Spring where I am

How does Spring spring in the valley of the sun, you ask?

Well, we have peaches growing on our peach tree in the back yard.





Aren't they cute??





Today my mom and I took our time at Home Depot. I got new succulents for my polka dot pots for the back patio. Low maintenance, baby!



And an itty-bitty succulent for my Goodwill teacup.



The only flowers I buy are geraniums because I can actually keep them alive. This one is out back so I can enjoy it from the porch or swing.



I added a pink geranium to my bird cage by the front door.



I decided that I needed to add a little life to the inside of our house, too, so I got a new houseplant. It's called a Dragon. I'm still looking for the perfect pot. Probably turquoise.



I think I like this spot, though.



Just a few little touches of nature and color but I like it!

Spring has definitely sprung here. What are YOU doing to invite Spring into your home?

How To Choose Curtains {and not lose your sanity}

I waited seven months after moving in to our new house before purchasing curtains for our family room. I took my time looking for just the right ones and made sure I got exactly what I wanted. I am THRILLED with the result!


{my curtains!!}

Choosing curtains can be a harrowing experience! Maybe what I learned in the process will take the pain of out your decision.

1. Know your needs.
FUNCTION: We love the view of the back yard and didn't want to obstruct it. Light control isn't an issue and neither is privacy so our curtains were really just for looks. Do yours need to block light, provide privacy or disguise an unattractive view? That will help determine the type of fabric, whether they're lined or not and how much width you need.

FORM: Do you want something trendy? Traditional? Do you plan to replace them in two years...or ten? Do they need to be stationary or open and close easily? All of that will help guide your shopping AND determine whether to get rod pockets, ones with grommets or ones that clip on.

CARE: We have young kids and live in the desert where there is a lot of dust so we knew they needed to be machine washable, too. Check the care instructions before purchasing. If they are 'dry clean only,' add the cost of dry cleaning to the price tag.


{we hung them so that they 'kissed' the floor}

2. Are you going for neutral or WOW? Figure out whether you need curtains that are A: neutral so that they calm the room down and blend in to the walls or B. have a WOW factor to bring pattern and color into your otherwise-bland room. This will help you narrow down your search considerably and make sure you don't end up with curtains that overpower (or underwhelm) the entire room.

Some people invest in neutral furniture and paint the walls in calm colors then bring in the POP of color with things that are easier to change like accessories, pillows and curtains. Then maybe colorful, eye-catching curtains are right for you. You might be better off buying fun fabric and making your own. I can't help ya on that one.

Other people love to paint the walls in bold colors and decorate with colorful, funky decor and furniture. Those people may need neutral curtains that won't take attention away from the more exciting elements of the room. These people will have an easier time finding ready-made curtains because most retailers offer a wide selection of plain curtains in tame colors and patterns that will work in the most rooms.

As my husband pointed out, I will always want to have bright, funky furnishings and accessories, so I need more neutral curtains to keep things from being TOO eclectic and loud.

We had actually originally set out to have gray walls and ended up with a gorgeous shade a blue-green that we adore. So we took the opportunity to 'get our gray' with our curtains. Plus gray is my hubby's favorite color so he feels like he won this one. Which really means a win for ME.


{I still get to enjoy the view of the yard}

3. Get a vision and don't settle for less.
Curtains really set the tone for a room and make a BIG impact on the space. Decide how you want the room to look and feel. Collect images and shop around. Make sure your curtains fit your vision before purchasing. If you're not sure or the effect is just an "Eh, it's ok" reaction then pass them up and move on. It's worth the wait!


{both windows}

4. Budget first.
How much do you want to spend? Take into account how many windows you have and how many panels you will need. If we'd needed to close our curtains, I'd have needed FOUR panels per window instead of two which would have DOUBLED the cost! And don't forget about rods. They can be even more expensive than the curtains themselves.


{they have an ikat-esque pattern}

5. Try before you buy.
Like paint, I HIGHLY recommend buying one of the curtains your plan to buy (or a large swatch of the fabric you intend to use) to put ON your window before committing to doing the entire room. Look at how the light filters through it, how it looks at night, how the pattern 'reads' from across the room (maybe you need a smaller or larger-scale pattern?) and how it fit into the overall scheme of the room. Look at it from the other side of the window, too.

We duct taped the 84' version that was available at the store up to our window so we could get an idea of the feel throughout the day. I was in love.



I am so glad I took my time and shopped around. I couldn't be more happy with how the room is coming together!

Mine are "Sorrento" by Cindy Crawford in Skyline Gray from JC Penney. I ordered the 108" length on-line and had it shipped to my house for free. They arrived in three days!

Are you frustrated by all the curtain choices out there? How are you narrowing down your search?

Do You Take Pictures of Your Dinner Table?

We've done it for as long as I can remember. Whether it's a birthday, a holiday or any other family celebration, if there is a meal involved, we set a lovely (usually themed) table and take a picture of it. We often take a picture of the spread of food and/or our plateful of food, too. It's what we do in my family. If there's a cake involved, we take a picture of that, too.

