I’m over at Steward of Design today with a guest post!

Stacey and I are fellow bloggers and fellow moms from the northwest!  And we are going to get the opportunity to meet in just a few weeks at Design Camp!

If you missed my book plant tutorial from last year, head over to Steward of Design today and check it out!!

jen

Let’s give a big welcome today to Lori May, from Lori May Interiors. She’s going to share a great post on a client’s kitchen design today.

Hi everyone, I’m so happy to be back here at Jen’s blog today. I’ve been working on a kitchen project for a new client and I thought I’d share my design process with you. These are steps that you can take to create your own dream home.

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First, let’s start with the inspiration photo. My client has held on to this photo for a long time, in hopes of creating her own dream kitchen. I know that many of you feel the same way about photos you have collected. My number one tip to all of you is to collect lots of photos. Whether you use pinterest, a paper file folder or a combination of both, there is nothing more helpful than collecting photos of rooms that you love. You may not even know why you love it, but keep it anyway. Once you have several photos, take a look at them. Pick out the similarities between the photos. You may find things you never knew that you liked.

For example, I am in the early stages of redecorating my own master bedroom. After reviewing some of my photos on my bedroom board on pinterest, I realized that every photo had matching nightstands. Before reviewing those photos, I would have told you I was open to different styles of nightstands. You may also be surprised at what you find. Collect your favorite photos and study them. Once you have done this you are ready to move on to the next step.

Once I determine the style I am trying create, I move on to the design board. Let’s face it, as a designer, I am a very visual person and I have found that many of my clients are as well. Here you can see the furniture, lighting and rug options I suggested to my client. She already owned the wooden pieces. I added the rug and monogramed slipcovered chairs to soften and personalize the look. The lantern brings us back to the inspiration photo that my client loves. (Hint: You’re design board does not have to be created on the computer. You can easily use a small piece of poster board. Print out your photos or use the ones you have cut out of your favorite magazines and glue them on. This could also be a great way to get the whole family involved!)

Now, it’s time to add the fun part. Color and texture. Color can come from accessories, art and window treatments. In a kitchen, this can sometimes be a challenge, because there are so many hard lines, such as cabinetry, counters, chairs and tables. There are also all of those appliances! Remember to add accessories just as you would in other rooms of your home. I love to use baskets and woven trays in a kitchen. They add wonderful texture. Trays can also group together like items or provide a space for keys and mail that are generally thrown on the counter. Look back to your inspiration photos during this step as well.

Lastly, now that you have the finished product, remember to keep it with you. How many times have you been out and about and found the “perfect” lamp, but once you get it home, it’s not quite the look you were going for? Print off your design boards, take any fabric or paint swatches and create a file that you keep in your car. I will often take a picture of my design boards with my iPhone, so that I always have them with me. This will help you stay focused and make better purchases that you will love for a long time.

Let’s review. 1. Collect your inspiration photos. 2. Study the photos and find your likes and dislikes. 3. Take all of your favorites and create your own design board. 3. Keep your design boards with you. 4. Create your dream home!

Stay tuned. I’ll be showing before and afters of this kitchen on the blog soon!

Thanks for having me Jen!

Last week, Kim Hoegger Home was giving away a free ticket {valued at $1297} to attend Design Camp in Seattle.

So I entered the giveaway and I WON!!!!  Seriously!  A $1297 ticket. Can you believe that?!

I’ve never won anything like that before and am still amazed that I get to go to this great event!!

So what, exactly, is Design Camp!?  Let me tell you!

It’s a 2 day conference for designers and design enthusiasts.

It is hosted by Lori Dennis…

and also by Kelli Ellis…

These ladies have resumes that includes HGTV, the New York Times, Better Homes and Gardens, House Beautiful….The list goes on and on.

And my two days of Design Camp will include:

Two Full Days of Design Tips, Tricks and Success Strategies

Hear, first hand, the Industries Top Experts sharing their Stories and Secrets

Mingle with Tastemakers and Experts

Network and Collaborate with Designers and Design Lovers

Meet and Greet the Industries Top Manufacturers and Suppliers

Gain Knowledge, Renewed Enthusiasm, and Friendships

One Design Camper said “Design Camp is like the design internship I should have had!”

It’s sure to be an educational few days!!!  Stay tuned for more after this big event in May!!

jen

Come on over to Lori May Interiors today!

I’m over at Lori’s blog sharing some easy updates that you can make to your front porch for spring!

Make sure you stop by and check it out!

jen

The first week of February is a full of reasons to celebrate in our household.  On February 5, Dan and I celebrated 19 years of knowing each other! {Yes, we actually know the day that we met!}

And the second reason to celebrate this week…..

16 years ago today we got married!

Here are a few old school pictures of us in our dating years….

My hair was out of control curly! And Dan….well, he had hair!

I’ve always loved this next one! Dan had been gone all summer and this was him getting off the plane {when you could actually go meet someone at the gate to greet them!}

Happy anniversary, Danny boy!!

jen

When tragedy strikes, people want to be helpful.  They want to do something. Anything!

And other than praying, it doesn’t seem like there is much we can do for the families and friends of those affected by the tragedy in Connecticut.

But for those of us that are ‘doers’, here is something we CAN do!  Apparently, the students at Sandy Hook will be returning to a new school building after the holidays.  And parent volunteers are decorating the new school building with snowflakes.  As many snowflakes as possible.  They want the kids to walk into a winter wonderland.  And the parent volunteers are requesting that people contribute snowflakes to the school.

So today, I thought I’d share one of Martha Stewart’s snowflake tutorials.  And maybe you can send off a few of your creations to Sandy Hook.

This would be such an easy project to do with your kids over Christmas vacation! Even if you haven’t told them about the shooting, you can tell them you are making snowflakes for kids that are sad on the east coast.

Once your snowflake creations are complete, you can mail them to:

Connecticut PTSA
60 Connolly Parkway
Building 12, Suite 103
Hamden, CT 06514

And make sure they are sent by January 12th!

So get out that white printer paper and scissors and get to work! Let’s help make Sandy Hook a winter wonderland in January!

jen

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my uncommon slice of suburbia