Don't Forget the Kids!

Thanksgiving is just 3 days away!  Can you believe it?  Why don't you take a break from shopping, cleaning, and pre-cooking, and think of some fun and whimsical ways to decorate the Children's table!  With these fun ideas, even the adults will stop by the table for some fun!

Coloring Fun!
These table ideas create a great activity space for kids!  Start with putting down some butcher paper (anyone else having flashbacks to elementary school and the giant rolls of paper you rip off?).  Then simply add some Crayons.  I love how they made the Pilgrim Hat for holding the Crayons here!  This table is fun, and easy to clean up at the end of the meal!  If you have extra time, check out more fun ideas here!

Classy, Yet Fun and Functional!
I love this table idea from Pottery Barn Kids!  It gives the kids a special place of their own, but blends so nicely with the "grown up table" in the same room!  The burlap covering will be very durable and cheap to pick some up at a local fabric store. 













A Non-Traditional Turkey!
This provides a great snack and a great centerpiece for your kids table!  Leave it to Martha to think of this fun one!

















Chalkboard Fun!
A quick, easy, and cheap idea for your table!  Plus, after Thanksgiving, they can be used as wall decoration, or used at an upcoming birthday party!  Every local dollar store has chalkboards, so you won't spend a fortune!

Creating a Welcoming Guest Bedroom

With the holiday season right around the corner, there is a good chance your home will be bustling with guests!  Have you been meaning to update that guest room for quite some time?  If so, here are some sources of inspiration to get you going!

Creating a Room for Two
This photo comes from the Southern Living website, and I love that it is a great space for two guests - maybe visiting girl friends or a place for older children.  The simplest little things will make your guests feel comfortable, like the "storage cubes at the end of each bed which pull double duty as suitcase stands when company comes."

 




A Calming Guest Room
The natural colors in this room (also seen on the Southern Living website) are sure to help calm your guests after a day of traveling.  The bookcase can be filled with great reads - magazines, local visitor books, and classic novels, and your guests can relax by the window seat.  I also love that this color palette is a very good choice as it is not particularly masculine or feminine (which the men will appreciate!).  Also, notice the welcoming gifts in the room - an idea every guest will appreciate! 

Lofty Goals for a Little Room
This room, seen on the DIY website, is a great example of how to utilize an attic or loft space.  By putting the guest room away from your family, the guests really have an opportunity to "retreat and relax."  Also, notice the neutral color palette that will be enjoyed by any guest!






 



A Dream Home Guest Room
This room, from the 2009 HGTV Dream Home, is my personal favorite for this blog entry.  The buttercream wall color is welcoming, and cheery, but not bright and overbearing. I love the simple chair and ottoman, and the mix of colors.  Need an easy update to your space?  Try hanging pictures like in this photo, but maybe use black and white images of your home state, or of places you have traveled.

Fall Shopping on Etsy

After I posted some ideas for a lovely Thanksgiving table, I found some other great items on Etsy.  Speaking of Etsy, have you ever visited this creative world?  Warning - it is awesome!  I think I could spend hours a day on Etsy...  I love looking at all the beautiful things that people make. 

Enjoy these items - either as a source of inspiration to re-create your own, or buy the original!  

 

Give Thanks! 
This would look adorable across a fireplace, or in a dining room!

Purchase Here

Chocolate and Cream Berry Wreath for Autumn 
I love this wreath!  I think it would be lovely for fall, and with the cream-colored berries, can even carry over in to winter.

Purchase Here

 

Crisp Fall Days Paper Garland
This would look adorable hanging in the dining area, above the Thanksgiving table!

Purchase Here

Autumn Leaf Tags
These would be a great way to create your place cards.  Trying rolling your utensils in a pretty napkin, then tie one of these around with a name on it!

Purchase Here

Grapevine Wreath with Eco-friendly Felt Rosettes
I love the colors of these faux flowers, and I think it would last for many Thanksgivings!

Purchase Here

Fall Thanksgiving Dinner Napkins
Some lovely napkins to add to the table!  Maybe not the kids table, though...  These are too pretty to be stained with cranberry sauce!

Purchase Here

Craeting a lovely Thanksgiving Table!

With Thanksgiving less than three weeks away, it is time to take a break from that meal planning, and gather some sources of inspiration for creating a lovely table!  I recently saw some great articles online, and thought I would share my favorite ideas!

 

Greet guests with lovely decor before they sit down!
Don't forget to add some fall decor throughout your house!  I loved this idea for a foyer table.

HGTV

Play with fun place cards!
What a great way to greet your guests before their meal!  Grab some mini pumpkins, fun paper (or even newspaper), twine, a sharpie, and you're done!

