My Bulldog Pillow Chipped
Well this is just about the coolest thing I have seen in a really long time! As an Interior Designer picking paint colors is a standard part of the job and one I'm pretty good at since I've been doing this a **really** long time. Often times the color we choose comes from an inspiration piece, photo or fabric. I have always likes the Sherwin Williams colors and I like the fact that you can purchase inexpensive sample jars..the whole deal, they are a great company to work with. So when I saw Chip It, I was thrilled. It's a super easy application that you can drag into your tool bar and then when you see an image on the internet, you hover over it and Chip It. The coordinating colors will pop up next to your image. You can then save it to your own file or print it out. I Chipped a few of my products and here is how they turned out. So much fun!!!
My Sparrow Pillow Chipped
My Chanel Print Chipped
The beautiful Spring weather always puts me in the mood to reinvent my home. Time to clear out the clutter and re-design. This time I’m focusing on my two younger daughters who share a room. When we built this home they were only 2 and 3 years old. They have since grown into lovely 12 and 13 year olds and the baby pink room is about to grow up. I’ve been consulting with them and they are giving me very little lead way in the design process.
Raquel and Chyna picked the color palette. Dark Coral walls (I know-right?!?!) with accents in White, Black & Gold!!! Across from their beds they said they wanted a Bulletin Board “Wall” like the one seen in Kylie Jenner’s video. I also found this cute one on The Happy Home Blog, it’s not quite big enough for what we want to do but I wanted to share her idea with you. She shows you how you can make this yourself step by step on her blog. Something else I found on Pinterest is this super idea from The Vintage Treehouse. I love how she reinvents these old frames and lace to make jewelry holders.
Behind their beds I was thinking of doing something like this lit canvas as seen on Apartment Therapy. The idea kind of sent me running down a bunny trail but instead I've decided to paint two large canvas’s with all our colors, to tie the room together. Behind the paintings I’m going to paint a black and white border on the wall to frame them.
Rocky told me she really likes the silhouette pillows I made of them a few years ago, so I’m going to make new ones for them, trimmed in gold and backed in coral. I’ll also create a new heart pillow for them as well. Drapes will be a bold in black and white stripe and I’ll be adding a desk under the window with a funky chair of some sort. We already have a manikin. Her name is Lola and she’s super for belts, scarves and purses. Of course we’ll need a full-length mirror too…all of these ideas and more you’ll see unfold on the follow up posts.
So there you have it. From my sketches to my Mood Board, that’s the plan for their room. I will be posting updates to this project as I hope to have it completed in the next couple of months!
Some of you may know that I have two daughters that play Club Soccer. As much as I love being a soccer mom, the traveling can be exhausting. Recently we spent two weekends traveling to San Diego for State Cup. It’s a long drive from the Central Coast but we were lucky enough to be able to stay with my brother and his lovely wife instead of a hotel. After five hours of driving late at night we walked into their charming home with candles flickering and hugs all around. It made me realize how much I love candles and why don’t I light them more often? So when we got back I purchased some yummy candles for my home. Of course you need something pretty to put the candles in and I love lanterns. Places like Pottery Barn and World Market carry a large selection or you could be like Ohdeedoh contributor and DIY expert Katie Steuernagle (Courtesy of Design Sponge) and make your own out of spaghetti jars! Clever!! You can check it out here. It can also be as simple as making your own with a little sand and a tea light. Whatever your fancy, I recommend lighting a delicious candle or two this week and watch the atmosphere change in your home! You can buy delicious candles, I favor these by Zensual, at Stephen Patrick Design on Monterey St., downtown San Luis Obispo, right next door to the Bladerunner Salon & Spa.
1 Lantern available at Pottery Barn 2 Lantern available at Pottery Barn 3 DIY Sapghetti Jar Lanterns by Katie Steuernagle 4 Zensual Candles available at Stephen Patrick Design 5 DIY Mason Jar Candle holders
I love entertaining and decorating for a party...any day! So when my husband asked if I would do the table decorations for an office retirement party, I was all on board. It's going to be at one of our favorite local wineries too, so yes, very excited! But then he said, "It's for 10 tables...you only have $50." ummmmmmmm, Ok...let's see what I can do. Eeesh! Of course I went to my favorite inspiration website, Pinterest, to get ideas. Here are some of my favorites. I'm hoping the dollar store will have some vases and candles that will work for me. The party is this Saturday. I'll let you know if I meet his challenge!
First image is from SouthernHospitalityBlog. I figure, I have hydrangeas in my garden and they like to be submerged in water...just have to find the vases and the candles....
I love the simple elegance of both of these. Courtesy of Busybeemn.com and StemFloral.com
Last of all I really liked this table setting for a winery. I have tons of pine cones on our property...hmmm my wheels are ticking. Table setting from 100LayerCake.com
I'm open to your ideas too! Please share!
