Hi Everyone! It’s Jen from At Home in the Northwest!

As many of you probably know, May 1st is May Day. According to infoplease.com, ‘In medieval England, people would celebrate the start of spring by going out to the country or woods—”going a-maying”—and gathering greenery and flowers, or “bringing in the may.” ‘ Hence the term “May Day”!

I found a handful of really fun ideas for celebrating May Day. They all seem very simple to implement, so if you’re in the mood to ring someone’s doorbell and run, leaving them with a little bit of spring on their front porch, then keep reading. {You can click on the images for more specifics on each project}.

1. tin can and paper bag

Everyone has an extra soup can and paper bag laying around!! And if you’re short on jute twine, any fun ribbon will do the job.

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2. small potted plant

A six pack of flowers potted in tiny pots becomes a quick May Day surprise! Hang it with torn material or fun ribbon.

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3. small basket

This one is so precious! I’m sure the dollar store would be a good place to look for small baskets. Then add some greenery or tulips from your garden.

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4. seed packet and paper leaves

How fun would this be for your kiddo’s to help with?! Add a packet of seeds instead of fresh flowers. Then the recipient can plant the seeds and enjoy flowers all summer long.

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5. mason jar and wire

If you have a an extra jar laying around, this would be an easy project! Add some wire, ribbon or jute twine and you’re ready for May Day.

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6. twigs and a yogurt container

This one may be my favorite of the May Day containers! They used a yogurt container with twigs glued to the outside. And a hole punch was used around the neck of the yogurt container for the ribbon. So cute!

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Aren’t these all fun ideas for May Day or for anytime this spring or summer?!! If you want to brighten someone’s day, I’m sure they would welcome a little spring on their doorstep anytime, be it May Day or not!

And if you aren’t in the ‘ding and dash’ May Day mood, you could always use one of these as a centerpiece in your home!

Thanks for having me here today, Lori!
jen

Love them all Jen.  Thanks for being here today!

]]> http://lorimayinteriors.com/jens-back-with-some-fun-may-day-ideas/feed/ 3 http://lorimayinteriors.com/jens-back-with-some-fun-may-day-ideas/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LoriMayInteriors/~3/ORDkNG4SgVI/ http://lorimayinteriors.com/modern-lantern/#comments Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:06:55 +0000 Lori http://lorimayinteriors.com/?p=4653

Picture this:  You have spent all day rearranging your family room until it’s perfect.  It feels just right.  You go to plug in the lamp in the corner and realize that there is no outlet on that wall.  The room setting that you have worked so hard on will not work.  In the past, you’re only option was to call an electrician and have a new outlet installed or rearrange the furniture, again.

The owners of Modern Lantern had this same problem, but instead of calling the electrician, they decided to take it one step further.  They developed a beautiful line of battery powered lamps that you can use anywhere.

Yes, all of these lamps are battery powered, no cord.  These lamps can be placed anywhere.  Yes, here is the point where you say, “Why didn’t I think of that?”.  I know.  I said the same thing.

Wouldn’t it be great to add extra lighting to your mantle?

If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know that I do very few specific product posts.  But, this one is near and dear to me and I wanted to share it with you.

The founders of Modern Lantern are Stephen and Carrie Fitzwater.  I am also proud to say that they are friends of mine.  When I heard about their new venture, I wanted to do whatever I could to get the word out.  Not only because we go way back, but because they have developed an amazing product that helps make decorating easier.  Who doesn’t want that?

Stephen and Carrie are ready to take their company to a new level, but just like any small business, a new level means more funds.  They have created a Kickstarter campaign to raise $12,000 for new equipment.  Kickstarter is a fundraising site that relies on public participation.  It’s an all or nothing deal, though, and they have 13 more days to raise $4500.

Here’s where you come in.  Yes, you can make your own donation, of course.  (If you do make a donation, you will get some great thank you gifts in return!)

But, we also need to get the word out to as many people as possible.  Please tweet, facebook, pin and instagram this post.  What a great way to support a fabulous product and small business!

Thank you!

