Come see me at Wishbone Home & Design!

It's true, I love a good home interiors store, like, really LOVE.

They are hard to come by…..often I find them

when traveling in cities far from home.

I have always dreamed of opening my own…..somewhere

where fellow design lovers and home-keepers could meet and geek-out

over bookends, vases, lanterns, preserved boxwood,

decorative boxes…..and PILLOWS!

I know now is not the right time for me personally to 

own a shop but I have a stylish, beautiful friend who has

opened a darling home interiors shop in Lake Oswego, Oregon

and has invited me to host what we are calling a 'trunk show'

at her shop next week - October 2nd and 3rd.

Wishbone Home & Design is located at 

41 B Avenue in Lake Oswego -

right next to Gourmet Productions!

Basically, I will bringing items I love to use for styling both 

my own home and my client's homes…..old books, art,

lamps, decorative objects…..ALL will be for sale!

If you are local, I would love for you stop by and say 'hi'!

When:  October 2 & 3

{I will be there from 10 am - 2 pm}

Where:  Wishbone Home & Design

41 'B' Avenue

Lake Oswego, Oregon

Client Bedroom Inspired by a popular Pinterest Image!

Back in June, when I knew I wanted to scale back on

my work with local clients in order to allow me more time to

hang out with my two daughters this summer 

chauffeur my two daughters to their MANY

summer activities, I opened up the opportunity

to work with more online clients via e-design!  

While I might have forgotten the amount of time and 

online attention required while working with clients

all over the United States, it has really been a highlight

of my summer!  I LOVE getting to interact with you all -

those have read my blog and supported my work.

Your trust and belief in me is such an honor and blessing.

I love uniting with you to help create a home you love

and functions for you and your family.

Via

When a client sent me the above photo as inspiration for her 

master bedroom I was to help her with, I was psyched!

I have loved this image for a long time and was definitely

one of my early 'Pins'.  I cannot find the original source so 

if someone knows it, please pass it along!

Here is the design board I created inspired by the image:

{the client had no new furniture needs}

I know many of you are already back in school -

My high schooler doesn't start for another week and a half

and my middle schooler doesn't go back until after Labor Day.

It is still summer around here and I am enjoying every last

bit of it……chauffeuring duties and ALL.

A little Christmas in our Ho*Me*…...

I'm not going to chat your ear off about our holiday decor….

Here it is….I actually enjoyed doing less this year…..seems there is a

trend towards 'more life, less hassle' and I am a big fan of that mantra.

I couldn't resist these whimsical bottle brush trees from Anthropologie this year -

especially their fabulous colors….love.

I made the pom-pom wreath……I did.  I will attempt my version

of a 'tutorial' next week.  I'm not saying I would do it again.  I have

a wrist injury from the repetitive pom-pom making…..the jury is still

out whether it is worth it to just 'pop' for the cost of the Anthro version…..

I think I would if I had to do it all over, but that's me, the non-crafty,

impatient gal that I am.

Our tree was fresh cut by the hubs in the National Forest - it's irregular

and natural and I love it a lot.  My girls really like the process

of hiking in the forest to find the tree but would prefer a perfectly

coiffed and sheared Christmas tree farm tree….this year, momma won out.

We'll see what next year brings.

We have collected Christopher Radko ornaments since my parents lived

in Warsaw, Poland while my dad worked there in the early 90's.  The

Radko ornaments were manufactured in Poland and we were able to purchase

many for little money when we visited

 - my sweet husband carried many fragile ornaments

back to the U.S. in his carry-on backpack.  Thus, a collection was started and

over the years we have added others, including the tree topper.

I have also collected vintage glass ornament forever - always break a few each

year but love displaying them in my Polish dough bowl.

There you go!  I am not linking up with any Holiday house tours, I am not 

featured anywhere, I didn't have Balsam Hill send me a beautifully flocked tree….

but our home is decorated!  I have also enjoyed socializing with friends, making dinner

for my family, working with clients……nothing was harmed or neglected

in the process of decorating this house….

Merry Christmas!

Christmas in the Kitchen….and a favorite recipe!

Welcome to my Christmas kitchen!

Thank you to Kelly from Talk of the House for inviting me to 

participate in her Christmas in the Kitchen blog hop!

As with the rest of our home, I keep the Christmas decor pretty

simple in my kitchen.  I tend to prefer natural elements.  

When my girls were smaller I started a Christmas snow globe

collection for each of them - this year I used them to 

decorate the open shelves on either side of my 

kitchen sink.  They are really the only non-natural element decor.

Our home is in Portland, Oregon.  When we purchased 

this home about four years ago, the cabinets were maple

stained.  We had them sprayed BM White Dove.  I also 

had my contractor remove two doors and convert

two cabinets to the open-storage/plate rack cabinet

you see below.

We also added the subway tile and the BIG Ballard Designs

lantern pictured below.  These pretty simple cosmetic 

changes made the kitchen more 'me'.

I love cooking and baking.

At Christmastime, I love to make homemade

treats and goodies with my two teenage daughters.

Since they were little, we have always made homemade

gifts for their teachers and our neighbors. I want

to instill in them a heart for giving and in my opinion,

homemade gifts are the best gifts!

This weekend we will make a triple batch

of our favorite granola recipe and package it

in jars I purchased at Ikea tied with a ribbon 

and personalized gift tag.  These make great gifts

for the special teachers and office workers 

at each of their schools.

