Surround yourself with things you love

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The new Serena and Lily catalogue came in the mail today. I really love their bedding; I love everything about it. I like the look of it and I like the quality. So I was excited to take a little break and flip through their new catalogue. It is wonderful ... even the cover excites me.

They have added some new colors and patterns and I am in love!

Aren't the paint colors delicious? While you are browsing through the catalogue check out Serena's breakfast nook on pages 22 & 23 - it is quite lovely. I appreciated her 5 design rules (on the same page) and particularly the second one, so I want to share it with you because it is my 'philosophy' as well.  

"If you see something you love, buy it. (You'll find a home for it eventually.)"

I think that is how you should decorate - by finding those things that you fall in love with and surrounding yourself with them. I would add to that something my father taught me. Don't rush to fill up your walls with artwork. It is okay to have a blank spot until you find something that is just right. I believe that when you see it, you will know. Take your time, visit some galleries or sidewalk art shows. Something brought home from a memorable vacation or day trip will be much more meaningful then the decorative art piece you pick up at HomeGoods just to tie in your colors. If you feel you just have to have something on the wall, pick up an inexpensive piece to be a place-holder until you find the right thing. Trust me, I have many place holders!

I helped a new client give her house a little one-day facelift last Christmas. On the side of her husband's desk were a pile of little treasures; arrowheads he had collected and other little trinkets - just kind of left there as if they were forgotten or something unimportant. When she told me that they were really very important to him, I had her find me a tray and I put them all together and displayed them to reflect what they were ... treasures. I placed the tray on top of a table and above it I grouped a collection of art that by itself didn't really make much of a statement. But grouped together as part of the new tablescape made all the difference. That is the kind of thing that makes your home personal and a place you will want to come home to.

Year of the owl?

Have you noticed that owls seem to be everywhere right now? My dad loved owls. In the summer when we were kids, there were sometimes owls that would nest in the trees on our street and I remember my dad going out to watch them. We didn't live in the country so it was unusual that we would have the owls. We even had an owl cookie jar that sat on the kitchen counter.

A couple of weeks before Christmas I wandered into ZGallerie and was drawn to some owl ornaments. Maybe it was because they were white and glazed. I am drawn to anything white and glazed! But they made me think of my dad. I think I miss my dad now more than ever. He was an architect and I learned so much from him and I would give anything to have him here now. I thought these little ornaments would be perfect gifts for my two sisters and my mom. So I bought four of them; one for each of them and one for me.

A few days later I saw these charms from Fossil and knew I was on to something. So I bought three of them and wrapped them up for my two sisters and my mom. I put the inexpensive ornament inside the box and tied the nicer gift on the outside. I was really excited about the gifts because I knew that they would love them.

Each year on Christmas Eve we have a silly $15 gift exchange. Last year our theme was 'green' which was really easy because it could be the color green or 'eco' green. We ended up with gifts from a green Betta fish to rolls of toilet paper ($15 worth!). This year our theme was legs (don't ask!) and so when I saw this darling white stuffed owl ornament at The Paper Source with the cute little legs I knew I had my exchange gift. 

I also realized I had my own little theme going on ... owls! Do you remember that I had found this owl ornament from Target and wanted to cover my tree with them? I had searched all the Target stores in my area and only found the one.

So imagine my surprise when I opened up my illustrator sister's Christmas card a few days later and found these owl tags that she designed inside! We were on the same wavelength!

It didn't stop there. On Christmas Eve, the exchange gift I ended up with were these darling owl salt and pepper shakers. Actually the first gift I chose was a cane but my brother-in-law stole it from me (really Dan?) so I got to choose again and got the owls. How perfect!

And then my other sister passed out these ornaments to everyone!

And it got even weirder. My mom started handing out her gifts to each one of us ... all packaged inside these darling little owl bags that my sister had designed! She had walked into a small gift store near her house and had found them - she recognized the design!

I guess I didn't realize how big owl stuff is right now! It turns out my sister even has owl fabric!

Deborah Melmon Studio

So now I have owls on my mind and of course am seeing them everywhere! I love this umbrella stand from Two's Company:

And this lamp from West Elm:

Anthropologie has an owl plate:

And isn't this nursery with the owl decals adorable?

Etsy

Etsy

Have you sighted any owls lately?

Designing children's rooms

It is really fun to work with kids. I think they are my favorite clients! I love hearing their ideas and getting their input; they offer a fresh viewpoint that is uncensored by what other people think and they are not afraid to ask for what they want. 

I recently finished moving three sisters around two bedrooms. You can read about the closet switch here. It was a very big undertaking and basically every single item was moved out of both rooms, edited, and put back together. We moved the 'baby' out of her nursery and into the big girls' room. The oldest sister got to take over the nursery and have a space to her own - her very own 'grown up room' where she can have quiet time to do her homework and have friends over. And the middle sister moved into where her older sister had slept. Musical beds! Everyone was happy with the changes. Even mom who was not so sure she could part with that nursery (I don't blame her it was amazing and precious)!

Disclosure: these rooms are not styled, the photography is not perfect and the sheets are wrinkled. Just wanted you to get a glimpse ;)

Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Rose Chintz

The existing bedding in the room where the two girls share was from Rachel Ashwell. It was precious and beautiful but young. The middle sister was ready to move up to something a little more fun. She really wanted everything purple, but we needed to keep the existing light pink walls, the pink striped window seat fabric and we were keeping the littlest girl's bed the existing floral. Because both beds were in the same room, everything had to coordinate. Hot pink seemed to work as the common denominator.

