living

June 7, 2017 By Melinda 5 Comments

A Touch of Summer

There is a feeling of ease when it comes to summer, isn’t there? Spring is a very busy season, with the welcoming return of light and warmth. In summer, nature slows down a bit and subtlety becomes the new path to take.

When April from House by Hoff and Krista from The Happy Housie asked me to join them and 25 other bloggers in The Seasonal Simplicity Home Tour, I couldn’t resist the invitation! I was so excited to share how I add a nod of summer to our home.

If you are joining the tour by way of my talented friend Abby from Just A Girl and Her Blog, welcome and thank you for joining us. Now, let’s get started!

I like to begin decorating for the seasons starting at our front door. It is the first moment you see when you visit our home and it sets the feeling for what is to come when you open it.

I decided to try my hand at making a wreath of my own using a wreath form, floral wire, and the most beautiful rosemary branches from Rose Bredl. In the winter season I place emerald green boxwood wreaths against my painted black door and I absolutely love the contrasting colors. I thought the rosemary branches would provide a similar effect. What do you think?

This time of year means the local farmers markets are up and running. I love to visit the busy scene on the weekends, find inspiration, and stock up on local foods. There is just something about the sun shining on a beautiful day, seeing some of the familiar faces of my neighbors, and trying the goods of people who put a lot of care into their products.

On this particular visit local breads and eggs found their way into my basket at the market. I thought they would be a wonderful addition for a summer breakfast outside on the patio.

I gathered different “serving” pieces that I have collected over the years to hold the bread, eggs, and butter. It just makes the everyday feel a bit more special. Of course it is not something that I do all of the time, but I thought a nice summer weekend with my family was the perfect reason to use it.

I love to decorate my home in a way that just feels like me. If you have any interest in learning how to do the same I am teaching a FREE 5 day email course called, “Finally Decorate Your Home”.

If you doubt yourself when it comes to making decorating decisions for your home and/or you feel overwhelmed by all of the choices available in making those decisions this free course is for you.

In this free course you will be introduced to the step by step process I created that teaches you the right way to making decorating decisions for your home. It is a framework that will teach you how the feeling you want to create in your home (hint, it has a lot to do with your personality) has specific patterns, textures, colors, collections, finishes, etc., that will communicate it best. Making decorating decisions for your home becomes easier and something that you are happy with for a long time.

Okay, now it is time to sit back, relax, and enjoy our beautiful breakfast with my family. A simple summer morning that is made special with what might be little effort, but effort that can create some of life’s biggest moments.

I hope you enjoyed your visit to my home today. If you have any interest in learning the same process I use to make the decisions I do for my home please sign up for my free 5 day email course, “Finally Decorate Your Home”.

Please be sure to visit the next stop on the tour with Kristy from Robb Restyle. Also, don’t forget to check out all the home tours throughout the week!

Monday

House by Hoff / House of Wood / Refresh Restyle / Cassie Bustamante / That’s My Letter

Tuesday

The Happy Housie / Simplicity in the South / at HOME with the barkers / Sincerely, Sara D.

Wednesday

Nina Hendrick Design Co. / The Wicker House / A Burst of Beautiful / Paint Me Pink / Town and Country Living

Thursday

At Charlotte’s House / Just a Girl and Her Blog / House 214 Design / Robb Restyle

Friday

My Fabuless Life / The Turquoise Home / Erin Spain / Place of My Taste / Cherished Bliss

March 9, 2017 By Melinda 16 Comments

Spring Home Tour

When I was asked by April from House By Hoff and Krista from The Happy Housie if I would like to participate in the “Seasonal Simplicity” home tour, I thought what a fantastic way to celebrate the start of this time of year. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to represent new life, optimism, and the changes that take place outside that all occur at this time of year. Budding branches, a fresh feeling, and learning something new were all at the top of my list to help welcome spring.

If you are here by way of At Charlotte’s House or any of the other talented bloggers on the tour, welcome, and thank you for visiting me!

Learning how to arrange flowers was a fantastic way for me to kick off the spring season. Doing it with friends made it even better!

I have a passion for teaching and the home, and teach the “everyday home designer” that design isn’t about a look, but a feeling. A feeling that is about emotion and simply put, feels right to you and your home. It is that “something” when you walk into a space that just feels right.

The feeling you want to create in your home (hint, it has a lot to do with your personality) has basic design elements that you can choose to communicate that message consistently. Making design decisions for your home becomes intentional, easy, and something that you are happy with for a long time.

In my kitchen you can see evidence of the feeling I created in the space. Timeless, simple, and welcoming are the words I used as a guideline for the design elements that I chose for the room. By using these words as a guide and their design framework I was able to make decisions with intention, rather than make decisions on what the latest trend was at the moment.

As I noted above, I wanted to create a fresh feeling in my home to help celebrate the spring season. Pastel greens, fresh greenery, and forsythia branches were all ways that I created that feeling in the space.

Please provide your email address below to receive the mudroom drawing plans and resource list.

