Here is to an amazing 2012!

Question: If a blogger throws a party but forgets to take pictures, did it ever really happen?
Answer:  Who cares, we were too busy having fun!! 

Last weekend was our annual holiday party and it for sure did not disappoint. Our tiny house was bursting at the seams - from people to food, we had an abundance of goodness!

I did manage to grab this Instagram of a lovely little terrarium one of our guests brought as a hostess gift, (I know... talk about a great guest!) which ended up being the perfect home for my vintage little ceramic seagull.  Doesn't he look happy??

And here is the Moo Kitty enjoying the tree and all of its twinkle lights.

And finally, there has been a ton of great gift-wrapping inspiration making the blog rounds lately, so I thought I would throw my hat into the ring and show you what I came up with this year.

Everything was from my stash - the patterned paper came from Target last year (although I thought I saw it, or something very similar, again this year!, the solid red was from Ikea last year (it was in a two-pack with some super cute gnomes!) The gray ribbon is a handle from an Anthropologie shopping bag, and the other ribbons I stock up on during the Craft Warehouse summer sales.  But most importantly, the amazing birds I found here.  Do yourself a favor and go ahead and print some of these out for yourself.  They are so beautifully done, with amazing detail and texture.  Seriously - I want to frame some of them!

I love tile.

I am one of those weird designers who is constantly stroking (fondling?) tile samples in showrooms.  I love it all. From your basic ceramic, to custom metal and glass, a good tile installation has the ability to make me swoon!  So as you can imagine, I have been eagerly awaiting the installation of this kitchen's back splash.

Please forgive the blurry iPhone shots. (I promise, one day I will get a big girl camera and learn how to use it.  But really the iPhone is just so darn convenient!) 

And a closeup of the gorgeous beveled edge/slightly crackled subway tile, with a recycled glass and stone mosaic inlay:

 

Across the way we used only the mosaic tile in the small amount of space we have behind the stove,  below the bar.

Can I say that it is all just unbelievably gorgeous with the warm rich chocolate tones of the concrete counter top!

As soon as the construction dust has cleared, I will definitely get someone who knows what they are doing up to the house to help me record all of the details (just wait till you see what we did in the bathroom!)

Progress:

The countertops are being installed as I type, soon to be followed by the backsplash (tile is always my favorite part!). Draperies are being installed in two weeks, and then the homeowners get to move back in.  I am so excited to see it all come togther!

And over at my other client's house (remember their living and dining rooms?) this has happened in the bedroom:

Custom bedding, a mix of vintage and custom art on the walls (with room for the collection to grow).   We are still working on properly scaled bedside lighting, and a seating area across from the bed.  For now I'll just give you a sneak peak at the gorgeous draperies (blackout lined for ideal sleeping conditions).


I love my job!

Happy Anniversary to my love!

We've known each other for 13 years (and have been married for six) and spending time with you is still my absolute favorite thing to do. 

I am SO excited for this book.

The blog has been a longtime favorite of mine, and I have a sneaking suspicion that the book will also be a favorite.

Its hard to believe that in a few short months this:

 

will look a whole lot more like this:

Of course that is just my sketch-up rendering to show the clients what I see in my head!

There has been much debate over the island pendants... the plan originally called for three pendants evenly spaced over the bar.  However, becuase the stove is not centered (this is a Chef's kitchen, and he was adamant that he get a full 48" worth of prep space next to the range) three pendants seemed wonky.  As you can imagine, we played around with a lot of options - having three but not evenly spacing them, only having two, removing then completely - and ultimately we are happy with how four pendants evenly spaced looks.

The pendants themselves are especially lovely, and fulfill all of our requirements which were 1: to bring a sense of femininity (and even a hint of traditional) into the very masculine and modern space 2: fully enclose the bulb 3: diffuse the light and 4: not look too "restauranty" (since my clients are indeed restaurant owners, and they would like their home to be a haven from their busy and all encompassing life! )

  

Pretty aren't they??

And a sneak peak at the materials...

 

(picture taken outside under direct sunlight during a planning session with the cabinet maker)

...which includes a poured concrete counter top in a lovely Kahlua/Mocha color, recycled glass and tumbled slate mosaic tile, a mix of painted and wood cabinetry, and a hint of crackle in the finish of the ceramic 3x6 field tiles.

I am so excited for all of the elements, and how we are paying homage to the age of the home, but definitely allowing a much more modern feel to creep in!

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And in other news - I finally managed to design and print my business cards!!

 

The folks at Moo did an amazing job, and their quality has impressed everyone so far!  The paper is nice and thick, and the colors are rich and beautiful.

The chair sketch is one I did based off of the Astrid. (It has always been one of my favorites for its whimsical shape and how versatile it looks in either a solid or a fun pattern)  I scanned in my sketch, and then manipulated the depth of my sketch lines to make the shape really stand out.  I ended up having five different colors of chairs, and I like how they all relate to the front of the cards in pattern and curvaceousness! 

I love handing out my cards!

Any Project Runway fans out there??

I am SUCH a fan, and this season I am especially excited to watch because a friend of mine is on the show!!!

Becky is an amazing gal who has overcome some pretty rough situations. She went back to school in her 30s to study fashion, and is doing wonderful things to make gals of ALL sizes feel beautiful.

Everyone watch the premier tonight, and then go vote for Becky Ross for fan favorite!

Did you all see this awesome contest that Emily Henderson (yes - that cute blonde who is the host of Secrets from a Stylist) is running? 

You could win this adorable pink faceted lamp.... and since I have been crushing hard on all things faceted lately, I am crossing all my fingers and toes that its finally my turn to win a giveaway!

Of course I would switch out the shade for something like this one from our friends at Anthropologie:

Some random photos from my iphone....

