• The “Fire” Room Spa Room Painting and Design Reveal

    I’m finally posting about my third spa room design project for sponsor and local Aveda concept spa, Casa Verde Salon and Spa. You’ll remember that they hired me to redesign each of their three spa rooms, beginning with the “Earth Room,” for which I painted Birch trees. The second one I completed was the “Water Room,” a room that combined a little industrial with a little modern French Recoco. That room received a lovely calla lily painting. For the “Fire Room,” I painted a crimson oriental poppy… This is how the “Fire Room” looked before…   And this is how the room turned out, after a fresh coat of paint, new furniture and accessories, and custom wall art detail…   I found some glazed poppy plates from Home Goods and hung them with plate hangers, and turned them into 3-D wall art…   The drapes are from Target, but all […]

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  • DIY Chalkboard Notecards

    Chalkboard art is everywhere. It’s super charming, and so simple to create. Well…okay…let me back up. Conceptually, it’s so easy, but in reality, chalkboard art requires lots of practice and a steady hand. If you are new to chalkboard art, here are some helpful how-to tips. And, for inspiration, these are my favorite chalkboard artists (you can buy their prints on etsy here and here!) Remember when I tried my hand at it? That was NOT a 15 minute project… I posted about the amazing baby shower thrown in my honor on Tuesday. As a hostess gift for each of the 9 hostesses of my recent baby shower for Number 6, I needed a personal, but affordable gift. I decided to make them each a set of personalized blank notecards with their initials and unique sentiments. There are so many ways you can use this idea. It’s pretty simple…Here’s how […]

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  • The “Water” Spa Room Painting and Design Reveal

    I’m way overdue in posting about this painting and room re-design. I love so many elements in this room, I wish it was at my house! This is the second of three spa rooms at Casa Verde Salon and Spa that I’ve had the privilege of designing and decorating. You may remember that I revealed the “Earth” room last month. The paintings for each room were commissions specifically for the salon. I’m super pleased with the way each room has turned out. The painting the salon commissioned was for calla lilies. I’ve never painted callas, but quickly fell in love with their sculptural shape and majestic presence. This was mid-process, which you may have seen if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook… The calla lily painting completed… …and as it looks in the completed spa room… The drapes, furniture, and most decor items for this room were purchased at […]

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  • Mural, Painting, and Spa Room Design Reveal

    I’ve been blessed with some opportunities lately to combine my artistic skills and interior design interest. Casa Verde, an Aveda Salon and Spa, hired me to redesign the decor of their three rooms for spa treatments. The three rooms are themed individually: Earth, Water, and Fire. If you follow me on instagram, you’ve seen sneak peeks of the process throughout the last few weeks. I have just completed the Earth room this week, and am excited to share it with you! I hope there are ideas you can take away from this project that will inspire you in your own spaces at home! I was given the freedom to create the color and concept of this room from start to finish…It was so fun! I chose paint colors: Behr “Squirrel”, Martha Stewart “Bedford Gray”, and Behr “Powdered Snow.” (If you’ve been following my kitchen remodel, you may recognize these paint colors!) […]

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  • Birthday Boy Tea Party

    Number 4 turned 4 last week. My little man requested a “real” tea party, and I gladly obliged. Who says you can’t enjoy a civilized affair of tea and finger sandwiches with young gentlemen, just as you would with young ladies. I’ve always enjoyed teatime with my boys, but we’ve never gone to such great lengths for little people. My birthday boy happened to want pink cupcakes and special treats, but he would’ve been happy with pb & j with his friends. Teatime is all about sharing an would-be ordinary moment of tea and munchies in the extraordinary way of savoring and slowness. We all need a little more of savoring and slowness, don’t you think? Here are some highlights from his special little celebration… On the menu…cheesecake stuffed strawberries …scones with clotted cream and lemon curd… …deviled eggs, cheddar slices cut out as flowers, and chicken sandwiches with cranberries and […]

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  • Gratitude and Murmuring + Free Printables

