Ainsley turns 3!

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. I love this time of year, it's the un-official start of summer for us. This weekend was spent completely centered around Ainsley. We had a great little party for her.

We had a little bbq with family and friends. I served grilled teriyaki chicken, and raspberry chipotle chicken. Caesar pasta salad, watermelon, Ainsley's favorite chips, swedish fish, her favorite candy, and chocolate chip cookie dough truffles. If you've never had cookie dough truffles, then you have never lived. These seriously are life changing! I made them because they are her absolute favorite!

I made these water bottle covers in power point. Probably the easiest thing about this party.

Just a simple rectangle in power point and some packaging tape.

And then of course the cake. I did a three layered yellow cake with swiss meringue butter cream frosting. It was quite easy to make, and so dang delicious! That frosting had ten sticks of butter in it! Isn't that insane! I tripled the recipe to cover the whole thing. Pretty sure everyone gained five pounds just from the cake!

I found these darling candles at Michael's. I loved the style, and the color is fabulous.

We had a kitty pinata. Her favorite animal, that took forever to break. 

I ordered the Melissa and Doug piggy bank for the girls as their activity and "thanks for coming" bag. They seriously were the cutest thing. It comes with everything to decorate them, and they are the perfect size. We had to move inside for this and the rest of the party due to a rain delay. It's literally been raining for four weeks straight here.

We had such a great weekend, and I can't believe she's already three! I'm so lucky to be her Mamma!

The Color Red

I have to admit, red is not the first color I gravitate towards when decorating. I usually use the cooler colors more, plum, turquoise, green. In fact I think the only things in my home right now that are red are the cherries and tomatoes I bought at the store, no joke. I really do like red in design, I guess I just haven't been bold enough. In turning a new design leaf, I've put together a little mood board of red products that I think are just what your home needs.

Stool - Viva Terra

Lobster tea towel - Dillard's

Orchids - Z Gallerie

Floor lamp - CB2

Pillow - Madeline Weinrib

Womb Chair - DWR

Toaster - Sur La Table

Phone - Urban Outfitters

Ellery Chair - West Elm

Tomorrow is Ainsley's birthday and I'm soooo excited. I'll be back Tuesday to share the details of her party!

Latest Rue

Issue number 5 of Rue has just come out, and there are some really great articles and homes to look through. Cortney and Robert from Sixx Design decorated a home with very unique and out of the box ideas. They are launching a new show in July, and I'm so excited to check it out. If you have a minute take a look at the magazine!

Images via Rue

Fabulous Front Porch Idea

I think this is an insanely genius idea. Look how welcoming and warm this front porch looks. Often times we spend so much of our effort on the inside of our homes, and neglect the first thing that people see. So even though this may be a tad bit over the top there are some great ideas.

Ken Fulk



One of my most favorite things from this picture is the mirror hanging by the door. It really creates that "homey" living room feel. Those curtains can't get over looked either. What a fun and interesting way to bring in textiles outdoors.

I also love the shapes of the plants and how many are used. Ken Fulk the designer did a similar look on the back porch with the same type of plants. It looks so clean.

Ken Fulk

He also didn't overlook the door. Painting the door is probably the cheapest and quickest way to create a different feel to your home, like in the space below. 

Decor Pad

Highs and Lows

Here is another amazing High/Low transformation. I blogged about a few of them a while ago here. I'm so drawn to these type of articles because good design doesn't have to be expensive. It needs to be thought out and well executed.

High $12,965



Low $5,040

Images

One of my favorite things about being a designer is being able to create a look for someone while thinking outside the box and staying within budget. The look won't obviously be the exact same, but can turn out just as chic and unique.

High $12,196

Low $1,999

Images



3rd Birthday Plans

Little girly's third birthday is next week and I don't know who's more excited, me or her. She has talked about her birthday since Christmas so it's good it's almost here. We're doing a BBQ with family and friends, and there are certain requests of items that need to be there. Like there needs to be a pink cake, a pink pinata, and pink food. The first two I've got covered, the last one not so much. Here are some inspiration pictures, and pictures of things I'm working on.

