A Home For Us.

I have mentioned a few times about our plans to move. We have been going back and forth with working on this house and decided (after a lot of exhaustion and stress and just being over it all) that it would be in the best interest of our family to just move into something that was "done". I really want to focus on these precious years with our children and to be more present both at home and in creating these businesses that I've started, and living in a constant work zone kind of took away from that.

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At first, we were going to build with a professional builder, but after running the numbers about a million times and having to downsize, and downsize, and downsize some more to fit it in our budget we decided to back off. The whole point of this thing, after all, was to get to a place that we could just "be", without having to worry about moving again.....you know, something that our family could grow in to.

SO. So, we backed off and kind of dropped it for a few weeks...and then lo and behold, Bryan found a lot. Like a legit, for sale lot. Come to think of it, I have no clue how he stumbled upon it, and when he first brought it up I was all "UM NO", but we eventually got into the crazy conversation of building this thing ourselves. Now, you guys.  I completely realize that this is kind of counter-active to the whole "being done" and "saving on stress" thing. But here's the deal: We have always talked about doing something like this. And to be honest, the only way we can get into a house that won't require a lot of work and that we can stay in for the foreseeable future (or even forever) would be to do it ourselves. AND: I think (I don't know, but I think) that there is a huge difference between living in a construction zone (think renovations) and working on one while living elsewhere. And also, this lot is perfect. Two acres, backs up to a little farm, in a really great neighborhood, great schools, etc.

So, we are building a house. (!)

At least we will be if everything goes according to plan, which so far it is, so that is a great sign.

We plan to close sometime in February, and will put our house on the market sometime in the next month.

We have been obsessively searching house plans online and I am SO pumped to get this show on the road. My personal dream has always been to live in a two-story with a wrap-around porch and dormers (oh, the dormers!), so that is I guess what we are looking at for the most part (but with more brick because we live in Texas and that's what everyone uses). The wonderful thing about the neighborhood is that all of the homes are different sizes and styles, so we are pretty free to do what we want. (There is a committee that has to approve our elevation, just FYI.)

Here is my tentative wish-list:

1. Lots of windows and light

via (And a TOTAL dream....right?)

2. Formal dining room

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3. Larger laundry with some counter space and utility sink

4. Plenty of counter and cabinet space in the kitchen

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5. Higher ceilings in some of the rooms

6. Bonus room for a play/game room

7. I would really like a desk/command center built in somewhere if there isn't a study so I can have a workspace.

8. Plenty of closet space...ideally a big closet to store alllll of my craft supplies (I've already accumulated a lot this year with MOPS and Joann, and I had quite a bit to begin with!) and also my seasonal decorations.

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My inspiration photos are way too extreme for us....but a girl can dream! Ah. So fun.

What are things you were happy you put in your home or wish you had? I would LOVE to hear suggestions!

Loving Different Decorating Styles Part Three

Today I'm back with possibly my final (at least for now) installment of this little series on loving different design styles. What? I made it through a series? I didn't even know that was possible! (Pat on back...ice cream later.)

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So let's get this show started.....first up today is Emily A. Clark. I am a little obsessed with Emily. I never miss her blog posts as I always find inspiration, but more importantly, I find real-life, real-mom inspiration. Emily is so talented, but she has put most of her design work on hold to raise her 5 children.

Side Note: Something that I really love about all of these women I have featured in this series is that they are all mothers. And actually, all of them have a least 2 kids (Erica and Jennifer), and then Jenny and Lauren each have 4. There is something really encouraging to me in that....that it's okay to enjoy things other than just your children, that it's attainable to have a beautiful, livable home with children, and that it's good for your kids to see you work at something you love.

Emily's style is a bit different than mine...she is more contemporary and more bold with her color and pattern choices which I LOVE. She is awesome at thrifting and using traditional, vintage, and antique pieces and her home (a few houses ago) was also featured in Better Homes and Gardens which was so cool. I admire her so!

(Those striped walls get me every. time.)

Emily also has a thing for blue and white ceramics and vintage busts which I have developed quite the obsession for thanks to her. :) 

Beautiful, right? Aaaaaand they just moved to a charming new house that I am chomping at the bit to get more updates on. 

