5 EASY WAYS TO BRIGHTEN YOUR SPACE

1. Buy yourself a bouquet of fresh blooms! Peony season has arrived and there's no quicker way to add a little life to your abode.

2. Clear off one surface. Just one. Pick one spot that's been driving you crazy and take a half hour to tidy. A clear desk, dining table, or dresser always feels like a big accomplishment!

3. Set up a bar cart... or at least a bar tray. Take your prettiest bottles (Hendricks, Pellegrino, whatever floats your boat) and display them on a tray (preferably monogrammed) with your favorite glasses (preferably turquoise). Add a pretty bowl of lemons or limes for good measure. Little styled vignettes never fail to make me feel at home... and the occasional happy hour never hurt anybody.

4. Do the dishes. If there's one chore I put off, it's this one. (Why is it acceptable that New York apartments don't have dishwashers?!) 

5. Take ten minutes and hang all your clothes. Please tell me I'm not the only girl who gets ready to go out by trying on 1,392 outfits and throwing the rejects all over the floor. I don't know how or why it happens but it does. Seeing my favorite clothes hung up neatly does wonders for brightening my mood... and getting dressed in the morning.

What's your favorite way to brighten your space? Leave your tips in the comments! xx

*Images 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

1. Buy yourself a bouquet of fresh blooms! Peony season has arrived and there's no quicker way to add a little life to your abode.

2. Clear off one surface. Just one. Pick one spot that's been driving you crazy and take a half hour to tidy. A clear desk, dining table, or dresser always feels like a big accomplishment!

3. Set up a bar cart... or at least a bar tray. Take your prettiest bottles (Hendricks, Pellegrino, whatever floats your boat) and display them on a tray (preferably monogrammed) with your favorite glasses (preferably turquoise). Add a pretty bowl of lemons or limes for good measure. Little styled vignettes never fail to make me feel at home... and the occasional happy hour never hurt anybody.

4. Do the dishes. If there's one chore I put off, it's this one. (Why is it acceptable that New York apartments don't have dishwashers?!) 

5. Take ten minutes and hang all your clothes. Please tell me I'm not the only girl who gets ready to go out by trying on 1,392 outfits and throwing the rejects all over the floor. I don't know how or why it happens but it does. Seeing my favorite clothes hung up neatly does wonders for brightening my mood... and getting dressed in the morning.

What's your favorite way to brighten your space? Leave your tips in the comments! xx

*Images 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

TREEBONES RESORT

Finally a campsite where cute PJs and fancy luggage aren't totally out of place! Who wants to plan a trip to Big Sur? Too cool...

P.S. Also dying to travel here.

Keep up with Design Darling

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Finally a campsite where cute PJs and fancy luggage aren't totally out of place! Who wants to plan a trip to Big Sur? Too cool...

P.S. Also dying to travel here.

Keep up with Design Darling

Boutique / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest / Twitter

101 IN 1001 UPDATE

It's been way too long since I've updated you all on my 101 in 1001 progress! If you're new to Design Darling, I've been keeping a list (for more than two years now!) of 101 things I'd like to accomplish in 1001 days. My 1001 days are up at the end of September and so far I've crossed 63 tasks on my list. 

To be totally honest, I've done a lot and grown a lot since writing the original list and there are definitely some goals on there that are less exciting or important to me now than they were two years ago. Instead of beating myself up for not achieving all 101 goals, I'm going to focus on celebrating the things I have crossed off and concentrating on a few fun tasks in the months that remain.

Highlights so far... Inspiring 37 other people to write their own lists. (If you've started one and haven't emailed or tweeted me, please let me know!) Moving into my first place in New York. Launching my online boutique. Skinny dipping. Buying my parents a new computer. Rereading Harry Potter. Discovering ten new favorite restaurants. Taking a cooking lesson. Seeing a comedy show. Turning my grandfather's recipes into a bound book. Zip lining. Sharing my first outfit post (ha!). Participating in a flash mob!

Tasks I'm still excited to take on... Getting my apartment published on a larger site (bear with me a little while longer!). Throwing my first dinner party (even if it's a pizza party...). Riding a sailboat (hello, Nantucket). Taking my dad to a Red Sox game (bought tickets for his birthday!). Reading all of Jane Austen's novels. Seeing Taylor Swift in concert. Taking a trapeze lesson. Throwing a surprise party. Skydiving. Saving $10 for every goal accomplished!

A sneak peek of a few goals on my next 101 in 1001 list (yes, I've already started writing it!)... Traveling to a new country. Designing my own product for the boutique. Organizing a scavenger hunt with friends. Hot air ballooning. Posting a vlog! Writing goals to be accomplished before my next list expires in June 2016... Can you tell I have a tendency to get ahead of myself? ;)

See my full 101 in 1001 list here and please let me know if you decide to create your own! I've had so much fun writing mine, crossing things off, and drafting my next round of goals. If you're looking for more ideas for your own list, be sure to check out some of the other bloggers listed on #2 of my list as well! 

Keep up with Design Darling

Boutique / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest / Twitter

It's been way too long since I've updated you all on my 101 in 1001 progress! If you're new to Design Darling, I've been keeping a list (for more than two years now!) of 101 things I'd like to accomplish in 1001 days. My 1001 days are up at the end of September and so far I've crossed 63 tasks on my list. 

To be totally honest, I've done a lot and grown a lot since writing the original list and there are definitely some goals on there that are less exciting or important to me now than they were two years ago. Instead of beating myself up for not achieving all 101 goals, I'm going to focus on celebrating the things I have crossed off and concentrating on a few fun tasks in the months that remain.

Highlights so far... Inspiring 37 other people to write their own lists. (If you've started one and haven't emailed or tweeted me, please let me know!) Moving into my first place in New York. Launching my online boutique. Skinny dipping. Buying my parents a new computer. Rereading Harry Potter. Discovering ten new favorite restaurants. Taking a cooking lesson. Seeing a comedy show. Turning my grandfather's recipes into a bound book. Zip lining. Sharing my first outfit post (ha!). Participating in a flash mob!

Tasks I'm still excited to take on... Getting my apartment published on a larger site (bear with me a little while longer!). Throwing my first dinner party (even if it's a pizza party...). Riding a sailboat (hello, Nantucket). Taking my dad to a Red Sox game (bought tickets for his birthday!). Reading all of Jane Austen's novels. Seeing Taylor Swift in concert. Taking a trapeze lesson. Throwing a surprise party. Skydiving. Saving $10 for every goal accomplished!

A sneak peek of a few goals on my next 101 in 1001 list (yes, I've already started writing it!)... Traveling to a new country. Designing my own product for the boutique. Organizing a scavenger hunt with friends. Hot air ballooning. Posting a vlog! Writing goals to be accomplished before my next list expires in June 2016... Can you tell I have a tendency to get ahead of myself? ;)

See my full 101 in 1001 list here and please let me know if you decide to create your own! I've had so much fun writing mine, crossing things off, and drafting my next round of goals. If you're looking for more ideas for your own list, be sure to check out some of the other bloggers listed on #2 of my list as well! 

Keep up with Design Darling

Boutique / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest / Twitter