Featured Projects

my dreamy hand-me-down summer office

I’m spending one of my last days working out here in my summer office. It’s getting cold. The leaves are starting to change ever so slowly. Before long my little space heater won’t be able to keep up with the cold that creeps thru these un-insulated walls and old single pane windows. I’m going to miss all this light and inspiration. {sigh……}

Last spring I moved my office out into our 3 seasons room. Like most things I do, it was done on a whim in the middle of doing dishes or folding clothes. It wasn’t planned. I got an idea and started dragging furniture around. And that’s what I love most about it. At that point, I had a big shaggy rug a friend had given me, an old desk from yet another friend, a broken folding chair I used as my desk chair, and my computer. And then over the summer, as I sat and dreamed and worked in this new space, the room slowly became something fabulous.

I found an old table at a resale shop that I bought thinking one day we’ll have a dining room…until then, it’s my space to sketch and pile things. Then I scored hand me down sofas. One of which now sits across my desk. It’s the perfect place for the hubby or kids to plop down and stare at me. And believe me, the kids pile on that thing regularly and beg me to stop working. {ha}

It may not be the “normal” office set up, but I think that’s what makes it so fabulous. It’s ours. It’s what works for us, and it came together thru hand-me-downs and garage sales and my quirky design on a whim ideas. The two light fixtures are both from garage sales, one $2, the other $20. The wing back chair is from Craigslist. Also only $20. I bought it planning to paint the fabric, but have since fell in love with the soft pink. I did end up painting the legs white, and it might be my most favorite piece of furniture in this whole house. The only new items in this office are the pillows and throws, and I bought those at Tuesday Morning (another cheap-o discount type store).

I share the prices of these finds just in case you look at these pictures and see $$$…like I spent a lot of money. The most I spent was on the table, it was $120…but totally worth it.

This is the 3 Seasons Room when we first moved in. I have dreams of painting the fireplace and the paneling (of course). And those drapes…they came with the house when we bought it 🙂

I’m embarrased to say that THIS is what the space looked like before it became my office. What a mess!

This is the room the day I moved my desk in and started using this space as my office. It was clearly still a work in progress at this point. My desk chair was an old broken folding chair…

My craigslist wing back chair BEFORE
**it might scream nursing home but just wait**

My craigslist wing back chair AFTER
**just painted the legs and added some pillow bling**

the dining room table I’m using as a desk. i just looooove it.

It seems pointless perhaps…to do the work of moving furniture and styling a room only to get to enjoy it for a season. But it’s refreshing for me in so many ways. I think sometimes we need to look at our work from a new angle to get new and refreshing ideas. I was actually introduced to this concept at a design seminar years ago (at Steelcase, I think). They told us that if we were stuck on an idea, that our brain could dig deeper and reach into other untapped areas for stimuli if we introduced it to a new environment while designing. The basic message was…step away from your desk, your conference table, whatever… and go draw and sketch and design in a different place altogether. Not one your brain is used to. And preferably NOT at a desk. ? It’s probably one of the best little nuggets of wisdom I’ve came across as far as designing goes. I can’t tell you how many rooms and spaces have come together while sketching in my yard on a blanket.

Switching spaces and moving rooms is like therapy for my design soul. As much as I love what this office has become out here…I’m looking forward to a new view to keep the creativity brewing.

Here are some more photos of my dreamy hand-me-down summer office 🙂

a glued together acanthus leaf. why not?
i got this at a design swap {for free}.

my favorite books, sharpies, wood chunks I drew on, and a glass cloche from a garage sale. design doesn’t have to be expensive.

my desk is never this clean, i promise.
the clock is from meijer! and the white box and bin are from target. i borrowed these items from other rooms in my house…which is a great way to re-think a room my friends. grab items from other rooms and they might just come alive in your new space. oh, and the wire bin is another garage sale find.

here is the other sofa in my make-shift office.
this is where kids climb and read and color and snack.

or where they wear one shoe and their sister’s skirt around their neck. but whatever. good times and snacks are had in this room while Momma works.

cans and twigs and stacks of books.
ALWAYS.

my table top decor consists of chunks of wood, a beer bottle with yarn glued to it and white milk vases from Goodwill.

i made 50 or so of these “trays” you see hanging here for my sister-in-laws baby shower.{we used them to serve soup on…so cute} but now I’ve added some chalk paint and use them as message boards in my office.

and finally, find a way to incorporate art. it can be art you make…and it doesn’t have to be perfect! or hung on a wall either. it adds a little whimsy and meaning to your space.

Is my office perfect? No way. But it’s coming together, slowly…just like so many of the good things in life do.

