A place 2 call home

Kitchen Makeover

2013-01-03T11:01:00.004-05:00

I am so excited to be sharing with you all today my very first completed client makeover. My Clients eat in kitchen went from dark and cluttered to airy and fresh. I hope you enjoy the final project as much as I do.

This is the kitchen. My client didn't like the colors or how outdated and dirty and cluttered everything felt.

I updated the trim and doors with a fresh white, slighly time consuming, but totally worth it. I also updated the walls in this gorgeous blue/green/grey color by behr called celtic grey. Depending on the time of day or weather this room changes colors, and its really beautiful.

On the opposite side of the room it felt even darker, and with an old shabby table there was no room to have family dinners.

I got a nice new petite table with plenty of seating for family meals and bookcases for tons of storage.

I de-cluttered this area by removing as many unnecessary items. Since this kitchen isn't that big, visually it couldn't handle all of these knick knacks.

I took off all the magnets on the fridge, cleared away the clutter, I added new backsplash and replaced all the hardware.

This area of the room was more of a dumping area for my client. Nothing was useful, but she was trying to make it look as pretty as she could.

I got a piece of foam cut to size and covered it in this beautiful and fun fabric for plenty of extra seating, and a cozy and comfortable feel.

Since she has a 3 year old, I wanted the room to reflect it. This will be a gallery wall that continues to change to keep the room fresh, and to praise her son for all his hard work by displaying his art work.

I put these floating shelves above the sink to add function to her kitchen. Adding white calms the room visually and keeps it all feeling very relaxed even though its a hard working room.

I added some clear containers and filled them up with goodies. They are at the perfect height for her son to help, we also added some closed storage for less attractive items.

We fit in an island and painted it to match this fun room. This gives my client plenty of extra space to work while cooking, and also looks really great too.

Thanks so much for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed the makeover as much as I did.

Before

After

Hope you all enjoyed!

A little break

2012-05-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

As I get older I am realizing that one of my strengths is I know how to say no. I can prioritize and make pro and con lists, and I try very hard not to over extend myself. I want to live a balanced life, so that means saying no to something, so I can say yes to other things.

I'll be taking a little break from blogging for at least May and June. And because so many of you out there I've gotten to know, I do want to share why I'm taking a little break.

1. My daughter. She's 17 months old and is just getting to be more of a handful to watch. I find I dont even get to read my favorite blogs regularly anymore. I also want to make more time to go on playdates with her. I tried to write less, and while it helps, I think I need a break.

2. I got a part time job for 2 months. I'll be working in NYC Friday nights (until the very early hours) and Sunday like 1pm-midnight. I'll be making good money, and I like the job, but obviously its a lot less down time for me personally. With less me time, its harder to spend that time on my blog.

3. I have some big design projects coming up. One for my house, but I've also started doing other peoples homes. I have 3 clients so far that I'll be working on this summer, and I am excited to share with you everything that we are doing.

and 4. My camera broke. So annoying. Not sure what I am going to do at this point, so between the job that just happened and the camera it seems like the right time to step away for a little while.

Thank you so much for reading, it really means the world to me.

-Jen

Guest Post at Stardust-Decor & Style

2012-05-10T21:23:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone join me today over at stardust-decor & style where I am sharing some before and after pics of our house. Hope you enjoy!

Wednesday Wishes

2012-05-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Wednesday! It's Cassie again here from Primitive and Proper with my "Wednesday Wishes"! I have just spent time this past week making some plans for my kids for the summer.... art camp for both, soccer camp for Sawyer, and gymnastics camp for Emmy. That only covers a couple of weeks, so the kids and I have been making a list of ideas we have collected for the summer- things we want to do and make. I thought I would share some of those ideas with you.

I have seen all sorts of fairy gardens and terrariums popping up out there. Here are some that have caught my eye! (click on the image or the "via" to take you to the source)

Via

I found an antique terrarium this past weekend at a yard sale, and also found some cute vintage frog figurines at another yard sale a few weeks ago, so we are well on our way to the makings of something cute and fun!

