Holy pink chevron batman...

There are a lot of words on this post, so bear with me...

I got an email from a new online friend (Hi Erin!) asking when I would be posting pictures of my own home..yes that was the idea behind this blog, and yes I still plan to document every step of the way, our attempts at personalizing our builder grade home. I'm having a little trouble however..1. Finding time to clean, style, and take real pictures 2. Putting myself out there...I have a real problem with being judged by others, always have. In fact, I started this blog almost a year ago, but didn't publish my first post until a week ago. My home is by no means finished, and we did it on a budget. I don't want anyone who is interested in my design services to come to my blog and think this is my best work, because like anyone else knows in any industry your personal life is always last (the same reason I work in a tanning salon, but have super white legs). I will be posting pictures and soon, because I have a lot of projects coming up I'd like to document, but please know that everything I show is an "in progress" project. Also, I'm not professional photographer, and my lens on my "good" camera is broken, so the pictures will be taken on a regular point and shoot camera....
That being said, I just started my first "real" design project and am super excited to share it with you.

First of all my client (it seems really weird to say client..just so you know) is a crazy awesome soon to be mom...the kind of girl that makes you feel like you're not cool enough to be in her presence, the kind of girl that wears vintage hair scarves and pulls them off flawlessly...that awesome...and no I'm not bitter at all... She is going to be the kind of mom that I absolutely want to be one day, and as a couple her and her hubby are probably the sweetest things ever...They are very outdoorsy and organic people, something I admire very much...with all that in mind, the soon to be nursery does not reflect her or her family's personality at all.Think a VERY small beige room with beige carpet, white trim, and no window coverings at all. It also bears mentioning, that we had a pretty small budget, since the design is actually a shower gift from her Mom (another awesome Mom BTW)...The day I found out about this project, I ran home as soon as I could to get started and came up with this..

I liked it, but wasn't in love, and knew it needed more color and definitely more funk (if you knew this girl and her hubby you would totally get this)...Then I found out that baby x was now baby Charlotte..yup, it's a girl! This definitely got my creative wheels turning, we decided we needed a lot more glam, definitely more color, and of course some pink! After locking myself in the studio (who am I kidding, I don't have a studio) for several hours I came up with a few options...This was option 1, and the one they went with, which surprised me to no end..I think the bird mobile put it over the edge :)

 1. I originally was going to stick with the gray/white striped walls, because, well, I've never really met a stripe I didn't like. The dad to be really wanted wallpaper, but anyway we sliced it, it just wasn't in the budget. Then I remembered seeing these awesome stencils on another blog, and got way too excited. I absolutely love the print, and it reflects their love of the outdoors perfectly. So the plan slowly changed. We decided to use this stencil on one wall, and paint the others a subtle gray...BTW for anyone interested, we're planning on going with Gray Pearl (it's like a perfect gray) by BEHR (simply because I have a coupon and I'm trying to save them some money :), and we're going to give their new paint and primer in one a try, mostly to save the already busy daddy-to-be some time (to save money him and the soon to be g-pa are painting the room themselves).
2. They already have a crib, I don't have a picture of the exact one, but this is very similar to the picture she showed me, and for anyone interested it's only $99! I love the clean and simple lines.. Find it here
3. No one understands the pain that I feel because we do not have an Ikea here, luckily these two are on their way to MN very soon, where there happens to be an Ikea and can pick up this snazzy dresser while they are there..(because the shipping costs were literally going to be our entire budget plus the cost of the E-design :))...There's nothing specifically special about this dresser, but the price, color, and lines were right, plus it has the surface space on top to use it as a changing table too. Since we are working with a seriously small space, we need all the double duty furniture we can find..(And no worries, we will do our research to find out the safest way to do this.. I'm not going to let the baby roll of a dresser for the sake of design...sorry a little morbid)...I also recommended finding some cute vintage knobs (or ones that look vintage) to replace the ones on this box store dresser. Something, glass and with some color... like this maybe! Find the dresser here!
4. I think a chandelier adds that "glam" factor in, this ones the perfect size for a small room and only $40, plus it doesn't take anything away from the woodsy wallpaper
5. You know I love this pink chevron fabric, and luckily grandma is a fantastic seamstress?..sewer?..I'm not sure what you call them, but she's awesome at it...so this awesome chevron will be the curtain panels.
6. This baby blanket is adorbs (wait is adorbs not cool anymore...no one tells me anything) and the perfect color story so into the online cart it goes...Find it here
7. This Momma needs a rocker, this ones a good price, good quality, and had great reviews all around...plus it's not huge, nor does it look like something you'd find in your great grandmas house (Don't get me wrong, I love vintage, but them..not so much).
8. Babies have a lot of stuff, or so I hear...I thought a couple of these would be great around the room for toys and diapers...Find them here
9. I love these prints...they make my heart smile and they add a bit of sweetness that every nursery needs...Find them here
10. They have a children's rocking chair that has been passed down in their family for awhile, they want it incorporated in the room and even offered to paint it to make it work in the design plan, I considered having them spray it a hot pink, but I just couldn't do it. I haven't actually seen it but now I'm starting to think it might actually be the perfect piece to ground the room and add a little soul to a pretty monochromatic room.
11. I love these wall mounted bookcases, they are cheap and take up no visual space (which is great in a small space), but still hold a lot of baby/children's books...who knew newborns couldn't read?! Find them here
12. Three tiered bird mobile..because any child cool enough to have trees painted on her wall needs a bird mobile..Found here

For more inspiration boards check out my partially finished portfolio!