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Up next...and you know I can't leave out this one, is Mrs. Fixer Upper herself, Joanna Gaines. I mean...who doesn't love Fixer Upper? Find me a person. I bet you can't. 

Joanna, as we all know is like, the supreme of the industrial farmhouse, shiplap, country vibe. People always tell me that my style reminds them of her, but I really think I only decorate in that direction a small bit, and usually because it's much more cost effective when you have a DIY budget (usually). I still love her use of exposed brick, wood tones, whites, greenery, and metals, though, and definitely draw inspiration from that and go all googly-eyed when I watch the show. She is great at making a home look like everything was found but still upscale and inviting. 

And obviously she is pretty much polar opposite of Emily's style....but both are still so beautiful to me. 

(I love this living room....it is my favorite of hers)

Oh! And fun fact: my rep for one of the wholesale companies I order from is the rep for all of Texas and she works with Joanna Gaines! How cool is that? She actually told me that a console table I was interested in was one that JoJo had just ordered for the silos and I was all, "Yep, so just put that in my cart."

So that's that for right now. I enjoyed this and hope you did, too! What designers do you love that "clash" with each other? What elements of a room do you tend to draw inspiration from?

A Quick Makeover For Our Bathroom

With our house going up on the market at some point in the near future, we need to finish a couple of projects "just enough" to sell for the price we want. We had our realtors come out and look at the house a few months ago and were completely shocked at what they said we could list for, BUT we were instructed to get our master bathroom somewhat up to par with the rest of the house before doing so.


I am about to show you a horror scene. I'm kidding of course, but it ain't pretty.

(Don't mind the Lightening McQueen potty seat. ;)

The doors on either side of the tub go to our closets.

This is what the entire house looked like when we moved in (except for some chocolate brown paint in the living room. Stark white (and dirty) walls and baseboards, peeling linoleum, beige cabinets and counters, etc. etc.) You get the drift.

We have used this for 2.5 years and it has worked just fine, but I have to say I am very excited for a little re-do. Originally we had bigger plans for this space, but after deciding to move that got down-sized quite a bit.

On the to-do list:

-Change flooring to tile (something prettier but affordable from a box store)
-Replace baseboards and door casings to match the rest of the house
-Paint walls (in closets, too)
-Paint doors to match the rest of the house (black)
-Paint vanity white and add hardware
-Replace mirrors with something a bit more aesthetically pleasing
-Replace shower door (this was one thing our realtors said had to go...the current one is broken)
-Deep clean the shower (it is so gross and stained from the previous owners)
-Replace light fixtures (probably with something inexpensive but pretty from a box store)
-Replace faucets and fixtures in the shower, tub, and sink (again, from a box store)
-Add some wall art and accessories (including a vanity stool)

Okay, that actually kind of looks like a lot, but it really isn't much. I'm thinking we can knock it out in a week.

Here is a bit of what I'm thinking:

vanity light / paint: silver sage / light / mirror / lamp / botanicals / vanity / rug / cup pull / art / stool

I'm going in the vintage-traditional kind of farmhouse vibe that I've been doing in this whole house. I actually don't know if I will do that style completely in our next house but we will see!

A few things:

1. It takes way too long to make an inspiration board. However....it helps me organize my thoughts and make decisions so that is good.

2. The spindles on that stool kill me. LOVE. 

3. All of this is just inspiration and probably not exactly what I will be getting (except for the cup pulls, the paint color, and the fern)

4. If my budget would allow, I would get much cooler mirrors with a pretty shape, but I found some similar to the rectangular gold one at Homegoods for $40. So I got two of them :). (We will be using two mirrors and lights since the vanity is long.)

And so....one last makeover for this house (and then a whole bunch of tying up loose ends and organizing....BAH.) Should be fun!

Loving Different Decorating Styles Part Two

Today I'm back with two more designers and two very different decorating styles that I really admire and think are completely beautiful in their own ways.

First up is Jenny Komenda from Little Green Notebook. Her blog is another that I have read for years even though our styles are toooootally different but still, I find everything she does to be jaw-dropping and totally inspiring.