I don't know about you, but I love hummingbirds. They are tiny, pretty, and flutter like no other! When I saw this idea from Shabby Beach Nest that used a recycled soda bottle to create a hummingbird feeder, I immediately pinned it! I saw a hummingbird in my yard just the other day, so I know they will come! This is a fun craft I can do with my kids that will teach them to care about critters, as well as caring about our Earth.

I also found this awesome idea from Infarrantly Creative that is "for the birds". Har dee har har. It's a birdseed wreath that is simple enough to make with kids!

Via

We have so many trees in our yard that making a tent with some sheets sounds like fun! We can hang out in there and read stories, make up stories, take an afternoon snooze....

And just how cute and easy are these rock monsters? Paint- check. Googly eyes- check. Glue- Check. Rocks- Check. Silly Fun- CHECK!

We have lots of other items on our summer "to do" list, like go to the beach, catch fireflies, paint birdhouses, make ice cream, but these were some of the more out of the box ideas I wanted to share.

My kids have less than a month left of school. Summer will be here before you know it! What will you be doing with your kids?

What to do before vacation

2012-05-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

These are the things I like to do, these arent fast and true rules, more just tips that I thought I should share.

1. Tidy up the house before you leave. When you have a great vacation coming back to reality is a drag, when you walk back into your house and its a mess, you ruin your vacation buzz. Spend an hour on light housework, you'll be so happy when you come home to a clean and tidy home.

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2. Run the dishwasher the night before, you'll be thankful things are clean and useable when you get home.

3. Do laundry, fold it and put it away. When you get home you are going to have a lot of dirty laundry, no point coming home to tons of dirty laundry too.

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4. Go through the refrigerator throw out any perishables. Check expiration dates to see if the item will go bad while you are away. Throw out your fruit, leftovers, and then put the garbage outside so your house wont smell.

5. Stop your mail from coming to your house, its an easy call to the post office, but it wont give any signals to the bad guys that you aren't home. Its a good idea to just let the next door neighbors know you will be gone too, they'll keep an eye on the house if they know you aren't there.

6. Dont order anything a week before you leave, there's no sense in a ups package sitting on your doorstep. So before you go away, just think about when you are ordering. You can also pay for rush delivery, or let a neighbor know and ask them to bring it into their house until you return.

7. Water your flowers right before you go, especially depending on the weather and time of year. But there is no point spending all that money on potted flowers to have them die when you go on vacation.

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8. Have a list of last minute items that go into the suitcase, read it right before you go to make sure everything is in your there.

9. Keep some lights on. Its a good idea to keep some lights on in the house while you are away. I like to try to keep one on in the front of the house, and one on in the back. If you have automatic timed lights, even better!

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10. Stock your refrigerator and cabinets up with things you'll need when you get home, but that wont perish. For our family that's things like cereal bars, soda, water, fruit cups, soup. The last thing you'll want to do is go grocery shopping as soon as you get home.

I'm sure there are many more tips, but I thought these were a great place to start. Hope its helpful, and if you have any other helpful tips, I'd love to hear about it in the comment section!

Organizing- Don't do it all

2012-05-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

If you are trying to get organized some people think that means their whole life needs to be organized. So they purge, donate, clean, organize and then pass out from exhaustion.

Usually either not finishing or not having the energy to keep up with the maintenance and the actual every day enjoyment of an organized system.

If you've got a messy underwear drawer, that's OK. Good organization doesn't mean that all your panties are folded, ironed and in color order. Believe me mine aren't, and I still consider myself organized.

Ask yourself does this system work? If you can reach in and find what you are looking for and get dressed in the morning, then you are good. Don't fix something that isn't broken. A messy underwear drawer that functions effectively means you are still organized.

It seems easy enough I know, but I think too many people try to do too much, and end up doing nothing because it seems too hard.

If you feel unorganized start with the thing that annoys you the MOST.

This pantry from Shelly @ House of Smiths needs no introduction, it is heaven.

