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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

I love to read and design so bringing those two things together is a favorite pastime with design books. The inspiration I get from these fuels my creative spirit and I often find a color, shape, or vignette that I want to incorporate into my house or just have fun checking out different design styles

When I created my wreath round-up I wanted to buy the one below but unfortunately, it was sold out by the time I decided to commit. Since then, I have seen hoop wreaths popping up on blogs and thought that I would try to create my own since I had many of the supplies and

It’s time for another Amazon round-up of favorite things I have purchased recently. With Covid, I know that most people are shopping online more but I have to say that my Amazon shopping has remained consistently high. It is such a great marketplace to find nearly anything you want/need and the customer service is fantastic.

My husband spends most of his waking hours in the office which doubles as a work-from-home space (full-time currently) and an after-hours gaming retreat. He had been asking to remodel the office in our Redmond, Washington house for years but I resisted because the existing office was very craftsman, like the house, and I worried

The word nightstand makes me think of a sentinel who stands watch while I sleep. While I like the idea of this, it is also a bit creepy, so perhaps it is best that a nightstand just a great place to hold nighttime essentials and maybe a lamp and a small plant or frame. Below

New table lamps are a great way to add some style and function to a room. Light from a lamp can really create a mood whether you want to watch a movie, listen to music, or just hang out with the family and the end of the day. Just because your current lamps turn on

While flush mount lights are great for bedrooms (see some options HERE), the master bedroom deserves a bit more drama associated with a chandelier if you have at least 10′ ceilings. A chandelier also adds style – think of it like bedroom jewelry unless you are like me in which case it can be the

I recently relocated to Newport Beach, CA after living in Washington for over 23 years. The most difficult thing I left in Washington is my 21 years old son who is a Senior at the University of Washington getting a degree in computer science and who will be working at Amazon after graduation (sorry, proud

Once upon a time, an electrician came to my house to install some lights and he looked at the old light and said, “ah yes, the old boob light.” Not a fairy tale, real life. He did not even blush and I thought it was the most accurate, and hilarious description ever. If you do

Your entry welcomes guests inside and is generally an area you walk past in your house frequently so make it count! While entries come in many styles, shapes and sizes, the goal is to create a welcoming space that says something personal about the people who live there. Plus, entries are generally small spaces so

Joke: What’s black and white and red all over? Answer: A newspaper. I only know about 5 jokes and for some reason, that one has stuck with me but let’s talk black and white rugs. I recently had the opportunity to purchase a bunch of rugs because my new house has 100% wood and tile

My youngest son’s first word was ooh ohh which was his way of saying dog as he was trying to imitate their barking. He then proceeded to ask for a dog nearly every month for the next 16 years until his dream came true. Well, kinda true – he had gotten specific over the years

Does your kitchen need a bit of a pick me up? New counter stools are a great way to add a more modern look and can provide a great place for people to grab a quick meal or join someone in the kitchen without being underfoot. Below are a few tips to consider when shopping

These three light upgrades were so easy and have made getting around the house in the dark so much easier and safer. I would be surprised you don’t have room for all three of these in your life.  Automatic light switches The closet in my new house came equipped with hard-wired motion sensor lights. I

If you answered quickly, I expect you said no, but upon second look you might be surprised. After paint, lighting is one of the cheapest ways to update the look of a room so I was very excited when I decided the dream light I had been eyeing for months would be perfect in my

How did we ever survive before Amazon? I have been known to purchase everything from furniture to toothpaste on Amazon and the only drawback I have found is dealing with all the cardboard. We now have weekly recycle pickup which helps but I always feel guilty sending it away curbside. Before we dive in, I

Plants help bring a bit of the outside in and are great on tabletops or filling empty corners. If you do not have a green thumb or are worried about added maintenance, you need to check out faux plants – trust me, the right ones are so good. I used to be a 100% real

My new house is a soft contemporary design with all of the walls painted a very light grey and the color pallet is mostly black and white. While I love this fresh look, I feel that the house is missing a bit of color and the powder room will be the easiest place to add

I have always loved interior design. When I was thirteen, I started rearranged the furniture in my room frequently, making my own décor decisions, and completed my first DIY project which was a stick-up corkboard used to physically pin-up (yeah, before Pinterest kids) my décor and fashion inspiration as well as teen crushes (Kirk Cameron,