I saw this beach inspired high/low room over at Style at Home and thought it was the perfect kick off for the summer season.  Love the relaxed beach vibe.

Can you guess which room is $6,500 cheaper??

Answer and room resources are here.

If I were to make those outfits into a room, I’d pick this.

[photos from here]

I think a set of linen, pollen or cashmere glassbabies would be lovely perched in the middle of a summer diningscape such as this.

On a personal note:  I was so thankful to read your comments.  If you haven’t read them, I’d suggest you take a few minutes and do so here, as they will change your life perspective.  I’d like to thank each one of you for taking the time to share your heart and a little piece of your life.  May sound crazy, but it was a good reminder for me to read how one person’s continued acts of selflessness can greatly impact another’s life.  I sometimes make the mistake of getting influenced by the world’s view of success (material gain, status in a job, public recognition, etc.) and feel a little down about not being on some fast track with tangible success.  Oh I can dress myself down like nobody else and wish I were a better writer, stylist, designer, organizer…better this, that and the other.  The ego is a dangerous thing, isn’t it?  Then I wake up and realize that serving and caring for my family is not only a privilege, but ultimately the greatest accomplishment I could ever have in life.  It may not always be glamorous, but it’s a priceless and irreplaceable gift to share.

All things material come and go.  This is a fact.  But sharing a part of yourself and helping others is a powerful gift to give, because the results last forever.  Thank you again, kind friends, for your sweet reminder.

Here’s a simple design idea for adding some style to a rental home without having to make big, expensive changes.  I’ll start with the small room I’m using as my home office.

DESIGN DILEMMA:  Tiny room with a big depressing, blank wall.  The paint color is an off-white with an orange tint…not easy to work with.  Repainting is not allowed.

BUDGET-FRIENDLY SOLUTION:  In lieu of pricey artwork, I hung a series of inexpensive white plates.  The dramatic grouping adds visual interest and a warmer cream, and therefore distracts from the existing wall color.  All of the plates totaled $80.  I offset the monochromatic look with a pop of color – a fun blue side table found at a local second hand shop.  This is big impact design that is very easy to install and take down when you move.

Sources:

Plates – Marshall’s and T.J. Maxx

Ghost Chair – Joss and Main details over here (love their products!)

Blue side table – Ava’s Attic Consignment shop 850.424.6767

Flowers – Bella Flora 850.267.1111

.     .     .     .

The beautiful flower arrangement is from new sponsor, Bella Flora.  I’m obsessed with everything in their shop!

Whenever I want pretty flowers, I just tell owner, Melanie to design whatever she wants…that’s the best way to get a beautiful arrangement.   She knows I love white and always takes care of me there ; )  This time she surprised me with her handmade, moss-covered container.  I never know what to expect from her designs, which makes it that much more exciting.

Happy Monday!

One lucky lady will receive a glassbaby trio, valued at $132.

These aren’t just any votives.  The story behind glassbaby is about the beauty of sharing one’s bright light….

glassbaby creator, Lee Rhodes was fighting her third battle with cancer and raising three small children when she first dropped a tea light into a handmade, colorful, glass cup.  Lee found great hope and healing in the soothing light and found the peace and calm she needed to heal.  She wanted to spread that hope.  Lee learned how to blow glass and began making votives.  She then hired artists to make more colorful, glass votives and soon opened a glassblowing studio.  Glassybaby was born.

Lee and her children.

The story gets even better.  During her own cancer treatment, Lee remembers meeting people in waiting rooms who could not afford basic day to day costs like bus fare and groceries during their treatment.  Health insurance does not help with those needs, so Lee wanted to help fill that gap.  glassybaby has donated more than $890,000 from sales to charities dedicated to healing and helping patients with those costs during treatment.

Wow.  Every time I read this, I get goosebumps.  You can see a video on Lee’s story over here.

THE GIVEAWAY:

A trio set of glassybaby handmade glass votive candle holders.  Did you know it takes four artists to make just one glassbaby?  They come in 400+ colors.  Check em out over here.  I have the chartreuse votive and love it.

Lee, thank you for sharing your heart and your hope.  And for shining your bright light onto our world.

HOW TO ENTER:

Leave a comment sharing with us one person who has brought inspiration and hope into your life.  I’ll have my tissue ready ; )  One comment per person, winner announced on Monday.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!

Husband, best friend, Daddy, mentor, adventurer, chef, soccer coach, dreamer, achiever, picnicker, protector, giver, camper, rip sticker, kayaker, scuba diver, cat herder, homework helper, horse trailer puller, kid tosser, traveler, paddle boarder, sofa snuggler, animal lover, mood stabilizer (ha ha).

No matter how crazy, funny, unpredictable, or rocky our life gets, you are always there…with open arms.

You are our sparkle.

And you’re always ready for our next adventure, no matter when or where.

Even if it sometimes means getting catapulted ten stories high at 4 gs of acceleration…just to make your young one smile.