Ask questions like:

Why doesn't this sytstem/area work?
Why is it so messy/cluttered?
Why cant I ever find what I'm looking for?

When coming up with a system to make an area work better I think about the simplest version of that process. The easier it is, the easier it is for everyone to get on board (including yourself)

My second tip to being organized is don't stress the small stuff. Work on the area or areas that need the most help. Once you've figured out the problem area, think about the easiest solution.

Good Luck!

If you have something you'd specifically like me to write about, click on the contact button and email me with the subject Organization Series. I'd love to hear from you.

Wednesday Wishes

2012-05-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

Wednesday Wishes

Hi guys, so today I am going to be filling in for Cassie. If you know Cassie at all you know how busy she is, so I offered to fill in for a week. So here are the things I'm wishing for this week. Some are decor related, others are not, enjoy!

1. Succulents

source

You can buy these here = )

2. Painted rugs

The House of Smiths is amazing, I linked you straight to the DIY projects page, enjoy!

source

source

3. Fashion I'm excited by

$55 Banana Republic

$50 Banana Republic

$40 Ring Banana Republic

Jcrew

Love the colors

love this look and blazer

I'm really into the idea of having some basic pieces and then mixing them and matching them to have a really fun style. I wish I was more organized and took pictures of my outfits so dressing would be as easy as picking an already perfectly styled outfit. Maybe something to think about for a future project?

So what do you think are you crushing on any of these things too?

Vacation Details

2012-04-27T06:00:00.002-04:00

Good morning everyone.

I am currently not here, because I am at the airport going to California with my husband for a long weekend.

We'll be gone Friday-Tuesday and I couldn't be more excited. Want to know some details?

our hotel

Its basically a compound, but its pretty incredible having the water all around you

We rented a convertible so we can really enjoy ourselves. I don't know what brand or anything, I just googled convertibles.

We plan on visiting:

The spa

Our pool

We couldn't be more excited to take a little weekend-moon without the baby, and go out and eat and just worry about ourselves and relax. Kennedy will be staying with my parents and will be well taken care of, so I just get to be excited.

Are you going on vacation soon? If so, where to?

Wednesday Wishes

2012-04-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hello again! It's Cassie here from Primitive and Proper with my "Wednesday Wishes." We have had great Spring weather, but the past few days have been cold and dreary.... leaving me wanting COLOR in my life. Right now, pops of color equal pops of happy! ROYGBIV. We all know it, right? The colors of the rainbow.

RED

ORANGE

YELLOW

GREEN

BLUE

INDIGO

VIOLET

So what do you think? Are you ready to add some color into your life?

before & after

2012-04-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

Today I wanted to share with you the mother of all before and afters. I could have shown you my favorite room, or a favorite before and after project, but I decided to show you my entire home. Because believe me, when we bought this 122 year old diamond in the rough, she needed a lot of TLC. Looking now through the pictures I actually cant believe that we bought this house, but I thought she had "good bones" and I was more than right.

The Foyer

The Kitchen

The Dining Room

The Living Room

The Downstairs Bathroom

The Mudroom

Kitchen looking into the mudroom before

Mudroom looking into the kitchen after

The Upstairs Hallway

The Master Bedroom

The Nursery

My Office

The Upstairs Bathroom

Our home is FAR from perfect, but to us its beautiful & comfortable and that is perfect for us. I hope you enjoyed my before & afters and you'll check out AP2CH a little further

How to dress for success at home

2012-04-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

Today we are going to talk about our wardrobes after baby...I haven't completely figured it out, but I wanted to share with you some things I think about when shopping.

1. Is this item comfortable enough to be a mom. (aka- pick a baby up, bend down, play on the floor, run if needed) I think about how it feels on my skin, if its pulling, if I can wear a normal bra. I also like the fabrics to be something that doesn't feel too dressy. I want to feel good doing my daily errands and not like I have a fancy party to attend later.

