If January was a slow month, February was insanely fast. It just feels like it was Valentine's Day and now we're so close to Spring.

I'm not ready to say goodbye to my beloved winter, but once I start seeing sandals, bright colors, and all things floral, I get a little excited. I feel like I'm betraying fall & winter when I say that.

As we say goodbye to another month, we say hello to the Monthly Muse. I've been on a no buy for most of the month (since Ash Wednesday aka February 14th) so these are just from my existing collection of items.



1. Physician's Formula Depuffer: I talked about this in yesterday's post but I must mention again. It is the best eye depuffer I've ever used, and it's under $10. I'm not a huge drugstore gal, which maybe I can save for another post, but this has quickly become one of my favorite products to ever be found there.

2. Kate Spade SmartWatch: This was the last big purchase before I went on my no buy and it was well worth it. I pre-ordered it in January and it arrived the first week of February. I have NOT taken it off and loved every minute with this. It's basically the Kate Spade version of the Apple Watch. I'm planning a huge post on it later this month but it's sure to be one of my favorite purchases of the entire year.

3. Target Magazine Rack: This is so random but it's a massive favorite. I've been wanting to get my desk more organized and I saw someone on Instagram use a magazine rack to put notebooks and papers in. I have SO MANY notebooks, too many, for a variety of different things. I stored them in my desk drawer but this makes it so much easier to see everything and they get a lot more use. It was under $15 at Target and it adds a really nice touch to my desk area.

4. Art Prints: I added two new prints to my gallery wall this month; a New York print that has all the different NY publication fonts, and one that says "Eat Sleep Blog Repeat". They're true to my writing roots and add a nice piece of inspiration to my walls.

5. Emergen-C: With the flu epidemic being so bad this year, and traveling on the gross New York City subway, I constantly feel like I'm getting sick. I never wanted to take Emergen C because I was afraid of what it tasted like. However, once I did try it I became obsessed! It takes like Sunny-D (do they still make that?!) and now I try to have a glass every morning. I've also been obsessed with Orange Juice this month so maybe I have low Vitamin C?

What were your favorites this month?
xoxo
B

I tackled how I decorated my room with coffee table books already, and explained how that was on my decorating to do list.

Something else that has been on my decor to-do list even longer, and even more important than coffee table books?

A gallery wall.

It's such a cliche and a typical blogger/twenty-something girl to have but I couldn't help it. A gallery wall was calling my name and the moment I found out I was going to be moving, I started looking for prints.

Etsy is the place to go for prints, in my opinion. I decided to just buy the prints for cheaper, and frame  them myself. I thought it was silly to pay $80 for a print, when I could buy it for $15 and buy my own frame.

I waited until I was moved in and a bit settled to order the prints and frames; I wanted to figure out the best place to put the gallery wall and how many photos I needed.

My mom bought me two regular, but fun photos to hang on my wall, which you can see below:



Because of this, I knew I didn't want too many photos for the gallery wall, so I only purchased four photos from Etsy, from a variety of shops.

There are so many incredible artists on Etsy, and so many prints that fit my aesthetic, but I knew the types of photos I wanted:

Something related to Carrie Bradshaw
A macaroon print
A lipstick/perfume/or nail polish print
A makeup quote
Something fashion related, like shoes or a handbag

Carrie's Walk in Closet Carrie Bradshaw Quote YSL Lipstick Print Macaroon Print

I chose the four I wanted, ordered them, and waited patiently. Etsy, depending on where the seller is, does take a little long so it was a waiting game. Once they did arrive, they were well worth the wait because they were so nicely packaged and well protected.

I went to Target and picked up these frames in a few different sizes (2 black frames and 2 white frames). My mom and I hung the frames within 30 minutes and I had my perfect gallery wall.

I am completely obsessed with the wall; it came together perfectly and really reflects the feeling I wanted. I'm also not mad at the fact that I found a print of Carrie Bradshaw's closet. I mean, she is my idol so it's only appropriate.

Here's what the wall looks like: