peace of home

Southern Living Showcase Home

2012-05-11T15:55:00.000-05:00

I received an e-mail from Southern Living this week,

informing me that their first Showcase Home in the Houston area

will be open for touring this weekend and next!

The incredibly talented brother-sister team of Stone Acorn are the builders of this southern beauty.

I love love love all things with Southern Living charm, and can't wait to tour this home.

So, until I can share my own pics, here are some taken by this website

during the last stages of construction.

everything about this home is inviting!

this room had me at beamed ceilings and brick fireplace.

we all love these barn doors.

and look at that mudroom! sigh.

farmhouse sink. check.

fabulous cabinetry. check.

black honed countertops. check.

lovely paneling and wall color. so soothing!

at first i thought the build out of the benches was strange...

but I bet it allows for much more leg room beneath a table than a typical bench.

complete with your own personal potting area!

I love everything about this house! It has gracious Southern style and so much personality.

Hopefully I can take my own pictures on the tour when the rooms are decorated to perfection!

If you live in and around Houston, you should definitely make the drive in for this tour.

100% of the Southern Living Showcase ticket proceeds go to the

Houston Center for Literacy and the Friends of the Bellaire Library.

Home from Cali

2012-05-04T12:49:00.001-05:00

I apologize for not posting lately,

but we were busy, busy this last week...

Flying to California...

Celebrating my sister's graduation from Pepperdine ...

Playing on the beach and making lots of memories with Dan, Lo, & Ily!

We are back home, resting and getting back into the swing of things.

Of course I will have some projects around the house to share with you next week.

Have a blessed weekend & I will see you back here on Monday!

The Tale of an Organized Pantry

2012-04-23T21:36:00.004-05:00

Once upon a time, a girl named Liz, who loved organizing, had met her match.

She had rescued many closets, shelves, and rooms from despair,

but her pantry defeated her time and time again.

before

SO EMBARRASING!

One of her dear friends named Lauren, a professional organizer,

offered to defeat the pantry once and for all.

She arrived with bags and bags of organizational accessories,

from baskets to glass canisters, all of Liz's favorites!

Lauren swept in and cleared out every inch of the pantry,

wiping down all the shelves and their contents as she went.

isn't she darling?!!

who wouldn't want to spend the day with her while she organizes your life!

When Liz arrived home from running errands,

she was in utter amazement at how her pantry had been transformed!

The shelves were beautiful and most importantly functional.

loving my expandable shelves and baskets

she added storage on the doors and utilized the awkward back corner space

love these baskets that she used to organize our snack foods

love. love. love. opening my pantry door and seeing this

Liz, her family and their pantry lived happily ever after!

Lauren truly is so talented in creating order amongst chaos!

If you live in the Houston area and would like Lauren's help in organizing

ANY area of your home, you can email her:

Lauren (dot) L (dot) Sloan (at) Gmail (dot) com

Meet Fiona, Our Fiddle Leaf Fig

2012-04-18T21:35:00.000-05:00

I have this habit of naming things as a term of endearment.

Like cars, children, and my husband's moped from college, for instance.

The names of my cars have been Lucky, Sugar, & now Rover.

Each of them had a reason for the name they were given.

As I stated yesterday, I {heart} Fiddle Leaf Figs,

so I thought it only appropriate to name her, as well.

Meet Fiona.

Obviously, I like the alliteration aspect of her name,

Fiona, my Fiddle Leaf Fig.

and it's also fitting as she is green and female, just like the beloved character in Shrek.

I know, creative, right?

image source

She was immediately welcomed into our home with squeals of excitement from, Moi...

and giggles from Little Man, as he watched me bounce around the room in excitement.

I kept thinking of reasons that I needed to walk through the family room today,

just so I could smile at her.

Don't judge me. I am just giddy.

She absolutely brought life to a neutral corner,

and I hope she adores her new sunny corner spot as much as I adore her.

Notice anything else new, from these photos?

Yes, I did press my draperies. But there is something else...

You guessed it! My new armchairs were re-upholstered and delivered yesterday.

I {heart} Fiddle Leaf Figs.

2012-04-17T19:19:00.000-05:00

I have been drooling over images of Fiddle Leaf Figs for months.

{images via}

Tomorrow, I will actually get to drool on my very own tree in our family room! ha

I found a plant nursery in our area that has some available,

and following little man's swim lessons, it's first on my to-do-list!

Can't wait!

I'll post pictures as soon as it's safe and sound in our home.

Remodel 2012 :: The FINAL Reveal!

2012-04-16T15:44:00.000-05:00

It's been a long time coming, but our patience definitely paid off!

I hope you enjoy the tour of our newly remodeled kitchen!

O, wait! Before you begin, here is all that has changed since the beginning,
just so you can appreciate it as much as I do!

ADDED:
New cabinet doors and faces
Display cabinets built in empty space of cabinets
Lighting in Display cabinets
Recessed lighting throughout kitchen
Hardwood floors, installed by my amazing hubby!
Yours truly painted the cabinets, like a professional (more to come on that)
Granite countertops
Subway Tile backsplash
Kitchen sink
Knobs & Pulls

Whew! That's quite a list, and I am so thankful for each item above.
We had been wanting to begin this project for at least a year and a half,
and it was truly worth the wait.
We saved, saved, saved and it was so worth it in the end,
when we were able to pay for it all up front and not take out a loan.
Something else I did was a lot of research...which led me to find all of
these amazing inspiration photographs.
Personally, I think it's the spitting image of a few & love how it turned out.
I wouldn't change anything about it!

Enjoy your tour!

I just have to say this...
I am borrowing the current kitchen runner from here
but found some amazing ones at Dash and Albert that I currently have my eye one.
The plan is also to display my china in the lighted cabinets.
...taking my to-do-list one day at a time!

The BEFORE picture::

This is actually WAY before ...

Original choice of paint color

(I always wanted a yellow kitchen, but it did not work in this space)

Tile floors

Old bar stools

Cluttered countertops

Random decor above cabinets ... there was just too much empty space up there!

BUT

We had upgraded our appliances! which initially made a huge difference.

The Remodel begins::

countertops & new sink are installed::

making progress...

the new cabinet fronts are installed!

For more posts throughout the remodel and for a list of my kitchen selections, look:

here here here here here here & here

Thanks for taking the tour of our new kitchen!

I hope you enjoyed seeing the transformation as much as we did!

Sharing this transformation with:
Savvy Southern Style
House of Hepworth's

Keeping it Simple

Between Naps on the Porch

Sweet Stuff

Not Just a Housewife

Winthrop Chronicles
Domestically Speaking

Design Board :: A Client's Loft Area

2012-04-13T16:17:00.000-05:00

I've loved working on this space!

My client's boys love to play video games in the loft,

but they also wanted it to serve a dual purpose as a place for guests when the other

guest rooms are full.

It's outside the door to their Master Suite, which has soft blue walls and can be seen

when looking up from the entry way to this room.

With that in mind, this was the area I designed for their family.

In the corner bookcase, they can mount a tv for gaming,

hide games and accessories in the storage baskets, and the boys have a comfy spot to sit
on those fabulous chevron floor pillows.
Although the boys probably won't describe them with that exact wording. ha
They can read with their boys on the daybed amongst the comfy pillows,
yet it serves it's purpose for guests when needed.
As for the colors, they coordinate nicely with the other surrounding rooms,
and are very soothing for overnight guests.
I loved creating this space to meet multiple needs for this family.

Would you like help designing a space for you?
Please visit my Design Services and Portfolio page for more information.

Our FINAL Kitchen Remodel 2012 Reveal is Monday!
Come back and see the drastic transformation that's taken place.

While I've Been waiting ...

2012-03-29T16:41:00.000-05:00

Throughout a remodel, the homeowner has no choice but to learn patience.

Ugh. Not always a fun lesson.

Our carpenter came to install the hardware yesterday,

but the screws included with the drawer pulls weren't long enough ...

so he drilled the holes and now it's up to us to buy the screws & finish installing.

So now it's another item on my ever growing to-do-list ...

Hopefully to be completed by this weekend because I am dying to share pictures!!

