In the meantime, be sure to check out my visit over at It's Overflowing, where I share some updated tour photos!
March 31, 2014
spring cleaning
Well hey, look at that. I've got myself a new look! The amazing Sara Mueller is giving me a new look and feel, so excuse us while we tweak and fine tune.
In the meantime, be sure to check out my visit over at It's Overflowing, where I share some updated tour photos!
In the meantime, be sure to check out my visit over at It's Overflowing, where I share some updated tour photos!
March 28, 2014
fess up friday - freckles chick
Don't look at me!
The day I snapped pics of our clean living room,
I just threw everything over the back of the sofa:
Awww......
March 26, 2014
furbish studio's vintage sale
I can hardly wait. In just a few hours (11:00 AM EST) my favorite store that I've never been to, Furbish Studio will be having a huge ONLINE sale full of vintage and one of a kind things. The next best thing for those of us not lucky enough to live close by.
Be sure to check it out! I'm counting the minutes!
Be sure to check it out! I'm counting the minutes!
March 24, 2014
seasonal style
We survived spring break! Several play dates, outings, babysitters, and a husband gone most of the week for work and we made it. Monday is here and a normal schedule can resume. Hip hip hooray! (Funny, that isn't the same reaction I used to have to the end of spring break)
One thing I did to fill my time after the girls were in bed each night was read a stack of magazines as tall as my dog. Which, in my opinion, is a damn good time. But it stirred up the yearly quest for change - a chance to sprurce things up again after the season so evil we will not speak its name.
Magazines and designers have long encouraged the idea of having spring/summer accessories (pillows, throws, curtains, etc.) and then a stash for fall/winter. The theory being the changes would be enough to make you feel as though you have a 'new room' of sorts without having to do any major (and expensive) changes.
Now I'm not talking "decorations" like throwing pumpkins around the room in the fall and adding rabbits in the spring. I mean decor, subtle but substantial changes that would give a different feel to a room. My trouble is always that my whim to change things never seems to line up with the change of seasons. Go figure.
So what do you think? Is this a "sounds great in theory but I'll never do it" kind of thing? Do you have a stash of pillows that you change out with the seasons?
One thing I did to fill my time after the girls were in bed each night was read a stack of magazines as tall as my dog. Which, in my opinion, is a damn good time. But it stirred up the yearly quest for change - a chance to sprurce things up again after the season so evil we will not speak its name.
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| via |
Magazines and designers have long encouraged the idea of having spring/summer accessories (pillows, throws, curtains, etc.) and then a stash for fall/winter. The theory being the changes would be enough to make you feel as though you have a 'new room' of sorts without having to do any major (and expensive) changes.
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| Glitter Guide |
So what do you think? Is this a "sounds great in theory but I'll never do it" kind of thing? Do you have a stash of pillows that you change out with the seasons?
March 21, 2014
fess up friday - emily a clark
After we fess up today, be sure to head over to Driven by Decor where I am sharing my tip every blogger should know, along with a group of fantastic ladies. Very worthwhile reading.
Our Fess Up Friday guest today needs no introduction, but since that's my job, I'll introduce her anyway. Welcome Emily, of Emily A Clark! Emily was one of my very first blog addictions and in addition to watching her create some pretty beautiful spaces, I've loved watching her family of five grow to a family of seven. Yep, seven. So Emily, fess up!
Our Fess Up Friday guest today needs no introduction, but since that's my job, I'll introduce her anyway. Welcome Emily, of Emily A Clark! Emily was one of my very first blog addictions and in addition to watching her create some pretty beautiful spaces, I've loved watching her family of five grow to a family of seven. Yep, seven. So Emily, fess up!
When I saw Elizabeth’s email asking me to participate in one of her Fess Up Friday posts, I will admit I got nervous. I feel like I’m a pretty open book on my blog, but there is a less than pretty side you haven’t seen of my life. But, today, I’m prepared to come clean and share my “dirty” little secret.
That’s right. I’m a van slob. Oh, and I could care less.
