Wednesday, September 30, 2009

space of the day

Sorry I've missed the last couple days. BUT here is a pretty space of the day for you to enjoy.



I chose it for today because right now I'm...

a) super busy so I thought an office was fitting

and

b) I am working on an office space for a client, and it's her own special office so it can (and probably will) be just as girly :)

Two Years: iPhone pictures

Thank you all for the sweet Anniversary comments! Our two year anniversary was really great... very low key at our favorite restaurant in Laguna Beach. Here are some iPhone photos...




{best red velvet cake ever. The frosting tastes like Cinnabon frosting.}

And then we frolicked on the beach while the sun set.. sounds so cheesy but it was such a great time.






one outfit: two rooms

One of my favorite blog and design friends Jamie over at i suwannee asked me if I wanted to design a room around this outfit:



I said HECK YEAH! It was challenging because I'm not one to use so much color, but it's really cool to see both of our interpretations together.

Click here to check it out!

Thanks, Jamie :)

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Two years.

Today is our two year anniversary! I can't believe time has flown by, but in a way I feel like we have been together forever. That sounds bad, but I know and he knows it's a great thing :)

Marriage to me is natural yet challenging. It's very rewarding but takes compromise and unselfishness. What can I say - I keep it real on this blog!

There are so many reasons I love my husband. We are both simple people who love staying at home and just being together. We are very different but very much alike.

Matt and I have learned and grown so much this past year and we have a lot of exciting changes to come in the very near future. This is very cliche, but I love him more and am happier with every day that goes by. It's amazing how each day, month, year gets better and better.

And with that, I'll share some wedding pictures... I shamefully have not done my wedding album yet so it's a good opportunity to pull and re-post a few pictures. Looking at them reminds me how it truly was the best day of my life!!













I love you, Matt! You're my best friend in the whole world. And THANK YOU for supporting me and my crazy dream and when I get discouraged, you remind me that I can do it. I couldn't ask for a more supportive husband. I love you so much. I can't wait for dinner and red velvet cake tonight!




(Mom, Dad, Joan & Mike - I promise you will have wedding albums before the 3rd year of marriage. Thank you for not disowning me.)

Monday, September 28, 2009

I spy...

First of all, thank you for the many kind comments on my vent below. This post actually has a little correlation to the vent...

I love when I spy IKEA furniture in beautiful, well designed spaces. Sure, a lot of IKEA's furniture belongs in post-college grad apartments, but many of their items are worthy of beautiful, designer rooms.

Here are a collection of designer images with IKEA furniture to get you inspired...

I spy: IKEA KARLSTAD sofa & chairs



I spy: IKEA MALM dressers

{beautiful picture from design*sponge}

I spy: IKEA EXPEDIT & LACK

{by my girl Jamie Meares of Furbish Design}

I spy: IKEA DOCKSTA table


I spy: IKEA LACK bookcase


I spy: IKEA EDLAND bed


I know there are many, many more pictures.. maybe I'll do this "feature" again.

I personally plan on using IKEA here and there in my client's rooms, so be on the lookout when the projects are finished!

Friday, September 25, 2009

space of the day

I'm sure you've noticed, but I really like to pick spaces for space of the day that relate to what I am thinking about that day. Today I was chatting about babies and how I can't wait to have one.

If I were pregnant with a baby girl, THIS is how I'd design her nursery:



Bright, pink floral curtains, tufting and stripes, and a bone in-lay dresser that she can use the rest of her life.

This bedroom is from Anna Spiro of Absolutely Beautiful Things. It's actually a master bedroom, but that's one of the reasons I love it so much - it's a beautiful, mature room that doesn't scream "baby!" like most nurseries.

I promise the baby talk ends today ;) Have a great weekend!

A long vent.

During my lunch, I headed over to the Laguna Design Center. It's open to the public, so I thought it may be a helpful resource to find some fabric that I'm looking for.

Ugh, I was wrong. I had a pretty bad experience and I would like to vent about it.

First let me start off by saying - I'm am not a designer. I have never been to school for interior design. I do have a design degree, but in graphic design and advertising. I do tend to use phrases like "interior design" and "interior designer", but I do not have qualifications. My clients who do work with me are fully aware of this. I do have plans in the near future to take some classes and get certification as well as establish my business as an LLC. I do plan in the near future to get my tax ID # so I can purchase to the trade. With all this being said, let me also say....

Great design does not have to be expensive and exclusive.

I walked into that design center and knew right away everything was way above my budget and my client's budgets. But I drove 14 minutes from my work to this place, so I walked into one store that has fabrics. Let me tell you - it was beautiful. I died and went to fabric heaven. But the issue I had was not with the fabrics, it was with the employee.