So while I've been waiting for that project to wrap up ...

I completed the "seems like it will never be completed gallery wall"

I was so excited to show my sailboat loving Hubby!
Couldn't wait for him to get home so I could show him the completed gallery wall.

When he left for work that AM it looked like this...

a few missing frames, our framed "save the date" that hung in our first apt, and at least 4 empty frames.

Upon returning home it was completed and looked like this. So much better.

Sweet guy had been super patient with me.
He probably thought I'd never really finish.
I mean let's get real, it had been a year since we hung those frames
I am not going to lie, it was pretty frustrating.

I kept trying to find pictures and images to fit the matte sizes in the frames,
until I read this post from Pam where I learned they can cut custom mattes for you at Hob Lob!

Here are some sources for the images I used::

I ordered this image from One King's Lane, planned on cutting it to fit,

but was so glad that I didn't have to.

Quite a while ago, Emily shared her source for free images at NYPL and Vintage Printables.
I have printed many a free image from those sites since then.

Including these for the wall in Hubby's Nautical Office:

"dungeness lighthouse"

"the sea horse"

"America's Cup presented in 1977"

The other images (Tall Ship, Eagle, and Sailboat Masts) along the top row
were purchased by my dad for Hubby when we were dating.
Dad knew how much he loved sailing. My Dad is so thoughtful like that.
I loved getting to use them in this collection.

And the large ocean chart was used by Hubby when he was completing his Captain's courses.

To my sweet Hubby, I hope you smile each time you look up at this wall
I hope that you are reminded of all your accomplishments on the ocean and those to come.
You are so talented and I was so blessed to design this space just. for. you.

The gallery wall frames were the finishing touch on this room.
So the Office reveal will be coming soon, right along with the Kitchen Remodel.

Remodel 2012 :: sneak peek

2012-03-20T12:25:00.000-05:00

All of the major pieces came together last week!

The cabinet doors were installed, and now all that's left is for our carpenter to screw
in the knobs and pulls, which will happen one day this week.

Hopefully.

Then it will be time for the finishing touches!

Until then here is a sneak peek picture of our remodeled kitchen ...

For dramatic effect, here is a picture of our kitchen right after we moved in ...

love. love. love. the changes!

to see the posts leading up to this final product go

here here here & here

sharing the changes here:

Blue Cricket Design

Remodel 2012 :: i always love a good deal

2012-03-09T07:00:00.000-06:00

Our kitchen remodel is nearing completion,

which has me thinking of the finishing touches!

An important detail is the hardware, and I found a site with awesome

hardware for WAY less than I'd seen elsewhere.

Much like the hardware I loved here.

The site I found is My Home Hardware

and they had amazing prices, much less than the large home improvement stores.

They even have an additional sale on top of their great prices,

10% off any purchase over $75!

Here are the knobs I found for our kitchen:

cabinet door knobs

drawer pulls

pantry door knob

Go check 'em out & have a Happy Weekend!

Kids' Room Projects :: A Sneak Peek!

2012-03-08T13:48:00.000-06:00

Here are few pictures of some projects that have now come to completion

in our kids' rooms! All of the details and info will be here soon,

just wanted to give you a little something to peak your interest!

:: coming soon ::

easy tricks to turn this popular wall decor into a bow holder

these weren't used for just any gallery wall - this one has something special.

I purchased this map on clearance at PB - see how we personalized it for our son's room!

Nothing Like a Sale for a Little Motivation

2012-03-07T07:00:00.000-06:00

I just have to say that sometimes I get Design ADD.

I will start on projects in one room and before you know it,

I have ideas for another and kind of abandon ship...

Knowing that I'll get back to it one day.

The project that has been halfway completed that longest is this

gallery wall in my hubby's office.

Every month or so he'll nicely ask when I plan to getting around to it again...

poor little abandoned frames.

This past week I had a nice bit of motivation with some help from

a Typography and Letterpress sale at One Kings Lane.

A couple of frames are on the larger side of things,

so I have had some trouble filling them.

This one was actually larger than I needed, but I figured I could trim it to size.

It's going in the large frame, top left.

