Dreamshapers

I had the opportunity to hear Jeff Sheppard speak at a dinner last week. He shared with us the topic of being Dreamshapers. As you've probably guessed, dreamshapers are the people in your life who've helped you achieve your dreams. Each dreamshaper has a different role but all are important in getting you to the end goal.

While he was sharing this message, I couldn't help but let my mind wander to my dream shapers. The ones that stuck out the most in my mind were my dad's parents. My grandparents and I were very close growing up and I still visit them each trip I make back home. They are the reason I am in the decorating industry.

My grandad was a retired school principal who took up real estate (quite successfully, I might add). Most Sundays after church, I would accompany him and my grandmom to his open houses. I had a few particular favorites, one of which was a house designed by a protege of Frank Lloyd Wright. Grandmom would tell me all about the architecture and we would walk through the house admiring it. Grandad would listen as I went room to room telling him how the furniture should be arranged. As the years passed, we went through more houses and I continued to imagine what could be done with each space. They were very encouraging when, circa age 10, my cousin and I decided we wanted to open EZ Architecture when we grew up (EZ was an acronym for our last names as well as a play on words). We would waste countless sheets of paper drawing out floorplans and writing up fake business contracts at the built-in desk in my grandparents den. Obviously that concept morphed a bit since I am not an architect, but the general idea and passion are the same.

Anytime I start to complain about my day or I am slightly put off by having to go to work, I think about my dreamshapers. Then I'm quickly snapped back to a state of gratefulness. I'm feeling exceptionally blessed this week with my feature in skirt magazine hitting newsstands and my days being filled with work. Without the time they spent with me nurturing my love of decorating I would not have come this far. The timing of this post is very appropriate seeing as Grandmom celebrates her 89th birthday today, and Grandad his in just a few weeks. You can bet when I wish them a "happy birthday" I'll thank them for being my dreamshapers.

Happy dreaming!!

Imitation- dangerous form of flattery

When I was a kid, my mom would use her curling iron to style my Barbie's hair. I, being 5, didn't know how to operate the heat styling device, but after watching her do it a few times I thought I could handle the job. So one afternoon I went into the bathroom, plugged in the curling iron and waited. Once it was heated up, I wrapped my Barbie's hair around the rod and held tightly while it curled. My mind was flooded with images of all the pretty hairstyles I could create with the fluffy, curly hair. I was so distracted that I neglected to notice the curling iron was smashed against the doll's face and melting it into a concave form. Of course I was reduced to tears and mom had to remind me that just because I watched her do it, that didn't mean I was an expert.

Much like my five year old self, we watch people build things and renovate spaces on TV and assume that it is a task we can handle ourselves. They make it look so easy! Before you know it we are in over our heads and the project has taken on a life of it's own. We start out trying to save money and be DIYers, but we end up shelling out more cash for someone else to fix our mistakes. Those TV shows overly simplify tasks with the help of editing. They can provide false confidence if you aren't skilled in the trades. It's said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I think it's a dangerous one, as well. Be careful what you get yourself into- you might just end up with your project looking like the doll with the concave face and tears streaming down yours.

Cumberland Weddings

I was thrilled to be asked to contribute an article in Cumberland Weddings magazine again this year!  The article is about using the registry to your advantage.  Sarah Burton is the publisher and a fabulous event planner in the Lake Cumberland area.  She works with locals and a number of out-of-town brides who come into the area for their big day.  You may recognize Sarah's name, as she has served as a guest blogger for me in the past.  She is a wealth of knowledge on all things etiquette and a wonderful resource for brides- to be.

You can find volume 4 of the Cumberland Weddings magazine in Lexington at Simply Love Studio, as well as several locations in the Somerset area.  Check out the magazine's website for more great info!  Pass these links along to your engaged friends- they will thank you it.

Shoes, shoes & MORE shoes!

Ohmigosh!  I was flipping through the pages of Ballard Designs and ran across this beauty.  This storage piece is a shoe & handbag lover’s dream!  The best part is that you can add on to it.  When you hit up the Memorial Day shoe sales this weekend, just keep enough room in the budget for this baby and you’ll be good to go!

