Sweet Dreams...

KS over at While We're Waiting politely asked me to share a sneak peek of my bedroom (actually my slumber throne) with her. Oh if only she knew how this baby has been in hiding. If only she knew how much thought I put into decorating my first "real" bedroom (a.k.a. not in my parents' house and not in a college-owned property). If only she knew how proud I am of how it came out.

It is not there yet, friends, so I am truly only sharing sneak peeks, but you will have to let me know what you think. First, though, some awesome bedrooms I found browsing the Web... all of which contain elements I tried to incorporate into my own (and Jed's) sleepy space.

My first "wow" bedroom (outside of the Newport mansions) was walking into Rachel Ashwell's (excuse me, she blogs here!) Shabby Chic store in the new Natick (MA) mall. I felt totally at home and like the entire store was one huge manifestation of my personality: sweet, romantic, delicate, a bit rough around the edges, elegant but casual. These images are taken from Rachel's blog...

Love the roughed-up white-wash with the light blue and contrasting bright pink.

I love blue, if you can't tell. And yellow, while not one of my favorite colors, offers a great, soothing contrast to my fav shade of blue.

I love the light drapes, the matching bedside lamps, the white metal bed, the cute bedside table and the natural-fabric rug. This room is so light and airy, but the polished dark hardwood floors ground it. And for a bit of shabby chic, misaligned pictures over the bed.

via Pottery Barn

And here is the same bed in antique pewter, which I'd probably prefer to contrast all the light colors I would have in the room.

In this room, I really like the roman shades with contrast stripe and the white trunk. The wall-mounted bedside light frees up the bedside table for some shabby chic finds. Oh, and I heart the half bead-board, half tan-paint walls.

Also via Pottery Barn

In my room, I tried to incorporate some shabby chic elements with my main design: beach cottage. As much as I love blue, I love the beach: the colors, the sounds, the smells, the texture.

This is the ultimate in beach cottage chic. The white board walls, the huge windows, white Roman shades... all reflect the bright summer sun. I really wanted white furniture for our "beach room," but that's not very practical if you ever want to switch it up. And Jed doesn't like white furniture. But I heart this storage bed from Pottery Barn with straw baskets. Notice the turquoise dresser between the beds -- totally beachy and shabby chic! Everything in this room is perfect. Cut it out and move it into my house please!

We're getting closer...

Here is a beach cottage bedroom that I've actually slept in!

This is the master bedroom in the cottage I, and my two best girlfriends, rented in Harwich, Cape Cod (I won't tell you how many years ago). Again with the white board walls (a must-have... too bad I couldn't do this with my walls) and huge windows creating an airy summer feel. My favorite color makes an appearance as an accent, and the white bedspread is perfect for chilly summer nights.

Now your sneak peek!

Are you excited???

Here's a shot of the comforter, blue and white color-block.

A $70 steal at Wal-Mart.

And the side of the comforter with a glimpse of bed-rail...

And here is a piece of our headboard, through which you can see our innovative paint job.

Ah yes, and don't forget my sateen-stripe, 400-thread count sheets.

(Target -- they are ah-maze-ing! Try them!)

And that's all for now, folks. Sorry!

But wait! Don't leave quite yet. There's more to these sweet dreams...

Some Wednesday randomness for you...

One good thing about Jed being away is that the creative chef in my comes out. (Sad for him, I know.) After three nights of Mexican layer and buffalo chicken dip, (don't ask... ok, ask... they're are immense amounts of leftovers from our big party Saturday night) I was ready for a real dinner.

So I cleaned out some leftovers of a different variety: fresh broccoli and cherry tomatoes. I efficiently set up two frying pans and a pot on the stove: EVOO in the frying pans and water set to boil in the pot. Washed the veggies and quartered the tomatoes. Some farfalle pasta boiling away. Start sauteing the tomatoes, adding Italian seasoning and garlic salt.

{This is not a recipe folks, this is a Nifer original.}

Once those are softened and simmering, saute the broccoli with a bit of thyme (sauteing is my favorite cooking method). Mix your homemade "tomato sauce" with the pasta, add broccoli on the side, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese...

And you get this gorgeous, yummy creation! Simple, quick, easy, healthy and TOTALLY DELICIOUS!!!

And waaaay more refreshing than another night of dip.

Finally, I got my hairs cut today! I totally needed a trim, and with my looming vacation, I gotta polish up! Plus, I found out the water in my new town is loaded with drying chemicals, and my poor curls have been suffering! A friend on the same water system alerted me and told me about this Goldwell product her hairdresser recommended to replenish moisture to her locks.

I invested in some Organix Hydrating Teatree Mint shampoo and conditioner. And I talked to my stylist about my little problem. She also recommended Goldwell: Dualsenses Curly Twist Leave-In 2-Phase Spray. She used it after my cut, and combined with the Organix and trim, it seems to be a bit better.

So, here's hoping I'm on my way to beautiful, healthy curls once again!

Sorry for the long post (but wasn't it action-packed?!?), I'll leave you to your own sweet dreams now...