I can honestly say that I have never been this busy in my entire life. This is a good thing, I think...I just finished designing a new restaurant in Morro Bay, several home remodels going on, licensing deals with my lovely partner in New York (so exciting! but can't talk about yet), and of course, my three beautiful daughters who keep me endlessly driving to and fro... so finding time to blog lately, is kind of like finding time to read a good novel...I miss it! My latest distraction has been Pinterest. If you don't know what it is, it's a great place to create pin boards of all the fabulous things you find on the internet. Being an Interior Designer, I'm constantly researching and looking for inspiration and now I have one place where I can keep it all organized. The fun part of it is you can follow those with like interest...it just opens up a whole new world of friendships! Follow me! :-)
Why am I doing this? Procrastination!!! I have a huge deadline and so far today I watched the Women's World Cup, made french toast for the family, went to farmer's market and now I just had to post this... On our way back from farmers market we kept passing these adorable, hand made wedding signs. I just thought it was so clever..this one was at the end of our street...I wonder if they would sell it to us since my husband's name is Bill??
Oh happy Wednesday! I'm finishing details on new paintings, new fabric designs have shipped, & soon all new and exciting "green" table top designs!!! I've been having so much fun designing some printables to coordinate with my collections, that I think I have the formula down. I've also been obsessing over cupcakes lately and have been playing with all kinds of new recipes. Yesterday I was asked to be a last minute sub for my neighbors Bunco group (a lovely group of ladies!) so I whipped up these cupcakes and toppers to try them out. Since they were all gobbled up, I'd suppose I could say they were a success?!?!
Happy New Year everyone! I’ve been a bit behind in posting because I’ve been working on a new collection of tabletop linens and just like everyone else, trying to play catch up after weeks of entertaining, cooking and cleaning!
Sometimes my days are fairly lonely, sitting behind my computer drawing and playing with color. I started to think about how often I get asked questions about design. Like many professions, it seems as soon as people know what I do for a living, they have a long list of questions they want to ask. (I’m actually convo-ing with a friend on Facebook about color choices right now) The truth is, I really love to talk about design…I live it, breathe it, dream about it 24/7. I felt inspired to post the question on FB if anyone would be interested in a Free Design Workshop…I was really excited by the response. Even more exciting was when a friend of mine in Turkey asked if I wanted some help with it.
So this morning I woke up early (they are 10 hours ahead-this is the sunrise from my bathroom window, I know, stunning right?) and had my first Skype (Loving Skype too!!!) call to my friend Tara (the incredibly kind and wise master mind behind Turquoise Poppy). Tara knows all the ins and outs of having a web presence and she graciously spent an hour of her time consulting with me on how to create a viral video of DIY Design Classes to share with all of you. Even more than her consulting services, she guides you in following your inner creative passion. It was an incredibly inspiring conversation. I truly believe I have found a kindred soul.
The best thing about this is Tara offers her services via her website, Turquoise Poppy. If you are looking to create a larger web audience for your creative career or if you’re just trying to figure out what that career should be, I highly recommend consulting with her. BTW I love the name of her website, Turquoise Poppy. It signifies Turkey, the country where she now lives and Poppy for California, where she is from. Thoughtful….
The rest of my story…look for my on-line web design ideas next month!
A little while ago I mentioned that I was asked to be a contributor for HomeWorkShop.com. What a fantastic site for you design junkies out there! My first article just went live. I share how to create your own fabric for a room make-over. Check it out and let me know what you think! A very special thanks to my friend Jenny Malott who always takes the best pictures...and also to my talented friend, Nina Taylor, for her sewing magic!!!
I recently had the pleasure of speaking with a wonderful woman, Kathy Barlow, Chief Design Junkie and owner of one of the best design blogs out there, HomeWorkshop.com! I have followed the site since it began. It's loaded with valuable design advice, contests, and overall design inspiration. So how cool was it when she asked if I'd be interested in being a contributor? Ummmm....Yes!!! So I'm busy putting my thoughts on paper to share with HomeWorkshop very soon. Until then, I highly recommend you pouring yourself a cup of coffee and checking out this terrific site!
When we bought some land in the canyons 8 years ago, I always had this fantasy of growing my own flowers and vegetables. I had some luck in our San Luis home but that was waaaaaay smaller and fenced in. The only critters we had were a few squirrels and an occasional raccoon. Out here it’s just nutty! There are so many wild little creatures, frankly it can be a little scary. The dreaded three would be; the deer, the gofers, and yes, those cute little bunnies! Grrrrrr….So after planting hundreds of dollars worth of landscaping, apparently to feed all these guys, Bill and I just took a break from it all. On top of the fact that we had quite a large lawn that required a lot of water, which we soon saw wasn’t very environmentally conscious of us. So we let the lawn die off….but that’s another entry on my To Do list, to create some meandering paths.
