One of the reasons for starting my styling business is that I felt that there wasn't anyone out there for the "regular" gal like me. I would of loved to hire someone back when I was still trying to figure out my design style. Just for a bit of guidance so I had a plan of attack when it came to my home and how I wanted to execute the design. It actually would of saved me quite a lot of money in the long run instead of making so many of those small but worthless purchases on items that I ultimately didn't love or that didn't work with the design of my home. 

Thats why it makes me so happy to work with clients like #thebestclientsever who don't need an entire home makeover but instead just some tweaking with what they already own and all the while staying with in a reasonable budget.

This particular couple just wanted their once empty entryway to feel inviting and welcoming as you stepped in to their home but didn't want to spend a ton of money to do it. Thats where I came in. I helped them select items that would warm the space and make it feel cozy. One of the things the client knew they wanted was this awesome grasscloth wallpaper for the entry that we had chosen together...so good, right! I love the way the blue paper and the molding work with each other to make a bold statement as you walk in the front door.  Once the paper had been installed we needed some furnishings. Ikea and World Market are two of my favorite places to shop when I am looking for something modern but well with in a budget. 

Ikea Mirror $99

Ikea Rug $139

World Market Console $299 
(but $225 in this case because they always run a sale...like they are now!) 

World Market Chairs $319 for 2 (on sale for 35% off..$208!)

Once the main pieces were in place now all they needed was some quick styling. I switched out the clients vases for these lamps and added a basket, both from Tj Maxx. Most of the time when I style a clients home, I am shopping their home to see what else that I can use that they already own. I found this vase and added in some branches I picked from the woods down the road from their home to bring in a little texture. I love how the greenery is reflected in the mirror. 

Lamps $80 for 2 (similar here) 

Basket $13 (similar here)

The clients also had this front room that they really wanted to use but it just didn't feel inviting. 

The first thing I did was rearrange the furniture and pull it away from the walls to create a space for conversation. I added in the coffee table and the curtain panels.  The clients also happened to be  having a party the following day and needed some quick styling, so I headed over to the local Homegoods to see what I could find and here is what I came up with...I literally had an hour to pull this off! How I found pillows that coordinated with those chairs perfectly is beyond me!! Thank you HomeGoods! 

I love the way it all turned out but what makes me the happiest is that they love their new entryway  and front room and that they are actually using those spaces in their home everyday now. 

Best feeling ever! 

Hello.

I'm so excited to start this Fall season off with a Blogger Styling Home Tour hosted by the always lovely and talented Lindsay from The White Buffalo Styling Co. I hope that you are joining me today from the Nesting Place where the Nester herself is sharing her gorgeous home with all of us! So head on over to these talented ladies amazing homes first if you haven't already and I will see you here shortly.......

Hey, you're back.....Welcome and Happy Fall!!

Over the past year I have strived to create a home where less means so much more. I want our home to feel calm and cozy. I want our surroundings to be free of clutter because I truly believe that keeps the mind clear. I want our home to serve us instead of being a house that owns us. This is my simple approach to the new season. Instead of bringing in "things" that represent the season we will bring in friends, family and neighbors to share our home and hearts with and celebrate the season together. 

Dining Room 

Our minimal dining space with little white pumpkins and some navy buffalo check pillows. 

Living Room 

I'm approaching my design this Fall with lots of whites, blacks and wood tones. Mixing in different elements and textures to keep the space light and bright but still feel cozy enough to sink in to the sofa for hours of laughing and hanging with friends while drinking lots and lots of warm cider. I'm so ready for cozy fires and hot drinks....if only the weather would realize its not supposed to be 90 degrees anymore!! 

Kitchen 

Entry

Master Bedroom

Office

Thank you so much for stopping by our home. I hope you will return and see all of the DIY projects we have been working on over the past few months. I have big things to show you all soon but until then I hope you will continue on this amazing Fall tour by stopping over to the sweet Julia's home at Cuckoo 4 Design and see all she has been working on to get her home ready for the season...Enjoy!!! 

So I'm here today to give you the low down on this new to me sight called at{mine}
I'm pretty sure it was designed for my ever lovin design heart in mind but I also invite you all to hop aboard this jet straight to interior design heaven! I would guess if you are even reading this than you are going to love it because well, don't you come to blogs for the sheer motivation and inspiration they bring to your creative mind...I know, I do!

