Hello, and welcome to my 2019 Holiday Home Tour! And welcome to I Pink I Love Ya!
The holidays are my favorite time of the year, especially for my home. Each year, I can't wait to set up my Christmas tree and decorations - it makes my apartment feel so magical.
I moved into my Los Angeles apartment (from a studio apartment in UCLA grad student housing) 2.5 years ago. This is the third year I've decorated for the holidays here, and it's the second year with my big yellow sectional (the first year, we only had the tiny grey sofa, and the tree lived in the corner where the bookcase is now).
My mom mailed all of my Christmas ornaments to me, as well as other holiday decorations that we used to decorate the "girly" tree in our bonus room growing up. I purchased the tree - it's a 7-ft prelit white Christmas tree from Walmart. I actually prefer the less-full trees because there's more room to hang ornaments. I still like this tree, but there's a little section at the bottom that's not lighting up, so I need to figure that out for next year.
I looooove garland. I think it makes a tree look so much more full. As soon as I drape garland around a tree, it already looks 10x better, like it's wearing jewelry. The pink metallic tree skirt was a gift from my mom - she is incredibly talented at sewing, and I'm so lucky to get her custom pieces. For years, a hot pink tree skirt has been impossible to find. One may be easier to come by now, but I' haven't been looking.
Not specific to Christmas, but the white furry stools are an easy DIY. I used stools from Ikea and spray painted the legs gold. I added some foam padding to the top of the seat, and then wrapped in white fur fabric. This was one of my first DIY projects for this apartment back in 2017, so they've held up 2.5 years.
Not much dining room holiday decor this year, but I did get some festive florals from Trader Joe's. It's a simple way to bring in a little holiday magic.
This chandelier did not come with the apartment. It's by Justina Blakeney, and I purchased it from Anthropologie. One weekend in the hot summer, I ambitiously decided to swap out my chandelier all by myself.... when I realized it was too challenging to hold the chandelier up with one arm, while screwing in with the other arm. My boyfriend, Aaron, came (reluctantly) to the rescue (as did his electrician father, who gave us some over-the-phone consulting). We also installed a dimmer switch, and that was a great decision - we can dim the lights down low in the evenings while watching television in the evenings, or maybe just to set a mood.
The dining room chairs are from Amazon. I spray-painted the legs gold (classic Victoria). They've been holding up well, except my dog-niece, Bruce, loves to lick the chair legs, and her tongue is starting to sand them down. I'm concerned for her safety, as well as the finish.
I found these fabulous pink tassel placemats on clearance at Anthropologie - I had been searching for a long time for round placemats that weren't "blehhh."
Okay, now welcome to the DIY relationship-tester.... the "bar" wall of my kitchen!
This is a space that I envisioned very clearly in my mind. I drew sketches and knew exactly what I wanted to do to transform this once-boring wall (I'll post some before-and-afters later). Aaron patiently helped me install vinyl removable wallpaper that I ordered from Etsy. And then the next weekend came the shelves.... the shelves that almost ended our relationship. These floating shelves from Ikea were a total B to install! We kept missing the studs. Aaron stripped a screw which triggered a dramatic meltdown from me. The top shelf wasn't aligned perfectly with the bottom shelf, which did not fly with me (Aaron didn't like it either, but he wasn't very eager to fix it at that moment... I had to fix it at THAT moment). But we got through it together. And this wall was well-worth it (ehhh... maybe not my meltdown. I am not condoning my meltdown).
On a different day, I added hanging glassware racks which I purchased from Amazon and... you guessed it... spray-painted gold.
I love these little bottle-brushed trees. The glassware is gold year-round, but it works especially well during the holidays.
And my favorite holiday touch... I put a little Santa hat on the donkey cookie jar! The santa hat is meant for a wine bottle, I believe, but it fits the donkey well.
I filled this basket full of wrapping bows last year... and then I ended up leaving the bows out year-round. They're just so fun and sparkly! And handy when wrapping gifts.
The pink Roman shades are another custom piece by my mom. I gave her the dimensions and asked her if she could make a Roman shade, and she delivered!
I love art, and have started my own little collection. The two framed prints on the wall are from Gray Malin's collection.
Very simple change to make to bring holidays into the home that doesn't take up much storage room - I swap out my dish towels with Christmas dish towels. It's the little things!
I'm not showing you the complete blank wall at the other end of my kitchen, but it's been a blank canvas for a long time, and I can't decide what I want to do here.... one large art print? Small gallery wall? Aaron suggested a peg board to hang my new Caraway ceremic cookware on. I really just can't decide! Let me know in the comments if you have any suggestions!
