THIS BLOG HAS MOVED.

YOU ARE BEING REDIRECTED TO STYLEBERRYBLOG.COM.

Are you ready...!!!!

okay loyal readers...get ready for an upgraded view! I have switched to wordpress & my lovely designer tracylynn of three heart photography & design made my vision a reality.

Soon this blog will automatically be redirected to the new one, but just about everything here is now there. I have a few glitches to work out & some content to add but it is so close to being done that I thought you should see it! I hope you enjoy & surely leave me a comment to let me know (a) you made it & (b) what you think!!! I'm so excited!

www.styleberryhome.com

Here's where I ask for your help...

Okay, so I hope this doesn't come across in the wrong way, (cause I never enjoy doing this sort of thing) but I am in the process of putting together my website & am looking for some accolades.

If I have ever helped you with decorating in your house, and you have something to say about how I helped you, what you liked or just how I am to work with, here's how you can pay me back!

Shoot me an email (comment me if you don't have it) with a little blurb (specifics are great, whether it was color, decor or cordinating something etc.) about your experience. Also let me know it's ok to post on my new website [first name & last initial only].

Thanks everyone! I am uncomfortable doing this "asking you to say nice things" hullabaloo, but starting your own business means a whole lotta doing things you are uncomfortable doing! So if you can help me out, it would be greatly appreciated. :)

I love a good stripe...

::sigh:: new homes are a lot of work. This week I have really been focusing on getting my new place looking nice and filling in the gaps where I felt design was lacking. I wanted to do stripes somewhere in this new home and I finally found the perfect place.

I loved the idea of the Ralph Lauren "candlelight" and decided to give it a go. My foyer was a little light in color for my liking, but I didn't want to add color since there is plenty of it in the adjoining room. Using a yard long level I spaced the stripes out to adequately frame in the art I have on the walls in the space. I taped them off using my favorite, frog tape. I painted on the candlelight, which is just a glaze and was seriously BORED. I think it would look great on a darker color where you could actually see the lighter contrast of the iridescent glaze but if you are looking to see the stripes, don't try this on light walls.

I decided to mix a custom color with the paint I had on hand to make tonal stripes instead of the candlelight. I took the greyish brown color I used in my bathrooms upstairs (color matched to Valspar "siene") and mixed it with the basic beige I used in most of the house, which is also the color in the foyer. Adding just the slightest amount of "siene" I created a color that made a tonal stripe that would add interest but wasn't so much of a contrast that it overwhelmed the small space. I am pretty happy with the result. I didn't mix enough of my own custom color to paint the wall the door is on, so that is my next project!

No more matchy matchy!

I have spent far too many years buying everything that came in the pottery barn catalog and decided that, starting with this house, I am going to refuse to be soooooo commercial. I really don't want my space to look like anyone else's and if I buy the whole page from PB, it will look like a clone of someone else's place in anywhere, USA. Surely I will pick up generic pieces here & there but this is my declaration: my house will have as many one of a kind pieces as possible! So, that being said, meet my new throw pillows! All unique...different patterns, textures, fabrics. Haven't figured out the right arrangement yet...but at least it is interesting to look at! If you really pay attention to high end designer looks, there is always a very deliberate mismatch of fabrics that wind up looking so interesting you cant take your eyes off them. So here's your challenge: think outside the pottery barn box!

matching on the fly

Ever been out and found something for your home that you love, only to hem & haw over whether it will really match when you get home? Here's your decorating tip of the day!

• Always carry a swatch pack in your purse

Gather paint chips in all the colors you have used in your home. If you cant find them, paint over a chip in another color with the leftovers from the can. If you've got items that are colored but not painted, like large floor tiles, grab a bunch of paint chips from the hardware store & find the colors that best match your "cant take with you" items.

Also include swatches of fabric from major furniture pieces, duvets, rugs & carpet. It might take some looking, but every couch comes with a fabric remnant for you to cut off. Try looking under flaps, cushions or inside zippered pillows and you should be able to find a piece large enough to match. Search for extra duvet fabric on the seams & be aware of any packaging that comes with one when you purchase it new, that might be helpful when shopping for that "perfect" accent!

Here's a glimpse into my current swatch pack, which I am taking with me to the fabric store today to help locate the perfect mess of fabrics to accent my new home!

Love Affair...

meet my espresso maker. in the one and only natural spotlight that my kitchen window provides every morning. coincidence? i think not. it's as if the world is pointing me in the right direction...

only took me four colors to get here...

but the great room color is now selected & half way done! It was an agonizing choice in color...went back & forth & back & forth and four purchased & tested colors later, we have a decision! I have decided that the thousand or so paint chips that benjamin moore sent me in my designer kit just dont help! But the limitless choices do mean the perfect color is out there. This is the one I settled on...and I kid you not...it's called texas sage.

We're not yet decorated, but we have color!

[here you can really see the ridiculous texture that texans put on their walls. it is AWFUL to paint, as it is such a rough surface. don't screw up when you nail into the wall either, because it is a nightmare to patch. what are they thinking?!?]

so proud!

Check it>>> My sister in law got some major recognition for her photography work! She made it front page!!