So here is the beginning of our raised planter bed. We planted 3 bare root trees we got from Costco last weekend. Next step is to lay some chicken wire and get some dirt. My neighbor told me you can sometimes get free dirt on Craigs List so I’m going to check that out.
What I’ve learned so far.
Building a garden is a great way to get your children out of the house. It’s a wonderful setting for a conversation with the one you love and it’s a great teacher of patience.
These are seeds I've collected over the years...they're probably no good anymore, but the possibility of them makes me happy!
Patterns, patterns, everywhere...in my dreams, in my journal, and now on my computer. I've been working up all kinds of fun projects that I'll be offering soon! But in a moment of taking a break and doing a little research I came across this great, easy to follow, tutorial on making a clutch purse by U Handbag, supplier of all things purse related for the DIY sewers out there. You can follow her great tutorial here.
Have you ever wondered how much paint you would need to repaint your bedroom? Or how about how much fabric you'll need to upholster Grandma's old chair? Well, here you go! Not only do I love Domino Magazine but their website is loaded with ideas, links, and great design content. Try it for yourself here! 
As some of you know, I actually own two businesses. You most likely know me from one of them, either from my boutique that specializes in nurseries and exquisite bedding lines or from my Interior Design work under WM Design Consultants. I've been really blessed the past few years to design some of the most beautiful homes in the area, as well as, Palazzo Giuseppe's in San Luis Obispo and recently, Rosa's restaurant in Pismo Beach. As the projects grew I knew I would need some help. I feel very fortunate to have my niece, Shaunah, on board for over a year now. I know she looks like she's 16 but she's actually a tiny bit older than that. Shaunah graduated with a BS Degree in Interior Architecture from UC Davis. She is young and hip and right on the pulse of design. Don't let her gorgeous appearance fool you (now I'm the embarrassing Aunt talking), this gal is smart and extremely good at Interior Design! Below, I've asked Shaunah to give one of her design tips...the first of many to come! Just know, if you're looking for a little design advice don't be shy to ask either one of us. We love what we do and we would love to help you! 
Shaunah's DIY Design Tip!
To create a classy, yet subtle look of vertical or horizontal stripes on the walls of a room, the trick is in the paint color and finish. Rather than picking two different paint colors, just decide on one color you are in love with. Have it mixed in a semi-gloss finish and then again in a high-gloss finish with some white added in to tint it just a couple shades lighter than the original color (make sure you have enough of this second color mixed to complete the entire room, as it may be hard to match it exactly if you run out). This will give the stripes only a subtle contrast from each other, but enough to make a noticeable impact. First paint the entire room in the semi-gloss base color. After it dries, tape off your stripes; I recommend stripes that are no thinner than 10" in width and no thicker than 16", larger stripes for a larger scale room, and smaller stripes for a smaller room. Now you are ready to fill in every-other stripe with your high-gloss tinted color. The result is a sophisticated and unique wall treatment that is certain to add a bit of glamor to any room!
*Helpful tip for creating crisp lines between your stripes: After taping off the outlines of your stripes over the base color, take a small brush or roller and paint over the edges of the tape with same color you just applied to the walls. This will seal the edges of the tape and ensure that none of the high-gloss top coat will leak underneath to create an uneven line.
I'm back! My hook-up was down a few days but everything is running smooth again! Last night I met a lovely woman and her gorgeous daughter in my showroom. They were very interested in some chairs I had made. I told them they could do it themselves too! I purchased the Queen Ann style chairs from Beach House unfinished furniture in San Luis Obispo. I painted them hot pink and then reupholstered them with a yummy black and white Damask Pattern. Black & white polka dots would be very cute too! Have fun creating and have a very happy holiday! http://www.housefabric.com
There's no doubt about it, color effects our mood, our appetite and the way we look at the world. It's been this funny little thing in the building I've moved into...one by one I've been asked to select their colors. (I love doing that by the way.) I love color and the bolder the better. Even people I know who are afraid of color are so pleased when they finally make the plunge. Just remember it's only paint and it's really quite easy to change. Domino Magazine has a great website for ideas and recently they've added a slide show of room color ideas. I love how they used black paint to create a graphic "frame". Very mod! Using paint in a contrasting color is a great trick that can also be done around windows and doors as an inexpensive way to create architectural interest. Fun inspiration! http://www.dominomag.com
The holidays will be here before you know it! I came across this lovely gift idea for us parents who have stacks of beautiful, original artwork from our children. This company will take your child's artwork and create a custom poster of their art that not only looks professional, it's really something special...great gift idea for the grandparents!!! http://www.zsquaredgraphics.com
