rustic sparkle

Where has the time gone?

2014-07-25T12:51:00.000-07:00

So it has been a little bit of time (only about three years) since I have updated this little online diary I have going.

A lot has changed, but we will get to that later. I am working on getting my interior design business out there... further than my house.

I hope for this to be a place that I continue to place the things I love, dream about, hope for, and love.

This will always be the place where I hold thing that I find beautiful- new or old. That's why the things I love will always be rustic and sparkle-

Confessions of a cubbyhole addict.

2012-01-01T19:00:00.000-08:00

There, I said it, I LOVE CUBBYS. I just love to organize and seperate and ooo just gets me all giddy inside thinking about everything having a specific spot for it to belong and to call it home. LUURVE it.

Theres just something that makes you feel secure and warm about having a little hole to have your bed in with some shelving around for your nighly reading and a little light. Ahhhhh.

So, are you with me on the cubby bandwagon? Huh, are you with me?

Where you at?

2011-07-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

First of all, I have no excuse for my brief hiatus... I blame good weather and late night fun.

Secondly there have been many things going on in our house lately, some of which can be explained and some that can not. All that can be said is that we are in need of your thoughts and prayers.

Due to recent events my husband and I have had sleepless nights, long conversations, and not alot of questions that need to be answered and most likely will not.

I whole heatedly believe this is one of those times in our lives when we will look back and see it as a turning point.

There is one truth I know, we will get through to the other side and there will be more joy for us to experience, together. One positive of a struggle is you either bond together or grow apart. We truly are closer now than ever.

On a more positive note we have a beach vacation coming up that I could not be more ready for.

Baby Shower

2011-03-24T11:21:00.000-07:00

I am planning a baby shower for a precious little girl that my cousin Ava is having. Its the first baby girl in the family for a while so it will be VERY exciting to buy pink and frilly things. I cant wait! Here are a few pictures I am using for inspiration for this very pink, white and red baby shower.

Go, Chargers Go!

2011-03-23T11:05:00.000-07:00

I am going to take a side bar today and talk about something I don't usually consider my area of expertise, Basketball.

Today is a very special day, my little cousin Tyler is playing the NCAA Elite 8 tournament in Massachusetts. He will be a senior this year and is extremely talented with alot of heart. Here are a few recent photos/articles about him.

Article

Article 2

Its been a long time in the making and we couldnt be more proud of everything he has accomplished. I wish him, and the Chargers the best of luck today.

GO CHARGERS!

Birthday HIgh

2011-03-21T08:59:00.000-07:00

Soo... last week I turned 24! I know almost a quarter of a century, but I was VERY blessed to have such a wonderful work day (my coworkers decorated my desk) a wonderful lunch with my mom and brother at a new resteraunt, The Eaves, here in Huntsville.

Wednesday night is Mexican night at the Tillman house so we had takeout and ate at my moms with my whole family. I got some AWESOME gifts from my favorite home store Anthrologie and of course my Nanny made the best homeade strawberry cake!(it is currently in the freezer being converted into cake balls) Hubs said it would make him look like an elephant if I didnt get rid of it, so cake balls were created.

Here are a few of the things that I recieved from my family and Michael:

I feel truly blessed to be treated so special all year long.

Slim Pickins- Bathroom Style

2011-03-14T14:14:00.000-07:00

So... I'm trying to choose a color to paint my vanity this weekend. I am leaning towards white for two reasons. 1) I have the paint already and 2) I have no idea what other color to paint them. See, the problem is that I have cream counter tops that aren't in the budget to replace currently and white would be a nice complement to our trim and the counter tops match our Biscuit colored tub and loo.

Before:

Painting the inside of the closet.

Removal of door frame and beginings of the sheetrock work.

More on that later....We were going to case in the doorway and just keep the door off because, as you can see, the doors backed up to each other before. We went with the blue accent color on the inside of the closet and I'm thinking (fingers crossed) about doing a wall stencil on the base wall color to separate the bathroom from our bedroom, its just one continuous room.