How sweet is that! (and what fun that photo is too!!!) Way to go kim!

...for more of her work, see her on flickr & @ Kimby Photography!

drumroll please...

I'd love to hear what you think! This has undergone many revisions, but the final is exactly what I want! I wanted a logo that I could use without using my name...that was fun & hip and modern & simple & clean...no small vision!

Much thanks to the fabulous Tracy Lynn of Three Heart Design, who has been so wonderful to work with!

Gallery Wall

So determined to create order & confine my cluttery frames to one well designed area of my home, I decided to create a gallery wall! After some careful planning & even more careful execution I have designed exactly what I envisioned! I have this HUGE wall on one side of a rather steep staircase and knew from the very first time I walked through the skeleton walls of this home that it would be something special. I have collected a variety of black frames over the years so I was pretty sure I wouldn't have to buy anything new. I did end up spray painting a few frames that were either cherry, metallic or distressed with black satin spray paint to create uniformity, but I am very pleased at the result! You can find more info about various clean & well designed gallery walls here. Here is the inspiration & "how to" for the one I fell for:

INSPIRATION

EXECUTION

[began by tracing every frame I wanted to use on craft paper (purchased at the dollar store) to make place markers and used painters tape to play with the arrangement on the wall. I added, subtracted & rearranged using my eye as my guide for right & wrong placement. I messed with the frames for a couple of days before settling on the final placement]

[After deciding placement, I removed the place marker anchoring the major & middle pieces at the bottom first. I taped the place marker to the frame and poked a hole with a nail EXACTLY where the hanger was supposed to sit on the nail. Then I rehung the place marker and hammered the nail in. Then hung the first piece & began adding pieces tight to the first one hung.]

[Here is the final frame design. I wanted to use an eclectic mix of frames. Using the same frame uniform throughout would create too formal of a look for me. So, I varied the depths, sizes & mats so it had a lot of depth & texture. See how easy it is to create uniformity just by painting all the frames the same color?? There are tricks to achieve great results when spray painting, just remember ten coats of very thin layers are ALWAYS better than one thick coat that bubbles, but covers. The pictures are not in yet, these are just the pictures that were in the frames from my previous house. This wall will be an evolving piece of art for years to come!]

[top down view! now if only I could move that ugly doorbell box...]

a new big fat time stealer...

So, if you have say, an hour or two to spare, you might want to check out this site. The fabulous new graphic designer I am working with on my logo & marketing materials introduced me to it so she could best get a feel for what i like and i am so addicted! Currently loving "high strung" (imagine that) but we'll see what the lovely Tracy Lynn of Three Heart Design comes up with. I am loving her first draft...she edited my tag line and it is better than ever...!!!

summer self portrait...

Stumbled upon some great light yesterday & decided to grab my camera & say cheese! Most of the picture taking around here is done by yours truly, so there are very few pictures of me! Inspired by a recent discovery of something called vignettes I decided to experiment on photoshop and thought the result was pretty cool. So...this is me...

Stand up. Be bold, Be strong.

My MIL introduced me to this site & I have been inspired ever since. Combines wisdom & photography, two things I enjoy. Today's inspiration was much needed given my current circumstances:

Take the whole responsibility on your own shoulders.
Know that you are the creator of your own destiny.
All the strength and succor you want is within yourselves.

Stand up. Be bold. Be strong.

Make your own future.

So...the to-do list remains the same length...

Did a favor for some friends and watched their beautiful baby girl for the morning. Did a mini photo shoot (pics coming soon...) & got nothing I had planned for the day done! But...it was totally worth it. : ) Just reaffirms the need to get this baby business going ASAP before there is a real baby to tend to...

Rusty boy proved he is NOT ready for siblings...as there was far too much jealous whining, licking & a half eaten diaper...not nice...he spent most of the morning on the back porch staring in. Warning: he licks baby toes.

Thought provoking...

Wow, Anne, tagged first on your list! I am not that interesting, I promise! This little exercise proved to be much more of an introspective process that I thought. I haven't done anything like this since I took a class in college that forced me to write some of these things down, but it is very interesting. Here's the followup to your randomness miss anne...

8 things I am passionate about:

1. Being in a supportive marriage
2. Being a considerate & kind person to anyone I encounter
3. Color, fabric, paint, furniture…
4. Quality time with my dog & lovin up my kitten pie
5. Photography
6. Eating healthy & unprocessed foods/cooking & baking them myself!!
7. Exercising regularly
8. Keeping a clean house
9. Having NO clutter
10. Learning something every single day

8 books I’ve read and enjoyed:

1. I am not a recreational book reader, nor have the desire to read anything fictitious. I get about 20 magazines a month, from which I learn…My favorites include:
2. Real simple
3. Martha Stewart Living
4. Everyday Food
5. US News & World Report
6. Domino
7. Cottage Living
8. Marie Claire
9. Vegetarian Times
10. And of course, the mindless pleasure of People

8 words/phrases that I say often:

1. Hi Babe…
2. Don’t kill anyone today…
3. Well…somehow we will make it through this.
4. Go sleep, seriously.
5. Whatcha doin chickie chickie?? [to zoie pants]
6. Be a good boy… be back soon[to rusty boy, of course]
7. Treeeeeatzz?
8. No, I will not watch sportscenter.
9. Drive safe.
10. Ugh, I’ll just do it.

