charm home

HGTV’s Elbow Room

2012-01-28T12:07:00.001-05:00

Wow, has it really been almost two months since I’ve written a blog?!?!?! I guess it has. There has been so much going on and it’s been so hard keeping up with my blog.

The main thing that is taking up all of my time is the new HGTV show that I am working on!! We started filming at the beginning of December and have been going non-stop. HGTV finally put out a press release this week so I can actually talk about it. The new show is called Elbow Room and is set to premier on HGTV in May. Chip Wade, previously a contractor on Curb Appeal: The Block, is the new Host and Designer on the show. I’m assisting Chip as Design Coordinator. My main responsibility is styling the renovated homes. A lot of my work is behind the scenes but I get some camera time too. It’s all very exciting.

Here’s a description of the show from an article on Bizjournals.com...

We have filmed 5 episodes so far and have 8 more to go. It has been so much fun getting a behind the scenes look into how an HGTV show is created. My mom came down to visit and described it so perfectly. She said “it’s like a Nascar race…when you watch a race on tv you know that the cars are going fast and you know it’s really loud. But, watching it on TV is nothing compared to being at the real race and seeing the cars in action.” At any moment there could be 30 people on the set going a million miles an hour and each doing a different task. When the cameras start rolling though, the only ones in the scene are Chip and the homeowners. It’s really fascinating. I’m so lucky to be a part of it all.

I’ll make sure to post updates about the show as I have them. I’m looking forward to the show’s premier in May of this year. Thanks to all my readers for sticking around during my lack of blogging. You guys are the best! xoxo, Cristi

LiveJournal Tags: HGTV,Elbow Room,Chip Wade

Attic Inspiration

2011-12-02T09:28:00.001-05:00

We all have that space in our home that we wonder what to do with. For some it’s a guest bedroom, for some it’s a basement and for some it’s an attic. Well, get out your pen and paper because you definitely need to take some notes on this space.

[photo credit – Christina Wedge]

Believe it or not this stunning attic space used to look like this…

[photo credit – Christina Wedge]

The plain white attic was in a charming 1940’s home on the East side of Atlanta. The owner of the home, interiors photographer Christina Wedge, was looking to spruce up the empty space. Designer and stylist Alexandra Hernandez stepped in, worked her magic and completely transformed the space into a luxurious retreat with high style on a small budget. It worked out great for Alexandra in the end because she was actually able to rent the attic space.

[photo credits – Christina Wedge]

Alexandra is currently working with me on the new show for HGTV [details to come soon!] and she’s incredibly talented. I was blown away when I saw the pictures of her attic abode in an article that Brian Patrick Flynn wrote for HGTVremodels.com. I knew you all would be blown away too so I just had to share!

To add some interest to the plain Jane window wall Alex came up with a pretty clever and inexpensive solution. She covered the entire wall with inexpensive burlap wrapped and secured around small pieces of foam. She also covered her headboard with the same burlap.

[photo credit – Christina Wedge]

A great way to save pennies while decorating a space is buying flea market finds and freshening them up. For the one of a kind storage below Alex purchased a $10 thrift store chest. She gave it a fresh coat of paint and purchased decorative pulls from Anthropologie.

[photo credit – Christina Wedge]

I love how she layered old frames on top of the mirror. The rustic wood gives the space such a comfortable feeling. Laying the mirror and frames on the floor is a subtle reminder that the space is still an attic.

[photo credit – Christina Wedge]

Since there is very little storage space in the room Alex’s Expidit shelf unit from IKEA doubles as extra clothes storage.

[photo credit – Christina Wedge]

If you have been stumped on what to do with your extra undecorated space hopefully this space gave you a little inspiration.

LiveJournal Tags: HGTVremodels.com,Brian Patrick Flynn,Attic,IKEA,Burlap

A Winner + Lovely Bedding

2011-11-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

How was everyone’s Thanksgiving? I hope it was filled with love. I know mine was. It was wonderful to gather with my family and spend precious time with my little one…who is getting very big way too quickly. He turned 6 months old today. My how time has flown. He’s going to be a year old before I can blink!

***************************************************

A Winner

Thanks to all of you who entered my Shabby Apple dress giveaway last week. The winner of the dress is Andrea Mickelson. Andrea please send me an email as soon as you can. Thanks!

***************************************************

And on a totally random note I’m digging this mismatched bedding from Furbish. Love this store. I Wish I lived a little closer to Raleigh so I could visit. Maybe I’ll have to take a trip one of these days. I’ll have to add it to my never ending list of things to do.

LiveJournal Tags: furbish,giveaway,chase

Giveaway – Shabby Apple

2011-11-21T21:05:00.001-05:00

I’m so excited to bring you my newest giveaway from Shabby Apple. If you aren’t familiar with Shabby Apple please head over to their website and look around. They have some of the most beautiful women's dresses and killer accessories. Many of their dresses have the look of vintage dresses and are just precious. I wish I had known about their maternity dresses when I was pregnant. They have some adorable ones.

Here’s a small sampling of some of my favorites at shabby apple right now.

They even carry adorable little girl’s dresses.

Lucky for you Shabby Apple is giving away this Da Vinci dress to one of my readers. It could be you!

To enter to win this Shabby Apple dress "like" Shabby Apple on Facebook and then leave me a comment saying you did so. To get an extra entry tweet about the giveaway on Twitter and then come back and leave an additional comment saying you did.

I’ll be accepting entries for the giveaway until Friday night, November 25th, at midnight and I’ll announce the winner of the giveaway on Monday, November 28th.

Shabby Apple is also giving all of my readers 10% off of their apparel and accessories. All you need to do is enter CHARMHOMEDESIGN10OFF at checkout. The coupon code is good for 30 days from the date of this post so get shopping!

**To enter this giveaway you must have a US shipping address. There will be no exchanges for the winning dress.

Good Luck Ladies!!

LiveJournal Tags: giveaway,shabby apple,womens dresses

A Winner and the Reveal

2011-11-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

The winner of the lovely pillows from The Taylor Galen Workroom is EKL Designs. I don’t have your email address though so please send me an email at charmhomedesign[at]gmail[dot]com.

There was also another winner…US! We won the viewer’s choice for the best window display from Window’s on Design. Here’s a look at our window design. We can finally reveal it on the blog. A few of you may have seen it last week when I briefly revealed it then took it down. Whoopsy…I didn’t realize I wasn’t supposed to reveal it until after it was down.

***************************************

-Only a few more weeks until I start shooting the regular season of my new show on HGTV. I’ve been crazy busy with the team designing, planning and purchasing for this season…hence, the lack of posting lately. I can’t wait to tell you all more details about it!!

xo, Cristi

LiveJournal Tags: giveaway,windows on design,hgtv

Graffiti AND aNTIQUES

2011-11-01T07:00:00.000-04:00

The day is finally here for our Windows on Design 2011 window display to be revealed. The theme for the Design Collective ATL event this year is “Celebrating Atlanta”. Each designer had to come up with their own design based around our lovely city. Taylor and I had a brainstorming session to come up with our design a few months ago. We were so excited when we came up with a graffiti theme. We felt like it totally embodied Atlanta’s urban market. We were even more excited when we were paired with Regalo Antiques and they were totally on board with a it. We had such a fun time coming up with the design and marrying the beautiful antiques from Regalo with very urban graffiti art.

The only thing we needed once we were finished with our plans was a great graffiti artist. Man, did we ever find one! Greg Moncrief and his wife April from John G Moncrief & Associates created the most amazing graffiti artwork as the backdrop for our two window scenes.

[Greg in front of his art. These pieces are being sold for $2100/pc]

Taylor and I, along with Regalo, will be hosting a reception this Saturday so that our readers can view Regalo’s lovely showroom and our window displays. Please see the invitation below. I hope to see you there!

And don’t forget about the pillow giveaway.

LiveJournal Tags: giveaway,windows on design,design collective atlanta

Windows on Design + A Giveaway

2011-10-30T22:11:00.001-04:00

For the last few months I’ve been working with Taylor Galen to create a window display for Regalo Antiques. Design Collective Atlanta is sponsoring an event called Windows On Design which pairs showrooms and Designers together to create a one-of-a-kind window display. Taylor Galen from the Taylor Galen Workroom and I were paired with Regalo for the event. This year’s theme is “Celebrating Atlanta” and we had such a fun time collaborating and coming up with a theme. There are six other windows being created by various designers and showrooms and each has a different theme centered around our wonderful city.

Here is a little sneak peek of our design at Regalo. I’ll share the rest of the design later this week after it has been revealed in the showroom…

Windows on Design opens on November 1, 2001 and runs through November 16, 2011. It is self-guided and can be spread over the two weeks or easily done in a day. There is a passport to guide you through each display. You can pick up your “passport” at any location I encourage you to get the passport stamped at each location because a drawing will be held and one lucky person will win an Atlanta Staycation. Your stamped passport will be your ticket to win. For more info about Windows on Design please Click Here.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GIVEAWAY!!

Taylor and I thought it would be fun to do a giveaway with a little piece of our display. We are giving away two 18x18 pillow covers that we are using in the display.

These pink and citrine trellis pillow covers were custom made by the Taylor Galen Workroom and would be beautiful in a guest room or a little girl’s room.

You have until midnight on Wednesday,November 16th to enter the giveaway. We will draw the winner on Friday, November 18th.

There are a few ways to enter the giveaway. If you do all 4 you will have 4 times the chance of winning…

1. Leave a comment on this post.

2. Visit Taylor’s Blog and leave a comment on her blog.

3. Visit our display at Regalo Antiques and leave your name and email address at the showroom with the manager.

4. Tweet about our giveaway.

Good luck!

LiveJournal Tags: design collective atlanta,taylor galen workroom,regalo antiques,window on design

10 Things I believe

2011-10-03T12:48:00.001-04:00

Today I’m over at Capella’s blog sharing 10 things I believe in on her new Monday series, “10 Things I Believe.” Click Here to see the post.

Thanks for having me Capella!

LiveJournal Tags: guest post,Capella kincheloe,A Curated Lifestyle

The Do’s & Do’s of Gallery Walls

2011-09-30T11:27:00.001-04:00

Nope, you didn’t read that wrong. I did mean to say “do’s and do’s”. After I posted my blog post on Monday about gallery walls I got so many emails with questions about them. Most were asking if there are any rules to creating a gallery wall. I’m here to gladly say that there really are no rules to gallery walls. The only “don’t” that I can think of is “don’t” be afraid to experiment and think outside the box.

