Before and After E-Design

This charming home had so much potential and my clients really did a good job maximizing their space they had to work with. 

Before: 

Here is the e-design I put together for them:

After a couple revisions we ended up going with a different backsplash and my client had a brilliant idea to keep the original copper hardware from their old kitchen. Which got thrown out on accident during demo! Luckily they were able to find some similar ones. 

 After: 

The copper pendants are my favorite in this traditional kitchen, complemented the copper hardware on the cabinets so well! 

Dining area before: 

Dinning area after: 

 Just had to get a close up of this beautiful Persian rug against that flooring: 

Target Finds

Some days you just need to feast your eyes upon pretty decor (okay everyday for me). A trip to target and it is easy to fall in love with their home decor. If I got payed for every time I went to target I just might be as wealthy as good old Bill Gates.

Not like it is hard to find pretty things at target! So I put together a round up of my favorite things from target:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 

DYI Vinyl Triangle Wall

For our son's room I wanted it to be bright with lots of simple modern patterns. I have always loved the vinyl wall stickers because unlike wallpaper it is not permanent. Which I endlessly like to change things up around my house so I felt like this was a perfect match for me! 

I looked online to buy some: HERE not bad only $25 but I was curious if I could just make them myself for even less. I went to Walmart and picked up some adhesive laminate shelf lining (you can get some HERE) for only $4. 97! I cut the triangles 3.5" W and 4" L. Using a ruler/measuring tape we (I had my husband help me, goes by faster with two!) spaced them 10" apart and just did our best to eye it.  Honestly I am surprised it turned out half decent! Owen walked in and exclaimed, "wow! good job mommy!" 

I really wanted to add some shelves to complete the wall. I strolled around target, found some shelves for $30 each, I wasn't a huge fan because they were chunky and I wanted more thin shelves. Went to Homedepo, scored two wooden shelves for $4 each! The white brackets were my favorite because it added a more modern look and they were only $2. Total on this accent wall I spent $24.00! Not bad my friend! 

Style me Pretty:

Shelves can be tricky, making them look clean but not cluttered. Here are some tips and examples of different types of shelves and how to style them just right. 

Starting off with Kitchen shelves: 

Kitchen shelves are a great way to have more of an open concept and display your dinner-ware. That is how I chose to utilize the bottom shelf. The top shelf I used more for styling our rarely used (but pretty) cook books and dishes. To add color I used art and greenery.   

Balance and grouping is a must when styling. Notice how in this picture below there is one larger object and three smaller objects on the other end to help balance. It is not symmetrical but still is pleasing to the eye BECAUSE it is well balanced.  

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Grouping objects: 

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Office/Living Room Shelves: 

USE BOOKS on your BOOK shelves (makes sense). Best way to style your books is to:

1. place some vertical and some horizontal 2. organize in groups 3. take book sleeves OFF

When working with longer shelves layer objects:

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 Here is a great example of how to style shorter/boxed shelves:

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You could go all OCD on us:

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Organized, simple, but not cluttered. 

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Free standing book shelves: 

Use personal objects that have meaning and style them on top of books or layered by other art and objects. 

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Happy styling! 

Holiday Hosting!

I LOVE me some good holiday parties, if you are hosting here are some fun ideas from some lovely bloggers that I have rounded up for you!

Cookie swap party + hot cocoa bar from Merrick's Art:

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See how to make these fun stars HERE

Add a unique treat:

Love this idea from Just-Between-Friends 

Caramel PEARS so unique to Christmas and it looks pretty:)

Recipe HERE

Decor, you don't have to go way over board (unless you want to of course) here are some simple  ways to add a little flair to your party: 

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I love the rustic simplicity of this decor, add greenery, frames (with just hand written parts to a christmas song), and labels to food simple yet perfect!

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Cloth napkins made pretty! Cinnamon stick, pine, and twine! Beautiful. 

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Great idea for center pieces: Holly, glass container, and tea lights! 

Name Tags: 

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Get Some Christmas Aroma in the AIR!

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
• 3 tangerines, halved
• 3 whole cinnamon sticks
  
  
• 2 star anise (optional) gives a strong black licorice smell.
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger
• 1 vanilla bean + 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 small branch fresh pine
• 1 cup apple cider, pomegranate or cranberry juice
• water


Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a medium size sauce pot. Fill the pot with water until it reaches 3/4 the way full. Place the pot on the stove and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, adding more water as needed. I let mine simmer for close to 4 hours and then let it cool over night and simmer again the next day. Just be sure to keep adding more water.

For more wonderful recipes check out: Half Baked Harvest

Nordic E-Design Living Room

This E-Design project has been so fun to work on! When my clients told me they are drawn to the nordic style, I was so thrilled! The Scandinavian nordic style is a favorite of mine, so clean and crisp.

Here are some inspirational pictures my client sent me from Houzz:

Here is my blank slate to work with: 

And here is the design I came up with: 

Floor plan:

 Thrilled to see the design come to life!! Happy..what day is it?? Wed..Tues.! 

Dazzling Vintage

Vintage decor & furniture always have so much personality and can add SO much to a space. The trick is to create a space that has a lot of simplicity around the vintage furniture/decor so the space does not appear cluttered. Here are two homes that have TONS of personality and spunk but very clean and modernized. 

This traditional dining room is full of vintage finds. Images from the lovely Kindred Vintage

People ask me where to find vintage finds and honestly the best places to look are: flea markets, DI, local decor shops, and even better family heirlooms. I have a problem with not saving anything and getting rid of any STUFF I don't need or use. Other's have the opposite problem boarding hoarder line. Balance in everything I suppose. I still find simplicity to be the best but as the pictures so wonderful display how you can have a balance in saving/having antiques and using them as key focal point in a room.