November 25, 2013
I’m Here & Lots of Sneakity Peeks
source Hello readers. Thank you so much for your support as I finished up some big projects, finalized furniture and fabrics and prettiness for clients, and...
my design projects, inspirations, & a few personal tidbits
Here you will find what inspires me, and a peek into how I pull spaces together – the good, the bad, and the sometimes ugly mishaps along the way. I sprinkle in a little family life, travel, food, fashion, and party events, too.
November 15, 2013
That Time I Wrote A Gift Guide
I was super honored and excited to have been chosen to write one of the Better Homes & Gardens Gift Guides this year. Quite fittingly,...
November 13, 2013
The Story Of My Vintage Settee Makeover (x2)
Hello! Hope you all are having a great week! As much as I love Christmas and my Christmas makeover, I thought I would take a little holiday break today and show you my drab-to-fab settees. Frankly, I'm super excited about them and couldn't wait to show you! Don't worry though, for those of you waiting for more tutorials and details on my holiday challenge space, they are coming soon! (Hanging Wreath tutorial here in case you missed it) But let's start at the beginning. When I bought these vintage Bernhardt settees for $150 at an estate sale.
Then I tried to strip them myself. (it did not go well) Which led me to writing this article about DIY fails. It was a sad day.
But I called the experts (Little Jack Horner's if you live in the DFW area), and they fixed my mess and gave my settees the beautiful grey wash finish I was dreaming of.
Then came the difficult decision of the upholstery. (see this post) The world was my oyster, and I was having a hard time narrowing down ideas and finding the perfect fabric. For several months, the settees looked like the image below, with patterns rotating in and out. 
I thought I had decided, and there were roadblocks so I started again. I knew I wanted a wide stripe down the middle of the front (tons of great inspiration here!), and something striking on the back. Well, the upholsterer brought them back last week, and my jaw dropped. Finally, nearly a year after purchasing them (oy vey), my settees are here, sitting in my living room, in all their makeover glory.
November 8, 2013
DIY Tutorial: Hanging Holiday Wreath
And it was September.
Have you ever decorated your house for Christmas in September? I will tell you, it's a little weird at first, but the kids have LOVED it, and with a little help from scented candles and from the "Nutcracker", "Santa Baby", and "Vince Guaraldi Trio" Pandora stations, I was able to get in the Christmas spirit, too. Plus I was like a kid at Christmas looking through the boxes and oohing and aahing! I put the decorations up thinking I would take them down, but there was no way after all the time and energy I spent getting it all beautiful and photograph ready! I think the kids would have been really sad, too.
I have lots to say about the transformation of our new space, but I thought I would start today with the hanging wreath tutorial. I got several comments and emails and questions about it, and it is so super easy, and pretty! Best of all, I hung it without putting any holes in the ceiling of our new room. So read on!
First, I started with these two wreaths.