Holiday Decor is Up!

It's been super busy around here and I apologize for not posting much! October and November are the super busiest time of year for me with lots of client consultations (which I love)! Everyone is trying to spruce up their homes before the holidays when guests will be in town. Plus with  a new baby girl on the horizon- I've been trying to get ideas for decorating her nursery. 

But the Christmas season is upon us, and how wonderful it is! It's always that magical time of year, where interiors are decorated with lots of glitter, metallics, ribbon, and the sparkle of Christmas lights! 

Here's a few photos of my entryway table decor! I love mixing the traditional, colorful nutcrackers with elegant silver and gold decor! I love the look of all silver and gold- but I find the bright, cheerful red and green colors in the entry way make it more festive and inviting. Plus, my little ones love the color. I do have my dining rom all decorated in just silver (Post to come).

Thanksgiving Is Almost Here!

My dining room table all set up for Thanksgiving dinner! I can't wait to be with my parents, sisters and brother and their families! ❤️ I also love these gold and jewel tones I incorporated this year! Why not add sparkle to a Thanksgiving table? I found the linens at Pier One this year, and I found the gold glitter pumpkins at Pier One last year!

Meeting Nate!

What a wonderful night at the Nebraska Furniture Mart VIP event with world renown Interior Designer Nate Berkus! We were all there for the launch of the new LG kitchen line, to socialize, and of course meet Nate. Live music and, delicious oderves, and we all received Nate's new book as a party favor gift.

I especially loved meeting Jordan Matenson from the Nebraska Corporate office. We'd emailed so many times- it was great to put a face with a name! She's such a doll! It was such a great evening, and I'm glad I was invited to be apart of it!

Click on the "read more" link below for more details!

Pumpkins and Leaves are All You Need!

I'm so excited that I have family coming in town for Thanksgiving! It makes decorating for the holiday even more special! 

I went a simplistic route this year- using pieces, ike the candle sticks, cake plates and some pumpkins, that I already had, in order to keep costs super low. Then I found this super fun leaf garland I got from the dollar spot at Target! Score! The throw pillows also came from Target! Now I just need it to be a chilly day to turn on the fireplace and make it even more cozy!

Click on the "read more" link below for more details!

Happy Halloween!

Sharing my entryway Halloween decor. This wooden witch is my absolute favorite! My mom hand painted years ago and the details are amazing!❤️ Hope everyone has a wonderful, safe Halloween night!

Cupcakes with a Cause

Who doesn't love cupcakes? Especially cupcakes with a cause! I had the wonderful opportunity to be part of something super special sponsored by Nebraska Furniture Mart, who has partnered with Kitchen Aid and the Susan G. Komen Foundation on a campaign to support the fight against breast cancer. During the month of October, Kitchen Aid will donate $1, up to $10,000, for every original picture of a cupcake baked and shared on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtags: #10000cupcakes and #donate #NFMofTX

Click on the "read more" link below for more info!

Being able to support the Susan G. Komen Foundation, and helping in the fight against breast cancer has a special place in my heart. My grandmother developed breast cancer in the 1960's, when she was in her 50's, but with the help cutting edge surgery she was able to beat it! Years later when she was in her 90's she was recognized as the longest living breast cancer survivor in the state of Michigan.

Ten years ago her daughter, my Aunt Dee, and daughter-in-law, my Aunt Nancy, also contracted breast cancer at around the same time while in their 50's. Unfortunately the cancer spread too quickly and Aunt Dee didn't not have the same positive outcome that her mother did. The cancer took her life a few years after she was diagnosed. My Aunt Nancy, on the other hand, beat the cancer and is still living today!

That's why baking these pink cupcakes makes me so happy. It reminds my of courageous family members and the other women who have gone through similar trials.

More Home Decor Coming to Target!

Target does it again! Target is remodeling many of their super stores by expanding their home décor department and making it more like a home décor specialty store!

Here's a photo of the new space!

Fireplace Makeover!

This is our fireplace when we moved into our home. So boring, so dull and ordinary. Then my hubby Justin worked his mad wood working skills on it! For all the trim and wood it only cost around $200.00!! (But a lot of time.)

My new fireplace make over!! Isn't is so gorgeous! I'm just so exited how this project turned out! 

Click on the"read more" link below for more info!

Baby News!

Not my normal decorating post-but I wanted to share some exciting news with you! My husband and I are expecting our 5th child! We're so excited! We will find out the gender soon- so stay tuned! 

And new decorating projects are coming too!

Shopping Tips for Finding the Perfect Home Accessories!

When I saw this floral arrangement and glass apothecary jars- I knew that were exactly what I needed for my bedroom. I was so excited to find them!

Shopping for accessories can be overwhelming! Especially when you're pacing through the isles of  stores like Homes Goods or Hobby Lobby. Below are a few tips to help you sort through the hundreds of décor pieces to find your the right home accents for your home!