I know I should be ashamed of how big a mess our van always is, but I’m too busy to feel bad about it. It’s the one area of life that I just can’t keep up with, and it all comes crashing down in a big pile of papers, school craft projects, coffee cups and empty juice boxes on our van floor. I’m focused on a mission when it comes time to load kids in and out of the car, and trying to be tidy in any shape or form just goes right out the window. I’ve even seen some of our “debris” fly out of the van door when I’ve dropped the kids’ off at school. It’s not the most fun to see a teacher pick it up, turn her nose up and throw it back in the van. But, I’ll live. On the upside, I never fear that our family of seven will starve to death should we get stranded on the side of the road for any length of time. I’m 99% sure we could put together a small buffet, if need be.
Now, I will admit that on a couple of occasions, I’ve had one of the kids’ friends comment on how messy it is and have felt a little shame. But, you know what? I’m not the only one contributing to this problem. I have three older accomplices (stuffed) in the back seat who have willingly admitted to drawing graffiti on the back of the seats, causing a ketchup packet to explode all over the ceiling and sticking the world’s strongest stickers to our windows. It’s really an uphill battle that this momma doesn’t have time to fight.
Alright, confessional over. Don’t think less of me. I’m going to drive a really nice car with the cleanest interior ever when all of the kids leave for college. Promise.
I'm right there with you Emily! What about you?
March 19, 2014
the strength of ten men
A while back I was at my all time favorite antique store when I spotted something I loved (no surprise there). True, I do always spot something I love there, or 10 somethings, but this was different.
It was an antique English bamboo armoire. Cue chorus of singing angels. And it was just the right size to go down in the family room for extra storage (more on that idea later).
Quick backstory - when I was 17 there was a fabulous antique English bamboo bed, dresser with marble top and armoire at an antique store I would go to with my mom. I lusted after it. Dreamed about it. But sadly I had nowhere to put it, as I was 17. And it was out of my price range, as I was 17. Not until now had I seen a piece in person that so closely resembled it.
But there was a problem. See the door on the right - it is closed all the way. That sucker is bowed. And when you open it, the whole piece makes this popping and cracking noise as if it was going to bust apart at any minute. And the top has a big crack running right down the middle of it.
The price is good, but the condition is not. So I did something that took all the willpower I had.
I. Walked. Away. (gasp)
My mom assures me my dad could fix it but I don't think the price is good enough to take in to account the months of hard labor. And at the pace my dad works, it would be months.
Now I grew up with antiques. I have antiques. I'm under no illusion that they should always be in pristine condition, but I would like the damn door to close without fear of the whole things falling in on me.
So I'm sharing to keep me honest. It is not worth the money to buy something in such bad shape...right? Even if it is so pretty?
My only solace is that all of these months later, it is still sitting in the shop. I visit it often and always check the tag just in case it goes on sale. No such luck.
Have you ever had to use all of your willpower in a store before? Ever bought something in bad shape just because you loved it? Know anyone who can will tell me this sucker can be fixed in a week?
It was an antique English bamboo armoire. Cue chorus of singing angels. And it was just the right size to go down in the family room for extra storage (more on that idea later).
Quick backstory - when I was 17 there was a fabulous antique English bamboo bed, dresser with marble top and armoire at an antique store I would go to with my mom. I lusted after it. Dreamed about it. But sadly I had nowhere to put it, as I was 17. And it was out of my price range, as I was 17. Not until now had I seen a piece in person that so closely resembled it.
But there was a problem. See the door on the right - it is closed all the way. That sucker is bowed. And when you open it, the whole piece makes this popping and cracking noise as if it was going to bust apart at any minute. And the top has a big crack running right down the middle of it.
The price is good, but the condition is not. So I did something that took all the willpower I had.
I. Walked. Away. (gasp)
My mom assures me my dad could fix it but I don't think the price is good enough to take in to account the months of hard labor. And at the pace my dad works, it would be months.
Now I grew up with antiques. I have antiques. I'm under no illusion that they should always be in pristine condition, but I would like the damn door to close without fear of the whole things falling in on me.