HGTV

Pick up some lovely flowers!
For under $30, you can pick up a bouquet filled with some luscious oranges, yellows, browns and purples, and it will give an instant welcoming feel to your table.

HGTV

Simple can be festive!
I love this simple place-setting, mixed with some fun pumpkins and squash, with the pop of the lovely plumb color!

HGTV

Varied heights creates a lovely table!
Using lots of different vases and glasses of different heights, creates a lot to enjoy!

HGTV

 

For more decorating inspiration, try visiting:

15 Stylish Thanksgiving Table Settings http://www.hgtv.com/entertaining/15-stylish-thanksgiving-table-settings/pictures/index.html

10 Ways to Make Your Thanksgiving Table More Special
http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/table-decor/thanksgiving-table-setting-ideas-1011

Thanksgiving Table Ideas
http://www.homestoriesatoz.com/2011/11/16-thanksgiving-table-ideas-table-setting.html

 

The Finished Product

As you know, I have recently been working to help redesign a bedroom.  A bedroom that had so much potential - A bedroom that we wanted to be an escape, and a place of relaxation (all based around a delicious chocolate floral rug - see below).  

Well... Tada!!  The room is complete, and I am so in love with how it turned out!  The gorgeous paintings we found, the yummy burnt orange velvet drapes, lots of pillows to curl up with, and chairs that simply say "Come and linger."  And the best part, the clients are happy, feel at home, and don't want to leave their beautiful space!  Success!
 

Working on this project reminds me why I love design so much - it's the finished product.  The excited faces, the feeling of personality in the room, and the sense of relaxation.  

Enjoy!  I know I sure do!  Thanks to S&D for letting me come into your home!

Before: Room with potential!

  

Finding the "Aha!" piece

As a designer, I am often asked "How do you know what looks good together in a room?"  For this, I encourage you to find your inspiration piece!

Whether it is a huge rug, a vivid painting, or the tiniest vase, find that piece that you love.  It should have the colors you like (think of the clothes colors you wear most often as those are "your" colors) and match your type (modern, shabby chic, ethnic, funky... the list goes on).  Maybe it reminds you of a vacation, or even your childhood home.   Whatever the piece, you will know it when you see it.


I am currently designing a bedroom that is going to be so lovely!  To start out, we were searching for that inspiration piece, and found it in this rug.  It had all of the colors that the client was envisioning, and will allow the perfect mix of a relaxing room for both him and her. 

A perfect inspiration pick!

Stay tuned to see the rest of the room!

A Great Place for Fall Decorating Inspiration

The Colorado Fall Home Show starts tonight in Denver at the Convention Center, and it is a great one-stop place for some decorating inspiration!

There will be over 300 exhibitors there, including the American Society of Interior Designers.  Bring your camera, walk around, snap inspiration pictures, and then use those elements to create a similar look with items from your favorite discount decorating store!

Happy shopping!

http://www.gardeningcolorado.com/fall/colorado-fall-home-show

Feeling in the mood for fall!

As I woke up this morning, the tiniest bit of fall is in the air, and that alone makes my day great!

For those of you who do not know, fall and I are in love.  I enjoy throwing on one of my favorite scarves and drinking my Starbucks Caramel Apple Cider, as I go out to walk on some crunchy golden leaves.  It is also the anticipation that soon, I can shamelessly put lovely pumpkins all over my porch.

So, on this Labor Day weekend, enjoy the last long hoorah of summer and join me as I look forward to the fall decor to come!

Enjoy these fall inspirations from one of my favorite websites, www.GradinRoad.com !

What a fall welcome!

Love this doormat (only $39!). 
Combined with some branches and pumpkins, this can help welcome fall to your home!

http://www.grandinroad.com/ornamental-monogrammed-door-mat/outdoor-decor/outdoor-rugs-mats/312040?isCrossSell=true&strategy=2

Pinteret Pleasures!

Trying to be creative?  Stop by www.pinterest.com!  What is it?  As it says on their website, "Pinterest is a Virtual Pinboard."  

In the design world, we use boards for just about everything - brainstorming design ideas with a client, dreaming of that perfect wedding day, and even saving wardrobe ideas you like (and then take to Target to find similar, cheaper versions).  Normally, you flip through magazine after magazine, ripping out pictures you like, then shove them in a folder, and literally pin up on board to inspire you.  Now, you can do it all digitally!  

"Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests."

A passion for design

Design is my passion...  I love the simple thrills of decorating a home, admiring the timeless beauty in architecture, and making design affordable. 

Join me as I share my thoughts on design trends and decorating tips, as well as some fun event ideas!  Whether it is the joy in a beautifully wrapped present, a gorgeous table setting, or amazing ideas where to put that lovely black and white photography, follow me and we'll have some fun!