Gallery walls tend to be very scary to the general public because there are no true guidelines to them. I’m hoping that for those of you who are intimidated by them, this post will help you out a little.

Do #1: Mix and Match Frame Styles

Don’t feel confined to using one style of frame. You can pretty much use any style and size you want. This is the perfect time to mix traditional with modern, square with round and framed with unframed.

[image via Decorator Dozen]

Do #2: Feel Free to Use the Same Frame Color

To give your gallery wall a more crisp look you can use the same color frames. When using the same color you can do two different arrangements…1.) All the same shape in a more structured pattern, or 2.) Different shapes in a more loose and scattered pattern.

[image via Elements of Style]

[image – yhl]

Do #3: The More the Merrier

When doing a gallery wall make sure you go all out. Don’t just stop at 3 pieces. Go big! Feel free to fill up an entire wall. It will make for a truly interesting conversation piece in your home. Don’t feel like you have to achieve this overnight though. You can start small, and then add on as you collect new pieces.

[image via Elements of Style]

[image via I Suwannee]

[image via Kentucky Mama]

Do #4: Mix and Match Art Styles

Combine abstract art and still lifes, portraits and line drawings, watercolors and Crayola masterpieces(…from the kiddos). They will all become one big happy family once they are hung together.

[i^mage]

[image – kate spade]

[image via Rusty Hinges]

Do #5: Have Fun!

Gallery walls are the perfect way to tell a story about your life as well as let your personal style shine through. So, have fun with it. If the spacing between each piece isn’t exactly the same don’t sweat it. Add some quirky pieces in just for the fun of it.

[image – kate spade]

Designer Tips…

Here’s a great tip for creating your gallery wall. Arrange all of your artwork out on the floor prior to hanging. By arranging your artwork on the floor you can see how it all works together, and you can move pieces around to create that perfect arrangement. It’s much easier than hanging the art on the wall and having to patch a lot of holes when you need to change the arrangement.

Another tip that I got from John and Sherry is hanging newspaper on the wall in the shape of the artwork first to make sure you hang the arrangement in the correct location. I used this technique when I hung the gallery wall in my son’s room and it worked wonderfully.

Happy Hanging!

LiveJournal Tags: gallery wall,kate spade,elements of style blog,art

4 Months

2011-09-28T21:45:00.001-04:00

It’s hard to believe that today my favorite little man is 4 months old. My how time flies and my heart grows. Every day I fall deeper in love…

**Photos by Angela Wilson Photography.

Gallery Walls

2011-09-26T21:58:00.001-04:00

I’m a sucker for a good gallery wall. I was doing some clean up in my inspiration files and kept coming across pictures of them.

[Domino]

[Kate Spade]

[unknown]

[Canadian House & Home]

[CWD]

[Lonny]

**If any of you know where the [unknown] images are from please comment so that I can give credit. I didn’t do a great job of saving the source on these images.

Some people are intimidated by a gallery wall because of the loose form. While I was doing a quick search on Pinterest, I found this hanging guide. It gives some examples for creating a gallery wall of your own. This is such a great starting point for creating your own gallery wall if you aren’t quite sure how.

LiveJournal Tags: gallery wall,domino,kate spade,design indulgence,young house love,pinterest,Canadian house & home

The Perfect Settee

2011-09-25T22:18:00.001-04:00

I’ve been thinking about getting a settee for my family room. I have a spot that needs some kind of seating and I think a settee will be perfect. Here are the ones I’ve come across in my search…I’m still on the lookout for that perfect one.

[No. 4 is probably my fave at the moment]

1,2,3 ,4,5,6,7,8,9

LiveJournal Tags: settee

Fall Wardrobe Round-up

2011-09-21T08:31:00.001-04:00

This fall you’ll be seeing me in…

[all images via Pinterest]

What’s your fave Fall fashion trend?

LiveJournal Tags: fall fashion,pinterest

Fave New Product

2011-09-12T22:12:00.001-04:00

I have a new favorite product. I just saw it over at Lindsey’s blog. She just bought a few and is in the process of spray painting them. What is it you ask? It’s graphic overlays that you can use on just about anything…walls, furniture, you name it. The company is very simply called O’verlays.

Their overlays come in a variety of sizes as well as custom sizes. Here are some examples of what customers have done with them.

Ikea furniture and Overlays make the perfect pairing because neither costs very much but together they look like a million bucks.

Just imagine how chic the Rast chest of drawers could look…

I’m thinking of doing that combo myself. I need another piece of furniture in my family room and that would be the perfect piece. Not to mention it would give me some much-needed storage.

What DIY project would you create with your favorite O’verlay?

LiveJournal Tags: o'verlays,DIY projects,Ikea,rast

Touch of Charm–home Office

2011-09-11T21:02:00.001-04:00

With this pillow as inspiration…

I created this design for my latest Touch of Charm client.

My client wanted a warm, cozy and fun design for her office. She sent me the bright Trina Turk pillow along with some others as her inspiration. I was really drawn to the whimsical design and fun colors in the pillow, so I based my design for the office off of it.

I enjoy doing these virtual designs for clients so much. The only downfall is that I don’t get to see the finished project soon enough. Can’t wait for this one to be completed!

**If you are interested in rates for my virtual design service please inquire by sending me and email at charmhomedesign@gmail.com.

LiveJournal Tags: Touch of Charm,Trina Turk,virtual design

Pretty Pinterest

2011-08-11T10:19:00.001-04:00

I know I’m a little behind the times, but I have just now gotten in to Pinterest. I created an account a few months ago but have finally started looking through the millions of pictures. There is so much inspiration there. For some reason this morning this image caught my eye. I think I would be completely content in this library. While the colors are bright it’s still very calming because of the blues.

Chase and I are starting the weekend early and heading to visit my mom in Alabama. It’s our first long roadtrip so hopefully it goes well.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

LiveJournal Tags: pinterest

New Fave Fabric & My Dining room

2011-08-07T23:07:00.001-04:00

I have a new favorite fabric, and I plan to use it as panels in my dining room. It’s in the Collier Campbell Collection from Fabricut. I first saw it at Forsyth Fabrics.

I painted the top half of my dining room Sherwin Williams Rainstorm. It’s a dark indigo blue and I love it. Since my home was built in the 50’s it had the typical wood paneling. It was only about 4 feet high though. I decided to paint it White Dove from Benjamin Moore. The blue on the upper part of the wall blends perfectly with the blue in the bird on the fabric.

Currently the only room in the house that is totally finished is the nursery, so it will be really nice to have another room completed. We have to get the panels made, 4 dining chairs and a few more pieces of art. Then we will be done and I’ll post pictures. Here is the idea board that I created for the space though. This give you and me a good idea of what it will look like when it’s done.

LiveJournal Tags: collier campbell collection,fabricut,sherwin williams rainstorm,forsyth fabrics,dining room

Design Open House at the High

2011-07-22T17:45:00.001-04:00

If you aren’t busy on July 28th you should spend an evening in design at Atlanta’s High Museum of Art. Cocktails will be served between 5:30pm and 6:30pm. Then you can view Modern by Design starting at 6:30pm. Please RSVP to jennifer.bahus@woodruffcenter.org or 404-733-4562.

LiveJournal Tags: High Museum of Art,Atlanta,Modern by Design

Fun Times & Big Changes

2011-07-12T20:50:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone! Although you can’t tell due to my lack of blog posts, I am still here and still alive. I didn’t intend to neglect my blog near this much after the baby, but have been quite busy. I would love to say that the reason I haven’t been blogging is due to the baby, but that is only somewhat true. I also have a new and exciting project that I’m working on.

The day after Chase was born, while I was still in the hospital, I got a call from Chip Wade, from HGTV’s Curb Appeal, letting me know that I was being considered for a new TV show that he was putting together. I auditioned for the part with Chip when Chase was 2 weeks old. Then I got the call that I had been selected later that week. I basically went back to working [for the show] full-time the following week. It’s been so exciting, so exhausting [as a new first-time mom] and SOOOOOO much FUN!!!

[Fun trip to IKEA for the show]

Filming for the pilot just started at the end of last week. I can’t really go into too many details about the show yet, but can tell you that I’ll be the designer on the show. I will be decorating the homes that we renovate and adding the finishing touches to the spaces. It should start airing sometime in early 2012. As soon as I can dish on the details I’ll be doing it. Filming for the pilot should wrap at the end of June. Then I’ll get back to work on Charm Home for a while until the regular season starts filming.

[Another shopping expedition for the show]

I can’t wait to start blogging again, and now that the little one is sleeping through the night I should have more time to devote to blogging. I don’t know how you other blogging moms do it. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Also, I know it’s been forever, but I finally added the sources for Chase’s nursery to the nursery post. A few readers had requested sources on particular items. You can see them by CLICKING HERE and going to the bottom of the post.

xoxo,

Cristi

LiveJournal Tags: HGTV,Chip Wade

Baby Tucker’s Nursery

2011-06-20T14:01:00.001-04:00

For the last year or more I’ve had baby on the brain. And, not just my own! It seems like every time I turn around someone else is having a baby and hiring me to decorate for their new bundle of joy. Nurseries are probably one of my favorite rooms to design, so it’s been really fun to design all of them.

A few months ago I designed a baby boy’s nursery/guest room for a client. Ashley, a graphic designer, contacted me and told me that she had an idea of what she wanted for her new nursery, but she was having problems pulling it together. My Touch of Charm service was perfect for her because she wanted to be able to do a lot of it herself.

Based on some ideas that Ashley already had, I pulled this design together for her.

I rarely get to see pictures of the completed projects for my Touch of Charm designs. Since homeowners can do these designs at their own pace, it can take a while for them to be completed. I was thrilled when Ashley sent me pictures of Tucker’s finished nursery.

Thanks for sharing your pictures with us Ashley! Tucker is one lucky little boy.

**Ashley is a really talented graphic designer. She actually helped revamp my brand and redesign my blog back in December. She is also really easy to work with. If you are in the market for a graphic designer you should check her out (Links below).

Ashley’s WEBSITE - - Ashley’s FACEBOOK PAGE

LiveJournal Tags: nursery,touch of charm

William “Chase” Holcombe Is Here

2011-06-07T14:39:00.001-04:00

William Chase Holcombe

May 28, 2010 ~ 1:18 PM ~ 7lbs 1oz ~ 22.5” Long

We are so excited to announce the birth of Chase, our sweet little angel. Shortly after publishing his nursery reveal on the 27th Billy and I were heading to the hospital. I had a very easy and quick labor once everything really got going. Chase is such a wonderful baby too. He sleeps really well and eats even better. Because he eats so well we can now sleep for 5 hours at a time at night. And, he will actually sleep that long! I think that’s a pretty big accomplishment considering he isn’t even two weeks old yet.

