Client Before & After- Living Room

I have to say that I'm seriously blessed with amazing clients.  Helping someone design her/his home is a very personal process and there's a lot of trust associated with it.  I'm fortunate in that I get to work with such special people.  I don't know how it's happened, but somehow, all of my clients are warm and smart, and just so much fun to be around.  (I find myself thinking how some of them would click so well with each other and be instant friends, but they've never actually met in reality.  Maybe one day I'll have to have a big party.)   Exhibit A:

{This cute message was written on the chalkboard when I went to visit Sandy & Emma the other day}

One of mu clients, Sandy, makes her own homemade pastas & breads (focacia!!!)  and sells them at the Farmer's Market.  She sells out every week, and I've had some, and know why.  Below is Sandy wih her super-sweet daughter Emma on the left (who wrote the sign) in their gorgeous kitchen:

 

{Emma & Sandy in the kitchen where the magic happens...  Dave, her husband, wasn't there for the pic}

Had to include this close-up of the pasta:

{The orange is roasted red pepper & garlic-- oh my gosh it's so good, we literally just added olive oil and a teensy but of salt, & parmesan and it was amazing...  so easy!!}

When I arrived at Sandy & Dave's house the first time they were in the middle of having it painted, so my "before" shots are a little chaotic.  Here's the view from the living room into the dining room:

And here's the living room, which was being painted the softest blue:

The leather sofa and rug were hiding beneath the tarp:

..Along with two pretty yellow wing chairs:

As I was falling asleep one night, I had a minidream that we switched the leather sofa with the brown-green English arm sofa in the study and so here's the switch:

 

Sandy's style is very relaxed, soft, pretty, comfortable, subdued, natural, cheerful...  It has a little bit of a "garden" feel to it and she's attracted to botanicals and soft florals.  I wanted to lighten up the space and make it feel like 'her' by using things she's collected over the years along with some new pieces.  (I love "borrowing" from other rooms ;)  We're not completely finished- a little tweaking to be done here and there- and the photos aren't styled, but you'll get the idea. 

Anyway, here's the "before" again:

And here it is now:

We had Sandy's botanicals framed and used them as the focal point for the room.  Sandy loved my entryway and wanted a similar look.  I had a soft linen slipcover made (in one of my favorite fabrics ever which you might recognize) for her large ottoman (taken from the basement...  the leather one went in its place.) 

Sandy loves her burlap shade lamps and they (along with the seagrass and flowers) give it that natural feeling we needed.  I had pillows made in blues and greens.  Check out the rectangular pillow below.  I'm so crazy over that thing!! {I used a design by Jackie Von Tobel from her Design Directory of Bedding Book, which is my go-to source for pillow/bedding ideas.}  We're almost finished with the room with only a few minor final touches to go!! (including pillows for the yellow chairs, so I'll be sure to post when we're finished.)

The vintage floral tray on the ottoman was one I bought a few years ago, and when Sandy needed "the perfect" tray for the ottoman for drinks, books, etc., I immediately thought of it.  As much as I love it (yes, I know, I shouldn't "love" objects, but I do get attached ;)  I love it even more at Sandy's.  It was meant for the room and seeing these pictures makes me so happy.  (tickled, really! haha.. I'm in a silly mood)  Anyway, we're still working on artwork in the adjoining dining room, so I'm going to wait to show pics but I have to share a little peek of the curtains we had made:

I used the reverse of a fabric to get this sunny yellow color and had it banded in white linen for some added casual detail.   

Here's one last picture and I should also mention that Sandy found the end tables at Lucketts- one of my favorite local shops!!

I hope you enjoyed and thanks so much to Sandy, Dave & Emma!!

ps- If you're in the Northern Virginia/ DC area and are looking for some insanely good pasta, visit Sandy at the Farmer's Market.  Info here  She sells out every time so be sure to get there early!!

Also, I just joined TWITTER (I know how behind I am!!) so click HERE to follow :)

Guilty Pleasure- Pink

Confession time:  I really like Victoria's Secret's PINK. I see middle school girls wearing PINK.   I'm 28 and I love PINK.  There, I said it.  There are days when I'm in sweats from sun up to sun down.  PINK's clothes just fit so well- they have a longer leaner fit and the sweats are long enough in both the legs and arms which pretty much never happens for me.  (I can't stand it when my wrists or ankles peek out of sweats and so have long been a PINK convert...  They come so long that even after repeated washings they still fit!)

{see??}

And so... am pumped that they now have an NFL line!!  (All Bears & Redskins pictured here to represent my two cities ;)

want this sweatshirt

love this t-shirt

Now they need to carry JMU!! 

ps-  I just worked out so hardcore... When I was pregant the first time (3+ years ago) I made a 30 minute "BABY BUMP WORKOUT" Video with one of my best friends, Lindsey -supposedly a joke but actually exhausting- that I would do to stay in shape.  The workout is to music (some of my favorite "training songs" - think Cutting Edge) and in the video I talk like Joan Cusack- "dont'cha know" (no idea why I did this??)- and we wear sweatbands halfway down our foreheads.   It's ridiculous but Christian (my 3 year old) & I just did it together and I am sweaty!!!! yay!!  (And I feel like I just hung out with Lindsey :)  If I can figure out a way to get a clip on here I will . It is so ridiculous.