I hope you will take some time to visit my fellow kitchen tour participants:

Jenny Steffens

Nine and Sixteen

Talk of the House

You won't be disappointed!!!

******

Below is our granola recipe.  We add dried cranberries to make it 

more festive but you could add nuts or any dried fruit! Also know, you

don't have to add the flax seed or chia seeds - I sneak them  in because 

they are good for you!  My girls add this granola to yogurt 

for a meal or snack.

** UPDATE - the first recipe I included was WRONG - coconut was omitted

which is very important!!!  This is why I probably never include

recipes on my blog!!!  Ugh!!!  Will Pin this correct version!

White Kitchen Love…...

I'm not even gonna state the obvious……{I've been m.i.a.}

My life and time have been full of the good stuff…..lots of 

challenging design projects with clients who want to love the 

spaces they live in, watching my oldest daughter get her driver's license {what?},

working personally on better nutrition and more exercise, enjoying

spring-like temperatures in the Pacific Northwest and in general

trying to keep on, keeping on….probably like all of you.

A friend who happens to be a designer and shop owner

{Wishbone Home & Design} asked me to take some

photos of her home last week.  A local publication

was looking for some shots for a story they are doing

on her business {btw, I don't claim great photography skilz,

but was happy to help}. My friend gave me permission to share the photos

here!  As you will see, her recent kitchen renovation is beautiful!

The countertops are white Quartz and the backsplash

is Carrera marble subway tiles.

The kitchen has lots of charming details like open shelving

and a butlers pantry nook.

This kitchen proves that white is NOT boring!

The mix of textures, wood, glass and lighting choices

make the space interesting!

What's your favorite element?

Photos from around my house…...

 I can hardly consider myself a blogger anymore, my posts have

been so infrequent.  But I do still really love coming here in this space

I carved out long ago on the now very crowded cyberspace! 

 I hope you appreciate that I only blog when I feel like I have something

to share - I will never be the blogger who has posting schedules,

tutorials, holiday decor/baking/traditions/crafts/cooking……that's

just not going to be me.  This is one place in my life I embrace

being organic - ha!

And let's be honest - no one is inviting me to be a part

of the 'fall home tour' or 'holiday home tour' - 

SO - here is my own holiday/fall home tour!

In all seriousness, my design business has kept me very busy in

client homes.  And as much as I felt my own home

was suffering as a result, I recently took a look around and felt

a bit content so I grabbed my camera before

my prideFULL ego faded and decided to share with you.

  

I have recently added some touches of red - lest you think I am 

starting to decorate for Christmas, think again, it is purely coincidence!

The red Moroccan rug (on super sale at Pottery Barn of all places) inspired 

the red - I brought it in and really liked the pop of color.  I felt

the red needed some other red friends so added the velvet

embroidered pillow from Pottery Barn too - didn't want to go too

crazy so pulled out my cream sweater pillows from last year for texture

and to temper "Miss Red Velvet".

In my opinion the Schumacher 'Betwixt' is a neutral so 

that one stayed in the mix too.

The white stools are a relatively new addition - they are 

from Restoration Hardware. The family

declared the 'cold to sit on' but enjoy the back rests.

I enjoy the industrial style.

We will decorate for Christmas…..minimally this year.

I am liking my home's energy right now, the thought

of adding stuff just doesn't appeal.  I always love

a tree and natural elements so will keep to doing those things.

I see more red in my future.

Thanks for visiting friends.

I promise to be back soon!

xo~

Lessons along the way……budget bathroom remodels.

via Elle Decor

I have been working on a couple client bathroom remodels during the last year.

Besides the endless possibilities and the numerous decisions to be made,

bathrooms can get expensive quickly based on your finish choices.

I always try and help clients balance some splurge-worthy choices

with more moderately priced elements to stay within the set budget.

I never pretend to be an ASID interior designer - in the past, most of

the best, most exclusive materials, fixtures and lighting were sourced

exclusively from 'trade only' sources and design centers for trade professionals.  

The internet has changed the landscape

and a lot of what I do as an interior decorator (proud to be one!) is helping

clients source the elements for the designs we create.  There 

are SO many websites that offer bathroom fixtures, lighting and hardware

so pricing is competitive!  Websites like PlumbTile really help make me

look like a rockstar when I am able to tell my clients

that the beautiful Rohl faucet they want to include in their bathroom

design is available at PlumbTile for a fraction of the price of their local showroom.

via dwell.com

Online source PlumbTile is really a one stop shop for all

your bathroom remodel needs.  PlumbTile represents many major

brands like Kohler, Rohl, Daltile, Hudson Valley Lighting,

Adex Tile…..and SO many more!!  PlumbTile makes my life easier

by making it easy to go to one place and check pricing

and stock for many bathroom elements like tile, hardware, 

plumbing and lighting.

And truly, I feel great when I am able to give my clients

competitive pricing on the items they most want to see

in their new bathroom. #superstar

I put together the design below using bathroom fixtures offered

by PlumbTile (everything but the the towel and art!).

I love using classic elements like hexagon and subway tile mixed with more updated

plumbing fixtures like this modern brass faucet and modern 

lighting like these sleek sconces. You can't go wrong with a heavy dose of white and

then adding some colorful art or fun wallpaper!

Happy Monday everyone!