Thank you so much for all of your sweet and supportive comments, tweets and emails! It means the world to me. I also haven’t had a chance to respond to emails and comments about sourcing from the post on Chase’s nursery. I’ll be answering those questions as soon as I get a chance. My amazing husband created this video/photo compilation after we got back from the hospital. I thought I would share it with you all.

The Birth of Chase Holcombe

The photos in this post were taken by Angela Wilson Photography on Sunday when Chase was 8 days old. Angela also photographed my wedding and is phenomenal. If you are in need of a photographer please check out her site. She is amazing!

Links to Angela Wilson Photography:

Website ~ Facebook ~ Blog

LiveJournal Tags: Chase,Angela wilson photography

Chase’s Nursery–The Reveal

2011-05-27T15:55:00.001-04:00

It’s been a long time coming, but I finally have pictures of Chase’s nursery. And, it’s completed just in time for him to get here. Hopefully he will come sometime over the weekend. If not, I’m definitely being induced on Wednesday. I didn’t really mention it on the blog, but this pregnancy has definitely had it’s ups and downs. We had two preterm labor scares back in January. It all turned out okay, but it really threw us for a loop while it was happening. Since January I’ve had more contractions than most women have while delivering 5 children. The closer to his due date that we get the more contractions I have. The doctors were sure he was going to come early, but he’s already decided to show everyone, especially me, whose boss. Now he’s full-term and we can’t wait for him to get here so that we can see his sweet face.

Enough of the mushy stuff. Onto his room and the details. In case you just started reading my blog or just missed my original idea board for his nursery here it is. I had to sacrifice a few of the design elements due to the price but I feel like overall I created the nursery that I had originally envisioned.

When I figured out that the West Elm rug I originally wanted was going to break our budget I opted for my own DIY verson. For the ottoman, I reupholstered the infamous leopard-printed x-bench in a chevron print.

I originally purchased a vintage piece similar to the one on the inspiration board for his dresser/changing table. Once we moved I decided that the vintage piece was going to look a lot better as a buffet in our new dining room, so I opted for the white Malm from Ikea.

I never intended to use the Serena & Lily glider that was on the inspiration board but I wanted to find one similar to have slipcovered. After looking and looking on Craigslist I had almost given up on ever finding one that was the style I wanted and within my price range. Then sweet Angela from The Painted House emailed me to let me know that she wanted to sell the glider she had used with all three of her children. I was so excited, especially when I saw how pretty the form was. It was just what I was looking for. It’s also extremely comfy. Here is the before shot.

I used a prewashed ivory linen for the slipcover so that I could easily throw it in the wash and clorox it.

This bird mobile was the very first thing that I bought for the nursery. I actually bought it about 7 months before I was even pregnant. It was on sale for $19.99 at Sundance. I knew I would use it whether I had a girl or a boy.

The gallery wall consists of art from Etsy as well as 2 pieces that Billy made when he was a little boy. The little painted swallow was gifted to me from a dear artist friend, and I actually won the abstract canvas during one of Angela’s giveaway about a year and a half ago. That piece has been so many places in our home and it ended up working so perfectly on Chase’s gallery wall.

Here is one of my favorite accessories in his room. My cousin gave me these adorable mugs that spell out his name. I just love them.

The hanging ceramic bird houses are from West Elm.

Scored the cute lamp at Homegoods.

Thanks to a suggestion from one of my awesome readers I was able to get the fabric that I really wanted for his crib skirt and pillow at an unbelievable deal on Mary Jo’s Cloth Store. I couldn’t believe it, but on this site it was less expensive than my designer pricing.

And there you have it. A full tour of Chase’s nursery. I’ll probably be MIA for the next few weeks. I’ll try to post pictures of Chase as soon as I can after he is born. I’m sure I’ll have my hands full for those first few weeks though.

I hope you all have a Happy and Fun-filled Memorial Day!

Info and Sources:

- Overhead pendant light – Ikea Boja Pendant Lamp

- Wall paint – Sherwin Williams Rainwashed

- Stuffed owl – Pier One

- Curtains – Ikea Aina with custom banding added

LiveJournal Tags: Chase's Nursery,West Elm,Ikea,DIY,The Painted House,Etsy

One Lovely Blog

2011-05-24T16:09:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I was so generously awarded the “One Lovely Blog Award” by The Sister Sophisticate. What a fun and unexpected surprise!!! Especially, since my blog has been lacking lately due to the big bump that’s growing inside of me.

Since I received this award I have to tell you 7 things about myself. I’ll try to think of things that you may not know so that it is more interesting.

1. Let’s reserve 2-7 for things that you don’t know because number one has to be the fact that I’m pregnant (which I’ve talked about A LOT), due any day now and dying to have this baby. My official due date is June 1st but the doctors moved my due date up to May 22nd about a month and a half ago. In case you aren’t by a calendar that was 2 DAYS AGO!!!! They also told me about 2 weeks ago that I probably had about 48 hours to go. They obviously didn’t have a clue what they were talking about. Can’t I just have this little man already!!!

2. I really, REALLY hate bugs. Spiders in particular. I scream every time I see a spider. Even if it’s the size of my pinky finger nail. My husband on the other hand is scared of snakes but not spiders. We make a good team because snakes don’t bother me in the least, and he kills all the spiders for me.

3. I’m really loving blue right now. It took me a while to warm up to the color blue but now I love it and I don’t ever want it to go away. My mom thinks it has something to do with the fact that I’m having a boy.

4. I’m always cold (with the exception of these last few months of pregnancy). Even in the dead of summer while laying on the beach I can get chill bumps.

5. **Cheeseball alert** My hubby and I were set up by our 2 best friends and he originally contacted me through a message on MySpace (who even remembers MySpace???). The 2 best friends ended up being our maid of honor and best man in our wedding. They were pretty proud of themselves for making a successful match.

6. I have a crazy Jack Russell Terrier named Sweetie and I have diagnosed her with “OCSD” (Obsessive Compulsive Squirrel Disorder). She seriously obsesses about them night and day. Now that we have a yard for her to play in she hunts for them all day long. Her second favorite hobby besides looking for squirrels is swimming.

7. And, for the very last fact, I really like to sing and even tried out for American Idol a few years ago. I obviously didn’t make it but it was a fun experience.

I hope you enjoyed getting to know some fun facts about me.

Here are the blogs that I’m passing this award on to. I think these blogs are lovely and I’m sure you will too.

The Painted House

Savor Home

Cookin’ Cowgirl - (All I have to say is YUM)

LiveJournal Tags: Lovely Blog Award

Ikea’s MAskros Gets “Sputnikerized”

2011-05-23T08:22:00.001-04:00

Have you been to Jenny’s blog yet today?!?!?!?

[Little Green Notebook]

If not, you have to check it out to see how she totally transformed the MASKROS chandy from IKEA to make it look more like a chrystal Sputnik chandelier.

Her transformation of this chandelier is incredible!!!

Click HERE to go straight to the post so you can get the whole DIY tutorial.

LiveJournal Tags: Ikea hack,sputnik chandelier,little green notebook,maskros

Chase’s Nursery – diy pAINTED iKEA Rug

2011-05-18T20:23:00.001-04:00

It’s been so long since I’ve posted anything about Chase’s nursery design. I have had so little time to post anything but have been doing so much to it. The nursery is basically complete with the exception of a few pieces of art. I’ll do a big reveal once I have all of the artwork up, but for now I thought I would share my rug project with you.

First off let me get 2 disclaimers out of the way…

#1 – DO NOT ATTEMPT PAINTING A RUG AT 8 and 3/4 MONTHS PREGNANT LIKE I DID. I THINK IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH EASIER TO DO AS NON-PREGO PERSON.

#2 – THIS PROJECT REQUIRES MUCH PATIENCE. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE PATIENCE THEN DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS PROJECT.

Okay, so back to the rug story. The rug I originally wanted was this dhurrie rug from West Elm.

It is a beauty but after we moved to our new home I realized it was slightly out of our budget. I started thinking about the awesome painted Ikea rugs that I had seen around the blog world lately.

[Cape 27 Blog]

[Classically Modern Nest]

[Diddle Dumpling]

I thought I could do something at least in the same colors and make it have the same feel as the West Elm rug. So off to Ikea I went.

Once I got home with the flat-woven $40 ERSLEV rug, I laid it out on the floor and measured it to determine how big my pattern should be.

I also talked to one of my friends, a faux painter, and asked her what material I should use to make the stencil. She gave me a great tip. She said to use clear contact paper, like the kind you line your shelf with. It was 5 bucks a roll at Wal-Mart. Fortunately for me, it worked out that the contact paper could be placed exactly 4 times across. [Please excuse the mess on the left side of the picture.]

Once I determined the size that my stencil should be I made my stencil pattern out of an extra large sheet of graph paper. Then I traced it onto my contact paper and cut it out.

Once I had my patterns cut, I peeled the backing off of the contact paper and stuck it on the rug. This is where I about lost it. The contact paper was pretty flimsy and kept wanting to curl up on itself. Couple that along with bending down with an oversized tummy and you have one worn out pregnant lady. When it was finally down and straight I gained my composure back and continued on.

With my sponge roller and latex paint I painted a light coat over each of the openings in my stencil. I wanted the color to be somewhat transparent so I didn’t do a heavy coat at all. The paint did end up being quite darker than I had originally planned so I ended up using a second coat of a lighter orange.

I don’t have a picture of the next step, but once my paint dried I peeled up my contact paper and moved it over to the next two sections. It went down much easier the second time around. The contact paper seemed more stiff.

After two more coats of paint on the 3rd and 4th rows I was done. It took a little longer than I had expected it to take, but I was so happy with the end result that I didn’t mind the time it had taken.

It is absolutely perfect in Chase’s nursery and really helps complete the space. I can’t wait until I get pictures of the whole room to show you.

If any of you end up tackling this DIY rug project I’d love to hear about it. Please send me pics too!

