Bed Accessories: How Much is Too Much?

Andrew and I have only lived in two apartments together, and moved the same bed, but somehow we continue to accumulate more and more bed accessories.  What are "bed accessories," you ask? These would be sleeping pillows, sham pillows, accent pillows, and blankets.  We now not only have all of the above, but multiple of each. 

In total, we have two "regular" pillows each, which means 4 pillows stay on our bed every night while everything else gets tossed to the ground.  We have four "sham" pillows, two that match the white duvet, and two with the Dusen Dusen quilt pattern.  We also have two sheepskin covered throw pillows from Pottery Barn, and then one small flower pillow from Takashi Murakami that I bought in Japan. And that's it! I believe, at this point, 7 pillows is the limit. I just don't see how it could look balanced after that. Fewer than 7 is probably ideal, but this is where I am in life today.

Valentine's Day Gift Ideas for Long-Term Relationships

Andrew and I will have been together for 8 years this March.  8 years is a lot of presents being exchanged! Valentine's day is always a little weird when it comes to presents, because it is so close to the present-exchange that is December (both of our birthdays and Christmas), and it is also the month before our anniversary.  Plus, neither of us are very interested in receiving traditional Valentine's day gifts of heart shaped boxes of chocolates or flowers. 

Valentine's Day 2015, when we coincidentally got each other the same cards.

Over the years, we have decided different things when it comes to exchanging gifts on Valentine's day.  Creating a plan or guidelines really helps once you are this many Valentine's days into a relationship.  One year, we decided to stick to a $25 budget each, which made for a more creative gift-giving/shopping process.  Last year, we decided the limit would be $100.  Setting a budget is a great idea for couples who have been through several of these Hallmark holidays already but still want to do something fun for each other besides going to dinner (especially if one partner's love language is gifts).  

This year, we haven't really discussed what we are doing for Valentine's day, even though it will be here before we know it.  I haven't even thought about getting him anything, which is unusual for me.  One idea we are toying with for this year's Valentine's day is both setting a smaller limit on the gift (around $25-50) and requiring that the gift come from a local store in our new SF neighborhood.  

Here are some of the gifts we have exchanged in the past: 

~ $100 BUDGET

Andrew's present to me: Gucci silk scarf (~$140, at the time, around $195 now)

Okay, he went over budget, but I'm not complaining! I love this scarf, and even though I basically only remember to wear it around Valentine's day, it could work at any time.  I'm planning to wear it as part of my Valentine's day lewk this year too! 

My present to Andrew: a bonsai olive tree (~$100 in CA where you can't order plants, but cheaper to ship to other states!)

This was one of the gifts I have been most proud of. I knew Andrew would love it, and it's something totally unexpected and he had no idea that I would get it for him.  A gift he never knew he needed!  Our bonsai was thriving up until we left our apartment for 2 weeks to go to Montana and didn't think to leave the bonsai with anyone.  Now, a year later, he is struggling, but we are not giving up on him! Bonsai trees are fun to watch and take care of, but they clearly need a lot of attention.  This tree requires showering just about every day, and it's really hard to pay attention to that or make sure that happens especially when you go on vacation.  We're thinking now that we have a balcony, he might be happier outside!

Home Styling Flashback: Westwood, Los Angeles Apartment Tour

My first Los Angeles apartment tour! Welcome to a blast from the past, one of the original posts from another iteration of my blogging self, "Best, Isabella."  I lived in Westwood, Los Angeles, CA when I was in law school at UCLA a few years ago.  It was a great time and I miss LA dearly.  Below, please find my first foray into home decor blogging, a post originally published on November 28, 2017.  This was the first apartment I was really proud of and the first apartment I ever paid for on my own, while living on my own, and I will always be proud of it and look upon it fondly.  Please bear in mind I was still in my Disney phase and working on a tight budget. Enjoy!

Surprise, I'm leaving LA. I got a new job in San Francisco at the beginning of December, so I'm moving out of my apartment and into my parents' house for a bit. I was in such a rush to leave my current job and move home that I hadn't really thought about how much I loved my rickety old apartment (my cousin Emily calls it "vintage"). I've lived in several apartments before and I've never been so sad to leave one-- probably because this is the longest I've lived in my own apartment (over 2 years) and also probably a little because I'm not moving into another apartment, but I'm moving home. This apartment had really become my own, and despite the gross carpet and minuscule "junior bedroom," I will really miss it. Before I started packing everything up, I tried to capture my favorite parts of the apartment to share and also to look back fondly on.

A LOT of the pieces I've had since I started college. A LOT are also from Ikea.  Some things aren't shown because they just aren't in a cute state, or just aren't cute, generally.  One thing I've noticed about house/apartment tours is that the photos are always curated to show the best parts of a home, not all parts. You never really see someone's hamper or dish rack, and for some reason you can always find some staged freshly sliced bread. 

I'm really obsessed with looking at how other people decorate their living spaces. Notably, I always seem to be looking for inspiration on The Everygirl, ManRepeller's Real Cool People, Real Cool Apartments, and the home tours on Cup of Jo.  I hope eventually someone can find this post and get some cool inspo from it too!