Author name: stephanie

After a long hiatus, I am getting back on the proverbial blogging horse. I got Covid on New Years Eve which ended up being a 6-month journey of migraines and fatigue every day in the late afternoon. After many doctor visits, CAT Scans and a MRI, four different courses of antibiotics, and a change in […]

Well…in about 3 years. We bought an amazing property, 2 actually (long story), and now have 10 acres of manzanitas and scrub brush. I am so excited to design my forever dream home that I actually started designing before I ever knew I would have a chance to build a home. This is part of

The truth is, I am a lighting addict. I have an extensive Pinterest board that I have started collecting products for my imaginary dream home that I would like to build. Nearly half of the pins are lights. There is something about the magic of lighting that can quickly update a dated room without a

Well, what started as a couple of weeks’ blog break in December turned into nearly a full month. We completed the second full-court press on Gavin’s college applications, followed by time with family over the holiday break, and then we were hit by covid on New Year’s Eve when I was diagnosed as positive followed

Welcome to another installment of my favorite recent Amazon purchases. Amazon is amazing – I order everything from Vitamin Water Zero to clothing there and am always able to find exactly what I want given the extensive range of items and reviews that help me make the best decisions. Of course, returns are always hassle-free

     It’s almost time to put up the holiday piece de resistance, the Christmas Tree. We usually get ours Thanksgiving weekend and are looking forward to going in person to pick it out this year. Last year, our first in California, we joked that we got the Washington tree rejects because our tree never

     When it comes to stores like Marshalls, Homegoods, and TJ Maxx it is usually about the thrill of the hunt. However, there are exceptions to all rules and this is one of those cases. I had a TJ Maxx ad run across my Instagram feed and I stopped to look because  I thought

Although most of us have moved on to Christmas décor, sharing some great Halloween clearance deals today. Many of these deals are 50% off of the original price so very, very good deals.  I wanted to get some of the large Pottery Barn pumpkins below but could not justify the prices. The West Elm pumpkins

I am not sure why or when it happened, but I have an obsession with Christmas trees. No, not the kind that you put ornaments on. The kind that you put on a shelf, mantle or other flat surface as a decoration. It seems that I am not the only one because most retailers have

Ikebana, a relative of Kokedama I shared HERE, is the ancient Japanese art of flower arranging. The practice started as offerings in temples in the seventh century when Buddhism was introduced to Japan from China and Korea. Ikebana is an art and science with various schools of design governed by rules imposed by various masters

Source: All picture credits to HGTV Ok, so Nate and Jeremiah have actually been back for a few weeks but I got sidetracked with college essay editing and dream home planning. Thinking about a move to Bend, OR in a few years and have been talking to Real Estate Agents, Architects, and virtual shopping for

Source: Emily Henderson I previously shared that it is the end of the road for the all-white kitchen HERE and I feel equally strongly about the all-white bathroom. If you have one, don’t worry, there is a way to make an update that can dramatically up the style factor without a complete remodel – add

We have been dealing with a leak repair and delayed shipment from Grandin Road for a few weeks which has delayed my Halloween decorating but it is finally done and just in time for October. I previously shared many of my Halloween favorite décor pieces HERE. My Halloween décor has evolved from the creepy, scary

Source: Ruffles and Rainboots If you only add one thing for fall or Halloween décor, I highly recommend it be a wreath. I am always surprised how much joy it gives me to change out the wreath on our door each season. I hang the wreath on the inside of the door, rather than the

Source: Crate and Barrel One of the many things I love about fall is when kids go back to school and parents start posting cute pictures with the signs that have things like age, favorite animal, and what I want to be when I grow up. One of my friend’s 4-year-old daughter has been consistent

You are missing out if you are not watching Jasmine Roth on Help ! I Wrecked My House Season 2. I have been watching Jasmine for a few years now – 2 seasons on Hidden Potential where she transformed cookie-cutter homes into custom dream homes, she won Season 1 of Rock the Block (the kitchen

There are two must-haves for fall decorating: fall branches/wreaths and pumpkins. I shared some great faux branches in my earlier fall post HERE. There are a few pumpkins in that post, but if you need more examples on why you need pumpkins, check these out!  There are so many good pumpkins – you are not

I am working on a kids bedroom for a client and have been on the hunt for a fun, but not gimmicky bed. What is gimmicky you ask – see below. The goal here is to create a room that both the kids and and the parents like.   In addition to being stylish, budget

Source: Home Depot If you do not have any wallpaper in your house – this post is for you! My favorite areas for wallpaper are the powder room, laundry room, entry, dining room, and kids’ bedrooms. These are all areas of your house where you do not spend a sustained amount of time and wallpaper

Come closer, closer, closer BOO – welcome to my 2nd Halloween decor round-up. If you think this is early, there is good reason – many of these items will sell out, you need to allow time for shipping, and anyway, the pumpkin spice latte is back so there. I like decorating for Halloween even more

Today’s post is in honor of my son Mason who starts as a full0time Amazon employee today after graduating with a computer science degree from the University of Washington. Amazon is my favorite shopping site and go-to for everything from cotton balls (seriously, purchased some yesterday when I forgot them at the grocery store) to

My husband has been moved into the home office addition that I shared was finished a few weeks ago – check out this post if you want to see more of the exterior. Today, I am sharing details about the finishes we selected and some additional options that you may be interested in if you

When I shared that the outdoor landscaping at my house was complete HERE it was actually a bit premature because we still needed to add an outdoor fountain. We had a hole in the ground that was a pond-type fountain, but in reality, it was a trap that was waiting for a delivery person to