LiveJournal Tags: DIY Painted Ikea Rug,Chase's Nursery,Dhurrie rug,West Elm,Erslev Rug

Touch of Charm & We’re In

2011-05-06T11:25:00.001-04:00

Jessica from San Diego contacted me a few weeks ago about using my Touch of Charm internet-based design service. I always love creating these designs for people. Jessica and her hubby are moving into a new home and wanted an update for their living room. She had purchased a sectional sofa, but other than that she was starting with a clean slate. Oh, the possibilities! Jessica’s style request was to create a room that is comfy, yet modern and stylish. She didn’t have any constraints on color and said that she pretty much liked everything. So here is what I came up with for Jessica and her husband.

This beautiful Asian-inspired pillow was my inspiration for the entire room. Everything else blossomed from there.

***If you are interested in finding out more information about Touch of Charm or my long distance design services email me at charmhomedesign (at) gmail (dot) com.

----------------------------

We’re In!

It’s hard to believe that two weeks ago from today we moved out of our teensy condo and into our new home. It was an extremely stressful day for me(moving at 8 months pregnant was a very daunting task). Thank goodness for my sweet hubby and amazing mom and brother. They were my saving grace. Especially since I spent about 2 hours in a total emotional breakdown. Somehow we managed to get out of the condo, into the new home and we are actually out of boxes for the most part.

For the last two weeks I have been consumed with “nesting” and trying to get the place in order for our soon to be little bundle of joy (who may be coming sooner than we planned according to the doc). We have a long way to go with the house but it does look somewhat like a home instead of a storage unit at the moment. I promise that I will post pictures as soon as I have a chance to take them. I took really great before pictures, but it’s hard finding the time to take progress pictures.

Chase’s nursery is almost complete. Today I’m heading to Ikea to pick up a new dresser because the beautiful vintage piece that I bought never got painted. I’ve found a better home for it in our new dining room though. Chase’s room will be the first totally completed room and will probably be the first one I post on the blog so stay tuned.

Thanks to all of you for hanging in there and continuing to comment on my blog during my long breaks in posting. I appreciate every single comment and word of encouragement, even if I can’t comment back to you. It’s pretty hard to find the time to pick up the computer and blog these days. I have so much to blog about yet so little time to actually blog.

xoxo, Cristi

LiveJournal Tags: Chase's Nursery,Ikea,Touch of Charm

Moving Day

2011-04-19T16:51:00.000-04:00

[image - renest]

Hi Everyone, First of all let me say THANK YOU so much for all of your sweet comments about my baby bump. It seems like it has doubled in size since I took that photo a little over 3 weeks ago. I'll be sure to post another one soon.

We've been getting ready for the move into our new house for what seems like months now. It was actually only a month from the time we put in an offer to the time that we closed last Friday. We've been running on total adrenaline ever since we closed though. The removal of the wallpaper in the new den area has been the worst part of the whole experience, but it should all be over with today. Our official move in date is this coming Friday. We still have a ton to get done before that happens. I wish I had some cute vintage suitecases to pack my things in like the picture above, but cardboard boxes seem to make things much easier. I'll probably be MIA for a few more weeks until we get everything somewhat situated in the new place. I'll be back with pictures of it as soon as possible. Until then, please pray that I can keep my sanity before, during and after the move, and also keep this baby inside of me. The last thing we need is an early arrival...for his sake and for ours.

xoxo,

Cristi

HIGH * LOW // 7 MONTHS PREGNANT

2011-04-03T19:29:00.001-04:00

For $325 you can have this table from Serena & Lily…

or for $89 you could have this great look-a-like from The Company Store.

I don’t know about you but I personally like The Company Store’s tables better. I’m really loving the turquoise and yellow ones.

******************************************************

Over the weekend I hit the 7 month mark of my pregnancy. Only 2 more to go!!!

LiveJournal Tags: serena and lily,the company store,pregnancy

Jonathan Adler comes to Atlanta

2011-03-30T21:02:00.001-04:00

Finally! The long-awaited Jonathan Adler store is opening in Atlanta. I was able to get a sneak peek tonight right before I attended the Switch Modern Spotlight on Design event, thanks to Liz Lapidus PR.

Before I show you the images, let me just say that the store is gorgeous! My pictures definitely don’t do it justice.

I’m looking forward to spending more time in this inspiring store tomorrow night during the grand opening event, and I’m even more excited about getting to meet Jonathan himself!

LiveJournal Tags: Jonathan adler,switch modern,liz lapidus pr,atlanta

Spotlight on Design with Todd Murphy

2011-03-30T10:14:00.003-04:00

If you happen to be around the West Side of town tonight head on over to Switch Modern. Tonight, in their Spotlight on Design series, they will be featuring the amazing Atlanta artist Todd Murphy. It's from 6pm to 8pm. All of the details are below. Click on the image to see a larger view. I'll be there along with some of my favorite designers. Hope to see you there too!

Friday Find

2011-03-25T07:00:00.000-04:00

I’m really excited to share this amazing find with you today.

I was over at Lakietha’s blog reading about her newly updated entry table and I fell in love. The dresser that she refinished is gorgeous, but I was more in love with the hardware that she put on the drawers. It’s to die for. She found it from a source that I had never her of called MyKnobs.com.

This is an up close and personal shot of the pulls.

I was sure that these pulls were going to be upwords of $15 or $18, but to my surprise they were only $2.87!!! Can you believe it?!? I sure couldn’t. I got to looking around on the rest of the site and found some other amazing buys too.

$3.99

$2.23

$2.63

$3.99

$4.40

$6.60

I would love to have these polished nickel on my kitchen cabinets in my new house!

$9.53

Head on over to MyKnobs.com to check out all of these amazing finds.

Have a great weekend!

LiveJournal Tags: MyKnobs.com,cabinet hardware

Exciting NEws!!!!

2011-03-20T18:47:00.001-04:00

I know it’s been a little quiet on the blog lately. As if I didn’t have enough going on already with trying to get ready for Chase and wrapping up client jobs, now we’ve added a whole other element to the mix. WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!!!! I’m thrilled and stressed to the max at the same time. Billy and I knew that our condo was going to be too tiny for a family of 3 and a half(our dog Sweetie being the half), but we were trying to make do. Then, about 2 weeks ago, we found an amazing deal on a little 50’s ranch-style home and we jumped on it.

What does this mean??? Well, it means that we’ll be moving into a new house while I’m almost 8 months pregnant. [I know, I know…I’ve totally lost my marbles] It also means that you’ll have to wait a little while longer to see pics of Chase’s room since it will be moving along with us. We are hoping and praying that Chase will be patient and won’t try to come early. We don’t really have a Plan B if that were to happen.

We have our work cut out for us with the new house. Right now it’s a total mess from the renter that is living there. Once they move out and we get it painted, I’ll take some pictures to share with you. I’m really excited about sharing the renovation process on the blog, but it will be very slow going. I doubt I’ll have much time for renovation work while taking care of a newborn.

We’ve decided to rent our condo until the real estate market comes back. If any of you have any friends that are looking to rent a condo in the Sandy Springs/Buckhead area of Atlanta please forward them this CL ad. CLICK HERE for the ad. Here’s a picture of the our family room in our condo.

LiveJournal Tags: our house,sandy springs,buckhead

Interview at Pretty Haus

2011-03-08T06:04:00.001-05:00

Today I’m being interviewed by Anne over at the Pretty Haus blog. Anne had some fun and interesting questions for me. If you are interested in finding out what room I would be or what my must have tool as a designer is…

then head on over and check it out. Click Here to go to the interview.

LiveJournal Tags: interview,pretty haus blog

Busy Bee

2011-03-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

Lately, I’ve been a busy little bee. Between client meetings, putting design plans together, putting my own nursery together ~~pics to come sometime before Chase is born I promise~~ and still trying to have some type of family life, I’ve had zero time to do any blogging.

Unfortunately, I don’t see any end to my crazy-busy madness anytime soon. I do however have a design plan to show you. This plan is for one of my Touch of Charm ~~DIY internet design~~ clients. I can’t wait to see this one when it’s completely finished. Christin promises that she will send pictures, and I’ll definitely show them to you once I have them.

Have a Happy Monday!

***If you are interested in finding out more info on my budget friendly, internet design service called Touch of Charm please email me at charmhomedesign@gmail.com. I’d love to help you out.

LiveJournal Tags: my design,touch of charm

Bargain Buys

2011-02-24T20:41:00.001-05:00

[$7.50]

[$195.30]

[$90.30]

[$119.60]

[$89.40]

[$4.80]

[$399.60]

[$135.50]

All of these items are on sale at Wisteria right now. They are such great buys!

I want all of them. Click on each image to go to the site.

Happy Buying!

LiveJournal Tags: wisteria

DIY HEADBOARD

2011-02-23T18:23:00.001-05:00

I just saw this DIY upholstered headboard idea on the blog Organized Design. It was too awesome not to share with you. The shape is perfect and what’s even better is that Jen only spent $85 making it. Check out the rest of the story here.

LiveJournal Tags: DIY,Upholstered Headboard

hello Suzani

2011-02-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

World Market has been a long-time favorite of mine as far as home decor stores go. Lately I feel like they have really stepped up their game too. One thing that I’m really loving right now is this Suzani Flat Woven Wool Rug.

The colors are really vibrant and fun but sophisticated at the same time. I could totally see a room designed around this very rug.

LiveJournal Tags: world market,suzani flat woven wool rug

Show and tell

2011-02-17T21:13:00.001-05:00

I finally got a chance to take a photo of my family room. There are still so many things that I want to do in here but at least it is presentable.

One of the hardest parts about being a designer is knowing what you would love to do to your own home but not having the means or the time to actually do them. Some things that I’m hoping to do in the near future…

1. Replace the floor lamp in the far corner with a task lamp like this one.

2. I purposely didn’t show the end table on the other side of the sofa. You can only see the tip of the corner in the pic. It needs to be replaced, along with the light fixture that is sitting on it. I want to replace it with something like this table from Wisteria.And this lamp from Ballard Designs.3. I also need to fluff up the bookshelves with new accessories.

The list of “things to do” goes on and on. I’m hopeful that I can get everything done sooner than later. We’ll see how that goes. I’ve got a lot on my plate right now and an even tighter budget due to the little one that’s on the way.

I hope you all will have a lovely, sunshiny weekend! This weekend Billy and I will be spending some time in Huntsville with my Mom. I can’t wait to see her and my brother. See you all next week.

LiveJournal Tags: our house,pottery barn,wisteria,ballard designs

What's in my Bag???

