i wanna be that kid

Man, I want to be a Land of Nod kid. It's almost like Anthropologie for babies! Almost :) But, take a look and you will find you don't have to be a kid to want some of their stuff in your house.

Okay, maybe the rug is a little girly, but if my husband wasn't so manly I would totally use it somewhere. 

This one I might just use anyway...I love it!

The Heirloom Rug is sure to make it's way into a current design I'm working on. Finally found the perfect rug!

You know what, just look at all the rugs! They are gooood.

I'm still super duper in love with this lamp.

Look how cozy this pendant is!

I would love a big W.

And last week I was talking with some ladies about how no one had lowercase kraft letters. Wrong!

Anyway, it's good to be a kid!

where did you go

Remember me? I used to blog here :)

Truth be told my family has needed me a little more than usual. There has been lots of doctor tests, juvenile hypothyroidism, one little surgery, a job promotion for my hubs that included lots of extra hours, a school bully and a bunch of new adventures over the last little while. While I was at it I kicked my house into major gear. Seriously, it's sparkling right now. With amazingly clean closets to boot! Speaking of, the toy closet really has rocked my world, best decision ever!

Now that life seems to be a bit more manageable, the stress eating has stopped. And I feel like I can have fun with design again.It was always there in the back of my head. And I did get some magazine fun at the hospital and doctors office too. The most exciting thing is my fancy new business cards, that I am soooo excited about.

See

They need to be shot in the daylight, which may not come today. But they are fantastic! Thanks Bridgette! Keep your eyes out for a little blog redo as well. 

All in all, I feel like I'm me again. And my family has been well attended to. Thanks for being patient with me. Back to delightful designing tomorrow!

i love the outdoors

Lately we've been trying to soak up as much of the outdoors as possible before it gets too cold here. I LOVE fall in Boise. It's the most gorgeous time of year. 

My little guy has been wearing his pirate hat everywhere possible lately :)

I would have had more pictures of a pretty picnic but as soon as we sat down we were attached by a swarm of bees, we picnicked in the van instead. Next stop: pumpkin patch!

first day

Life has been a bit crazy lately! But how could I not share this today!

Happy first day of second grade to my first born!!

2nd grade? Really?

yes!

Well to answer the last question, yes, yes it was a mistake to paint the bathroom. I love the color, the color was no mistake. But deciding to paint my bathroom the night before company came was a tremendous mistake. Especially since said company arrived 4 hours earlier than I expected and I was in my painting clothes from the second coat. And also my children were in their pajamas still and so on. Oh well! It's a good thing we are all friends! They ended up being minus a mirror in the bathroom for three days. Bad hostess!

But, you should expect that little diddy half bath to be finished up this week! Woot!

In other news, my boys' bunk bed is splitting apart and I am trying to find a storage bed that isn't cheap {well cheaply constructed} and that isn't ugly. It's a challenge!

I am thinking this is the layout I would like.

If only I could afford a custom one. We will have to buy made and diy a built in look I think. Man there are a lot of ugly storage beds out there :)

monday moodboard: neutral nursery

I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to work on this e-design project recently. I wish I could live in this nursery! Here is the board we came up with.

The thing I love most about decorating for baby is the deadline involved! Plus that good ole nesting phase! Cannot wait for the afters :)

Happy Monday!!

the five day makeover

What do you do when your client calls on Monday asking if we can decorate her daughter's room while she is at camp that week? You divide, conquer and do it! That is one awesome Mama! And the whole family pitched in for the surprise while she was away. It was quite an adventure. And we actually pulled it off except for a few things that needed to be ordered.

There are still a few loose ends to tie up but here are a few sneak peeks of our busy week.

Luckily, the dad of the house is very handy and also an extremely good sport. We asked him to build us this chalkboard headboard. And on Thursday night we asked him to make this parsons desk {to be ready for reveal Saturday morning mind you} and he happily did. Isn't it awesome?! Looks just like this one, but without the price tag.

The big brother painted the room a gorgeous light gray lilac. And they all pitched in with the dresser redo. Aren't the dry erase panels fun?

The cork board is on the wall now and we are waiting on the shelves for the books instead of underneath the dresser. And we had intended to get fresh flowers but it didn't happen in time :)

The easiest project was probably this one

It probably only took me 20 minutes and we used a lantern that was already in the room.

All in all it was a huge success! She was super surprised and she loved it! She is currently deciding between houndstooth and chevron curtains to complete the room. We wanted to let her pick them out herself since we had to order the fabric anyway. The entire room was a pretty big gamble considering what a fashionista this one is. We were so thrilled she liked it all.

Not bad for 5 days. I say job well done!

boards

When planning the playroom at the end of May I thought it would be an awesome and easy to make some bulletin boards. It was. But it also came with a lot of stress and hard work. They had so many components that had to come together. In the end they worked out so well.

Well except that when I measured the short attic walls I had no idea one side of the room would be 3 inches taller than the other side. No biggie. 

After getting cancelled on for installation of a few things. I tried to figure out a way for me to install a few things without messing them up. Realizing how much money we would need to spend on tools or renting tools. And knowing I might do a second rate job. I had to let go. And that is a realllllllllllly short version of how it went and how I actually felt. I was devastated. But, I knew after explaining it to new contractor man that he was fully capable to finish even if I wasn't there.