So I'm sharing to keep me honest. It is not worth the money to buy something in such bad shape...right? Even if it is so pretty?
My only solace is that all of these months later, it is still sitting in the shop. I visit it often and always check the tag just in case it goes on sale. No such luck.
Have you ever had to use all of your willpower in a store before? Ever bought something in bad shape just because you loved it? Know anyone who can will tell me this sucker can be fixed in a week?
March 17, 2014
what do you want to be when you grow up
When I was little I wanted to be Walter Cronkite. And then Connie Chung. Then Blondie, Dorothy Hamill, John Hughes and Tootie (from Facts of Life). And with each new person/career I would imagine what my office would look like. My Walter Cronkite office had wall to wall bookshelves and a big mahogany desk. My Tootie office had awesome 80's blinds and a neon sign over my bean bag chair.
My choices might have been... unique, but I think I went about discovering those options the same way everyone does - you see people you like/admire doing things you think look interesting. (or in Tootie's case - people who's skates your admire). Seems like a very logical way to discover and develop your path.
The bummer of all of this though is that when you are encouraged to pick your life's profession, you have yet to meet a quarter of the interesting or admirable people you will encounter in life. Eighteen years old is damn early to make such a decision. I liked to write, so Journalism school it was. I imagined a cluttered dorm full of old books and a bulletin board with all my articles and contacts. Very Woodward and Bernstein.
And while I certainly do love to write, media wasn't my passion. But I stuck with it. I'm stubborn and I had made up my mind - journalism damn it. That is a real job.
I graduated and landed in the tech world just as it was bubbling. I was good at my job and got an apartment filled with the things I thought a young person on their own would have in their first place. Ala early Carrie Bradshaw. I wasn't particularly passionate about my work, but man did I love my apartment.
It wasn't until my girls came and I got an old stack of childhood books from my mom that I began to put it all together. All of my favorite books had a common thread. I couldn't have told you the plot in most of those stories, but I could describe to you how each room looked. I got the movies I loved to watch so I could share them with the girls and again, I realized that the movies I loved were not about the stories, but about the interiors. Pollyanna - kinda boring but damn I loved her Aunt's house. The walk in closet in E.T. was about the best thing I'd ever seen with that octagon window and the banquet in the kitchen with those awesome Levolors - loved it.
And once it finally clicked, I couldn't be stopped. All the research and studying I'd done 'for fun' for decades was paying off. I started to take clients here and there and developed enough of a base that when the opportunity arose, I took my leap. I was able to become what I had always wanted to be, if only I had listened to myself. Sometimes it takes a while for your head to catch up with your soul.
Over the past few months I've experienced several growing pains in my little business which is, as my favorite boss would say, a good problem. But even with the stress and struggle, I really do FINALLY love what I do. I'll share more over the coming weeks about all the good things bubbling up, but for today, I just felt like sharing.
So on St. Patrick's Day this Irish girl considers herself lucky to have finally found out what she wants to be when she grows up.
What about you? Do you know what you want to be? Are you doing what you love?
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| Sarah Richardson |
My choices might have been... unique, but I think I went about discovering those options the same way everyone does - you see people you like/admire doing things you think look interesting. (or in Tootie's case - people who's skates your admire). Seems like a very logical way to discover and develop your path.
The bummer of all of this though is that when you are encouraged to pick your life's profession, you have yet to meet a quarter of the interesting or admirable people you will encounter in life. Eighteen years old is damn early to make such a decision. I liked to write, so Journalism school it was. I imagined a cluttered dorm full of old books and a bulletin board with all my articles and contacts. Very Woodward and Bernstein.
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| domino |
I graduated and landed in the tech world just as it was bubbling. I was good at my job and got an apartment filled with the things I thought a young person on their own would have in their first place. Ala early Carrie Bradshaw. I wasn't particularly passionate about my work, but man did I love my apartment.
 |
| via |
And once it finally clicked, I couldn't be stopped. All the research and studying I'd done 'for fun' for decades was paying off. I started to take clients here and there and developed enough of a base that when the opportunity arose, I took my leap. I was able to become what I had always wanted to be, if only I had listened to myself. Sometimes it takes a while for your head to catch up with your soul.