This knife set and knife block from Material Kitchen were my Black Friday splurge (well... one of may, really. I also bought a GoPro on a whim.) I'd been wanting to upgrade my knives for a long time because mine were so dull, they were dangerous. I guess I could have sharpened them but... they were just really cheap Target knives that I purchased 5 years ago. Aaron and I have been cooking a lot over the past year, and when you cook frequently, you realize how important a good, sharp knife is.
Now, on to my bedroom! Does it look like the room of a child? Probably. I am 28, and I love it!! I've had the bedding for a long time - I got it for my apartment at Clemson my Junior year (that would've been 2012 - 7 years ago!). It's from PB Teen, and they still sell it today which is how you know it's a classic! I really wanted to bring it with me to UCLA, but I had a studio apartment, and my mom warned me that you'd be able to see my pink bedroom from the kitchen (I think she thought it would clash? Ha! Totally matches my kitchen today). She brought it to me when I moved into this apartment, so I'll forgive her.
My mom also got me that Happy Holidays pillow cover back when I lived in the studio because I could swap out the pillow cover for a different design for the rest of the year, and it didn't take up much storage space. The fur throw is from West Elm, and it is amazingly warm and a necessity during the winter.
In my bedroom, I decorate with a lot of things that I also wear/use. It's great because it's out in my line of sight and easy to access, and it can also be changed out seasonally for subtle holiday decor. This year, I swapped out my Minnie Mouse Ear Collection with Christmas versions - ahhh, so cute! And yes, I really do wear these.
This wall is the "office" area of my room. I have a lot of computer equipment and tech gear. And I totally had to clear all the new GoPro boxes off of my desk before taking this photo.
Christmas clutches and accessories! A purse is a super easy way to add holiday flair to a room, or to your wardrobe.
So if you've come down this far, and you're wondering, "jeez, how many Mickey/Minnie Ears does this girl have?" The answer is... I don't know, and now I'm curious and need to count. Yes, I love Disney - I have since I was a kid. I also work for The Walt Disney Company in Architecture & Facilities Engineering, so I have a lot of opportunities to wear Mickey Ears.
These shelves are also from Ikea. I mounted them first, by myself (which is why I didn't anticipate the challenge of the kitchen shelves). Shelves with surface-mounted brackets are a lot easier to install than floating shelves with hidden brackets. In typical Victoria fashion, the brackets are spray-painted gold.
And I'll leave you with this little tree. Another decoration mailed from mom. Seriously, it's awesome that I still love and use pink so much and have so many things from my childhood that I can still decorate with today.
The holidays are my favorite time of the year, especially for my home. Each year, I can't wait to set up my Christmas tree and decorations - it makes my apartment feel so magical.
I moved into my Los Angeles apartment (from a studio apartment in UCLA grad student housing) 2.5 years ago. This is the third year I've decorated for the holidays here, and it's the second year with my big yellow sectional (the first year, we only had the tiny grey sofa, and the tree lived in the corner where the bookcase is now).
My mom mailed all of my Christmas ornaments to me, as well as other holiday decorations that we used to decorate the "girly" tree in our bonus room growing up. I purchased the tree - it's a 7-ft prelit white Christmas tree from Walmart. I actually prefer the less-full trees because there's more room to hang ornaments. I still like this tree, but there's a little section at the bottom that's not lighting up, so I need to figure that out for next year.
I looooove garland. I think it makes a tree look so much more full. As soon as I drape garland around a tree, it already looks 10x better, like it's wearing jewelry. The pink metallic tree skirt was a gift from my mom - she is incredibly talented at sewing, and I'm so lucky to get her custom pieces. For years, a hot pink tree skirt has been impossible to find. One may be easier to come by now, but I' haven't been looking.
Not specific to Christmas, but the white furry stools are an easy DIY. I used stools from Ikea and spray painted the legs gold. I added some foam padding to the top of the seat, and then wrapped in white fur fabric. This was one of my first DIY projects for this apartment back in 2017, so they've held up 2.5 years.
Not much dining room holiday decor this year, but I did get some festive florals from Trader Joe's. It's a simple way to bring in a little holiday magic.
This chandelier did not come with the apartment. It's by Justina Blakeney, and I purchased it from Anthropologie. One weekend in the hot summer, I ambitiously decided to swap out my chandelier all by myself.... when I realized it was too challenging to hold the chandelier up with one arm, while screwing in with the other arm. My boyfriend, Aaron, came (reluctantly) to the rescue (as did his electrician father, who gave us some over-the-phone consulting). We also installed a dimmer switch, and that was a great decision - we can dim the lights down low in the evenings while watching television in the evenings, or maybe just to set a mood.
The dining room chairs are from Amazon. I spray-painted the legs gold (classic Victoria). They've been holding up well, except my dog-niece, Bruce, loves to lick the chair legs, and her tongue is starting to sand them down. I'm concerned for her safety, as well as the finish.