Silhouette Love

2011-03-03T13:15:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been drawn to very graphic art, in particular silhouettes. A few years ago the hubs and I did an art project together, we made silhouette heads of our dogs and I am totally in love with them and they are now in our guest bedroom. Heres a few inspiration ideas...

Wisteria Love

2011-02-28T19:32:00.000-08:00

I have been so impressed with Wisteria lately, it must be that they are catering more to "my style" But they have some AWESOME peices right now. Heres a few, what do you think? Any Faves?

Good Right?

Grammy Recap

2011-02-14T07:27:00.000-08:00

First of all, let me say that I loved the first little bit of the grammys... then I left the room, and it just kept getting more and more bizzare. Was that Gwenneth Paltrow singing with the muppets? Really?

Anyway... Heres my top three (again, no particular order)

My Valentines Day post to come...

Stencil Update

2011-02-14T07:21:00.000-08:00

So, I attempted the stencil yesterday with the Glaze I purchased from Home Depot... It looked GREAT, until it disappeared when it dried. After further reading the container, it has to be tinted... I will be working on that today.

On another note, we are having the bathroom Sheetrock repaired today and the linen closet cased in (Hubs made an executive decision) because it would be easier to tile if we didn't have so many doorways. Here are a few middle of the project photos...

This is the linen closet were casing in and making open shelving.

I painted most of the stencil this weekend, I LOVE IT, Hubbs on the other hand is still unsure...

More of that to come.

Also, today is my Brothers birthday! Happy Birthday Brandon, much love!

Valentines Friday!

2011-02-11T08:38:00.001-08:00

Valentines Friday! by ltillman featuring vintage dresses

Stencil Ambitions

2011-02-04T17:30:00.000-08:00

I think I might have been able to convince myself that it is time to try a wall stencil. I have been noticing them more and more and since were working on the bathroom and there really isn't any separation between the bedroom and the sink area, I think its the perfect fit.

I found a nice trellis pattern that ties in with my new towels that will be a great combination.

The next step was what color to paint the overlay. Seeing as how the under color will stay what it already is, I needed to find something to paint the stencil in. With the goal of it not looking "crafty" I chose a clear glaze color for one reason, It was on clearance at Home Depot. Now all i have to do is decide if its even possible to do this and make it look good.

I suppose it will be trial and error, after all, its just paint.

Friday Lovin'

2011-02-04T12:05:00.001-08:00

Friday Lovin' by ltillman featuring corduroy pants

Anniversary~

2011-02-02T07:52:00.000-08:00

This year my grandparents will have been married 50 years, my great grandparents 69, and my parents 30. My grandparents are wanting to throw a huge party unlike the other two and I have been "enlisted" to help. My one goal: for this to not be like every other one of these parties I have ever been to, like a service group meeting with cake. I want it to be fun and interesting, and we all know I cant resist a good party.

Do you know hard it is to find a decent looking invite? I also had a few ideas about making an interesting "guest book" I'm just not sure it would work on this crowd.

The decorations would be a little tough with this one, I'm thinking all kinds of old/new glass jars in different colors with flowered sprinkled throughout.

My first idea was to have a children's area outside where they can color with sidewalk chalk and ride their bicycles (because we will be at a church there will be plenty of room to roam around on pavement. Nothing is better than watching kids play and enjoy themselves at a reunion of sorts.

Also, as a "Thank You" to the guests for attending, you could have a grab bag that could be filled with homemade jams a tea towel and maybe some fresh picked fruits. Its always nice to have something for the guests to take home.

Here's my idea for the guest book: When you come in, you choose a prop and take your picture. you write a quick note to the couple and the pictures are later complied to make a lovely memory book for them.

If people would get into this it could be quite fun.

