Happy February!! February is absolutely one of my favorite month’s because it’s my birthday month! Who doesn’t love their birthday?!?!!

The new year has gotten off to an incredibly busy start! I have some new things in the works for the blog, site & shop (I will reveal those secrets next week), I am going to be contributing monthly (or more) over at Chic Cheap Nursery & so, so, so much more…

Like most monthly favorite posts, it’s easy to come up with a “love list. There’s so many things that have caught my eye recently, that it makes it a bit hard to narrow down the list. Since I am in the process of changing out a few things in our home and adding some new “fresh” colors, I used my inspiration & ideas as a guide to this month’s home edition… Let’s begin shall we?

Here’s the breakdown:

1. Stripes!! I love stripes (hence the striped wall in our living room). I am really loving these large striped pillows from Crate & Barrel to add to our living room. I love the idea of playing off the stripes on the wall to create a cohesive look.

2. Ever since I just finished a beach condo project for a fabulous client of mine, I can’t get citron & chartreuse colors out of my head! We are playing with the idea of incorporating the shades in our bedroom actually. I LOVE this graphic pillow from CB2 as an accent!

3. Lighting is a huge element in decor/design. We are lacking in this area for sure in our home. I would love to add a floor lamp to our living area near a chair to create a reading nook. I love this inexpensive floor lamp from Lowes, in fact, I recently used it in the above mentioned beach condo project (which you will all see photos of soon!)

4. Ikat is a huge trend these days. I love it. I recently ordered one single ikat window panel from West Elm to re-upholester a bench I picked up from my local thrift store. These window panels are bea-u-tiful in person!!

5. Right now Target has some of the most adorable + modern + trendy home decor & kitchen products. You can find chevron pattern items, floral items and fun pops of color. I think this bread box is adorable. It comes in turquoise, white, red and black I believe. So cute!! It makes me wish I didn’t have to refrigerate my bread– gluten free.

6. Gallery wall time. I finally got the “go ahead” from the hubby to add a white framed gallery wall to our living room’s back wall. I have so many cute pictures & graphic prints I can’t wait to add! I am going to take a lil’ trip to Tampa next week to visit Ikea for these Ribba frames! Stay tuned on this one.

7. Zig zag fever. I am a huge fan of the chevron pattern… who isn’t? I think this adorable yellow vase from Zgallerie would look great on white shelves or even a coffee table paired with a few shorter vases.

Now, here’s a few fashion + beauty items I am into right now…

Here’s the breakdown:

1. Bangles. I am pretty much obsessed with fun bangles these days. I think they are a fun way to add a pop of color into your accessories. You can mis-match them or use just one depending on your outfit. These golden cuties are super inexpensive & from Forever 21. Costume jewelry doesn’t have to be expensive to be cute. As girly as I am and as much as I like to stitch up things, I try to pair a few inexpensive pieces with a few pieces that cost a bit more to each outfit.

2. Skinnies. God Love Them. I do. From the moment I brought home my first skinny jeans, I was addicted. I love them. I live in them. Awhile back I even purchased a cobalt blue pair of skinny capris… and I love those too! Then because they gave me so much joy, I bought some turqouise skinny pants. HEART THEM. Now my eye is on a pink/ magenta pair like these from Express. Adorable, right?!?!

3. I have probably mentioned a million times on the blog, but I eat gluten free now & have for almost 2 years exactly now. I have it down to a science these days (after a lot of practice and tough days). What I fail to remember sometimes is makeup and how it affects my immune system. Since consuming gluten in any way is not tolerable to me, I have to be a little creative at times. The other day I was watching Elizabeth Hasslebeck on the Dr. Oz show and she mentioned that Burt’s Bees products are g-free. I went out immediately and grabbed me some new lip gloss– I love it!

4. Lately I have been breaking out of my shell and wanting some glittery eye shadow. Are you with me out there?! Anyone else loving all those glittery eyes on Pinterest? Me too! This glittery eye shadow from Ulta  is long lasting and the perfect amount of shimmer!

5. I used to get my nails down all the time. I liked it. These days, my husband will give me a gift card for a mani-pedi (which is so sweet), but I find myself enjoying the pedicure, but the manicure + polish doesn’t last long. I heard about these nail strips from Sally Hansen from my hubby’s cousin and I knew I had to give it a whirl. These puppies last like 14 days folks. I grabbed mine from Target with a coupon— so look for those! They have sparkle designs, floral, geometric one’s.. kinda fun +different!