I knew Hubby would love this one. No doubt.
Perfect for his nautical office.

Can't wait for it to arrive.

Now it's time to find two more 5x7 images, two 2x3 images (that might be a little tough),

pick up a matte or two from Hob Lob, pop a sailboat image in another frame, and la-tee-da.

This wall will finally be complete!

If you've never shopped a One Kings Lane sale, you're missing out!

Come back and let me know what you find.

Remodel 2012 :: selections

2012-03-06T07:00:00.000-06:00

I have received some questions regarding the different selections we made for our kitchen.

So, this is just a random little post with source information.

Thanks for your interest!

Blanco Precis

Super Single Bowl Sink, White

Granite Composite

33" across and a depth of 9 1/2"

Dal Tile
3x6 white porcelain subway tile

UbaTuba Granite Countertops

OilBased Paint from Lowe's in

"Subway Tile"

They color matched the Valspar Subway Tile

for an Olympic OilBased Paint

Remodel 2012 :: nothing like a little reassurance

2012-03-05T09:46:00.000-06:00

I am sure most of you have heard of Houzz.

It rocks.

I love getting the latest Houzz e-mail with tips, tricks, and amazing images.

The other day I was glancing through the e-mail and noticed the title:

"8 Elements of Classic Kitchen Style"

First of all, if you know me and have been following Peace of Home long enough,

you know that I have a very classic, traditional style. With a dash of modern or vintage here and there.

My goal in our kitchen remodel was definitely to create a classic kitchen.

Second, we were smack dab in the middle of our remodel, I questioned whether or not to read

their opinions thinking I might regret one of my decisions.

I was so glad that I did! It was like a big pat on the back.

Here are their 8 suggested elements:

{1}

White or Cream Cabinetry

that's definitely the plan which will be executed this weekend.

check.

{2}

Simple Architectural Details

nothing too fancy or ornate,

but still interesting.

such as Shaker Style Cabinets, crown moulding, decorative L-Brackets,

legs on the island...

check.

{3}

Honed Black Countertops

We were seriously considering honed countertops until we learned that means they aren't sealed...

so smudges, liquids, spills can show.

o, let me just tell you, that would drive me nuts!!

I'm kinda a perfectionist about clean counters.

So, we went with black countertops, just not honed.

I guess we get a "half check" on that one. ha

{4}

White Marble Countertops

If you prefer lighter countertops, that's a great option...

We obviously went with the dark ones.

This makes it kinda tricky to tally my score but I will accept a

"no check"

{5}

White Subway Tile

Subway tile can range in size, the classic size is 3x6, and finish.

I chose the classic of classic.

White porcelain 3x6.

check.

{6}

Simple door styles

Nothing is more simple or classic than the Shaker Style doors our carpenter built.

check.

{7}

Neutral Palette

white cabinets, wood floors, black countertops, white backsplash,

all combine to make a very neutral palette.

I love working with neutral palettes so I can add colors based on the seasons,

holidays, and my mood :)

check.

{8}

Flexibility

"Classic Kitchens are chameleons: You can take the same kitchen and completely change its

look by mixing in different [elements]"

source

check.

I so look forward to sharing more pictures as our remodel comes to completion.

For pictures of the progress thus far

look here here and here

So, what's your opinion? Do you agree or disagree with this article?

Do you like classic? modern? vintage? shabby chic?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

images via

Remodel 2012 :: lighting changes everything

2012-03-02T07:00:00.000-06:00

Choosing the right lighting can most definitely

make or break your space.

"not too hot, not too cold"

but just right.

I have always loved this image.
The canister lights, lighted display cabinets, under cabinet lighting, and pendants...
They all work together to create a warm, perfectly lit space.

I had never personally experienced the impact of such lighting until the latest stage of our remodel.

We had this horrible fluorescent light fixture removed
and the lining of the canister light changed from black to white.

I couldn't have been happier to kick it to the curb.

Literally, the garbage truck picked it up & I smiled.

Hubby was going to try and reuse it in the garage, but it was so

worthless the electrician couldn't believe it had actually been working in the kitchen.