And yes, I know my source numbers on the board are all out of whack (my mind works in mysterious ways), I fixed it for the copy I sent them, but forgot to save it and don't have the energy to do it again, after all these are just E-designs people, I still have a day job too  :)
Since this is my first real project I would love any and all feedback...just remember I'm not great with criticism, so just the good feedback :)...Just kidding.....any advice?!

I'm Lovin' It....

I love perusing my favorite blogs and seeing what other bloggers' favorite products were in the last month, so I decided to give it a try. Here it goes...this is what I'm loving for the month of April...

This "You are not alone" print, truly belongs to my heart, and it really does remind me of my short time in Paris..You can find it here.

Anthropologie's Homegrown Monogram Mug..I fell in love with these mugs as soon as I saw them, and at only $8.00/a pop, they are definitely more affordable than most of my Anthropologie loves...

World Market Chipotle Chili Dark chocolate...Okay, I know it sounds weird and maybe even a little disgusting, but trust me it's delicious. I make my husband spend hours in this store, and knowing these are at the cash register when we check out, is probably the only thing that gets him through it....Well that, and his undying love for me...or maybe just the chocolate.

Target's new spring home decor line........ along with the new gold trend...

I am completely in love with this gold chevron lamp shade and pouf, I need them both like yesterday...

 

 

 

 

 

The Maize woven storage baskets, would look great in front of a fireplace holding logs, or maybe just underneath a console table, full of extra blankets.

The "Happy Bikes" print from etsy...So cute and so perfect for me and the hubs, who both love to bike ride. Found here...Jolly Edition






Zooey Deschanel, and yes that's right it's with only one n, I know this because we go way back...or because I goggled it. I've always loved her feminine and classic style, and the charming characters she always portrays...I have now also fallen in love with her show New Girl, in the last month, probably because her awkwardness and old school sense of humor reminds me of someone....wonder who. I've also fallen in love with her music...Check it out here!

This large white hip/ diaper bag with teal bow...I obviously don't have a need for a diaper bag at this time, but I think this would be crazy fun as an everyday bag, that I can throw my laptop and books in. I found it on etsy here.




 

Get this party started...

Where to begin...Where to begin...I was told awhile ago to start this blog by an adviser, apparently it's the best networking tool for those who hope to break into the design world eventually. At first, I was a little hesitant, it just seemed like one more thing to worry about in this social media obsessed world. After thinking about it for a few days, I began getting really excited, because you see, I really need some sort of creative outlet. My day job offers no time for creativity, and I live in a house with my husband and two male dogs and am almost constantly surrounded by my husband's younger brothers and friends, so there's basically testosterone dripping down my walls. I don't mind, of course, but I need a place to really get away, share my love for interior design, and basically a place to talk about "girl stuff." I'm not one to keep a journal or diary, so the idea that in a few years I can look back at this blog and remember what my life was at this time is really exciting to me. Besides, who doesn't love an excuse to talk about themselves!

This blog will serve as a place to share inspiration, and basically a place to chronicle our lives and our journey in making our little gray builder grade house, into a home that reflects our personalities.

We bought out house almost 4 years ago (man time really does fly). We had, probably the worst first time home buying experience in the history of the world (yes, I tend to exaggerate), including three homes being bought out from under us. In that, includes one we were actually under contract on as rent to own, and was not even told that it had sold until we happened to drive by and there was a moving van in the driveway. Yes, like I said, worst first time home buying experience ever. We had dreamed of an old home with lots of character that we could buy cheap and fix up. We wanted something we could truly make our own, but after three swing and misses, we decided to reevaluate our priorities in a home. We realized that not only did we not have the experience for fixing up an older home or the time for that matter (I was a full time student, and working full time and the hubby was working crazy hours, not to mention we were planning a wedding) but we didn't have enough money put aside for an acceptable emergency fund for an older house. If we moved in and needed a new furnace three months later, we would have been in serious trouble. After some debate, we decided to switch realtors and change gears in our home search. Soon after we found the house we now call home, and I have to say when I walked in, I was excited at the thought that things would be done for us, not by us. We were lucky enough to get in, during the early stages of the design of the home, so we were able to pick everything out from the carpet (wood flooring was at the time not in our budget), to the tile, stain on the kitchen cabinets, and paint colors. Still, after that our house looks identical to every other house on the block. Because of this, we've spent the last 3+ years trying to make our home reflect us, and while I think we've achieved this in some aspects, we still have a long way to go...

For sources, simply click on the pictures...