So, really… what are you loving this month? Have you bought anything recently that you just want to shout about? DO TELL. Also, I am extremely sorry for the lack of posts lately, unfortunately I came down with a bronchitis like virus and then shingles. I must say I have had a rough start to 2012, but I am coming out of it and feeling good. I am grateful for your understanding, patience and loyalty!

What have you been up to lately? Welcome back!

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Hello, hello! So, how did you guys like the OPC giveaway last week? I am thrilled to have One Project Closer as a sponsor and am so thankful they offered up such a fabulous giveaway to our readers!

So… a big thank you goes out to OPC! In case you haven’t checked them out, DO! They are an excellent resource for all things DIY!

 Now, for the winner… I am excited to announce that Andrea is the winner of the OPC giveaway!

I can’t wait to see how you use the gift card! Happy Shopping Andrea!

Din’t win this giveaway? No worries, we have a few more coming at you really soon!!

Finally, right!?! I apologize for not getting this giveaway winner post out sooner, I have been under the weather and my beloved computer crashed all in the same week. I finally am back up and running, all while coughing my head off. Fun or what friends?!!

Back to the giveaway! Thank you to each one who entered. I had fun reading through the comments and figuring out how many pillows you guys actually put out… I am so guilty of way too many pillows out. Or so the hubby says

A huge thank you goes out to Cushion Source for providing us with such beautiful pillows for our home & yours! We appreciate their sponsorship! Now to announce the winner…

The winner of the Pillow Talk giveaway Jessica who said:

Yay Jessica!  Congrats on your new pillows… come back & share photos!! P.S., Jessica happens to have the most fantastic site– The Paper Plume!

Thanks again! We have more giveaways coming at you soon! Plus, I PROMISE this blog is getting back to a regular schedule starting next week!

I am back with ANOTHER fabulous giveaway! It’s posting a bit late today due to technical issues… my computer decided to act weird today, so it’s at ‘the place’ getting looked at. BOO.

This week’s Gracious Giveaway is sponsored by my good friend’s at One Project Closer…

Have you ever wanted to know how a contractor would tackle your home improvement project? Well head on over to One Project Closer as they follow the pros and provide expert level how-to tutorials. In addition, they also share crafty ideas, tool reviews and home improvement coupons. Take a moment to check out all the discounts for home improvement stores and consider signing up for their weekly newsletter. To see what I mean, visit their Sears promo page or Kmart promo page.

One Project Closer is a really unique online source for deals, tutorials, product reviews & more. What I find great about OPC is the fact that you receive opinions, advice, tips & more from 4 fabulous people! That’s right… OPC is operated by 2 married couples who are just trying to make their homes fantastic, one project at a time (literally).  They get hands on advice from pro’s and deliver you the most updated tutorials, discounts & reviews. Seriously, if you are a diy’er or have home preoject to-do list… you have to stop by OPC!

Since the peeps at One Project Closer LOVE our diy readers, they wanted to give one of you a $50 gift card to Home Depot! Exciting, right? Well… let’s get to it!

Here are the details on how to win this week’s prize… (It’s easy… just comment on this blog post with the following)

• Prize: A $50 Gift Card to Home Depot
• To Enter: Comment below saying “Get my Project On” & tell us what kind of home projects are on you’re to do list…
• Bonus Entries… Sign up for One Project Closer’s Newsletter! You can also follow OPC on facebook on twitter!
• Giveaway Closes: Saturday, January 14th, 2012 @12pm EST
• Number of Winners: 1 Lucky Winner
• Prize Ships: Anywhere in the USA & Canada
• Rules: One entry per e-mail address is permitted, unless you partake in the bonus options. The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on Sunday, January15th, 2012. Good luck!

Is there anyone like me out there that is totally addicted to pillows? Yes?!?! Perfect.. then this giveaway it totally up your alley!!

(UPDATE: THIS GIVEAWAY HAS BEEN RE-LAUNCHED & EXTENDED)

Kevin laughs at just how serious I am right now. I have a slight addiction to decorative pillows. I have TONS and I love changing them out seasonally and trading them from room to room. It’s the interior designer in me that just can’t get enough! (Remember, I even posted all about my pillow obsession awhile back).