Mudroom Drawing Plans and Resources

Yes, please send me the plans and resources!

Please be sure to visit the next stop on the Seasonal Simplicity Home Tour, my friend Jennifer from Town and Country Living, and all of the other homes on the tour for more inspiration!

Monday

House by Hoff / The Happy Housie / The Turquoise Home / Maison de Pax / Refresh Restyle

Tuesday

The House of Wood / Simplicity of the South / Place of My Taste / Tidy Mom / That’s My Letter

Wednesday

Sincerely, Sara D. / at HOME with the barkers / Paint Me Pink / Nina Hendrick Design Co. / A Burst of Beautiful

Thursday

Just a Girl and Her Blog / Cherished Bliss / At Charlotte’s House / House 214 Design / Town and Country Living

Friday

Cassie Bustamante / Robb Restyle / Erin Spain / My Fabuless Life / The Wicker House

November 4, 2016 By Melinda Leave a Comment

“It’s Not About the Perfect Home”

Do you have a list of things that you hope to accomplish some day? Whether you have them in the back of your mind or actually have them written down, they are there, and little by little you work towards them in one way or another.

When I discovered Karen and Zandra from Little Yellow Couch I just knew I wanted to take part in what their philosophy was regarding the home. In their own words, ” It’s not about the perfect home. It’s about creating moments that delight you amidst your everyday life”.

Their past guest list includes Grace Bonney from Design Sponge, John and Sherry Petersik from Young House Love, and many many more. So, when I was asked to take part and be a guest on their podcast, Style Matters, I was beyond thrilled. To listen to the full episode, please see below.

Oh, and the icing on the cake was Karen and Zandra had asked to teach a segment on my new and live (that you take on your own schedule) course, Creating a Timeless Feeling Home. It really has been a wonderful and rewarding collaboration. The best kind in my mind!

August 5, 2016 By Melinda 7 Comments

A FREE Timeless Feeling Design Plan

I found myself feeling frustrated and overwhelmed when I was trying to create a timeless and simple feeling in my own home. I came to the conclusion that we all have similar questions and concerns when it comes to designing our home. Is this really me or am I making this decision because it is the latest trend? Am I still going to like this look six months from now? I also remember hearing that my home should tell my story, but exactly how was I supposed to do that? So, I decided to get to work.

What I discovered is that when you marry your feeling and personality traits with the right design elements, you begin painting the picture that is your story. It doesn’t matter if your budget is large or small, the important element is that the choices you make for your home are made with intent and purpose.

I know there are other everyday home designers who struggle in the same way I did with designing their homes, which is why I created a FREE resource titled “A Timeless Feeling Design Plan” that I will email you when you subscribe to my website.

This design plan is a sample of what you will learn in my online course, “Creating a Timeless Feeling Home” that you can register for now on my website, here. This course will guide you through the framework that I use to create a timeless home with my own clients. You will finally be making decisions for your home with ease and a new found confidence.

A FEW COURSE DETAILS

The early registration price for this one week course (4+ hours of content) is $38.00. This course will begin on November 1, 2016 and you will have LIFETIME ACCESS to the videos.

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July 22, 2016 By Melinda 8 Comments

Step 1: How To Create a Feeling in Your Home

I have been where you are, standing in the pillow aisle of a store I frequent often, feeling overwhelmed by the choices and questioning my decisions. Looking at shelves full of coffee canisters and wondering which one I should place on my counter. I have even been to the point of having a difficult time picking out something as simple as a tea towel for my kitchen. In my head I would have a conversation with myself trying to make a decision, “I think this is the pattern everyone is buying, so maybe I should choose one of these five tea towels” or “I think I saw this in the latest issue of some magazine as a top pick, so maybe I should go with that one”.

I have been inspired (and overwhelmed) by all sorts of imagery for years. I felt like I would love a particular style, but not know where to start or if it would even look right in my home. There were many times when I purchased the trendy pillow just to bring it home and have it look out of place.

I know not everyone is like this and some people don’t put that much thought into their homes, and that is completely fine. I also know some people always seem to get it right the first time and make it look so easy, but that wasn’t me either. I fell into this middle group that cared a lot about my home, but I also wasn’t trained professionally in the area of design. I was the everyday home designer who wanted to connect my story to my home, and thought there has to be a better way. So, I decided to get to work.

I created a framework and tools that will help create a feeling in your home. It is one that I use with my own clients and it is what want to teach you here. The end result will have your home feeling more like you because it is you.

If you are interested in joining me on this journey grab a notebook, a pencil, and let’s get to work. We are going to start with asking ourselves one question, why. Why is it important for you to make a feeling in your home? Why are you drawn to me and this blog? Why are you wanting to join me on this journey?

I would love to read and share some of your responses to these questions on my blog and an online class that I will be teaching, so please comment below! The course will be available to register for on August 1, 2016 and is all about teaching you the process and tools on specifically creating a timeless feeling in your home. Please be sure to subscribe to my blog below if you want to learn more about the course! All images by Lori Baskin Photography.

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