Unfortunately for me, I found a fabric that was exactly what I needed. Exactly. And found it right away, I was so excited! The shop keeper was eating lunch so I went to inquire about the fabric. The conversation went as follows...

Me: Hi, I've never been here before, I have a question about your fabric
Her: Sure
[we walk over]
Me: I really do like this one, how much is it?
Her: Are you a designer?
Me: No. [It is much easier to just say no rather than explain my situation, especially since I don't have my tax ID which is the only reason she was asking]
Her: Do you know a designer?
Me: Not really....
Her: Well, see this price? This is retail.
[The "price" was listed 66/10... which I had no idea what that meant]
Me: So the price is $66?
Her: Yes.
Me: What is the 10 stand for?
Her: Oh, don't worry about that number
Me: Is it how much the fabric is to the trade?

Then she laughed at me, and not a friendly type of laugh. And walked away.
(It wasn't even high quality fabric... imagine the texture of cotton duck cloth.)

Yes, I am uneducated about this process. No, I've never been to a "to the trade" store before... I do this as a hobby and I buy everything from Salvation Army, Home Goods, Ikea, online and big box stores. But here is the thing that really bugged me - she laughed at the fact that I thought the fabric would have been $10. However, I should have been the one laughing because I get the exact same quality of fabric for less than $10/yard.

So this is my vent - I do know that there is a market for very high end materials and design and I hope to some day be able to work with clients who can afford $66/yard fabric. But why is low end design looked down upon in the design world? Why shouldn't people who can't pay $66/yard be able to have good design AND good designers to work with? Today was a milestone, so to speak, in my new "career"... it makes me happy that even though I am not trained, and I don't shop at the fancy design stores, that I can still create great designs for my clients and save them thousands of money while doing so. I hope that I can help change the interior design world so that it will no longer only be for the wealthy and exclusive.

Anyway, I don't normally do vents like this on my blog, but I just had to give my two cents.

After my depressing stint at Laguna Design Center, I headed down the road and stopped at Old Navy. I bought four shirts, one skirt and a jean jacket for $46... that's $20 less than one yard of that fabric. ha!

Also - any real designers out there know how much a $66/yard fabric would cost to the trade? Just guesstimate it... I'm curious.

It's alright to admit...

It's alright to admit that I have babies on the brain, right? As long as I preface it by saying we are not getting pregnant anytime soon! We are still on the 3-5 year plan*.

*(I have to preface this or else my mother-in-law would be jumping with joy... sorry Joan! We'll give you one or two or three or four someday I promise. My mom on the other hand doesn't mind waiting a while to be called grandma)

However, reading about new baby Sloane has really been getting my ovaries going lately. Hey, I can't help it. It's biology. Then I see this adorable thing on A Merry Mishap (who is also due any day now):



And hell, why we are at it... my ovaries are lusting over these things too...

The coolest bassinet ever.


This sexy thing comes in pretty much any color you can imagine. Definitely on my future wish list.


This is hands down my favorite children's book of all time:



I'm pretty sure I will read it to our hypothetical future child from day one.

I'd love to have a baby in the winter time, and get one of these:


And just for fun, here is a newborn picture of me, with my mom in the hospital.



What can I say, I love thinking about babies! Thank god for my 5-year IUD that can only be removed by a professional.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

four eyes

Do you remember back in May I blogged about this chic gal and her awesome dorky-cute glasses?



Well today in the mail I got my $12 cheap-o glasses in the mail and I do really like them!


Excuse the crappy photo - this was the only angle I could get that didn't have a mega glare. (I spy..... my lounging husband)

For those who need some new specs, check out this site, the prices are amazing and the quality is good (enough). I definitely planning on order another pair in the future.

EDIT - I have to add they are prescription! Sorry about the confusion. But yes, if you know your Rx then you can order glasses for $12 (and that includes shipping). Isn't the internet amazing??

On The Prowl

Currently I'm on the prowl for a large, long inexpensive cabinet/sideboard/dresser/credenza type piece of furniture for a client's formal living room.

Just like Jenny from Little Green Notebook, I saved this project from Design Sponge to my inspiration folder:



I also bring to you the space(s) of the day, which feature similar pieces:



Whichever one I find, I'm going to paint white and possibly put some interesting hardware on it.



I do know for sure I'm putting two large, pretty lamps on top...



I hope Salvation Army is good to me today! :)

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Old Navy - NAILED IT.

