Occasionally, I do write more than 2,200 characters (thanks for the limit, Instagram), and when I do, you will find those words here. I also love participating in Calling It Home’s One Room Challenge, which happens every spring and fall. You can find past rooms I’ve worked on here. Want some help with your own One Room Challenge? Let me know so that we can get planning for the next round!
I had every intention of sharing our progress on picking paint colors last week. I even spent much longer than I’d like to admit drafting a post that I scrapped because it was totally not worth posting. I realized after letting go of the need to stay on an arbitrary posting schedule that I was using the writing process to try to break thru our color scheme for the house. Words are good for many things. Picking paint colors is not one of them.
Read MoreFive weeks down and one week to go in this shared kids’ room decorating project. The kids are excited to finally move into their new bedroom but Mom and Dad have quite the list left to accomplish.
Read MoreWhat to do with all your kids’ stuff is a major dilemma of parenthood. It starts early. Excited expectant parents register for all the things including things that experienced parents know will never be used (hello, diaper wipe warmer). You’ve seen it play out in restaurants across the country a million times: new parent walks in with baby and half a storage unit of stuff in tow. Parent of toddler hardly notices because toddler has a full backpack of toys just to get through a 45 minute meal. Parent of college student observes the scene, sips her beer, and smiles. Her hand bag is big enough for her keys, phone, and wallet only. It is a progression that we all go through. Sooner or later, we all begin to throw things out when our kids aren’t watching. No? Just me? I didn’t think so.
Read MoreWe are at the point in our remodel project where I can’t believe it will still take two months (fingers crossed) before we can move back into the house. At the same time, the outside of the house still hasn’t been painted, the tile is still incomplete, the floors unfinished, the cabinets still in process. So, yeah. How will it possibly be done in two months?
Read MoreBelieve it or not, this is technically the halfway point in our six-week decorating project. Anyone nervous? Don’t worry. We’ve totally got this. Assuming everything actually shows up in time. More on that in a moment…
Read MoreNo, you didn’t miss week 25. It turns out that we’ve actually been at this for 26 weeks already, possibly 27, and I just miscounted when I started telling you all about it. Quick reminder of where we came from...
Read MoreLast week, we laid out some preliminary floor plans that might work for two kids sharing either of the existing bedrooms. We were looking for enough space for two beds, storage for clothing, and room to grow (i.e., play). It didn’t take long for us to decide that C’s room made the most sense for a shared space. It is slightly larger, with a bigger open closet, and it is just off of the living room thus allowing a sleeping baby to be further from the noise factor of his/her siblings.
The real question in this shared kids’ room design came down to aesthetic versus practical.
Read MoreOne of the things I keep coming back to from my California conference tour was Justina Blakeney’s story about how and why she chose the colors in her very blue bathroom. The story goes that Justina wanted a serene feeling in her bathroom, so she thought about places in her travels where she had felt the kind of serene that she was going for in the bathroom. For her, that place was Lake Tahoe. The deep blue of the lake inspired the deep blue of the shower tile.
This is a brilliant way to approach design. What if you really got in touch with the feelings you want to convey or attract for each space individually? What if you used those places where you find peace or inspiration or center as a muse for your own home?
Read More
