Letter From A Client~

 

~ I love what I do and thankfully, I can do what I love…raise my two beautiful boys and design beautiful spaces.

My favorite part is when a client walks into their home, even days after the reveal, and they are still amazed and smiling. This is the part I love…This is The Goose Bump Factor!

Here is a letter I received from a client about her home that I just finished. I had to share…

Jennifer,

   I just wanted to thank you again SO much for everything. I love all of it!  I keep walking around tonight & admiring every area!  It is amazing to me how everything just comes together with just random stuff.  I especially LOVE the black chest so much & the curio in the formal dining & my bedroom=what you've done so far! 

I am SO happy!!!  Finally, I am loving my house!!
sabrina

Need Spring Sunday Brunch Place Setting Ideas?

(Franciscan Desert Rose pattern salad/dessert plate given to me by a family member. FREE and sentimental!)

Do you have Sunday brunches with your family and just use the everyday plates?  Well, why not bring out the good china salad plates and add them to your everyday dinner plates.  This gives a fresh look to the everyday and gives the feeling that this meal is Special!

In these pictures I have used the same placemat, dinner plate, napkin, napkin ring and charger to show how just changing the salad plate or dessert sized plate changes the whole look and feel of the table setting.

(222 Fifth-Slice of Life Frog Prince edition salad/dessert plates purchased from Tuesday Morning for $3.50 per plate)

(no name green salad/dessert plates purchased for $25.00 for the entire set of 3 pieces; dinner plate, salad plate/dessert plate, soup bowls; per 8 place settings at a local re-sale shop)

This is a great way to design your table for VERY inexpensive! When you have neutral everyday place settings then you can add these plates for a whole new look!

I use the green plates for St. Patrick’s Day and I have used the Desert Rose pattern many times for Spring Tea parties to Baby Showers.  The Frog Prince is fantastic for events for a  Baby Boy’s Shower or they are perfect for a Father’s Day celebration to add a touch of whimsy.

This is so fun and so cheap!  The possibilities are ENDLESS when you change out the placemats, napkins and napkin rings.

Have Fun & Enjoy your Sunday Brunch!

More Patio Ideas…

Leftover balustrade from neighbors building materials- and architectural cone from Wal-Mart for $19.00 total cost makes a nice addition to an otherwise unusable corner by dining table.

Sofa height and length table, I made form cigar boxes purchased very inexpensively from cigar shop, plywood to adhere them to and furniture legs found at Home Depot. Now I have a conversation piece and additional serving space by our outdoor kitchen.

Garage sale purchase for under $10.00 adds a little more visual interest to the patio.

Spring Patio Spruce-Up

 

With Spring here and Summer fun around the corner, I think we all get that itch to spruce up our patio’s.  For my patio I needed a dining area for those great outdoor family meals.  Although, I was not thrilled about the idea of the typical outdoor dining sets. As you may have observed by now…I LOVE a challenge.

When you are either budget tight or budget conscious, never forget to ask your friends, family and neighbors for the trash that may be your treasure. I tell everyone that I am always looking for usual to unusual items to repurpose.  Then, I politely ask if they are ever cleaning their homes out, ready to donate, sell or kick something to the curb,(literally), to please let me have a sneak peek FIRST!

So, in this picture I have a free table from a family member that was tired of it, the urn on the table was on the curb.  I called the neighbor and asked if I could have it and even offered to pay for it.

(this was to let her know it was of value and I was not wanting to just take it). This is a polite gesture to let people know you are not just looking for freebies.

She gave it to me for free and had another one she later brought over for free when she tired of it too.  The chairs were our old kitchen chairs that had seen much wear. I went online to Walmart.com and found great slip covers for under $15.00.  You could always get them monogrammed for a more sophisticated Southern look.

So don’t be afraid to ask and trust me this always pays off!  I even got a French bed from a friend that was going to donate it and remembered I liked stuff like that and called and asked if I wanted it.  I also offer advice for helping them keep their items and repurpose them.  Not to mention, paying it forward when I tire of items and am ready for a change. 

In a budget conscious time and a time when we are all trying to create beautiful spaces for less, we can all use good advice and great tips.  So feel free to write a comment and ask questions that I may be able to help with, for your design dilemmas!

Happy patio sprucing!

The Red Shed in Grapevine Texas!

My new shopping jewel close to home!  I am in love with this place!
 
317 Church Street Grapevine, TX. 76051          
Open Weekdays 9AM-5PM

Do you love vintage, French looking, Shabby Chic furniture and accessories? If you do…then this is the place for you!  They have old mantels, antique mirrors, metal bed, wood beds, vintage distressed chairs and tables…the list goes on!  They even have decorative vintage looking accessories and gifts too! 

So what are the prices like you ask?  FANTABULOUS!!! I found burlap or grain sack pillows, with French writing, found all over for between $75.00 to over $100.00 at boutiques and on-line retailers, for under $30.00 at The Red Shed. 

This place is amazing and the women that own it, are very helpful and creative.  I love their displays, so creative that you are immediately Design Inspired! This shop makes you feel right at home, like you are digging around Grandmas attic with her permission.

Many Goose Bump moments and purchases will be found here.  Check it out~ Their inventory is constantly changing and being scooped up…so get shoppin’ while the gettin’ is good!

Happy shopping!

First day of Spring means treasure shopping to those Flea Markets and Garage/Yard Sales!