This is one side of a very large bedroom

We moved the changing table / dresser from the nursery into this larger bedroom where two sisters share a room and used it as a dresser / nightstand for one of the beds. The black framed bulletin board was painted white and I covered it with a light colored burlap. We purchased an inexpensive round mirror to go above the dresser to give it a vanity feel and added some fun lighting.

A new and improved bulletin board

A new disco light

We brought in elements (wall art) from the youngest sister's nursery to make that side of the room feel like 'hers'.  She wanted her side of the room to be 'hot pink' - walls and everything, but she settled for some hot pink pillows on her new 'big girl' bed (not shown). 

The middle sister moved to the other side of the room and took over where the oldest sister slept before. She helped chose her bedding and I brought in a few purple accent accessories ... a pillow, a shag rug and a reading lamp to give her the look that she wanted. Her mom added lavender sheets as well but they are not in the photos. I had the brown and white dotted pillows made to give it all a little pop. She was happy!

a brand new organized closet

This 'tween' girl wanted blue! She chose the bubble sheets from a PB Teen catalogue and that is where we started. She was very involved in the selection process and had definite ideas of what she liked and didn't like. I gave her choices and she picked what she liked. I love her choice of the ceiling fixture! I added the headboard from West Elm. 

I think the most fun was to watch the anticipation as we went through the process of choosing and ordering and to see the excitement on their faces the day that we did the 'reveal'. We brought everything in and set it up while they were out and when they came home it was all finished. Very fun!

Too much mail

I know I already posted today, but I could not resist this, especially after my post earlier today. I have been working in my office today managing papers, paying bills, setting up next year's calendar ...
I am almost finished. I stepped outside to collect the mail and this is what I found:

So much mail. After I sorted out the junk and the catalogues that I don't need to read (I can see them online anytime I want) this is what was left:

This is a prime example of how clutter happens so easy ... if you don't take care of what comes in, it so quickly just piles up! If I wasn't so 'over' paperwork today I might have been tempted to keep a catalogue or two. But I know I will get more next week. They went immediately out to the recycling bin.

Done.

Setting up monthly files

One of the best ways to control paper clutter is by setting up files. I have files for school records, medical records (one for each member of the family), veterinarian, tax receipts, bank statements, etc. There are a lot of intricate and detailed ways to set up files. In fact, there are entire books written on how to file your papers. But what I have found that works best for me is a simple, and quick way to file that doesn't require a lot of time to set it up or to keep up with it.

Pottery Barn's Porter Lateral File Cabinet

If I have to spend a lot of time filing, I will not do it. I will instead pile up the papers to wait until I have time to 'file' them. And it won't get done. I have devised a very simple filing system for the bills that I pay each month that requires very little time. I have to disclose that I am an old-fashioned girl and although I pay some of my bills online, I still get a lot of my bills mailed to me that I pay by check. This is how I manage that paperwork:

I have 12 files that I start with each year; one file for each month of the year. When I pay a bill, I write on my portion of the bill the date, the check number and the amount I paid, and then I file it in the appropriate month. That's it. I don't have a separate place for utility bills, and credit card bills and medical bills - that would take me too long. I simply pay everything that comes in that month and file my portion in the month that I paid it. If I pay a bill online, I print the record and file it under the current month. And then I save everything until the end of the year.

West Elm's Classic + Mobile Filing Cabinets 

At the end of the year, I sit down (it takes me about an hour) and I go through all of the 12 files and put like bills together. For example, all the phone bills together, all the utility bills, Macys, and Visa, etc. etc. I literally sit on the floor of my office and make piles of each category as I go through each month; they are already in order by month so when the pile is done I just staple them together. I only keep the records that I need for tax purposes. If I need the records for tax purposes I transfer them to a separate tax records box for that year. If I don't need the records - my utility bills for example, I throw them out (or shred them if necessary).  In January, I start all over again with my newly emptied 12 files. It is a simple way to file, but it works for me. 

Incognito White Compact Office from Crate and Barrel

3-Drawer File Cabinet from Ballard Designs

Elfa Mesh File Cart from The Container Store

A new year equals new possibilities

A new year.
A new decade.
A new start.
Resolutions.
Lists.
Changes.
Improvements.

It's kind of funny actually because it is really just a day like any other days... the sun comes up and the sun goes down. January 1. 2011. It is just a date; a number.  But we put a lot of importance on that. It feels fresh and clean and almost like a do-over. I woke up today and it felt different. It is January and January always feels like a new start. I wanted this day to matter. "What was I going to do on this first day of this new year and this new decade?" I was thinking. I wanted to start with a clean house, a clean heart, a clean 'inside my head'.

My daughter's new beginning last year!

The checker at the market last night said he doesn't think anything of it. It is not a big deal to him because one day is like the next. But I don't think so. I think that it is an opportunity. Pamela from Magical Meadows started last year marking the first day of each month with a "New Month's Resolution" - and what she is really saying is that each month is a new beginning. I like that.

© Prizler Photography

Last year, I read the Bible in a year. A passage designated for each day of the year, in succession, so that on the last day of the year you are reading the last words of the Bible. Today I started over again. And the first words I read were, "In the beginning God..." Genesis 1:1. and that is what today feels like to me. A beginning.

Happy 2011!

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