Our family's holiday card and Minted's Black Friday Discounts!

These are my people - in this, our 25th year of marriage, I am  immensely proud of this family we created……. Marriage and family stuff can be challenging, but SO worth all the heartache and hard work …. We are currently in the midst of parenting teenage girls which can be tricky and mentally challenging - basically the  'worry hours' do not align with my bedtime (thanks honey...

Family Drop-Zones…..{aka} contain the clutter!

I think one of the things that stresses me out about the holidays is the amount of things that come IN to my house rather than go out.  I admit, I have a huge aversion to clutter - just ask my family!  But I truly believe that good design and organization can go hand-in-hand. I have recently worked on a few mudroom/entryway designs for clients and thought I would share them...

Christmas cards from Minted.

Sending and receiving holiday greetings is one of my favorite things about the season!  Our family has lived all over the  United States so the expectation of hearing from friends and family near and far  has me running to the mailbox each day during November and December. In turn, I love to send cards that let the most important people in our lives know we are thinking of...

Photos from around my house…...

 I can hardly consider myself a blogger anymore, my posts have been so infrequent.  But I do still really love coming here in this space I carved out long ago on the now very crowded cyberspace!   I hope you appreciate that I only blog when I feel like I have something to share - I will never be the blogger who has posting schedules, tutorials, holiday decor/baking/traditions/crafts/cooking……that's just...

Life lately……and THE Minted.com winner!

The first two months of the school year have zoomed by at lightning speed once again…..fall means both volleyball and soccer season for my girls so that means dinners are on the fly or in a crockpot if I have my act together, late nights finishing homework, messy bedrooms, lots of laundry, hosting team dinners, playoffs, tournaments, teacher conferences, Homecoming, Halloween middle school...

Minted to the rescue….a space in my home that have you likely have never seen before! (and a giveaway, too!)

I confess, I do most of my living in our home on the first floor. Our second floor has just our girls' bedrooms, their shared bathroom  and a bonus room that basically serves as  the girls' hang-out space for when their friends come over or they watch movies.  I hardly ever go up there - that is sort of what happens when you have teenagers…..I know that it will likely be a...

Feast Portland

It's no secret that I love my hometown of Portland, Oregon. If you have never visited, you must - or you could just  watch Portlandia and get an relatively accurate portrayal of my lovable, quirky city.   One of my favorite things about Portland is that it is a total foodie town - a city that appreciates culinary creativity along with  good wine and craft brews. Portland...

Shelf Styling with DIY Art….

Black and white abstract art has been making appearances in lots of gorgeous spaces. The photo above is from Williams Sonoma Home.  The bookshelves are styled beautifully and include Williams Sonoma Home's Abstract Brushstrokes. When styling bookshelves for myself or clients I love the look of either hanging or leaning art among the shelves. With the change of seasons, I was inspired...

Modern Master Bedroom Mix

I have been having a blast doing E-designs for blog readers near and far!  A majority of the work I do via E-design would be considered more traditional design - man, you all LOVE your neutrals! The design above is a for a client who lives in the coolest contemporary home and definitely leans toward a modern/mid-century vibe. I loved mixing some traditional elements - like the pair...

Well hello August!

I am still trying to find my blogging mojo - I really am, but I appreciate any of you who visit and keep in touch.  I really do love writing and sharing but if I were to be honest, the blogging world has changed quite a bit and I don't know if I necessarily want to go where it has gone.  I refuse to make this just a place where I share only design-related posts.  And I just don't have...

Summer Design Board and Design Question Sale!

My work in design really began here on this blog when I hit 'publish' on my very first blog post and then when I began offering e-design services.  I have to admit, that due to a full schedule with local design clients, I just haven't  been doing much e-design which I really do love. After a very busy July, I am looking forward to enjoying some time at home in August.  Because...

Friday…..{right?}….

Anyone else have trouble keeping track of what day of the week it is  during the summer months?  Without routine and schedules it's just so difficult for me…but I am happy it's Friday…. I am heading up to Seattle later this afternoon, mostly to watch my girl play some soccer but also to see my country crush Kenny Chesney in concert at Safeco Field!  I have seen Kenny in...

Pillow Sale!

Well happy summer to you all….. Life this summer is considerably different in my home… I attribute the change to the ages of my girls {13 and 16}and  having a child who drives {what?????}…..I love it and hate it all at the same time…... Basically, they only need me to fill the pantry and fridge  and give permission to go here and there and everywhere. So what have I been doing...

Summer-izing your home with rugs - {discount code!}

I snapped this photo this morning of the current state of our living room.  You will notice that I swapped my vintage Persian rug for this shaggy Moroccan - it just felt lighter and brighter for summer. I was recently contacted by an online rug pad company asking if I would try their rug pads and write a review.  While rug pads often get forgotten when we invest in an expensive...

Living Room/Office *Before and After…..

I am well aware that many of you will prefer this first photo of my office when it was a living room…. and I am ok with that.  We loved this room. That sofa was really the star of the show.  The slipcover fabric was originally supposed to be drapes in a different house.  When I still had the bolt of fabric and was tired of the dark sofa, I had a custom slipcover made and voila!  A...

MY OFFICE REVEAL!

So many thoughts swirling in this head of mine….but I'll start by saying this: I blog today for the same reason I started blogging almost eight years ago….because I like to write, I LOVE design and more than anything, I love the connections to  all of you…..I have always been slightly uncomfortable sharing my home because I never want to make others  feel less than and I couldn't...