simple

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 16, 2017 By Melinda 1 Comment

Free Mudroom Drawing Plans and Resource List

Please add your email address below to receive the free drawing plans and resource list. Share this link with any friends that might be interested as well. Take care!

Mudroom Drawing Plans and Resources

Yes, please send me the plans and resources!

January 6, 2017 By Melinda 9 Comments

Winter Porch

I enjoy decorating for the holidays, and have found that I like to integrate the seasonal aspect within my holiday decorating. Once the holidays come to an end I take down the decorations, but keep up the more seasonal items. I now see a lot of the decor more as a winter scene, and am happy to enjoy the hard work put into it for a little while longer.

I am naturally drawn to a classic and timeless feeling with a hint of elegance. I see natural elements as the perfect way to depict these feelings in any season. Whether it is winter, spring, summer, or fall you can always find a bit of nature to represent the season.

We lived in the south for some time growing up. During the holiday season we would go on tours of old southern homes that were decorated in Christmas past. This meant a lot of fresh greens, fruits, and other natural elements incorporated in the decor. Often times during the tour you would be greeted with a beautiful fruit display located above the front door. I was always fascinated with the welcoming gesture and wanted to incorporate the decoration on my own front porch this winter season.

With the help of my husband, a video, and lots of apples the project was under way. I was so pleased with how it turned out. The best part is that once the apples are removed we can use the piece again next year and create an entirely different winter scene.

A quick tip… I love the look of boxwoods in urns, but sometimes don’t want to purchase a plant for the season. What I do instead is cut my own boxwood branches or buy cut pieces from my local nursery for a couple of dollars. I then place the stems in leftover dirt to create the look of a boxwood. Easy and a lot less expensive!

If you are visiting by way of Danielle, thank you for stopping by on the tour. I hope you all enjoyed the visit, and learned something that you can take with you.

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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!

October 4, 2016 By Melinda 2 Comments

The 7 step process to a “Timeless Feeling Home”

Creating a Timeless Feeling Home

This course will guide you, “the everyday home designer”, through the step by step process that I created and use with my own clients. I will teach you how to make decisions with purpose and confidence for your timeless feeling home. We will discover your blueprint (hint, it starts with your personality), and learn the exact design elements that create a timeless feeling. We will then take what you learn about the timeless feeling and apply it to different aspects of living. I will show you specific examples of how to entertain, shop, decorate, and even make holiday gifts for neighbors and teachers in a timeless way. The everyday will feel more like you because it will be you. Learn more and register here: House 214 Design Courses

A FEW COURSE DETAILS

It is a one week course (4+ hours of content) that you take at your own conveience. This course will begin on November 1, 2016 and you will have LIFETIME ACCESS to the videos.

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