Not too shabby, huh?  This is the 2013 Decorator’s Show House.  If you live in the Atlanta area, you know that there are many show houses throughout the year.  The Decorator’s Show House which is sponsored by the Atlanta Symphony each year is one of the best.  It is a must see.  For those of you who can’t get to Atlanta, I’ve got a treat for you today.  A sneak peek!  I was lucky enough to be sent professional photos of this beautiful home.

Even empty this room would be amazing.  The subtle, elegant design feels warm and inviting.  But, my favorite thing about this space is all the seating areas.  It reminds me of what Windsor Smith says about bringing the family back to the center of the home.  There is a place for everyone.

Love the simple styling on the coffee table and that fabulous round pillow.

Hate that this photo is so dark, but a room by Jimmy Stanton is always worth seeing.  Neutral and full of texture.  The light fixture and the gorgeous sea fans are so beautiful.

I’m drawn to neutrals, that is no surprise, but this space with the orange walls and chairs really make me smile.  The graphic rug plays nicely with the amazing windows.

What is this you ask?  Apparently, the man room is giving way to the coffee bar!  Not so sure about this one, but way to think outside the box!

Look familiar?  This room is completely designed from Ikea merchandise.  Ikea is a sponsor of the show house this year.  Would you have known if I hadn’t told you?

Love this kitchen, but it’s the light fixtures that make it amazing.  Yes, they are cut crystal.  Gorgeous!

Proof that a room does not have to be huge to be fabulous.  The tub alone is a work of art, but add in an exquisite painting by Holly Irwin of dk Gallery and the bar is raised.  I could spend a good deal of time in this bathroom.

I saved my favorite space for last.  The master bedroom by Melanie Turner is just lovely.  The casual, yet elegant touches are classic Melanie Turner.  It is always so impressive to me that a designer can pull off these kinds of rooms every time.  If you don’t believe me, head over to her site and take a look at her portfolio.  It is worth your time.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the sneak peek.  There’s more to see, but I’ll save a few for after I see the show house myself!  Can’t wait!

Thank you to Jeff Roffman photography.  The show house is open through May 12th.

Be safe friends, and hug your family.  My thoughts are with you all.

If you follow me on instagram or facebook, this will not be a surprise at all.  Last week was spring break and we took the girls to…

…the Grand Canyon!  What an amazing place.  It is truly awe inspiring to stand there and look over the edge at something that has been there for millions of years.  We joked about the first explorer who came upon it.  Can you imagine?  No cell phones, no mail, no way to share this phenomenal discovery!

It is so hard to describe the massiveness of what you see there standing at the edge.  I love this picture of Eric.  Not only does it show you how cute my hubby is, but it also helps you see the vastness of the Grand Canyon.  Amazing!

After our visit to the Grand Canyon, we made our way to Sedona.  While I enjoyed the Grand Canyon, Sedona was my favorite.  It was a perfect day and our first stop was a ride on the Pink Jeep Tour.  Eric made these reservations and I’ll be honest, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into.

This is the “hill” that we had just driven (slid) down right before the jeep behind us.  We were actually sitting at a 45 degree angle while the driver told us a few interesting facts.  My oldest loved it, my youngest covered her eyes for most of the ride.

This view at the top was well worth the rough ride, though.

This is right before we left to go home.  We were all tired, but so happy that we came.  If you haven’t had the chance to visit the Grand Canyon or Sedona, AZ, be sure to add them to your bucket list.  You will not be disappointed.

I’ll be back to the business of design this week, so stay tuned to instagram and facebook at Lori May Interiors for a sneak peek into my week!  I’m thrilled to be the keynote speaker at the Designer’s Workroom Council annual meeting this Thursday.  It’s sure to be a fun day!  If you’re in the Atlanta area, I’d love to see you!

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Hi everyone, I’m over at Jen’s blog today sharing a kitchen design plan for a new client.  And, as a bonus, I’m sharing my tips on how you can create your very own design plan for your home.  I hope to see you over at At Home in the Northwest!

Hi everyone, I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  It was a wet Easter for us, but warmer than it has been, so we were thankful.

My sweet girls and I put together this quick DIY project to take to our Easter brunch with friends.  I realize that Easter is over, but wouldn’t this make a great end of the year teacher gift?  Just switch out the bunny for a pretty flower and you’ve got it.  Here’s what we did.

