Happy Friday

I met with a new wedding client today ... it was a nice way to end a crazy, busy and somewhat frustrating work week. I love working on weddings - they are so positive and fun.

The bride and her mom were wonderful and it gave me a chance to show off a few new pieces I picked up at an estate sale this week ...

A friend of mine invited me to the estate sale - it was a the home of one of her friend's mom. I had to restrain myself (oh, I wish I had more warehouse space!) but I did bring home 3 nice pieces that will be fun to bring in to a vintage wedding (or my house, haha). 

The meeting was also a good excuse to get my house cleaned. Doesn't it feel nice to go into the weekend with a clean house?

 Have a great weekend everyone!

My new design challenge

Did you have a nice long weekend? I did. Having the 4th of July on a Friday stretched out the weekend for me. We relaxed around the pool and I even found time to take a nap one day ... but I also got a lot of work done. It seems I have too much to do right now and not enough time. But that is a good thing - I can't complain about having too much work, right?

This is a mood board for a new client - I am working on her TV room / office / workout room. It is a long and narrow room that has presented a multitude of problems; a low ceiling, too many windows and doors / not enough wall space, too many functions for one small room, and an air conditioner vent that is in the most inconvenient spot. But you know me, I love a challenge. In fact, I told my intern after we went out for our first meeting that this room should be an assignment for design students or given to the contestants on Design Star.

Once I finished space planning the entire room, I cut the room in half and started with the furniture on the TV side of the room. My inspiration was this painting done by the client's father-in-law. You can't tell in this photo but the background is a light lavender. It is a large canvas - 48x48" and will be a focal point in the room. I am crossing my fingers that my client loves the plan so far. I am excited about this space - it is going to be a great "before and after". I plan on using some painting tricks to raise the ceiling a bit. 

Happy Monday everyone - I hope you have a great week in store for you!

A thoughtful gift

We had a fun little birthday party a few months ago ...

 Target made it easy to make it festive. Did you see their "Oh Joy" decorations?

It was my oldest daughter's 30th birthday and for her gift I helped her fix up her house a little bit. We did it in stages a few weeks before her big day, so when it came for her actual birth day, I wanted to give her something special to open but I didn't want it to cost a lot. 

And I wanted it to be thoughtful. 

I decided to give her a gift of 30 quotes. You know how I am obsessed with quotes, right?

I thought it would be fun to give her enough for one a day for 30 days. I found them on Pinterest and printed them out on my computer - each sized to go in a 4"x6" frame.

I dug through my supply of frames and found one I thought was just perfect. The idea was that she could change them out for whatever mood she was in.

She placed the frame in her entryway.

You can see the quotes (and the sources for them) here.

I love that she took one of the quotes and put it in another frame.

She is a lot like me - she likes to put quotes around her house to remind her of things that are important.

Have a great Sunday and hug those close to you. We were reminded the hard way this week in our neighborhood and community that life can be cut short in an instant. Love is all that matters.

Happy 4th of July

 Happy 4th everyone!

My dining room office

I work out of my home office. I rarely bring clients into my office but it is where I spend a good part of my day. When I do meet with a client, I use my other office ... my dining room table. 

Yesterday I met with a new wedding client ... the bride, her mom and one of her bridesmaids. I wanted to give the bride, who had flown in from out of town, a little inspiration other than just photos so I set up a little vignette on my table with things I am using for another wedding right now. 

It was a last minute decision and I was grateful I was able to find enough roses in my garden to add a little color.

I brought in my favorite chair for the bride ...

And before I left for another meeting, I pulled some mint from the garden and added a lime to make some refreshing water. After my morning meeting I stopped at HomeGoods for a quick check for some items I need for another wedding and picked up some colorful macaroons. It was a last minute decision - you know how they have all those goodies at the checkout counter? They were right in front of me as I was checking out. I thought they would be a nice touch for my meeting.

I was grateful I had set up everything before I left in the morning for another meeting because I barely made it back in time (note to self: don't go into HomeGoods when you only have thirty minutes) ... I arrived home with 5 minutes to spare ... except they were already there waiting for me when I pulled up. 

The meeting was a success ... but no one ate the pretty macaroons. Well, I take that back. No one ate them at the meeting. I ate them later. Oops. 

Thinking about getting married? I am currently booking weddings for 2015 ... 

How can it be July already?

The year is half over. 

My intern just graduated ...

My sweet granddaughter is growing in leaps and bounds (she will be three in September) ...

And summer is here. Happy July 1st!

A good shopping day

Sometimes I have to pinch myself to believe that I actually get paid to shop. Today was one of those days. I really don't enjoy shopping for myself - especially if it is for clothes or shoes ... but walking around Homegoods to pick up a few things for the upcoming weddings is just more fun than anyone should have while working.

It is not always like that ... sometimes there is not much to be found and it takes more effort. But today I hit the jackpot. 

When I style a wedding, I like to put mock gifts on the gift table to make it look pretty even before the guest arrive.  I also have a little wrapping paper addiction going on. I was able to satisfy both today. At $2.99 a roll you really can't go wrong!

I also found these napkins to use during the cocktail hour for a rustic/vintage wedding next month. $2.99 each for 20 napkins. I wasn't sure which ones I liked better so I got them both.

And they had the most amazing rugs today ... This 9x12' wool rug was on clearance for $249. It killed me to leave it hanging on the rack. 

It takes a lot of self control to not buy all the amazing things I find. Even if I don't need them I am always tempted to get them and put them in my inventory. I am usually pretty good, but today there was one piece I just couldn't resist ... 

It is neutral and just the right size. And very lightweight which is a huge plus when I am styling a wedding. I think it will make a nice seat for a sweetheart table and can work for a rustic wedding and also for one that is more elegant. 

I love the detail on it. 

And I'm going to pick this up tomorrow. I found it on Craigslist. 

Once the upholsterer gets ahold of it, it is going to be a partner for this chair. 

Not a bad shopping day I think and a good start to the week.