It had some serious issues.

We had six can lights installed and they dramatically change the room,

making it feel much taller and adds an unbelievable amount of light.

i apologize in advance for the phone pics.

Tip: add a dimmer to create just the perfect amount of light

depending upon your mood, weather, and time of day.

off

all on

o! did you notice the other change??

new lighted display cabinets!

more info on those, coming soon.

and don't worry ... I am not moving to entirely open shelving.

We're just in the process of painting the doors!

in case you were wondering...

Hubby did get a new light installed in the man cave.

He needs it for tinkering on all of his toys!

Yes, the new light made a dramatic difference in there, as well.
and in my opinion, that's where fluorescent lights belong.
in the garage! ha

Remodel 2012 :: Inspiration Photos and New Countertops

2012-02-29T14:13:00.000-06:00

An inspiration piece or photo

can definitely get the wheels spinning for a new project.

There is nothing like seeing the finished results before taking the risk

and beginning the project on your own.

They can even help you discover your personal design style.

Most of the inspiration for our remodel began with the following images.

I have always loved white cabinets and wood floors.

In these pictures I loved the the contrast of dark and light,

in the floors and cabinets, countertops and backsplash, & hardware and cabinets.

Everything just worked together.

Laying wood floors was the first project of the remodel.

It was rough. We're hoping the rest go much smoother.

This picture lead to having glass front, lighted display cabinets built.

and recessed canister lights in the ceiling.

Love the subway tiles and dark countertops.

Our kitchen has soft blue walls, like this photo.

So it was neat to see how they would look with the other elements I was considering.

Yesterday the granite was laid and today they're here installing the subway tile backsplash.

The transformation of the kitchen is truly incredible!

Can't wait to reveal the finished product!

images via pinterest

Remodel 2012 :: a summary of laying wood floors

2012-02-23T15:48:00.000-06:00

I LOVE wood floors.

in my dream home they'll be everywhere!!

well, except for the bathrooms which will have heated, marble floors ;)

after this last project we now have wood floors in all the main areas.

totally obsessed.

Here are a couple of "before" pictures ...

Actually taken when we had the carpets cleaned a while back.

I will admit that I chose this carpet. ugh.

Now that we have that out there, let me follow it with saying that it is

the decision I regret most in the 3 years of decorating our house.

Mind you, this is our first house and I didn't have too many opinions starting out.

That face has definitely changed. Just ask Hubby :)

What I maybe hated most of all,

was the weird jutting angle of the tile into the family room carpet.

(see first pic)

The house came that way, but it made the rooms so choppy!!

For the last two years I have been dreaming of laying wood floors throughout

the kitchen/ breakfast room/ family room.

This is the story of how Hubby made my dreams come true!

A few weeks ago I wrote this post to inform you of what craziness we were

embarking on. It got crazier and crazier before the floors were finally finished.

ripping out carpet and busting out tile

Truly thought I'd never clean out all of the dust.

Truly.

Geez.

Hubby worked SO hard swinging a sledge hammer and using some crazy

power tool that I don't even know the name of.

I promised him I'd never ask him to do this again.

It was kinda terrible.

Round 1. Hubby laid all of the floors. He did an AMAZING job, even took a day off work to finish.
We walked around and noticed a few uneven areas.
Come to find our foundation wasn't completely even...

(what?!??! I didn't even know that was possible.)

here are some pictures of the initial progress ...

sometimes when people have traumatic incidents in their lives their brain basically erases the memory of what happened because it's too much to handle.
pretty sure that's what happened after this next set of pictures.
i just don't remember a whole lot about the following.

Round 2. He ripped up half the floors and moved most of the furniture out,
throughout kitchen and breakfast room.
Then he laid the floors for a second time using one method to try and fix the floor issue.
but it didn't work.

(ahhhhhh!!!!!!)

I mean I can only complain so much, he did 90% of the work but

I got to live in the house all day, every day with two kids...

Round 3. Third time is a charm. He spread self leveling cement and re-laid the floors, again.

This time everything was much better.

but the process was still a nightmare.

It was a rough 10 days, but it was SO worth it.