So these are not hung on the wall, but they should be by the end of the day today. Not that I can guarantee pictures for you {me either!} or anything. 

We have a magnetic chalkboard

Bulletin board

Peg board

 And magnet board

Sorry the color looks different in every picture. I'm ashamed of my camera skills.

I got the frames locally in Boise at a discount frame shop for $36 each. The inside measures 24 by 30 inches. And the frame is clearly big and chunky. I love the color! It is Sherwin William's Gray's Harbor in their ProClassic semi-gloss paint.

I backed the metals with wood and adhered everything with fabri-tac and glazier points. And reinforced the bulletin with some wood stirring sticks in the corners. I'm nothing if not resourceful.

And while I am already talking too much I am about to blow your mind. Fabri-tac and Magna-tac are the exact same thing. I said it. I was blown away when I called the company to ask where I could find Magna-tac in my area. And the nice lady on the phone said that it is commonly sold as Fabri-tac on the west coast and Magna-tac on the east. But the product was exactly the same. Whoa. Isn't that crazy? Maybe you already knew that and I am just crazy.

10 points if you are still reading :)

Anyway! We couldn't see out the back window on our drive down. And maybe this was the second paint color. And no, they are not on the wall yet. But here they are and I still love them.

seven!?

I cannot believe it has been seven years since this little angel came into our lives. I could not have asked for a more thoughtful and loving little girl. The best big sister. A smarty pants little reader. A tender tiny thing who cries at movies all the time and is so small she fell off the growth chart. I am all teary just thinking about how wonderful she is and how lucky I am that she calls me Mama. Still. The best word ever as far as I'm concerned.

  I thought it would be fun to share her little nursery with you today. It was five moves ago so she probably has no recollection of it but it is a space I will always love. And I have to say it is the first room that I completely drew out on paper and turned into a reality. I was a bit obsessed! I was a lover of interior design but hadn't practiced much of it. We should have known then that I would be all crazy into one day. 

So here goes! Amber decorates circa 2005.

Her teeny 10 by 10 was not considered a bedroom but an office. So no closets. Naturally I went on the hunt to find or make shelves that would serve as hanging space behind her double doors.

While visiting my grandparents in San Diego my grandma took this photo and I ran to kinkos to blow up a big shot of it on foam core. Never will I do that again! I was ripped off. But I still loved it!

Her dresser is the first piece of furniture I ever painted. It worked great for so long. We sold it about this time last year. And it worked every place she lived even in that 6 by 6 foot walk in closet. Yep! I will try to hunt that picture down :)

Man I loved those lamps! Thanks Aunt Tracey!

My husband and father in law painted her room the softest pink and I stenciled words I thought would fit her all over the room.

Didn't my little makeshift closet rock!

And here is as much as I could fit in the french doors. The crib skirt and rocking chair hadn't arrived yet but pregnancy brain never reminded me to take new pictures. I even made the most random but perfectly functional slip covers for the rocker cushions. If only I had been blogging then :) Oh and that rug I seamed together out of two! I shouldn't have put it on a diagonal...but whatever!

Well there is a blast from my past! I wonder what a baby girl nursery would look like if I had another girl???
Too bad we will never know!

Love my little bug!

monday mood board: timeless, neutral playroom

Happy Monday all! Hope you had a wonderful weekend. Today's mood board is the first version of a playroom I am working on. It's in the early stages so it is sure to change a bit. And as you can see it is not your average play room. This room is designed to fit in with the rest of their gorgeous home, be timeless and last for many years to come. Oh and also be very pretty but gender neutral. Phew! Here goes.

There will be more color added in the artwork and accessories. I think it is going to be one awesome room. This play table happens to look very similar to the home's kitchen table. And the client wanted to build the room around it. Don't mind if I do.

This project has been so fun already and I am so thrilled to be on board!

miss l's room

I really liked my girl's room before.

But I like it even more now.

One weekend, I was feeling a bit blue. I want to get something done when I feel blue usually. And having zero dollars I knew the only thing I could really mix up was my daughter's room. You see for a year I was saving this pair of bergere chairs, pillows and a stool for a project. But that project had been put on hold and since changed...a lot. Getting installed in the next few months though.{!} So they came to rescue my mood and I turned them into a sweet little sitting area.

 

Then I moved the bench by the window to create a little window seat of sorts. It's been really fun there because we get amazing sunsets from the back of our house. I also moved the mirror over the headboard. But do not be alarmed, it's a plastic mirror and well secured at that. Nobody will be injured by the cute mirror :)

 I popped her little desk into the corner and moved the bulletins to that wall. All the kids love to sit there and color.

The art stayed the same mostly, except for adding this owl mask that she made that I love.

Not too shabby for a free makeover! And it's another one of those 30 by 30 projects I haven't shown you yet. Check it off the list.

kids incorporated

 I'm starting to realize that all the toys are not going to live in the bedrooms like I want them to. Maybe someday...not today though. I am going to have to work on incorporating toys into the loft.

I know children's toys are not always cute and they shouldn't be part of the decor but since they are giving me the downstairs I should let them be a part of upstairs. Right? I think so!

Check this bad boy out!

{via trad home}

I hope my upstairs loft/multipurpose/tv room/living room can have this much joy someday. I love it! This room will serve as my inspiration room when the time comes. Hopefully sooner than later.