating a birthday invite or putting my logos on T-shirts started coming in. And out of a leap of faith, Turn Up The Rad Creative was born.

You see I've always adored design in pretty much every form and that passion led me to the newspaper industry as a sports page designer and copy editor. Growing up, all I ever wanted to be was a professional journalist. I was lucky to live my dream for 11 years. But sometimes you have to walk away from the thing you love the most. 

With the decline in print readership and growing recession, I survived three rounds of layoffs while watching many of my talented colleagues get shown the door. It was not an easy time and opened my eyes to the reality of print journalism's future. 

My fiance was then recruited for an amazing opportunity to become the engineering manager of a company in Phoenix, Arizona. We were both so stoked at the chance for him to realize his dream. But it meant mine would probably end as most newspaper companies had instituted a hiring freeze or were paring down their staffs. The instability of the industry, regardless of my qualifications, also was scary.

Not really sure what to do, I took a risk. A leap of faith. And it's most definitely paid off because today I'm embarking on a new adventure and launching my own design studio. It's been difficult keeping this a secret, but now I can shout it from the blogosphere rooftops.

Currently, I'm accepting orders for Blogger revamps, invitations, logos, design project consultations and editing projects. The next step is to set up the store for my T-shirts and photography. So head over to the studio and make yourself at home.

Design crush: Mad for marbled

My obsession with all things marbled has reached a boiling point. The abstract design is beautiful, modern and versatile. Pretty sure if the fiance would let me, I'd fill our place of residence with the geologically-approved goodness. What patterns are you digging lately?

Get your shop on: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Want more design crush? Ask and you shall receive.

8,766 hours and counting

They say time flies when you're having fun, and it couldn't be truer. It's hard to believe, but a year (8,766 hours to be exact) ago today I set up shop in my little corner of the Internet. And what an adventure it's been. 

I've learned a lot about myself thanks to blogging and couldn't imagine life without it. I started Turn Up The Rad to get back into writing and in the process fell in love with graphic and interior design and connected with amazing people near and far.

In the coming year, I look forward to bringing you more Color Crush, Fashion to Furnishings, In Rotation, Five for Friday, 50 States and Design Crush. If there's anything you want to see around these parts, please let me know.

And as always, thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your comments, emails and encouraging words. They really do make a difference.

In honor of the bloggy turning one (and because I have the worst time keeping a fun secret), stay tuned for a big reveal in the coming weeks.

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Happy Birthday on a budget

So in my effort to play catch up, I wanted to share how I decorated my nephew's first birthday party. My brother and sister-in-law gave me free rein and in keeping with the invitations and plan I designed, we went with a Mickey Mouse theme. 

With a little help from Michaels, the Dollar Tree, Jo-Anns and my family, Liam's party was cute, but didn't break the bank. Coming in under $115, it goes to show you can have a fabulous celebration without spending ace loads of cash. And even though the guest of honor won't remember it, the day was filled with love and I can't wait to show him the pictures when he's older.

Bathing beauties

In honor of the soaring temps here in Phoenix (hello, mid-90s), I thought it only fitting to round up some rad bathing suits. But you won't any ace floss or skanked-out tube tops here.

The one-piece has come a long way from the days of your grandma thanks to designers such as Diane von Furstenberg, Mara Hoffman and Missoni, who also prove you don't have to bare it all to be sexy. The modern prints and cuts are adorable and forgiving if you're taking a little longer to get ready for the pool.

Go shopping: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9

Five for Friday: Eff things that break

So that notion about time moving faster as you get older ... It's sooooooooooo true. And it seemed even more evident this week. I'm still in shock that it's Friday. I guess that's what I get for immersing myself in playing catch up after the Great Technology Fail of 2011. And did I mention the dishwasher had a minor leak and the AC started to crap out? When it rains, it pours, people. (Thank goodness our townhouse maintenance dude was able to fix each issue.)

I don't have any solid plans this weekend other than ripping the idiots at NAPA a new one. I got my car back from the dealership after taking it in for a fourth time. Come to find out, the so-called NAPA professionals forgot to plug some hoses back in, sold me a gas cap that didn't fit and didn't even fix the real problem, which ended up costing a pretty penny. The moral of this automotive story, is take your ride to the dealership if you can.

The good ish below is quickly making me forget about the trouble that comes with being a grownup, though. Here's to a weekend where nothing breaks!

1. The launch of Cocoa & Hearts

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2. lemlem's Adama Gauze dress

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3. Erika's amazing office progress

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4. Me Oh My's wood-stained painting DIY

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5. Waylande Gregory For Flair

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Have some Five-for-Friday-worthy goodness you want to share? Drop me a note.