🙂

Project: the coziest little English feeling library/den imaginable

It’s Wednesday and the baby’s sleeping. The kids are at school. The floors are swept and things are tidy-ed up around here. There are a ba-jillion things that I should be doing. Like painting things or folding and washing things or the dreaded paying of things…but I’ve decided to chuck those ideas and do what I want. ! Which is, of course, posting about the office project I just finished. Woot!

This is the kind of day that sets my soul free, my friends. Clean floors and the final check mark in my brain marking a project complete by showing it to the world. Or to the ten people that read my blog. But whatever, let’s do this thing!!!

I have a dear friend who is always helping people out. It’s one of her many gifts…being able and willing to step in and make a list, cut thru the crap and get the job done when she sees a friend in need. Sometimes it’s a stack of laundry that needs folded, other times she’s buying plane tickets or concert tickets or helping a friend shop for a trip. But this time the friend was our Pastor. The need was his home office. And since another God given gift of hers is styling, she was all over it. I’m tellin’ ya, the girl could make a broom closet look like a spot you’d want to sit and read in…{no joke}. So how did I get involved? I got on my knees and begged her to let me help, lol. I sort of have this crazy, teary love for our Pastor after the way he loved on us and supported us when Derek got sick. So I jumped at the chance to get involved. And this little act of service sort of had my name written all over it. Home office? Yes, please 🙂

The scope of the project was basically to take our Pastor’s ordinary home office and make it a cozy and functional place for him to work. We also had the help of an amazing craftsman from our church…Jonny Roetker. Check him out on Instagram !!! He’s truly gifted in woodworking, as you’ll see in the “after” photos of this post.

Here are a few before photos:

After some discussion, we realized what we were really getting the opportunity to do. We were crafting the space where a man, our Pastor, would be living out his calling of leading and shepherding hearts. What an opportunity. Somehow we wanted it to be more than bookcases and paint and furniture. ? We wanted it to be a retreat almost. Not just a place he could sit and read and work, but a place that would take him somewhere. Where he could sink into a chair and dream a bit and breath.

So we started with his style. What Pastor Lionel loves, besides his lovely sweet wife. The man bleeds books and history and old world things. Did I mention he loves books…lol? So we came up with a plan to make the room into the coziest little English feeling library / den imaginable.

To get a better feel for the space we snuck into his office while he and his wife were out of town…and by “snuck” I totally mean we had permission {of course}. !!! But still, even with that, it’s a little weird to be tiptoeing around your Pastor’s house when he’s not there. So Lyn and I decided to make ourselves known and took a selfie and sent it to him. Ha!

Did I mention the man has a lot of books? And by a lot, I mean the man is more than well armed. He has an arsenal of history and literature and wisdom at his fingertips. We needed to get these little nuggets of wisdom within reach…but the room was small. It couldn’t handle much furniture, if any. So we came up with the idea to build in storage wherever possible. Above the windows, above the doors, along the walls, and even rework the existing shelving a bit to make it all flow.

The plan:

We were also dealing with all existing honey oak for the doors, windows, and base. And not that that’s bad in any way, but it’s just not ideal. It’s definitely not my first choice or what I start off wanting to build into a space. We talked about painting it, replacing it, re-staining it. In the end, we decided to go with a two tone wood look, leaving all the existing oak as is, and painting all the new bookcases a dark charcoal gray/black. We tied the two finishes together by using the honey oak as the back to each of the bookcases we added in.

The vision:

Lyn worked out all the details and styled the room. The desk, the curtains, the rug…all of the pretty stuff you see below. We had more than a few conversations about the deep orange chair you see below too. I hinted to it on Instagram that it was somewhat of an eyesore (mostly because it’s an older style and a bold color), and we weren’t sure it would even work in the room. And it definitely did not look right in his old office. Not one bit. The orange fabric and light wood made it disappear into the land of honey stained oak. And it’s funny to me now, because it almost looks like we designed the room around this chair, if not FOR it. It belonged to a beloved man from our church who left us for heaven not too long ago. He left behind a legacy of sorts with this orange chair. I’ve heard it’s the one he would sit and read and pray in. What a blessing that it now adorns our Pastor’s office.

The after:

Which turned out beautiful by the way. We’re still on the look out for an ottoman for the space…but we were over anxious and couldn’t wait for that piece to take the pictures.

From my instagram…

Thank you Lyn, for letting me help you serve and love on our Pastor in this way!

It was a JOY.

Oh…and these doors, right? I started this post with them because they are the existing doors into our Pastor’s home office. Not exactly exciting. They’re ordinary run of the mill, honey oak doors with brass hardware. Nothing special, right? But not anymore. It’s like they’re alive to me now. Intentional. They don’t disappear. They help create the right atmosphere because we used them in the right way.

