{Project Gallery}

Client Plans

A Classic Living Room After reviewing my client’s detailed questionnaire, room photos and specifications, as well as getting to know her better via email, I knew this living room design needed to be classic, with a nod to nature… Read this Classic Living Room Design Case Study

A Fall Inspired Family Room Although I was given a significant budget to work with, this room had to incorporate the whole family and a lofty wish list. I knew it would be somewhat of a challenge… Read this Fall Inspired Family Room Design Case Study

Client Sunroom  After looking at the gorgeous photos and specs of this home, it was definitely a project I wanted to take on. Patty contacted me a short time after she and her family moved in. She found that some of the furniture wasn’t working… Read this Sunroom Design Case Study

Bonus Room Design Similar to many scenarios I see time and time again, my client had purchased new furniture and a few decorative accessories, but she didn’t feel like the room was coming together… Read this Bonus Room Design Case Study

Small Space Bedroom Design As often is the case with condos, this space was tight and had bulkheads, columns and heating vents running all over. After meeting with Tanja and seeing the space, I could see why she was having difficulty… Read this Bedroom Design Case Study

Kitchen Refresh Sarah felt her kitchen could use an intervention, but didn’t know where to start. Staying true to her frugal ways, I put together a mood board and list of changes to freshen it up and make it more functional… Read this Refresh My Nest Kitchen Update

Organizing

Vintage Inspired Jewelry Organization My goal was to create an organizing system that encouraged me to wear all my jewelry. It had to be easy to put items away and retrieve… Read this Vintage Inspired Jewelry Organization Project

How I Organize My Spices When Arianna asked me to share how I organize an item in my home, I knew my spice jar revamp would be perfect. This project was easy to do and the spice jars are super functional and look great. Check Out How I Organize My Spices

Meal Planning Back in my days as a teacher, there are a few things I added to my weekly routine to keep our home life running smoothly, and planning meals was one of them. It took some tweaking… Read How to Create Your Own Meal-planning System

Pantry Organization A pantry can be the storage savior of your kitchen. Following a few simple steps will help you reclaim, reorganize and maintain your pantry. Learn the Simple Steps to a Better Organized Pantry

Rearranging for Simplicity After reading Julie Morgenstern’s organizing book, I realized I needed to move some items around our house to speed up and simplify the everyday tasks … Read How You Can Rearrange for Everyday Simplicity

Food Storage Made Easy Although our pantry and fridge were fairly well organized, I was tired of bags and boxes falling over or going stale when they weren’t properly closed up. I decided to transfer… Find Out How to Better Store Your Food

For the Holidays

Handmade Gift Wrap One thing I really like to do is wrap presents. I have a thing for beautiful stationery, papers, gift bags, ribbon- the whole kit ‘n caboodle, especially anything handmade… Find Out How to Make Your Own Hand-printed Gift Wrap

Printed Tea Towels I wanted to try my hand at screen printing and couldn’t believe how easy it was to create these snowflake tea towels using Martha Stewart craft supplies and some remnant fabric… Check Out How to Create Your Own Decorative Tea Towels

Planting Bulbs for Christmas If you want gorgeous blooms for Christmas, it’s important to plant your bulbs early as they take several weeks to mature… Learn the Steps to Beautiful Christmas Bulbs

Button Gift Embellishments As part of the One Item Project Challenge we had to create something using buttons. I was inspired to make some easy and inexpensive gift embellishments using supplies I already had… Discover How to Make Your Own Button Embellishments

Jingle Bell Ornaments As I was going through a Christmas storage tote, I came across a package of tiny silver jingle bells and decided to create a simple ornament. Find Out How Easy it is to Make this Ornament

Memory Candy Jar I always try to create a few handmade gifts every Christmas, especially for grandparents. This one is kind of “fortune cookie meets Hershey’s kisses” and combines sentimental value with yumminess… Check Out the Details of My Memory Candy Jar

Christmas DIY Projects E-book I had so much fun partaking in this Christmas decorating and ideas blog hop, and was thrilled when Shannon compiled everything into one complete E-book… Get Your Free Copy of the Christmas DIY Project Book

Creative and Personalized Gift Wrap Using items from around the house, I was able to create a series of button gift tags and more for specific people on my list. Wrapping doesn’t have to be expensive if you think outside the box… Discover Some Ways to Personalize Your Gift Wrap

Paint & Wallpaper

A Tray Makeover  When Tiffany from Living Savvy first asked me to be part of her Spray Painters Anonymous series I was excited and thought- I can totally do this! I’m no stranger to paint, but I have to admit my experience with spray paint has been limited… Read this Spray Painters Anonymous Tray Project

Choosing Paint Colors With so many colors, finishes, and brands on the market, it’s easy to see why so many people live with builder’s beige as long as they do. Choosing paint colors doesn’t have to be as daunting if you spend some time considering a few factors. Find Out How to Choose Paint Colors With Confidence

