Another Picture!?

My job at a recent open house was to take pictures. This is not a problem for me, I love taking pictures! In fact, I ended up taking about 300 or so, some candid and some posed. I tried to be discrete and out of the way, so I could get some great candid shots of guests interacting. I even wore black!

However, my camera has a pretty loud shutter so people caught on pretty quick. And I was wearing heels so you could hear me coming. But, going through the pictures, I found some pretty great expressions. 

-        Erin

Custom Artwork

Sometimes, you never quite know what a home designer had in mind when he/she was creating a set of blueprints.  On a particular project I was working on, the designer added a humongous niche above the fireplace in the family room.  Humongous may not be the correct term... how about gargantuan! 

Not even exaggerating, the space measured 9-feet tall, by 4-feet wide, and almost 2-feet deep!

So, what do you put in such a large place?

While looking through some wall covering books for a different client, I came across this wall covering mural. It was a set of three panels that could be applied together to make a beautiful mural.  All the colors were right, the size was almost perfect, and the price was unbeatable.

So we went for it.  Except- we had to turn it into art first.

That's where my faux finish friend, Laurie Lopez, and her helper Jeremy came in.  They applied the mural to a piece of MDF I had cut to a size that would look great inside the niche.

Then, to make it not look so flat, Jeremy and Laurie added some painterly touches. 

Here's the result!

Perfect! 

What the frames match?

I love, love, love, photography. I love to look at pictures, take pictures, edit pictures all that jazz. Most of my photos are high contrast and brightly colored. I do like black and whites but I love color!

When I went to redo my room after I moved back home, I wanted to use the photographs that I had taken. I had a lot of photos with a lot of different colors. When I showed my mom all the pictures I was going to put up, she was a little worried that they might clash. However, I had a plan to make sure that that wouldn’t happen. I got some thicker, cheap frames and spray painted them a glossy black and silver. Then I framed the pictures with those. This way even though all the photos were different colors the look as a whole worked.

My room! (My bedspread is way cuter in person lol)

I also had these awesome opera reprints from back in the 50’s and I really wanted to display them as well. But there was the same issue. There were no colors in the prints that were anything close to coordinating to what I had. So I did that same thing. I got two thick black frames to put them in. This way the pieces are still the main focal point but there is an element to tie it all together.

So if your afraid that your photos, or your art work are going to clash, but you really want to display it, frame everything in coordinating frames.

 - Erin

Nothing Bundt Cakes!

My sister, Adrienne, went crazy when she discovered they were opening a place called "Nothing Bundt Cakes" in the Woodlands next to the new Trader Joes. Her emotions were so intense, I had to try this place out for myself. So, after picking up a few groceries, I headed over and popped one of their "Cinnamon Swirl" samples into my mouth.

I was overwhelmed!!! The cake was so dense and yummy while the icing was delectably cream-cheesy!

As you can see, I bought a small one with the intentions of enjoying it over a few days. 

Nope- it was gone before lunch.

I got Adrienne a Red Velvet cake for her birthday party! So worth it :)

Check out Nothing Bundt Cakes here!

Suddenly Salad Dinner

Sneak peak at an almost complete project!

Custom houses seem like they take forever to complete; all of the planning, drawing, selecting, meeting, building, fixing, installing, placing, fluffing, and karate-pillow-chopping, take months and months until you start seeing the beautiful potential a house possesses. 

After working on a project since March, here are some pictures of the home finally starting to come together. 

Master bedroom seating area! (Yes- we're missing a drapery rod- to be installed soon :)

Pool bathroom.

Living room.

You can see there's still quite a bit to go, however, once everything is in place, the house is going to be absolutely stunning! More to come in the next few weeks!

P.S. This guy tried to hitch a ride home with me! I wouldn't have minded the company, except I had about 20 miles of highway driving ahead of me that I didn't think he's enjoy :)

Ouch!

