So glad to have these new sponsors on board and hope you’ll take a minute to visit their sites:
And, thanks to these renewing sponsors for their continued support of my blog:
PS—I have loved reading your hair horror stories. Still three more days to tell me about yours!
{This giveaway is now closed.}
Taking a break from decorating talk today to blog about what really matters: my hair. Just kidding, but I do have a little gift for (one of) you so stick with me.
I don’t think any girl is ever completely happy with her hair. I’ve done some pretty stupid things with mine, including getting a super tight perm (bangs included) the summer before I started college (whaaaat???) and cutting off my long hair right after getting pregnant for the second time:
They say you should never do anything drastic to your hair while you’re pregnant. I should’ve listened to them. I loved it for the twenty minute drive home—and then not so much after I walked in the door and saw my husband’s reaction. . . . (He will deny this.)
I invested a lot of thought and effort into my hair during my twenties. But, I’m finding that as I get older, I don’t have the interest in spending tons of money or time on it. (And, I get so fidgety sitting in that chair for very long—anybody else?) I would like to say that I’ve become low-maintenance, but that’s probably pushing it :)
For the last couple of years, I’ve just gotten trims and I’ve even started coloring it myself occasionally (because I’m not low-maintenance enough to let the grays show).
(All of that work, and I’d really just like to have hair that looks like my three-year-old’s.)
So, in the spirit of better hair, and because I appreciate my readers, I have a little giveaway. Misikko (a site that specializes in flat irons, hair dryers and curling irons) recently sent me one of their Hana Pro 1” flat irons to review. But, since my hair is at the stage where a big curling iron works better than a flat iron (and I just bought a new one not too long ago), I’m passing it along to one of you.
$130 value
To enter, just be sure you either subscribe to my blog or are a Google Friend Connect follower. And, leave a comment on this post telling me the stupidest thing you’ve ever done to your hair. I’ll choose a winner based on the worst/funniest/craziest response :) and will announce on my Facebook page on Wed., October 3rd. Looking forward to reading these. . .
PS--Be sure I have a way to contact you if your profile isn’t linked to a blog. Thanks!
Since I’m no longer taking any design clients, I thought this might be a fun topic to tackle—or at least to open up for a good discussion. Blogs and HGTV have definitely put the idea in lots of people’s minds that it’s possible to redecorate an entire room without spending loads of money with the help of thrifting, DIY’ing, repurposing, repainting, etc. . . But, what happens with those people want to hire a decorator to help them do all of it?
Can you design on a dime AND hire a decorator?
my thrift store dining chairs ($12.50 each!)
I think people are attracted to my blog because, well . . . I decorate with pretty cheap stuff and manage to make it look okay. I found that when I was decorating for other people, I would get lots of emails from prospective clients saying they liked my budget-friendly style and wanted help recreating the same thing in their own homes.
the Habitat Restore lantern I “restored”
I still stand by my philosophy that good design doesn’t have to be complicated or pricey. But, I think you know what I’m getting at. Decorating my own home on a budget has been a process that has included hours of shopping, scavenging, sanding, repainting, and just plain old sitting and thinking about how to change things up. It takes time. Time that might surprise clients if they’re being billed by the hour.
So, let’s discuss. . .
Designers/decorators: How do you set realistic expectations so that you’re fairly compensated for clients who want to design on a dime?
Budget-minded homeowners: Do you think a budget-friendly decorator is an urban legend? What are your expectations when paying someone to help design a room with repurposed and thrifted pieces?
I hope you’re not sick of hearing about the kitchen. I’ve just been focused on it lately—and I’m almost ready to move on. But first, here’s one major change we made over the summer that I haven’t shared yet. Ever since we moved into this house, I’ve been envisioning replacing the light fixture over the island with a big lantern:
And, when Ballard put their lighting on sale this summer, I took that as my sign to go for it.
I’ve loved the straight, simple lines of these lanterns for a while, but when it came time to order, I went back and forth between ordering the medium or large size.
In the end, I decided to be brave and order the biggest one. I’m glad I did.
I also wanted to make sure that whatever we put up didn’t fight against the the chandelier we hung over the table. I think the combination of a curvy chandelier and a really simple lantern worked out pretty well together:
(Do you know how difficult it was to keep my kitchen counters cleaned off for the three minutes it took to snap these pictures? I swear it goes from one mess to the next. Oh, and my seven-year-old is hiding behind the island.)
With a new season comes quick changes for our front door. This is what I like to call the poor man’s customized door mat:
I picked up a $5 mat at Big Lots and painted on our house number using stencils and paint I already had:
(The pineapple finials were one of my best yard sale finds--$2 each.)
Instead of killing mums this year, I opted to put these in our planters:
(They look like they have little berries on them.)
Whoever spots the uninvited guest first gets the prize :)
What changes have you made to your front door or porch for fall?
1. I’ll start with the obvious—the changing colors of nature. Is there a more beautiful palette?
2. Pumpkin lattes from Dunkin Donuts.
3. Football. Not the actual sport, but the sound of it on TV. It’s the perfect background noise for a Sunday afternoon nap.
4. Mums. It’s a sure sign that Fall is upon us when stores start putting them out.
5. Boots.
6. Vegetable soup (I never feel like it’s right to make it before September.)
7. Pinecones, acorns and branches. There are so many free accessories for your home this time of year.
Better Homes & Gardens
8. Scarves.
9. Turtlenecks. (Do you see a theme here? My husband swears I go put on a scarf or turtleneck the minute temperatures fall below 80 degrees. I tell him there’s something to be said for modesty.)
10. Halloween. Even if I don’t get the candy, I still feel the thrill of trick or treating with my kids.
11. The smell of burning leaves.
12. Pumpkins.
13. My birthday and our anniversary. They fall within the same week in November.
14. A new fall bag. I bought this one.
15. Crisp, cool nights.
Happy First Day of Fall!
This giveaway is now closed.
Although the rest of our kitchen is coming along, you never know what’s lurking behind closed doors—our refrigerator doors, that is. And, I’m not the best at cleaning mine out on a regular basis. Surely, I’m not the only one who has frozen paint brushes in there from projects started and never finished. . . Right??
(I’m sure this is against some kind of health code. . .)
Recently, a company based right here in Charlotte contacted us about becoming a sponsor on my blog. Fridge Coaster is not only “fashion for your fridge” as they say, but it’s a great way to keep your fridge shelves, bins and drawers from getting “cruddy.” (I’ll spare you the “before” pictures of mine.)
I just told them what model of fridge I had and my color/pattern choice. (Besides the dots, they also have chevron and trellis.) They came in a neat little package like this with all of the sizes I needed for each compartment and shelf:
I expected them to be more like a rubber pad but they’re actually made of a dense, super absorbent 30% recycled wood pulp and can be full submerged in liquids. (Although, they recommend that you just wipe them with a wet, soapy sponge.)
(These would be really great in a pantry, too!)
Fridge Coaster is giving away $100 worth of their products to one lucky reader.
(Your choice of colors, patterns and sizes).
To enter,
Visit Fridge Coaster and leave a comment on this post letting me know which color/pattern combo you like best OR “like” Fridge Coaster on Facebook and leave a comment on this post. (Feel free to enter both ways—just be sure to leave two separate comments.)
The winner will be chosen at random and announced Tuesday, Sept. 25th on my Facebook page. Good luck!