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Cushion Source(.com) to review a few pillows & host a giveaway. Of course my answer was yes & please! Cushion Source is a custom cushion, pillow & drape site. They offer high end products, deliver amazing customer service AND their website is easy to use. Customers simply enter their cushion or pillow measurements, choose a fabric and options, enter their zip code for a shipping estimate and Cushion Source handles the rest. They also allow customers to submit their own fabric for us to create their cushions and pillows.  (How amazing is that?) Best of all, our products are made here in the USA.

 A few days afterI received a confirmation email, I received the most gorgeous pillows! I didn’t pick out the pillows they sent, so they were a totaly surprise!! They were the PERFECT color for my house and I adore them. They have already been the centerpiece to the chairs in our living room and also made a grand debut in our bedroom too! They are absolutely beautiful. Don’t you think?

The pillows are extremely well made, the fabric is definately durable and the decorative fringe is sewn to perfection! I don’t ever brag about a company/or product that I don’t love myself, and Cushion Source is absolutely going to be added to my vendor source list for design projects!

Now for the FUN part… Cushion Source is sending one of you fine readers a set of pillows too… They are made with Sunbrella Fabrics (which means you can use them outdoors if you want) & you get on solid Yellow pillow & one Seafoam Green Floral Pillow…

Here are the details on how to win these fabulous pillows… (It’s easy… just comment on this blog post with the following)

• Prize: A set of Pillows from Cushion Source (with Sunbrella Fabrics) (One Yellow & One Light Seafoam Green)
• To Enter: Comment below saying”Pillow Talk” & tell us how many pillows are on your bed or sofa…
• Bonus Entries… Like the Cushion Source Facebook (& tell us you did) or Follow them on Twitter and tweet… “Enter for a chance to win a set of designer pillows from @cushionsource on @adesignstory http://adesignstory.com/gracious-giveaway-pillow-talk/“
• Giveaway Closes: Friday, January 13th, 2012 @12pm EST
• Number of Winners: 1 Lucky Winner
• Prize Ships: Anywhere in the USA
• Rules: One entry per e-mail address is permitted, unless you partake in the bonus options. The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on January 14th, 2012. Good luck!!

 Wow. 2012. WOW.

With the new year & new month ringing in, it’s that time for our Monthly Favorites post again! We get emails all the time from readers telling us that this is their favorite posts! I really just love to share items we are using & loving or even items we have our eyes on. Fresh Picks was really birthed from the idea of show & tell. If you love something, it’s worth telling! So, without further ado… January 2012′s Fresh Picks…

Here’s the HOME breakdown:

1. Yes, we are jumping on the Keurig train. My mom and dad recently picked up one for their house and they were instantly glad they made the purchase. My mom and I are huge coffee & tea drinkers and having the Keurig makes it easy to just have a single cup whenever you want! I quickly fell in love with it over the holidays, so we are going to be using our Bed Bath & Beyond 20 % off coupon and the rest of our wedding gift cards  to make the purchase this week!

2. Ikat is a huge trend these days, I absolutely love it! I recently added Ikat drapery panels to a client’s house on the beach (portfolio pictures coming soon). I was browsing the web for interesting rugs for another client the other day and I came across this gorgeous Ikat rug from West Elm. I might be saving my pretty pennies for this one guys…

3. At some point I will show you all some of the fabulous gifts I/we got this Christmas… we were very blessed! My mother-in-law was sweet enough to snag me this white Kitchenaid Stand Mixer… I have wanted it for so long…. I just know that my baking skills are going to blossom with this puppy

4. The other day I was at Target (duh right?!?) and I came across their new kitchenware line. I die. It is so me. I think each item comes in orange, turquoise (Thank God) and Black. They have CHEVRON patterned utensils!!! I snagged up some of the turquoise utensils… the rubber spatula I got is white & turquoise chevron. LOVE.

5. Another fun gift I received was a Bissell Steam Mop. Friends, you must get one. MUST. I watched Kevin’s aunt clean her floors after a dinner (packed with people), let’s just say they were spit shine clean. I hugged the box after I opened it. Who would have thought I would be so excited to mop our floors! YAY!