Over the past few months I've experienced several growing pains in my little business which is, as my favorite boss would say, a good problem. But even with the stress and struggle, I really do FINALLY love what I do. I'll share more over the coming weeks about all the good things bubbling up, but for today, I just felt like sharing.
So on St. Patrick's Day this Irish girl considers herself lucky to have finally found out what she wants to be when she grows up.
What about you? Do you know what you want to be? Are you doing what you love?
March 14, 2014
fess up friday - sarah m. dorsey designs
No one is happier for this weekend than I am. I'll be honest, this week got away from me and I'm looking forward to a whole hour at some point to just sit down. So to kick off this glorious spring weekend, let's hear from the glorious Sarah Dorsey of Sarah M. Dorsey Designs. Sarah creates some of the most amazing pieces and her keen design eye blows my mind. She's also in the semi-finals of the BHG Makeover Madness (click here to vote if you like) and has begun work on a old house full of potential. So Sarah, fess up!
Hi Little Black Door friends! I'm Sarah from Sarah M. Dorsey Designs and I'm so excited to be here today! I adore Elizabeth's blog, so it's such an honor!!
When we moved to Ohio from California, we quickly realized that our only options would be a furnished apartment/house. We're on blustery Lake Erie, so it's busy during the summer and practically vacant in the winter. The area is almost all (kitschy nautical themed) furnished vacation homes. One criteria in our search was a 2 bedroom .. so we could shove most of the furnishings in there.
So the guest room has turned into storage for the existing furniture and my thrifted finds while in Ohio. Coming from California - land of horrible thrifting to Ohio - land of plenty for oh so cheap, I got a little excited ...
Here's what came with the place ..
and here are my finds since I've been here (plus some project supplies).
It's not pretty, but it works while we don't have a garage! We're moving in a few short weeks, so hopefully I'll have a better location to store my finds!
Check out my DIY projects page and home tour for something a little more pretty :) and feel free to stop by my blog and say hi! I'd love to meet you!
Thanks so much for having me today Elizabeth!
Hi Little Black Door friends! I'm Sarah from Sarah M. Dorsey Designs and I'm so excited to be here today! I adore Elizabeth's blog, so it's such an honor!!
When we moved to Ohio from California, we quickly realized that our only options would be a furnished apartment/house. We're on blustery Lake Erie, so it's busy during the summer and practically vacant in the winter. The area is almost all (kitschy nautical themed) furnished vacation homes. One criteria in our search was a 2 bedroom .. so we could shove most of the furnishings in there.
So the guest room has turned into storage for the existing furniture and my thrifted finds while in Ohio. Coming from California - land of horrible thrifting to Ohio - land of plenty for oh so cheap, I got a little excited ...
Here's what came with the place ..
and here are my finds since I've been here (plus some project supplies).
It's not pretty, but it works while we don't have a garage! We're moving in a few short weeks, so hopefully I'll have a better location to store my finds!
Check out my DIY projects page and home tour for something a little more pretty :) and feel free to stop by my blog and say hi! I'd love to meet you!
Thanks so much for having me today Elizabeth!
March 10, 2014
eye spy - scallops
Good design is all in the details. (knit that on a pillow - genius right?) And truly great details can shine in fashion just as well as in interiors. One of the details I'm loving lately is scallops. I love them on my plate and I'm loving them in design.
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What about you? What details are you loving?
March 7, 2014
fess up friday - cuckoo 4 design
Happy Friday indeed! Is it too early for a drink?
Before we get to today's Fess Up, let me do a bit of fessing of my own and let you know that I'm over at The White Buffalo Styling Co. today talking about finding my style. Head over and check it out. But only after you here what the lovely Julia has to say.
