Week's Preview: West Elm

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you have all had a fabulous weekend and have something amazing planned for your week this week! I have been missing the blog, but SO much has been going on. I am up to my ears in home makeover projects, helping my mom come up with ideas to makeover her new place, and have been brainstorming for a new client who has just moved into a large home with very little furniture! To top things off, I will be doing another OlioHop August 27th with the theme of Dorm Decor, and West Elm (one of my favorite brands) has invited me to a preview party for their new store opening! Oh, but did I mention that I also received the sweetest email when I was invited to the party also asking me to come in for a private tour of the new store and to meet their staff because they know I'm a fan of West Elm and they're fans of my blog! West Elm featured my blog on their blog when I posted my ideas for an Outdoor Celebration!
I was honored, and of course said yes! With all the square footage I'm working with between the three current projects, and their fabulous trade program, I'm pretty sure we'll be doing lots of business together!
In celebration of their invite, I wanted to pull together some of my favorite pieces to share with all of you. I (of course) headed over to Olioboard because West Elm is one of their brand partners (I'm telling you good taste is all around!), used some Benjamin Moore paint colors for inspiration, and started pulling!
Enjoy!

I have always been a HUGE fan of industrial looking lighting, geometric side tables, and fun textured decor pieces! Check out this board and shop the look here!

I will be snapping plenty of pictures of the new store, and sharing my favorite picks during the opening! Do you love West Elm too? Head over to Olioboard and make your own room design to share with me! I'm sure West Elm would love to see it too!

Have a great week!!

OlioHop MomSpot

Happy Monday everyone! Today brings another OlioHop (although it is not the first Monday of the month there's a reason!) and today's theme is MomSpots! I swear somewhere out there is a force connecting me personally to the themes Olioboard puts out for OlioHop, normally we have Mommy Monday here! This week I'm spending my Mommy Monday from Wellfleet, MA on Cape Cod. I used to vacation here with my parents every summer and I am thrilled to get Kyle and Dablet (all the way) up here for a change of scenery and a Red Sox game!

Our view of Long Pond from our secluded rental

Last month we talked about organizing for our OlioHop, and the immense inspiration from all of the amazing designers, tools available on Olioboard, and really taking a look at how to best organize even my own spaces (it's always harder to practice what you preach!) I took home 1st and 2nd in the Olioboard Ogranizing Challenge! Thank you for ALL of your support!
It has always been a dream of mine to have my own "Mom Cave" - well at least since I became a mom! How many times have you heard "Man Cave" as if us ladies have the rest of the house on lock down?! Maybe we insert more influence, but let's be honest, when you're a mom the house belongs to the kids! In order to create a "Mom Spot" you have to take a few elements into consideration:

• Space available
• Your passions
• Your resources
• The mood you are trying to inspire

For me, the last one is the most important, but I put it last because I feel we (as moms) often overlook how we want a space to make us feel and just explode with sheer excitement at the opportunity to have our own corner. Maybe we can convince our kids to send us to timeout in our Mom Spot?! My top three types of mom spots would be Reading Nooks, Spa Areas, and Crafting Rooms. Before I hit the designing boards on Olioboard, I take to Pinterest for some pinspiration! Check out my full Mom Spot Board Here!

I chose this "I just want to make beautiful things even if nobody cares" as the theme for my Mom Spot blog!

After all, it's about what YOU want to make yourself happy!

Olioboard makes it incredibly user friendly to take your pinspiration and turn in into a "shop-able reality"! Can't find the perfect item you're looking for in the large bank of brands on Olioboard? Don't worry! You can always upload it yourself! I try to upload my pinspiration into my boards so I can have a vision of what my dream result looks like. Here's how my pinspiration took life into Olioboards for reading nooks, spas, and craft rooms:

To see this board and shop the look click here

Find yourself a comfy place to curl up with a book, gossip magazine, and beverage of choice. Been a rough day? No one here will judge you if you get a few drops of red wine on a throw pillow! Choose your favorite colors to set the mood and inspire your hideaway!

To see this board and shop the look click here

Say it with me now, "Ahhhhhhh"! Whenever I see a spa area I immediately want to check out the recipes for homemade flavored water, light a candle, and meditate! In this room it's OK to play in the mud!

To see this board and shop the look click here

Are you the type of person who escapes into creativity, but just can't seem to find the time? Make your craft room easy access with easy organization! Your mental health will thank you for it each time you find 30 minutes to dive inside and be a kid again! 

Need more organization tips? Check out the last OlioHop: Organization!

Do you have another idea for your dream Mom Spot? Head over to Olioboard and get creative! Remember, it's a dream idea so let your budget run wild! Need to make it a reality?! We're happy to help there too and create a budget friendly version of your wildest dreams!

As with all OlioHops, this could not be a success without the teamwork of Olioboard and the other amazing bloggers! Olioboard has given us an extra bonus this week with their presence at World Market Center in Las Vegas, and the Blog Her Conference in NYC! Big thanks go out to Olioboard and these fabulous events for taking the time to take a look at us!

Today we have 12 other talented designers sharing their ideas for fabulous Mom Spots, be sure to check them out and share your ideas with them!

- Chaotically Creative - Design Magnifique - Simply Savvy -

- Frugal Finds - Homestyling 101 - Push Interiors - Seaside Interiors - 

- Selma Hammer Designs - Stacy Naquin Interiors - 

 - Fashion House Interiors - Jennifer Reynolds Interiors - Sway Girl

Tuesday Tidbits

Today has been utter chaos! My mom, and my aunt, arrived today with her two cats from Boston to start her move into her townhouse. I went over to Target (I am ALWAYS at Target!) to get her a few things for the cats that she couldn't exactly bring. Think litter box, litter, dry food, etc. When I went over to her place to drop that all off, along with a twin size bed from my house for her to sleep on for a few days, I took all of the "before" pictures. She has about 1,500 sq. ft. townhouse on a lake with LOTS of windows, and a big open living room! This will be quite the project!
While I'm crazed like a madwoman, I wanted to share with you a few of my current favorite things!

Favorite Crib

DucDuc Furniture provides great built in storage options with FABULOUS color choices!

Favorite Glider

Oilo Glider from Layla Grayce, I love this pop of color in the piping

Favorite lighting

When it comes to lighting, I love industrial looks! This Pendant from West Elm is just one more reason I am incredibly happy they are opening a store less than 10 minutes away from us!

Favorite Pillow

Trink Turk from Zinc Door

Favorite Paper

This little treat says "Sometimes a girl just needs to compose a tweet...even if she's wearing a neon ball gown" It's from Ashley Brooke Designs, and I want one for both of my home work spaces! I'm working on a fun idea with these lovely ladies, and I'm hoping to show it to you soon. At least part one!

I hope your week is getting off to a good start! I'm looking forward to expanding all of the ideas building up inside me into actual reality very soon! 

Until then....