Tag: interior design

a walk down memory lane

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some old photos of the kids rooms popped up on my facebook memories yesterday.

the photo below is baby girls room in january 2013. the tissue paper flowers were from her 1st birthday party in 2010! they hung in our playroom for a few years and then i added them to her bedroom.

i also made the paper bag sunflowers.

five years ago, when baby girl was only 3, i could do pretty much whatever I wanted to do with her room. i had fun playing around with DIY decorations, thrifted items, and some of the artwork i had in her baby room.

a couple years ago we ended up having the kids switch rooms. i think i ended up moving all the furniture by myself one day when ryan was out of town. i remember it being really messy and hard and wondering why i decided to do it.

the following photo is one i took on my phone this morning. totally not staged for a photo shoot, but a comparison.she loves pigs, so she dictates the design of her room now…i just add bits and pieces when she lets me.

the photo below is in the same room as the photo above, but it was the little guys room 5 years ago.

he was 5 and loved everything batman.

the decorations on his wall next to the bed were from his golden birthday party that was a super hero theme.

i had a love/hate relationship with his bunk/twin beds. we traded them out for a full bed a few years ago and there are some rare occasions when i wish we had held onto the twin beds (like when we have visitors and i wish the kids could just sleep in the same room together).he is now in baby girls old room. they each got to choose an accent wall color when we had our house repainted in 2016. his favorite color is purple.

he is a little more easy going when it comes to the decorations in his room. i was able to repurpose some dog prints that we used to have in our family room. it love how it worked out because on the wall to the right of the photo i found a decal that is a lab carrying a lacrosse stick. you can also see the pillow on the bed with max the lax dog.  the lacrosse storage organizer is from pottery barn, but is used to display a vintage lacrosse stick that my dad gave him, and a pair of gloves from a former professional lacrosse player. he says it’s one of his favorite parts of his room.

i am hoping to write more posts that are interiors related this year as i also hope to start doing design work for clients here in the portland metro area.

what kind of posts would you like to see more of this year?

i’d love to hear your requests and comments!!

refreshing reveal

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last year at this time we were packing up our entire house and getting ready for a big refresh of our spaces.

i never really got around to blogging about the updates, and I have really missed blogging, so i thought i would jump right back into it with posts about the updates we made in our home!

if you’ve followed my blog for years, then you have already seen the transformation of our kitchen BEFORE last summer…if you’re new, you can jump to this post to see where we came from.

2008…

9-kitchen 2-2008

4-kitchen 2-2008

12-kitchen 2-2008

2-kitchen 2-2008

fast forward to twenty-sixteen…

1-kitchen 2-2016

4-kitchen 2-2016

5-kitchen 2-2016

7-kitchen 2-2016

and, here is the PRESENT…

we didn’t change the layout.

we didn’t buy new cabinets.

we kept our appliances.

we didn’t change the lighting.

what did we change?!

i’ll tell you in my next post…stay tuned.

home is…finally revealing our refresh.

{before and after} home is in the kitchen

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we moved into our current house eight years ago.

we’ve done a lot of work on our home, but parts of it still need some major updating.

when we moved in, i took photos of all of the rooms in the house. i didn’t write a blog back then, but as an interior designer, i was used to taking “before” photos for client projects.

i knew that this house would be an ever evolving project of my own, so wanted to make sure i had photos.

i have written a post about our backyard using our “before” photos, but i haven’t written about any of the interior spaces with the before photos.

we are in the process of working on some additional updates to the house, so i thought it would be fun to start some “before and after” posts.

so, here it goes…

9-kitchen 2-2008

one of the reasons we bought this house eight years ago was because it wasn’t updated. yes, you read that right. we looked at houses that had been updated, but none of them had been updated the way we liked. and, even bigger than that, none of them had the lot that this house has. you can always change the interior of your home, but you can’t add to the lot it sits on!

8-kitchen 2-2008

the view from the kitchen window has changed a lot over the last eight years!

10-kitchen 2-2008

we updated all the appliances first.

4-kitchen 2-2008

then, i added our mason jar pendant lights.