Hey Old Navy- you nailed it with your new fall stuff. I think I need to take a portion of next month's savings to buy everything below. Is that okay, honey? :)


Cadet Coat - $69.50


Lightweight turtleneck - $15


Keyhole tank - $24.50


Bright cords - $15


Cord vest - $15


Gauze scarf - $8




Floral skirt- $24.99

All items can be seen here.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Happy Fall & S.O.T.D

Today is the first official day of fall*, and also 7 days away from our 2 year wedding anniversary :) I wish I could say we were doing something exciting like a trip to Paris or a romantic dinner on the beach, but we don't have plans. Truth be told, we're not big on celebrating things like birthdasy and holidays... maybe when we are older with a little more disposable income.

Speaking of the husband, he's in NYC for business and I am so very jealous, I wish I could have tagged along with him again this time. To fill the void, he sends me cute little iPhone pictures during the day. This one was my favorite so far:


I told him I wanted to put it on my blog, and he told me I don't have his consent. So I blocked out his face :)

hehehehe

On the subject of fall, here is a S.O.T.D. that features a pretty fall colored plant, or flower, or something botanical:


I love the big square of chalkboard paint. I can just imagine a holiday party in this space with a big hand-drawn Christmas tree on the wall. Can't you? Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself :)

*even though it's the beginning of fall, it's supposed to be in the 100s today and tomorrow. I wish the East Coast could send some rain our way!

Monday, September 21, 2009

space of the day & craigslist find

As promised, I'm back with today's space of the day! I'm starting to really enjoy doing these because it really keeps me accountable to blog everyday.



In today's S.O.T.D, note the desk next to the bed acting as a nightstand. I'm currently doing something similar in a clients room. Remember this picture of a Craigslist desk?



I picked it up for $35 - steal! I was thinking of painting it a dark brown, but when seeing the great detailed top, I dreamed up other plans for it. It was my first try at staining, and although it was a lot of work it turned out beautiful. It's almost finished, I just need to top it off with polyurethane!

Once it's all pretty and done, I'll be sure to share - keep your eyes peeled for that later this week!

Friday, September 18, 2009

space of the day

I think doing space of the day is also, in a way, theraputic. I chose today's space because it's simple, minimalistic and calming. I'm definitely gravitating to this today because I currently have a lot on my mind!



TGIF

Thursday, September 17, 2009

exciting bryn alexandra interiors feature - NEW!

I'm slowly connecting all the dots with bryn alexandra interiors and today I completed a little step that will help me and my clients. It's a internet based "style finder" questionnaire that potential clients can fill out to help me understand their style and project needs.

Click here to check it out!

Also, from this point on you'll see a sidebar link to the same questionnaire in case you ever are interested in working with me.

Next steps - portfolio and website!

Blogging Goals & S.O.T.D.

I've mentally noted that some of my favorite blogs have regular features... like i suwannee's bookcase of the day, and bliss's I heart Monday.

I've decided I'm going to try this out, time permitting. Since I'm always saving inspiration that I find all over the internets, I thought I'd start sharing more. So I bring you Space Of The Day*. Yes, I'm going to try to post one room everyday that I love, and if I have time, tell you what I love about it. So here it goes...

9.17.09


Oh, how I love this room, everything about it. But if I had to pick out specifics, they would be:

- Obviously, the hero of the room, the silk magenta duvet.
- Embroidered linen sheet
- Glossy black dresser + glossy black shutters
- Use of brown (coverlet) + black (dresser)... yes, they can co-exist.
- Gaudy gold frame

*Space Of The Day will come to you Mon-Fri :)

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Best find.... ever

I have to share with you the best find ever. Check out this beauty...



This past Sunday, I met a client up at the Rose Bowl Flea Market to find some furniture and accessories for her home. At first, things were going a bit slow and we weren't finding anything... but then bam! One amazing thing after another. The best find of the day was this amazing piece. Let me tell you about it. It's completely metal, but also painted silver. It has four teenie tiny little wheels, and that just right amount of "I'm really old" scuff. It even has history - it used to be used in an old hospital.

I'm probably being a bad design/blogger because I'm not showing it to you styled and in the pretty finished room. But I just had to share now!

Also, client's husband isn't loving it, so please leave a comment if you love this as much as client and I do, so we can persuade him :)

Practice makes perfect?

I want to sit down in front of a mirror and braid my hair over and over and over until I perfect this look:



Unfortunately, it's much harder braiding curly hair, but practice makes perfect, eh? Isn't it just awesome?? Found via Darling Dexter.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Oh My Mod(Cloth)!

I'm dying over all the new stuff at ModCloth.

I'll take one of each for fall, please:





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