    Gratitude is en vogue, is it not? And there is indeed no shortage of thanksgiving this time of year… …however, if my own life is any indication, complaining and murmurings can often be as plentiful as the observances of gratitude. I’m so tired of _______. Why me? Can I just get a break? It’s not pretty. But these murmurings of complaint really do leave my lips…and I forget that there is no room for both gratitude and murmuring. A perennial favorite around here, E.M. Bounds cuts right down to what it is to be more than simply thankful in our hearts, but with our lips as well. A little gift for you today…2 free 8×10 printables of this great reminder. Download the first one here. And this one here. Blessings to you, friends. I pray that praise and thanksgiving will be so full within our hearts that there would simply be […]

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  • The Painting Process: Sunny Sunflower

    My dear friend, Susan, has been redecorating her home, a room at a time. It’s such an honor when a friend loves your artwork enough to invest in more than one piece for her home. While she already owned the Sepia Rose for her master bedroom, Susan commissioned me to do a custom piece to coordinate with her family room. Her drapery fabric is the Simone pattern from Pottery Barn: The challenge was to choose a subject that matches her personality, the feel of her home, and the colors represented in this fabric. Susan loves sunflowers for their bold, cheery, and warm presence. I started out with red sunflowers, but didn’t like how it would look against a beige wall, and adjacent to a robin’s egg blue wall in the kitchen. Though these instagram pics don’t show it, the positioning of these red sunflowers just didn’t feel quite right… …so […]

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  • Vintage Soda Bottles Become Vases

    Sometimes it’s all in the details. Details don’t have to be expensive, fancy, or extravagant. It’s most satisfying when you use what you have to create something special. I recently dressed up the entry to my potager for a party I hosted in the garden. Don’t they seem to just say, “Welcome!” I’m at Beautifully Rooted today, sharing a tutorial on how to make this cluster of hanging vintage soda bottle vases. Come check out the step by step instructions!

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  • Mason Jar Chandelier For The Arbor

    You know I’ve been obsessed with all things mason jar for a long time. I’ve used them to light the backyard and for drinking iced coffee, and now, I’ve finally turned them into a light fixture for the arbor! I recently held a birthday party in the garden, which provided the perfect excuse to complete a DIY lighting project I had seen here and here. It’s a fairly simple project, unlike the electrically wired mason jar chandelier I had hoped to make for the dining room (and decided against in favor of a happy marriage. ). You can do it in a day, so give it a try! You will need: One 1″ x 6′ piece of pine a drill a jigsaw a compass 4 pint sized mason jars with lids jute rope acrylic caulk 4 votive candles (I used large tealights from IKEA) 2 hooks for hanging Start by cutting […]

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  • A Birthday Party In The Potager

    My potager’s all grown up. Its not simply feeding our family with veggies, it is serving our family in hospitality. Our potager made a lovely debut last weekend, playing host to a birthday gathering for my dear friend, Tara — a friend of 17 years! As an aside, a friendship is much like a garden, isn’t it? The soil of like-mindedness must be tilled, the seeds of trust are planted, then watered with God’s Grace. With diligent weeding with honesty and courage, the enjoyment of the glorious bouquets from the garden is bountiful. A garden, a celebration, a few good friends, and a mini dessert buffet in honor of a sweet birthday girl: …some of the birthday girl’s favorite things… …remember how I strung some lights and decided to make the most of what space we have? I’m so thankful to have this tiny piece of suburbia! …I finally made […]

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  • Sweet Baby H {A Photo Shoot}

    I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I have GREAT respect for baby photographers. No, not babies who take pics, you silly! I mean, photographers who can magically produce peaceful, still, precious images of tiny newborn subjects…subjects who cry, wiggle, leak, and are completely unpredictable! I tried my hand at photographing our dear friends’ baby girl last week…I have much to learn as a photographer, but I’m honored to have captured some images of this sweet family.

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  • DIY Driftwood 3 Light Pendant with Anthropologie Caged Lights

    I simply can’t buy anything full price…or even half off. But, when caged pendant lights go 75% off at Anthropologie…I’m in! I really do feel thankful when I find a deal. It’s always a little reminder that the Lord is in the small things too. You know I’m always tinkering with the house, and making little changes that make a big difference in the mood and feel of my home. This was one such project. The Preacher drilled three holes into a piece of driftwood I had for decor, and disassembled each pendant and reassembled them after threading the wire through the holes. Brilliant, I know. I’m the ideas, but he’s the know-how for sure! Once reassembled and adjusted to the right length, each cord is knotted on the other side of the driftwood to hold in place. The driftwood is attached to the ceiling via hooks and jute string. […]

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