The Good Girl Gone Blog

Container Store Grand Opening @ The Northshore Mall October 29, 2012

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending a blogger preview lunch at the newest Container Store location, the Northshore Mall! If you know me well, you know I'm a big fan of products that help you organize, so this was like entering paradise for me. 

Whether you're looking for kitchen items, trash cans (I thought the veil was a super cool option), closet organization or office supplies, The Container Store has a little something for everyone. The best part? There are products to fit every budget! You can buy a plastic tube hanger for $0.32 or an entire customized Elfa closet for 100s of dollars!  

It was also really great to learn more about the company, which has been around for over 34 years! My favorite of their 7 founding principles: 

The Container Store seems like it's not only a great place to shop, but an amazing company to work for- they're an "employees first" company that has made Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For" list year after year.

They also threw a KILLER party that night. There was a live band, drinks galore and a fun party atmosphere. Unfortunately, due to my epic cold, I wasn't able to taste anything, but I hear the food was delicious!

I highly recommend you stopy by your local Container Store or check out their website for great organizing products and fantastic gift ideas!

Makeover this Room: A new G3B Project October 10, 2012

Hi, my name is Alana and I spend the majority of my time working from home...from the couch. Sounds great, right? Well, the working from home part is pretty awesome, but the couch thing is starting to get old. While I do have a desk (I'm actually sitting at it as I type), I'm not too fond of it, nor the room in which it sits.

You see, I have a "home office", but it's a mess. It also serves as my closet. It's a hodge-podge of clothing, office items and random things we didn't want in the other rooms of our apartment. I like parts of the room (i.e. my shoe wall), but they just don't fit together. Which is why it's time for a change. It's time to get my butt of the couch and turn this space into somewhere I actually want to spend my day. 

It's the ugly duckling of the apartment and I hate being in it.

But here's the hard part- I have NO idea how to make this room work, which is why I'm posting about it on my blog. I'm hoping that you, my readers, the Internet, etc, may have some ideas for me- where to shop, what to look for, how to bring this room together.

Who's with me?

DIY Sneak Peek August 13, 2012

Just a few fun shots from a weekend DIY Eric and I dreamed up. The best part? The only thing we paid for was the spray paint! The cubes were originally purchased at Target and lived in my old apartment, and the mirrors were salvaged from the trash.  

I can't wait for this DIY to be complete. Stay tuned for more!

Anyone else DIY this weekend?

The Style and Go™ Hair Care Valet June 13, 2012

Remember my functional decor series about choosing pieces that were both cute and practical for my 200 sq. ft. apartment? Well, I'm done with tiny apartments (and have been since I moved out last year), but I'm definitely not done with functional decor, which is why I'm so excited to share this new product with you.

Last week, I received an email form Marcy McKenna (winner of Kelly Ripa's Homemade Millionaire and a fellow SkinnyScoop Tastemaker) about her newest product, The Style and Go™ Hair Care Valet, which will be available on HSN this month. It's the perfect piece of "functional decor" for any gal who is looking for a great way to keep her hair/beauty products organized.

About the Style and Go™:

• Easty to install wall mounted cabinet that holds up to 4 appliances (think blow dryer, curling iron, flat iron, etc.) + products.
• Cord compartment keeps cords managed and out of sight and all appliances are hooked up to one switch
• Features mirrors on both sides of the door for better styling
• 5X magnifying make up mirror.
• Comes in white, black and espresso 

You can learn more about Marcy and her line of innovative products here.

* I was not compensated for this post, I just think the product is really cool!

Functional Decor: Gallery Wall April 14, 2011

My apartment is small, but that doesn't mean it can't include a mini sized gallery. Sure, half the wall houses my kitchen, but the other part, well, that's my gallery wall!

My gallery wall is a mix of pictures that all share a few common colors. They're bright, fun and are very "Alana".

Most of the pictures were either gifts, or they came from great stores like ikea and Home Goods.

Does your apartment have a gallery wall?

Functional Decor: Open Closet Space April 07, 2011

I know I mentioned this in one of my earlier posts in regard to shoes, but sometimes, the pieces you wear make for the best decorations. Seriously, if you didn't like the clothes/shoes you purchased enough to show them off as decorations, they probably weren't worth purchasing at all.
Though I have a "real" closet, I prefer to put my in-season clothing out in the open. Not only are my pieces easier to find, they also add some extra color to my room (Challenge: Can you spot Eric's clothing? There's a tie, a blazer and a shirt thrown in there!)
My apartment is pretty oddly shaped, and there was a small nook area next to my bed, separated by a half-wall that used to be part of a fireplace. Instead of wasting the space, we decided to add a curtain rod and a shelf to make an extra closet!

I definitely love the effect! It was an easy and inexpensive way to make the most of a strange space while at the same time displaying some of my favorite possessions!

Have you experimented with an open closet space?

Functional Decor: Wall Decals March 27, 2011

My apartment is white, very very white. My furniture is white, my walls are white, my bathroom is white, my shades are white. To be honest, I don't want to change that at all- I chose my furniture and my shades, and I think the lightness of the apartment helps open it up and keeps it looking crisp.

Still, that doesn't mean I don't want to accessorize with color, like these amazing wall decals from IKEA (similar- I have these at work). Most landlords don't let you paint, so wall decals are a great alternative. They were  easy to apply, will be easy to remove and were so inexpensive. Can you believe they cost around $10 and look like a professional painting? My door area is a little banged up, so I thought these tall, bright flowers would draw attention away from the imperfections.

PS- To those of you curious about my kitchen (Hannah),that's my fridge and part of my counter. Have no fear, I'll get to sharing the whole thing soon, I promise! But first, a few things might be changing...

Functional Decor: Beadazzled March 08, 2011

Last week, I showed you my wall of shoes. Today, I'm excited to share with you my curtain of jewels!

Instead of keeping my necklaces and bracelets stuffed in various jewelry boxes or strewn across my bathroom sink, I decided to hang my jewels in a place where I could easily access them: the middle of my apartment!

Hung around a closet rod in my Stolmen System from Ikea (similar), my curtain of jewels serves as decoration, jewelry box and room divider.

Room divider, you ask? You see, when some people say they live in a small studio apartment, they typically have the luxury of a galley kitchen. My "kitchen" is literally opposite my bed, so creating a sort of room divider was definitely necessary.

Now that my jewelry is easy to find, I have no excuse not to accessorize, something I often skipped because it was too much of a struggle.

Do you have a creative way to display your jewelry? 

Functional Decor: Flaunt your Shoes March 01, 2011

A few weeks ago, I hinted at a new blog series called Functional Decor, where I'll be describing some of the decorating techniques I use in my tiny, 180 sq ft. apartment.

Because space is so tight, I need to make the most of every corner, inch of wall space and piece of floor available to me.

Today, I'd like to share with you my shoe display. When you purchase shoes, or at least when I do, comfort and functionality are only 2 major concerns. The third, of course, is style. So, if you're spending time and money finding fabulous shoes, why should they sit in your closet? 

Enter my wall of shoes:

I have no idea how the previous renter used these shelves, but when I first spotted them, I knew they'd make the perfect home for my abundant shoe collection.

Currently, my shoe wall is home to most of my heels- flats are currently stored in an over-the-door shoe rack in my closet, and boots are lined up as neatly as possible on the floor. About two pairs of heels didn't fit on the shoe wall, so they're displayed elsewhere.

I was thinking about organizing my shoes based on color or by season, but for now, they're just sort of randomly displayed.

Has anyone else tried a shoe wall? If you don't have a wall of shelves like I do, you could use an extra bookcase for storage, or strategically place shoes on shelves around your room for a touch of style and color.