Julia is from Cuckoo4Design and she is a creation queen. The projects and ideas that Julia comes up with blow my mind and she has more energy that anyone I know over the age of 10. She is an inspiration for sure and I'm so glad she's here today. So Julia, Fess Up!
Happy Friday everyone!
I'm Julia from Cuckoo4Design and I'm so excited, scared and nervous to be here today. Love reading this series but putting one of your own secrets out there is a little nerve wracking.
Everyone has something to hide, right? Or maybe not? Thanks Elizabeth for giving me the chance to come clean today ;)
Well I've got plenty of quirks and also a dirty little secret. Most people that read my blog already know that I hate feet and body hair or when someone chews loudly but I have something that I have never shared on my blog or with people coming to visit our home.
My readers and friends are used to seeing our home like this:
I love it Julia! If anything, I think this will only make your blog stronger, real life always wins. What do y'all think? I know I have a spot (or three) in my house that look like this. What about you?
Before we get to today's Fess Up, let me do a bit of fessing of my own and let you know that I'm over at The White Buffalo Styling Co. today talking about finding my style. Head over and check it out. But only after you here what the lovely Julia has to say.
Julia is from Cuckoo4Design and she is a creation queen. The projects and ideas that Julia comes up with blow my mind and she has more energy that anyone I know over the age of 10. She is an inspiration for sure and I'm so glad she's here today. So Julia, Fess Up!
Happy Friday everyone!
I'm Julia from Cuckoo4Design and I'm so excited, scared and nervous to be here today. Love reading this series but putting one of your own secrets out there is a little nerve wracking.
Everyone has something to hide, right? Or maybe not? Thanks Elizabeth for giving me the chance to come clean today ;)
Well I've got plenty of quirks and also a dirty little secret. Most people that read my blog already know that I hate feet and body hair or when someone chews loudly but I have something that I have never shared on my blog or with people coming to visit our home.
My readers and friends are used to seeing our home like this:
Clean and organized. I get the question all the time about how on earth I keep our home so clean and organized? People can usually ring our door bell and that's exactly what they find. A clean home.
Well my secret is this. And I actually can't believe that I'm sharing this with you. It's so embarrassing but I have a catch all room where I shove everything and anything out of sight.
It has many functions and there is even some system to the madness.
I'm squeezing my eyes shut while you are looking:
It's so dark and horrible down there. Yes it is my laundry/storage room and well yes those are even herbs drying in it.
The room gets cleaned out twice a year but ends up looking the same after a couple of weeks.
And the honest truth is that I need it. I have no plans of ever making this an amazing and stylish laundry room. It feels good having a place to shove something. It's all mine!
I might put a lock on it at some point though!
Gosh I look like a hoarder now and I'm ashamed of myself. My husband just told me that I'm ruining my blogging career with this post LOL.
I hope you still give my blog a chance after this confession and come and visit me sometimes by clicking HERE
I love it Julia! If anything, I think this will only make your blog stronger, real life always wins. What do y'all think? I know I have a spot (or three) in my house that look like this. What about you?
March 5, 2014
and the winner is
Congratulations to ...
Elizabeth @ Polka Dot Skies
You have won quite a package of K Hall goodies! I will be in touch. And a big thanks to all who entered. Happy Wednesday!
March 4, 2014
good problems and giveaway reminders
The sun is shinning today, so that's a good start. I refuse to mention temperatures anymore. Damn them.
This week is proving to be one where I am a bit overbooked, which is not nearly as fun as being over served, let me tell ya. Nevertheless it is a good problem to have.
So follow along on Instagram as I run around town, and don't forget today is the LAST DAY to enter the giveaway. Tell you friends, your family, and your mailman if you like him.
Come back tomorrow when the winner will be announced. Wahoo.
Cheers!
This week is proving to be one where I am a bit overbooked, which is not nearly as fun as being over served, let me tell ya. Nevertheless it is a good problem to have.
So follow along on Instagram as I run around town, and don't forget today is the LAST DAY to enter the giveaway. Tell you friends, your family, and your mailman if you like him.
Come back tomorrow when the winner will be announced. Wahoo.
Cheers!
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