A Simple Nursery

I finally got around to finishing Charlotte's nursery! I can't believe it has already been 5 months since we moved into our new home...and this is the only room in the house that I can actually say is "complete." Her room is the smallest in the house yet it still took hours of hard work and planning, (makes me a little nervous about the rest of the house!)

The diamond accent wall is by far my favorite feature in the room. I had actually seen something very similar used as a wallpaper, but I couldn't afford the price. Needless to say, I was so in love with the look, I decided it was worth the extra effort to actually paint the pattern on myself. (Tutorial to come!)

The room really doesn't have a specific "theme" it's just full of things that I like and that remind me of my little girl (which is sometimes the best way to go when it comes to designing a space). 

Check out photos of the room + project details below...

Room Details: 

Diamond accent wall: I made my own stencil and painted the pattern using a very light grey color (tutorial to come later!) If you are looking for a less time consuming option you can purchase the wallpaper that inspired me at The Firm. 

Paper crane mobile: get my tutorial HERE

Bookshelves: These are actually "Picture Ledges" which I purchased for just $14.99 at Ikea

Nesting doll art: I actually made this myself in Photoshop. I am also planning on painting my own nesting dolls to display on the dresser...someday :)

Sheer curtains: Also purchased from Ikea, I couldn't find the exact pair online, but you can view a similar option here.

Triangle framed art (on shelves): This was a last minuet design that took me literally 30min. to make. I simply cut triangle shapes out of paper, painted them, and then taped them in different patterns in each frame. (tutorial to come!) 

Paper Crane Baby Mobile

The hustle and bustle of the holidays have come to halt, which means I have a little more free time to work on some designs for my baby girl's nursery!

 The first project I decided to concur was the homemade baby mobile...the poor girl has spent the last 3 months in a white crib, with white bedding, white walls, and nothing interesting to look at. But now she at least has a pretty mobile hanging above her crib, which will have to do until I decide what exactly I want to do with her 'accent wall.'

 Although I am looking to add more pattern and color to the room, I still want the end result to look simple and peaceful...which is why I was so pleased with how the mobile turned out!

 Keep reading to get the details and materials for this project...

Happy Friday!

I ran across this lovely Simpatico fabric line by Cloud9 while 'Pintresting' the other day. I've been looking for a perfect fabric to make some throw pillows with for my bedroom and living room... and I think I've found a winner!

I'm just waiting to see how much they will sell for (the price isn't currently listed since the fabric isn't actually available until late June ). I think my favorite is the grey, pink, & yellow triangle patterned fabric (hopefully I can convince my husband that pink is not just for girls :)

Happy Friday, hope everyone has a great weekend!

Outdoor Furniture

I have always wanted a cozy outdoor dinning space but until about a year ago my husband and I had been living in little tiny apartments with absolutely no yard. Now, we have a good sized yard and when the latest West Elm summer catalog arrived at my house, I couldn't help but swoon over their incredible outdoor furniture collections.

I fell in LOVE with the Dexter Dining Set and haven't been able to stop thinking about it! My favorite part is the simplistic rounded shaker-like design of the benches and chairs.

Now, if only I could convince my husband that $2,000 is a fair price for a Mother's Day gift!

Mini Texture Ball

Back during my first year of design school, I created a lot of projects that had to do with the basic elements of design, like color, line, shape, and texture.

One of my favorite projects, was creating the "texture ball." Where we basically took various items and formed/attached them around the perimeter of foam balls to create a design piece with a significant amount of "visual texture."

A few of us design graduates/bloggers recently decided to re-create this project, and of course I was super excited about the challenge! (only this time around we had a $5 budget for materials :)

My original ball was something crazy and probably wouldn't have withstood the test of time (in the hands of a toddler I think it may have lasted about 10 seconds before being destroyed!) So this time around, I decided to create something that still had a lot of visual interest but was completely "kid proof."

Here's what I can up with this time around...

The design I chose was very simple, and wallet friendly. I was pleasantly surprised with how they turned out!

Since these little guys were so easy to make, I decided to put together about 8 of them. This way I could use them as decoration in my very sad and empty apothecary jars!

Click below to get my tutorial for these mini texture balls...

And...

Be sure to check out some of the other designs made by a few of my very creative friends!

1 - Numbered Street Designs 2- Design by Caley  3 - Home Vestures  4 - Sarah Dawn Designs

Progress

So, I'm still working on organizing my house and last week I tackled what I like to call "the room of death." Which is a room that is basically the result of having no garage or outside storage space plus one to many hobbies!

I call it the "room of death" because it is always a BIG unorganized mess, to the point where I usually just shut the door and pretend it's not there.

Actually, I'm a little embarrassed to even show you these photos but I am glad to say that I made some good organizational progress and last week the room went from a catastrophe, to a somewhat functional space...

I know it's not as pretty as some of the ideas I posted about last week. I would like to do more, but as of right now, we aren't sure how much longer we will be living in this home so I don't want to put too much money and time into it :) 

We also just about finished the kids activity table that we have been working on for our son's 2nd birthday...

I am so happy with how it turned out! Now, I just need to get it painted and then put on a nice thick protective clear coat...I should have a tutorial ready sometime next week! 

Simple Rustic Wall Art

Surprise surprise, my husband has yet again created an awesome piece of wall art for our living room!

I've always envied his ability to make such eye catching yet simplistic art and he never spends more then an hour or two making it.

This specific piece was painted using black and white acrylic paint on a plain white canvas. He first outlined the basic shape of the wood in pencil, and then painted over it using a very thin brush. He worked his way from outside to inside and slightly varied the distance between each tree ring.

