What Camp Are You In?

Happy Labor Day weekend, everybody!  I hope you have Monday off and are enjoying a long weekend.  I often think of this holiday in two different ways, and I'm wondering what camp you're in on this?  Do you think of this weekend as "One last opportunity to savor the Summer"

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Or is it a "Let's get this party start for Fall football"?

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I guess it could be a bit of both, but I tend to think of it as one last nod to Summer.  I guess because of all the amazing sales to be had on Summer clearance items.  I love to scope out discounted items that transition your home (and your wardrobe) into Fall.  There are so many sales going on this weekend that it's mind boggling.  Here are just a few I plan to check out today! 

C Wonder

I love love this shop.  We actually have one near us and it is so much fun to check out the offerings.  I do find their website has way more products and right now they are having a great sale with 30% off all full price items (aka, the new Fall items) and free shipping when we spend over $100.  It's no wonder I love this . . . 

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and this . . .  it comes in three different colors (and yes, I know this has nothing to do with interior design. :)

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Serena and Lily

This is another great go to website for me when sourcing bedding.  The quality is second to none and you have to at least peruse their offerings on Labor day for the sales!  Right now they are offering 70% off all Sale items.  I've got my eye on a few things.

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This could make a fantastic wall hanging/artwork installation in a colorful bedroom, and the price is right at $11.99. 

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Also, I adore these lacquered pedestal trays in the gray and white starting at $48.00.  These would look great grouped on a Fall tablescape. 

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Rugs USA

This website has a couple of sales a year that are simply unbeatable.  I've snagged rugs for a couple of bedrooms in the past, and I'm constantly on the look out for client project when this sale rolls around. To ensure you get a high quality rug, keep your selections to 100% wool or natural materials such as seagrass or sisal.  You will thank me later!  Here's just one of many examples.

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Now for some Fall fashion.  Here are just a few items on my wish list!

Trina Turk

Right now you can enjoy 20% off all sales items on the website plus free shipping.  But this will be over at midnight Monday, so don't delay! Just a few items to get you thinking. 

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This would be another great transition piece for  early Fall weather (when it's still blazing hot here in the South). . . 

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And last, I am in LOVE with this belt.  It's such a great width for belting a thin sweater or adding some interest is a simple dress.  I can also see it paired with white jeans (yes, we do wear white jeans beyond Labor Day here in the South), and a chambray shirt. 

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With many of these sales, I can literally see the inventory vanishing before my very eyes!  It pays to shop early and make your selections.  Have a marvelous Labor Day - whatever you choose to do today! M.

Power of Paint - Before and Afters

Here's just a quick example of what a little paint can do for your house.  I had a client who called asking if I could help her with a exterior paint schedule for her home.  I was thrilled because I knew paint would completely transform the curb appeal of this fabulous house! 

When I got there, we immediately went to the back of the house where the issue with what paint to select was looming!  You see, the house has vinyl siding on the upper back area which does not paint out well.  You can certainly paint it, but most products do not last as long as painted brick so you begin a cycle of repainting the area more often.  Our goal - to find a color we loved that would blend and work with the color of the vinyl.  

Here's a before of the back (with a few samples up to consider). 

And here's a before of the front.

Since the sliding on the back of the house had a blue/gray tone, we were careful not to select a color with yellow undertones which can be very challenging when selecting a white.  We also did not want to go too blue as to give the house a "baby boy nursery" effect or even just a stark white feel.  So, we opted for a white that has a bit of gray and brown in it.  Our goal was not to match it, but to blend it.  Here are the afters.  I love the result!

And now for the front! A total transformation - elegant and stately!  

Notice we made the decision to paint out all the trim work the same color as the body of the house.  This down plays the arches over the windows and gives the home a more modern feel.  We also selected a darker color for the shutters and notice we painted out the tiny bit of brick on the chimney our shutter color.  It would have been a sliver of white and would have drawn your eye, rather than simply blending with the rest of the stack.  