Our wood floors have been laid and they're gorgeous.

Busting out tile, laying and relaying those floors was an incredible

act of love by my hubby, and I am so grateful that he did that for me.

He knew how much it meant to me and how much I'd love them!

We both love them and even Cade, who is 2 1/2, says

"Mommy, I love your new floors!"

Chiang Mai

2012-02-14T00:14:00.001-06:00

In the midst of all the projects going on around our house,

my escape from the craziness has been working on my latest client's design board.

Her inspiration is Schumacher's Chiang Mai print, and

I have truly had a wonderful time pulling all of the elements together.

With her floor plan you can be in the living room and

see through the kitchen into the breakfast room.

I included the items for all three rooms so she could see how they

complemented each other.

I love the different patterns & prints, Oriental accents, textures,

and mix of metals! Seeing it all in her home will be even better!

It would be my pleasure to help you design a room to fit your style,

and most importantly your life.

Check out my Design Services page for more information

and contact me with any questions you might have!

Let the Demolition Begin!!!

2012-01-24T14:57:00.000-06:00

That busted tile brings a huge smile to my face.

My hubby is a stud and an awesome tile smasher!

bye-bye, carpet! won't miss you at. all.

It's pretty dusty around here but we are a few big steps closer to our ultimate goal!!

stay tuned for more updates.

Home Goals 2012

2012-01-16T13:24:00.001-06:00

I can't wait to share all of the projects we completed in 2011,

on and off my Goal List.

But first, here are my 2012 goals!

My biggest 2011 goal actually didn't get completed before December 31...

so now it's been added to the 2012 list.

the ball is rolling and we are about to take on a major remodel.

can. not. wait.

I literally sit in our family room and dream of what that space will be like!

soon.

{1}
painting and updating kitchen cabinets
new white subway tile backsplash

these are my inspiration photos!

{2}

busting out tile/ ripping out carpet

laying hardwood floors in kitchen, family room, breakfast room!

all the credit for that will go to my hubby!

{3}

re-upholstering armchairs/ picking a new rug for family room

and rearranging furniture...

love these chairs! found the fabric for $5/yd on sale at Ballard Designs!

{4}

completing big boy room transformation

I just ordered this wall map... my patience paid off!

Originally $129 & I ordered it from the PB Warehouse sale for $79!

{5}

adding final touches to the nursery

this photo was the inspiration for how to display her name!

{6}

updating the guest bathroom

using these drapes from West Elm as the shower curtains!

and a few other things...

{7-10}

must save some as surprises for you

and leave time for any other projects that catch my eye!

Want to see more ideas for what I have planned?

Follow me on Pinterest!

What do you have planned for 2012?

This is going to be such great year full of home projects!

sharing these goals over at the Nester's party!

sources: pinterest, pottery barn, bhldn, west elm

Happy 2012!

2012-01-11T23:48:00.000-06:00

Happy 2012, to all of my fabulous followers!

I am so pleasantly surprised that you stuck around - probably missing my posts terribly

ha.

Thrilled was I to see that no one left during my sabbatical.

Sadly, my last post was September 16th!

WOW! I missed posting fall and Christmas decor - oops

but we have had a quite eventful 3 months around our house!

We were blessed with baby #2 on October 3rd and have been soaking up time with her!
and wrapping up some house projects - a few of which are featured below.

Here is a recap of what we've been doing...
I am so excited to be back and look forward to sharing all of my

decorating and remodeling throughout 2012 with each of you!

our precious baby girl was born!

finished hand painting/ stenciling the laundry room..
Hubby called it my "Sistine Chapel" haha

celebrated Thanksgiving with my family!

spent lots of time with my sweet mom!
I don't know what we would've done without all of her help...
quite an adjustment going from 1 to 2 kiddos!

baked and decorated lots of Christmas cookies!

spent a blessed Christmas with family celebrating Christ's birth

Hubby designed & built a coatrack area
(details and more pics coming soon!)

and we're absolutely loving being a family of 4!

check back soon to see my home goals for 2012!
It's going to be an EXCITING year around here!