2011-02-16T12:59:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone, Today I'm guest blogging over at 1551 Transformed. Head on over to Kelly's fun blog to see what a carry with me on a daily basis. Click Here to see the post. xo, Cristi

Tweet Tweet

2011-02-14T20:38:00.001-05:00

I’ve been struggling to figure out what to put over my fireplace that is in the new nursery. I wanted something very cool and unique because the wall that the fireplace is on is really small and not very interesting.

While shopping in West Elm I found the absolute perfect cluster of items. First I found these precious ceramic bird houses.

Then I found these adorable little paper birds.

I’m planning to attach the birdhouses to the wall with simple hooks like these.

And on top of each hook I’m going to put house numbers like the one below. Proabably 1, 2 & 3.

The cute birdie will be perched on top of an upside down square toothbrush holder from this white laquer West Elm collection.

I was hoping to be able to get this collage up on the wall over the weekend, but I spent too much time shopping for the nursery. Whoopsie! I plan to have it up soon though.

LiveJournal Tags: my nursery,west elm,birds

3rd time’s a charm…

2011-02-08T20:14:00.001-05:00

Well, hopefully it is. I’m back with my 3rd and hopefully final nursery design. When it comes to designing stuff for myself I’m terribly indecisive. I think it’s because I’m so overexposed to great design all the time. As soon as I get something planned for myself, I inevitably find something that I like better. It’s an awful flaw to have. Fortunately it’s not one that I have when it comes to designing other people’s homes.

In case you haven’t been around long let me guide you through my nursery design metamorphosis. So I started out with this design…

I really liked it but then after browsing through the Urban Outfitters website I found another fabric that I loved so I changed things up a bit.

I really jumped the gun on the redesign. I definitely should have waited until the fabric actually came in. Maybe then I wouldn’t have been so disappointed. Once I started changing the design, the less I liked the original. And, after searching and searching for a fabric similar to the UO fabric I finally gave up and went a totally different direction.

So, here’s my 3rd ~~and better be final~~ design for Chase’s nursery.

This nursery just feels right to me. I’ve already gotten the Alphabet print in and that’s one of the main reasons that I gravitated towards orange and blue. There is so much orange in the print and I love it. I’m planning to do an art grouping above the crib and this will be the main piece.

The Thom Felicia Kravet fabric is a bit out of my budget(even at the wholesale cost) so I’ve ordered swatches for a few less expensive alternatives.

Really the only major decision that I have left to make is on a glider. I love this one from Four Seasons Furniture [~~in a different fabric of course~~] which can be purchased here, but it’s also out of my price range.

My budget for a glider is more in the “find it on Craigslist” range. So, I’ve been checking CL daily for one that I can buy inexpensively and have slipcovered. So far no luck, but I’m staying optimistic.

We have yet to move our current guest room furniture out, so it will be quite sometime before I can post progress pictures. I promise I will post them as soon as I have them though.

LiveJournal Tags: my nursery,four seasons furniture,Thom Felicia,Kravet

Switch-A-Roo

2011-02-07T07:20:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend I made a quick switch-a-roo with my window treatments. A few weeks ago I had purchased 2 panels from World Market. I had been wanting a punch of color in my family room for a while, and the drapes that I bought added just the right amount.

These nail-head beauties from West Elm have been hanging in my family room for about the last 8 months.

They are now happily hanging in my master bedroom. I’m in the process of moving my old guest bedroom decor [seen below] into my master to make room for Chase’s nursery. I didn’t want to repeat the natural linen panels in my master since they will be staying in my nursery so I opted to go dark.

These World Market Suzani panels are now hanging in my family room.

I got pretty excited when I saw them in 96” length in the store. I’m glad to see that more stores are carrying that length in the actual store.

A little Google image search came up with this image too. It shows the vibrant colors much better than the World Market pictures do.

As soon as I “style” my family room ~~[get my house cleaned up]~~ I’ll take a few pictures and put them up on the blog.

LiveJournal Tags: west elm,world market,suzani panels

Interview on Studio TEn 25

2011-02-04T12:14:00.001-05:00

Today I'm being interviewed over at the blog Studio Ten 25 by Abbe Fenimore, one fabulously talented designer Texas designer. I was more than thrilled when Abbe contacted me about doing this interview. I’ve been drooling over her work ever since I saw her featured on Houzz.com a few months ago. Head on over to her blog to check out the interview. Then browse through her own portfolio and fall in love with her work just like I did.

The interview – Click Here

Abbe’s website – Click Here

Happy Friday Y’all!

LiveJournal Tags: studio ten 25,abbe fenimore,interview

So bummed

2011-02-01T20:46:00.001-05:00

Well, the sunshine medallion panels that I was so anxiously waiting for came in yesterday. I’m terribly disappointed. The print looks nothing like it does in the picture online. If you take the print shown in this picture and pretend to use highlighter pens in place of the colors that’s pretty much what it looks like. The colors are so unbelievably bright. They look pretty muted in the picture but are very neon in real life, especially the orange [which looks like a spiced red in the photo].

Here’s the problem, I fell so in love with what I thought this fabric would look like. Now I have my heart set on something just like it for the nursery. I don’t think I can go back to my original plan. So, as of now, I’m on a mission to find something similar.

For those of you who said you had bookmarked it and were thinking of getting it yourself…BUYER BEWARE. I guess the positive side is that the panels I purchased can be returned. Oh the joys of online shopping.

LiveJournal Tags: Urban Outfitters,Sunshine Medallion Panels

i feel a change comin’ on

2011-01-26T20:34:00.001-05:00

At the moment I have a pair of these on order…

I’m totally in love with the fabric. I’m anxious to see if I love it as much in person. If I do, then Baby Chase may have a new nursery design coming his way. Luckily everything that I’ve purchased for his nursery up to this point will either totally work with this fabric or is able to be returned.

LiveJournal Tags: baby chase's nursery

Stylish blogger award

2011-01-20T21:41:00.001-05:00

I’m so excited because earlier this week Heather from Satisfying Spaces awarded me with the Stylish Blogger Award! I’ve seen this little award floating around the blogosphere and was hoping that someone out there would pass it on to me. So, a big thank you to Heather from me!!

Now for the fun part. When you get awarded the Stylish Blogger Award you are required to share 7 things about yourself. Some of these facts may be new to you and some you may have heard before. Here it goes…

[I thought I would throw some pretty pics in so you wouldn’t get bored reading]

1. I have the most amazing husband in the world, and I’m so fortunate that he “gets” blogging. He’s actually the person who introduced me to blogs in the first place. He had one before me.

{Love this office by the way}

2. I’m pregnant with my first child. William Chase Holcombe will be his name, and I can’t wait until he gets here in June.

3. I grew up on a farm in rural Alabama in a town called Slapout. Yes, you did read that correctly. I did say Slap Out.

4. One weird fact about me…I don’t like to eat the part of the sandwich that I hold. So, most of the time there is always one tiny bite of a sandwich that I don’t eat. Don’t ask me why I do this. I couldn’t tell ya.

5. I am ALWAYS cold. It could be 90 degrees outside and I’ll probably still have chill bumps.

6. I’m extremely indecisive when it comes to designing my own home. I don’t have a problem coming up with a design for someone else’s though.

7. I don’t think a meal is complete without a piece of bread, but I could care less about dessert.

I’m passing the Stylish Blogger Award onto these 3 lovely blogs that I’ve been digging lately. Check ‘em out!

All images – Martha Stewart Living

LiveJournal Tags: Stylish Blogger Award,Martha Stewart Living

baby chase’s nursery

2011-01-19T21:43:00.001-05:00

So many of you have been asking about my nursery design for baby Chase, and I finally have something to show you!! Billy and I are so excited about getting this nursery started. So, this is my inspiration board. Not everything shown on it will end up in the nursery, but I’m set on the overall look. I’m about to make the crib purchase, and I’ve already purchased a vintage dresser that is very similar to the dresser on the board. It needs a lot of tender love and care before it will look like the inspiration dresser though. I’ve decided against the daybed and I’ll be using a glider instead. It will give us a lot more room if we use a glider.

I can’t wait to share more of the design process with you as I make my purchases. Today I found this great lamp and shade at Target for only $26!! That definitely beats the price of the Robert Abbey lamp on my inspiration board.

And, you’ll never guess how much I paid for my dresser/changing table…thanks to my friend Dayka.

Stay tuned for more on the nursery as the months tick on by.

LiveJournal Tags: nursery,baby chase's nursery,robert abbey,target

2011: Words to live by

2011-01-13T20:06:00.001-05:00

Seriously loving this quote from the latest Lonny issue. Enjoy the quote and have a lovely weekend!

“I’m often asked to point out trends in home decor, and my simple advice for 2011 is to figure out what you really love and donate everything else. Be confident in your taste and make small changes to amplify your style.”

~Michelle Adams, Editor in Cheif

{all images – Lonny}

LiveJournal Tags: quote,michelle adams,lonny magazine

Inside the design: Sherry Hart

2011-01-11T16:54:00.001-05:00

From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I’ve been scouring the blog world for inspiration for my own nursery. Right before the new year, designer Sherry Hart of Design Indulgence revealed pictures of a nursery that she designed for a client. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Baby G’s nursery. It was love at first site for me from the rustic barn doors to the Ouef Sparrow crib to the rocker with nail-head detail. This nursery is truly a work of art.

I knew I wanted to find out more about the creation of this design so I interviewed Sherry herself to see what her thought process was and get some inside details on the design.

To get an idea of where sherry’s inspiration came from, you have to know that this nursery was previously a guest room. About four years ago Sherry designed a family’s home in the Virginia Highlands area of Atlanta in only three weeks. You can see pictures of this home which was actually featured in Better Homes & Gardens on her website here. The guest bedroom isn’t pictured on Sherry’s website, but the inspiration for it was based off of a bold yellow and white Raoul Textiles fabric [it can be seen on the small chair in the nursery] that Sherry had seen in a showhouse that Kay Douglass designed. She then found the rustic barn doors that were originally used as the guest bed headboard, now used as the backdrop for the crib, at an antiques store here in Atlanta.

Charm Home: When it came to creating the nursery design what did your clients have in mind?

Sherry: I knew that Mande and Joe wanted a very un-nursery look. We decided to leave the barn doors and place the crib against it. They had their heart set on that crib :)

Charm Home: One theme that is subtle but seems to flow throughout the nursery is animals. I’m curious, which animals came first?

