Jessica's Pillows

I finally feel like I am getting back to my regular pace. 

Things are still a tad disjointed but I can manage now.

Earlier this week a completely wonderful and long awaited for package arrived! My client Jessica had been VERY patiently waiting for me to sew 4 little pillows since before our move. I had the fabric and I can whip together 4 pillows moderately quickly. So what was the problem you ask? I ordered the down pillow inserts from one company only to be told 3 days after placing the order that one size I had chosen was no longer available and the other size was backordered...so I chose another company. Only you can't get fast shipping from them. So I placed the order, waited 4 days to receive a shipping notice and 7 more days for the pillows to finally come.

But, finally it all came together!

I made my own piping and whipped them up as quickly as possible.

I always try to make pillows double-sided so you can change the look up from day to day

The houndstooth is probably my favorite pillow I've ever made! I want this pillow...

The two lumbar pillows are the exact same:chevron ikat on one side and a modern multi plaid on the other. I love all of these fabrics. They are just so fun!

I can't wait to see them in Jessica's space. She was excited to have them and loves them. It's always a great feeling when your client loves what you've done.

At the end of a long day of being patient with mom, my son (who is 9) said, "Mama, I just love how you make everything so nice to look at. It's awesome!" Then he promptly fell asleep under the coffee table.

Something I Adore

I do this post from time to time mostly to share what is of great personal interest to me and to see if it strikes a chord with anyone else as well.

Right now I am all about cottage appeal. The new house is well suited to what I have found as my signature design style: coastal Nantucket cottage meets farmhouse chic. 

I know that's not actually a thing but those are the combinations that appeal to me and to my (becoming pickier the older he gets) husband.

I'm fairly traditional: I like the classic look, Craftsman architectural details, a little bit of rustic, and a little bit of glam. It's fairly eclectic, but I feel like that's what makes it more real for our family.

Right now all I can think about is the details: trim work, planked ceilings, wood floors, and scads of honed marble tile. 

These are a few of my favorite things that I just can't stop looking up whenever I have even two seconds to sit at the computer!

I love the white painted ceilings here

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I do have an obsession with Sarah Richardson's designs. Her designs are so spot on to what I love it's hard not to be obsessed. I adore her eco-friendly cottage (the dining space is pictured below). My signature colors are blues,grays, and jade greens so it's pretty much my dream space.

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Her farmhouse also resonates with me. I could live there happily for the rest of my life ;)

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Her most recent work was seen in webisodes on her design site and combines the cottage/farmhouse appeal. I love this place!!! I love that she keeps the wood ceiling raw and just whitewashes it. The place only has 8 foot ceilings, but the wood doesn't make it feel small. Instead it opens it up!

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I'm hoping to bring out my house's inner cottage a bit more with a few details like these. Just another little something that I adore.

Wish me luck, I'm about to get to planking!

Our Tree and Trials

You know that time when you're supposed to be working like a crazy person? When you've staggered clients to have the most efficient use of your time? I just did that. I had it all planned out, had clients staggered and all sorts of grand plans made. Then, several things happened at once: We moved, the attic isn't decked here yet so the garage is full of things that should be in the attic - that does not make for a great working environment, then I had trouble getting in the really good down pillow inserts for a client, then the plumbing backed up on us, then a massive storm came through and took out our favorite tree.

Right after it fell - taken from my front door

It missed the house by two feet...very grateful for small blessings right now!

My husband said, "I wish we could tell people a really cool story like 'it was hit by lightening' but no, it was just 80+ mph winds!"

My husband loved this tree and wanted to save the half we had left. Here he is cutting up what was already down in the yard.

We noticed something super sad the next day. The other half was already leaning from the weight stress - we had to lose it all :( I cannot explain how sad we are about this. This tree was one of the reasons we bought our house!

So the next morning, bright and early, my husband grabbed some coffee and with the help of a great friend, cut down the rest of our giant tree.

It was so huge it looked like we were barricading our house! So much work for one guy, but  my husband is that awesome!!!