{#2- Justin}

And just to clarify- I'm not pregnant now-  just doing the workout! ;)

Pure Projects # 12

Good morning!  Ok, so like I mentionioned on Friday, I'm attempting to be back on track with the "Pure Organization" Projects Series!  (which I'm now calling "Pure Projects" because not all will be organization :)

{Just as a reminder, in case you're a new reader or forgot (it's been a few months! ;)  every Monday I'll be blogging about  a little project we can do to get organized, make things better, prettier or more fun.  It's my way of holding myself accountable (or attempting to) and I thought it might be fun for us to do this stuff together.  So, if you want to join in, I'm using Mr.Linky at the end of this post and you just have to click on the little link at the bottom of this post and link up to your actual post.) 

This week's project is to pick flowers and/ or greenery (either on a walk, or from your yard or from a nice neighbor's yard) and put them on your table to enjoy...  Just a little simple, free way to add a little beauty to your meals.  Here's a picture of some zinnias I plucked from our (very weed-infested) garden:

They just make me happy.  I love having a small arrangement on our kitchen table so we don't have to move it at meal times.  (When the table somehow always gets trashed...  Washing ours off after dinner yesterday it looked like a little food battle had taken place...)   Anyway, hope you had a great weekend & that you'll join us today with some hand-picked pretties!! 

If you're linking up, make sure to link it to your actual project post URL instead of just to your blog so that we can click over directly to your project. Also, please only link up if you're taking part in the project.  Thanks so much!!

Pure Organization- What???!!

Do you remember when I started "Pure Organization" this past January 2010and was all set to get organized?  Well, as you probably noticed, I totally slacked off on that front and we spent more of our time redoing rooms & on other projects that on actually organizing.  (Kids, work, life too, you know ;)

{Coat Closet Reorganization}

BUT, as the school year nears (noooooo!! ;)  it's time to get thinking about organization again & being productive.  But this time, since so many of our weekly projects are decorating-focused or food-focused, or whatever-focused, I'm renaming it "Pure Living 2010."  Mr.Linky will be back on Monday if anyone want to participate & I've decided that lots of the projects will just be fun, simple things that make us happy so that way we have some super-productive projects to get things done and then some fun ones to keep us going. 

{Paint Touch-up Jars Project #1}

This Monday's proejct (#12 I think??) will be to create a pretty simple, summer flower arrangement using flowers or herbs from your yard/ windowsill/ neighbor'd garden ( hee hee ;)  whatever.. but something that didn't cost you anything, and add it to your table for dinner and as many days as it will last.  I'm off Spring-Summer break and am ready to rock so I'll be back on Monday with pics of my flowers.  I am SO not slacking this time.  Ummm... and if I try to, can you convince me to stay strong?? :) 




ps- I just joined Twitter and am not quite sure how it works yet so we'll see how that goes!!  If you know how to find me on there, please do!

Munster Interiors Magazine!!

Thanks so much to Lorna of Garrendenny Lane who included me in her Munster Interiors Magazine (of Ireland)  Blogwatch article:

It's so fun to think that when we write blogs, people from all over the world are reading.  Here's the article: 

To read the full article, (which includes some of my favorite bloggers) go here.  Have a beautiful weekend!!!  We're "getting organized" - ha!

Open publication - Free publishing - More bloggers

Homemade Baby Purees

Justin's at the age now where he's loving his purees and I love making them for him.  I'm not strict about it and he eats out of a jar just as often as he eats homemade baby food, but when I have the time, I really love getting out the blender and making it myself.  There's something that feels so good about it...  maybe it's the fact that I end up snacking as I'm cooking?? 

My two go-to books for inspiration when making baby food are Top 100 Baby Purees by Annabel Karmel and Jessica Seinfeld's Decpetively Delicious, which I'm sure you've heard of: 

When my babies were brand-new, the level of exhaustion Dave & I were at made it a bit difficult to really feel inspired or get excited about cooking although, normally, it's one of our favorite things to do.  (WE LOVE EATING and a good meal at the end of the day is such a nice way to wind down.)  Once babies are ready for purees (mine were there around 5 or so months) things have gotten drastically easier.  I found I was excited about meals again and had so much fun chekcing out these 2 cookbooks.  I love how Jessica Seinfeld's has this adorable vintage feel:

She goes over a bunch of different vegetables and includes their steaming/ cooking times which is so helpful for someone like me who was new at it. The concept pf her book is all about "sneaking" vegetable purees into your kids's food.  I know people have given her flack  about the idea, saying we should teach our kids to eat veggies and yada yada, but regardless of whether you tell your kids the veggies are in there or not (and we do) it's a great concept to add more nutrition to almost anything.  It kind of becomes second nature once you really get into it and you find yourself wanting to add a puree to everything.  (We often do carrot puree in our burgers and it's such a yummy moist burger but you really don't taste the carrots.)  It's fun to follow along with the recipes and then get creative and make up your own.