2. Is this item really cute and versatile. I need to love it in order to buy it. This goes with buying a rug or a dress. I like to think about the outfit and wear it might go. Can I rock this at a playdate? A BBQ? Target? Just hanging in my living room?

And that's literally it, maybe you thought it would be a long list? But its not.

My favorite items to buy this season

- Dresses. Its the no brainer outfit that takes 1 minute to throw on but always feels dressed up and cute. This dress actually looks like 2 piece but is not.

- Skirts- whether they are long or short, the important thing is comfort. I plan to mostly wear a tank or v neck with most skirts, maybe a scarf because that's also my go to item. I like to get colorful skirts so that my shirts are really easy to figure out, so I can do it quickly.

- Jewelery- I have bought so many cute necklaces this season because they dress up anything!! I'm a skinny jean, v-neck every day kind of gal.

But with a big chunky necklace and a boyfriend jacket, I go from plain to hip. Its OK to be hip as mommy's, I promise! I'm still young at 27 and I want to feel 27, I want to look cute and be a stay at home mom. Jewelry helps me make a statement, when really its like a no brainier to make an outfit pop.

Wednesday Wishes

2012-04-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hello again! I am so excited to be here for my second installation of Wednesday Wishes. Last week I shared my love of toadstools. Today I wanted to share 5 things I can't stop thinking about.

1. Kilim rugs. I really want one for my master bedroom. Check out these fine examples. I love the old worn out colorful ones!

(Both found here)

2. Herringbone wood floors. Oh, if I could!

found here

3. This song:

4. Emerald Green. I painted a piece this color almost 2 years ago. And I would love to do it again! I am obsessed with this image (I found on pinterest, but cannot find original source)

5. I am really digging unique planters right now. Part of Spring fever, I guess! My pal Tracy just shared how to make your own concrete planters. Here is hers. That's all! See you next week!

I hope you all enjoyed Cassie and her series here Wednesday Wishes. I don't know about you, but I am crushing pretty hard on a couple of these things, my favs are the herringbone floors, and those gorgeous green painted chairs. Thanks for sharing Cassie, see you next week!

Do it now

2012-04-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

With a baby around, there really isn't too many opportunities for the right time to get things done.

When Kennedy was younger I tried to get everything done while she napped, but now that she naps less, I dont want to use all my alone time doing menial house work.

I find including her in the projects is usually pretty successful.

Of course including a 16 month old baby into the situation will make the process go longer. But longer is better than not getting it done at all.

The reasons I like to include her:

1. Teach your child whatever you are doing. cleaning, organizing, decluttering, even decorating. Your child will be happy to be involved, and you are teaching them new skills. Sure they might not get it when they are only 1, but done over years they will absolutely pick up these skills. Not to mention so many adults struggle with some of these issues, so showing your child how to do these and the importance will only be a great life skill.

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2. Variation is the key when you have small children. My daughter likes to be upstairs because we spend so much time downstairs and shes looking for a change of pace. If I want to work on something, she absolutely wants to help.

3. Alone time is precious try to do something you enjoy. I really try hard to get things done with my daughter so I can enjoy a little me-time. So I try to involve her as much as possible so that when she naps or goes to bed I'm done or pretty much done with all the house work.

4. No time is really good, so why not now? I'm doing more stuff right when I notice it lately. Case in point her drawers were filled with clothes that were too small, and I had to weed out all the small clothes and organize her new bigger clothes into them. It really wasn't hard at all. I closed her bedroom door, looked around to make sure the area was safe and then let her play as I did it.

There are 2 schools of thought, people who do things when they see they need to be done, and others who see it needs to be done and adds it to their to do list. Both work, and I fall somewhere in between, probably closer or more often to the list person. But doing items right when you see them takes a lot less mental effort than doing it later. Try it out, tell me how it goes!

Have a fabulous day!
- Jen

Be sentimental....sort of.

2012-04-13T06:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday the 13th everyone!

I have a new client, we are working on her kitchen. Her kitchen is like many older kitchens, the space is used poorly and the cabinet space is very little.

