A Baby Shower

Recently, I had the honor and pleasure of hosting a baby shower for my best friend, Jen. I can't say we go way back because we only met several years ago but our friendship feels like its been over a life time. 

We've bonded over many things, but it was the same passion and outlook we shared on interior design that has made us close. Jen is also one of the main reasons I started this blog. She encourages me everyday to pursue all of my design goals and dreams! Over the past several years I have also gotten to know and love her family and friends which also helped to make this shower a success. 

Jen has a designer's eye and I knew she would appreciate all the details that went into the decor of the shower. So, I of course couldn't do ordinary, I wanted extraordinary. This was my story board I started with to get my design juices flowing! 

Being that the foyer would be first thing everyone saw, I wanted it to be over the top! My mind works in a weird way. In order for me to create, I must have structure to follow. So, I draw out most everything on Auto Cad first. 

 

The end result! Tissue paper pom poms with crepe paper streamers is a cost effective way to add a little drama.

 The cake! One of my favorite parts of the whole thing! 

More of the sweet decor. Pun intended ;-) 

The rest of the decor came easy because I used most everything I already had in my home. With a few extra additions and gorgeous flower arrangements by my sister the end result came out better than expected!  

And last, but not least, the diaper cake! I cannot take any credit for this creation. Another best friend came up with this, beautifully detailed, design to fit in with the rest of the decor. Thanks again, Kat! 

I wish all the love and happiness to Jen and Scott's sweet little girl. She is already SO spoiled! 

Lately

I realize I've been M.I.A. lately and here is why...

My husband and I bought a business!!

Excited, nervous, blessed, over joyed, scared....all of these emotions together and you've got me, a hot mess. If it wasn't for my other half you'd probably find me curled up in a ball sobbing in a corner. Ya see, the business was bought through the old owners of Metro for whom Alan worked for. It became available about 3 months ago and we bought it. So within the past three months its been nothing but a whirlwind for us but we couldn't be happier. Alan runs Metro and I help out where I can because Im still working full time.

We're excited where this will lead us and hope it will grow into everything Alan has planned for it. 

Wish us luck on this new adventure! Oh and if you'd like check us out online here we are Metrosignsofhuntsville.com There really isn't anything we can't do (don't tell Alan I said that).

So as you can tell the busyness of my life has increased by a bazillion, OK that's being dramatic, but this is my excuse for not keeping up with the blog as I liked to. I have a lot of new posts coming up so please continue to follow, comment, and share! 

Here is something to hold you over. 

My parents are needing to freshen up their living room and this is the color scheme and ideas I came up with. More details to follow!

 

Wild Card Room Reveal

Are you ready??

If not, then get caught up and read this.
  
Now, are you ready??

Drum roll please....

 

Tada!

How about that for some color?

This design was a bit out of my comfort zone but totally fun and worth the wow factor. You can see I played off the art a good bit. I pulled out the small hint of blue in the art for the accent wall and used pops of yellow as another jolt of color. The blue accent wall is Sherwin Williams Jay Blue and the other walls are a soft gray Sherwin Williams Olympus. 

I felt the bedding needed to be a strong pattern so it wouldn't get lost in the loud color scheme. BUT I didn't want it to be colorful itself as it would just compete with the art. I found all the bedding including the yellow pillow and throw at West Elm. 

A lot of great finds helped this room out a good bit too. The biggest being the bed. Keeping with styles I saw in Germany, I knew I wanted a platform style bed. Platforms are modern, usually sit low to the ground, and do not have a box spring. I had always admired the beds from Ikea, they of course have that European look I wanted, but they were unreachable for me because the closet store was 4 hours away. Browsing Craigslist one afternoon I came across the find of a century. This bed was listed for a ridiculously low price. So, I snatched it up :-)

Hey, why not use desk lamps as your beside lamps? I did ;-) These lamps were bought at Target. 

And remember nesting dolls? Just another fun German accent to finish off the room. 

Overall I wanted a fun, comfortable space where guests felt they were actually on vacation. Now, did I make it too nice that they'll never want to leave? 

Wild Card

Often times when I'm scheming up ideas for clients I like to give them several options to choose from. One of those options I call my "wild card". Its a step out of their comfort zone. A complete opposite to the style they were thinking. I've discovered this helps them narrow down quicker-they either hate the wild card or they start thinking in a new light. 

I consider my house fairly traditional with a splash of modern rustic. But it's not traditional in the sense you might think. I don't own doilies, not everything is tufted, and I can't stand Tiffany style lamps. There are a lot of aspects of my home that would dub it Transitional, a mix between traditional and modern. A term we use often in the design world to describe almost everyone's style these days.

So with all that being said I will get to the point :-) When coming up with schemes for my guest bedroom I had several "safe" transitional ideas, but there was one idea that wouldn't leave my mind...my wild card. It wasn't until a trip to Germany, to visit my sister and brother-in-law, that my wild card idea actually came into full light. While shopping one day in Munich we ran into Bo Concept and in there, I spotted it.

The piece of resistance. A 30 x 40 collage print canvas entitled "Inside". The colors spoke to me and the subject was just wild enough to fit with my idea for the room. 