Now they’re the doors one steps thru to write and pray and live out that calling. If I had a heart emoji, I’d insert it here.

baby blake’s nursery

Our nursery project is finally complete! And by “complete” I mean that we had to force ourselves to STOP. Like literally. I think we could have worked on this little project forever…and not because it was complicated or drawn out…but because it was a JOY. We loved this one folks. For reals.

I think I forgot how much fun putting together a room could be until this little number came along. AND it’s a nursery. Which means we got to swoon over the cutest accessories and the sweetest little details {like “Larry” above…<3}. AND our client was awesome and let us basically do whatever we wanted!? Yep. They didn’t have a direction in mind for this nursery but they trusted us, which also means they let us MAKE stuff. Oh the joy!!!

Here’s where we started…

The existing room was a blank slate. Beige carpet, beige walls, white blinds, and a ceiling fan.

Existing Room:

We came up with a design concept for them and helped them shop, shop, shop. We started with the most expensive of furnishings (like we always do for style and design) and then found better priced options where we could. For instance, we might have been pinning Restoration Hardware cribs to begin with, but that was more for concept and to get our design juices flowing. In the end, our Client actually found the perfect crib at babys-r-us…! We just led them thru the design process and gave them some specific details to look for…like bun feet, lol. (images to follow later in the post!)

Design Concept:

Since our Client is a huge lover of animals, we thought using animals as accents in the space would be perfect. From the start we knew we didn’t want this room to be overly themed in any way (I try to avoid themed rooms if it can be helped)… so we knew we were looking for pieces that didn’t necessarily come from the same store or line, but that would ultimately pull the look together without being too matchy-matchy. We also wanted it to be a room that would grow with him. Not too baby, not too grown up. And the room had to be a little glamorous…if you could see this little guy’s parents, you’d know why. They sparkle and don’t even try to. Seriously. They’ve got it going on. So we knew Blake’s little man room needed to be “man glammed”… if that’s even a phrase.

Custom Pieces:

We also got a little crazy and decided to make a few things ourselves…eeeek! Which is always one of my favorite parts. There’s something about using drills and saws and tape measures that’s just plain old exciting. But that’s usually only when our hubby’s aren’t around to watch and unknowingly “judge” of course. 🙂 They mean well…we know that! And we love them dearly. No doubt. But it’s sort of like trying to watch your husband ice a cake. Yes, he’s capable and could totally ice a mean cake. But it’s almost too painful to watch. There are tricks and short cuts they just can’t comprehend…and well…they’re just not as good at it. That’s how it is with our hubby’s and tools. They’re the experts. We’re just NOT. At least, not YET 🙂

We made two things for Blake’s little nursery. A wood name-board for his fabulous light up letters…and a custom robe hook to hold frames and hats and cute little man stuff above his changing table. Both made of reclaimed wood, sanded and then waxed with a dark wax. See below!

Finished Nursery:

To start, let me introduce you to Baby Blake. Doesn’t he just melt your heart? He’s the sweetest, happiest little guy…as if you couldn’t tell, right? And he LOVES his room. Seriously…we took these photos the morning we finished the room. And he just sat there smiling, looking all around and grabbing at his new rug. 🙂

And now the less cute stuff, but the stuff I LIVE for…here’s the “after” shot of the room.

Here’s the before and after side by side photos. The “before” is before we painted and staged everything. I show you this because a lot of people would buy all the stuff for their room and leave it just like this “before” picture. Which is fine. But it could be SO much more with drapes and a rug and the right accessories and the right paint color.

Here’s another before and after. The ceiling fan. Changing that element changed the whole room. It defined the space, brought things down a bit for a more intimate feel, added some texture and well…just made the room look “kool”.

And here’s the custom name-board we made again.

The details…it’s all about the details my friends. You can find pieces like this dresser at Babys-r-us…you just have to dig a little. Look at those pulls, and all the detailing on drawer fronts, and the bun feet. Oh, how I love a bun foot on a dresser 🙂

And here’s our custom robe hook we made from a piece of old wood, 3 pulls from Hobby Lobby and some rope.

And seriously. This might be my most favorite part of the room. A CHEWBACCA onsie!!! {a gift I hear from Baby Blake’s Uncle Luke…nice job dude!}

IF: design & decor

I made it to my first IF gathering. I’m still meandering thru my thoughts on it all…there’s just so much to unpack. The speakers were raw and real. I felt such a sense of community and sisterhood being there with all of those women. It’s something I haven’t felt quite like that before. \

I had the privilege of helping with the decor for the event, and that was a blessing in itself. Months before a friend had asked if I’d be involved. I remember hesitating, feeling unsure of what I could bring to the table…but I’m so glad I stepped up and out of my world of crazy self doubt. We met early on at a coffee shop downtown to talk about her vision. We gobbled down our lunches and chatted and prayed and before I knew it, I couldn’t keep up with my sharpie. When our two hearts and minds came together, ideas just flowed. I was sketching and doodling and designing my little heart away. And I’m not talking about anything grandiose or over the top either. I was working with yarn and cans and sticks…{lol}. I made trips to Good Will for milk glass vases and old frames and used the old lace drapes that were in our house when we moved in. We did buy a bolt of burlap and A LOT of babys breath. But other than that, we didn’t break the bank on decorations.

