craigslist affair

i made my first craigslist purchase for the 'home' yesterday after several failed attempts. check out this BEAUT i scored for $40! solid heavy wood with gorgeous antique finishes. pristine condition i might add :) i still need to do the whole scrub down but for the time being it will serve as my clothing dresser, however, i could totally see this making it's way to my living room with lovely antique pieces perched nicely on top.
cost: $40

aunt's apartment

i had the pleasure of having dinner at my aunt, mama mimi's house this friday and was amazed by her frugal creativity. this was my first time over to her new pad luckily for me i had a camera handy and snapped these beauties:

that is correct. TEAK! my fav! a matching hutch and dinning set.

my aunt crocheted this entire table work.

i love her cute primary coloured balcony.

imagine my surprise when i found this rose from mother's day alive and growing roots. they were cut and she just stuck it in a pot. you can see in the photo on the right the rose stem is green with life. and those other plants are seeds from the oranges and lemons she was eating. i just love the detail and care her apartment exudes. these are all my aunts, but mama mimi is the one beside my mom. and yes those roses they're all holding are the ones from which she planted.

ok. back to her apartment.

her perfume collection neatly organized.

and finally a glamour shot of her daughter, my cousin Ligaya, fiercing it up in her blossom hat.

thanks for the dinner and lovely inspiration mama mimi!!!

inspired

my move to NY is just around the corner which means the inspiration boards begin :)
my hubby and i decided to tough it out in his place, which happens to be the grimmiest of all projects in Harlem :S on the bright side i get to save money and i always love a challenge :) i wish i had photos of the apartment on me but as soon as i'm down there i'll take photos and post. i can't remember where i found all these darling images. when i come across something i like on the web i just grab the photo and put it in my inspiration folder. i usually prowl flickr, apartment therapy, or a few of the design blogs i follow here on blogspot. i'd like to go for something playful and retro of course and similar to my vangroovy pad you can see here. but this time around i'm going for modern touches here and there... a little more refined frugal if you will :)
here are just a few images. my keyword searches include: eclectic, retro, bohemian, modern

the magic touch

as per your request here are my before shots of my flat. it doesn't help that i took the before shots with a flash on my dinky point and shoot, adding to the already atrocious look and hightening the exquisiteNess of the after shot.
when i walked into my $680 a month, 10 foot high ceilings, barf blue walls and burnt puke red floor apartment, i knew it was mine

you can't tell here but my kitchen was an ugly mint green....BARF!!!

a look inside

bringing it back to the dwellings; here's my multi-million dollar studio after 2 years of hoarding. i found installing this make shift erasable board with Home Depot plexiglass for $10 and a few screws an easy alternative for my love of scribbling all over my walls. measures 2x4 feet

i had to move the frames over to this wall since i installed my million dollar back drop on the other wall

my throwback singer doubles as a end table and clearly i love clustered artwork.

when plotting my color scheme i wanted the living room to be pitch white while looking into bright colourful rooms hence my bedroom's "irie irie" turquoise

and "get yo ass up" orange