Fall Bliss

2011-09-16T09:33:00.002-05:00

This morning I woke up earlier than the boys,

snuggled up on the couch

with toasted banana bread and fresh coffee,

and read through my newest issue of this.

It made me feel like fall was really here,

even though it's still a few weeks away.

I get so antsy for fall's arrival.

Perhaps it's because we have to be extra patient,

waiting for it here in TX,

but I just love the colors, the scents, the recipes, the foliage,

and the fact that fall brings the beginning of the holiday seasons!

I am slowly pulling things out of my "fall box" to decorate around the house.

Here are some of my favorite pins on my "seasonal bliss" board over at Pinterest.

And my favorite article in the newest Martha Stewart living?

It's all about the gingham.

what are your thoughts on gingham? i totally love it.

Happy Friday!

I hope you all have a blessed weekend full of fall bliss!

Organizing Systems

2011-08-29T16:00:00.000-05:00

Back in July I went on a serious organizing spree through the closets in our house,

which led me to discover other areas in our home that needed some serious

organizing assistance...

The primary spot being our kitchen island and coffee bar.

From the stools at the island to available counter space,

its the first place we tend to leave our

keys, letters, movie rentals, bills, broken toys, to-do-lists, shopping bags, etc.

And let's not forget the side of the refrigerator - covered in invitations, save-the-dates, and pictures...

I didn't realize, prior to the closet-clean-out,

how inefficient our " stashing system" had become.

We needed to find something that could organize mail and bills, hang keys,

display pictures and invitations, hold to-do-lists...

(Enter "Pottery Barn Daily Organizing System")

See! All of their papers and random items look purposeful.

Where are we going to hang this, so that it will actually be useful?

On the wall entering the laundry room, right across from the kitchen.

It was just the right width to hold the necessary pieces.

Love it when that happens!

We ordered it the first week in August, and apparently

lots of other PB shoppers have found this to be incredibly useful...

most pieces were on backorder :(

I have been SO patient.

The first shipment arrived 3 weeks ago, two more pieces are coming this week,

and the final pieces (2 cork boards) will be delivered mid-September.

But after this week's shipment, we'll have enough to actually hang and begin using,

until the last pieces arrive.

It's funny how annoyed we now are with the clutter, that didn't seem to bother us before!

Are there areas in your home that store clutter? and drive you crazy?

Or do you have some great organizing systems you'd like to share?

Interior Decorating Services

2011-08-19T15:20:00.001-05:00

Over the past months, I have been extremely blessed by the opportunities

to help friends, family, and clients with their Interior Decorating dilemmas!

Projects ranged from decorating the majority of a home to small decorating questions,

such as color scheme for a room or which piece of furniture looks best in "that nook".

Now, I am thrilled to announce that my Design Services Page is open,

and I look forward to creating personal, beautiful, & livable spaces for you!

Packages and Consultations come in a variety of sizes, so you can

find exactly what fits your needs.

I will be posting the Design Boards from past projects to my Portfolio in the coming days,

so come back soon to see what I've been working on.

Please Contact Me with any questions you have.

Let's Decorate Together!

Design Details :: Hardware

2011-08-02T15:27:00.001-05:00

Hardware is like jewelry for your doors, cabinets, and drawers!

Ever go out without your rings and jewelry?

and then feel naked without them!

That's how i feel about doors, drawers, and cabinets without hardware.

naked.

So, here are some great inspirations for adding jewelry to

all the necessary spots in your home!

not sure where to put your knobs today?

stash 'em away in an apothecary jar until you decide!

love hardware that pops!

knobs used as a towel rack. genius.

always loved dark hardware on white cabinets.

yummy.

want to see the kind of jewelry that i don't like?

BLAH!

There are quite a few of these builder's grade uglies in our house,

they're on my "get rid of" list.

I'd love to replace them with something more like this ...

obsessed.

and as for my kitchen cabinets they currently don't have any hardware.

they're naked.

i am just holding out for having them painted white,

then we'll add hardware!

so, what about you?

do you have spots that desperately need some jewelry?

or do you have pics of some of your favorite knobs and pulls in your home?

share them! we'd all love to see!

{source for all images}