She has the modern-vintage style pegged. Like, on point. She is a pro at mixing upscale contemporary with legit vintage finds (that are stunning...I have no clue how she manages to find so many high quality vintage pieces on Craigslist). Jenny is also not afraid of a good DIY (she has painted the fabric on upholstered chairs and sprayed an entire grand staircase on her own). She also uses a lot of color and bright white, something that I would like to do in another life. ;)

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And then there's Erica Powell, who owns Urban Grace Interiors. I actually found her through her twin sister Darby's blog (because I used to sorta stalk Darby when she blogged...actually I guess I still do on Instagram. I also stalk Erica. They have adorable lives. Technology has brought all my creepiness out.)

Erica's style is traditional but updated, clean, light, natural, layered, sometimes feminine....all the good things. And she loves the color green. 1,000 points! She's also like super famous in design world and I feel like I see her in magazines a lot. 

She's a fave, for sure.

She reminds me a lot of Phoebe Howard and also a little of Sarah Richardson in her more traditional rooms.  (Both are original favorites, by the way.) Yes? So much pretty from this one!

Again, both Jenny and Erica have completely different styles but they continue to be personal favorites of mine. I think there is so much to pull as inspiration from these two, and I think a lot of it has to do with how well they place, layer, and use scale and texture in their designs.

Sometimes I sit and think about how interior design is so funny. Like, I lay in bed at night happily thinking about the perfect item that I can put in my home that serves no other purpose other than to be looked at....but I guess that's how most things in the world are, too. We are visual, for sure! 

What do you think? Which designer suits your fancy? Or are you like me and love both? 

The Plan For Parker's Bedroom.

I am SO excited for this room! I don't know why, maybe it's that I'm adding color to the house, but I can't stop thinking about it. 

fabrics / pillow / plane print / gentlemen print / sheets / blanket / blinds

Allow me to talk through this...it will take a while. :)

Here are the things that Parker loves that will be somewhere in the room: Planes, trains, cars, trucks, ABC's, and books.

For the the basics of the room, I'm sticking with my usuals...bamboo blinds, some kind of natural flooring (hopefully new carpet if I can save enough this year!), and probably a light color on the walls. I was thinking of stripes (still like that trend), and I put a gray paint on here, but it may be more of a beige or closer to white. Oh, and I would love to build sliding barn doors for the closet. It is a really wide double-door that always gets stuck so it would fix that and look great, too.

For furniture, I scored some awesome deals on Craigslist--two twin headboards (P and baby will share this room eventually), a nightstand, and an amazingly under-priced dresser. I will paint the headboards and nightstand but the dresser is a truly beautiful knotted oak and I'm just going to switch the hardware out on (I'm thinking brass or bronze cup pulls). I am a little worried about fitting both beds in the room that we are planning to use...it will definitely be tight. Part of me is considering bunk beds but I don't like how bunk beds close up a room visually....I don't know yet. The headboards were only $25 together so I won't feel too bad if I go a different direction with that.

For decor, I'm thinking a book wall would be cheap, colorful, and useful. We will still have a playroom so these are the only "toys" that will be displayed. This kid could read all day, so I think he will like it. We also have some vintage airplanes prints that were passed down to Bryan from his grandpa that I plan on using. Excited for that! I like the idea of using a flag and maybe some cute graphic prints with quotes or verses on them if we can make them fit.

For fabrics and bedding, I'm sticking with red and navy, and I might throw some light blue in there with sheets or something. I love the idea of gingham on a simple bedskirt. I also saw a really cool linen-look map fabric that I may use for curtains.  For a pop of color (to tie in the book wall colors), I want to get a couple of those ABC pillows. (Etsy) OH, and I saw the army blanket idea on Sarah's House like 6 years ago and promised myself I would use it if I ever had a boy.

Here are some of my main inspiration pictures. All of them can be found on this board on Pinterest. A lot of them are really designer-ish, so our room would look more livable, but I love the overall looks...

I think that's everything in a nutshell. :) Once I finally make up my mind about the bed situation we can get to work on the room! Any suggestions? It's a weird room set-up so a bunk bed would either go right by the window, or right next to the closet...what do you think of bunk beds vs. twin beds?

Here's the Plan for Our Bedroom...

Hello! 