 What home items are you guys loving these days? Anything you are dying to tell us about? Any great home decor Christmas gifts? DISH IT!

 Here’s the FASHION breakdown:

1. We live in Florida, so even in the winter, from time to time, we wear sandals. I picked up these cute jeweled sandals from my Target the other day. They are adorable with a cute dress, skirt or even skinny jeans!

2. It’s getting a little chilly out (actually, it’s freezing out today… for us anyways), so that means no humidity here! Whahoo! I can finally style my hair with a curling iron without it falling out when I walk outside. I picked up this new 3 barrel curling iron the other day after I saw a friend who had styled her hair using this. SO CUTE. It kind of gives you a bohemian look… very cute!

3. It’s winter… chapped lips… need I say more. This new Baby Lip moisturizing lip color from Maybelline is fabulous! Just fabulous. They come in pinks, nudes, reds and purples. Perfect for these windy, chilly months!

4. One of the things on my Christmas list this year was a white watch, which Kevin totally delivered on. I have the world’s tiniest wrist, so finding a watch that looks good on it is super hard! He opted for one similar to this white watch at Target (I think he actually got mine at Kohls). The only difference is mine came with extra bands to change out (love that). I got a black, white, gray, pink and purple band to switch out depending on what outfit I wear! Good guy or what?!?

5. Another item on my wish list was perfume. I think I ended up with 3 different perfumes. WOW. One of my favorites is Taylor Swift’s Wonderstruck. Apparently my Mr. went EVERYWHERE looking for this surprise because it sold out fast! He finally was able to snag one and I ADORE IT. It has a unique sweet scent and the bottle is actually really cute too!

6. I am a huge scarf fan! I think adding a scarf to a plain tshirt is so adorable. I have tons, but my favorite is the green scarf one my mom & dad got me! This is from Target and it has more of a cotton/ jersey feel to it. It’s the perfect green and it goes awesome with black, white, gray and even blue! LOVE IT.

 How about you? Any fashion or beauty items that have your heart fluttering? Any great winter items? DO TELL.

It’s 2012… Wow! But let’s wrap up 2011 really quick!

Here’s to a wonderful holiday and to 2011! If you haven’t noticed, I decided to cut blogging short for 2011… Sometimes you have to just turn the computer off, put your i-phone down and breathe a little.

Half way through the 12 days of Christmas blog posts, I realized something. With all the blogging and last minute to-do’s for my local design projects, I wasn’t even enjoying the decorations and recipes I was blogging about (or going to blog about). I picked up so many new clients since August that it caused me to run behind on projects and crafts here at our house. In fact, we were so busy, Kevin and I stayed up late Christmas Eve Eve, Christmas Eve and even got up on Christmas and to wrap gifts. NEVER, EVER AGAIN.

This brings me to my new year’s resolutions…. (YES, I have some this year). I thought long & hard about all 8 of these! I think it is important to take stock of what’s working & what’s not at the end of each year! It really wasn’t too difficult to come up with things I wanted to change this year… these are important, so hold me to them!

1. Take time out for me. My local interior design business really started booming in 2011, which was (& is) a total blessing! I became mostly work & very little play. I really need to find balance and find time for things I like to do, things I want to do and things I need to do!  Like for example, take the time to paint my nails more, get a pedicure, do some paintings, get up early for Yoga, to more entertaining here at our house & take time to read. Finding balance is going to be key this year!

(From the photo shoot for our Christmas Cards- Done by the oh so sweet, Jolanta Bremer)

2. Take time out to spend quality time with my Mr. Owning your own business is tough because you have your hand in so many moving parts. Kevin and I both own our own businesses and sometimes it’s tough to get away from out computers & phones and just be together. Many a nights last year did we sit after dinner with laptops and phones in hand working on our ever growing to-do lists. In fact, we even got in a habit of eating in front of the tv, which is a huge no-no in our families. So, we have agreed dinner is back at the table with the tv off! Speaking of the tv, anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE tv. I truly do. I have a list of shows we watch and I absolutely must watch them! Thank God for DVR! This year, we are going to designate tv nights and then have other nights where we play the Wii, play a board game, ride bikes or read by the pool.