She also doesn't have a dishwasher. So all of her plates and cups and glasses end up sitting on the drying rack. Instead of putting things away, like many people she just recycles whatever she needs from the clean drying rack pile. Sound familiar?

All of her plates are mismatched sets, hand me downs, and scattered around her precious cabinet space completely unused. So part of our makeover is going to be open storage and new plates. Probably something clean,white, timeless.

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She pointed out her grandmothers plates. I asked her if she wanted to keep them and use them, if it was important to her, it would be important to my design. She said she wasn't sentimental and she would pack them up and store them in the basement.

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How many of us have said that? Done that? Regretted that? Thought about it for years as a burden? Later needed to clean the space, unwrapped the item and then didn't know what to do with it?

Well that's pretty much what I told her. I think it's better to offer the plates to someone else in the family, in this case her mother or aunt and to keep one tea cup. Use the tea cup, think of her grandmother when she does, see the tea cup, let the memories visit her on a daily or weekly basis. That is a better way to honor her grandmother.

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There is a way to be sentimental and have beautiful design.

What do you think? Have you ever been in this position? Have you stored something only to regret it?

Whimsy from Primitive and Proper

2012-04-11T07:11:00.001-04:00

Hello friends of A Place to Call Home! I am so excited to be starting a fun new series here, sharing all sorts of fun, whimsy, design, craftiness.... you name it. I am Cassie from Primitive and Proper, and I will be here every Wednesday with some fun for your soul. Today I want to share a little infatuation of my own... toadstools! I love them! I painted my own daughter's table to look like a toadstool. Check it out!

And today, I am even over on my blog sharing a fun toadstool craft...

But I want to share with you some more toadstool cuteness from around the internet. How adorable is this pillow? I would love to have it on my porch, as a happy greeting to guests or gnomes.

I might have to find a need for these lanterns....

These DIY toadstool pencils would be a fun end of the year teacher gift.

Now that I have figured out how to make clay toadstools, this wreath is on my to-craft list! And I know this is a little girl's dress, but I would totally rock this as a top. Might have to find that fabric and beg my mom to make me one!

So how bout it? If you didn't love toadstools before, do you now? Aren't they the cutest? Thanks Jen, for having me here today to share some toadstool love! Happy Spring!

_________________________________________________________________________________

Toadstools are super cute, my favorites are both of Cassie's creations, that table in Emmy's room is to die for! So I am super excited that Cassie will be joining us every week on Wednesdays to share cool things that shes found on blogland, pinterest, etsy, or anywhere she's found inspiration. I'm super excited about what she's going to share!

Gazebo Curtains

2012-04-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

Well I seem to be all about outdoor stuff recently, I guess I'm just excited about spring and summer. There seems to be so much to look forward too, and its just such a happy time of year.

Today I'd like to share with you some scrumptious indoor/outdoor fabrics that I could use potentially on my gazebo. The table is tan and brown, and the gazebo is tan and brown.

And this is what my house looks like on the outside to give you an idea of colors.

That being said I would definitely like to use some color, probably in the way of pillows and plant pots and flowers, and maybe curtains?

So let me know which one is your favorite.

Brown & Cream

10.

11.

So what do you think? Which one is your favorite?

Guest Blogging Today at Primitive & Proper

2012-04-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hi everybody

Today I'll be over writing for Cassie at Primitive & Proper

I'll be sharing the before & after pictures of our home. Here's a sneak peak

It honestly still amazes me that our home used to look like the before, it always surprises me and makes me feel proud to live in this beautiful 122 year old Victorian.

The rest of the pictures are over at primitive and proper. There's also plenty to see at Cassies site, shes like the furniture whisperer!

HAVE A FABULOUS DAY!

Dreaming about gardening

2012-04-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

So for anyone who read yesterdays post. I'll let you know that I bought the ikea gazebo that I loved. Love so doesn't compare to like. If there has been 1 rule that I take very very seriously is to buy what you love. Don't try to talk yourself into something, you either love it, or you don't.