So, back to our house. We have been knocking out a TON of projects lately, and quite truthfully, I haven't been dealing with the mess very well, but it feels good to finally see real progress. FINALLY. 

More on those later :).

Another project that I have managed to be crazy enough to start during the existing chaos is making over our bedroom. I cannot take it anymore. Did you know that it is seriously depressing to wake up to this every morning?

These pictures are from our walk-through, so we currently have a bed in here and our dressers from our last bedroom, but that's it. We have not painted (I KNOW), we have not hung anything on the walls, and we definitely have not replaced that icky fan or the water-damaged carpet. 

(creepy mirrors)

I do want to say though, that I LOVE this house. I love this bedroom. I love the size of it! It is huge and it has the perfect spot for a king bed (underneath those creepy mirrors), room for all of our furniture, and plenty of space left over to play and walk around. I've always wanted windows on either side of our bed and now we have them. I am thankful--but I am ready for things to be pretty again.

The main reason we haven't done anything in this room (or most of the house, for that matter) is that I have been trying to save up some money. Well, I did that (!) but then was torn on how I wanted to decorate everything. When we moved into this house, I said that I was going to be more bold in my decorating choices...but I just can't. I am drawn to soft color palettes, natural textures, and clean lines. And I am happy with that. :)

With ALL of that being said...I have finally gotten around to selecting paint and fabrics and putting together an inspiration board for our bedroom. Here it is:

We already have the headboard. It's a Drexel Heritage and I got it at TJ Maxx for $250. It was extremely discounted because it didn't have the frame with it, which was fine because I was just wanting a headboard anyways. I LOVE this thing. It is huge and substantial and a true statement piece but in a subtle way.

The paint color that I have chosen is Benjamin Moore Refined. I'm going to use it at 50% though. I have about seven paint colors on our wall right now and this one is SO pretty and soft. It goes super perfectly with the fabrics for this room. I ordered about 30 swatches from fabrics.com and am SO excited to use these together. (Sidenote: When asked if he cared about using a floral fabric in our room, Bryan immediately rolled his eyes and said "I'm a guy, why would I care?" And that is why I love him ;)

I've already gotten a new quilt from Overstock (this one), and we just got it in the mail two days ago. It is awesome. I also went and got king-sized pillows last night so now we actually have pillows that fit our bed!! If only I could convey my genuine excitement over this fact--it is ridiculous.

I'm still on the lookout for an awesome couple of dressers and have my eye on several bedside tables. I would really like a mirrored set to add another layer to the room. Let me see....a woven bench or set of stools would be amazing for the foot of the bed---something light and airy though--gourd lamps are a must, and so are my favorite bamboo blinds, also from Overstock (I like that place a little too much). I'm also thinking of sticking with my favorite white curtains from Ikea for both windows. They are so airy and nice looking in real life!

We eventually want to replace the old carpet with something like sisal or a natural fiber (along with new baseboards), but that will unfortunately be the last thing we do in the house since we have so much dust and construction going on. I'm trying to be patient about that one but it is hard to wait!

We also have something fun planned for the ceilings and the only thing I'm still truly torn on is whether to stick with a new ceiling fan since we do actually use it throughout the summer (SO HOT), or go the pretty but less practical route and get a glitzy ceiling mount like the one above.

ALSO. There is this weird little corner in the room. It's about 3 feet deep and 6 feet long and neither of us know what to do with it. It's driving me nuts!

Originally we talked about building a desk for me to work at. But then I didn't want to bring work mess into our room, so that idea was nixed. Then we talked about building bookshelves, but we have those in the living room (though they can be moved...), then we talked about being a small sitting area....and then about closing it off to be an extra closet. (We each have our own walk-in closet in our bathroom though.) What do you think? Any ideas? I'm having a hard time finding inspiration for this particular problem and am just stumped.

So that's where we are with that. It's so exciting and refreshing to get going on this. I hope to hear some of your thoughts and suggestions!

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Oscar Fashion

Who all watched the Oscars last night?? This is the only awards show that I will sit through (and that Bryan will tolerate) and 99% of it is due to the fashion! I think it's completely awesome that I can be a fashion critic for a few hours each year....anyone else agree?