My oldest son just graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in computer science and he will be working at Amazon starting in a couple of weeks. We are so proud and excited for him, and he is really excited to be moving into an apartment with air conditioning after going 4 years

When you find out your water softener is bad and as a result, all the calcium in your water is impacting your faucets the silver lining, actually stainless, is that you get to pick a new kitchen faucet. The one that I currently have is pretty nice and frankly, it was not on my list

Source: Wayfair I have become a crazy plant lady partly as a result of my time working on the outside landscaping, and also thanks to Hilton Carter’s Instagram. P.S. most of his line at Target is on a crazy clearance sale now so check it out if you are looking for faux plants there are

It’s here – inspection day! Almost 1 year from the date that we moved into our house in Newport Beach, and just over 6 months since we broke ground, we are ready to declare the office addition complete. This is pretty remarkable given that it is a 500 sq/ft addition with a ¾ bathroom and

Source: Lonny If you want to update or personalize your home, lighting is a great place to start, and an oversize pendant light really makes a statement. Oversize pendants work well with many design styles. Sleek modern design often calls for some type of metal light fixture while a woven light looks great with a

My favorite part of the Office addition is happening – landscaping. Well, I really love it all except the part where we had to tear out the wood floors after the flood, but what I really like about landscaping is that it is fast. Well, once you get to the planting part.  It all started

Source: McGee & Co. When I say leather, the first thing you may think of is biker jackets, bachelor pads, or too-tight pants. What you should be thinking about is the perfect handbag or shoes that go with everything. Leather mixes well with most colors and décor styles and adds character, warmth, and an earthy

Every once-in-a-while (ok, probably every week) something catches my eye and before you can say boo, I am knee-deep searching out similar items. It may be because I am not so patiently waiting for my bathroom wallpaper to arrive (see HERE) or because a friend just told me they bought a vacation house on the

Source: Target Something that almost every house needs are more lamps and plants. I previously shared a round-up of my favorite floor lamps HERE, table lamps HERE, and faux some plants HERE, but today, I have plants on my brain because Hilton Carter just launched an amazing line with Target and I love them all. While

Source: Wayfair Paint is a great way to make a low-cost, quick change to a room, but wallpaper is another great option. It provides a double bang adding both texture and pattern to an otherwise plain room. I like wallpaper in a powder room, kid’s bathroom, laundry room, or entry because they are rooms where

Source: McGee & Co. One of the best ways to make your bookshelves, or any flat surfaces, interesting is to style them with a combination of objects. While books are great, to add interest, it is important to use a variety of objects. Combining different textures, shapes and colors can really bring life to an

Two episodes of HGTV Rock the Block Season 2 have aired and WOW have they delivered! I shared some background and Season 1 Rock the Block info HERE and Season 2 is just as amazing. On this show, which airs on HGTV on Monday at 9 P.M. ET/PT, experts are given an identical suburban property,

Source: Greencube Garden and Landscape Design With Spring around the corner, and having been cooped up for the winter, now is a great time to get outdoors and start working in the yard. I personally love the satisfaction of seeing something I planted grow or looking at the freshly prepared dirt ready for some new

Gardening requires lots of water – most of it in the form of perspiration (Lou Erickson) unless you are visiting a public garden. The value of land in Newport Beach is crazy premium so imagine my surprise when I found a 3-acre oasis called Sherman Library and Gardens in Corona Del Mar which is the

Source: wayfair.co.uk My most popular post of 2021, so far, has been Teal Me In. Although a bright yellow and grey were chosen by Pantone as the color of the year, I much prefer Benjamin Moore’s choice of Argean Teal 2135-40. The color has a beautiful lend of blue and green with a touch of grey

The other morning, I came into the kitchen and saw the butter dish looking like the picture below. My 16-year-old has a late-night snack habit and this, along with lots of crumbs, was the aftermath. The next morning when I asked him, “Seriously, you could not take the wrapper off,” he did not skip a

I have been living with a dirty rug in front of the kitchen sink for nearly six months. This is a BIG problem because the rug is only six months old. After attacking it with the Hoover carpet cleaner which has been instrumental in saving many rugs from Odin’s mishaps, it still looks dirty. Shameless

With Valentines in the rearview mirror, it is time for installment two of how to decorate for a holiday without veering into tacky territory. This is my first St. Patrick’s Day décor and I am committed to having a few touches that add some fun while still keeping it tasteful. You might have seen my

Source: HGTV If my TV could talk, it would tell you that I watch a lot of HGTV. I have learned so much over the past 20 years and much of that has been through shows that make it look like you can revamp an entire house over the course of a 60-minute episode. If

Source: AD Magazine I am desperately seeking someone who wants to paint their house exterior black. Yes, black, you read that right. You might be surprised to see that black looks great on many styles of homes – modern, craftsman, farmhouse, mid-century, and even traditional. Black home exteriors one of my favorite trends to emerge

I really enjoy watching plants grow and learning about different types of plants. This started as somewhat out of necessity as we had deer at our property in Redmond who insisted on making my expensive landscaping their dinner. After some research, I figured out how we could live in harmony with deer resistant plants and

Source: Lyndee Galloway Brass is back, wow, those are three words I never thought I would say! I have been a die-hard bronze fixture gal up until this year, but brass has been raising her hand in the design world increasingly in 2020 and will continue to make herself known in 2021 as warmer colors