Loft Living

I really love to see loft spaces.

I just think they're really fun and

usually artsy.

Here are a few to inspire you.

Smart. Clever. Genius.

While checking out one of my favorite blogs,

Better After,

I found this project.
Mid-century modern

always hits my sweet spot

as does something that is

well done and very clever.

This project - is both!

Would you believe it if I told you the side table

in this photo was a $40 dresser from Ikea?!

It's not vintage at all.

Nor is it pricey.

And I love it!

Definitely hitting the sweet spot.

Even the knobs are reasonable at

 $5.74 each right from Home Depot.

They totally finish the look.

Here's the before and after.

That is quite a transformation.

Smart. Clever. Genius.

Can you tell I'm loving this project?!

Yeah, it's that good.

You can find all the details on this project at DMD.

A Before and After Story

We all love a good before and after story so today I thought I'd share some great things that Matt and Shari are doing after Room by Room.

Here are a few things from their website that I've found particularly interesting. It's not ALL about decorating. Their website is about lifestyle.

One thing I learned is that Shari and her family recently became vegetarians. Her husband went all the way vegan. She has a lots of tips and encouragement if you are thinking vegetarian may be a fit for you. Here's a recipe I'm hoping to try. I may not be vegetarian all the way but I do love a lot of vegetarian dishes.

This Refriend Bean Nachos recipe looks so YUMMY! I love anyting mexican and now that I don't eat red meat I do tend to tire of chicken and turkey all the time. When I found this recipe I was so excited to try it. I think I'll add a few jalapenos, 'cause really can you have mexican food without them? I think not ;) Oh, and not all of the recipes are vegetarian! I make a few yummy things...wonder if they'll let me contribute?!

Besides going vegetarian, Shari has also moved into a new home and you guessed it - it's all on tape with fab ideas for decorating your WHOLE home. A bit of a departure from the Room by Room method and quite interesting to see the entire process from planning to execution of a whole house design. Here is a LIST of all their newest videos. You can easily find the Whole House Design videos. And, as if you didn't already know, her new home is absolutely beautiful!

There are also crafts, some of course are very kid-friendly, seasonal decor, sewing projects like the new baseball quilt and so much more.

Well that's a lot about Shari, but what is Matt doing now? Well, when I met him he was teaching us all about Extreme Home Energy Savings. Great products and ideas for keeping your home energy efficient and eco friendly. We all need to do our part and Matt has gathered and is sharing a little lot of knowledge on the subject.

He's also still doing those awesome shop projects he's so well known for. Remember the kitchen island post I wrote recently? Well, if you're as talented as Matt with power tools here are instructions to build your own!

I couldn't fit all of Matt and Shari's great lifestyle ideas into one post so I hope you'll check out their new website and keep up on what they are doing now. It's really quite exciting to see them back in action!

{dreams & hope} {hope & dreams}

Today, much like many days, I was sitting here wondering what I should blog. I had something different in mind until I checked Facebook and saw that a friend had some really exciting news to share. You can read about it on her blog.

It brings up a question I've been thinking about. And think about often.

What does it look like when the life you live starts to merge with the one you've imagined? What does it look like when your dreams become your reality?

I don't have an answer for those questions. I do have thoughts. I do belive I am in the early stages of merging my imagined, dreamed of life with my daily reality.

I love building Single Stone. I love building Single Stone with Billy. I'm not sure all married couples can also be business partners but it works for us. It works well for us. We couldn't imagine our lives any differently now that we've finally gotten to this place. A place we planned to be in from the beginning of our marriage almost 15 yrs ago. Sometimes it takes a while to merge the dream with the reality. But don't give up, it will happen. The only failure is that you quit trying. With the death of your effort comes the death of your dreams.

I think our dreams are our hope in life. They are what move us forward each day. What keeps us trying and looking to the future. The hope of getting through school. Discovering our personal gifts and talents. And our personal success using said gifts and talents. Finding someone special to share our lives with. Making and growing a family. Reaching out to those around us to make a difference. Growing the size of our own hearts to be better more compassionate, loving, productive, creative, giving, smart, helpful people.

I think anyone you may talk to who says they are living their dream would also tell you their dream was challenged. Ever watch Oprah? She has shared some amazing success stories with the world but with each of those stories came a challenge of the dream. A challange of the gift of hope.

It's kind of a catch 22, dreams and hope. Without the dreams we don't have hope. Without hope we won't realize our dreams. I hope I never quit dreaming. And I dream that I always have hope.

This is a poem I wrote about a year ago. I still think about it all the time. It's my best expression of how I feel while I stumble through my own process of merging the dream with the reality.

A little of this

a little of that

leftover from this

and found in a stash

Patterned after His likeness

each component chosen

artfully arranged

purposefully placed

With wings to fly

and legs to stumble

she gets back up

passionate yet humbled

Continuing on hope-filled

and finding her dreams

She expected the journey had earned them

but they were given abundant and free

personal style

When you decorate what colors and style

do you naturally gravitate towards?

Colors for me - earthy - hands down.

Style - clean lines all the way. Modern.

Of course, I like to throw in a

mix-matched collection for good measure.

So why am I so drawn to colorful,

pattern-filled spaces like the ones below?

I love them!

Personally, I keep my home very simple

so I can turn off my mind and take a

break from the creative juices.

If I lived in a place like the photos

below the colors and patterns would

keep my mind reeling with ideas.

Which I think is my draw to them.

I do find that in my art I will pull

out colors like these. A little brighter,

mix and match patterns and I tend not to

have clean lines in my art. I like it messy.

I tear my papers rather than cutting them,

I don't need my alphabet stamps to line

up perfectly on a line to create a word

but in my home - it's clean lines,

simple patterns and an almost monochromatic

color palette.

I do enjoy seeing spaces like these

below. They are happy and energetic

and have lots of personality.

They make you wonder who lives in them.

I think I would like to know

such an eclectic, happy soul.

I want this owner of this home to have me over

 for iced tea just so I can sit at this table.

Pink walls and not in a little girls room.

Love it!

Ok, so I may have mentioned my affinity for all things

teal, turquoise or light blue mixed with red.

As Martha would say "It's a good thing."

Totally. cute. lamp.

I bet the person who entertains in this yard

makes the BEST cupcakes ever!

Love all the polka dots.

Color Inspiration

This morning I was looking through

my inspiration file to get my

creative juices flowing.

While looking through I found this

common thread of color in many of the

images I have saved.

What common thread do you find

in your own inspiration file?

Is it color?

Texture?

Pattern?

Style?

I do love this turquiose and

it's so springy!

{Easter}