I thought I'd share  my top 10 Oscar dresses for the year. I changed this list about 50 times before I just decided to leave it alone. There were so many great dresses, but these were the ones that stood out the most (to me, at least)!

10. Gwyneth Paltrow in Tom Ford

So classic and simple. Only Gwyn could pull off a cape!

 

9.  Jessica Chastain in Alexander McQueen

This dress was definitely unique and went perfectly with her skin tone and hair color!

 

8.  Ellie Kemper in Armani Prive

I LOVE sparkly dresses. Love them. And this one matches her hair....it is all so perfect.

7. Michelle Williams in Louis Vuitton

The cut of this dress and the whimsy frills are just to die for.

 

 

6. Viola Davis in Vera Wang

Could this green be any more perfect on her?? I think not. And the chiffon (or organza?) ruffles at the bottom add just the right touch.

 

 

5. Cameron Diaz in Gucci

Ah! This picture does not do this dress justice. When she walked, it was perfection. I love the sparkles going down the skirt.

 

 

4. Octavia Spencer in Tadashi Shoji
I totally got choked up during her acceptance speech. And this dress was absolutley stunning on her. Such a great silloute!

3. Giuliana Rancic in Tony Ward

I love this lady! I can't believe that she looks so great after all of her hardships this past year. The sleeves, the bodice....I am obsessed with this gown...it's something I would want to wear if I ever went to the Oscar's.

 

2.  Milla Jovovich in Elie Saab
Another photo that doesn't do the dress justice. I'm obviously in love with bling. I literally gasped when I saw her on the red carpet. SO classic!

 

 

1. Stacy Keibler in Marchesa 

There is no one better than George Clooney's girlfriend to wear this gown. It is seriously a work of art. And that gathered rose at her hip? Ah....I die.

 

I just noticed that my top 5 are all neutrals. Bah, oh well...I'm a sucker for neutrals. :)

What were you favorites??? Happy Monday!

2012 Home Goals: Part Two

Hello, hello!

Let's talk about Home Goals, shall we? I went over Part One of our 2012 Home Goals on Monday, and now I think I'll go ahead and finish off the list. :)

I think we left off with #5....


6. Sod the backyard....

Have I ever told you that the backyard is my nemesis? No? Okay, well....the backyard is my nemesis.

We put in new flowerbeds last year to compensate for the lack of grass that grew underneath our huge willow trees. Then.....the worst drought on the PLANET happened and killed half of the plants and some more of the existing grass.  So...we need to do something about it. I was hesitant at first, but we've been told that bermuda grass will do just fine in super hot temperatures regardless of when we plant it. We'll also need to re-mulch the beds and put in a few more drought tolerant plants. :) Here's hoping!



7. Spruce up the back patio.

Originally we (Bryan) were going to build a pergola in this space, but decided to hold off until we can get the yard looking somewhat decent. While we may wait and see what happens with that, I would like to get a patio table and chairs (for a super cheap price) to sit outside and have dinner on summer nights. And maybe an outdoor rug. And a few flowerpots. And maybe some other stuff too....I haven't figured too much out just yet. :)


8. Paint the patio door.

I would like to clean this little space up and paint the door to match our front door. I love when things match! It's the OCD....


9. Start over on the guest bedroom.

Excuse the mismatched bedding (the pillows don't even have cases on them) and the uneven paint job. This room used to be the junk room, but has since transformed into the guest bedroom. Well actually, it looks more like a catch-all room right now, but I've got big plans to make it over! It's also where the closet office is located, so I really want to make it new again to match the new office :).


10. Decorate the nursery!!!!

I am SO so pumped about this one, but still very overwhelmed on how to go about it. This will be my little man's room and I want it to be perfect. I've probably thought more about this room than I have any other space in the house. In fact, this weekend Bryan and I are heading to the fabric store (for hopefully the last time) to nail down fabrics for the nursery. I almost started crying the last time I went by myself, so he agreed to come and help. Great husband, right?


And that's it! For now, haha. My brain's always coming up with ideas and then throwing them out two minutes later. We shall see what actually ends up being accomplished this year. :) Have a wonderful Thursday!

It's almost the weekend (doing a little dance at my keyboard)!