Hi sexy design, I want you

Okay, let's talk design.

Girlfriend over here still has no idea what she's doing.

I have yet to hit my "stride," as some may politely refer to my decorating sense, something which has cost us tons of unnecessarily-spent cash at Home Goods, and a fact I'm hoping to turn around some day. The good news is I've improved slightly since my first go at decorating, but as far as being original, well, that has yet to be seen. 

Here....is.....an....{ahhh, it hurts to even say}.....example of......the first paint color.....I....WANTED.

Look at the wall color around the fireplace! 

JUST LOOK AT IT!

IT'S PUKE GREY!

Honestly! What the hell was I thinking??! Who pairs those colors together??! 

APPARENTLY I DO!

And the worst part? It looks better in this picture than it did in real life. I also painted another HUGE wall in the living room the same color, but you can't see it. That color was so DEPRESSING, it literally made me want to leave my apartment between the hours of 8 am and 12 pm. I just could not sit there in that. 

{on a sidenote though, we have since replaced all the furniture in this picture, but all these hand-me-downs makes me smile! It was just so newlyweddish of us, and I'm proud of that!}

Anyway, HID-EEEEEEE-OUS.

{don't worry, I have repainted to a much more relaxing color, albeit completely unoriginal: some shade of beige. Oh well. It's a rental, and pinterest is now there for me in times of need.}

So in the name of design, I can only hope to goodness that my future dining room comes out something like

 this.

I love the idea of white. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

 But the hubs isn't too keen on the whole white-wash scene, which is a bummer.

Sigh.

But that's okay, because I would be COMPLETELY satisfied with something along the lines of 

this.

Hi, Genevieve Gorder, I wish I had your skills.

Thank goodness I have a sister who knows what she's doing, who I've commissioned for at least three weeks when we buy a house. She has no choice.

So you want to hear the thoughts behind the whole I-get-to-decorate-my-dwelling-all-on-my-own process? Brace yourself.

1. I'm so excited to decorate my own place, I'm totally going to do this all on my own...No help from anyone!

2. Mom, dad? In-laws? I need all that old paint you have stored in your garage. Thanks!

3. Okay, I have blue for Carter's room, cappuccino for our room, and for the living room, I want to go with a sort of Renovation Hardware, I'm-edgy-but-still-calming type look.......I guess I'll have to take this white to Home Depot and have them add some tint to it. LOTS of tint.

4. At Home Depot: Hey, man behind the counter in the paint department, I really need you to tint this up for me.....I want it to be a greyish sort of color, but not too grey.

5. Man: are you sure about that?

6. Me: HOW RUDE OF HIM TO ASK ME THAT! Yes, yes I'm sure.

7. Paint cans are in the apartment, and we are about to get to going. Mother-in-law stifles a cringe when she starts rolling on the "edgy grey."

8. Chad stifles a giggle. The only person who's not laughing is me, because clearly they have no idea what they're doing, and I KNOW this is going to come out fabulously.....you know....once it's all done.....and stuff.

9. Apartment is painted, TV is hung. I start to question my grey, but it's our first night.....I just have to get used to it.

10. Final pieces of furniture is brought in. Yeah, it's slightly junky, but hey, we are hip, cool young folk, and that's just the way it is, so no qualms there!

11. Now we need little do-dads to put up around the apartment. Let's go on a shopping spree.....For a few weeks on end!

12. Yay!

13. We are at Home Goods: I really need these sconces. Man, what would I do without this vase? The breakfast bar could really use ALL of these frames. Seriously, I could not go on living unless I have this candle holder.

14. NOW we're set.

15. Okay, ew. This grey is freaking hideous. How come nobody told me this was a hideous color?

16. I tell Chad. He laughs and agrees.....Way too quickly.

17. I repaint the entire living room, BY.MY.SELF. because Chad says that we should just live with the grey because of the principle of the matter....What? Okay, husband, clearly you are not home during the day to see the full extent of it's hideousness.

18. Everything is repainted. Thank goodness. 

19. Over a year later I clean out our hallway closet. We now have a bin labeled "sconces and other stupid stuff I bought." Home Goods stole from me, stole our money straight out of my hands!

20. Needless to say, my friend, it's a process.

The End.

Linking up here for the first time!

{I know, I'm late to the party}