We started with chalkboard paint, a foam brush and a plain terra cotta pot.

This is the first pot after 1 coat.  A word of warning, this does take multiple coats of chalk paint.  It took 3 coats to cover ours completely.  Don’t forget to wait 24 hours to use the chalk or you’ll scratch off the paint! (Lesson learned the hard way, unfortunately.)

Here is the finished product.  Easy and inexpensive.  The girls loved it and so did I!

Now, for an update on our Room Service Atlanta project.  Angela, Rhoda and I met last week and primed the entire space.  This is where we started.

After a day of priming.

Priming in the kitchen.

This is me standing on the counter trying to remove two of the cabinets.  It was not going well.  It’s amazing what you find yourself doing in these projects.

A few fabrics we picked up from Award Fabrics, one of our fabulous sponsors.  I’m so loving that navy stripe.  We have some wonderful things up our sleeves for this makeover!

Last, but certainly not least, here is Rhoda, me and Angela at the end of the day.  I’m not quite sure why I chose to pose with that artwork, but it is an original piece that we found.  It will be hung on a gorgeous gallery wall that we have planned.

Stay tuned.  Be sure to follow me on Instagram at LoriMayInteriors to see the updates on our Room Service project.  More awesome things to come.

Today, I’d like to share with you one of my most recent client projects.  My client was an 11 year old boy with a love of the NC Blue Devils, legos and hockey.  My challenge was taking all of his favorite things and all the different colors and designing a room that would feel pulled together and organized.

I took these 3 photos on my first visit.  We talked about what he wanted to keep and what we could clean out.  Most of the furniture was new, so we decided to keep almost everything.  Between the Blue Devils and hockey, I had an existing color palette of yellow, blue and red to work with as well as a very tall ceiling.  How do you bring all that together and keep everything within our modest budget?

Let’s start with the design plan.  You can see that I really wanted to add stripes to the room, so I gave them several options.  This plan is a great example of how I like to work with my clients.  We took the design plan and modified it to work for them.  My young client did not like the yellow lamp or the graphic bedding, so we went with his existing lamp and solid bedding.  The plan, however, is still the guide for the overall feel of the room.

I decided to use paint to unify the strong colors in the room.  Gray walls and a charcoal and red stripe brought a new focal point to the room taking the focus away from that tall ceiling.  Solid white window treatments softened the plantation shutters without taking anything away from those great stripes.

I used red, blue and gray bedding to continue the color palette from the walls to the furniture.  The artwork above the bed is a hand made plaque of my client’s hockey mascot.  I also added small shelves to hold his trophies and baseballs.  These shelves blend into the charcoal stripe.  They are functional, but do not overwhelm the space.  The lamp to the left of the bed was designed by my client’s mom.  How talented is she?  She had seen this lamp in a local store and decided to take on the DIY project.  I think it turned out great!

The desk area was decluttered and organized.  I took some of my client’s memorabilia and created a small gallery wall above the desk.  Remember that a gallery wall does not always have to be full of photo frames.  It’s a great way to organize your collections and artwork.

Here’s another shot of the before.

And the after.

I love how it turned out.  This project definitely shows how you can take a small budget and still make big changes.

Have a great day!

Mary McDonald from Schumacher

This image showed up in my inbox a few days ago and I have been obsessed with tapes and trims ever since.  These fabulous options are from Mary McDonald’s new line for Schumacher.  I’ve always known that you can dress up your window treatments with beautiful tapes, but it seems like I am seeing them everywhere lately.  Let’s look at a few ways you can dress up custom or ready made window treatments.

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Another look at Mary McDonald’s line.  She used a very wide trim here, but what a dramatic touch it adds to those beautiful orange panels.

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This is a much more simple look.  Many of us use solid panels.  Adding a simple solid trim in a pattern dresses them up nicely.

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Love how the trim finishes off the edges of these ikat panels.  Can you see how the trim pattern brings out the antique bronze of the table and the lantern?  It’s a subtle detail that makes a big difference in the space.

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Another dramatic look.  Plain white panels would not have had the same impact in this room.