After each tree ring was painted and dried, he used white paint and added a little detailing to make the wood piece look more realistic.

Unfortunately (or fortunately :) we still have a lot of empty wall space to fill, but I'm excited to add this to our slowly growing art collection!

Bookshelf Update

The bookshelf is finished and I finally remembered to take a few photos of it! Originally I wanted to have a free standing shelf (and by that I mean one with no brackets) but my husband personal handyman said he had no idea how to make something like that, especially being about 7' long. So, I thought the next best option was to use small brackets and paint them the same color of the wall to help them blend in a little better.

Here are the before and after shots...

I love how it turned out, and even more I love that we finally have a place to showcase our vintage book collection. I realize that all of the "stuff" on the shelf is a little much (I mean things are looking a bit top heavy) I can't decide if I should take a few things off or try to cover some of the darker books in a fun lighter wrapping paper or something (any suggestions?)

I never did get to buy any new accessories for the shelf while I was in Utah last weekend. I only had about 20 min. to look around Ikea so I ran to get the throw pillows I have anxiously been waiting for months to purchase.

I may have snagged an awesome pillow case on my way out though...

Isn't it lovely?

Beach House

 Well, I guess it is officially Beach Week! After visiting the ocean I have decided that I want to live on the beach some day (I already knew I did but now I want to even more). Here are some of the things that my dream (hopefully future) beach house will have. I love how the use of white and blues in the design makes the space seam so relaxing.

I would love to put this in my son's room!

Photo Credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Inspiration Thursday: Unique Backsplash

I have always been amazed at the different varieties of backslash tile. There are so many options to choose from it's almost overwhelming! Also, tile is not something that can be easily changed or removed, so it is important to choose something that is timeless or something you really like and won't get tired of.

I ran across some very lovely and unique tile ideas by Ann Sacks that would surely make a grand design statement! I'm not positive that I would classify some of them as "timeless" designs, but they sure are fun to look at!

1. blossom in aquamarine 2. zigzag 3. indah-circles 4.marilyn

Would you use any of these tile designs in your own home? 

photo credit: top - unknown via, bottom - ann sacks

Inspiration Thursday: Color Pallet

My master bedroom is in dire need of a make over. So, I've been looking for some color inspiration to start. I'm beginning to lean towards a grey/yellow color pallet...

I'm also loving the color combination with this bed frame...

I'm worried that I may tire of the color combination...what do you think? 

Is it too trendy?

Photo Credit: 1.{one girl} 2. hwtm 3. a creative mint 4. ever after 5. style me pretty 6. via (pintrest)

What do you think?

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I've been spending some time with family the past couple of weeks and its been a blast!

I came across this new more natural and sustainable hardwood flooring from Bolefloor and I can't decide how I feel about it. The idea of cutting trees along their natural growth lines is both creative and environmentally friendly. Yet, I'm not sure if the look is right for every space.

I think this type of flooring would be awesome in a modern, minimalistic, or rustic home, but I'm not sure about a more traditional one. I guess I would need to see more photos of the flooring installed in an actual living area to be sure.

What do you think? Would you use this flooring in your own home?

To see more photos go to the gallery at Bolefloor.com

Design 101 - Complimentary Colors

Color is a very important design element. There are so many different color schemes to choose from when decorating a space. One of my favorites is a complimentary color scheme. 

Complimentary colors are defined by pairs of colors that are opposite on the color wheel. This type of color pallet is fun to use in design because when placed next to each other, complimenting colors will make each other appear brighter. 

A complimenting color pallet of blue and orange is one of my favorite color combinations (like my son's 1st b-day party). Here are a few examples of blue and orange color pallets...

Do you have a favorite color combination?

Photo Credit: 1.High Street Market  2.House Beautiful 3.Martha Stewart 4. Apartment Therapy 5.Southern Living 6. Design Tots

Happy Friday!

Isn't this hammock bed from Le Beanock rad!? It's funny because my husband was just talking about how he wanted us to start sleeping in a hammock instead of a bed. But, all I could picture was me being claustrophobic and the hammock folding up like a taco with us trapped inside. I nicely told him I wasn't too sure about the idea, then I about had a cow when I stumbled upon this image. I had no idea queen sized hammocks even existed, and this one actually looks comfortable and functional.

Design 101 - Where to Start

Are you thinking about designing or re-modeling a space in your home?

This can be an overwhelming task, especially if your not sure where to start. Here are a few tips that will hopefully help you along the way...

The first step you need to take is to find your "design style" so you at least have a direction you want to move towards in your design.

If your struggling to find your style start doing a little personal research. Look at items your already have in your home and decide what you love and what you wouldn't mind parting with. Often you will find that what you currently own describes your design style. For example, you may have a lot of simple clean furniture and a relatively uncluttered space, which would place you in a more "minimalistic" style category. Or you may find that you are drawn to a softer color pallet and enjoy playful French inspired fabrics and art work. If so, your design style is probably more on the traditional shabby chic side.

If you are still completely confused and are finding yourself saying "I hate everything in my house," you may have to work a little harder to find your true design style. I like to tell people to look through books and magazines and pick out features from different spaces that they are attracted to. You may even come across a photo where you only like 1 thing about that space, but thats o.k. Start to put together collages, with colors, furniture, fabrics, and art work that catch your eye and eventually you will discover what your personal style is. If you are like me, you may find that you like many aspects of different styles. If this is the case, you can have a little fun and mix styles together, creating your own personal look throughout your home.

Now, if your still feeling lost after doing all of that, you can take a design style test HERE, and if that doesn't help take a deep breath and at least treat yourself to one of THESE.

Photo Credit: Aarom Hom via Desire to Inspire & House Beautiful