Frankly, I was starting to feel like things were stacked against me with all these things happening back to back. Things are back on track now. My clients pillow inserts finally came in so I am a sewing fool. The garage is in slightly more order and a bit easier to work in so Im busy with client work there as well. I finally feel like I can breathe again! 

Can't wait to show you all what else has been happening around here!

My Time Capsule House

Things happen for a reason. My husband and I have been wanting to move for a while but it just never seemed like the right time. Our little house was great, but as our family grew up it seemed to get tighter and tighter. While I had made improvements for storage it still always seemed  a little cramped. So, I dreamed of moving a lot. I checked real estate constantly and drew up plans to build a dream house...okay so I drew up 3 different sets and couldn't really decide between them. But, that's all it was, a dream.

Then after making the decision to stay put for a while so we could make smarter financial decisions, a voicemail changed everything.

A close friend of mine called and left a voicemail that a house in her neighborhood was up for sale. When I called her back to talk to her about it I said, "Lara, you know Brandon is going to say no right now."

But, I looked online and thought it was great. The houses in that neighborhood are older, but they have lots of space, sizable yards, are well built, and most importantly have close friends and acquaintances there.

So, I sent my husband a text expecting to be shot down and his reply was, "roll"

Since then it has been a whirlwind. A blur of time when our house was shown 3 times a day pretty constantly, sold in nine days, and we had to be out in a month.

Here we are in the new house. So many people are wanting to see what I got myself into, I get daily requests to show pictures. I have big, bold and beautiful plans for this house. This is our forever house so I really get to do exactly what I want and really make it US!

For now though...for now it's my 1959 time capsule. Small changes are already being made, but most of the pictures I'm showing to you are from the real estate ad for the house. 

The front: while it looks quite charming, it needs paint and those flowers are fake...yes, I said fake. My daughter and the daughter of a friend and now neighbor, pulled all the fake flowers out - set up a little stand-and sold those faded fake flowers. 

Laundry/Mudroom

The Kitchen - yes my oven is original to the house...1959 enamel

Family Room

Formal Living Room and Formal Dining Room

I had to show the closet doors in the hallway - I laughed out loud when I saw them in person

The mirrored wall at the end of the bedroom hallway is also vintage

These brass vertical blinds are beyond words. They were also in a full length version on the mudroom door to act as the divider between it and the kitchen...I have fun white elephant gift ideas in mind with these blinds.

This is the Hall Bath or Kids Bath

Jade's Room

Jade's Closet

Dylan's Room

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

Back yard - this alone (in my opinion) was worth the price of the mortgage

Yes, that is a custom 5" backset on my front door. Just another one of those fun little vintage details that are all over the house.

And this is the day we moved in. Furniture and boxes everywhere! It looks much better now.

The fun part about this house is, I will reveal it room by room as we renovate, update, and turn it into our dream home. Wish me luck! I have a feeling we're going to need it!

Saying Goodbye

So on May 19th we said goodbye to our first little house. 

The house where we brought home Jade

The house with so many memories of my precious mother and children together - of me and my mother together.

The house with so many firsts for Brandon and myself as a couple.

The house where I found my design passion and turned it into a job I adore!

The house I poured my soul into.

I will admit I cried. Teared up and then eventually bawled my eyes out. But those are the parts of that house I get to keep; the memories.

So I snagged the camera and took the last pictures of my kids under the oak tree out front.

When did they get so big?

Then I walked through the empty house and snapped some pictures of how I left it for the new owners

Jade's first room

The bathroom renovation where I found my style

Dylan's room

The hallway harlequin labor of love

The kitchen facelift and cabinet addition that evolved twice while we lived there

The floors I already miss (for all you carpet lovers out there, I'm sorry but I HATE carpet)

The built-ins that were my design vision and the smartest solution for storage in a smaller home. I miss those too!

The master bath renovation that I never made it to before we left.

Then we walked out, looked at our first little house, and left in a huge u-haul.

So many amazing things are coming. I really am so in love with the new house. I have a little bit of bittersweet feeling because of all the love, blood, sweat, and tears I invested into that first little house.

Just you wait! You will either think I'm insane or you will be as excited as I am about this new house. Stay tuned for what's to come, and keep your memories with you!