Bathroom Quick-fix

I'd been wanting to get these shelves from IKEA for over a year now, but unfortunately we don't have a store in Kansas City.  Finally, when I was in Fort Worth recently, I went by IKEA and grabbed some!

These are the shiny white 7.5" deep EKBY TONY shelves that fit into the EKBY BJÄRNUM brackets.  You cut the shelves to the length you want and then the brackets hide the cut edge.  I cut mine to be 2 ft. long over the toilet to add much-needed storage for guest towels.

[i used fabric samples layered inside the picture frame to add my colors and pattern to the space]

before:                                                    after:

Before, I only had one towel bar for guests to dry their hands AND hang their bath towels from.  Now I have the bar for their bath towels PLUS the shelves for extra bath towels, hand towels, and washcloths.

I also hung three hooks on the wall behind the door for my husband and my bath towels... plus an extra! ;)

TIP: by repeating the dark brown stain of the sink basin in the wood vase and willow branches and keeping the other colors (white and green) consistent it makes the small room feel more organized and simplified. 

It's amazing what two little shelves can do for such a small bathroom!

To see the full transformation of this bathroom and to find out more about the other products used, click HERE!

Calling all Sororities!

My mom, and I recently finished a commissioned piece we made for the Delta Gamma house in Indiana.

If you recall, we created a small crest for their auction a while back.

They went CRAZY over it and asked us to do a poster-size one to hang on the wall in their chapter room!

Photos of the mosaic in-the-making:

FINISHED!

The pictures with us are to give you an idea of scale and how large this thing is.

The Close-up Details: 

 Any other Sororities want a custom crest for your chapter house???  ...gimme a call!

Do I hear some friendly competition between sororities starting?

Break from the Work Day!

Sometimes you just need a break from the day,

check out one of my favorite videos of the surfing/snowboarding/skateboarding bulldog, Tillman:

This is the dog my Dad wishes he had!

Botanical Decals

Here are some new wall decals that I bought for my laundry room bi-folding doors:

I've been wanting to do something creative to my white laundry room doors for a while now.  The corner just needed some added color because they were white, next to a white garage door, next to a white back door, with a white table and chairs, in a white kitchen!!!

I'd been looking for a wall decal for these doors, but was really picky.  These had my colors and were simple enough, from Wall-Pops.  You don't think they're too girly for my husband do you? ha!  The butterfly doesn't help.  Oh well, he says he likes it!

A shot of our laundry room before our construction project and an after:

Close-up:

[I cut a couple of the decals to bridge the gap between two of the doors so they don't look like they're compartmentalized between the four parts of the door]

This way I can peel them off with no harm to the paint if I get tired of them- they're totally easy to peel and re-position when putting them on the walls!

To see the full laundry closet construction project, click HERE!

Kitchen Proposal

Here are some kitchen drawings I did for a family that wants to update their home.  They wanted to have two options for comparing pricing.  One if they re-faced their existing cabinetry with minor changes and material updates, and another if they gutted everything and started fresh!

OPTION #1 - "the lesser of two evils"

[keep most existing cabinetry & re-face with new doors; take out peninsula for an island; remove overhead soffits; all new tile floor, countertops, and backsplash]

before

 after

This plan utilizes existing features and requires less demolition, but has a tighter squeeze (as far as traffic flow) to the new sliding door opening onto the deck

A view towards the wall of cabinetry if re-faced and minor changes made, including:

soffit removed, desk taken out and replaced with counter-hieght cabinetry, new splash & countertops

 before

 after

more backsplash variations:

(light and dark emperador marble in subway & mosaic sizes; linear mixture of stone, glass, and marble; in different configurations)

OPTION #2 - "a heavy face-lift"

[gut existing kitchen & rearrange layout with new custom cabinetry]

before

after

 This layout allows for easier traffic patterns in and out of the kitchen with a large 8' sliding glass door to the deck space for parties and kids playing in the yard.  It allows for more natural light into the space and makes the dark-stained cabinetry seem less claustrophobic.

material inspiration: relatively light to contrast with darker cabinetry

quick sketches of how taking the wine cabinet out would open up the kitchen into the family room space:

 A lot to think about for what works best for the family...it's truly a personal choice as to how you use your own kitchen and how your family enjoys your home on a daily basis.

Trend-Setter

So I've started a trend!

A good friend saw my post of Makenzie's room and loved my jewelry display idea so much she made her own!

She bought the frame and hooks (at great prices from Hobby Lobby) and I hung it all up for her in her bathroom.

See the original post of the idea HERE

Peace & Happiness

Here are the photos from a 13 year old's bedroom that I helped decorate.  I assisted in picking out her bedding, wall colors, accessories, and her curtains.  Also shown is the painting I did as a gift for her hung above her bed.

Wall paint is "Green Vibes" from Sherwin Williams; chandelier, bed frame, and rug are from West Elm; curtains, beanbag, and bedding are from PB Teen.

 I painted the Peace canvas for my friend Shayna's Bat Mitzvah.  It's textured with blue and purple torn tissue paper, modge podged, splashed with many colors of acrylic paint, then lacquered with a high gloss. Small glitter tiles and mirrors adorn the top.

 The room is a light-filled space full of happiness, youth, and peaceful rest!