To paint or not to paint

Decor Pad {via}

I am working with a client who has a lovely home on the water. The view is incredible and we are in the process of updating the kitchen and dining area; a large one-room space that overlooks the water. We are painting her oak cabinets white, raising ceilings and making the space lighter and brighter. There is a large brick fireplace on one of the walls and that red brick feels in the way to me. I would love to paint it white but the clients are not so sure. So I did a little research to give them a few examples. Sometimes (well, most of the time) having a good visual helps! Do you want to see some great before and after photos? 

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A dramatic change, right? Now look at this amazing transformation:

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What a difference painting the dark wood and the brick made in their room! And how about this one:

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It is not that I don't like red brick because I do. In the right setting. But sometimes I just think that white is right. How about you?

Elle Decor

My dream bedroom

A new season of HGTV's Design Star started tonight. I am sooooo excited for another season. Last season's winner, Emily Henderson whose show, Secrets From a Stylist is one of my favorites, will be reviewing each episode on Tuesday on the Design Star blog and you can see that here. I was checking out the new contestants yesterday and was browsing through their style boards. Check them out for yourself here. (My favorite was Kellie's).

I thought it would be fun to make one of my own. (I tried to use the same program they did and it came out missing some of my images but you can see the links to the furniture and my board here).
My dream bedroom:

Home

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Full story here, photo credit: Melissa Young

I love walking into my house when everything is in its place. That is when it feels like home. (Well, that and the people in it!!!). Happy Monday everyone! 

Peace

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This says it all for me today. I prayed for peace today for a client of mine. Jesus says he gives us peace but not the kind of peace that the world can give. And I am not really sure what that means because I don't see that the world really has any kind of peace to offer me. Certainly not the peace that assures us that everything will turn out fine. And I don't think that is what Jesus is offering us either. When he says, "do not be afraid" I don't believe he is saying, trust in me and you will never encounter circumstances that will make you fearful. Because I know we do. We live here and this world is filled with things that cause fear. Like cancer.

When you work with a client like I often do ... for weeks and months ... you not only become part of their home, you become a part of their lives. And today, one of those clients of mine had to undergo surgery for cancer. And that is not peaceful in the way of this world. Because in this world there are so many things that can go wrong. We can put our hope in doctors and in medicine and in technology. But they can fail us. And even with everything going right, things can still go wrong. 

So what is this peace that Jesus is talking about. "Do not be troubled, do not be afraid"? Because that is really hard to do when we are facing death, or pain, or uncertainty. What I believe he is saying is that you will face things here on this earth that are hard. Very hard. But through it all He will be with us. And that in the end (not this end, the the end) everything will be okay because He loves us and we can count on that. And that is what I prayed for this client of mine. That through this circumstance that is not easy, that they would feel God's peace. His presence. His power and strength. And his love. I pray that we can all experience that kind of peace. The kind of peace that says there is someone bigger than us that is in control who really cares about us and even though things don't always look right or seem right, in the end they are. It is like that big tapestry of our lives that He is weaving. And all we see are the messy strings hanging down ... tangled and chaotic. But He sees what we cannot; the beautiful artwork that it will be. Someday.

Our hummingbirds

We have a lot of hummingbirds in our yard. Years ago when I was planting the garden I specifically put in plants that would attract them. My favorite is the Mexican sage. 

Photo: Art Leat {via}

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I love these little birds. Last summer while we were sitting out enjoying the pool a hummingbird kept flying right in front of our faces. And then we discovered why. She had a nest in the tree right above us! We watched the little birds grow (twins!) and all was well until one bird fell out of the nest. But not all the way ... he got stuck and was hanging by his leg. It was heartbreaking to watch. The mom tried to feed him all the while he was hanging upside down. The other twin kept growing but the little hanging bird was not. We tried to let nature takes its course (aren't we told not to touch the birds or the mom will not feed them?) but we couldn't take it any longer. I actually looked it up online and it is okay to touch them.  Apparently they don't have a very good sense of smell.  So I put on a pair of gloves, plucked the little guy from the nest where he was hooked between the nest and his brother. He was so little! We fashioned a little nest for him and hung it just beneath the other nest. The mom seemed so confused. We were hoping she would continue to feed him. It seemed like she was but the other bird kept getting fatter and fatter and the little guy was not growing. So we took him to our local animal shelter and they arranged to take him to a hummingbird rescue. I hope he survived.

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This year we found another nest in a different tree and there were two eggs inside. And then one day the eggs were gone. Nature can be so harsh.

So it was thrilling last weekend to find two little healthy twin hummingbirds, or chicks as they are called,  nesting in the tree where the birds were last summer. 

This afternoon I went out to check on them and they were just sitting there so sweet.

And then right in front of my eyes one flew away! 

The baby

He flew to the top of our patio cover and the mom kept a close watch on the wires nearby ...

Mommy 

... while his twin tried to get the nerve to join him!

A beautiful barn wedding

Sunday, my sister and I styled a wedding at the beautiful Strawberry Farms Golf Course in Irvine. It is our second wedding at this lovely venue which is home to a big red barn - the perfect setting for a summer wedding.

When the bride's mother first contacted me, they were well into the planning of the wedding and just needed a little help. The bride's colors were coral and cream. The bridesmaid's dresses, the ring bearer pillow and flower girl's basket gave me a feel for the direction they were going. We were asked us to style the check-in table, the cake table, and the restrooms. We also added photos, quotes, framed menus and other details to help give the wedding a more personal touch. 

Our inspiration pieces

The bride provided the tags for the check in table; the clothesline was borrowed.

We covered the commercial style restroom signs with something a little more "wedding-like" and personal. The bride chose the photos she wanted to use.

Adding the linen skirts to the sinks really make a big difference.

Placing artwork on the walls, adding framed quotes and photographs that personalize the restroom are little details that go a long way and the things that guests remember.

Having a few essentials that your guests may need are also nice to have:

The flowers from the ceremony chairs were placed in the men's restroom after the ceremony!

The barn comes equipped with the strings of lights; the chandelier was extra and a very nice touch.

My daughters made the Mr&Mrs cut outs. I love these kinds of details that make a wedding special and personal. The bride brought in a few of her own too. Like these cookies for each guest:

And their custom cake topper!

The menus were framed and placed on the buffet tables ...

Roger's Gardens in Newport Beach designed the centerpieces, ceremony flowers and bouquets and they were gorgeous!

It was a beautiful wedding. Simple and elegant with a touch of rustic. Perfect for a barn wedding!

We had a lot of fun working on this beautiful wedding (minus the spiders under the bathroom sink - I'm glad my sister had that job!). If you live in the area and would like help with styling your wedding, give us a call or email:  Inside Out Weddings  562.547.5247 ~ SHCInsideOut@aol.com