12-kitchen 2-2008

11-kitchen 2-2008

in 2013, we {i} painted the cabinets…

2-kitchen 2-2008

and, we had laminate flooring installed on our entire first floor.

fast forward to twenty-sixteen…

1-kitchen 2-2016

2-kitchen 2-2016

3-kitchen 2-2016

4-kitchen 2-2016

5-kitchen 2-2016

6-kitchen 2-2016

7-kitchen 2-2016

these photos were taken at approximately the same time of day during february…eight years apart!

after living through the transition over the last eight years, i needed a side by side…

before and after 1

before and after 2

before and after 3

before and after 4

before and after 5

before and after 6

before and after 7

you guys, the majority of the change came from PAINT!

yes, we put in new appliances and floors, but the big change came on the walls and cabinets.

that being said, if i had it to do all over again, i would have gone about the painting differently. three years ago my kids were three and five and home with me most days. i did this all over the summer with them home! so, the paint job is far from professional, but it makes a big difference!

i cannot go into HOW to paint your cabinets…there are a lot of other places to figure that out, but what i can say is if you think it will make a difference in your kitchen {and home}, it will. there is no question about that.

IMG_5351

well, that was a lot of fun. i am excited to visit each of the main rooms in our home {before and after} in the next few weeks!

home is…eight years and a little paint.

{31 days} pyrex collection

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{31 days} header

 ~thrifted~

Remember back on {day 4} where I posted a photo collage of a bunch of the things I collect and then encouraged you to display your collections? Well, this post is about how I display some of my pyrex collection as storage in my sewing hutch.

{That little jar was covered with a vintage tea-towel that I received from my grandmother. Just used mod podge to stick it on and the wrapped twine around the top and hot glued it!}

The pyrex is stacked on top of other items, stacked on top of other pyrex, and used to hold trim and fabric.

And, a mini-globe bank that I picked up in Central Oregon.

I also use some of my vintage scale collection to hold the pyrex.

{I also have a huge collection of Mary Engelbreit stuff…not thrifted or secondhand, but from the dollar bins at Michaels.}

Through thrifting, I have been able to finally turn my house into the home I had imagined on a budget that is realistic.

home is….{31 days} a thrifted pyrex collection.

Join me while I link up with The Nester every day in October for #write31days.
Click here to find a list of all 31 posts as they are published.

{our home} is what thrifting makes it

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I started “thrifting” a few months ago.

I’ve always liked to go “treasure hunting“…at antique stores, the Farm Chicks show, and other local markets/shoppes.

Initially, I went through a run when I would stop at a Goodwill almost every day of the week.

Through thrifting, I have been able to finally turn my house into the home I had imagined on a budget that is realistic.

It has recharged my creativity…for crafts and interior design.

Not to mention, I’ve started a few collections…

Vintage children’s books, map puzzles, embroidery hoops, vintage toys, globes, scales, vintage board games funky old artwork, and vintage pyrex.

I no longer go everyday, but you can bet if I drive by a Goodwill that I will most likely pull into that parking lot for a quick look around.

These photos are from my sewing desk…I don’t actually sew there, but it stores my sewing machine, fabric, and other pretty stuff.

It makes me happy.

Oh, and I have ALWAYS collected Mary Engelbreit stuff.

What recharges your creativity?

Do you collect anything?

home is…creatively recharged.

{our home} gallery walled

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I’ve been talking about doing a home tour here on the blog, and today I was inspired by Sarah over at Thrifty Decor Chick to share our bathroom.

Our little, tiny powder bath.

We painted and put a new vanity and light in there over a year ago.

It was improved, but boring.

If you’ve been to our home, chances are you’ve been stuck in the powder bath lately (up until last week, the pocket door would stick…bad).

The good news is there is lots for you to look at if you do get stuck in there.

After the holidays, I finally got around to hanging artwork and photographs up on our walls (it only took 4 years).

This spring, I started to find some fun items while thrifting.

Along with some original artwork from family, some photographs, the kids hand and foot prints, my old teddy bear, a chalkboard from The Farm Chicks Show, and a few frames filled with cork the walls of this small room filled up quickly.

There are still a few frames to fill , but I love this room.