Here's a few other ideas that might be fun:

1. Family tree table: family photos scattered throughout to show the memories made over the years.

2. Photo slide show to show the couple's last 50 years of happiness.

3. the original wedding outfits displayed for those who didn't attend the original event

4. A table of honor for the two main honorees

SAG Awards- Top 3

2011-01-31T08:55:00.000-08:00

Confession: I didnt actually watch the SAG awards, I was painting my front porch and working on Laundry mountain BUT, I did still pick my three favorites. They go a little like this:

Fridayish

2011-01-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

Fridayish by ltillman featuring a one button blazer
So I sortof wore this yesterday but what I am wearing today is COMPLETLY uninspired and uneventful.

Taking the plunge

2011-01-27T08:36:00.000-08:00

The hubs and I have been talking about redoing our bathroom for some time, as it is the ONLY room in the house that we haven't worked on since we moved in. We have a few ideas for this little jewel it just depends on what kind of mood were in how much of it we actually try. Here are some before pics just to give you a bit of reference before we get started.

Here are a few shots were using for inspiration.

We have sort of a white, cream, taupe, steel grey/blue thing going on and we want to incorporate that a bit into the cabinets and wall color. I have a sea blue already purchased for the wall paint (same we used in the closet and linen closet turned open shelving that I think accents everything perfectly. The question is what to paint our cabinets (if we keep them) and if we don't what to use in their place. SO many decisions. ohhh the possibilities.

PS. I ordered the crochet shorts because I

found out I can return them in the store if they
don't meet my expectations.. YAY!

Monday Musings

2011-01-24T10:32:00.000-08:00

Just a few lovely images to get this week started off right.

Friday Funday

2011-01-21T08:56:00.001-08:00

Friday Funday by ltillman featuring a mid length coat

mud rooms

2011-01-20T17:30:00.000-08:00

Confession: I have an obsession with organization, and if it involves hooks, cubbyholes, and a chandelier. I'M IN LOVE. I found a few images of what I think would be a small enough to function but large enough to get the job done. These are great for inspiration but I'm not sure any of them just quite right. I would take a piece of each and make on amazing mudroom.

The chandelier.

The cubbyholes/shelf.

The ladder.

The dog bed for cold nights.

The peg boards, for adjustable organization.

Put it all together = mudroom perfection.

happy thoughts...

2011-01-19T17:30:00.000-08:00

Ki of Southern Child in the City is going to be participating in this fantastic event! Show some support and check out the closest location. Shes fantastic, and so is her jewelry.

Partay Partay!

2011-01-19T05:30:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of January and New Years Resolutions I have been trying to get organized. It all started with a little Jonathan Adler desk calendar that is categorized in just the right way, and is spiral bound so it lays flat... LOVE IT!

Jonathan Adler Calendar

After getting my loverly little calendar I started filling it out with all my upcoming events and to my shock and amazement, I'm pretty much booked up on the weekends until August. Seriously, August.

That led to me looking for some fun little party dresses for all these events coming up... CANT WAIT! (In particular I have 2 Weddings and a baby shower) WAHOOO!

Modcloth

Now I'm ready for warmer weather and lighter colors. Come on SPRING!

Golden Globes Re-Cap

2011-01-17T17:30:00.000-08:00

So, I love an awards show as much as the next girl but this seemed to be a little ho-hum, no? I just didn't get some of the dress choices and some of them were so safe that it was sad. Take a risk but you don't have to show up looking like Bride of Frankenstein (Scarlett Jo, I'm talking to you!).

Que Drum roll... Here are my TOP 3 (In no particular order)

I love all three for different reasons. I think Emma Stone looked age appropriate and fresh in the blush color of her Calvin Klein dress. Nothing says, "You cheated on me and I look awesome" more than this dress Eva Longoria is wearing and last but not least, Natalie Portman and her baby bump look precious.

Weekend Getaway

2011-01-14T17:24:00.000-08:00

I hope this weekend brings you peace and relaxation. I plan to do alot of reading, a little cooking, and a bit of painting... and naturally drink coffee all the while.

Happy Weekend!