Come see me at Wishbone Home & Design!

It's true, I love a good home interiors store, like, really LOVE.

They are hard to come by…..often I find them

when traveling in cities far from home.

I have always dreamed of opening my own…..somewhere

where fellow design lovers and home-keepers could meet and geek-out

over bookends, vases, lanterns, preserved boxwood,

decorative boxes…..and PILLOWS!

I know now is not the right time for me personally to 

own a shop but I have a stylish, beautiful friend who has

opened a darling home interiors shop in Lake Oswego, Oregon

and has invited me to host what we are calling a 'trunk show'

at her shop next week - October 2nd and 3rd.

Wishbone Home & Design is located at 

41 B Avenue in Lake Oswego -

right next to Gourmet Productions!

Basically, I will bringing items I love to use for styling both 

my own home and my client's homes…..old books, art,

lamps, decorative objects…..ALL will be for sale!

If you are local, I would love for you stop by and say 'hi'!

When:  October 2 & 3

{I will be there from 10 am - 2 pm}

Where:  Wishbone Home & Design

41 'B' Avenue

Lake Oswego, Oregon

No more planked-backed bookcases…..

If you happen to be new around here, long ago, I added planking to the

backs of my built-in bookshelves….the post remains one of the most

viewed ever at the Forever*Cottage…you can go back 

and read it HERE - it was even featured on The Nester's blog.  

I am still humbled by the questions and positive feedback

I get on my sort of 'redneck' {BTW - I love rednecks!} method for installation.

But truth be told, the 3M tape did not work with each and

every plank and they were starting to pop off.  And also,

I was ready for a more clean, uncluttered look…...

Last week, I pulled all the planks off the backs of built-in bookshelves,

sanded them down and gave them a fresh coat of BM White Dove

paint in a semi-gloss finish - the result is clean and simple.

In addition, to the fresh paint, I restyled the shelves and added

some color and modern accessories to mix with the 

plethora of vintage items I had going on.  Of course,

now that I am looking at this photo, I want to tweak it even more! 

I include this photo to show you the perspective I had while taking photos of my 

bookshelves for this post……..I was standing on my kitchen island as my kids did 

their homework…..Just normal life around here when your momma blogs….

#kidsofbloggersproblems

MODERNBATH.COM…...

When modernbath.com contacted me and asked me to take a look at their

products, the timing could not have been better….My girls' bath could use some 

attention and updates so using the modernbath.com website, I was able to 

put together a inspiration board with some products that are not just beautiful

but really quality items that will stand the test of time and use!

Modernbath.com is a wonderful online resource for luxurious home
and bathroom products including bathroom vanities, bathroom faucets,
bathroom cabinets and mirrors, bathroom shower panels, and a variety of other
contemporary bathroom items at discounted prices.  Go check them out
if you are in need of any of those products for your bathroom projects!

vanity/toilet/storage cabinet/mirrors

I was brave with paint...

Seriously, could a title of a blog post be anymore lame?

In many ways, lately, it feels funny….silly, really, to come here and 

show photos of small projects I do in my home…..

Maybe it's a shift in me…..perspective….

time…..defining what's important…….or maybe

I am getting cynical …..

But you all seem to love photos of my home and for that

I am humbled and grateful…..and here to show you 

the latest victim of my paint brush.

The 'kitchen couch' might be the most sat on piece of furniture

in our home and while I love it's purpose and style, I wasn't always in 

love with it's dark gray original paint color.  

I recently saw a similar bench at a flea market but painted white

and was inspired to paint mine…..

I literally went to my paint stash and grabbed a white {I believe it was sample quart of BM OC-46}

and went to work….because it is an old bench, the paint went on sort of irregular,

with some of the original finish peeking through which is a bonus.

I didn't seal it, wax it, distress it…..nothing cause I am lazy like that.

All hail the power of paint!

Inspired…...

When I received the September issue of Better Homes & Gardens magazine

I was so excited to discover a 'new to me' designer - Gen Sohr of Pencil & Paper

Development Co {a company founded with her cute hubby Benjamin}…….

The BH&G feature was of the designer's own home

{which they have since sold} in Nashville.  I fell in love with the modern simplicity 

mixed with traditional architecture and her use of color and pattern - PERFECTION!

Oh - and she loves vintage elements and objects but uses them in

in a restrained way and pairs them with graphic/modern textiles.  The result

can best be described as 'fresh'.

Isn't she adorable?

It has been awhile since I have REALLY been inspired by a magazine

feature…..I poured over the images in the BH&G feature - like 2,349,708 times.

I also stalked Gen on Instagram……and guess what?

She followed me back!  Made my day!

How do I best articulate what I love about her spaces and style?

* Her designs are fearless - she doesn't adhere to 'rules'.

* Her designs are personal, look at the jewelry collection that 

doubles as art in her closet.

* Her designs are unexpected/whimsical - notice the marquee letter in her master?

* Her spaces allow certain elements to be the 'star'…..they are not crowded

{I could use a lesson in editing from her.}

* Her designs successfully mix patterns that don't overwelm.

* She boldly embraces color!

* She incorporates a bit of vintage in all her spaces but it

never looks 'granny'.

Go checkout her portfolio HERE….and see what I mean!

I am inspired to make some changes in my own home with Gen's designs in mind.

One Direction…tickets for sale…..Rose Bowl {not THE flea market}!

Six months ago {or more}, when one of my girls

was in LOVE with this boy band, I did a crazy thing

and purchased tickets for their concert 

in Los Angeles….at the Rose Bowl.

I thought the surprise trip would be a great

Sweet 16 birthday trip…..but love for this

boy band was 'like SO 6 months ago' and as her

feelings of adoration faded, so did my enthusiasm

for spending the time and money to go see

a band that she was just 'eh' about.

So - I have TWO pretty good seats for the One Direction

concert at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles for 

next Saturday, September 13.

I have been unsuccessful thus far with selling these

seats on Stub Hub SO, I thought I would put it out

there in blogland…..I will sell them for FACE VALUE.

If you are interested, please leave a comment with your

email address and I will get in touch with you.

Going green…...

I'll admit - since my design business has taken off, projects

in my own home have been placed on the back burner.

That's not a good thing because my personal project list is

long and I write a blog that focuses on design projects!

By nature I am a creative person - I NEED to be creative and 

I have been feeling that need going unmet.  In the midst of our busy

summer schedules, I painted this cabinet that resides in our 

upstairs hallway and provides linen storage for 

my girl's bathroom and bedrooms.

I am definitely feeling a 'shift' in my personal design preferences - I craving 

more color, more contemporary elements and clean lines……

more unexpected and quirky….

This touch of green in my otherwise mostly neutral home allowed me to

indulge my creative need and bring a pop of color into our home.

Now, on to the 1,256, 987 other projects on my list!

Paint color:  SW Garden Grove 6445

** If you would like to see this cabinet's

previous purpose in our home you can go HERE.

Life, according to my iPhone…..

Theatre performances….

Celebrated making varsity soccer….

Celebrated a Sweet 16 birthday….

Shopped for back to school clothes…..

Started sophomore year…..

Started 7th grade…..{oops, that photo didn't make it}

Painted a cabinet green….{post about that coming soon!}

Tried to sit down and enjoy it all……{with a nice glass of wine, of course!}

It's September….my favorite season….bring on fall soccer,

high school football, volleyball games, apple pie, sweaters,

boots…..all of it!