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This is what most of us think of when we think about adding trim to panels.  The trim can be sewn on like these or…

…glued on.  I used fabric glue, black grosgrain ribbon and ready made panels from Ikea to create these window treatments for our last Room Service project.  It was so easy and added a nice detail to the white panels.

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Trims can also be used on Roman blinds.  I love the light trim on the dark fabric.

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This trim adds a traditional flair to an otherwise non-traditional color palette.

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Finally, trims and tapes are not just for window treatments, added to this tufted linen ottoman and you have a completely custom look.

I hope you have gotten a few good ideas that you can use in your own projects.  I’m already thinking of how I can use trims in my own home!

It seems like just yesterday I was writing about our last Room Service Atlanta project at the United Methodist Children’s Home.  Angela, Rhoda and I collaborated on three spaces in the Sam Bell cottage for young men.  You can read about it here and here.  It was such a fun project that we decided to team up again and take on the girls’ cottages this time!  Let’s take a tour.

This is the view as you open the door.  Very similar to the boys’ spaces at first glance.  Remember all that paneling?  Yes, we will be painting all of that again!  The room has great light just like our last space and good light truly adds life to any home.

Here is the view back toward the door.  You can really see the light pouring in from this view.  The floors are in good shape, so that is not a worry this time.

The bed will be placed on this wall.  Almost all of the furniture that you see here will go.  It’s not bad, but very oversized for the space.  Think that wall will need a bit of primer??

Here is one of the major differences between the girls cottage and the boys.  A bathroom.  Not so pretty at this point, but just wait.

Here’s the other major difference.  A tiny kitchen!  Rhoda has already secured one of her wonderful sponsors to replace that very uneven countertop for us.  Yay!  We have big plans for this space.  Remember this before shot, because you won’t recognize it when we’re through.

And here is the final before shot.  This brick wall is one of the main reasons we chose this space.  So. Much. Potential!

After we chose our space, we headed over to UMCH’s “store”.  Our vision for the space will come from several of these amazing pieces of original artwork that we found.  We’ll share the color palette soon, but these pieces along with a few of Angela’s beauties will create a gorgeous gallery wall.  We will thrilled with this find and several others.  Speaking of the store, if you live in the Atlanta area, UMCH will be holding their annual flea market and bake sale this weekend and there are some major finds to be had.  Head over to Decatur and check it out if you’re in town.

This is Rhoda and I and our loot headed back to the cottage!  This is going to be a great project and as always we would love your help.  Help can be given as donations, your time or both.  We will be painting soon, so if you’d like to help out, please feel free to email me at lori@lorimayinteriors.com.

Stay tuned for more updates!

This time last week I was in Los Angeles at Design Bloggers Conference.  I had thought of going before, but the timing never seemed right.  This year I decided to take the plunge and it was so worth it.  For my Atlanta friends, DBC is moving to Atlanta next year!  I have already registered.  Be prepared, this one will sell out quickly.

I spent most of my time with these two amazing ladies.  Amanda of Amanda Carol at Home and Jen from At Home in the Northwest.  If you have read many blogs, I know that you have heard it a million times, but the relationships that I have built through blogging have truly changed my life.  These women and several others are my mentors and my sounding boards for both my professional and my personal life.  It is a complete bonus to be able to spend time with them face to face.

Our trip started low key with a Starbucks and a relaxing conversation by the hotel pool.  Yes, it is supposed to be warm in sunny L.A., but on this particular day it was quite cool and those people must have realllllly wanted to take a dip in the pool!  We were exhausted from traveling and were in our room by 7pm.

The next day the fun began with a trip to H.D. Buttercup.  A fabulous store in an even more fabulous historic building.  Here are a few shots from inside.

Love the repetition and the sparkle!

This was the greatest accent table.  It’s hard to see in the photo, but the top and side of the wood is actually exposed.  Fabulous piece, I wish I could have gotten a better photo.

Love the creativity here.  You can use just about anything to create wall art!

But the highlight of the night for many of us was meeting Jeffrey Alan Marks and Ross Cassidy from Million Dollar Decorators.  I hate this picture actually, but Ross thought it was cute and that made it all okay.  He was truly a super nice guy and we all had fun chatting with him!  (Although, I did think I might have to pull a few people away.  Amanda!)

