Aas a mom and wife, obviously my home is no longer just MY home. My decisions have to be made with my husband and daughter in mind, but more so my daughter; and a question I get A LOT is how I can have nice things with a toddler.
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Work is important but so is family. I don't want to sacrifice my ambitions but I also don't want to scar my daughter. When she sees mommy working, is she impressed by my drive or is she resentful of the perceived neglect? I'm am truly grateful to have a husband that supports what I do & who constantly reassures me that I'm doing great, but if I ever had any doubts before, I am certainly convinced now that men and women are just wired differently because he'll never truly understand why I feel guilty.
Read MoreI’ve never had clients question this — they’re hiring me for a conceptual design, the ability to see their space in a way that they can’t, to pull all the pieces together, and to provide them with the tools to execute their dreamscape. And yet this is a question I often get from other designers — why do I only do conceptual designs?
Read MoreI was blessed & honored to be invited to be a speaker on the E-Design panel at High Point Spring Market (#HPMKT). Not only did I get to speak on something I love alongside women I admire, but I also got to meet with the founder of #thedesignnetwork & co-owner of the WORLD's largest furniture store, #furniturelandsouth. I left this MASSIVE furniture campus feeling more than inspired, so I hope it does the same for you!
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Spring Is In The Air!! And I am here for all of it because while I've ALWAYS been a big fan of Spring, something about it this year is almost contagious -- all I want to do is go for walks, lighten up my decor, and immerse myself in all things Spring related. Being that my coffee corner is a HUGE part of my days, naturally, it was going to get a Sring makeover! Using a bit of what I got from my previous shopping hauls, I took to transitioning my coffee corner into the new season!
Read MorePart of having a beautiful home is having a CLEAN home so this was a long time coming -- I finally signed up for Grove Collaborative and OMG! Check out my unboxing & first impression of my first shipment. I definitely recommend signing up for Grove Collaborative, if for no other reason, then to always make sure you're always stocked & on budget when it comes to your household essentials.
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Read MoreMany lessons, applications, and failures later, I think I've got this! Balancing the different areas of my life has been a juggling act of pragmatic choices & creative solutions, at the heart of which is LOTS of online & offline tools.
So, if you're any kind of entrepreneur, and you struggle with figuring out what you need...or if you've just wondered, "How the heck does she do it?!" here's a peek behind the scenes that is my life as an entrepreneur, student, wife, and mom...
Tis' the season for cozy nights & warm beverages -- tis' the Hygge way! And nothing is more Hygge for the holiday season than a warm beverage -- whether you're a hot cocoa drinker, coffee lover, or tea enthusiast.
As I finally pulled together my very first holiday-inspired "coffee corner" I decided to share with you some of my tried & true tips for creating your very own at home cafe.
Read MoreEven before we officially decided to move, I would fantasize about designing wherever we would end up -- floor planning, coordinating color schemes, wish listing -- doing all the things I would do for a client.
Fast forward, to when we started doing apartment tours and then to when ultimately chose a place, I was super excited about having a space to really flex my design muscle (not for lack of trying in our NYC studio).
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So if you read my space saving post on cribs, then you already know I’m a proponent of the mini crib. Saves space and money, and as a first-time mom, that’s all we ever really need more of (well that and sleep, lots and lots of sleep).
Even though we know we wanted a mini crib, we had no clue which to choose. We decided on the DaVinci Alpha for one main reason — it rocks (literally and figuratively).
Enter the mini crib!
It was amazing to me how not a single one of my family members, friends, acquaintances, or even co workers had ever heard of it. Admittedly, I can’t even remember how I stumbled upon this wonderfulness (you google enough, I guess you’ll find anything) but I’m glad I did.
So… what is the mini crib?
It’s exactly what its name says — a small crib, measuring about a foot (give or take) shorter than a standard size crib, making a great long term alternative to a bassinet and space saving alternative to a standard size crib.
New York City living is practically synonymous with small space living, so whenever I tell people that we used to live in a NYC studio apartment, in the heart of Manhattan no less, the expressions on their faces tend to alternate between amazement, confusion, and pity. But for 16 months, my husband, daughter, and I all comfortable fit in our c. 500 sq. ft. studio.
🍁 Welcome to November! 🍂
I feel like I JUST did my September favorites and yet here I am already doing October. It's as though God sat on the remote, and is speed channel surfing. Not that I'm complaining, but I don't know that I've ever seen a year fly by the way 2017 has.
No matter how fast it goes by though, I still found some time to stop and think about the things -- great or small -- that made me happy.
Read MoreSeptember was definitely filled with a lot of shifts in my professional, personal, and academic life -- I find myself really trying to focus on very intentional & specific launches; both my husband & I were now both in school again (I had the summer off, he didn't), so managing our time was a lot of trial & error; and just being back in school, although taking 1 less class than I usually do, really forced me to adjust the rest of my life to make sure nothing fell to the side of the road.
Maybe you're completely brand new to who I am so you have no idea what this is all about.
On April 1st of this year, I decided to start a one year challenge & go social media free. I got tired of mindlessly scrolling through feeds, judging, comparing, and just wasting time, and craved a way to feel more present in my biz, family, and overall life.
I needed to quiet all the noise.
Today is all about celebrating all the wonderfulness that is coffee -- from the taste to the aroma -- and I will be the first to raise my hand & join in the jubilee. I don't pretend to be a coffee connoisseur, especially since my preferred java of choice is Bustelo, through & through; BUT now that I live in Seattle [adjacent], I know that there is something to be said for just an amazing brew. Here are some of my fav swoon worthy coffee finds to help you elevate your next coffee experience.
We’ve all heard the adage, “home is where the heart is”, and I don’t know anyone who’s ever disputed that to be true.
So besides “the heart” what makes a home, a home?
What does that even mean? Okay let’s think about it this way…
Have you ever gone to someone’s house and it’s simply beautiful? It’s so beautiful, it’s breathtaking? Yet it didn’t feel “homey”? Well that’s the difference right there — a house is a structure; walls, beams, paint, fixtures, etc; a home, however, is much more than that…
Home isn't a place; it's a feeling.
It's where we love, create memories, laugh endlessly, and build relationships.
Most people have no problem celebrating love and milestones in their relationships... Valentine's Day and anniversaries get recognized, yet most of us don't give a first, second, or third thought to loving up our homes. Now, yes, we may decorate, but what are we really doing to show the place we live, rest, and spend our lives that same love we show to the people in our lives. Here are my 5 ways you can love your space every day.
Another month gone! It's funny how, as I evolve as a person, it manifests in all the different areas of my life. For example, I resolved not too long ago to go through life with a more grateful spirit, really taking stock of my blessings & victories, big & small. At the top of the year I'd even started a gratitude & happiness board (although I haven't kept up as I should) where at the end of each day, I'd write down on a post thought 1 thing that happened that day that made me happy or that I was thankful for -- everything from a new amazon package to a new client. I've decided to take it a step further, and now, at the end of every month, I'm going to share with you a round up of things that brought me happiness, clarity, and peace -- one for each day of the month -- in hopes that they'll do the same for you.
By definition, when you really think about it, even the idea of hauling for the home can be dangerous! A bit dramatic but still true. Hauling almost instinctively triggers impulse buying which can result in buyers remorse. No one wants to bring home a crap-ton of stuff, only to feel like crap about it later. I don't know about you, but I don't like returning ANYTHING much less an online and/or large purchase.
Everyone has their own of executing (and showing off) a haul but there are a few things that all hauls will (or should) have in common. For me, these end up being reasons that hauls and I just aren't a right fit.