Friday!

Happy Friday everyone!

There has been lots of good stuff happening around

here lately and I have enjoyed enjoying it…..

I promise to resume a more regular blogging

routine next week when both my girls return to school.

This weekend holds lots of fun….we will celebrate

my girl who made me a momma SIXTEEN years ago

this coming Monday…..she was born 4 weeks early on 

September 1, 1998……I have always said her early

birth was an indication of her fiesty personality…..couldn't 

even wait to be full-term…she had things to do and accomplish

in this life….and mostly it has proven true.   She began

her sophomore year in high school this week, made the

varsity soccer team and is really a joy to parent at this 

stage of her life.  She will celebrate her birthday with 8 of her 

closest girlfriends at a fondue restaurant and 

then a sleepover at our house…..good stuff!

Wishing you all a fun-filled holiday weekend!

Thoughts and Ramblings…..because it's Friday!

 That time of year has finally come to our house…

back to school.

My sophomore's first day is Monday. My 7th grader

is lucky and is spared the dreaded day until the

day after Labor Day. {She gets a week to 

rub that fact in to her sister.}

As a momma, I can get caught up in thinking about

what my girls' growing up means for me…..

  {I still find it really hard to  believe

I have a sophomore in high school and that my baby

will  be a 7th grader.}  But this summer has

provided many opportunities for me to remember that

it is not about me, it's about them…….

Raising girls is not for sissies…….you dream that they will be 

confident, kind, smart, ambitious, hopeful, brave, 

funny, uninhibited, moral, driven, conscientious, 

good decision makers….and so many other adjectives!

And I am proud that so many of these seeds have taken root

in my girls…..but oh, their ages, peers, media can challenge everything and

anything that we have helped them become…..

My girls are very different…..one is naturally self-assured

{sometimes when she has no business being so}, the other has

 struggled with her identity and who she really is.

I have to say this was the summer of break-throughs for 

my struggler - Praise the Lord!  It is a wonderful thing

to watch your child really figure out who they are, 

what brings their being to life, embrace their uniqueness as

special and worthy…..ah, no feeling like it all!

And then there is the high schooler…..I hear sophomore year 

brings some changes…..driver's licenses, friend shifts,

facing sometimes moral decisions {ahem}, school gets harder,

there is more at stake……Those adjectives listed above will be tested, 

I predict……My girl is strong but has a soft heart and I know

sometimes through her tough girl exterior she hurts, is stressed

and has tinges of self-doubt……I know this is totally normal.

Heck!  I am OFTEN stressed, hurt and have feelings of self-doubt.

But boy, would I like my girls to be spared of all of that crap!

This week tested both my girls in many ways……it was

tryout week for both of them - one for volleyball and the other soccer.

It was a week filled with stress, anticipation, self-doubt, exhilaration and

mixed-emotions, but ultimately, a good lesson in practicing all 

those adjectives listed above………

They both ROCKED it!

Sophomore year and 7th grade……here WE come!

*All images via Pinterest…..follow me HERE!

A gallery wall is always the answer!

My clients often struggle with what to do with large walls above their sofas.

The easy solution is often one large piece of art…which is fine.

But my local client {and friend} had some fun, personal,

'smallish' art.  Hanging them gallery wall style filled that

expansive space better than one large piece would have.  Hanging a grouping

allowed me to fill the horizontal space behind the sofa.

The key to getting this look right is to NOT hang the grouping

too high - often people allow a large gap between the top of 

the sofa and where the first frame is hung which is NO BUENO.

The art should easily be seen when you are sitting on the furniture.

Connect it to the room.

This was a fun project to work on!  I can't wait to show you 

more after I get a chance to photograph the space!

******************

Client Bedroom Inspired by a popular Pinterest Image!

Back in June, when I knew I wanted to scale back on

my work with local clients in order to allow me more time to

hang out with my two daughters this summer 

chauffeur my two daughters to their MANY

summer activities, I opened up the opportunity

to work with more online clients via e-design!  

While I might have forgotten the amount of time and 

online attention required while working with clients

all over the United States, it has really been a highlight

of my summer!  I LOVE getting to interact with you all -

those have read my blog and supported my work.

Your trust and belief in me is such an honor and blessing.

I love uniting with you to help create a home you love

and functions for you and your family.

Via

When a client sent me the above photo as inspiration for her 

master bedroom I was to help her with, I was psyched!

I have loved this image for a long time and was definitely

one of my early 'Pins'.  I cannot find the original source so 

if someone knows it, please pass it along!

Here is the design board I created inspired by the image:

{the client had no new furniture needs}

I know many of you are already back in school -

My high schooler doesn't start for another week and a half

and my middle schooler doesn't go back until after Labor Day.

It is still summer around here and I am enjoying every last

bit of it……chauffeuring duties and ALL.

Mixing Styles……my living room updates!

Like many design enthusiasts and bloggers, our family home also 

serves as a laboratory of sorts for my design-obsessions and 

experimental urges!  

Our small living room is one of my favorite places to 

play.  There was a time when I doubted the decision

to slipcover my sofa in such a bold pattern but now it

is really one of my favorite things in the room.  

I love many different styles of home decor and this room

definitely reflects that!  Recently, I have wanted to begin

to de-clutter my home and add some more contemporary elements.

Vintage touches will always be a favorite but I want to begin

using them in a more understated way - mixing
in different styles for a more interesting look.

I recently had my electrician husband swap out the more

traditional lantern fixture for the more contemporary 

Vega 5 fixture from Schoolhouse Electric.  Schoolhouse Electric is a local 

Portland-based company and the maker of so many wonderful

vintage-inspired lighting options for your home.  In addition,

Schoolhouse Electric also sells beautiful home decor and 

fun art prints and posters!

This room has not changed much in the last couple years which

is unusual around here.  And even though this room has no

television and serves as my 'office' and design materials

storage space, it is really a favorite of everyone in our family.

Photo-bombing dogs included!!!

Sources:

Wall Color:  BM Duxbury Gray

Vega 5 Chandelier:  Schoolhouse Electric

Pouf: Target

Rug: Pottery Barn

Sofa: Restoration Hardware {over 8 years ago}

Slipcover Fabric:  Waverly

Brass Lamp:  Goodwill

Coffee Table:  World Market {discounted, unfortunately}

Side Table: Vintage

Wood Panel: Vintage

Small Pillow:  Schumacher 'Betwixt'

Lately…..

via

Perhaps it's the season of my life….

or our busy summer….

But for whatever reason, I have found myself

"racing to the next moment"…..and I don't 

like it one bit…….

My big girl starts her sophomore year of high school

in just 21 days, and my little one in 27 days.

I vow to "enjoy the ride" this month….

so if my posting is more than my usual sporadic, 

I hope you will understand.

I DO have a great post coming later this week with updated

photos of my favorite room in our home.

I am off to enjoy some moments…...