Now on to the serious stuff, there were so many wonderful speakers and not nearly enough space here to tell you everything that I learned, but I’d like to share with you a few things that inspired me from 4 of my favorites.

Windsor Smith is a self taught designer, who started her business when her children were small.  She told us stories of being on the phone with very important clients and having to stop in the middle to tell her kids to “stop fighting” or “give that back to your brother”.  You know, the kind of stuff many of us do on a daily basis.  She was so down to earth and relatable.  She made this high wire act that we call life sound doable.  Her goal and my takeaway was to bring the family back to the center of the home.  No formal spaces.  She looks to create new seating arrangements to work for multitasking.  That way the entire family can be present in the same room, but still doing their own thing.  Love this!

“As a blogger, you are accountable to yourself.” ~ Charlotte Moss

I was amazed at how seriously Charlotte Moss took her blog.  I had often wondered if people like her even wrote their own blog posts.  Understandably so, I have trouble keeping up with this blog and I haven’t done half the things Charlotte Moss has done!  While I have no idea if she writes them all, I do now understand how important it is for her to share her stories.  Her blogma as she calls it is…

Be informed, be selective, be kind, be accurate, be respectful, be ethical and most importantly be original, have a point of view.

These are words that we can all learn from and live by.

Newell Turner is Hearst Design Group Editor in Chief.  He’s kind of the rock star of design magazines.  I remember when I first started blogging, just two years ago, how closed minded magazines were to bloggers.  There was honest fear that the traditional magazine was dead.  Newell Turner and particularly House Beautiful have led the charge to embrace bloggers.  In 1896, House Beautiful printed it’s first issue and they are still on the cutting edge today.  House Beautiful created the first pinable magazine.  Newell Turner called the magazines pages “live paper”.  His view of how magazines will be in the future was truly innovative and inspirational.  If he has his way, you will not recognize a traditional magazine in just a few months time.

Finally, there was Barbara Barry.  I have loved this woman for a long time.  When I was young and before I knew what the profession of interior design was, I loved her work.  After hearing her speak and devouring her book on the plane ride home, I now completely understand why.   She was very soft spoken, but every word she spoke meant the world to me as a designer, as a woman and as a human being.  Here are a few of her quotes that truly moved me.

“Our emotions do not need an education.  We know what we feel.” ~ Barbara Barry

I do not have a formal interior design education and occasionally this creates insecurity within me, but whenever I finish a space and I step back and look, I do know what I feel.

“Simple things inspire me.  Sometimes we miss the beauty around us.  Don’t overlook it.  It’s restorative.  Be inspired by it.” ~ Barbara Barry

“Beauty is always in.  There is no trend to those kinds of things.” ~ Barbara Barry

This is so very true.

“Design is what we offer the world.  It pours out of us.” ~ Barbara Barry

“Our eyes need to rest from the visual impact of the world.” ~ Barbara Barry

This is something Sherry tells me often.  Your eye needs a place to rest in a room.  There is no need to put something in every single space.

“Modern is right now and also everything before.” ~ Barbara Barry

The dance of design  ”I wait for my ideas to hatch in their own time.” ~ Barbara Barry

She told us a story of starting work in her office one day and then ending up in the garden picking flowers.  Back at her desk, she then found herself making tea.  Back at her desk again, her closet suddenly needed to be organized.  Once in the closet, white shirts organized cool to warm, a color palette came to her as she looked at her own clothing.  Once again she was at her desk settled in to work.  She calls this her dance of design.  I’ve always called it my design ADD and thought of it as a negative.  With Barbara’s permission, it is now my dance as well.

Barbara Barry and me

After she spoke, I had the chance to actually meet Barbara Barry and share with her the impact her work and her words had on me.  She listened intently, said thank you and then proceeded to compliment me on the color of my outfit and my hair.  Gracious cannot even begin to describe this woman.

I have taken her words to heart and over the next year I hope to make changes in my life to make it more simple, more beautiful and to enjoy each moment.  I will strive to create inspired spaces for my clients that they can feel beautiful in as well.

I deserve this and you do too.  Barbara Barry reminded me of that and I will do my best not to forget it.

Have a wonderful, inspired day!