Sherry: The first animal was the paper mache [gazelle] head from Anthropologie. I actually went to Lewis and Sheron Textiles and pulled a few fabrics to show her what my thoughts were...I was hoping she would like the animal prints. We did the shower curtain first. That got her excited! After we hung the shower curtain I think she felt better about adding some more babyish fabrics. In came the larger animal pillows. Then the gray geometric for the crib skirt. I found the animal prints on etsy framed them with Ikea frames.

Charm Home: One of my favorite pieces in the nursery is the repurposed rocker. Did the homeowner own this chair or was this another great find?

Sherry: She [the client] found the chair at Scotts and sent me a picture to see if I liked it and if it could be cute recovered. I said yes and yes!

Charm Home: I love it when designers use furniture pieces other than changing tables for their changing area. I see you’ve done that exact thing here.

Sherry: When we started thinking about a changing table I showed her how I had seen the Ikea shelves turned sideways....again...a picture is worth a thousand words.

Charm Home: One of the highlights of this room is the yellow ceiling color and the woven light fixture. Can you tell us about how both of these elements came about?

Sherry: The Raoul fabric that was first on the guest room pillow and is now on the accent chair is how we came up with the paint color on the ceiling. Originally we had a big brown drum light in the room but we had gotten that basket at Scott's for 75.00 and her husband made the light out of it.

Charm Home: Very often the charm of a design is in the details and the accessories that are added as finishing touches. This definitely rings true in Baby G’s nursery. Can you tell us where some of these adorable accessories are from? It looks like many of them aren’t actually from a baby store.

Sherry: The bike, orange aardvark in the crib and the block letters are from the Seed Factory. The mobile on the barn doors is Christmas decor from West Elm, but I don't think it looks very Christmassy. The Chalk/magnet board came from a yard sale for a $1.00. The abacus came from CB2. And, the white painted chair she [the client] found on the side of the road!

One last shot…WAR EAGLE!!! This baby knows his stuff.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’m sure that Baby G is going to love this nursery that you’ve designed for him. And, I’m even more sure his mommy and daddy are just thrilled with this lovely space. Thanks so much for sharing such wonderful insights on the design process with us!

Links:

Sherry Hart Designs, Anthro Gazelle Head, Animal Print Fabric, Animal Art, Seed Factory, Abacus

*all images via Design Indulgence

LiveJournal Tags: nursery,Sherry Hart Designs,Design Indulgence,Ouef Sparrow crib,Raoul Textiles,Anthropologie,Lewis and Sheron Textile company

Adore Home Magazine

2011-01-10T13:59:00.001-05:00

So, if you haven’t seen Adore Home Magazine, the new Australian online publication, then you are seriously missing out. This new publication is packed full of design inspiration and beautiful images.

Since the seasons in Australia are opposite from ours, Adore Home has their summer issue out now. It’s the perfect thing to read while snowed in for the day. In case you haven’t heard, Atlanta got shut down by a snowstorm last night. As I type I have 6” on my deck. I know, I know 6” isn’t much for someone who lives in say NY but we don’t have snow shovels and plows to clear anything away…plus we are getting ice too.

Anyway, back to the magazine. The cover story features the home of fitness trainer Sonja Bouw and her husband which Sonja designed herself. She drew her design inspiration from where else but design blogs. ~~Score one for the design blog team!~~

My favorite room in her home is by far the sweet little nursery she designed for her daughter. Adore does a fantastic job of providing the sources from which Sonja used to create this room.

Another feature that I’m loving is a feature where Adore creates story-board-like pages that highlight some of the latest and greatest in design. Many of these items come from Australian online stores. I have really enjoyed exploring some great new sources.

Here are a few more of my fave images from this issue.

To check out the magazine you can visit the Adore website at www.adoremagazine.com. Adore will be coming out every other month and you can purchase back issues on the webpage.

LiveJournal Tags: online magazine,Adore Home Magazine,Australian publication

Long Distance Design

2011-01-09T21:48:00.001-05:00

One really fun part of being a designer is designing a room for a client that you would love to call your own and have in your own home. I’m so lucky to be doing this exact thing right now! I’ve been working with Aimee, a long distance client, on a design for her living room. I’m finished with the planning, and now it’s just a waiting game until all of the items are ordered and received. I can’t wait for this room to be finished. I’m going to want to move in with Aimee and her family when it’s all installed.

Keep in mind that even if you don’t live in the Atlanta area you can still have your home designed by Charm Home. It’s really easy and basically works the same way that it does if you are in town. The only difference is that I will probably never set foot in your home…unless you happen to live at the beach. I might consider making a special trip if it includes a beach vacation...[giggle]. If you are interested in finding out more information on how this service works just email me at charmhomedesign@gmail.com and I’ll send you all of the details.

Here’s the design board for her living room. I’ll be back to post pictures of the finished project hopefully in about 6-8 weeks.

LiveJournal Tags: living rooms,my design,long distance design

It’s Official

2011-01-05T07:00:00.000-05:00

Today the doc confirmed that my little peanut is definitely a BOY!! Billy and I are so excited.

William Chase Holcombe

will be coming into this world in about 5 months. We actually had the name picked out long before I got pregnant. Billy’s first name is obviously William, which I really like, and we both loved the name Chase. The only thing I worry about is that I’ll be living out his name by “chasing” him around during his toddler years. I have a feeling I’ll be doing that regardless of his name though.

The art above is a print that I feel in love with from this Etsy shop. I think it is just the sweetest little saying. It will be coming to my doorstep in a few days too. Stay tuned to see more of the nursery design later this week.

LiveJournal Tags: my nursery,etsy

Goodbye 2010

2011-01-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

Hello 2011!!!

Well, 2011 is here, and I’m really excited about it. 2010 was a great year for me, but 2011 is without a doubt going to be life-changing. I’ll be giving birth to my first child in about 5 months. Being a mom is going to be a totally new experience for me, and I’m so ready to take it on.

[image via LEB]

I’ve never been one to make many New Year’s resolutions. I think it’s because I don’t like to admit that I probably won’t keep them for very long. This year is no different. I’m looking forward to all that 2011 will bring, but I’m not making any kind of “resolutions.” I do however have a long “to do” list that continues to get longer and longer. One thing that is obviously at the top of my list is designing my new nursery. I pretty much have it all figured out but it all comes down to whether we are having a boy or not. The doctor told us about 6 weeks ago that there was an 80% chance we were having a boy. We find out for sure later today if there is a little blue bundle of joy in our future. If not, I’ve got some redesigning to do. We are dying to know one way or the other and tomorrow can’t come soon enough.

[image via moth design]

Second on my to do list is finishing up the rest of my home. Last year began with me saying that my main goal was to finally get my home decorated. I got off to a good start but then got a little sidetracked once I found out I was expecting. I’m planning to finish all the decorating before June though.

[image – d home]

I have many more items on my to do list but I won’t bore you all with any of the other ones. I would love to hear some of your New Year’s resolutions and goals though.

HAPPY 2011 EVERYONE!!!

LiveJournal Tags: d home magazine,everything LEB,moth design,new year 2011

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T11:58:00.001-05:00

I’m back with one last unplanned post for Christmas Day. I hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas holiday with your families. We are really excited bout the possibility of snow here in Atlanta! My mom, who is visiting from Huntsville, has been getting texts and pictures all morning from her friends telling her about the 3” they have on the ground so far. It’s supposed to be headed this way so we’ve got our fingers crossed that we will have a white Christmas!

Here are the last few pictures of holiday decorations that I have to post for my Christmas Time series. ~~I promise these are the last ones. :o)~~ These pictures come from Blayne Beacham of This Photographer’s Life who lives in Atlanta. Blayne’s home looks so beautiful this year. I wonder how many of those Christmas presents have been opened by now. Thanks for giving us a glimpse into your home at Christmas time Blayne!

{Images – Blayne Beacham}

Merry Christmas to all!

LiveJournal Tags: holiday pictures,this photographer's life,blayne beacham

Almost Christmas Time

2010-12-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

I hope you all have enjoyed seeing the fun holiday decor that all the readers have sent in. I have really enjoyed getting a sneak peek inside some of your homes. Today will be the last installment of the Christmas Time Series. Thanks so much to everyone who sent in their fun holiday pictures. I hope you and your families have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I’ll be taking the rest of the year off from blogging and will return with a new blog post onn January 4th.

Before I share today’s holiday pics, I thought I would share our Christmas card with you. Billy and I had a blast making making them.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

xo, Cristi

***************

Today, Stacy who lives in Macon, GA and writes the blog Simply Delicious is giving us a little glimpse of her home. Stacy is always posting yummy, gluten free recipes on her blog.

And my absolute favorite picture of all is this close up picture of Stacy’s Auburn ornament. I’m super-excited about this year’s National Championship Game and so is Stacy. WAR EAGLE!!!

{Images – Stacy – Macon, GA}

LiveJournal Tags: christmas decorating

More Christmas Time Decor

2010-12-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

Today’s bit of Christmas decorating comes from a few different places. First up is Melissa author of the blog Living a Beautiful Life from Manchester, New Hampshire. Earlier this year Melissa’s cozy home was featured on ApartmentTherapy.com. CLICK HERE to tour Melissa’s mid-centery modern home.

{Images above – Melissa - Manchester, New Hampshire}

Next up is Barbara from right here in Atlanta. Barbara lives in a high-rise in the heart of Midtown and has done a fantastic job of making the most out of her space. My favorite picture of all is the way she has decorated her modern model home with miniature Christmas trees. It’s adorable!

And lastly is Glenda from Holtville, Alabama whose tree is beautiful. Christmas trees are so hard to photograph but Glenda’s tree looks wonderful.

Thanks again to everyone who has sent in their lovely Christmas decor photos to be featured on my blog. I’m planning to do one more post before Christmas so please send in your photos if you would like me to feature them on the last “Christmas Time” post. The details on how to send in your photo can be found HERE.

LiveJournal Tags: christmas decorating,atlanta,holtville,alabama

Christmas Time + A Winner

2010-12-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

Before I get to today’s Christmas Time pics I want to announce the winner of the beautiful pillows from the Taylor Galen Workroom. And the winner is Tina Steele Lindsey. Tina is one absolutely amazing artist. If you haven’t seen her work you must check it out. CLICK HERE to go to Tina’s blog.

Thanks so much to Taylor Galen from Outside the Workroom for giving away the pillows. Taylor also sent a picture of her door to share with us.

{Taylor Galen – Atlanta, GA}

Next up is Melissa from Norcross, GA. I love the white theme that Melissa has going throughout her house.