Let me say that I love the way it is set up so that you can explore so much easier then say some other design site. When you are in the Explore section it brings all these wonderful categories up and you can choose where you feel like going today. I love that these photos are uploaded from a community of design minded peeps just like us! These aren't all glossy, unattainable, perfectly photographed homes. They are real homes created by mamas and others too that love home and design and want to share it all with us! Pretty cool.

 

So check this nifty little gadget out. When you scroll over the images all of a sudden the info. about the contributor pops up. Just like here above. You can see where they are from, their name and their at{mine} profile name so following your favorites is so much easier!
Most of the people contributing to the at{mine} community at this time are from Europe and not so many from the US so I seriously feel like I found the next P.....uh, um!! You know what I'm saying...(insert winky face ;)
Its better y'all!
Here is the profile I started just a little while back....it's a little sad and needs some work because honestly I have spent most of my time on here looking at everyone else's images!!

Okay so check this out. Not only can you find amazing pics to inspire you but you can also tag items for others to shop from! GET OUT!!

See here above how I tagged this sign in Everly's nursery.

I am seriously crazy about at{mine} and I think you will be too! Its so full of inspiration and new design and such a wonderful community of creatives just like you and me! I really hope you give it a try because I think you might love it too and I would highly recommend taking a peek at the at{mine} blog featuring all kinds of inspiring work and super fun contests. Here is my disclaimer as always... that I will just apologize now for wrecking any chances of you get anything else done today.....Enjoy!

Have you ever had that moment happen when all of a sudden its like God answers your prayers and you think....this is it, this is the answer I have been waiting for.  Thats what happened to me a few months back while riding in my car on my way to meet an out of town client. I had recently returned from my trip to NY and I was still heavy with grief and trying desperately to understand everything that had happened. Trying to cope and understand. I think back on what a powerful moment it was for me and how I knew right then it was the words I had been praying for. 

I was driving along searching for a radio station that would actually come in because I was in the middle of nowhere with not much reception. I just happened upon a radio station and for no particular reason I just started listening. I honestly can't even tell you what made me stop searching. I was also alone this particular morning. This never happens! I am never alone in my car! Which thinking back now on all of this and the songs title, those words seem quite ironic. 

Well, I did start listening and it actually happened to be a sermon I had stopped on. It was Lysa Terkerst. She was speaking at the K love fan awards and let me just say that this is what I needed to hear exactly when I needed to hear it. She is such an incredible speaker. If you haven't had the opportunity to hear her speak I highly recommend it. Well, this particular morning she was telling the story of how her and her husband had taken their children diving and how in a moment of panic when she thought that her children were in danger, instead of watching for the dive masters instructions she grabbed her kids and they quickly swam to the surface. When the dive master reached to the top he reminded them that they had all forgotten the first and foremost rule in diving...they took their eyes off the master. Instead of watching his command, she panicked and made a hasty decision which was the wrong one at the time. Her point was that in life how crucial it is that we always keep our eyes on the master. He will lead us if we allow him to. What a reminder. 

She spoke more that morning about the olive tree and how it is located in an area that experiences extreme temperatures but needs those to survive. How the harsh heat blows across the land but its followed by a cooling breeze and how the olive tree needs this balance to thrive. 

But the one thing that stuck with me that morning more then anything else is when she spoke about the olive's themselves. How the most valuable part of the olive is the olive oil and how to get to the oil the olive must be crushed. Not to destroy the olive but to produce the very best from it. We humans are the same. This is what I needed to hear and it wasn't until this moment did I realize that this is what I had been feeling. Completely crushed. But that it wouldn't destroy me but instead pull the best out of me and my friends, I can honestly say without a doubt that is what it has done! 

I had my answer. 

It was that thing that you hear and you want to tell everyone all about it. I did. I am. I returned home that day and I couldn't wait to tell Brian! It was like everything I had been carrying around weighing me down had been lifted right off of me and I wanted to share it with him. Thats when this  happened. I was searching on my laptop hoping that maybe I could find her sermon from that morning and instead I came across the live streaming of the K love awards. They were still on. I didn't find the sermon but what I did hear was this song. I had never heard it before but as we watched the awards on my laptop in our kitchen making dinner that night, Kari Jobe came out and sang I Am Not Alone. Oh my heart. How those tears fell and I thanked God because it was feelings overload. It was like he was speaking directly to me saying, "Now you know and you get it so I'm going to send you this song as a gift and a reminder". It was overwhelming and amazing all at the same time. 

