Don't drink the water!!!!

There's definitely something in the water.... if you're looking for a major life event, start drinking the water in Texas!  We recently celebrated a wonderful couple expecting their first baby.  If you want to know more about this awesome couple, check out their blog, The Dan Wam Fam!

Danielle and Dan are expecting their first child sometime in December and my sister wanted to host a cute little shower to get the baby mania going!  My sister, Adrienne, is a party planner extraordinaire!  Super detailed and even more organized, I just show up at her house and do what she tells me.  And Voila.... beautiful party!

Variety of delicious food including fruit cups, chicken salad sandwiches (I had three), and the best pasta salad I think I've ever had! (Adrienne, please blog the recipe!!)

My sister's a genius! Spray painting ball jars gold for vases.... beautiful!

These Macaroons from Ganache were amazing!!! Now I'm crazing meringue cookies.....

Danielle and her sorority sisters :) I love how corny this photo is!

Sisters-in-law unite!  So, Katie and Ari are not technically related... not by blood anyway. But everyone kept commenting on how much they look alike.  Apparently so much so, that when I posted some of these photos on Facebook, the computer kept trying to tell me that they were the same person!

Kelly and Joan

Danielle was so funny, she brought her sonogram photos to prove to everyone that she is actually pregnant! :)

Oscar's new friend!

Katie and Joan.... adorable photo!

Here are lots of present opening photos!  Danielle was so kind to go through and really appreciate all of the amazing things people gave her.... diapers, blankets, onesies, and some really personalized gifts that make every ooh and awe :)

So, while everyone around me is jumping on the baby-making bandwagon... I'm still holding out.  Here's my box of diapers to D where I Sharpied mustaches on all of the babies' faces....

Party time!  

Danielle's grandmother makes the most extraordinary quilts.... 

Katie W. made an awesome gift for the nursery, a large frame with photos of Dan when he was a little tyke and an open space in the middle for a picture of the new Dan :)  I'm pretty sure everyone had a few tears in their eyes!

I'll leave you with the LSU gear!

Can't wait to meet little Dan!!! :)  You both are going to make amazing, loving, and spirited parents!

Kids Play :)

One fun challenge every Interior Designer will face in their career is doing a kids room! Kids can be just if not more challenging than adults. Adults at least have a filter...Kids not so much, if you give them something they don't like you will know it.

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When doing a child's room it is important to remember that like adults, kids are unique individuals. What might work for one child's room will not always work for another. It is important to keep in mind a child's likes and dislikes when putting together their room.

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Another good thing to remember is that kids grow up. Just like trends kids change and what they want changes. It is important to keep in mind when designing to make a room that a child can grow and develop in. A few changes like new posters or bedspread can make a 4 year old's room feel like a 14 year old's room.

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Hope these few little tips help next time you find yourself faced with designing the perfect kids room.

 - Happy Designing,


Erin

How To - Set a Pretty Table

After working on several models, it became apparent that the dining table and the things on it, were going to be quite a focal point of each space.  Instead of purchasing sets, I decided I would coordinate items found all around town.  Selecting a color palette and style for each space, I went hunting and found beautiful pieces to mix and match to create a lovely tablescape.

I know laundry is a pain, but having nice linens on your table is a way to really amp up your look. Fabrics are getting more and more beautiful by the day and sets of napkins are a great way to add color and pattern to a table.

There were three main goals while setting these tables:
1. They need to be beautiful.
2. Make them easy to recreate should anything happen and they need to be moved.
3. Less is more - instead of overloading the tables, I would group a few nice items together.

This setting had 5 main pieces that all came together to create a simple yet elegant look;

1. A burlap table runner begins the setting with texture.

2. Simple chargers create a frames for the....

3. Stunning patterned plates.

4. The teal hemstitch napkins bring out the color in the plates while the...

5. Seashell napkin rings add another texture and lighten up the overall look.

I already have quite a collection of dishware.... I have a feeling it's only going to get worse from here :)

Montana Wedding Weekend: Finale

When I think of a finale, I think of a fireworks show where the last few minutes are impressively packed with pyrotechnics.  Well, here's the finale of our Montana trip and I hope you feel that way about this last set of amazing photos from our day in Glacier National Park! I don't even know if words our necessary!

After stopping at a waterfall, we hopped in the car and took the "Road to the Sun" - a 2 hour drive up and around the mountains. Every 1 mile or so, there would be a place to turn off the main road to stop and take pictures.  Sometimes we'd stop, other times we'd just hang our cameras out the window and snap what we were seeing.....

About 2 hours into our drive, we stopped at a lodge/restaurant in the middle of a field.  There was nothing else for miles and we were hungry!  I don't even know what the name of the restaurant was.... it just had a sign that read "Food" on the building and there was no hesitation turning into the parking lot! Thinking that we would only find blah fried foods at this place, we were thoroughly surprised when the food was unique and absolutely delicious!  My sweet potato-dill soup was one of the best soups I've ever had and the grilled portabello mushrooms were a-mazing! 

On our drive back to the lodge, we stopped a few miles short in order to hike to Avalanche Lake. The sign read a 2 mile hike.... according to Evan's mom's tracker, it was lying.  The hike was through thick woods and every so often a break in the trees would appear and you would see a beautiful mountain not too far away. 

An hour and a half later, we finally made it to the lake and were certainly not disappointed. Nestled in the middle of a bunch of mountains and thick forests, the clear light blue lake was stunning as it reflected the scenery nearby. 

We had visitors trying to get our granola bars.....

This picture is actually Lake MacDonald at sunset - perfect way to end such a wonderful weekend :)

If you're interested in checking Glacier National Park, please click here to check out their website and learn more.  Every person visitor we encountered had the same thoughts we did.... "we're still in the USA?!?!?"

Montana Wedding Weekend: Part 3

Because the wedding was over Labor Day Weekend, Evan and I decided to stay an extra day and explore Glacier National Park with his parents.  It's not everyday you are in Montana and the mountains were calling....

Trees are tall....I get that.  But the trees in Montana are monstrous!

We moved out of our hotel in Whitefish and headed into to Park to stay at one of the five lodges, Lake MacDonald Lodge.  On our way into the park, we stopped at the visitor center to get some advice on the best way to tackle one day in the park.  The park has 700 miles of trails.... we wanted to find the best ones for the day :)  Along with our maps and "Points of Interest"  paper, we also received an entire pamphlet on how to avoid bears and what you should do if you encounter one.....

Who has a view like this from their circular drive?

Inside the lodge's lobby.

Porch seating....

Giant fire that is always going! Our day in the park was actually quite warm, 80 degrees + in some areas.  Overall, we hiked 10 miles and drove through some of the most scenic land I've ever scene. 

Our first stop was a small waterfall and a hike to a bridge over one of the many rivers created by melting glacier waters.  The most amazing thing about this park is that no two view is even remotely the same.  There was never a moment where I felt, 'oh, I just saw that an hour ago....'

Evan and his dad walking down the path :)

You could climb right down the rocks to the river while the trees swallowed you up on either side. 

Evan's parents under the bridge :)

The rocks weren't flat - they were grooved and difficult to walk on. 

This might be my favorite picture of Evan and I to date :)

Oh yeah... and there's mountains everywhere..... to think that two hours into our day, we were already seeing this!

Yes.... even more to come!! Evan, his mom, and myself combined probably took 1000 photos.... We couldn't stop; every scene was even more beautiful than the last!