(Our Nephew Jonah age:2)

3. Spend more time with family & friends! We plan on entertaining more this year and carving out time to spend with the one’s we love! We have 6 nieces & nephews and being with them truly makes our hearts smile! We want more time with them because they won’t be little for long!

 4. Go to bed early. The saying that the early bird gets the worm is so true. I used to be a total night owl when I was going through my days of not feeling well before I was diagnosed with Celiac. Now that I am feeling so good I could be a rock star on tour, I can finally sleep and Kevin has turned into our night owl. We don’t go to bed separate, in fact, we never have. We always go upstairs together. It’s just how we roll.

5. Edit our cleaning schedule & stick to it. Having been SO busy the last 6 months, the clean freak in me has had to relax a little bit… not because I wanted to, because it just was what it was. So, in preparation for another busy year, I am editing our list of daily to-do’s (it keeps the house cleaner if everyday something is done) and organizing every square inch of this house. The organization has already begun, so by this time next week, our house will be clean, clutter free & organized… here’s the how we broke down the list…

1. Monday & Tuesday: Office (We need to prepare for the new office built-ins happening at the end of this week) (See mood board)

2. Wednesday: Pantry/ Extra Storage Space & Kitchen Cabinets

3. Thursday: Master Bedroom Closets & Bathroom Cabinets/Drawers

4. Friday: Guest Room Closet & Linen Closet in Hall

5. Saturday & Sunday: Garage. Yep, the Garage.

6.  Create a better schedule for my business & blog. I would like to take an entire day to do my own projects and to-do’s, then have days of just local interior design projects and days when it’s mostly just the blog.

7.  Blog more! I This year, the blog is taking precedent as much as possible because we want to start a family and being a stay at home mommy is what we think will work best for our family! So, in order for this to take place I am going to get organized and create a true schedule & sticking to it. I want to create a place where readers know when to come for what! There might be extra posts here & there, but there will be specific days for specific subjects… check back soon for the details on this! But… here’s a printable version of my Weekly Blog Schedule that I just made!

8. DIY Projects!! I have tons of projects I want to do this year. The plan is to make a list and take it on one project at a time. My goal is to NEVER make anything I don’t need just for the sake of showcasing a project… you know what I mean? Who has the room for all that ‘stuff’?!?!

 So… what about you??? What’s on your 2012 list?? DO TELL! Now to wrap up 2011 completely, a big, big, big Thank You goes out to all of our lovely sponsors. Without you, this year would not have been so great! We appreciate each & every one of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you to these fine & fabulous peeps…

Lynch Creek Farm…

Royal Design Studio…

True Value Paint…

The Ribbon Retreat…

Garnish…

Wall Quotes…

 Erica Sara Designs…

Home Talk…

Bayside Prints…

Aldari Art…

Del Mar Designs

Thank you for your sponsorship! We heart you all!

(Extra Photos from Pinterest, here & here)

Next up, the anticapted January 2012 Fresh Picks Post… STAY TUNED FOR THAT!

Every year I like to come up with some & festive Christmas vignettes & centerpieces all over our house.

This year, I went easy!! I grabbed the square turquoise tray from our coffee table & our gray & white plaid tablecloth and created this…

 I just added 3 different trees, a branch I stole from our garland & a few ornaments… it’s simple, easy & festive!

The other tray I created had a little DIY creativity built in & took a little more time than the one above! A few weeks ago I came across this ugly tray…

Although it had the right ‘initial’ (M for our last name), it just didn’t say “stylish” to me!  I decided to give it a DIY go and make it my own! Finding this ‘beauty’ was perfect timing because I wanted to add something new to our coffee table in time for the holiday season! Plus. the tray I “borrowed” from this spot for the kitchen table centerpiece was square & this space called for a rectangular tray!

The tray sides unscrew and I took the glass and back plate off so I could spray paint it. (Before you spray paint anything, make sure you dust off any dirt or dust particles so it will look clean & crisp).

It has been super windy here lately, which makes spray painting a bit tough! I grabbed an empty box we had in the garage and used that to shield the paint from being all over me or getting carried away…

While the tray ‘parts’ were drying, I grabbed the mat frame & some wrapping paper & recovered it to match the look I was going for! Next, I added some white glittery scrapbook paper to the back of the mat frame (middle of the tray) for a touch of sparkle! The great thing about this tray is, I can swap out the mat frame cover and middle inside backing to change it up from time to time…

When it was all finished… I loved it! Ha!

