lemondrop Dreams

let your light shine down…

2016-05-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

one thing that i absolutely cannot stand in my house are the outlet covers in my family room and kitchen…when we moved in we had wood panel, lots of it! i finally convinced the hubby it was ugly and absolutely had to be painted no matter how much he loved it (honestly, it was going to happen whether i convinced him or not)…

anyway, since painting the paneling the outlets/light covers stick out even more!

and then there were the ones with missing screws (not exactly sure where they went)…

when Legrand reached out to me and asked if i’d be interested in installing some products from their new adorne collection i couldn’t say yes fast enough…i think i actually blacked out with excitement!

there are truly endless possibilities of switches and outlet combinations…using the room planner makes the process sooooo much easier…i chose white for my wall plates but there are multiple colors to choose from…

i’m not exactly sure which product i love the best…

outlet/usb combo…

pop out outlet…because nothing hurts my eyes more than outlets…especially one that is awkwardly placed…

practically invisible…and when you need to access it simply push on it and…pop! an outlet on the top, bottom and side…

and then there are these…touch switches! who would have known these would be so fascinating… and the plates click on so no more missing screws…

and they have a small LED light that dims when they are turned on…no more guessing which switch goes to which light (unless you’re like me and still get it wrong after 10+ years!!)

i will say that installation was fairly simple…a couple things to consider

*if you have a 3-way light (2 switches that control one light), an older home and no experience changing outlets, consider hiring an electrician…we ran into a problem because we had 3 wires and two of them were the same color…that made it a little difficult to figure which one was the 3-way and which was the hot wire…after a phone call to a friend and knowing how to use the hot wire detector properly it was an easy fix…but before that, i thought the hubby’s head was going to explode…

*the pop out outlet is deep, possibly deeper than the box in the wall…we replaced the box which was NOT expensive (less than $2)…again, older home problems…

those things considered, i absolutely LOVE the updates and how i was able to “customize” my switches, outlets and wall plates…

hop on over and check out Legrand’s adorne collection…the possibilities and endless…

*Legrand supplied the products for review…the opinions are 100% mine

chairish woman's cave

2016-03-01T06:11:00.000-08:00

about a year ago i did a mood board for Chairish designed around one of their rugs…they contacted me recently and asked me to do a “woman’s cave” featuring a pair of their vintage barstools…I had a choice of about 6 and these were my fav by far…i will admit, i was a little intimidated, but up for the challenge…

i tried to get out of my comfort zone, a style i don’t live in but LOVE…way more muted than my usual style…

barstools//sofa//daybed//chair//coffee table//console table//woman art//wood art//jute rug//Moroccan rug//lamp//bar set//striped pillow//lumbar pillow

if you have an hour (or 10) to surf Chairish, do it…if you want it, they have it!!

planked...

2015-12-15T15:02:00.000-08:00

my friend and i had high ambitions of doing a planked free standing wall in her basement…it’s a wall that covers a pole and it just needed something good to happen…

that was last year…we basically succumbed to our lack of knowing where the hell to start, so it sat…that was until last week…emily and i (more emily than me) went over and banged it out…i did some staining and lent a lot of moral support while she hammered, sawed and did the grunt work…

we went vertical on the sides because we were afraid of it looking too busy if it ran horizontal…

we went vertical on the sides because we were afraid of it looking too busy if it ran horizontal…we finished it with corner pieces and stained the wood outlet/light switches…

the boards were all nailed by hand by emily…i love the look of the nail heads…they smashed down with hammering which added to the rustic look…

make sure to follow on Instagram to see all our adventures @colleeneffertzinteriors and @emilymaedesign

Looking for some help in your home?? Contact Colleen & Emily at colleen@colleeneffertzinteriors.com

we’d love to work with you!!

the grey cape: details

2015-12-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

if you’ve missed The Grey Cape home tour here’s part 1 & part 2…

as you can see from the home tour Emily has some great taste…but what i didn’t mention was her ability to work a power tool…

the sliding doors that everyone wants to own but is not sure how to go about it…well, she made hers using doors from ReStore…

and the panel walls we all drool over…yeah, she made and installed those too…

in the boys rooms you may have noticed the ruler on the wall…made by her pretty little hands

as well as the little wall mounted “nightstand”

and the artwork…

and that’s not all…

she made the wood top for these cabinets…

this bench…

and this storage unit…

AND…she tiles!!

