have you ever tried to take a picture in a closet...that's what i felt like i was doing!!  our house was built in 1950 and so our bathrooms are tiny!!  i have no idea how photographers take pictures in bathrooms....it's impossible.  but you get the idea.  before my bathroom was just a painted box.  there wasn't anything wrong w/ it....it just wasn't me.  so over thanksgiving, i convinced my dad to stay a week and help make my bathroom pretty.  now, i can officially say "it's me".  we added wainscoting and that made a huge difference.  it made the bathroom feel taller and brighter.  it was a quick, inexpensive way to get a big impact...dad had the wood up in about 2 hours....then it was just painting (3 coats of white) that made it official.  the next step was wallpapering.  dad has wallpapered numerous times so i was just the assistant.  it's kind of fussy work but wallpapering is one of my favorite things to add to a space!  and b/c we used the wainscoting, it cut down on how much wallpaper i actually needed.  the wainscoting was $115 for all the materials and then it was just the cost of the wallpaper....we used about 3 single rolls.  the wallpaper is quadrille/china seas java java in navy on white.   and i love her.  thanks for y'alls sweet comments and a huge thanks to my dad for being the best handyman a girl could have!!

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Progress in the Guest Room

A couple of months ago we took our scary storage/ workout room....

...And turned it into a guest room.  We started by tearing out the drop ceilings & then having the walls & ceiling re-drywalled.  A closet door  was also added to hide the massive storage closet/ understairs storage.  We took our old guest room and turned it into another office for me & my assistant, Meghan.  (We are still waiting for our furniture to arrive in the office but I'll post pics when we're finished!)

The guest room is pretty much a hodgepodge of things we already had, with the only new item being the linen curtains I had made out of my new Thistle fabric.  I used the vintage wooden dresser I found a while back & truth-be-told, it's stuffed with off-season clothes.  My wooden lady (who is super-heavy) makes me happy:

We're still missing one of the most important elements in the room- the headboard!!- so I have to warn you that the pics really don't look that great, but I'm excited about the progress we've made & wanted to share.  (The pics are also really grainy- sorry!!!)  It's a very tiny room so just room for a bed with a small trunk at the end.  (Which I couldn't even fit into a picture)  I used white/cream bedding we already had & have been having fun layering the bed with different quilts to suit my different moods.  Right now I wanted sort of a Fallish-Bohemian feeling so I used a couple of old vintage quilts.  Here's a blurry pic I snapped of the half unmade bed this morning:

{The quilts are vintage and the 2 boudoir pillows are in a Peter Dunham linen}

I used my favorite pair of massive glass lamps on either side of the bed & was able to just fit in our pedestal table along with the dresser:

{The window isn't centered in the room so we had to go with two totally different sizes of end tables...  Since we were using pieces we already had, the pedestal table is a bit shorter than I'd like so I raised the lamp up with some books to make it more even with its mate.}

I have a collection of old mushroom prints on one wall and wooden printers' trays that the boys & I are working on filling with natural objects on the other, so I'll be sure to share overall pics when we're "finished."  I'm planning on doing a headbaord upholstered in warn oatmeal linen that will stop right at the window sill.  I'm debating on on its shape because I am still to excited over my curtains to cover them up too much with a straight headboard so it will either be rounded or I'll cut out the corners.

Here's a close-up of the curtains in Thistle in Sepia & I'm pretty excited to see them in there:

{I chose them because I could mix them with just about any colors I wanted when my moods change}

Anyway, I'll share more when there's more to see.  I hope you liked it & that you're having a great week!!  I also took a few more photos the other day of one of our most recent installs & will be sure to share.  My client's bedroom turned out beautifully & is really different from this one, so I'll try to post soon.

If you're interested in purchasing any of my fabrics, you can visit my online store here.

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my dad and i gave my bathroom a little makeover over thanksgiving.....here's a sneak peek.

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I'm back from Thanksgiving break and it was soooooooo great to get to just relax & hang with my family.  (And eat, of  course!)  I was thinking about it...  and isn't it funny that for this one day a year, almost all of us Americans are eating pretty much the exact same thing?  How weird would it be if we all did burgers on Tuesdays or pesto on Fridays?  ...  the grocery stores would be pretty profitable.  Random, I know. 