~Antique china cabinet found as is, with blue stained glass for $150.00 at Flea Market. Now being used in a clients darling little girls room for her dolls and collectibles!
When I think of Spring I think of Garage sales, Yard sales and Flea Market shopping! The smell of Spring, warmer weather and the idea of a GREAT find…is almost too much…How exciting!
So what do you need to know, to get the deal of the century on the find of the year? Well, I will give you my Top 5 tips for a successful shopping excursion.
Top 5 Flea Market, Garage & Yard sale shopping Tips:
5. Bring gloves for any really dirty finds, heavy lifting or splintery items you may find. This is important because inevitably I have found great pieces of furniture that need sanding or have been outside and have tiny spider webs or even nests and this can help keep you free of splinters or unwanted bites.
4. Bring baby wipes, water bottles and large vehicle (or access to one).  This is for drinking and for washing up after handling items that may not be in great condition. Also this can come in handy if the owner of the item does not mind you dusting an item off that may need it before you consider buying it. The larger vehicle…well, there has never been a time that it has not come in handy.  There is always that unexpected find that is large. So if you do not own one…be sure you have access to one.
3. Measuring tape! That and your measurements from home if you are looking for a specific piece, for a specific space. This is important for everything from furniture to decorative accessories.  If they are going on a shelf of niche be sure and measure depth height, etc.
2. Pictures and lists! If you are looking for a specific piece pictures and a list of items needed is really nice because sometimes you get caught up in the fun and forget the task at hand.  I love when my clients bring me pictures of items they see in magazines or online and say “I have to have this…but, it is too expensive.” Woohoo, a challenge!  I take those pictures and find the equivalent for MUCH cheaper!  This is the fun part! The list is because there are always “wants” for the room and sometimes these are found for so cheap during the outing, they turn into Have to Have’s!
1. Bargain, Bargain, Bargain!!! I know to many of my clients have told me it makes them uncomfortable.  But, it is part of this kind of shopping.  All, Flea Market vendors, Garage and Yard Sale patrons are putting their items up for sale at the above value of the item most of the time.  They are “hoping” to get the price below the asking.  The game is to find out what that magic number is.  So always ask…”is there a better price on this item?” or if you know your budget for that specific piece then don’t be afraid to speak that.  I have many times said to a vendor or patron of the garage/yard sale..” my budget for an, (armoire, bed or whatever the item, is $$$.” So speak your price and sometimes you may be surprised. They may come down more than even YOU expected! But, put those fears of asking for a bargain out of your mind and have fun.  These people are used to it and expect it. 
*Bonus Tip: It does not hurt to research the items you are looking for ahead of time to see what most people are asking.  This can be done by retail examples for the high end and Craig’s List  online, for the in between and lower end prices.  This helps to see what an Antique shop might charge and what a seller/owner might charge.  Then when you find those items while shopping, you have a better gauge of what a “DEAL” really is!
Have fun, bring home that Treasure and change in your pocket!

Spring & Easter Vignettes

How to decorate for Spring and Easter is really the same. Anything to do with bunnies, eggs, baby chicks and fresh greenery are always a hit! So In the entrance way vignette, I used all of those things.
I put the egg tree, a true sign of Spring, up on a pedestal that was a salvaged candle holder that the top portion broke off and this is what was left.  I use it for many things including candles.  In this case, it gave my tree some presence and height.  Then some grapevine bunnies with ribbons around their necks and an Easter egg carefully placed in the girl bunny’s paws. Then a little bowl of chocolate eggs and a picture frame with a blown up vintage Easter postcard to give a warm vintage feel to the grouping and remind guests of the upcoming Holiday! 
This is one of my favorite things to do and I have a folder for all my vintage Holiday postcards and then they are ready as the next Holiday approaches.

This is another vintage postcard I printed to fit in this 4 X 5 frame for the powder bath. It is placed by some fresh greenery from a tree in my yard.  Cheap and easy way to bring Spring into another space family and guests may frequent.

Finally a great way to get the kids into the Holiday and remind them of the upcoming season is through books.  I make them center stage on my boys desk for homework.  This is another way to stimulate reading and make use of a beautiful book and make it part of the Spring décor.

Enjoy your Spring and Easter!  Happy Decorating!

Easter Fever?

Do you have Easter fever?  I do!
I got all my decorations out and even though there are certain places and arrangements that stay the same year after year, I always try to spice it up or change it up for fun!
This year I added some bling to my faux chocolate bunnies. These were the FIND OF THE CENTURY! I found these at Ross, a discount store, for under $20.00.  They had simple paper around the eggs in their baskets.  I added a little moss.  But the ribbon around their necks came already attached. This year, I added a monogram “H”, for our last name, made with rhinestones, to the boy bunny and a floret of faux pearls and rhinestones for the girl bunny.

For my formal dining table, I took some hand blown eggs that we dyed last year and displayed them on a collection of brass candlesticks. My boys were very happy to see their hard work preserved and displayed. The center piece is an urn from outside, filled with German paper eggs on top of moss.
{You can find these paper eggs at World Market. They make great gifts too, they open and more goodies can be placed inside and then reused every year for décor!}
I tied a simple tassel around the urn to add some softness. Then, I anchored the table scape with traditional Waterford candlesticks given to us as a wedding gift. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and try new things with your conventional items.

Happy Easter decorating and check back soon for even more tips for Spring decorating!