Top 100 baby Purees is my other go-to.  I kid you not, these purees are seriously good.  When we do these, I'll typically make the same thing in an un-pureed version for Dave, Christian & myself because I already have all of the ingredients out. 

And kids love them!!  (Even Christian is always asking for Justin to "share" his food.) 

When I'm doing veggie purees, I like to do a bunch at once because I have all of the gear out.  If we're slammed for time, I'll even get the precut organic vegetables from the grocery store (I know it costs more but there have been times when a butternut squash sits and rots in my fridge because I never felt like cutting it up...  how bad is that??)  So wash all the veggies...

And then steam them:

{Ikea steamer/ pot}

I love this steamer from Ikea.  It's seriously one of the best purchases we've ever made (about 4 yrs ago.)  You can bake or cook the vegetables any way you like (think roasted red peppers- the kids love those- or baked butternut squash) but steaming retains the most nutrients and the fresher (is that a word? ;) your vegtables are when you get to them, the more nutrients they have. 

I don't have a food processor or one of those magic bullet things, but the blender works just fine.  Add in some of the leftover water from steaming because it's chock-full of nutrients & because you'll need water anyway to get it to the right consistency.  (You can even save it and use it for making broths if you have more leftover.)

We got a bunch of these "fresh baby" puree trays from Babies R Us when we had Christian.  They're amazing because they have lids.  I've used ice cube trays too in a pinch, but love the fact that I don't have to get into messy plastic wrap or any of that with these.   (And you know I'm not one for gadgets, so if I get them, trust me, they're worth it.) 

So we just fill up the little trays and label them for the freezer:

And you pop a couple of cubes into a little bowl and microwave until they're warm whenever you need them.  (transporting them is super-easy because they're frozen so they just unthaw for you.) 

And then let your little one go to town on them:

(I still haven't figured out how to make this process easy ;)

Decompressing

After 4 days of 6+ hours of driving per day, I'm in decompression mode.  First home to Virginia from my dad's in Illinois...  That took 2 days (we split up the drive for the kids' sake) and we delayed leaving because we were having such a good time SO that led us into 2 more days of straight driving up and back from NY to celebrate with some friends. 

{Justin "up-up-up-downing" at our McDonald's makeshift picnic on our roadtrip home}

Before we left though, we did get some fishing in at the lake...

I'm a terrible fisherman  ("fisherwoman" just sounded odd there) but I love it now that Christian has so much fun doing it:

He kept reeling it in and seeing the minnow (for bait) on the hook and thinking he'd caught "a little fish!"  (We didn't have the heart to tell him.)

Dave's learning too...

I love those cloudy days at the lake where you just relax.  There's gray beauty everywhere...

{"One-two-three-four-five-six-seven... SEVEN snails" says Christian}

He was so excited to catch his very first bass with his Nanoo (my dad)...  (It was definitely the smallest bass we'd ever seen ;) 

My dad's an awesome fisherman and even mounted "my" very first bass that I caught at four years old.  Here he is now in the playhouse:

I wasn't ready to leave for home but I guess it's always better to leave while you're still having fun.  We're finally home from an amazing time in NY at Eddie & Jaithan's where we got to see & meet some amazing blogging friends in person.  ...Debra of5th and State, Patricia of PVE Design, Michele of My Notting Hill, and the Vamp (Valorie of Visual Vamp) to name a few...  it was like meeting old friends and they're just as amazing as you'd expect in 'real' life. As my usual I'm-having-too-much-fun-to-take-pictures-self, I didn't take any but in true Eddie & Jaithan fashion, you can bet it was beautiful.   And when I got home, there was a beautiful package waiting for me from Patricia who had no idea we were even going to meet when she's sent it the week before:

She'd found an amazing book that she thought I'd love for $1 and sent it to me!  (Now this is the kind of person I want to be.  She's so incredibly thoughtful and generous!!  And seriously chic- oh my goodness!)  Anyway, It's called Found Style by Amy and David Butler and the photos are incredible:

I plan on taking some time this week to read it and another book (Living With What You Love) this week ad am attempting to decompress from our whirlwind of driving. 

I've got a great week set up with clients to get back into the swing of things (if any of you are reading I missed you!! ;)  ... tonight we had an awesome dinner-  a Greek Salad with ground tukey (I swear it's good) and life is beautiful.

I hope you're having a great summer too& are enjoying any minute you can. 

ps-  This is so odd, but for the past 5-7 days or so, I haven't been able to type...  I don't know what's up but it's worse than usual!!  (I keep mixing up all the letters and leaving letters out.... ??hahaha  ....  ok only funny if it stops.)