8 things I want to do before I die:

1. Be a grandparent
2. Live in Europe
3. Have at least a million dollars in the bank, and never tell anyone that I do
4. Live in the mountains, overlooking a lake, where it snows
5. Ski! Then drink coffee in a lodge, in front of a fire during a blizzard
6. Have & create a warm, loving family environment that my kids want to be around
7. Scuba dive in the great barrier reef
8. Cultivate a real relationship with my nieces & nephews
9. Embrace my curviness. Then get a breast reduction.
10. Build a custom home from the ground up, then pay cash for it

8 things I’ve learned in my life:

1. You might as well do it now, cause it won’t do itself later.
2. Not to fight the path your life is taking, it’s all there for a reason so don’t force it.
3. Give a little space, get a little space.
4. I don’t ever want to know what it feels like to be in debt.
5. Create structure even if it’s not there.
6. My house doesn’t need to be perfect right now, it can be an ongoing process.
7. I don’t usually want what others have, so there’s no need to play the comparison game.
8. Material things don’t bring happiness, period. People do.
9. I really don’t like alcohol, nor how it makes me feel.
10. Excuses won’t get you anywhere. Get it done.

8 places I want to see:

1. the Swiss alps
2. bakeries in London
3. the Colosseum
4. the Mediterranean sea
5. glaciers in Alaska
6. the great barrier reef in Australia
7. a Tulip field in Holland
8. seaside cliffs in Ireland
9. Aspen in winter
10. Munich during Christmas

8 things I currently want/need:

1. More than an hour a week with my husband
2. My business to get off the ground
3. My house to be organized & completely unpacked
4. To be a mommy
5. A wide angle lens for my camera
6. A website for my business
7. To adjust to this horrific climate they call Texas
8. To stop hating the military
9. The weeds out of my yard
10. Continued confidence that I can really be a successful entrepreneur

8 people I tag:

1. Kim
2. Julie
3. Tori
4. And I need more friends that BLOG!!!! Really, it's easy-you should do it!!!

sneak peek

I have been working very hard the last few days to begin branding myself & my business...I finally hired a designer to help me with a logo and she will whip something up next week. For now...this is the direction I am heading. This is just what I have created by myself...and I am obviously no graphic designer! It is NOWHERE near complete...but it's a start...

my first paying job as a designer

Well, today was the day! It was my very first step into the world as a designer. I got my color chips in order, slipped into my navy dress and put on heels for the first time in a loooooong time. I was walking down the stairs thinking..."surely I have not yet balanced this flight on heels...is it really this steep...sheesh!?!" I plugged the address into my trusty little garmin & off I went. Not a nervous twinge in my body.

I arrived and spent the next two hours with a lovely older couple who are doing a full kitchen remodel & needed some serious color help. I got them all set up, kitchen & the rest of the home. Project will begin on September 22.

I helped people. I was creative. And they were so appreciative. I gave them something they couldn't have done themselves. I spent two hours doing a few of the very things I LOVE doing most...and I got PAID to do them!!!

I love working with color
I love making homes more beautiful
I love helping people & making them happy
I love having the freedom to schedule my day
I love that no day looks or feels the same
I love not working for anyone but myself
I love that my brand will look just how I visualize it
I love that I will get out of my business just exactly what I put into it

If ever I could imagine what empowerment feels like...it would have to be the way I feel right now...!!!

Martha's Peanut Butter Cups...YUMMY!

I hate processed food & candy so when I can recreate something that is usually bought at the store, I jump at the chance! Tommy's sweet tooth has been active lately and I thought I would make one of his favorite sweets for in his bag lunches everyday. I also needed a mental break from the business planning...so its either running or baking and I already ran today...soooo...baking it was! I found these in my Everyday Food Magazine and they were a huge hit! Here's the recipe!

Ingredients
Makes 24
4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped

Directions

• Line two 12-cup mini muffin pans with paper liners; set aside. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine white chocolate and peanut butter. Microwave, until almost melted, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, stirring halfway through. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, place semisweet chocolate in another microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, stirring once or twice, until almost melted, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Dividing evenly, use a spoon to layer semisweet chocolate and peanut-butter mixture into liners, beginning and ending with chocolate; sprinkle with peanuts.
• Place muffin pans in freezer until peanut butter cups are firm, about 15 minutes. Bring to room temperature before serving.
  

nonono that did not just happen...

i am...so depressed. finally found the perfect piece at the pottery barn outlet to begin the right mess of junk on top of my entertainment unit...i was just starting to test stuff up there...thought i would take a picture since the family has been asking...was testing light on my camera & realized i needed to shut the unit's doors...took this picture & went to SHUT the doors...

[gasp] and off rolled the perfect piece...

least someone feels my pain...

getting busy w/ superglue and some joint fasteners on the back...cross your fingers. it will be affixed to the wall if i can get the puzzle back together...[tears]