I recently had some dental work done.  Ok, a lot of dental work done. There was so much anesthesia in my face, the numbness stretched from below my chin in my neckline, up through my cheek just under my eye. Safe to say, I sounded strange, couldn't eat or drink, and drooled for several hours at work after my appointment.

I was really curious what I looked like, so I snapped a picture of myself smiling as hard as I could....

here's the result.  You are welcome!

Could it get any more scrumptious?!?!?

My two favorite desserts of all time are (and in no particular order),
Rice Crispie Treats and
S'mores.

Period. End of story. Without a doubt- these two desserts make me smile every time I have them... and I certainly can't have just one.  They are so simplistic but perfect in their simplicity.

I didn't think desserts could get better than that.

Boy, was I wrong!

While perusing Pinterest one day, probably before drifting off to sleep after a long day at work, I found the perfect, most delectable, scrumptious, and perfect combination of flavors known to man....


That's right. Someone had the idea to combine my two favorite desserts.... "S'mores Graham Crispee Treats"

WHAT!?!?!

I couldn't believe it.  And I couldn't wait to try them.  They are just as perfect as I thought and have already made two batches.

Check out Country Cleaver's blog here- the inspirational creator behind these delicious treats!

Orange You Glad to See Me!!

One of my favorite things to do it take my nephew to Orange Leaf for a sweet treat!  Orange Leaf is a self-serve frozen yogurt place; you get as much yogurt as you want, mix flavors if you so choose, then you apply whatever and however much toppings your heart desires.

He loves it, I love it! It's a win-win!

Boo is a little short to reach all of the items himself but he loves to make is own treat. So I pick him up and carry him through the line. His recipe: Vanilla yogurt, cookie dough, M&Ms, and sprinkles. 

This time around, both Boo and I were having a great time- so I began to document. 

That led to a series of funny photos..... These are my favorites of about 30 that I took. 

I don't think comments will be necessary!

(Laughing at himself :)

The "kissy face"

Wild Thang!

Fabulous client has done it again! Check out these custom breakfast chairs with their new breakfast table!!

Designer tip: For upholstered seating that is in a high traffic area- have your fabric run through a Nanotex solution before upholstery.  Nanotex doesn't change the look or feel of fabric (stay away from silk, sorry) while adding a protective coating.  So, your friend gets a little carried away and spills her glass of red wine? No worries! The liquid will simply bead up and roll off the fabric :)

Pretty awesome! In a few weeks, we're installing some really amazing lighting!

Happy Birthday, Dear Sister!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DEAR SISTER, ADRIENNE!

Today, my sister turns the big 30! And well, she's doing it pretty fabulously! Over the weekend, her husband and I threw her a big party extravaganza.... most of the photos are in, what I will call, "official review."

I am 100% positive that my sister is the sole reason I have the sense of humor that I have.  She has and still is constantly making me laugh! I am so blessed to have her live in the same city. 

I wish her a happy happy birthday, a fabulous 30th year, and many more to come!

What good is a sister if she can't post funny pictures of you??
oxoxo!

e

Pinterest Crafts

Right now, I am working on a fun project.  I am updating three apartment models for two apartment complexes in Austin, TX.  Each apartment has it's own distinct style with it's own "family." 

In one apartment, the "couple" has "two young boys."  I should be naming my family members.... 

Anywho- the two boys are going to share such a fun room.  Pinterest is helping me come up with some fun decoration ideas....

This painting was made by taking painters tape and sticking it across a canvas at funny angles. Then, I painted each triangle a different color, removed the tape with it was dry and viola! Pretty cool!

You can paint the entire canvas a single color before you begin- a metallic bronze is a pretty cool option.  Then you can color coordinate to you space- like use only shades of blue.  Completely customizable and super easy to do!

We've all seen the things made with paint chips- here is my version! I had my assistant Erin gather a bunch of paint chips from Home Depot then use a giant circle punch to create the circular chips.

She applied the chips to a piece of foam core. I found the old frame in my dumpster and after spray painted it black, we had a brand new frame!

Not too shabby!!