We prayed about it a lot along the way…from our first meeting to the last moments of set up. That whatever we did and however we did it…that God would be glorified. {and oh did we mean it}. We wanted God to be in it. For women to come and be blessed and feel comfortable enough to pour out their hearts to God. Not like they were at a church or a luncheon or a function {and no offense to any of those fabulous ways to commune with God either}. We were just dreaming of something else for this thing. We wanted it to be an intimate atmosphere that whispered acceptance and grace. I’m not sure how decor in any way shape or form can do that…but I truly believe that when God is “in” something…when He shows up…it can come alive. And OH DID IT. Thank.you.Lord.

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The concept: Create a simple and elegant atmosphere using a collection of all things rustic and natural.

{old wood boards, cans, twine, green and cream yarn, chunks of wood, lace, burlap, twigs, string lights, metal buckets, simple milk glass vases}

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Here was the beginnings of our string art sign. It was sort of the basis of the our whole design concept. Lyndseye’s handy hubby built the pallet substrate for us. You can see my little helper there in the corner. He wanted to rip the paper and eat the nails. Eventually he ended up in baby jail. {aka the jumper}

I made a template on the computer so that I wouldn’t have to measure out the nail locations. I didn’t have time for that, and this sign was pretty big as it was. I’ve discovered that when I work, it has to be quick. Like lighting fast. The little people require snacks and hugs and tickles every 15 minutes. So sending a drawing to the local print place is just easier for me. It might be because I spent years in a design firm and that’s the language I speak. However you slice it, this little template made nailing my 3 foot “I” and “F” cake.

This next image might help you understand WHY I can only work in 15 minutes increments. This is what my 4 year old did while I nailed the pattern down. I was working on project IF, he was working on project TENT DISASTER. You can see he’s in mid jump here. Probably testing out the strength of his tent roof. {sigh…}

I tore the paper off after all the nails were in. It probably took me an hour to do the nails and the yarn. Easy peasey.

My dad even joined in on the action. He followed me thru our woods one cold afternoon and heave-hoed all the down branches and logs that fit the size and shape of my liking {what a sweet dad}. Then he even pulled out the saw and cut them in random lengths for me. I truly heart him.

I also got a little crazy and cut up old lace curtains and used them for table runners. Our original idea was to use chicken wire as a layer over the lace {it looked AMAZING) but it was just too hard to work with in the end. It wouldn’t lay flat and I didn’t have the patience to deal with all the sharp edges. We ended up layering a strip of black tule over the lace to get the same contrasting effect. Much easier, and still pretty I guess.

This “angel” puzzle was in one of the old frames I bought from Good Will … I thought it was fitting that it ended up being the straight edge I used to cut the lace against. God was in the details, like literally. But we knew that with or without an angel straight edge 🙂

I also made two large coffee filter wreaths. I decided to dye the coffee filters light gray by soaking them in a mixture of water and black paint for a few minutes. We laid them out on tables in front of space heaters to dry. Like I always say…whatever works, people! It was somewhat time consuming gluing them all together, but mainly because I was sort of OCD about bunching them together as close as possible. I used over 1000 coffee filters in the end. Thank goodness Aldi sells them cheap!

My son Rigby wanted to be in the photo below since he helped. He stayed up late one night with me separating all the filters. I heart him too 🙂 Who asks to be in a photo and then refuses to look at the camera??? I think I better pause here and apologize for jumping back and forth between serious design and sarcasm. Please know it cannot be helped. 😉

Since we wanted to atmosphere to be cozy and intimate, we surrounded the tables with walls of pipe and drape, basically pulling the walls of our sanctuary in. And by “we” I mean Tom…the amazing facilities guy at our church. He offered up a lot of suggestions and really helped us get everything just right.

We also used long runs of tables end to end so that it had more of a community feel. I think it helped us feel like we were all part of this thing together. Quaint and cozy, and well, just plain lovely.

And we can’t forget this little man. I know he was helping his Momma behind the scenes as well 🙂

And here she is…Miss Lyndsye…our IF coordinator extraordinaire! We had so much fun working together on this. Seriously. I swear we were finishing each other’s sentences by the end. We even accidentally wore matching shirts to set up…”twinning” as Lyn put it. So fun!

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And finally we were ready for IF:Valpo

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(photo credits to Liz Bradley and Jerry Grafton)