Event planning

My sister and I are getting ready for a small event on Saturday. She is busy painting furniture and restoring photographs and I am working on some of the smaller details ...

My daughter was in town last week and I was able to have her re-paint our custom signs ... 

I am better using the computer for my lettering!

This is going to be a fun party to style ... the client wanted everything to be white!

Happy Yellow Monday

A couple of weeks ago my daughter and her sweet daughter (who is now one-and-a-half) were feeling a little blue. The fun of the cold weather and snow had worn off and they were longing for warmer weather where they could go outside and play in the sun. I knew hoped that warmer weather was right around the corner and I sent them a little care package to cheer them up. I put a little swimsuit in it for my grand-daughter and some tags with quotes about sunshine. And would you know the day it arrived it was warm enough outside to wear that swimsuit and play outside in their little blow-up pool?

"If you're feeling blue -

try painting yourself 

a different 

COLOR"

-Hannah Cheatem Age 8

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Some of my recent pins

There are so many fabulous ideas available today that it can be overwhelming (and intimidating I have to say!). But it is also a wonderful thing and so very inspiring. A client of mine sent me some headboard ideas tonight to see what I thought about incorporating something similar into her bedroom. 

via

Not only did I love the idea but the link she sent me led me to some other fabulous ideas. I thought you might like to see a few of my recent pins:

Fun, right?

Thinking of Boston

The events of this last week are so heavy on my heart. I was practically glued to the television images and the stories; I could not stop watching. I stayed continually tuned to the news as I drove in my car. And as much as I was grieved to see and hear such pain and tragedy (and hate and violence), I was also touched by the outpouring of LOVE and courage and selflessness by ordinary people. The juxtaposition of the best of and the worst of humanity. 

I believe in people. I really do. And in the power of LOVE. But why ... is it so hard for us to get along? I am reminded of the words of John Lennon, "Imagine all the people living life in peace.... I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will be as one." 

What if we all just made amends with one person this week? Or forgave someone we are holding a grudge with? What if we tried to combat anger with love? What if the horrible violence in Boston sparked a revolution of love and peace in all of our communities and in our families and was the catalyst to heal our broken relationships? Can you imagine?

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten

 that we belong to each other.
-Mother Teresa

"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality...I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

It isn't enough to talk about peace, one must believe it.

And it isn't enough to believe in it, one must work for it.

-Eleanor Roosevelt

Love your enemies. Pray for them. (Matthew 5:44)

-Jesus

"The most valuable possession you can own is an open heart. The most powerful weapon you can be is an instrument of peace." 

- Carlos Santana

"Dear God, Please send to me the spirit of Your peace. Then send, dear Lord, the spirit of peace from me to all the world. Amen" 

- Marianne Williamson

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T.G.I.F.

In my neck of the woods, summer seems to be quickly approaching ... the warmer weather is very welcomed!

Happy Friday Everyone!

Some unexpected bargains

It is still un-styled but we added a few more pieces to my "tight-budged-princess-with-champagne-taste" client's home today ...

The media cabinet is one of my favorite pieces. We went to pick it up from HomeGoods today and came home with a new leather chair and rustic side table as well (that place is dangerous!). 

The leather ottoman, the lamps and the nesting tables and artwork were all purchased last week from HomeGoods. We will definitely be working on replacing / adding pillows to the generic sofas and need to bring in some personal touches but it is getting closer to being move-in ready.

We also added a few more things to the playroom ...

The best is a couple of pieces of art that my client's 10-year-old daughter created. We need to get them framed but I think they are just perfect! I LOVE children's artwork and this is one creative little girl - we used her art previously in her mommy's psychology offices ... you can see her earlier artwork here.

The rustic desk is another of my favorites. We picked it up from Living Spaces. Seriously. I was expecting the worst when we went into the store but it was an inexpensive option where we could get some furniture quickly and honestly, I have gone to worse places. [Did you know that once I went to a gas station in South Central L.A. to purchase a sofa out of a container? Oh yeah, I did. It was for a client who has a gorgeous home but her nanny told her she could get a sofa for a couple of hundred dollars and asked me if I would help her select the fabric.] Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised (and very relieved) when we walked into Living Spaces and they had an entire section of one-of-a-kind vintage finds. Who knew?

A tight budgeted princess with champagne taste

Some of my favorite clients are kids (they are so honest!). It is incredibly gratifying to see the smile on the face of a ten-year-old when you have gotten it "right".

Saturday I spent the day working with shopping with a darling mom who is getting ready to move into a new home with her 10-year-old daughter.

"Need ready-to-go furniture on the cheap for a tight budgeted princess with champagne taste" was how she contacted me.

They are starting with almost nothing (a clean slate ... my favorite) and a really tight budget ... also my favorite. I love the challenge and the gratification of helping someone on a "shoe-string" budget put together a home that is beautiful and comfortable and makes them happy to walk through the front door without putting them into debt.

Because they were starting from scratch and their move-in date is near we needed to work fast and find things that we could pick up immediately. I spent a few hours last week choosing a few key pieces (bedroom storage, nightstands) from Ikea ...

A few of my favorite Ikea pieces

... and Saturday we went shopping for what we needed to fill in with. We started at a big-box store for a few essentials (a sofa and dining table) and then went hunting for some more unique pieces from HomeGoods.

This is the perfect nightstand for my youngest client

HomeGoods can be hit or miss but I tell you there are days that I am there that I think I could furnish an entire house from just what is in that store. And that is kind of how it went on Saturday. They had fun and bright and eclectic pieces for a darling 10-year-old, and beautiful, elegant and rustic pieces for her mom.

This chest will add some flair to the end of a long hallway



A few more of our HomeGoods purchases

We found a beautiful media cabinet for the new TV, a fabulous white leather ottoman coffee table, two gorgeous linen dining chairs to keep the dining set (oh, wow, set is like a 4-letter-word!) from looking too ordinary (they will flank the 2 ends), a round ottoman for the master bedroom, lamps and bedding, and baskets and stools, storage containers and pillows galore. I can't wait to photograph and share the final project!

The desk and desk chair - Ikea / the rest from HomeGoods!

It was a highly successful day (the little girl was happy and smiling and so was her mommy) and when we were finished I checked my fitbit and it had registered over 10,000 steps! Woohoo!

Happy Monday everyone!

Sunday rest

And he said, "my presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."

- Exodus 33:14

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TGIF

Happy Friday Everyone!

Long time no see ...

I cannot believe we are already into April and Easter is over. I don't remember the years flying by so fast when I was younger ...

We had a quiet Easter this year ...  we tried to use natural dyes for our eggs which didn't turn out too well (we rushed them) and I forgot to take photos of the finished eggs (blogger fail!) ... but you can see I started with good intentions:

Went to an Easter egg hunt at my sister's house ...

And this little one turned a year and a half ... seriously, wasn't she just born?

My kitchen is finally finished ... well, it has been for a while but my camera is not working (is there some rule that says everything has to break at the same time?) so I have been waiting to share ... here are a few from my iPhone to give you an idea and I will do a nice post about it when the new camera arrives :D

The floors were lightened and the walls darkened, new counters and cabinet fronts were installed and we finally have a working oven! (the new range was the culprit that started the whole thing).

Just before Easter I had my photographer sister come along for the first stage of the nursery install I have been working on for the last few months (remember the nursery where I had to keep the gender of the baby a secret?) 

 Photography: Patti Prizler

 Photography: Patti Prizler

Photography: Patti Prizler

She had a girl! We have a few more things to install before I can show you the final reveal but it is very worth waiting for!

Hope you are all doing well! Thanks for reading :D