This is the cake I'm making. Now I'm not a cake decorator in the slightest, but I've watched enough you tube videos on the "how to". I've practiced and it's actually not that hard. I'm super excited to see her face.

I've loved this chandelier from the moment I saw it. In the last few weeks I've been seeing a lot of DIY copies of this. I chose the method with marti gras beads and bought 80 necklaces two weeks ago and am working on this not so easy project. I wanted it to hang over the food table, and then in her room after the bash.

I've got the water bottle covers all done. I had looked around for ones that I like, but decided to make my own.

I'll post the whole re cap when it's over. I can't believe she's already three, she used to be so little!

Living Outdoors

I think decorating outdoors is just as important as inside. It can give your home more space to "live" in. You want to make the outdoor space to feel just as thought out as the inside. Here are some of my favorite outdoor finds.

This outdoor pouf is the perfect accent piece to add. It's a great size, and can easily be moved around for extra seating anywhere.

This pillow is a great color to add that pizazz you need to liven up an outdoor space.

I absolutely love this umbrella. It's made to fit the size of a rectangular table.

It's all in the details when designing a space that gets used five or six months out of the year (at least here in Utah). These plates are the perfect detail to add.

All images World Plus

I love these stackable chairs. They're priced pretty reasonably to buy a few. They come in this funky green, black and white.



Ikea

I don't think you can ever have too many stripes. These umbrellas are so fun and classic.

Ikea

And lastly... lighting. You can have some fun with lighting outside, and these solar powered lights are no exception.

Ikea

The Look For Less

I'm working with a client right now just to add the finishing touches on her newly remodeled kitchen. They did the work themselves and turned it into an amazing kitchen. She has a long blank wall that needed a statement. The kitchen could use a little more light in it, so we decided to do a mirrored gallery wall. We're finding the mirrors one at time to keep the cost down and find more unique styles. I found this mirror at Home Goods for only $25!!!

I love the fact that it has dimension, and that it's not flush against the wall. This mirror sure reminds me of a more popular one from Williams Sonomoa Home priced at $262 on sale from $350. I think we'll stick with the look for less... thankyouverymuch.

Image

Alternative Neutral Colors

I like using these alternative (to tan) neutral colors on walls and bringing in color through the artwork and accessories.  Often people think of tan or brown when they hear neutral, but I like to use a lot of greys and slight blues. Here are a few of my favorites to use.

This is first and foremost my absolute favorite color. It's called Willow Creek from Benjamin Moore. It's not too dark, and fabulous against white. Paint your whole room this with stark white trim and you'll have a beautiful classic room that is ready for color.

Another fun one that has a slight tint of plum is Stunning Shade from Sherwin Williams. It's darker than the one above, but still has a great neutral-ness about it. (If that's even a phrase)

This color Pale Silver from Restoration Hardware is another great alternative.It has a more blue tint without being overbearing.

I know this color, Hazy Skies through Pottery Barn is a pretty popular color. I've been seeing it a lot in peoples homes. Just the other day I went to a shower and her kitchen was painted this color. It goes well with so many other colors that it's almost a palate cleanser for the eyes.

And lastly Tea Light from Benjamin Moore. This color is so soothing.

Latest Inspiration from Nesting Newbies

Some of my favorite features in the latest Nesting Newbies magazine were these amazing kitchens. The kitchen is one of my favorite parts of the home. Ainsley loves to help me cook or bake. She loves to do art projects and color. That's where our "dance parties" are. Having a three year old who is obsessed with Tangled there's a lot of dancing going around. I loved the different styles they shared, and the unique designs. I think there is something from every one of these images that I would love to incorporate into my kitchen.

Another article in the magazine was "Vacation Inspiration". They showed a picture of a gorgeous hotel from around the world, and gave suggestions to create the look at home.

"Kelly Green" With Envy

While doing some more research on my console project, I came across this fabulous picture. I just love the way this room is designed. The color of that dresser is fantastic, especially against the striped wall.

image

I am so drawn to this color "Kelly Green" lately.  This green is a very versatile color and makes a statement without being over done. I decided to look for some more inspiration:

Images via Lonny and Decor Pad