Feeling frustrated or pinspired?

With the impending move just a week away, and nowhere new to call “home” quite yet, anxiety has definitely set in.  We’re leaving a house that we’ve created lasting memories in; over 6 years of memories.  Three babies came home to this house.  What started as a ho-hum house, has turned into a truly wonderful place to call home.  As much as I probably would not have admitted it prior to our big decision to move, now that the end is so near, I am very sad to say goodbye.

With that said, and the budget that we’re working with in our quest for our new home, you could say I’ve been feeling a little frustrated!  The homes that are in our budget are just so…. blah.  Would I LOVE to purchase an older, circa 1850′s Village Colonial or Farmhouse?  Sure!  Could we afford it?  Sure (they are actually pretty inexpensive & plentiful where we’re moving)!  Is it practical, with four active little boys, who will need a neighborhood for bike-riding, making friends & a husband who is certainly NOT a DIY’er?  Not really!

So that leaves me to turn to Pinterest, where I can conjure up some good old fashioned Pinspiration!

Let me show you my latest obsession…  This bathroom!  OMG, the curtains!  I’d show you the rest of the house, but you might just roll over and die of shock.

Screen Shot 2013-04-30 at 8.26.30 PM

 

But with the price tag on this house, the great family-friendly neighborhood, the forever-wild backyard & several other pro’s, I’m left to figure out just how to make it work…  Well, painting the vanity white, tearing down the curtains & replacing the mirror are all no-brainers.

But how do I work with that NAVY tiled soaking tub?   Pinterest to the rescue, here are some color combo’s and ideas that I am playing with in my head.

Clean neutral walls and some beautiful vintage floral curtains?

Screen Shot 2013-04-30 at 8.30.48 PM

Pop some color in there with a bold print, framed in elegant gold?

Screen Shot 2013-04-30 at 8.29.43 PM

Yellow and white always looks great with navy!  This could work…

Screen Shot 2013-04-30 at 8.29.57 PM

Adore everything about this nursery color palette & think it would work so well in the bathroom!  The coral curtains and the gold-patterned accent wall especially!

Screen Shot 2013-04-30 at 8.30.19 PM

 

What do you think?  What would you do with that navy tiled bathroom?  I’d love to hear your thoughts!

 

{ 0 comments }

Lessons from my home, part 1

“Outdated” can very easily be turned into “vintage charm”!  With a little paint & the right accessories, this kitchen quickly became a favorite place to hang out.  Will be dearly missed…

Squeaky floors suck.  I will miss the beauty of hardwoods up and down, but I will not miss how loud they are…

Sometimes less space is more!  Thanks to this small Master Bedroom & limited closet space, we’ve learned to stay more organized & purge regularly.   It’s made for simpler packing & moving.  Not to mention how cozy it is in there!

Painted brick takes the cake!  Hands down, this painted fireplace transformed our living space into something SOOO much better than it was!

{ 0 comments }

Celebrating the Grads!

Tonight is the night before my little man graduates from Kindergarten!  Seriously, where did this year go?  

So as we all lie in our big bed, cuddling & reading together, just as we do every night before bedtime, I can’t help but think about the parents that will watch their “baby” graduate tomorrow.  

{ 0 comments }

Let’s Go Camping!

Look who was featured in an Etsy treasury today!

I am dying to try some of those Smore’s Ganache Cookies, from tookies.

I think I “need” that Hand Printed Organic Cotton Flour Sack Towel.

I want one of my camping friends to have a baby so that I can buy it those Organic Duo of Onesies.

And wouldn’t you just love to get a whiff of the Campfire Perfume Oil?

{ 0 comments }

Client love

I may not have “sponsors” but I do have some pretty fabulous design clients that I’d love to share with you!  In no particular order, here are a handful of clients that I’ve had the pleasure of doing business with recently.

www.2jackaroo.com 
For fabulous nursing covers, exquisite burp cloths (coming soon), breastfeeding pillows & more!

web site coming soon
Faced by the loss of their baby Aiden, Natasha has made it her mission to provide hope to families suffering the loss of a baby.
web site coming soon
Looking for a kick-butt one on one personal pilates class?  Barbara can show you all you need to know!
Only the BEST maternity store in the Southeast!



