Pop-Up Video

Just kidding, no videos here BUT I thought this would be a great way to start sharing my apartment DIYs before I leave in two weeks! Yes, I'm finally moving to Chicago (my dream city!) and starting grad school in the fall (working on my Masters in Interior Design.) Any one remember VH1's Pop-Up Videos from back in the day? Well, this is my DIY version, Pop-Up Design.

Let's start with my kitchen.

[Saving old posters/prints/artwork is always a good option if you have the space. Most can be rolled up in mailing tubes for storage. I purchased these French reprints with my college dorm roommate and have found a spot for them in just about every apartment since. Most people are creeped out by the green goblin, I find him to be a very interesting piece of art. As far as the placemats go, occasionally browsing the clearance items at Target is a great way to find those missing pieces for your home that you don't want to pay full price for. These IKEA chairs came unfinished. Instead of finishing them with a nasty varnish stain, I used a Carnauba wax to protect the wood and give it a natural finish]

[How many times can you re-use a dry erase board- the answer-- many many times! Although I think this board has seen its days..off to Vinnie's it goes. My always-filled flower jar from this post. Once again, this IKEA shelving unit is from my dorm days. For this apartment, it was the perfect size to fit our garbage/recycling bins and I purchased IKEA unfinished plywood boards and cut to fit for proper stable shelving. They are also finished with Carnauba wax.]

[This IKEA kitchen shelving unit was easy to install and can create the perfect storage for small spaces. The kitchen backsplash panel I had fallen in love with the idea before I purchased the discontinued item. When renting, this was the ideal solution for easy-to-clean kitchen backsplash. The panel itself originally was sold with a interlocking hanging system but I had to improvise with nails. Those holes will be fun to spackle! Method brand of cleaners are one of my favorite home cleaning products to use. The bottles are biodegradable are the products are non-toxic. If you don't know them already, check out their website.

We've Been on the Run. Driving in the Sun.

It's the perfect, beautiful summer Saturday and I have no plans. This is very unusual for me not to have plans (I've been busting my butt to get my graduate admissions packet together) so, today is all for me. I met some friends at the farmer's market on the square (well, Wilson st. because of the art fair) and it was a fantastic morning. Nothing beats buying fresh produce from local farmers, catching up with friends, chugging ice coffee and snatching some of Stella's Bakery cheese-spinach Empanadas. Yum. Top it off with a stroll around the art fair and gawk at the all the awesome artwork...someday I can afford to buy something cool. On the way home I stopped at the Regent Street Co-Op to pick up some groceries. Love that place, everyone is super friendly.

Here's everything I could fit into my farmer's market cloth bag. Enjoy and Happy Saturday!

Ode to the Kitchen.

I was waiting on doing a post about Madison's Underground Kitchen until I had eaten there once more, but now seems like a good time as any. I was extremely sad to find out Thursday morning that the Kitchen and the apartments in it's building were up in fire for about five hours. Police were still closings roads as I left work yesterday. Such a tragic thing to have happened and I only hope that everyone is okay and the restaurant can still be saved once the smoke is cleared. On a brighter note, Underground Kitchen is one of my favorite restaurants in Madison. Maybe I'm biased because the Underground Food Collective has a space in my work building and I see them catering and food prepping almost every day, but the restaurant itself had excellent food and a fun vibe. When I first walked in, it was like Green & Indie had made a restaurant. They completely remodeled the space after Cafe Montmartre closed and it looked fantastic. When they do reopen the restaurant, or relocate, please go check them out. Their food/meat/bread etc is from local Wisconsin farms, bakeries or produced at the Food Collective. They craft their own (very delicious) cocktails and their menu changes with the seasons. I recommend the cheese platter. Can you tell I'm from WI?

[pictures courtesy of the Underground Kitchen or WI State Journal]

It's Here.

That's right, the only issue that's too big for my mailbox: the 2011 Interior Design Market Tabloid. It's finally here and it's oozing with inspiration. The issues represents everything that is new and innovative in design. Check out my favs below.

[Sicis Mosaics & Furniture by Christian LaCroix]

[Stiletto Table by SplinterWorks]

[Moon Lake Rug by Niba Rug Collections]

[Ice Block Pendant - Conant Metal & Light]

[Recycled Cocoa-Cola bottles - Emeco 111 Navy Chair]

[Element Planter Series in Steel]

[Scrapwood Wallpaper by the Wallpaper Collective]

Think I'll Go to Boston

Insert random singing of the Augustana song, ready, go! Come on, you know you were singing it.

I've recently just gotten back from a baseball-themed weekend to celebrate my dad's birthday. I won't say how old because he'll probably be embarrassed, but picture this: four days, three nights of baseball games, three different cities and driving five states. Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies then, of course, Boston Red Sox. These are just a few of my favorites pictures from the weekend and panorama photos of the parks, I'm obsessed with that button on my new camera.