Around this same time , Tara from Between You and Me Signs and I had been exchanging emails about a new sign.  I knew I really wanted them to create 4 signs for this wall. I had originally had a different song in mind and its funny how things work out because we were both so busy that it never happened. But then after things had slowed down a little we started emailing again about the signs and I knew this was the song I wanted hanging on our wall. Reminding us we are never alone no matter what life may throw at us. 

They arrived and again I was completely overwhelmed by how perfect they were. Tara and her husband Andy are such gracious and kind people. They are truly a blessing. 

They fit perfectly in our space. All Between You and Me Signs are handmade and not only are they extremely well constructed, they are beautiful. So many different ones to choose from and you can customize your own sign or signs just like I was able to. I own quite a few signs from them and I love all of them so much. Filling our home with meaningful pieces is so important to me. 

Because Tara and Andy are so stinking wonderful and know how much I love their work and how much I love sharing it with all of you, they want to not only give you all 15% off any sign in the shop using code HOUSESEVEN15 but they also want to give away a sign of your choice!! 

Head over to my Instagram and look for this image below for a chance to enter to win!! 

{Contest applies to US residents only}

So I've been thinking lately a lot about this family room of ours and possibly changing things up a bit.   Like with a new sofa!! 

I'm pretty much obsessed with the English Roll Arm, they make me all giddy!

I keep thinking about what I could do with this beauty in my own living room and I admit, Im becoming a little obsessive about it! My style is a bit more relaxed and I love how this sofa makes you want to just fall right in and snuggle. 

 It has clean lines but it is still plush and welcoming. Its got its act together but isn't stuck up about it. The qualities I also admire in a friend so why not my sofa too!

 Now its not like I want to go around speaking poorly of my sectional because she has served us well but it was also a compromise purchase of sorts and now I think we may have to move her on to a new place in our home where she will still be loved but won't hinder my urge for changing it up every now and again. Because honestly its making me a little crazy not to have options for furniture arrangement in there!

I'm still in the dreaming stage and who knows how this will all shake out but its definitely on my mind. 

We shall see......

My little's room. I feel like it won't be long before its no longer a nursery but her big girl bedroom. I am holding on to this "baby" stage for dear life and even though she is still sleeping in her crib every night, I know that the day is coming when she will no longer want to be in there. She frequently climbs out during nap and I can hear her little feet pitter pattering across the floor upstairs while she is supposed to be asleep. My first clue was when I walked in to her room last week to find her sitting all sweetly in her crib filled with all her shoes and she was just having the greatest time trying them all on.....the girl loves her shoes! 

So yesterday, I made the long walk to the basement and pulled out the old toddler bed. 

Sniff. Sniff. 

I hoped that she would turn up her nose and say, NO WAY Mama, I'm never giving up my crib but unfortunately that was not the case. I can't say that she wants to necessarily sleep in it but climbing and jumping on it....oh yes! 

In fact, that is exactly what she did while I tried to pull the rest of her room together. Straitening up with her around is almost impossible. 

Once its all in its place you turn around and BAM its tossed across the room again!! Toddler life. 

For me the best part about bringing up the bed was the opportunity to use her new Natti Natti bedding. 

Oh, I am so serious when I say its probably the softest bedding I have ever felt. Its like butter! No lie. I had read how soft it was but seriously I was shocked when I opened up the package and had the chance to feel it for the first time. I want need them to make a giant one for my bed!

After all the fun of jumping on the bed I decided that tonight was not the night to try out the bed for real and I moved everything to her crib...I just can't do it. 

Her room is so minimal so I love the little deer and tree motif on the bedding to bring in a little quirkiness and fun to the space. If you are not already familiar with Natti Natti, which means Nighty Night (so cute) I highly recommend them after receiving this bedding for Ev's room. And because she is a blankie addict, she also has a new little twigs blanket to snuggle, how could I resist, its the cutest! One of the things that really made me fall in love with this company is that they are a husband and wife team out of Brooklyn who have children of their own. They had a vision to create something truly special for their children that would help them sleep better. All the designs are swedish inspired and they only use the highest quality organic cotton. 

Because I truly believe in choosing wisely and and buying far less then I ever have, I want the items I do invest my money in to be quality and to last. 

But I also want them to be pretty. Natti Natti fits this perfectly!