It was big, bold, and fabulous and I wanted it. But how on earth would I get it home?! Luckily for me, my sister and brother-in-law were moving home in a couple of months and it could hitch a ride with their stuff! Waahoo! So I made my purchase and carried it 7 blocks back to their flat.

Fast forward to 3 months and 5,000 miles later and its now here and ready to take its place in the guest room.

But you'll have to wait till the next post to see the room. I'll make it worth the wait...I promise!

Fast Fix Fridays

Fast Fix Fridays have begun! This is where I'd like to share my quick tips, DIY's and tried recipes before heading into the weekend. Maybe I'll inspire you to try something new!

Here are some vintage metal canisters I picked up at an estate sale for $10. They were in great shape with only a few scratches. The fact they were metal and had a sleek look caught my eye. 

But, being me I had to jazz them up. So, I picked up this can of spray paint from Lowe's to give them a fresh look. Valspar orange in gloss finish.

I taped off the parts I didn't want painted and scuffed up the green metal a bit with a fine sandpaper so the paint would hold and the finish was smooth. I did two coats of paint and I let them dry over night and viola! 

Now, what else can I cover in orange spray paint?! My husband's Alabama Crimson Tide poster? I would never...or would I. :-)

Have a great weekend!

Seventy

Alan’s father turned 70!! So we threw him a party with close friends and family! 

 

In my mind everyone would show up in poodle skirts and we would do the twist to the amazing cover band we had set up in our back yard. But reality hits and you realize neither the budget nor the time would allow for such shenanigans. Besides, his father is a little more low key.

So with the guest of honor in mind and my guest list established I figured an old fashioned cookout would fit the bill. 

 Coming up with the “theme” of the party wasn’t hard. I knew I wanted it fun but with a bit of sophistication. Yellow was on my mind. Blue was Louie’s favorite color, and red? Well, it just went well! 

 Once the colors were established everything else fell into place.

I bought most of the supplies (i.e. table cloths, plates, napkins, utensils, & balloons) at Party City. The cake came from good ole’ Publix, but I special ordered it with the specific colors. And my sister arranged the flowers (thank you, Cheryl!).

The party didn't cost an arm and a leg and the effort it took to pull it all together was minimal, but the effect it had was big! Louie wasn't expecting anything like it and the other guests were delighted when they saw the cake, flowers, and balloons. Sometimes the little things make the biggest difference! Happy Birthday, Louie!

So consider doing a little extra for your next cookout, football party, or any get-together!

Plan on it

How do you plan a party? Is it off a theme or idea you saw on Pinterest? Or perhaps it's doesn't need a theme. Just mix in friends and family with food and drinks and call it a party! Either way there is some type of planning involved. For me, I usually start the moment I know we're throwing a party. Not only do I plan out the party I also start day dreaming about what projects I really want to complete in the house.

So here's the "I need to get this done before the party" project...the foyer. (Is it a coincidence Im starting this blog with the foyer?)

We replaced the door soon after we moved in. Which made the BIGGEST difference.

It obviously needed somethin' goin' on with it...So I called in my crew (my sister Cheryl, Alan, and Hanna) to paint stripes. This would be a project I would tackle myself but being that dropped 1/2 a can of paint in the garage AND I get paint on everything BUT the walls I was told I needed to sit this one out.

The base wall color is Benjamin Moore Carrington Beige and the stripes are about two shades darker which is Benjamin Moore Danville Tan. I decided to only stripe one wall in the foyer because I didn't want it to look like a tunnel.

The finishing touches make all the difference! 

This chest was a hand-me-down from my parents. Typically a chest of drawers isn't found in a foyer but I like the height of this chest and the narrowness allows for side chairs or planters on either side. It gives me options, which is always good in my book as I tend to change my mind often. Just ask Alan! 

Freshly black painted door with my DIY wreath I put together using Hobby Lobby paper flowers and a grape vine wreath. Just stick those babies on with a hot glue gun and DONE. Too easy!

The rug is a hand-me-down from Pottery Barn, the modern wing chair is Lee and the mirror I picked up from Marshalls. 

 And the pillow you ask? Made by me :-)

 Look for my next post to find out what all this planning was for!

Let's do this

I have to admit starting a blog wasn't on the top of my "how I want to spend my free time" list. It wasn't even on the radar until a long conversation over wine with my good friend and sister sparked my curiosity as to what it would be like to be a "blogger". That conversation left me with mixed emotions. I liked the idea of getting to share my insights to the world but on one hand I don’t think of writing as a hobby and seriously people I would rather spend my free time eating cake and watching movies. BUT after even more encouragement form my sweet husband here I am. So now that I have committed to this whole blog thing I really couldn't be more excited!

Here is a little about me. I am a full time Interior Designer and I work for a firm called Accents of the South in Huntsville, Alabama (yes, we have all our teeth). I've been married for a year to my just as creative husband, Alan and we have a fur-child named Hanna. I love cooking, entertaining, traveling, and fitness so there will be some randomness about those topics as well. My biggest project that I have been working on myself is my own home, so you'll see a lot of posts related to that.

I've been told I'm high strung and always have something brewing up in my mind, which are both very true. I can't walk into a room without noticing the decor. I'm constantly re-arranging spaces in my mind and if you ask me what I'm thinking about it probably has something to do with paint colors, fabrics, or chocolate. So here you go: a look inside my...Interior Mind.