Our next stage (which will hopefully happen in the Spring) will be to trim back the hedge in front of the large landing area to make the front appear larger and more welcoming!  But, for now, my clients are enjoying this major transformation to their beautiful home! M.

A Little Workhorse - An Ottoman Roundup

Today I want to talk to you about one of my favorite pieces of furniture.  This piece of furniture is a major work horse, can be affordably added to any space, and makes a huge difference in the overall look and feel of a space.  I'm talking about the humble ottoman (aka stool or even pouf).

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Ottomans are one of the most versatile pieces of furniture you can invest in for your home.  They can of course be used for over flow seating, or to kick your feet up to relax.  But they can also act as a coffee table, or even paired with a console table for some much needed softening of a space.

Traditional Entry by Atlanta Interior Designers & Decorators Brian Watford ID

I love to think of them as an opportunity to inject a fun trendy style (like you think of pillows).

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Most importantly, they are one of the least expensive ways to get some major WOW without breaking the bank or feeling wed to the piece for a lifetime!

Eclectic Entry by Chicago Media & Bloggers Valerie McCaskill Dickman

Here are just a few of my favorites. 

       

          Ottoman: Threshold Ottoman - Gray

Risom Stool

Square Pouf

Chakki - Dark Walnut

Yanagi Stool

Orange Linen Stool with Brass Nailheads

Naja Ottoman

Cooper Leather Stool

Parker "X" Bench

When your space feels like it's not quite finished, it may be in need of a pair of ottomans! Enjoy your day. M.

Birmingham Locals:  Not sure if you're having trouble getting back into the swing of things now that school is back in session, but I wanted to share a service with you.  In an effort to make the transition back to school a little easier and to give back to our community, my church is hosting a Meals for Missions fundraiser.  The service is provided on Wednesday evenings.    The proceeds from this fundraiser are used to support our missions work.  The way it works - you can place an order any time before 5:00pm on Tuesday of each week.  Then, you simply run by Covenant Presbyterian Church (they are located across the street from Samford University) and pick up your dinner between 1:00 - 6:00pm on Wednesday.  Just think, it's for a great cause, you get a night off from cooking, and you have a yummy meal for your family!  

To see the upcoming menu and/or order your meal click here.   

                        

What a Ride!

Wow.  I really can't believe how quickly our Summer ended.  It was such a special summer for me.  With my Mom's full recovery from breast cancer and my kids getting older (my son will be driving in February!), we started our summer in a completely different place this year.  It was really one of those sweet moments when you realize how thankful you need to be for your life.  We laughed a lot, ate some yummy summer bounty (learned a few new recipes), hosted a few parties, traveled to some special places, celebrated birthdays, read some very entertaining summer books (i.e., What Alice Forgot), toured a few neat places, rode roller coasters every chance we got, visited with lots of family and friends, stayed up late and slept in until Noon on several days.  Simply put, we had a blast!  Here's a tiny glimpse of our summer (if you're an Instagram follower, you've seen a lot of these!)  

In addition to all this, I took some much needed time to get organized for work.  Over the past couple of years, my interior design work has almost tripled.  I can't begin to tell you how blessed I feel about this!  The design work brings me more joy than I can express -  I'm truly grateful for all the referrals and inquiries.   With all the additional design work, however, it leaves less time for blogging.  So, my goal is to share more meaningful posts with you and use Instagram  and Pinterest for day to day images on projects and inspiration.  If you've not jumped into these other social platforms, I would encourage you to try them out.  There is a world of FREE interior design inspiration out there just waiting to be accessed by you!  Come join me!

With that said, you may find my posts are more sporadic than in the past.  Rather than visiting my blog and not finding any new content, you may want to subscribe to my blog by clicking on the "subscribe" button at the top of my page and entering your email address.  This will allow you to receive an email notifying you any time I've published a new post on the blog.  Here's an easy way to do this. . .

   It's going to be a great year!  I hope you will continue to join my on the adventure!  M.