Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!

I just finished downloading of our anniversary trip photos and wanted to share a few of my favorite's from our anniversary hike, in Ruiodoso, NM. Fall is always my favorite time to hit the trails. I love the cool days, the bright blue skies and the colors in the changing leaves.

Our hike was about 6 miles round trip, hiking to one of the highest points in Ruiodoso. As you can see the landscape varied quite a bit along the way.

What I loved most about this hike (other than being out in the woods hiking with Alfred) was the scent of pine along the trail. I don't ever recall a hike where the pine was so fresh and strong, it made me think of Christmas and the smell of fresh Christmas trees.

All in all a wonderful day! I wish we could escape to the mountains more often...

How are you spending your weekend?

Client Project: Stripes in the Entry!

I was contacted a couple months ago by Ashley, a reader, who needed help with her entryway.

She wanted her entry to "be a preview of the rest of their home. A place that warmly welcomes guests"and was having a hard time choosing colors that would seamlessly transition from the entryway to the attached living room.

The colors used throughout the home are mainly neutral-warm gray's with a punch of color in the living room. Ashley was having drapery panels made using Covington, Wilmington fabric,
which got me really excited....look at all of the brilliant colors!


This brightly colored fabric provided the perfect inspiration to really make Ashley's entry pop. She wanted to make the entry warm and inviting, so I focused on using warm tones in the space.

To make the space dramatic as you entered the home, I proposed to Ashley that she paint the room using wide horizontal stripes in mustard yellow and cream.

She is still putting the final touches on the entry, but she was kind enough to let me share some of the progress pictures with you today.

The Living Room, attached to entry

Looking into the living room from the entryway

Entry Before

Entry After!

What a difference! It always amazes me what a little paint can do and stripes are always a great way to add a little flare to a space.

If you're thinking about adding stripes to your space, head over and check out Dana's tutorial, The Secret to Stripe Sanity, at Make Them Wonder blog, it will make all of the difference.

Thanks Ashley for letting me share your project today!

Tell Me Tuesday...Bam or Slam!

BAM for mixed styles in the dining room!

This week we're talking about a true classic, The Saarinen Tulip Table.

Designed by Finish American architect and industrial designer, Eero Saarinen (1910-1961), The Saarinen tulip table made its debut in 1956 and are still manufactured today by Knoll.

Sleek, modern, yet timeless, the tulip table is a perfect example of form following function

...are you a fan?

*images via design-vox, decor8blog, tomscheerer, google, elledecor

BAM or SLAM!?

8 Ways to Spruce up Your Space...

with molding...

*images via theletteredcottage, vanessavalentine, centsationalgirl, hautemamasfaves, thinkdecor, metromom2008, justatouchofgray

8. Makeover your Cabinet doors- add a simple molding to your flat panel kitchen cabinet doors. It is an easy, inexpensive way to give your kitchen a facelift. For more inspiration, visit The Lettered Cottage Tudor Style makeover.

7. Add drama by painting your moldings a high-gloss black.

6. DIY Built-ins- Add molding to Ikea Billy bookcases to create gorgeous and inexpensive built-ins. Visit Centsational Girl for the tutorial.

5. Shelving- style your space with ledge shelving, this is a great way to display framed art...love this idea!

4. Frame a Mirror- Create a focal point by framing a mirror with large, chunky molding and paint it black. *a great idea for instantly updating bathrooms.

3. Add Architectural Detail to Hollow Core Doors- Check out Little Green Notebook for an easy tutorial.

2. Update your Bathroom- Rachel and her husband from Just a Touch of Gray used beadboard to cover the old 1950's tile in their master bathroom. This idea is genius for updating an old bathroom on a budget, and without a lot of demolition. Click here for more on this project.

1. Create a focal wall- frame a pattern on your wall using molding to add architectural detail and create a focal wall.

Happy Monday!

Tell Me Tuesday(Thursday)...Bam or Slam!

*images via matthewstudiosny,smallshopstudios,carinilang,tig-fashion,piecesinc.,kikis-list

Ok, this one was CLOSE!

Snakeskin is one of those trends that you either get it or you don't. Me, being terrified of snakes, cannot jump on this band wagon. Although, I must admit...I am kind of liking the snakeskin tray.

In the end, last week was a SLAM! (14 to 10)

This week, let's talking about mixing things up in the dining room. How do you feel about using different seating styles around the dining table?

Combining different styles adds a touch of the unexpected. It creates a comfortable, casual atmosphere that looks as if it has been designed slowly over time.

*Images via moderndesigntrends, alifesdesign, lundagard, cococozy, laurenleonardinteriors,

Are you a fan?

BAM or SLAM!?

Magazine Subscription Giveaway Winner

I apologize for not posting BAM or SLAM today. I got tied up working on the website. I am making a lot of progress with the new website, and my goal is to have it up and running the beginning of next week.

I will run BAM or SLAM on Thursday this week. I did want to stop in and say thank you to everyone who took the time to fill out my survey last week. I received some great feedback, and really appreciate you taking the time to fill it out.

I also want to say CONGRATULATIONS to Jessica from Birdie to Be.

Jessica won the magazine subscription to the design magazine of her choice. She will be receiving a subscription to Elle Decor.



Thank you again everyone for the feedback and for hanging in there this month as things have been a little sporadic around here. Things should be back to normal within the next couple weeks.

See you Thursday for BAM or SLAM!