After we installed the new vanity, I was bothered by the fact that the wall around the vanity needed to be repaired, the flooring needed to be replaced, and we were missing some trim. You can see it all in the photo below…

In hindsight, I would have left the old vanity and just painted it.

The artwork, paint, new faucet, and lighting add what I was really looking for in this room.

home is…something to look at.

happy, happy…

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SITS day to me!

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What is a SITS day, you ask?

Well, here is the low down…

So, to make a long story short, I am the Featured Blogger for today.

I’ve got to admit, I’m a little nervous…

I really never thought *my* SITS day would come.

I just thought I would get involved to read other blogs and learn some things.

And, here it is.

Yay, me!

I have butterflies in my belly…

I started blogging as an outlet when I became a stay at home mom to my little guy in 2008.

I made the hardest decision in my life (and the best) to leave a job I loved and stay at home with him full-time when he was 9 months old (until that time I had worked part-time from home or bringing him to the office with me…yeah, I had an awesome boss).

I was starving to still be connected to the world of interior design.

So, I started a blog.

Then, I started another blog to keep family updated on our adventures in the Pacific Northwest.

Eventually, I decided to merge the two as I found that there was beginning to be some overlap.

Now, I write about the adventures of our family of four (we had our second…a little girl…in 2009), my projects, crafts, and anything else I feel like writing about.

I started blogging for myself, then eventually for my kids, and now I find it fun when I inspire others with what I write here.

In the end, I write about what makes our home a home because {of course} home is…what you make it!

Thanks for visiting me today.

Still have butterflies…

I hope you will take some time to look around and let me know what you think!

You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (homeisablog), and Pinterest.

home is…sharing my blog with the SITS community.

{holiday home tour} bits and pieces

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I am still working on some last minute decorating and then plan to get the house cleaned up and enjoy some time with the kiddos and Ryan once the weekend rolls around.

Here are some photos of our family room.

You will notice the trolls on the mantel and a project that I borrowed from Pinterest.

I am using the same fabric covered bulletin board to display our Christmas cards from family and friends as I did last year. Only this year I added a string of lights with ribbon tied on it as a frame {a Pinterest find}.

I also made a garland for the windows in the family room.

As you can see, I am not sticking with the traditional red and green of Christmas.

Once I get the craft room {or dining room table} cleaned I can show you the decorations I have in there.

I still have a few projects to finish up before I can get to that!

You can also see our playroom, backyard, and mantel on my {holiday home tour}

Stay tuned…

home is…may your days be merry and bright!

*linking up with…The Shabby Creek Cottage, Just Sew Sassy, Today’s Creative Blog, I Gotta Create, and Bleak 2 Unique

3 years…happy blogiversary to me

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It’s been 3 years since I started blogging.

When I started, it was mainly to write about interior design and green living as I had just decided to stay at home full-time with the little guy and left a job/profession/career that I LOVE.

It was hard to deal with the fact that I would no longer call myself an interior designer.

I was wrong.

I will always be an interior designer.

Just like I will, thanks to the little guy and baby girl, always be a mom.

My blogging has evolved.

I once had 3 blogs.

Now I just have one and I think I will keep it that way.

Happy blogiversary to me!

Here is a flashback to one of my very first posts.

home is…being a blogger.

shopping for inspiration

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If you take a walk through our home and inventory where the furniture came from you will find this:

1. IKEA

2. Pottery Barn

3. Crate & Barrel

Although I enjoyed ordering custom furniture that I had never sat in (or had even seen more than a photo of) with fabric that I just saw a swatch of for the clients I used to do work for, I like to sit in, touch and feel the furniture that goes into our own home.

I have always loved furniture and homegoods stores. I remember the old FB Design (or was it FB Home, I can’t remember) in the old Southglenn Mall in Denver. I loved going there with my parents (this was when i was under the age of 8 because after that we moved away to Fort Collins and when we moved back FB Design was no more).

This week baby girl and I were busy running errands on Tuesday so we had our adventure day on Wednesday.

We went to IKEA!

When I shop, I mainly shop for inspiration. This is what I was inspired by…

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home is…going shopping for inspiration.