Bae Home & Design Giveaway Winner!

I have an announcement to make. . .

The winner of the Bae Home & Design giveaway for a $75 gift certificate is. . . Jen from Our Fine House.

I know she wont have a hard time spending the gift certificate, as Bae Home & Design's online store has tons of unique treasures to choose from. They even have some gorgeous holiday decor as well. Congrats Jen and happy shopping!

Desk Reveal

The chair that I ordered for my step daughter's bedroom way back in September finally arrived!

 Home Decorators James Side Chair

If you recall I have been slowly but surely redoing her bedroom, one ugly piece of furniture at a time. My latest project was her desk. Take a look at the before picture;

Ugh! This hand-me-down desk and chair came from my inlaws and had been screaming for a makeover for the longest time. I debated back and forth about painting it a fun and bright color, but in the end I decided to go with white. (It's timeless and will grow with her from being a ten year old and into her teens.)  I sanded, primed and painted the piece and added new hardware and WOW what a difference!

I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing the transformation that takes place when you paint and revamp an otherwise dated and unattractive looking piece of furniture and turn it into something updated and chic! It's such a gratifying feeling.

So what do you think? Pretty drastic, right?! I love the way it turned out. Originally I had planned on finding cutesy, decorative hardware but the desk required 12 and I couldn't find anything budget friendly. I decided to go with these simple brushed nickle knobs that were only 90 cents a piece and I'm glad I did. They look perfect on the desk and coordinate with the other metal finishes in the room (like the chair, waste basket, etc.)

Amazon Brushed Nickel Knobs

 Here's one more shot of the new and improved desk;

To see more on Jordyn's bedroom makeover go here, here or here. Next on the to-do list, a custom headboard and bedskirt. . .

Give the gift of great design!

Looking for a Christmas gift for your mother-sister-aunt-friend, etc. and don't have the slightest idea what to give them? How about an E-Design package from JPM Design?!

Each design package includes: 

 - Design concept board in pdf format complete with color samples, ample photos and visual aid to inspire your new space
 - Scaled floor plan including furniture arrangements
 - Product shopping guide containing links to online resources
 - Suggestions for accessorizing and ideas for revamping old pieces, all within your budget
 - Detailed explanation of your design and step-by-step instructions on how to pull everything together

Here's an example of an E-Design package I put together for a client recently;

Think of our E-Design services as your personal roadmap to remodeling or redecorating a space in your home. I'm running a special from now until the end of December. . . all packages are 25% off!

Entryways and Bathrooms:  $100  $75!
Dining Rooms, Bedrooms, Home Offices $125  $94!
Living Rooms, Family Rooms, Kitchens: $150  $112!
Three dimensional renderings of the space: $75 each  $56 each!


If you've shopped around you will know that these are extremely low and competitive rates for online design services. I think that great design shouldn't cost a lot of money and I strive to provide my clients with quality services at an affordable price. If you are interested, contact me today as slots are limited!

Turquoise & Lime Green Christmas!

via BHG

 via Pinterest

via Wisteria 

via Desire to Inspire 

via Centsational Girl

via Veranda

via Pinterest

via Completely-Coastal

 via Martha Stewart

 via BHG

 via Dooby Design

via Unknown

Can you guess what theme I'm going with for my Christmas decor this year?! Yup, you guessed it. A little turquoise and lime green, a little silver and maybe even a couple of white star fish thrown in the mix. We'll see how it turns out! I'm recovering from the crazy Black Friday shopping trip and putting my tree and other Christmas decorations up today. Don't you just love the day after Thanksgiving?! I sure do :) I hope everyone has recovered from their turkey hangovers and has a wonderful weekend! 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

images via BHG, Martha Stewart, House & Home, and Pinterest

I hope everyone has a fantastic Turkey Day! I'm spending the day gorging my face with my husband and new in-laws. Then I am considering venturing out into the chaos that is Black Friday so wish me luck! Make sure you check back tomorrow though, as I will be in full Christmas decorating mode and you won't want to miss it! :) See you then!

Wedding Wednesday: Thumbprint Tree

Lots of brides now days are trying to find fun and unique ideas to incorporate into their weddings. I know I sure was when I was planning mine! Instead of a traditional guest book at the wedding reception, I opted for a 'thumbprint tree'. These have gained in popularity over the last couple of years, but are still a unique spin on the old traditions of guest books or signing a picture frame mat.

This post I did over a year ago on wedding thumbprint trees is the #3 post of all time on this blog, having been viewed almost 5,000 times. Crazy! I guess these babies are popular!

There are tons of wedding thumbprint trees out there to purchase. Etsy alone has hundreds to choose from. I decided to go the cheaper DIY route and create my own! I bought a sheet of nice quality multimedia art paper from Michaels and sketched out a fun and whimsical tree. Once I got it just right, I went over the drawing using a fine tip sharpie. I customized it by drawing our initials 'engraved' in the tree trunk and drew our names and wedding date at the bottom. I found turquoise and lime green mini stamp pads from Joanns for guests to ink up their thumbs to 'leaf' a print. By the end of the night it was filled with our all 75 guests thumbprints and ready to take home to be framed!

I created a picture table that had framed wedding photos from my husband and I's families (parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents) as well as a clothesline of pictures of us growing up and throughout our relationship. I used this table for the wedding thumbprint tree. I really loved the way it all turned out. I even created a burlap banner that read 'All you need is love' and draped it across the table. (Which just so happened to be the song I walked down the aisle to!) The entire table was a great focal point and such a personal touch and I think our friends and family really liked it too!

Quicky

Do you want to know the best part about using potted orchids for table decor at your wedding? (Aside from being totally eco-friendly. . .) You get to take them home and enjoy them for months to come! Here's one of the orchids sitting on the ottoman in my living room;

Myself and several friends and family all took home the orchids that we used as centerpieces. I love that we were able to purchase these a week before the wedding (from a local farmers market for only $8 each!) and that they will last as long as they get some sun light and a little TLC.

Do you find it hard to keep orchids alive and blooming? Here's a quick tip. . . DO NOT over water them! Once every 10-14 days is typically sufficient.

Want to see my DIY orchid bouquets I made for my wedding? Go here!

Passionate for Purple

Decorating with purple isn't just for young girls or teens anymore. . . if done correctly it can look sophisticated and very grown up. Take a look at these rooms plastered in posh shades of purple and see what I mean;

via Elle Decor

 via Domino

via House & Home

via Withflourish.blogspot

via Elle Decor

via House Beautiful 

 via Decorpad

via Coastal Living

via Elle Decor

Mix and Match Chairs

I think the first time I saw a dining area with mix and matched chairs was on the set of 'Friends' back in the 90's. I remember loving Monica's hand-me-down, shabby chic apartment. . .especially those chairs!

Fast forward to 2011 and you will notice that more and more people are opting for non-matching dining chairs. Who says all of the chairs around a table need to match, anyway?! I love straying from the typical 'decorating rules' every now and again, and this rule was meant to be broken! When a home is filled with  with eclectic, collected pieces that work well together you can't help but create a unique and inviting interior. Take a peak and you will see what I mean;

via Belle Maison 

 via Domino 

via Living Etc. 

via Unknown

via Apartment Therapy

via Design Sponge 

via Elle Decor

via House and Home

via Nest DC

via La Dolce Vita

 via Greg Scheidemann

via Peacock Feathers

via Young House Love

What about you? Would you dare to go non-matching? Or would it feel like leaving the house with two different shoes on your feet?! Please share :)