1. First, comb through magazines, Pinterest, and online photos of rooms you like.

2. Ask yourself: do you like modern, tradition, or more rustic home décor styles? 

3. Decide what colors and styles you're drawn to. How do those colors and styles make you feel? Is there a certain store you just love and want to your home to look like?

4. Save pictures you love and look closely at how they decorated the details in the room. What did they put on that coffee table? What type of rug did they use on the floor? What kinds of colors did they use in their pillows?

4. Then before you go to the stores, decide what specific items your going to look for, using your saved pictures as inspiration.

5. Know your budget. Decide if you rather spend  money on several less expensive items or put all your money towards a piece that you absolutely love! Happy Shopping!

Loving My New Painted Fox Treasures 3-Tier Tray!

I'm so in LOVE with my beautiful Antique Cream Wood 3-Tier Farmhouse Tray from Painted Fox Treasures! It's now my permanent kitchen table centerpiece! It's perfect for entertaining, or keeping dishes ready for meals. Just look at the gorgeous texture! Plus, it's the perfect size to display multiple things and not get over crowded! Its soft elegant rustic charm definitely ushers in a cozy inviting home!

 They have the most wonderful one of kind pieces. Today, Thursday, July 9th, is the LAST day for 30% off their Favorites Summer Collection! You should to head over there! 
Go to Painted Fox Treasures and use the code: ownerfaves at checkout! Happy Shopping!

My New Found Love for Nebraska Furniture Mart!

My Hubs and I love going on date nights to Nebraska Furniture Mart! They have so many great things for the home! We slowly coast around the isles of their beautiful accessorized store- looking at everything delicately placed in to perfection! 

For example, I love the fun chalk board walls in this family room display!

Click on the "Read more" link below for more details!

Master Bedroom Sneak Peak!

Here's a sneak peak at the master bedroom I've been working on! 

Can't wait till I'm done so I can post pics and share all the details!

Fun to be Featured!

I just had to share this because I am beyond excited that @inspire_me_home_decor featured my work today on their Instagram page! Thank you so so much! I am so honored and humbled to be showcased with other posts from some of the of the top interior designers in the world!

Model Home Auctions!

I love going to model home auctions!  The builders originally purchase all the home decor and furniture super cheap- so they tend to start the bidding low on everything! 

(They're just happy to make some money back for the furnishings.) 

They're really fun and you can come away with amazing deals! 

Read more below for all the details on how these auctions work!

Model home auctions occur after the builder has sold or built a home on every lot in a neighborhood.  The decorated model home/sales center is already sold, and therefore, all the model home's furnishings need to be sold off. A lot of time, builders advertise for model home auctions on their website, put up signs, and pass out flyers in the neighbor hood they're closing out. So you'll want to go online and see what neighborhoods are all built up. 

First, before you enter the model home you will give your photo ID to the administrator and she will then generate a number ticket for you. (See below) This slip of paper is what you will raise when you want to bid on a lot. A "lot" is the term used for items grouped together with similar objects.

Each item is ticketed with the lot's number, as see in the photo below. 

So if you want to bid on a certain item, and you win, you may end up taking home a few other pieces that came in that lot. For example, almost always, a dining room table is always sold with the table setting displayed on top of it. This happened to me before. I wanted two glass vases, the lot also came with two green vases (which I didn't like). I made several bids on the lot, won it, and so I brought home all four vases.

Once you bid on a item and win it, you have to buy it. You then process to the administrator and pay by credit card. As you walk out the door to leave with your winning lot, you will be checked to make sure you bought the right it lot. It really is a lot of fun! Try it sometimes!
You never know the kind of deal you can get!

Mixing Textures!

Mixing different types of materials is a great way to add interest and dimension to a space.

 Here I have metallic, wood, mirror, and glass. These pretty aqua vases just came in the mail from my new friend in California. They're perfect for a pop of color and to create a soft visual focal point.

Mixing textures can be so fun! It can help turn a dull area into a more creative interesting space, and can be a great conversation starter when guests come over! 

Below: the vase is mercury glass, the cut out canister is metal, the larger frame is actually wood painted silver, and smaller frame, metal, and the aqua ball is wood. 

Loving Contrasting Colors!

A while back I was able to shop for a wonderful client who was living in Houston, 4 hours away, so she flew me to her gorgeous home and enlisted me to help decorate! Here is a picture of her master bedroom. After many hours of furniture shopping, we found this perfect traditional, yet super chic, bedroom set from Bassett. Then we found the perfect bedding at Pottery Barn, paired with brush nickel bed said lamps from Home Goods.

 We both loved the light and dark contrast of the light bedding against the black four posted bed. 

Spring Wreaths!

Nothing says "Welcome Spring" than a Spring wreath! I personally love changing out my wreaths is seasonally! It's a great, yet simple way to to bring in a piece of spring happiness into your home!