Some people make fun of us for this, asking, "What are you going to DO with hundreds of pictures of tables and food and cakes??" {"some people" being my brother and my husband}

We're just capturing the moment and trying to remember how much fun we had. This is how we celebrate LIFE! And each other! It doesn't matter about what becomes of all the pictures.

Some recent parties:


November 20th: My mom's birthday brunch.


Our brunch food, prepared by a local chef. It tasted as scrumptious as it looks.


November 29th: My birthday party table with a winter/snowflake theme.


The spread of food.


Christmas Day, Ethan at my mom's table. He loves to check it out, to see what we did. He already appreciates a fancy table. It doesn't hurt that he also matches the tablecloth.


December 28th: The winter/nature-themed table for my grandmother's going-away dinner.


We had the ham my husband's company gives out for Christmas (with a fabulous apple compote) with scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, biscuits and iced tea.


I duplicated it a week later for our New Year's Day dinner in our back yard.

When we were house hunting, I saw a picture of this tree in the yard and envisioned eating under it. It's so cool to literally be "living the dream."


It's dreamy, isn't it???


This time the menu was pork tenderloin, a black-eyed peas gumbo kinda thing and corn muffins (with iced tea, of course).

We try to dress up according to the theme when possible, too.


At mom's party, which had a Julia Child/cooking theme. Evidently I forgot I was still wearing my apron.


Me, my mom and my grandmother WITH the table at my birthday party. I asked my guests to dress festively. My mom was Mrs. Claus and I was a snow princess. I'm tellin' ya--we have fun.

Say what you will about "going to all that trouble" or spending the money but I don't care. It's all about celebrating life and enjoying good food with the ones you love and I'd have it no other way.

Now to think about our Valentine's Day table and food...

A tour of my new studio/craft room

Welcome to my studio/craft room!

Let's enter the room to the left and move around clockwise, okee dokee?


Bookcase with my most-used books, including my NEW color theory and interior decorating books. The bookcase is the Billy from IKEA.


Teacup and apron collections.


Seating area. Scored the wicker chair at a garage sale for $7. The garden stool is my favorite color, I got it at Ross for about $30 (I was thrilled).


Artwork wall above the seating area, BEFORE I added more fun pieces! :)


And AFTER! "More is more" in this case! I scored the rose artwork for $5 on clearance at Target and the metal bike for $10 at Hobby Lobby to round out this wall. Yeeesss, the shadow box is still empty.


Another angle. With the 10-foot ceilings, we hung everything high. I think I like it! The little white shelf closely resembles my white chairs, I got it at Goodwill for less than $3.


Dresser and hutch. I took it out of the boys' bedroom. They don't need display space (or an excuse to climb up on the furniture).


Close-up of the tea station. I want to get a French press for my coffee-loving friends, too.


Hutch, screen and work table.


Day bed, temporary side table and new quilt. I was so happy to find a quilt that's pink and turquoise with a hint of green....WITH owls! I found it in the kids' department at Homegoods.


I love my IKEA day bed! It retailed for $99, is no longer available and I scored it on Craigslist for $75. I'd been eyeing it for several years and my husband got it for me as an anniversary gift in August.


Workspace and craft supplies. This table was a freebie from a friend that I painted green, then re-painted white. It's nice and big to spread out my projects, and to craft with a friend. I'm getting a lot more use out of my Southern Living at HOME silverware caddy now that I'm using it to hold art supplies and crafting tools. My boys enjoy sitting with me and coloring and drawing while I work, too, so I always keep their stuff accessible.


Crafting area with fabric and card-making supplies and Ott lamp. My photo storage boxes are indispensable for storing my craft projects (I've since added more). The framed cork board is from Homegoods. I'm going to use it to show clients potential color schemes.


I love the wicker "shelf" I found to display my favorite rubber stamps! It's easier this way for my friends to find the stamps they need for their projects, too (without digging through the ten pencil boxes I keep the rest of them in).


If you came in and closed the double doors, you'd see my bulletin board. This one will be purely functional so I wanted it to be hidden. As much as I'd love every square inch to look like a magazine, it DOES have to WORK!

And this room definitely WORKS!

I adore my new room! The wall color is "Tame Teal" by Sherwin Williams for anyone interested. Any other questions, just leave a comment!

Studio Sneak Peek

My space in our new house is going to be soooo much more than "just" a craft room so I'm trying to get use to calling it..."My Studio." Wait 'til you see this room! When we toured this house, my heart skipped a beat when I saw this space.

My wonderful hubby trimmed out the ceiling paint last night (while I was out galavanting with my mom at the mall!) and I'm waiting on him to do the baseboard before I load up my big pieces of furniture.

In the meantime, however, I am making some progress! Here's a sneak peek!


{studio seating area}


{fabric}


{tea tray}

I hope to reveal the whole thing (as a work in progress, of course) VERY soon!