i mean come on…can it get any better?!?

well, that’s all folks…i hope you’ve found this tour and details as drool worthy as i have!

make sure to follow on Instagram to see all our adventures @colleeneffertzinteriors and @emilymaedesign

Looking for some help in your home?? Contact Colleen & Emily at colleen@colleeneffertzinteriors.com, we’d love to work with you!!

the grey cape: home tour part 2

2015-12-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

if you’ve missed part 1 you can find it here…today we are continuing with the upstairs

first up the guest room…

no home can have too many sliding doors…

this one leads to the guest bath…

that tile…yum!! they got the marble for the bench seat from someone who was ripping out their kitchen…score!

they have two little boys who are curly haired and adorable…and thankfully not old enough to have an opinion on what they want in their rooms…

i love the contrasting strip of wood…

and she dipped the legs of the table and chairs…

a shared bath separates the boys bedrooms…

and through that door next to the bed…

the playroom…

that folks ends the tour…if you’d like to see all the before pictures, you can find them here…

thank you so much for stopping by!

Come back tomorrow for the home tour details…

make sure to follow on Instagram to see all our adventures @colleeneffertzinteriors and @emilymaedesign

Looking for some help in your home?? Contact Colleen & Emily at colleen@colleeneffertzinteriors.com, we’d love to work with you!!

the grey cape: home tour part 1

2015-11-30T05:00:00.000-08:00

i got a text a couple of weeks ago that i have been waiting/hoping for for months…my friend (who is my sister in law’s sister) wanted to go to lunch and talk design …i’m pretty sure i responded in record time…you see, this girl has got talent and great taste…

we met for lunch and yada, yada, blah, blah…we’re design partners!!!

i want to share her home with you all because i’m so impressed by it…and quite jealous, they’ve lived in their house for 4 years and have done more than i have in 10!!

let me introduce The Grey Cape

Emily lives on a great street with homes that have character galore…definitely not a cookie cutter

i cannot get enough of a great color on a front door…this one is perfect!

i’ve been to her home a handful of times but today i think i may have let out a squeal in excitement when i walked in…

to the left is the family room…

her home is an open concept but the family room is divided from the eat in with some Martha Stewart kitchen cabinets from Home Depot with a gorgeous wood top…

that sliding door you spy leads to the master bedroom…

the window seat is brick so instead of making a huge mess by ripping it out she whipped up this little seat cover…

to the right of the front door are stairs to the bedrooms…we used the same trick of adding pre made runners to our stairs…

this is where we leave today…come back tomorrow for part 2!

make sure to follow on Instagram to see all our adventures @colleeneffertzinteriors and @emilymaedesign

Looking for some help in your home?? Contact Colleen & Emily at colleen@colleeneffertzinteriors.com, we’d love to work with you!!

pumpkin spice and everything nice…

2015-09-16T10:11:00.001-07:00

fall is by far my favorite season…the perfect mix of sunny and cool, crisp weather

i can’t wait to break out my boots, layer it up in plaid and snuggle in my throw blankets…i’ve already purchased my fall fabric for some new pillows and am perusing how i want to get my fall porch on…

here’s some inspiration for you lovers of fall…

needing a little refresh for your home?? let’s chat… contact me at colleen@colleeneffertzinteriors.com

lots of labor

2015-09-08T14:55:00.001-07:00

my little boys room is in a sad sad state…i wasn’t sure what direction to go…then, one day when i was estate sale-ing i found a 3 x 5 flag and remembered a picture i pinned

source

so i went neutral…

here is the sad state of affairs…

it’s the smallest room so there’s only so much that can be done/added/changed…

full disclosure…never got around to painting the door…FOR 10 YEARS! and yes those are X-mas lights, we use them as night lights around the holidays…and apparently spring and summer too…

we got a lot done over the weekend but there is still muy work to be done…

~~Paint walls~~

~~Paint trim~~ (still need to do one window, closet doors & crown molding)