{We braved Black Friday - not bad at all, very odd- and found these cute little boots from Gap Kids}

We finally finished raking our yard and I got in a few pics of the boys:

{Christian, 4 and Justin- almost 2!}

I took a complete break from work, which was really nice, but I couldn't help going back to look at pics of some of our recent installs from last week...  Here's a mid-stage pic of one of my favorite rooms as we were moving everything in:

(The curtains are LL Textiles Live Paisley in Gold and I wish the were in my house :)

My client made a last-minute color switch on the walls & they turned out to be too pink.  We're going back to our original color which will be a cream.  {She had a color from one brand reproduced in another brand and it didn't come out perfectly to match the swatch... }    {I'd love to hide all of the not-so-smooth details from you to make it all seem perfect, but just keepin' it real & hopefully it'll help someone with being exrta careful about switching paint brands/ paint matching.}  This room is definitely going to be one of my favorite rooms we've ever done when we're finished.  My clients have the coolest style (she's traditional, he's a bit more edgy- so the mix is perfect) and I'm in love with the room.   

Anyway, I'm off for the day to a master bedroom installation.  I'll be sure to share some peeks!!  Hope your Thanksgiving was special!!

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TODAY:
eat until your pants are too tight
laugh until your belly hurts
wrap your arms around the ones you love
and give thanks for all that you have.
HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!

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i'm kind of having a purple moment right now.....
how cute is that VW....i bet i could haul a lot of fabric in that!!

*images courtesy of pinterest, sacramento street, cute things, angie hranowsky/glam lamb, vintage home/architectural digest

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I can't wait...

...For Thanksgiving.

{Barry Dixon}

I am so ready to relax with my family & eat some goodness!!    We have a few loose ends to tie up at work and then we're off on Wednesday for the holiday.

{Image by Lisa Cohen: From lisacohenphotography.com }

I've been collecting Fall & Thanksgiving images for a while on pinterest so I figured I'd share a few that really make me happy. 

{Image via soderbergagentur.com}

I am so excited to wrap up in a blanket by the fire and hang with my husband & some good music.  (I have to admit that Christmas music DID get played this weekend while raking.  I have a problem :) 

{From casa-diseno-blog.com}

 Anyway, hope you have a great last few days of work before vacation!!!

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Family Room Redo: Sneekity Peek

To say this week has been crazy would be an understatement.  Installations are really the most fulfilling part of my job because it's like surprising someone with an awesome present.  I love seeing & hearing about my clients' reactions when they see their finished spaces & there's nothing better in this job than making them happy.  This week we installed for a few clients: a family room & some common areas, a living room, and we placed the final pieces of art in another favorite project of ours.  We get the chance to work with some of the sweetest, most amazing clients and I feel so lucky.

I just wanted to share a little tiny peek of one of my client's family rooms.  I particularly loooove her slipcovered linen ottoman and the rug she found on One King's Lane.   We had a few delays this week which were tough, but in the end it will all work out.  I'll be sure to share more when I can... the photos I took were all pretty grainy so I need me some Helen Norman. :)

Enjoy this beautiful weekend!!

(And thank you to my amazing clients if you're reading-- you are really all the best!) 

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 i've got a date with this little man this AM....we're both still under the weather.  i might have a case of laryngitis.  i'd love to curl up and watch a movie....walker agreed.

he always picks good night gorilla....it's the one movie i'm okay w/ him watching.  it last 10 minutes and he will sit the entire time and watch it.  i use this to my advantage....

 i need tea....it helps the throat.  i wish i had a doctor here.  i probably need an antibiotic by now.  i've lived here for a year but i still don't have a doc.  and it never works to call when you get sick b/c they always say they aren't accepting new patients.

i feel like this picture i found at a thrift store yrs ago....i call him achoo....b/c he looks like he is about to sneeze.

 i really need to clean my house.  i have company coming tomorrow AM.  i don't have it in me.

 instead i work....walker thinks he should help....95% of the time when walker's not at school, this is how i work.

 9:30 and it's time for walker to take a nap (secretly i might be doing the happy dance)....

b/c now i can curl up on the sofa w/ a blanket and read my new magazines....finger's crossed his nap last long.....

if you want something to read, lauren at the cottage mix asked me to answer some questions about how the designer's attic got started....

i hope y'all have a wonderful weekend.  xoxo.

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