After it was all finished, I added it to our coffee table along with some votives, white trees and ornaments…

For only $1 for two trees from the Dollar Store, these are way cute! Don’t ya think??

Did you guys do any DIY projects for Christmas? Any fun centerpieces? DO TELL. I hope all of you are enjoying the Christmas season!

Whew… we have had a ton of great giveaways lately! This week’s from Royal Design Studio was especially fun! We absolutely ADORE them and appreciate their continued sponsorship and for offering such a great giveaway to our readers! In fact, this won’t be the last of their giveaways… we have another for you coming in 2012. Wow.. crazy to say 2012… where does all the time fly too?

Anyways, if you didn’t make it in time to enter this week’s giveaway, we have another scheduled for you to have another chance to win one of Royal Design Studio’s fabulous stencils. If you haven’t made it over to their website, you simply MUST! They have such beautiful designs in every style imaginable.. pop on over there & receive a 10% discount when you use the code: ADS10!

We had so much fun reading through your comments & finding out which stencil designs you liked the best! It is so hard to pick just one, they are all beautiful! We can’t wait to see what our winner does with her stencil…

 Now to the winner… Congrats to Shannon who said:

We are thrilled for Shannon! Don’t forget to come back for a show & tell… we all want to see how you use the stencil!

We have another great giveaway coming at you this Monday! Don’t forget to stop back & enter!!!

In the spirit of this fabulous season, I wanted to take a few hours and DIY some ornaments. I had a few ideas I couldn’t get out of my head, so I thought I would try my hand at DIY’ing a few to see how they would come out! Boy was I pleasantly surprised!!

I grabbed up a few clear plastic ornaments from Michael’s Craft store, they are regularly .99 cents apiece, but I snatched them on sale for .30 cents each. Love that! The rest of my supplies I already had (glitter, glue, a felt snowflake and paint). These are all easy to do & they make great crafts for children as well. Add them to your tree, tie them on a present or place them on a tray for a festive touch!!

I created four different ornament designs. Each design was really easy & came out very pretty I must say!

The first ornament was an experiment… and it worked! I had seen these painted ornaments on Pinterest one day and it gave me an idea! Instead of painting the outside of ornaments (which are pretty), I thought it might be fun to drop some paint inside of an ornament & swirl it around, then let it dry. In order for it to swirl, I had to head up the paint! I filled up a cup of SUPER HOT water and put the paint tube inside for a few minutes. The paint got warm enough that the texture became less “thick” and more watery, which made the dripping part easier!

I let this ornament dry on the paperplate for the rest of the night. The steam that formed inside was because the paint was a bit warm… it went away & didn’t cause any issues! I only added a turquoise color, but it would look great with two colors also! The way to do that would be add a color, then let it dry a bit and then add the new color, this way they don’t mix and create a new color! Here’s what mine looked like…

The second ornament took a little longer to complete, but it was well worth the extra time! I poured some good ol’ Elmer’s Glue All & took an old (tiny) paint brush and painted striped zig zags, working my way around the entire ornament. Once I painted each zig zag, I sprinkled the glitter on!

I let it in dry in a candle holder (upside down with the top inside the holder) for a few hours. When it was all dry… it looked like this…

Since the chevron idea worked out so well, I decided to do one in white too! This time I added the zig zags and included glitter inside as well! Instead of painting the glue on with a brush, I went for a thicker look and free handed it with the glue!

I let this dry in upside down in a candle holder too! When it was all dry, I fell in love with it!

The next ornament I DIY’ed was a snowflake one. This one was SUPER quick & easy! I had a felt snowflake sticker on hand… so I stuck that on & poured some glitter inside. Easy?!!

This one had “0″ dry time so it was done immediately! Who doesn’t love that?!! Here’s the final product…

Now they all sit sparkling on our tree! They just might be my favorite holiday addition this year!! I adore them…

What do you think?? Have you created any fun holiday ornaments this year? DO TELL. Oh, and if you are looking for a few extra ornaments… we are having a facebook giveaway… check it out! Also, it’s the last day to sign up for the Royal Design Studio Giveaway!!