Bamboo blinds

Paint desk

Paint dresser

~~Replace~~ & Paint closet doors

Re-stain beds

Hang shelves

little changes…

2015-08-24T09:13:00.001-07:00

spring was a little crazy around these parts so all my little projects happened much slower than i had wanted…before i knew it the kids were home for summer…but now, the kids are back in school, so time to grind…

not a whole lot has been going on around here but there have been a few changes over the past few months…

the family room for one…

gone are the floral wing backs…replaced with new ones from IKEA…

(i’d love to paint the fireplace but can’t seem to pull the trigger…thoughts?)

also, loveseat…gone…which changed to this…

and now this…

new cushions for the chairs with Nate Berkus fabric…love

loving my new plant and wicker basket…

finally my acrylic rod has been hung…

and new art…

found this one at hobby lobby if you can believe it…

and this i scored at an estate sale for a great price…i think she’s my fav so far

lots of things left to do…baby steps

our little blessing…

2015-04-16T09:16:00.001-07:00

every year on this day i think back to it being one of the scariest day of our lives…

i was 35 weeks with my fourth child…he was our little “surprise” from beginning to end…i went to my usual doctors appt. with my third child in tow…i never took him to any of my appt. but this day it was an early one so it was just easier…at least that’s what i thought…

as my doctor listened to the baby’s heartbeat it slowed…she listened again, and it slowed again…she sent me over to the hospital for a stress test…needless to say i was calmly crapping my pants…

i called the hubby immediately who, thankfully, did not work far from the hospital…i was all hooked up by the time he arrived…the heartbeat slowed again…we were frantically making phone calls to family trying to find someone who could pick up our son…our last ditch effort was to our brother in law, who at the time was not a dad himself and had no experience with children…and since he had been a bachelor for so many years had accumulated quite a collection of toys, but not necessarily to be played with…

as the hubby was delivering him downstairs to my brother in law the baby’s heart rate dropped again…all of a sudden i had a team of doctors and nurses in my room telling me i needed to have the baby…right now!!! when the hubby came back in the room i was bawling…poor guy didn’t know what the hell he just walked into…

within two hours of having my doctors appt. i was having an emergency c-section…5 weeks early!!! our little guy was 3# 3 ozs and would spend the next 3 weeks in the NICU…my daughter didn’t understand why he couldn’t come home…we were juggling trips back and forth to the hospital to see him…when he did come home he had a heart monitor for a week…it was rough to say the least…

i can’t imagine what our family would be like without him…without his crazy quirkiness…he fills the last empty seat at the dinner table and has definitely filled our lives with laughter, love, hugs and kisses…

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE DUCK!

CHAIRISH…

2015-03-13T08:39:00.001-07:00

have you heard of the online site Chairish?? if not, get out from under your rock and check them out immediately…it’s a marketplace for used/vintage furniture, home decor, art, etc…all the good stuff…

i was recently contacted by Chairish to come up with a style board…they provided me with a handful of rugs to base my design around…i've never taken the time to explore their site so this was really fun to see everything that have available...WAY better than KC Craiglist...

voila…

rug//chairs//art//lamp

local pick-up and shipping available

measure twice, cut once…

2015-02-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

or if you’re like me, measure multiple times, get really excited and mess it up anyway!! i finally got around to ordering my rod, brass holders & fabric for my new dining/work space…

unfortunately when the box arrived it look a little short…about 30” short…ugh!!!

i wish i could blame someone else but i can’t…i haven’t brought myself to order a new one

here’s the look i’m going for…

via

february??