The galvanized bucket in lieu of a skirt is such a creative idea.

{3 mages – Melissa – Norcross, GA}

These place settings are beautiful and reindeer plate is adorable. Love them!

Thanks Taylor and Melissa for sharing your holiday decor!

LiveJournal Tags: holiday decor,outside the workroom,giveaway

Christmas Time

2010-12-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

Well, somehow I managed to get all of my Christmas shopping completed in two days. I will hopefully never ever have to wait until the last minute again. It wasn’t too fun braving the hoards of people who were out doing the same thing I was doing, but at least it’s over with. Now I can try to relax for the rest of this week and do some really important stuff like baking.

Last week I asked for readers to send in pictures of their homes decorated for Christmas so that I could share them with everyone. Up first is is Kelly’s from Columbus, OH, and here is a link to Kelly’s blog 1551 Transformed.

Enjoy!

Cute pooch!

Adding Christmas lights to your wine bottles is such a festive way to decorate your kitchen or bar area.

{images – kelly}

Kelly, thanks for sharing your pictures with us.

What a beautiful home!

LiveJournal Tags: christmas decorating

Christmas Time..Show Me Your Stuff

2010-12-15T09:22:00.001-05:00

{Atlanta Homes & Lifestyle}

If you haven’t noticed it’s getting pretty darn close to Christmas. I am definitely not prepared this year. I’ve bought a total of 2 whole gifts so far. I’ve got one shopping weekend left and I’m sure it’s going to be a madhouse out there. I’m going to put on my brave face though and get it done.

One thing I have done is my Christmas decorating. We only did a tree this year due to lack of time to decorate anything else but even our tree adds just enough Christmas to our home.

I thought it would be fun if I featured some of YOUR Christmas decorations on my blog. It will be fun for me to see how you all have decorated your homes but it will also be fun for everyone else to see as well.

So here’s what I need from you. Send me an email to charmhomedesign@gmail.com and attach a picture or two of your decorated home. It can be of the outside or the inside. In the subject line of the email write “Christmas Time” and in the body of the email let me know 2 things: 1.) Your City and State, 2.) Your name, blog or twitter handle(or you can choose to show your picture anonymously).

Start sending your pictures as soon as you get them ready. I’ll start posting these pictures on Monday of next week. I can’t wait to see all of your incredible decorations.

xo, Cristi

LiveJournal Tags: christmas decorating

Unlocking the Secrets to Success

2010-12-13T22:54:00.001-05:00

Just a quick note…check out yesterday’s giveaway post if you haven’t seen it already. I’ve got some really cute pillows to give away!

CLICK HERE to go to the post.

This weekend Erika from BluLabel Bungalow, Capella from A Curated Lifestyle and I spoke at the Lavish! conference about turning your readers into clients. Since we consider ourselves designers who blog instead of bloggers who design it was a perfect topic for us. We met a few times before the conference so that we could brainstorm on the best ways to reach out to potential clients and bring more readers to your blog.

For those of you who couldn’t make it to the conference I thought I would share some highlights from our tip sheet.

Interiors & the Internet: Unlocking the Secrets to Success Through Your Blogging and Social Media Efforts

Why Launch a Blog?

~Blogging is basically free [at least monetarily free] marketing for your company.

~Posting consistently is extremely important when you first create your blog.

~Blogging is a great way to show your company’s personality.

~A blog is a great way to increase search engine optimization.

Blog Design

~Your blog’s design is your first chance to make an impression on readers & potential clients.

~Be recognizable and keep your graphics consistent throughout each of your social media platforms.

How Do You Reach Your Target Audience

~Step One…Determine who your target audience is.

~Engage your readers by commenting on their blogs, creating newsletters and email subscriptions and communicating on Twitter

~Making connections and networking is just as important in the blogging and social media world as it is in the real world.

Create Content that Keeps Them Coming Back

~Have a unique point of view and position yourself as an expert

~Blog with a plan, a purpose and consistency

~Engage your readers with questions/polls/surveys

Show Your Stuff

~Remind readers that you are a designer.

~Use your blog for progress shots and your website for professional portfolio shots.

~Emphasize your brand.

Inter-Networking & The Big 5 (Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Linked-In, YouTube)

~Develop a content strategy that will engage your audience.

~Grow your fan base by posting quality content.

~Add Your Social Media info to your email signature.

~Learn which social media outlets your target markets use.

Transforming Readers Into Clients

~Be patient, building trust takes time.

~Offer something of value to your readers (ebooks, giveaways, newsletter, coupon codes).

~Be responsive, but not pushy.

~Ask for the business, Give quality service, Thank client, Repeat.

***Check out Erika’s Blog to download our actual tips sheet as well as see links to notes from other speakers’ sessions.

******************************************

And that is our presentation in a nutshell. These were just some of the highlights. It would be a pretty long post if I wrote out our our entire 45 minute presentation. I hope this will be useful to those of you who have a design related company and are trying to turn your readers into clients.

xo, Cristi

LiveJournal Tags: Lavish conference,blogs,Blulabel bungalow,A curated lifestyle

Lavish! and a Pillow GIVEAWAY

2010-12-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend I attended the Lavish! unconference. It was pretty amazing. I spoke on a panel at the first session on Saturday along with Capella Kincheloe and Erika Ward. Our discussion was about turning your blog readers into clients. It was so much fun sharing some of our experience with other bloggers. I’m planning to do a little recap later this week for those of you who couldn’t make it to Lavish. Not only did I speak at the conference, but I also sat in on other great workshops as well as met tons of new blogging and industry friends. I didn’t want the fun to end, but I have to admit that I was pretty exhausted from it all.

More to come on Lavish throughout the rest of the week!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Now onto the GIVEAWAY!

About a year ago Taylor Galen, a window treatment specialist here in Atlanta, contacted me and wanted to get together for coffee to let me know more about her company. Taylor was awesome, and we hit it off right away. I told her the ins and outs of having a blog. Soon after we met she created her own called Outside the Workroom where she focuses mainly on things that inspire here and as well as posts images of her window treatment projects.

{image – outside the workroom}

Not only is Taylor super-sweet but she is also very talented at what she does. As a window treatment specialist Taylor works with the residential clients to help them create the perfect window treatments and bedding for their home. She can work with fabrics that you have already selected or she can help you select your own fabrics, hardware and woven blinds. She also works with interior designers and has a full workroom.

Taylor contacted me a few weeks ago and offered to host a giveaway on my blog. We brainstormed and came up with a giveaway of two 18” down-filled throw pillows. She also offered to extend Charm Home readers a 10% discount on their first order of custom bedding and drapery. This discount will be valid for the next 3 months. All you have to do to get the discount is mention that you read about her on “Charm Home”.

Here’s a close up of the pillows.

They looked so good on my sofa that I may have her make some more just for me.

Now for the deets on entering the giveaway…

You have three options for entering and increasing your odds of winning the throw pillows.

1.) Leave a comment on this post; 2.) Tweet about the giveaway and then come back to let me know you tweeted about it; 3.) “Like” Charm Home’s Facebook page and then come back to leave a comment letting me know you did. {If you are already a fan of Charm Home on FB then you can leave a comment letting me know that too.}

The giveaway will be closed at midnight on Monday, December 20th. I’ll announce the winner on Tuesday the 21st.

Please make sure you check out Taylor’s blog and let her know if you are in need of any window treatment services.

GOOD LUCK!

LiveJournal Tags: giveaway,lavish,outside the workroom,facebook

a work in progress

2010-12-07T21:21:00.001-05:00

if you are visiting my site over the next few days and things don’t look quite right, don’t be alarmed. i’ve been working with a graphic designer to come up with a few updates for my blog, website and business cards. i’m really excited about the upcoming changes! the transition of the old blog design to the new blog design will be happening over the next few days, and i’ve got my fingers crossed that there won’t be too many glitches during the transition.

until then here are a few more pictures from my latest design project. if you would like to see more of this home you can view more pictures on my facebook fan page.

LiveJournal Tags: my design,blog design

one room two ways

2010-12-06T22:08:00.001-05:00

i just finished up a new model home in dallas, and i came upon a situation that sometimes happens in model home design.

the strange thing about model home design is that i don’t see the actual home until the week i go to install it. i do all of the planning and design based on a set of architectural blueprints. Most of the time the installation finishes up seamlessly and there are no issues. Occasionally though, the builder will decide to knock out a wall on site or change up a room, and they’ll forget to let me know about it. There is usually never an instance where the problem can’t be fixed on site, but it does sometimes present a problem with the furniture that i have selected.

with this home there was originally a dividing wall show on the plans. this wall divided the breakfast area and the family room and also had a fireplace in the middle of it. i drew in where the wall would have been on the photo below.

a few weeks before the install they decided to tear down the dividing wall and put the fireplace in the corner of the family room. it was definitely a good idea. taking out the wall really opened up the whole living area. while i was assuming there would still be a wall in that area, i had planned on using a very narrow table with small bentwood chairs.

once the builder walked through they decided that they wanted a slightly larger table that showed more seating. so, i headed out to world market and bought a trestle table with two benches. it worked out perfectly.

…and here they are side by side.

so which do you like the best? have you ever run into a similar problem yourself?

{all images - charm home}

LiveJournal Tags: my design,world market

fretwork love

2010-11-30T23:34:00.001-05:00

i am absolutely loving the cover of atlanta homes and lifestyles magazine this month because of the amazing fabric covered walls. my heart sang when this magazine came in the mail and i saw the lovely cover.

{image – atlanta homes and lifestyles}

the michael devine fretwork fabric that womack jowers used on the walls is to die for. don’t you love it too?!!!

LiveJournal Tags: atlanta homes and lifestyles,michael devine,womack jowers,fretwork

guest post at a curated lifestyle

2010-11-24T20:12:00.001-05:00

today i’m guest blogging over at a curated lifestyle while capella gets geared up for the atlanta homes & lifestyles christmas house. i’m showing some of my favorite fall-inspired interiors so head on over and get in the fall mood. click here to go to the post.

i hope you all have a very blessed Thanksgiving wherever you may be. Safe travels to everyone.