I am so excited to start building. We are going to build the table on Wednesday night, the chairs on Thursday night, and then the gazebo maybe late Saturday?

I'm feeling so inspired by these pictures

I love this grouping and how this paved area feels still outdoorsy

I wish I could come here for the quiet and beauty

wow. Talk about a statement

I'm in love with the clock or thermometer. But I also love how lush this feels

This would be my dream

I'll take 2 please

Or this, if I had time and money

Pics from gardening pinterest board

Overall I promise my yard will look nothing like these spaces. I hope you wont feel too disappointed. Our yard is actually pretty tiny and awkward, but I hope to make it:

Usable
Enjoyable
Pretty
and usable again, because honestly we haven't used it at all in the two and 1/2 years we've been here

I'll be planting on the 14th and the 15th, so expect an after post soon after that.

What are you all planting? Do you plant only certain colors so it all looks cohesive? I've only planted 1 year so far, so any tips would be helpful!! I did really well keeping my flowers alive last year, so I am so excited for this year!

Dont buy until you can

2012-04-02T19:33:00.000-04:00

Money complicates design choices, doesn't it?

We know what we want, but in the end if it doesn't match up to our budget, then we are in trouble.

We've only lived in this home for two and a half years but the progress, I think is pretty incredible.

But 2 years ago when summer came I wanted a patio set. Then I realized patio sets are expensive. Instead we bought a good grill. That was a smart choice, we use the grill all year round.

Last year I wanted a patio set too, but all we really could afford was the table with 4 chairs. I wanted to buy it, but deep down I knew I wanted the big rectangular table with the 6 chairs. So...we bought nothing. We ate our burgers in doors, and I promised myself this year would be the year.

This year is the year. And I am so excited. We all have very pale skin, so I knew what I wanted was a gazebo as well so we could hide from the sun. My husband also wanted a fire pit. I cant think of one reason why we shouldn't. I can tell that this will be good for our household.

This is the table and chairs we are getting. It has a really pretty rock tile thing in the center that you cant see well. Not like tile floor, but natural rock. It was $599 and on sale for $299, the guy said that they were going to sell out before the season, so they were "moving" them. I said at that price, I'll be happy to move one right now!

We also want a gazebo and here are our 2 options. Both with pro's and cons.

The first 10x10 $199 Home Depot. Love that it comes with nets, don't love the arrow detail. But it doesn't bother me that much, its not my personal style, but still very nice.

This is my preference. At 12x12 and $149 Ikea. Its both the cheapest and the biggest by a long shot. I love the detail on the deep brown shades, and the simplicity of the canopy. Drawback no netting.

What I want to do is buy the ikea gazebo. Then buy outdoor fabric, and drapery hooks. I know I can make it look good, I'm just wondering the cost? And we were planning on going with another table and chairs that was $70 more. And the ikea gazebo is $50 less. So so far thats already $120 I could use towards the fabric.

Ps. I've seen both of these gazebos in real life, so my opinions are based on that not these pictures.

What would you do?

Updated House Tour

2012-03-29T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hey Everybody. So today I'll be showing you a more updated version of my home tour. Our home is going on the market, so overall there's less stuff. Let me know what you think.

The Foyer

The Kitchen

The Dining Room

The Living Room

(this actually needs to get updated, but when I was taking the pictures, I was washing the slipcovers. So I'll get that to you soon. I have the new pillows, and also the top of the bookcases are a lot less busy

The Downstairs Bathroom

The Mudroom

The Upstairs Hallway

The Master Bedroom

There is an update with this too, that I'll show you soon.

The Nursery

My Office

The Upstairs Bathroom

You can also go here to see the old house tour.

HAVE A FABULOUS DAY!

Foyer Re-do & Hydrangea Potted Plant

2012-03-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

Today I want to talk a little about our foyer, and also planting a house plant. Here's our foyer last spring time

I'm a huge fan of that picnic basket under the table. I love the texture.