 

So excited to be heading out to Tennessee!

 

My first Cracker Barrel 

 

Taking care of the burn pile.

A glorious experience!

 

Rainbow birthday cake for my favorite gal!

 

My 15cent garage sale find!

 

Beautiful skies on my last night.

 

Somewhere over Arkansas

 

Thats my pink suitcase!

While in Tennessee I had the immense pleasure of watching my best friend's daughter play the last wto games of her little league baseball season!  Not having any children of my own, I was wholly unprepared for the intensity and nerve-wracking I had to endure!

 

(little Davy cheering on his sister!)

Ana played catcher this season, and was an absolute champ. She was all over the place, throwing her body around like it didn't matter. My heart was in my throat pretty much the entire time! (there was some talk amongst the parents and they said things like "best in her age bracket."  You better believe that I was one proud aunty!)

She also managed to hit every time she was at bat!  There was some really quick and evasive running to second...

 

...and she even had the most beautiful slide into home for the run!! (I was too busy screaming and jumping up and down to catch a picture of her awesome moves!)

 Unfortunately one of her games was at 1pm on the hottest day of the week - so you better believe that as soon as the game was over we headed back to the house and jumped right into the pool!

 

Last week, after about a month of crazy schedule wrangling, expedia and priceline stalking, and many many secretive phone calls, I was able to finally pull off the surprise of the century.  You see,  it was my best friend's 30th birthday, and we have not been able to see each other in almost 6 years!

She was obviously delighted, and I have to say that it was probably one of the best weeks I have had in years!  There was rainbow birthday cake, horses, 90+ degree weather, a pool, and lots of wine and girl talk.  I am so blissed out right now! 

Of course I have about a bazillion photos, but I want to dedicate this post to the beautiful horses of Kensington Farms, where my friend is a riding instructor.  (I know - dream job right?)

What is it about horses and girls - how is it that pretty much every little girl is born horse crazy?  I don't know any little boys who wake up one day and want to plaster their walls with pictures of horse magazines.  

  

I was pondering this while I was taking pictures, and I started to realize that horses have such an amazing spirit.  They are so giving and loving - it is no wonder horse therapy is becoming more and more popular.  There is nothing more powerful that the love between a rider and their horse, and the first time you really look into a horse's eyes, your heart grows a little bit bigger.  (It has been said that the eye is the hardest to capture - that is why there is so much bad horse art out there!)  And we as women, who are also born givers, feel drawn to horses because we instinctualy know that they have the capacity to help give back and soothe our own souls.

 

 

Anyway... I am so grateful for my week of fun (I feel like a new person!) and I am excited to share with you the rest of my adventures!

 

I am so enamored with Keri Russel's kitchen featured in the latest Elle Decor.

Those reclaimed wood cabinets.

The dining room table that her (hunky hunky) hubby built!

And  while not part of the kitchen, that bathroom is pretty swoon worthy as well (that slab of wood as a bath caddy!!)

I am actually surprised by how much I love this spread, as I am usually a girl who embraces color! But there is something about reclaimed (dark) wood that really gets my heart racing.

Of course I would fill those open shelves with my collection of colorful vintage pottery and that bathroom seriously needs some dark teal towels...

(to see William Waldron's beautiful images in all their un-cropped glory hop on over to the elle decor)

Remember my 30 before 30 list? Remember number 13 (sidenote - I have always thought that 13 was a lucky number becuase there were 13 letters in my maiden name!) about starting my own design firm?  Yah... well, lets just go ahead and cross that one off the list!

For the last few months I have been working with a handful of amazing clients, and I LOVE it!  I get to play with color and textiles, and help people turn their spaces into places where they actually want to spend time!

I am still working on getting my logo and business cards designed (why is it so much harder to do this stuff for yourself?) and I will definitely share that if i ever make a decision! 

Today I am going to give you a little sneak peak into my favorite client's home.  She is a lovely young gal with an adorable husband and the most gorgeous little baby you have ever seen.  They love color and are definitely into combining a mid-century vibe with their classic Portland bungalow!  They recently moved here from Chicago, where their apartment was a lot smaller, so its been fun to pretty much start from scratch!

Here is the dining room before:

 And here is a picture of my Sketch-Up model.  We were ordering that gorgeous table online, and were concerned about how it would look with and without all the leaves (they have a large family here in town, and want to be able to entertain comfortably).

The dining room in progress:  (The table, chairs, paint, and rug are all in and we are just waiting on the drapes to be made and installed)

The adjoining living room before:

As you can see, she is not afraid to mix colors and patterns (which I LOVE), however we do have to be careful to strike the right balance as we layer in more elements so that it does not end up feeling like a carnival!  (and yes, that is my blurry finger in the corner there - I was taking this picture at a really awkward angle, not even looking at the screen as I tried to get the widest shot possible!)

And here is my Photoshopped after.   

We were looking at a few pieces, like that CB2 credenza, and that Amy Butler rug, but knowing that online ordering is always risky (as color changes immensely depending on the lighting, time of day, etc) we decided to only order one piece at a time so we could make smart decisions and not have a bunch of stuff that doesn't look quite right.

So we started with the rug, and as you can see in  this photo, the greens are much less saturated, and verging on sage rather than the acid in the online photo.  We really like the rug in the space, especially since the softer tones actually help balance all the boldness of the adjoining dining room.  And as you can see from the leftover birthday decorations, pops of bold color will really be fun (and will help relate to the dining room nicely!)

We are now considering alternative options to the CB2 credenza, and I think we are going to try and find a neat old piece that we can paint!  We have also talked about painting the brick area of the fireplace, and updating the chandeliers in both the living and dining rooms.  

It has been so much fun this far, and I am excited to share more updates as we progress! (and as I learn to take better photos in our gray gray city!)