Gold Gilded Bird Art I wanted to introduce a bit of gold into our house for some time and found inspiration to make this bird art after spotting a beautiful tray at Pier 1. Check Out the Tutorial for this Gold Gilded Art Piece

Favorite Paint Colors I asked several design bloggers to send me their go-to list of paint colors and was able to compile a list of 18 favorites including a few of my own… Find Out What the Bloggers’ Favorite Paint Colors Are

Decorating & Styling

Add Style to Your Bookcase When styling bookcases, there are some techniques I always consider to achieve great results. Whether you’re a true traditionalist or lean towards a contemporary aesthetic, the formula is basically the same… Discover My Steps to Beautiful Bookcases

Freshening Your Front Entrance I received an email from a reader asking if I would share some tips for organizing and beautifying a front entrance… Check Out My Tips for Creating a Great First Impression

Selecting Decorative Pillow Fabrics One of the quickest and simplest ways I like to add personality to a space is through the use of decorative pillows. Selecting fabrics comes down to personal style, but there are a few guidelines I like to follow… Find Out How to Get the Right Mix of Pillows

Styling a Bed On Pinterest I stumbled upon a clever graphic for arranging pillows on a bed. After tracking down the creator, I asked Marissa to share a few tips, and thankfully she agreed… Read Marissa’s Tips for Styling a Bed

Gardening & Outdoor

Kitchen Container Potager Kitchen potagers are planted to provide fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers throughout the growing season. Given the limited space I’m faced with, I decided to create a container form of this garden. Learn How Create Your Own Small Space Potager

Deck Revamp + Privacy Partition When we moved into our house, we started with a small deck that lacked any sort of privacy. After living with it for a number of years, we finally decided to enlarge it and add a cedar partition. Check Out Our Deck Makeover

Front Porch and Door Refresh After growing tired of our plum colored door, as well as the weathered-looking wood, I updated our front porch with a fresh coat of stain and a new paint color for the door. Check Out Which Color I Used to Paint the Front Door

Backyard Fence Makeover Our backyard fence and I have not had a good relationship since we moved in. I’ve tried to make improvements over the years, but I never seemed to get it just right, until now… Read About How I Finally Became Friends with Our Fence

DIY Terrarium I had been admiring Terrariums in magazines and on Pinterest, and thought I’d try creating one to liven up a dull corner in our family room. … Find Out How My Terrarium Turned Out

Indoor Tulip Bulbs for Spring I was at the grocery store admiring the loveliness of spring bulbs in the floral department. Being tired of winter, I thought I’d try forcing my own tulip bulbs to add a little life and color to our kitchen… Read the Tutorial for Your Own Indoor Spring Bulbs

Recipes

Therapeutic Mustard Bath My husband’s aunt introduced me to mustard baths (a traditional remedy in England). They work wonders for all kinds of ailments, including the treatment of colds, fatigued and achy muscles, fever, congestion and stress… Learn How to Make Your Own Mustard Bath Remedy

Giant Ginger Cookies Fall is my favorite time to bake and I can never resist making these soft and chewy ginger and molasses cookies. Get the Recipe for These Family Favorite Cookies

Chocolate Toffee Coconut Chews These chewy cookies are the perfect mix of three of my favorite flavors, especially paired with a glass of ice cold milk. As a alternative, this cookie mix can be layered in a jar to make a fun gift at Christmas. Find Out How to Make These Decadent Cookies

Holiday Cookie Exchange I arranged my first cookie exchange and asked one of my friends to share a couple of her favorites. I made Chocolate Almond Biscotti, as well as Chocolate Caramel Pretzels. Sandi exchanged Chewy Molasses Cookies and Maple Glazed Shortbread. Yum! Check Out All Four Cookie Exchange Recipes

Refreshing Berry Drinks Sometimes water just doesn’t cut it in the summer heat, and I set out to try some new recipes using organic berries from the farmer’s market, including Strawberry Lemonade, Italian Soda and Slightly Sweet Iced Tea… Learn How to Make Your Own Refreshing Summer Drinks

Coconut Curry Chicken Soup With the first flakes of snow to hit the ground, the timing of making this family favorite soup couldn’t be better. Isn’t there something comforting about soup simmering on the stove… Get the Recipe for this Fall Comfort Food

Hot Apple Cider Halloween is often cold, and occasionally we have a family or two making a pit stop to warm up. What better way than with a mug of steaming apple cider… Find Out How to Make Delicious Apple Cider

Holiday Sweet Treats For this year’s baking exchange, I asked my nutritionist friend Karen to share a healthier alternative, while I shared one of my childhood favorite cookies- Mexican Wedding Cakes… Check Out the Holiday Sweet Treat Recipes