LiveJournal Tags: guest post,a curated lifestyle,atlanta homes and lifestyles,christmas house

at a homegoods near you

2010-11-23T21:33:00.001-05:00

before i start my post i just want to say how much i appreciate all of your sweet comments and congratulations about my pregnancy. i feel so blessed to be able to share this news with you. i cannot wait to start the nursery design process. there will be much more to come as the months pass. xoxo!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

today i took a shopping trip to one of my favorite places to get inexpensive home accessories…homegoods. shopping for accessories in retail stores around the holidays is one of my most favorite and least favorite things to do. let me explain…i love shopping for christmas decorations and presents during the holidays, but this time of year christmas decor takes up half of homegoods. there ends up being so little regular accessories to choose from, so when i’m shopping for a client’s home it becomes very difficult.

today though, i found some great pieces while i was out. i had my cell with me so i snapped a few pics.

loved these oversized embroidered suzani pillows.

one of the best finds was these nail head oversized storage boxes from global views. these retail for around $500 and i found a green set at homegoods for less than $180.

how cute are these little foo dogs!!

i wanted to take these cute little night stands home with me…even though i have no place for them.

this last table is gorgeous. at $200 on clearance it’s a total steal.

i couldn’t resist getting one thing for myself. i snagged this cute little guy for $10. if you think he looks familiar it’s probably because you’ve seen him at z.gallerie for about $20. i’m thinking about using him in the nursery. i’ll have to see once the design comes together.

LiveJournal Tags: homegoods,global views,z.gallerie

big “little” news!!!

2010-11-22T11:28:00.001-05:00

a few weeks ago in one of my posts i said i had been quite busy personally as well as professionally which had caused me to do quite a few less blog posts than usual. well, i’m actually glad that i can now let you all in on my little, itty bitty personal secret that has been the main reason for my lack in posts.

I’M PREGNANT!!!

13 weeks along and due on june 1st to be exact, and i couldn’t be more excited about it!

i’m just as excited to be out of the first trimester and over the tiredness and morning sickness. tired doesn’t even begin to describe how i felt during the first 12 weeks of my pregnancy. i think my ob said it perfectly…”feeling like you’ve been hit by a bus is pretty normal.” wow, there were some days where it was all i could do to be able to keep my eyes open while driving home from an appointment with a client or from shopping. i finally started to pull out of the tiredness and my morning sickness started to subside at the end of week 11.

{image – here}

i’ve been designing lots of nurseries lately and i’m really excited to get to design a nursery for my own little one. i’ve already got some ideas, but i’m waiting to find out if my little peanut is a girl or boy before i make my final decisions and share the design with you all.

{image – here}

{image – domino}

since this is my first time being pregnant, i don’t really know what to expect as far as how i will feel during the rest of the pregnancy. hopefully i will feel great, but i really have no clue how it will play out. i’ll try to post as much as i can, but it’s been pretty tough so far. i usually write my blog posts in the evening and reserve my days for my clients. i’ve been so tired in the evenings, though, and it’s been really hard to keep up with the blog as well as respond to emails and comments. please be patient if you have emailed me or if you’ve posted a comment. i promise i will respond as soon as i can.

xo,

cristi

LiveJournal Tags: pregnant

concrete jungle

2010-11-14T22:01:00.001-05:00

over the weekend billy and i were here…

{unfortunately…not my image. photo credit here}

we took a weekend getaway trip to NYC!!! it was amazing. we had an absolute blast. we got in from our trip late this evening, and i’m a very tired lady. i’ll be back with a regular blog on tuesday. until then, i’m going to take a big long nap.

hope you all had a very fun weekend too!

LiveJournal Tags: nyc

today on houzz.com

2010-11-10T20:24:00.001-05:00

i was thrilled to see that the model home that i designed a few months ago is being featured at houzz.com. the talented erika ward from blulabel bungalow was so sweet to write the article.

to read the full article, “houzz tour: a super model case study”, click here.

LiveJournal Tags: houzz.com,erika ward,blulabel bungalow,model home,my design

in the mood for fall

2010-11-09T13:01:00.000-05:00

this image totally puts me in the mood for fall. it's one of the prettiest tablescapes i have seen this season.

{belle maison}

lavish, the unconference

2010-11-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

i’m so excited about the upcoming Lavish! conference here in atlanta. for those of you who haven’t heard about Lavish! let me give you a quick rundown.

if you are a social media enthusiast Lavish! is the place to be during the weekend of december 10th-12th. “Lavish! will be a highly interactive environment geared toward fostering education and networking in the lifestyle social media community.”

there are a number of sessions throughout the 3 day Lavish! “unconference”. i’ll be speaking on a panel along with fellow bloggers erika ward and capella kincheloe at one of the sessions. we’ll be dishing on interiors and the internet: unlocking the secrets to success in blogging and social media efforts. to check out the full list of speakers and sessions click here.

I hope to see you there!

to get more information about Lavish! stay connected through these links:

Lavish! conference website

Lavish! on Twitter

Lavish! on Facebook

LiveJournal Tags: atlanta,lavish conference,social media,erika ward,capella kincheloe

on the coast

2010-11-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

hi everyone, some of you who are used to my 4 to 5 posts a week may be wondering where i’ve been. i’ve had a lot going on in my personal life as well as professionally. it’s just been hard to find time to write some blog posts. i’ll hopefully be back to a steady pace of writing and reading other blogs really soon though. i’ve missed it so much!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

i recently had a reader write to me requesting that i post some ideas for coastal design. i’ve found myself wishing i was at the beach a lot lately…especially since winter has finally hit atlanta. i actually saw sleet, ~~yes i did say SLEET~~, while i was leaving the atlanta airport on friday, and i couldn’t believe it! so, i figured now would be a great time to post pictures of coastal homes. it’s also a great time to dream about being stranded in one of these beautiful homes.

the art above the island is from atlanta based sugarboo designs. i think every coastal home should have a touch of sugarboo in it.

loving this make-shift coastal bar.

trunks under the bed are such clever storage idea.

net canopies add a little romance to any coastal bedroom.

{all images – coastal living}

hopefully these images helped you daydream about being at the beach too. happy monday!

LiveJournal Tags: coastal living,coastal design,canopies,sugarboo designs.,atlanta

giveaway winner

2010-10-25T07:00:00.000-04:00

last monday i posted a giveaway for the book green interior design by lori dennis. thanks so much to everyone who entered! i really enjoyed reading how all of you are contributing to a more green environment. every little bit counts.

i’m so excited about our winner too because she is about to start building a home! the winner is anne of a house and home. anne wrote…

Congrats Anne!!!

anne, please shoot me an email with your address when you get a chance so that i can send it to the publisher. you can find my email on my right-hand sidebar. thanks!

if you didn’t win but would like to purchase this book yourself you can click here.

LiveJournal Tags: giveaway,green interior design,lori dennis

giveaway

2010-10-18T07:00:00.000-04:00

being “green” has become more and more popular in the last few years, and nowhere is it more prevalent than in interior design. as a designer i am constantly looking for sources that offer sustainable products. i also try to repurpose as many items as possible in my when designing my clients’ homes and my own.

{lori dennis interior design}

lori dennis is one of the nations leading “green” interior designers. she has specialized in green interior design practices for over 10 years, and her firm was also recently named the nation’s best green and modern design by asid, southern accents, california homes, angeleno and home magazine. lori has just recently written a book all about sustainability and green interior design. i was so excited when she contacted me and wanted to offer a copy of her new book green interior design to one of my readers!

for lori being green is not just a trend it’s a way of life. from a young age lori has been conscious of recycling, repurposing and reusing. she decided to combine her green lifestyle with her design practices and is now sharing some of her best kept resources for sustainable design in her book.

{lori dennis interior design}

green interior design, is a great source for any designer looking to offer green interior design to their clients. in her book lori gives so many helpful hints and ideas for green design. her topics range from window treatments to nurseries to landscaping.

{lori dennis interior design}

not only does the book contain a wealth of knowledge about sustainable design, but there are also some amazing photos from dennis’ portfolio. i’ve provided a sampling in this post and you can check out more of her design portfolio here.

{lori dennis interior design}

now, for the details about the giveaway…

to enter to win a copy of lori’s book green interior design leave a comment on this post. in your comment let me know the last “green” thing you did was. {for example, you could say you recycled your newspapers this morning or you could say that you drove your hybrid car to work.} to get an extra entry you can also tweet about the giveaway. ***make sure that when you leave a comment you either link back to your blog or leave your email address so that i will be able to get in touch with you if you win.

the deadline for the giveaway will be friday night, october 22nd, at midnight. i’ll announce the winner on the blog the following monday.

best of luck and remember to be green!

LiveJournal Tags: green interior design,lori dennis,giveaway,book

reclaimed

2010-10-13T19:14:00.001-04:00

during an internet search for an accent cube today i stumbled upon some great reclaimed wood pieces in a very unexpected place, overstock.com

this is the cube that i stumbled upon and quickly purchased.

{reclaimed wood cube $124}

then i decided to do a further search on overstock to see what other reclaimed wood pieces i could find. here’s a sampling of what showed up.

{end table $110}

{wood tray on a stand $60}

{horse head on stand $73}

{indian forks $65}

{wood handle mirror $87}

{baturna side table $220}

overstock, keep doing what you’re doing. these pieces are great!

LiveJournal Tags: overstock.com,side table,mirror,reclaimed wood,reclaimed wood cube

home depot lighting hack

2010-10-07T21:26:00.001-04:00

this is the best “hack” i’ve seen in a while. it involves a $9.99 light fixture and some bronze spray paint.

the before

the after

check out how sarah of flourish design + style whipped this little diy project together. this is such a smart and inexpensive way to update your lighting.

LiveJournal Tags: home depot hack,flourish design style,lighting

my new pouf

2010-10-05T21:32:00.001-04:00

after posting this post i decided it was definitely time to bring more color to my family room. once i wrote the post and really looked at it i realized how much i love color. i think that neutrals are gorgeous to look at…in someone else’s home…just not in mine. i loved all of the fun comments i got on the post and i was surprised to hear how many people waiver back and forth just like me. my favorite comment was from christine at design esquire. she labeled her house as schizophrenic and that is totally how i feel about my home sometimes. i’m working on getting it under control though.

i found the perfect piece to bring in a pop of color at homegoods a couple of weeks ago. it is a colorful moroccan pouf.

it has just about every color of the rainbow on it. i’ve been using it as an ottoman with my newly reupholstered chairs. it makes for a very comfy seat. i’m planning on bringing more colorful accessories in little by little. this pouf was just the first of many.

another big score while i was at homegoods was the small industrial accent table that i bought to go in between my two chairs. it was a steal at only $39.

gotta love that store!

LiveJournal Tags: moroccan pouf,homegoods,my home,my design,industrial accent table