2015-02-05T07:42:00.001-08:00

was there not a january this year?? i think i missed it…way too busy went way too fast…

the hubby and i have been talking about a big reno of our master bath…eek! scary and exciting at the same time…our bathroom is gross, like college dorm community shower gross…tiles are literally falling of the walls…

i have been dreaming of a new bathroom for years so i’m really excited to biting this bullet…the super scary part…we’re doing the work ourselves…paint and even tile doesn’t necessarily intimidate me but with this we’re wanting to expand the shower and make the L-shaped vanity into one long one against the wall…

this will entail moving pipes, electrical, walls…if i’m lucky in two years i’ll have some after photos

of course now my love/hate of designing the bathroom will start…i love picking out all the details but i hate to have to commit…

shelves are on the top of my “must have” list…

via

a frameless shower door is another “must have”…

via

perhaps a seat, but that might be too cold on the tush…

via

and lastly, two shower heads…

via

basically i want it to have a lot of ooey gooey goodness…

via

slow motion…

2015-01-16T06:34:00.001-08:00

i wish i could say i hit 2015 at full speed, but honestly the first few weeks of the new year i have felt like i’m still moving at vacation speed…

this is always the time of year where i walk around my home and think, “what can i change today”?

the first change has been the loveseat has moved out…

and these girls have moved in…

i found both at estate sales and never really figured out where to put them…i’m not planning on painting them but would like to shine them up…not sure what to use…obviously some upholstery is in order…

haven’t decided if i’ll leave the back cushion on this one or not…

i’m also wanting to reupholster my wing backs…so this all leads to what fabric to use…i can pick fabrics for others with no commitment issues whatsoever, another story when it comes to myself…i have so many of “i love this…oh, i love this!”…unfortunately none of the “i love’s” actually coordinate…this may be a long process…

so that has been the goings on in 2015!

ho ho ho…merry christmas!

2014-12-24T19:33:00.001-08:00

see you in 2015

we’re going to have the hap, hap, happiest christmas…

2014-12-17T13:34:00.001-08:00

“And when Santa squeezes his fat white ass down that chimney tonight, he's gonna find the jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nuthouse”-Christmas Vacation

i got an advent calendar this year…the first we’ve ever done…i tried to fill it with things we could do together, emphasizing on “free” things we could do together…it’s really hard to get everyone in the same place at the same time so i wanted to focus on together time…

of course some things were met with good ol’ fashioned christmas bitching and moaning, like “smile at everyone you see today” & “donate 3 toys to charity”…yeah, that went over real well…

but others have been a lot fun and the kids really got into…

some of the things we’ve done…

1. paper chains (i love a good paper chain)

2. paper snowflakes

3. make wrapping paper (big hit with the 5 year old!)

4. drink hot chocolate

5. roast marshmallows

6. help mom make dinner (everyone gets a turn)

7. breakfast for dinner

8. watch a christmas movie

9. read a christmas story

10. go out for ice cream

etc,. etc…

what are your advent hits and misses??

1000 ways to dye…

2014-12-15T07:31:00.001-08:00

my beloved green couch has seen better days…she’s looking dull and drab from sun & washing…i want to pimp her color but still want to have a green…

i’m very nervous to pull the trigger so i went digging on RIT’s website to find more info about custom colors…i usually buy the dye at joann’s or micheal’s so when i clicked on the shop now link i hit gold!

like a kid in a candy store i tell you…did you know that they have Pantone colors?? or at least the formulas to make the colors…emerald was a perfect match for my couch (even better than the original)

here’s a sampling of the past few years of Pantone Colors of the Year…

Marsala |Radiant Orchid|Emerald|Tangerine Tango|Honeysuckle

of course there are SO many other colors to choose from…including archive colors

the possibilities are literally endless…

christmas came early…

2014-12-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

i was a little discouraged when i received an email saying my wallpaper was back ordered until december 18th!!

BUT, i must be on the nice list this year because last week it arrived…yippee…

i barely had it in the door before i called my paper hanger…

what started like this…

is now this…

ta da…

i absolutely love it…

holiday printables…

2014-12-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

i feel like i decorate up until christmas…for some reason i keep finding things that i have to use before christmas comes…

so, i have a couple holiday printable hook ups for you…best part, they’re all free!!

have you all heard of lindsay letters??

she’s a fabulous artist and i’m currently coveting this painting…

peppermint moss

well, she is offering 12 days of downloads…you get an 8x10, 5x7 and six gift tags of each print

i have been collecting mine every day…i wasn’t exactly sure what i was going to do with them, i absolutely wanted to use the gift tags but i really wanted to do something with a print…

i had to go to staples to get something printed and so i picked up some washi tape…

and voila…

i lined them up down the long wall in my hallway…they’re so fun!