Pittsburgh [bridges, inclines, pirates & perogies]

Philadelphia [american history, phanatics, and cheese steaks]

Boston [seafood, row houses, red sox and one-way streets]

May Flowers

Having fresh flowers around my apartment is an absolute must. I always grab a big enough bunch from the farmer's market, florist or grocery store to split between the kitchen and my bedroom. Fresh flowers make me smile, especially daisies. Maybe it's because they seem to last the longest. (two weeks!) Earlier on last fall I found this old green canning jar at St. Vinnie's for $3 that I couldn't resist buying, turns out it also makes the perfect flower vase.

The jar reads "Grandma Wheaton's Old Fashioned Receipts." After a little searching on the internet it was made by Wheaton Glass Co from Millville, New Jersey and runs anywhere from $12-$70 online. The company starting producing reproductions in the 1960's of their original jars from the late 1800's with the stamp Wheaton NJ on the bottom. And what do you know, mine has the same stamp! Despite being a reproduction and missing the original lid, I can't beat the price of $3 for a antique-ish vase that perfectly compliments any flowers I put in it!

Capital Tap Haus is the new Church Key

Don't get me wrong, I will always have a sweet spot for the Church Key bar in Madison. I can't hear the first chords of MGMT's "Kids" and not remember drinking super-strong, super-delicious long islands on the weekends. But, a girl's gotta grow up and find new places that don't include sticky floors and a crowded bar full of drunk college kids. Introducing: Capital Tap Haus. Furnished in true tied-house style, this new restaurant/bar include all of Capital Brewery microbrews on tap available by the glass, picture and even boot. Even the music selection is perfect, I was completely digging the selection of 90's alternative. I'm looking forward to their Friday night fish fry and $2.50 Supper Club. See you there!

[picture courtesy of the Wisconsin State Journal, edited by me]

guess how many?

2-4. birthday time! I got surprised last night with amazing cupcakes made by my friends and I just had to share with you all.

[the big 24. my love: italy. my nickname. interior design. beautiful glass rings. smiling is my favorite. go bucky. my high school. my blog. me gusta cabo san lucas. tmg - our band. another erlynmeyer to add to my collection]

distraction. determination. reward

I can't tell you how bad I wanted to quit studying on Friday and join my neighbors downstairs for some wine BUT instead I put on my noise-deadening headphones and continued on with my flashcards. Then I found the website etsy.com. That kept me occupied for 15 minutes until I realized I was digressing. But it all paid off in the end because I successfully passed my LEED Green Associate exam on Saturday morning. My reward: a little shopping spree at Forever 21. Two hours later, here are some of my favorite finds.

Going down to Milwaukee.

What happens when you get Milwaukee Buck's tickets from Groupon and are trying to make the most of an hour and half drive down 94 more worthwhile because, sadly, you know the Buck's just aren't going to win? Take a brewery tour of course! And that is just what we (my boyfriend and I) did!

MillerCoors is officially my first brewery tour ever . The green nerd in me was very happy to hear all the great things they are doing to divert waste from landfills. They promote it as more of an environmental thing, but really, all parties involved are benefiting from it: MillerCoors saves money, there is less energy use, and more product is being recycled! And we got to see the old underground caves that Mr. Miller used to store all his beer back in the day. Pretty neat. But really, the best part was the free beer. We got sips of Miller Lite, MGD, and Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat. Mmmmmmm

So, tour at MillerCoors, dinner at Buck Bradley's and surprise, the Buck's lost. Maybe next time, boys!

study music bliss

I needed some new music so picked up these little gems. Perfect study music. Definitely recommend. I'm also obsessed with Lollapalooza 2010 station on Slacker Radio. Who wants to go with me this year?



[the black keys: brothers]
entire cd is fantastic.
don't be fooled by the all black cd, it changes color when you play it

[guster: easy wonderful]
the boys are back with an FSC-certified, 100% recycled cd cover.
fav tracks: 1, 2, 3, 12

[jimmy eat world: invented]
i'm always a fan of jimmy.
fav tracks: 1, 5, 11, 12

Natural Americana

Comfortable. Casual. Natural. American. My exact descriptions of Pottery Barn's recent catalog. I'm always fascinated with PB's style. While it's very commercial, make good design accessible to the everyday consumer, it's also innovative. Their recent catalog focuses on comfortable and casual design and I love the integration of old items in a modern space. That is green and indie design. The color palette includes a lot of Americana colors: reds, whites and blues but also includes colors that reflect nature like yellows, greens, and browns. And there you have it: design that reflects our American history with tributes to nature.

[pictures were scanned in and edited by me]

Green & Indie Christmas

Happy 2011! A lot of really great things are happening and I couldn't be more excited. It's been over a year since I graduated and I'm enjoying getting some great experience as an Interior Design consultant at Eco-Friendly Flooring. (Check us out!). I'm working on a new website specifically to show my professional work and I'll soon be hitting the textbooks to become a qualified LEED Green Associate (!!!!!!). Now for the blog.

I'm finally going to put up pictures of mine/my friend's fantastic chic apartment. Including my DIY's in almost every room and many IKEA hacks. What's an IKEA hack? You'll just have to wait and see. Until then, enjoy my branded "Green & Indie" Christmas presents to my aunt and cousin.




