Keep calm.

Check out this lovely that will soon be gracing my kitchen.

{From KeepCalmCollection on Etsy}

While I think the ascendant popularity of these British-inspired Keep Calm prints has made them slightly cheesy, I can't resist the internet design blog peer pressure... and the kitsch. I want one. I {will shortly} have one!

My oldest friend (we've known each other since kindergarten!), Krista, is coming to visit this weekend. I am trying to figure out what all we are going to do, looking for the perfect balance of touristy stuff, hanging out, good food, and beating the 98 degree high that is supposed to hit NYC on Friday and Saturday. I am so excited to see her and have a fantastic weekend, but I am dreading the heat. We may have to spend more time inside at extremely air-conditioned theaters and museums than I originally planned!

I'll have to take a break from my internet shopping to scour the internet for some indoor activities and make a plan for this weekend :-)

Home over-haul.

I am re-decorating my apartment. Mostly because half the things in my apartment just relocated with me from college, and I don't particularly like them any more/think I can do better.

My mom and aunt (who is practically a pro decorator) are coming to help me paint in three weeks. I have been busy ordering accessories like pillows and art and other such things for the rest of the re-design. Mostly, I want to re-do the walls. I have art and pictures of friends/family on the wall that have not been swapped out since I was a junior in college. Yeah... I don't even look like that any more...

I am planning on framing all the art and arranging that first, then filling in any remaining holes with a few pics of friends/family/possibly kitties.

However, I am most excited about my first Etsy purchase:

{Chevron Pillow Squares from HoneyPieDesign on Etsy. SOLD! To me!}

I am anxiously awaiting my two Chevron pillows in white and gold from HoneyPieDesign. Check out her shop. Lots of cute pillows!

I'll share part of my process with you all as I pick out paint samples this week, have all of my random online purchases delivered to work (since I don't have a doorman), and in three weeks, attempt to rent a ladder from the hardware store and paint my first wall ever... under the careful guidance of my aunt.

I finally ordered two prints from Paris vs. New York.

And those Ork Poster Minneapolis and Manhattan maps.

Wall candy.

Remember my obsession with posters from Paris vs New York last week?

Yeah, now I also want these posters from Ork Posters! too. Nothing like showing off my Mpls hometown pride alongside my newfound sense of Manhattan snobbery. Posters from $22, screen prints from $27 at orkposters.com.

Minneapolis

Manhattan

Love.

l'obsession.

A friend recently shared the Paris vs NYC blog. I love the simple, colorful graphics and the juxtaposition of two of my favorite cities in the world! And now Paris vs NYC is selling some of the graphics as prints to decorate the bleak walls of snug studio apartments everywhere.. starting at $42 each in the Paris vs NYC store.

Here are the ones I want.. desperately.. to adorn my own bleak walls.

l'obsession

le café

la romantique

I just signed my lease renewal to stay in my apartment until Feb. 1st, 2012, so now I'm really thinking about putting a little more effort into decorating. I really want to paint my plain-Jane white walls and get some fun art/new frames for artsy photos of my friends/family. I'm still debating on a color, but I'm thinking of painting a light grey-blue color to match the lightest blue in my Michael Kors bedset and to help my soon-to-be-acquired Paris vs. NYC prints pop!