and next up a chalkboard printable…i’m definitely still a fan of the chalkboard…nest of posies has four different printables for free…

i chose the deer and had it printed as an engineering print at staples…then, i rolled the top and bottom on dowel rods and hung it from a ribbon…total cost around $8…

i hung it from one of many nails in the wall i have been too lazy to pull out …

there’s no place like home for the holidays

2014-12-08T13:40:00.001-08:00

i think this is the earliest i’ve gotten my decorations up…i started right after thanksgiving…by new year’s i’m sure i’ll want to poke my eyes out from looking at them…

but for now…enjoy!

my new pillows from tablecloths i found at home goods…easy & cheap…the lights in the bowl on the coffee table are from when i was growing up…not sure what my dad was saving them for after 25 years…

the hubby always had a nativity set growing up…after a while it was held together with pounds of krazy glue…the manager is all that survived…i got the figurines a few years ago at target…it was cheap so if the kids broke it no biggie…of course last year i was the one who dropped joseph and broke his hand…go figure

Colleen effertz interiors giveaway…

2014-12-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

i’ve been hard at work getting my design business up and running since i finished my course in july…

i figured no better way to celebrate the official-ness of Colleen Effertz Interiors than with a giveaway…plus with the holidays upon us consider it a gift from me to you…

with this giveaway you have the choice of…

1. a one hour consultation in your home. you can ask for design advice in any area(s) of your home…styling, paint color, accessories, etc…for kansas city locals only

2. e-design. this can be done via email. i will provide you with a custom design board for the room of your choice with all sources used. this is great for someone who does not live in kansas city.

to enter leave a comment and which option you choose…

good luck!!

turning an ugly duckling into a swan…

2014-11-25T05:00:00.000-08:00

home improvements can break the budget…especially when you’re like me and love expensive shiz but have an empty wallet…

while there was a whole lot of ugly going on in my entryway most of it was easily changeable…paint=cheap, just like i like it…

i first tried to cover it up the floor with a rug…

(this pic is from what i did we first moved in 9 years ago…don’t judge!)

then i decided to paint the walls a pale color…

it helped…but the floor!! the floor was something that i knew i couldn’t afford to rip out and replace… and honestly i like the style…but the color? hideous…

this image served as an inspiration…black was not an option because our house does not get a lot of natural light…but i loved how shiny and modern it looked

i was really intimidated to tackle this…i read to use epoxy type paint but it also said you needed to have a well ventilated area…kansas city in november and open windows/doors don’t mix too well…

so i figured i’d give oil base paint a try first…

i whipped out a can of paint i used for our half bath trim, a can of Rustoleum black gloss and went to town…

HUGE difference…it’s been about a year since i painted it…it’s a fairly well traveled area and i have to say it has held up really well…

never doubt the power of paint!!

I want to be ensconced in velvet…

2014-11-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

name that show…

i do love me some wool & fur too…we’ve had quite the cold blast as of late, i would think i’d be acclimated by now but no such luck…

here’s a round up to make you toasty and warm…the sweater blanket is an absolute must have for winter in my opinion…

1|2|3|4|5|6|7

Stay warm this weekend!

where i be…

2014-11-19T07:26:00.001-08:00

if you want constant social media contact with Colleen Effertz Interiors here’s where i can be found…

instagram | pinterest |facebook | twitter | website

email: colleen@colleeneffertzinteriors.com

hope that scratches your itch…

successful weekend…

2014-11-18T10:24:00.001-08:00

i was able to get a little cha-ching in my pocket this weekend thanks to craigslist…and a swift kick in the ass from the hubby to clean out my work space where i have slowly hoarded furniture… everything (almost) went to happy homes and i am a happy girl…

so what does that all mean?? wallpaper baby, wallpaper…i will very soon be the proud owner of Schumacher’s Birds & Butterflies…

and my table got a shiny new coat…

onward & upward…