There's so many different fabrics, ribbons, textures, shapes and sizes to choose from! You buy one or create your own! Here's an elegant one I picked up from my local Pier One.
I love the added glamour with rhinestones and lace!

Click "Read more" link below for more info!

Sprintime in Paris!

This is a little different from my normal decorating posts, but I wanted to share this. 

I have a degree in fine art painting, so it felt so good to dust off my water colors and paint brushes and paint this fashion illustration!

I submitted this water color painting I did for my version of "Springtime in Paris" for Michael's Craft Stores. After I submitted it they featured it their website!
Wish me luck! ‪#‎SpringtimeInParis‬ ‪#‎Contest‬

 

Tips for Setting a Beautiful Easter Table

Easter is less than two weeks away! Crazy! Easter is one of my favorite holidays with lots of family traditions! My mother thrived on making holidays super special- and Easter was no exception. (I loved how she’d always send us on money eggs hunts and make our traditional Swiss cheese ham bake dinner.)  Decorating for Easter is so fun because you can create a peaceful, cozy feeling with soft pastels, or a more happy, cheerful look with bright colors.

I’m excited to share with you how I decorated my Easter table. For starters, I mixed a few older pieces I already had, with some new pieces I just purchased. I always like to do a “trial run” before the actual holiday. I decorate my table a couple days before the event and take a picture of it . That way if I’m running behind on the day of the event, I don’t have to think about where to place everything. I just look at the picture - and voila! I know where everything goes.

Click the "Read more" link below for all the details!

How to Build A Mudroom Bench By Amanda!

 I'm so excited to introduce my friend Amanda from AnOrganizedFamily. Today she is sharing how she and her handyman hubby built this amazing storage mudroom space! Her step by step mudroom tutorial is so informative and clear- you'll love it! Her blog is also filled with lots of great organizational tips and tricks to help in everyday life! Go check it out- you'll be so glad you did!

Click the "Read more" link  below for all the awesome details!

I am honored that Nissa-Lynn asked me to contribute to her blog some of my DIY projects.  I have a really hand husband, named Kevin, and he makes what I have in my head come to life.  Together we are a great team.  One of my favorite projects to date is our Mudroom Bench.

Last year, Kevin and I built a new home.  As much as we would have liked to have built a custom home, that just wasn’t in the budget.  So, we built a home with a builder that was structurally what we wanted, but we would do most of the customization and upgrades ourselves.  I’ve always dreamed of a mudroom and this home had the perfect spot for a great bench.  We priced it with the builder and it would have been $1600 for their version (one that wasn’t near as nice or pretty).  Our version ended up costing about $300 in materials and took about 8 hours to build, and then a few more to prime and paint.  But it is gorgeous and was most definitely worth the effort!

Spring Decor for the Kitchen!

 Brightening up this kitchen by adding pops of color! Bring on Spring!

If you're looking for cheap topiaries -check out At Home (originally Garden Ridge.) They're not the best quality, but they work great for the price! 

Sneak Peak!

Here's a a little preview of a clients living room I've been working on. In the last few months, we've totally remodeled her home! New lights, new furniture, carpet, travertine floors.. the works!
More photos to come!

My Delightful Dining Room Part 2

Oh How I love my dining room! It's my favorite room in my home! I wanted the room to have a regal, traditional feel, with a modern elegant look. I've had several inquires about how to create this look- and I'm happy to share. 

Click on the "Read more link below" for more details!

My Delightful Dining Room Part 1

My favorite room in my home is my dining room! I'm sharing all about it in a two part series! Right now, I'm on the hunt for new fabric dining room chairs for the ends of the table. The second part of the series will be how to achieve this look! So stay tuned!

Back to the chairs, the ones pictured are just temporary substitutes until I can find the perfect ones :) Normally, if you have fabric or mis-matching chairs, they need to be at least the same height, or taller than the side chairs. I need to find pieces that will work with my traditional, yet modern-elegant style. 

Click on the link below to "Read more."

More Valentine's Day Decorating Love

Fresh flowers are wonderful on Valentine's Day! I tend to buy them a few days before Valentine's Day, and before the flowers are marked up at the stores! Today I even used a $4.00 off coupon for this lovely bouquet!

Decorating for Valentine's Day!

Valentines Day is almost here! Are you ready?

It's my favorite holiday to decorate for because the colors are so bright and happy!

Click below on the "Read more"  link for more photos!

Old World Charm

I've been busy this whole month working on a big project! My client, who's an art collector, just moved into her home and wanted over 40 custom pieces of art work grouped, arranged, and installed. We also picked out new accessories and furniture to make her home feel like home! 

Keep Warm with a Hot Chocolate Bar!

If your like me, and most of the country, you know it's freezing outside!

Hot chocolate bars are perfect for those warm chilly nights!

Here's one I did for friends!