The dynamic duo, Katie & Sue, will whip your space back into shape faster than you can say “go”!
For a healthier lifestyle, home and beyond, Penny is your one stop shop for valuable information & lots of green goodies!
Sure, there are lots of local photographers to choose from…  But I have yet to find one as talented, personable and as FUN as Jamie!
Faced with dietary needs that just aren’t being met by your pantry or fridge?  Get to know Nicole, and she’ll show you a whole new way of approaching your healthy lifestyle!

{ 1 comment }

Teacher, teacher!

Get your Teacher Gift orders in early & minimize your end of year stress!

During the month of May, please take 15% off ALL orders, using the code TEACHER15.

{ 0 comments }

Visit me on papernstitch this month!

Lots of great handmade goodness going on over at the curated galleries of papernstitch this month!  I am so excited to be a part of it again & to offer clients a 15% discount with code pns15.  * Please note, I am on vacation until May 9th, so will reopen shop on the 10th!

Here are just a few things I am coveting from the papernstitch galleries…

What do you have your eye on?

{ 1 comment }

Feeling so VERY Martha…

The night before Easter, it dawned on me that I had forgotten one very important element of a successful Easter Brunch; fresh flowers!  So imagine how proud I was of myself, when I whipped up this little beauty…  My new blue ball mason jars, mixed with roses from the backyard.

It’s so nice when the resourceful side of my brain works!

Hope you all had a lovely, fresh-flower filled Easter as well!

{ 0 comments }

work & life & something for free!

Good morning readers, all loyal 10 of you!  Just a quick note to let you know that I have not forgotten about this little old blog of mine.  Actually, I think about it every day.  I want to write, I really do.  But work and life and other little things keep getting in the way.  And now it seems I am a poet too!

I have lots of stuff going on in/around other parts of the web these days.

I’ve been working on web sites, logos, brand development, photo shoot arrangements, custom stationery requests & several fun giveaways! 

I’ve also been focusing a lot more time and energy on my other professional responsibilities, All About Baby Charlotte, which is coming up in 10 short days, and ELAN Card, my other incredible venture.  Lots of great things in store for both All About Baby and ELAN Card.  Very excited!

The house has been keeping me busy, as I re-do this room & re-do that.  Craigslist buying AND selling.  Lots of it.  Interested in some new furnishings?  I could probably help you.  We’re getting a boatload of new (to us) furniture this weekend between the load that my family is bringing down from NY tomorrow and the new IKEA sofa that we’re getting on Saturday.

My kids.  Of course life is never simple with three little boys who always seem to be coming and going.  Harrison is battling a cold, his first “bad” cold.  Speaking of Harrison, today marks the 1 yr anniversary of his surgery and week-long stay in the hospital.  Crazy how time flies, right?

So all that to say, I haven’t had time to focus on blogging.  Wish it wasn’t so… I hope to be back on track next week!

In the meantime, how about a freebie?  Here’s my Springtime Soiree note card, non personalized, for your printing pleasure!  Just grab some nice card stock from your nearest office or craft store & print as many as you’d like!

{ 0 comments }

little splurges

Although I am completely submerged in the world of handmade, etsy & blogging on a daily basis, I rarely make purchases for myself…  I have a bad habit of always trying to create things I want, before I spend money on it.  
I’ve finally started saying no.  No to myself, no to others.  I cannot do it all, and I’ve decided that I need to start treating myself once in a while, on just some little things…  If not for anything but my sanity’s sake.
So here’s a few things that I’ve recently purchased, for none other than myself!
I just bought this this morning, from another local etsy artist.  Can not WAIT to get it!

I haven’t had a wall calendar like this in years, and my beat up dry erase calendar had seen better days.  So I picked up this little beauty for half price at our local Paper Source store the other day!

I purchased one of these adorable petal pushers a while back from The Pleated Poppy, but I love it so much, I’m about to get another one, as soon  as the shop is restocked! 
Now, it’s YOUR turn!  What little splurge have you treated yourself to lately?  
You can link to your own blog post or post a comment below.

{ 0 comments }