Most of all, thank you for being my Mr. Wonderful.   I love you.

The adventure continues…

NOTE:  you will notice the resources are not listed on their selections, which was intentional because they have paid for my time helping with all of their selections.  I do offer an e-design service if you would like design advice for your own space ; )

Here is their back yard.  Not bad huh?  Randy took great joy in designing and building his deck all on his own, one piece of wood and nail at a time.  I’m amazed that someone can actually have the patience and skill to do such a task.  That boardwalk is such a peaceful spot.  I have a feeling they’re going to make a lot of dolphin friends there.  

The view from one of the upstairs bedrooms.  An open deck perfect for stargazing.

I love working with a couple who has a strong vision for what they want.  Makes my job so much more enjoyable and interesting.  Funny, when we began their project the “wife vote” was a pale blue exterior and the “husband vote” was a rustic green with dark shutters and deep cream trim.  Green won.  It all worked out because Susie and I were given Randy’s blessing on many of our extra special interior selections.  That man has been a saint.  Thank you, Randy!!  The interior palette is filled with pale greens and classic finishes which beautifully tie in the exterior.

Here is the front.  The landscaping and the gas lanterns are not installed yet.

This picture will give you a perspective on how tall their home is.  That’s my client, Susie, the ant-sized person standing in front. Cannot wait to see their gas lanterns, they are three feet tall!!

The back of their home has a space for their boat and plenty of storage, hence the height.  Thankfully they have an elevator.

I’ll keep you posted on our progress.  I’m getting so excited to see it all come together!!!

It was so cute because when we came back from the show my daughter asked me, “Mom, did I smile when I jumped?”   That picture was all she needed.  She’s all smiles when riding.  That child practically came out riding.  I’m so grateful that she found her passion at such an early age.  She LIVES for horses.  Doesn’t matter if it’s barefoot and bareback or all dressed up at a show, she just wants to be with horses.  Actually she’ll tell you her favorite kind of riding is zipping around bareback with a fistful of mane and a twig of hay hanging out of her mouth.  I love that!

She’s an amazing little rider.  Here she is stepping up his trot.  By the way it was 90 degrees during these shots.  Not the friendliest riding conditions in long sleeves, a coat, gloves and velvet hat.  The kids were real troopers.

He looks like a fairy tale pony doesn’t he?  The best part is he is just as sweet as he is handsome…and very talented.

And here is Wrapped in Sterling’s mommy, Ella.  They also showed this weekend and won both of their lead line classes.  Look how precious they are together!

Ella has a six month old little sister, who also has an equestrian future.  Looks like their fairy tale pony will have a life filled with sweet little girls, plenty of carrots, and lots of love.  A happily ever after perfect for two princesses and their pony.

You can download this list right here.

I think I’m going to go grab a clipboard and hang this up in the kitchen to help me prioritize what needs to be done daily.  Usually whenever I make a to-do list, I put so much on it that I get overwhelmed and pretty much give up because I can’t accomplish it all.  This list will encourage me to prioritize six tasks each day, which I think is more realistic.  And I love the feeling of checking a little box when I’ve finished a task…silly, I know.  We can probably agree that May is a month full of end-of-the-school year activities, so having a lovely list handy is helpful!

Last week was wild plus my daughter and I were training for our big horse show in Pensacola which was this past weekend.  Savez and I were doing a lot of this together…

Although I admit to not being the best blogger in April, I have to say our family had a great month and enjoyed so many new adventures together, which makes me happy.  I definitely owe you some pictures…promise I’m working on it!  In the midst of it all our Anniversary was last week.  We weren’t able to celebrate because the day before our car completely died and Peter had to drive it to Atlanta to be repaired (no one within five hours of here works on Land Rovers).  This was comical because the car wouldn’t start unless it was jumped.  So Peter threw some jumper cables in the car with him and headed for Atlanta.  He had to bum a jump somewhere in Dothan when he stopped for gas.  I stayed here and ran the circus.  We both laughed about the situation and ended up texting each other from different cities the morning of our Anniversary.   Somehow he made it back by midnight with flowers and a card in hand.  Talk about a knight in shining armor.  Love my man so much.

You would die if you saw where I am typing right now…I’m in the middle of unpacking and took a quick break to write this post so I’m perched on the edge of our unmade bed using the ironing board as my desktop.  Classy!  So much to do after our busy month.  Gotta multi-task like  a pro.  I’m going to apply the advice I give my kids when they have a lot to do:

1. Step back and take three deep breaths
2. Smile
3. Do one small thing at a time

Smiling is the most important part of those three steps.  Did you know that smiling actually releases endorphins and serotonin which elevates your mood? It even lowers your blood pressure and boosts your immune system.  Proof is here.

I leave you today with this delicious scene from my friend, Doug’s pinterest page…it really makes me smile.  I spy field boots!