And at Christmas time we moved the table out, and added the tree and chair for presents.

And this is how it is now.

The chair I already had, but I liked adding a little color. I also added in the rug a couple months ago. As I look at this picture I feel like the lamp is the right height for the table but too tall for the chair. So I might just switch it out for another lamp. I also love this round mirror, I'll have to get a close up for you guys.

Curious about my hydrangea? Ps. Totally my favorite flowers. I love them in any and all colors.

I purchased 2 of these from Home Depot. They are $12 each, but because they were in the wrong place, I was able to get them for $6. The point of this house plant is to enjoy, and then come the warmer weather to plant in our yard.

I took off the awful wrapping, and gently removed the plant from the pot. Just like you'd do with planting.

Here you can see the difference. The left is so much more classy I think.

They are actually potted in the same pot, I just had spray painted one before.

I just think its gorgeous. There is nothing better than real flowers in the house. I put the terracotta colored pot in here to give some color. Its a very off white space.

And a little close up

And again what the foyer looks like now.

Do you have house plants this year? I cant tell you how much I'm enjoying them.

Have a great day!

Id LOVE your help

2012-03-27T05:20:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone, Today I'm really asking for your help. As we all know picnik is closing in April and I'm wondering what everyone's solution is. Like many I'm looking for a a site that offers as much or close to, and is free. What will you be using? And my second question is how to you organize your pictures on your computer. Right now I have a HOUSE folder and that breaks out to the rooms in my home. I'm wondering if I now need to go through and delete all my random pictures and ones that were not edited. The problem is its also nice to have the edited picture with no web address too. And so far I only have the edited web address pics. I'm just fining that my camera is full and each folder is so filled its hard to look through and find what I want. So How do you organize your pictures on your camera and computer? Thanks have a fabulous day! Jen

Saying no

2012-03-26T06:00:00.000-04:00

I know I was on "vacation" last week. So I'd love to pretend that I actually relaxed, got a massage, got some time to myself. But in all honesty that's not why I took my "vacation"

I needed a break from the pressure of posts to be able to handle some stuff.

I did some gardening, I"m tired and sore and I even got a little sunburn.

I cleaned out my attic. This is huge, my attic was where things and items went to die.

I made a to do list wayyyyyyyy too long for preparation of our open house. And got it all done.

We booked a vacation to California. I'm really excited.

I shopped for this vacation

I had 2 appointments as an interior designer in one weekend. I loved them both. More on that to come.

We bought suits for my husband

I had 2 drs appointments

I was awfully sick, and needed a day in bed to rest.

Sometimes you just need to take off the pressure, admit that you can't do it all, and that you need the time.

I needed the time. Thanks so much for the people who wrote that they'd be here when I got back. It was so simple and sweet, but it touched my heart.

Vacation Time!

2012-03-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone,

I'll be taking this week off to spend some time with my family, and do some spring cleaning around the house. I'll be back next Monday, have a wonderful week!

Jen

clean 100%

2012-03-16T08:23:00.003-04:00

Clean 100% when you clean.

BH&G

Finish what you start. Don't clean the whole house but vaccuum and sweep later. or clean ( ) later because you are too tired now.

A 100% clean house stays cleaner for longer than an 80% or even 90% clean home.

Do you want to know why? Perception.

When your home is 100% clean every one walks on eggshells. You put your dishes straight into the dishwasher, your husband even puts his clothes in the hamper instead of on the floor.

Visually we see the cleanliness, the order, the time spent on making it clean and everyone does a little bit more out of respect for the cleaner and for trying to preserve it.

When we see little messes around the house, subconsciously we don't feel the need to go that extra step of putting away our dishes, we know we can get to it later.

So when you clean take the time to do it all, and watch how your family reacts. Try cleaning only 80% next time, see how everyone reacts then. I can't be sure that this will work in every household, I'm not a scientist or anything, but that's how things work around here, and somehow it still surprises me.

I hope you all have a Fabulous Weekend!

-Jen