[magnets and flowers from Micheal's + vintage buttons + super glue and a night of watching Top Chef = fabulous fridge magnets]

Madison places I love: Anthology

There are so many great, local places in Madison that I need to start spreading the word. My latest favorite: Anthology located near the Orpheum Theatre on State Street. The whole store is indie eye-candy, from hand-made necklaces, frames to printed t-shirts, books, and vintage finds. They play host to craft parties where you can make your own Christmas card, bracelet, and of course the "make a button for a buck." I wandered in last weekend with a purpose: get inspired for Christmas presents and pick up fun paper to rehab my IKEA coffee tables. The owners are so warm and friendly and offered great advice for my future refurbishing adventure (soon to come!).

[a peek at the beautiful paper I purchased - some for the coffee tables, some for artwork]




[pictures courtesy of the anthology website, check it out!]

Fresh from the farm.

It's finally getting cold in Wisconsin. Wait, start over.

Let's not think about the fact that cold weather has actually hit Wisconsin and take a look back at summer. While in Ohio, our family gathered at the gorgeous (and historic!) Baughman house and farm. I have very fond memories of that place as a child and I still love it to this day. My cousin Kristen, started the farm and runs the whole operation selling flowers, veggies, fruits, garlic..etc to local grocers, buyers, and farmer's markets. I admire this green way of life and wish I could be local enough to buy from her.

Here's my advice...buy local. Do it whenever you can; the impact is greater than you think.

[half chicken coop, half food cleaning/drying/canning shack. the old coop got a face lift. check out the doors and windows which were re-used from a neighbors house. i'm not a huge fan of tomatoes but these were irresistible and delicious. some old door and window frames next to the largest compost pile I've ever seen!]



[before saturday market, we helped kristin picked some flowers to sell and a few beautiful butterflys who graced our presence. simply gorgeous.]

City Chic

Hotel find number 2 from my Minneapolis weekend (almost a month ago now!). Graves 601 is refined, stylish, fashionable, modern and simply beautiful. Everything about it screams luxury and you can't walk a step without seeing something eye-catching. I went to the hotel's restaurant, Cosmos, for brunch with some family members in the area who took us there because they new I would love it; they were right. I couldn't stop staring at everything to see how it was put together or designed. You'll often find me trying to examine the ceiling or touching different materials...just habit! Check out the pictures above, courtesy of the Graves website, I was too busy enjoying my breakfast to be a photographer.

[Grave 601 Hotel | Wyndham Grand Collection]

I'm at the W, you can meet me in the lobby

This is one of my top design finds from Minneapolis from the wedding weekend. Someday I would love to design a space like this. ALoft is a trendy new hotel chain from the famous W hotels and I loved every second I got to hang out in the lobby and drink swanky wine from the w xyz bar. From the multicolored rainbow designs to the sleek and bright modern furniture (check out my candid pics above), I felt like some Minneapolis socialite. Design was by ESG Architects with a "loft inspired" vision for the hotel. I wonder if they are hiring...

bret & shannon...get married!

A huge congratulations to my brother, Bret, and my fantastic new sis-in-law, Shannon, on their wedding this past weekend up in the Twin Cities. Simply beautiful and fun. I can't help but share a little.....

[the official wedding invite: love the creativity!]


[breathtaking como conservatory. st paul, mn]


[wedding ceremony at the japanese gardens]


*be sure to check out Shannon's fashion blog, Dirty Hair Halo, too! She puts together the most perfect and unique fashion combinations, not to mention, she gave me great tips for Green & Indie.*

Hardwood Flooring and Hotel Breakers

I love a beautiful hardwood flooring. Really, I love a beautiful OLD hardwood floor. On a recent family vacation to Ohio, it is tradition that we visit Cedar Point. It is also tradition that we stay at the park's historic Hotel Breakers, built in 1905. I will admit that my family and I love the hotel because of its early pass into the amusement park, however, I'm a sucker for its history. My absolute favorite spot of the hotel is the Rotunda. It's design style reminds me something I would hope to see on board of the Titanic: a place to socialize, drink tea, or coffee (in my case). While I doubt this was the original floor, I still love the striping of the floor boards; the effect that it gives is timeless. Sadly, this place was once an Ohio historical landmark. But, because of all the remodels, the building no longer has the historic integrity it once had and the recognition has been taken away. If it were up to me, the place would look a lot different and lot more true to the original design *sigh*

Midwest Modern

One name: Amy Butler. My boss introduced me to the world of Midwest Modern over a year ago and I've been obsessed ever since. You can't be a girl from the Midwest and not fall in love with her designs. She draws inspiration from the everyday life and it's colorful surroundings and combines them into beautiful fabrics. (Check out her book too!) My favorite of the Midwest Modern collection is Ohio Sky. I can never get enough of blues, greens, yellows. Never. Ever.

I am also loving her new Soul Blossoms collection inspired by a trip to India...the color palette is brilliant. Go check it out. Now.