Happy shopping!!

Office Space

Do you remember that movie, Office Space?  That crazy guy in suspenders would always ask for the TPS reports.  The guy that wore the glasses was obsessed with his stapler and nobody would ever tell him he was fired.  Jennifer Aniston worked at a Friday's knock-off.  I'm sure there are a lot of us that would love to change something about our office space.  The colors are drab.  The furniture is held together with duct tape.  Your cubicle feels too institutional.  The carpet is from 1972.  Sadly, if the problem is your boss, your co-workers, or your desire to date Jennifer Aniston I'm not going to be of any help.  But if a cosmetic makeover is in order, I'm your gal!

Recently, I wrapped up a total transformation of a local office space.  The business had been in the same space for 10 years.  When faced with some challenges, the options were to move or to renovate.  They chose to renovate.  Enter me.

When we began there was a small room blocked out in the main area that chopped up the poorly lit office.  On top of that, everything- carpet, desks, walls and ceiling were beige.  So as you can imagine, it left a lot to be desired for the business owner and her employees.  They took this opportunity to update the style of furniture, blinds and art that was housed in the space.  The result was a sleek and colorful new office with an open floor plan!

Every employee received an ergonomic desk chair with a stylish fabric on the seat.  Streamlining the back work stations and opening up the wall to the kitchen area makes the space feel larger.

What once was a private office, has now become an intimate conference room for office meetings and private discussions with customers. 

 A major problem with afternoon sun bouncing off the cars outside was solved with some new window shades that also added to the office's sleek new aesthetic.

 
The warm color scheme (Sherwin William's Harvester, Folksy Gold, Marshmallow & Concord Buff), rich wood tones and extra details like the crown molding now invite employees and customers alike into the space.

Pssst....Be sure and tell your boss that under section 179 you can write off all furniture purchases made for an office space this year (instead of over 7 years, like in the past).  That's a sure-fire way to get that office makeover you are dying for!

Better late than never!

Whew!  Life has been a whirlwind lately!  My busy season is in full swing and I am overjoyed with the amount of work pouring in.  That said, I HATE that I have slowed my blogging efforts.  I want to share some of the things I have been doing so you can get a glimpse into my world.  The next few blog posts will be about some of those projects.  I hope you like!

In honor of Derby, here is a custom lawn jockey I painted for a client.  

 

What fun this was to take the statue from bland, roughed up concrete to the finished product! I hope to add more of these to my portfolio because the project was so much fun!

 I'm already prone to selecting my Derby horse according to the silk their jockey is wearing.  Now I will likely dissect the silk in my mind as to how it would layout on one of these lawn statues.  Weird, I know! 

Happy belated Derby!

Magnetism

Few things excite me more than finding a unique solution to a challenge. Sometimes the answer comes right away and sometimes I have to think on my presented obstacle awhile.  One of my favorite challenges of late was deciding what to do with this door.  

This space had to go from a home office to a toddler's bedroom, thus an outside door wasn't a positive feature.  At our first meeting, the clients proposed having their handyman fill in the door and seal it off.  What they needed my help with was hiding it.  We decided an armoire would be a good solution.  Easier said than done.  No furniture piece was tall enough to completely cover the former door opening.  A custom piece really didn't make sense in this instance, so I was back at square one.

As someone who is in love with my profession and an avid reader, my head is always buried in magazines and websites to learn about new products and ideas.  So, I started to think back to some of the pages I pulled from decorating magazines as inspiration.  I went to the file where I store those tattered edge pages and started digging.  Aha!  There it was.  The answer to my conundrum.   I didn't have to hide the sealed doorway, I could use it to our advantage.

I reconvened with my clients and presented the option of either turning the old doorway into a chalkboard OR a magnet board.  A women after my own heart, the idea of cleaning up chalk dust did not appeal to the mother of the toddler so we went with the magnetic option.  We kept the doorway framed out and painted it to match the rest of the woodwork.  The door received a coat of RustOleum's magnetic primer and then the wall color- Sherwin William's Resolute Blue overtop of it.  The result was a place for creativity to ensue.