I found these fabulous pink tassel placemats on clearance at Anthropologie - I had been searching for a long time for round placemats that weren't "blehhh."
Okay, now welcome to the DIY relationship-tester.... the "bar" wall of my kitchen!
This is a space that I envisioned very clearly in my mind. I drew sketches and knew exactly what I wanted to do to transform this once-boring wall (I'll post some before-and-afters later). Aaron patiently helped me install vinyl removable wallpaper that I ordered from Etsy. And then the next weekend came the shelves.... the shelves that almost ended our relationship. These floating shelves from Ikea were a total B to install! We kept missing the studs. Aaron stripped a screw which triggered a dramatic meltdown from me. The top shelf wasn't aligned perfectly with the bottom shelf, which did not fly with me (Aaron didn't like it either, but he wasn't very eager to fix it at that moment... I had to fix it at THAT moment). But we got through it together. And this wall was well-worth it (ehhh... maybe not my meltdown. I am not condoning my meltdown).
On a different day, I added hanging glassware racks which I purchased from Amazon and... you guessed it... spray-painted gold.
I love these little bottle-brushed trees. The glassware is gold year-round, but it works especially well during the holidays.
And my favorite holiday touch... I put a little Santa hat on the donkey cookie jar! The santa hat is meant for a wine bottle, I believe, but it fits the donkey well.
I filled this basket full of wrapping bows last year... and then I ended up leaving the bows out year-round. They're just so fun and sparkly! And handy when wrapping gifts.
The pink Roman shades are another custom piece by my mom. I gave her the dimensions and asked her if she could make a Roman shade, and she delivered!
I love art, and have started my own little collection. The two framed prints on the wall are from Gray Malin's collection.
Very simple change to make to bring holidays into the home that doesn't take up much storage room - I swap out my dish towels with Christmas dish towels. It's the little things!
I'm not showing you the complete blank wall at the other end of my kitchen, but it's been a blank canvas for a long time, and I can't decide what I want to do here.... one large art print? Small gallery wall? Aaron suggested a peg board to hang my new Caraway ceremic cookware on. I really just can't decide! Let me know in the comments if you have any suggestions!
This knife set and knife block from Material Kitchen were my Black Friday splurge (well... one of may, really. I also bought a GoPro on a whim.) I'd been wanting to upgrade my knives for a long time because mine were so dull, they were dangerous. I guess I could have sharpened them but... they were just really cheap Target knives that I purchased 5 years ago. Aaron and I have been cooking a lot over the past year, and when you cook frequently, you realize how important a good, sharp knife is.
Now, on to my bedroom! Does it look like the room of a child? Probably. I am 28, and I love it!! I've had the bedding for a long time - I got it for my apartment at Clemson my Junior year (that would've been 2012 - 7 years ago!). It's from PB Teen, and they still sell it today which is how you know it's a classic! I really wanted to bring it with me to UCLA, but I had a studio apartment, and my mom warned me that you'd be able to see my pink bedroom from the kitchen (I think she thought it would clash? Ha! Totally matches my kitchen today). She brought it to me when I moved into this apartment, so I'll forgive her.
My mom also got me that Happy Holidays pillow cover back when I lived in the studio because I could swap out the pillow cover for a different design for the rest of the year, and it didn't take up much storage space. The fur throw is from West Elm, and it is amazingly warm and a necessity during the winter.
In my bedroom, I decorate with a lot of things that I also wear/use. It's great because it's out in my line of sight and easy to access, and it can also be changed out seasonally for subtle holiday decor. This year, I swapped out my Minnie Mouse Ear Collection with Christmas versions - ahhh, so cute! And yes, I really do wear these.
This wall is the "office" area of my room. I have a lot of computer equipment and tech gear. And I totally had to clear all the new GoPro boxes off of my desk before taking this photo.
Christmas clutches and accessories! A purse is a super easy way to add holiday flair to a room, or to your wardrobe.
So if you've come down this far, and you're wondering, "jeez, how many Mickey/Minnie Ears does this girl have?" The answer is... I don't know, and now I'm curious and need to count. Yes, I love Disney - I have since I was a kid. I also work for The Walt Disney Company in Architecture & Facilities Engineering, so I have a lot of opportunities to wear Mickey Ears.
These shelves are also from Ikea. I mounted them first, by myself (which is why I didn't anticipate the challenge of the kitchen shelves). Shelves with surface-mounted brackets are a lot easier to install than floating shelves with hidden brackets. In typical Victoria fashion, the brackets are spray-painted gold.
And I'll leave you with this little tree. Another decoration mailed from mom. Seriously, it's awesome that I still love and use pink so much and have so many things from my childhood that I can still decorate with today.
Thank you for coming along on my little holiday home tour! Let me know what you think (do you hate pink???), and what you'd like to see more of - I'd really appreciate it if you leave a comment below!
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