Just My Style....

This sideboard will always be a favorite of mine. It is so functional and I love the handpainted worn look. Not only can I serve off of this piece but, I have so much storage space as well. I can keep all of my linens and large serving pieces in one convenient place. Handpainted pieces add interest and are so simple to work into any room or style.

So much of decorating is about finding and loving the unexpected. Varied painted furniture creates a fun and eclectic style. Blending all of the mixed painted pieces together can give you such a unique look. I love old, vintage worn furniture. These sort of pieces tend to have so much character about them.

This sideboard is a new piece but the worn distressing and glazing over it makes it look like it's been around for a while. The piece is a good size and scale for my kitchen/dining area. It fills up most of the wall creating a large focal point. Also~ the fact that it sits taller then my dining table draws your eye up, and by adding a different height this helps with visual interest. You want to be mindful of the different heights your furniture pieces may have. You don't want all your pieces to be all at one level resulting in the room looking boring and flat. Mixing varied heights is crucial to a well visual pleasing room.

Remember it's the small simple details that can make all the difference in your space. It is those details that give a room soul...

Picture Window

This is my latest project...I had collaborated some fun old pictures of my Granny that she had tucked away in a drawer. I love all of these pictures, they really tell the personality of my Gran. Most of them are of her laughing, dancing, and having such a great time with my Pop-pop. They were the life of every party! Always dressed to the "nines" and ready to have a great time. I also found some pictures of my great-great grandparents holding my great grandma when she was just a baby. I had a fun time going through all of these pictures, family history is so important knowing where your family came from and keeping those memories and family traditions alive. I wanted to be able to display ALL the pictures and make a big statement, so instead of individually framing every picture I attached the pictures to an old window.

I also wanted consistency in the photos. When grouping lots of pictures together make sure you have a common thread tying them all together. For example; all photos could be black and white, or sepia. Or, when it comes to framing, keep your frames down to 1 or 2 colors. I wanted my favorite pictures to be seen. So I added a pop of color to a couple of the pictures, creating something unexpected in the grouping. I also put them close together so all the pictures would flow.

This project was a lot of fun but, I still have to put a couple finishing touches on it. Of course it needs a tassel hanging from the hardware :) (my Gran had one I found and it will be perfect) Still working on it But~ I couldn't wait to post...

BIG BOY!!

It has been a while since I have blogged.... too long! Just a little update on our guy. He will be turning 2 (can you believe it?) Where does the time go???!!! He has had two big accomplishments this past week. Brayden does not say much, just a couple words, but he said "Please" oh...I was so excited! I know it is a small word but we have been waiting for him to talk for so long, when he says it, it sounds more like "cheese" but~ we understand.
And...last week Mom was getting ready in the bathroom and all of a sudden Brayden starting patting the potty and grabbing at his diaper. I asked if he needed to go potty...He is so smart.
By the time that I got his pj's off and the diaper I started to lift him over the potty he had already peed all over the floor. But I didn't care...Whatta BIG BOY! I was thrilled....He probably was thinking, DUH MOM...Hellloooo I need to potty! I am so thrilled! Needless to say we got him his own potty and he is doing well. Hopefully potty training will be a breeze...No more diapers!! YEA!!!

In Loving Memory...My Granny

~Gran is in the white dress~

My precious Granny, so so, dear to my heart passed away February 3rd, 2009 early morning. Words cannot express the deep love I felt for her. She was such a special lady, my Granny and I had a very special connection with one another. We had the same taste in practically everything, clothes, home decor, cleanliness, food, jewelry, I could go on. As far back as I can remember my Granny showed me the most unconditional, pure love one could show their grandchild. She always supported me, she was at every event, and was involved in all that I had going on in my life no matter how big or small it was, it was ALL so important to her. When I was a little girl Granny would make up the best bedtime stories for me and put me to sleep when I stayed the night. She was an amazing cook and looked fabulous while she did it too. I would call her my Glamours Gran because she would never ever be caught dead in an outfit "sub-par". Just like me she had to wear high heels or the outfit just was not right. In fact going through some of her old clothes she wore when she was my age, I would not hesitate on bit to wear them today...When I was about 16 or 17 years old she went shopping for me for Christmas and would pick out the cutest stuff, my girlfriends would be so jealous and say " Your GRANDMA picked that???! " One of my most favorite shirts was from her and I wore it until there were holes in it. In fact it was in the DI bag once, and I had to get it back out because I couldn't let it go...funny huh..

She loved to shop (as do I). Last week my dear Mom took her shopping and instead of shopping for herself my Gran picked out a darling skirt for me and asked my Mom if I would like it... My mom said she wasn't sure. My outspoken Gran responded "Well me and Stacy have the same tastes you know." Bless her sweet heart. She would always ask about my job, how I was doing, if I had any projects going, she listened with real intent and was so sincere about everything. She beamed and her eyes would light up when we would chat. Towards the end when she was ill, I would call her and with very shallow breath she would always ask me first how I was, and tell me that she was so proud, that she loved me. Even through all the sickness and pain she felt she would think of me and my family first. What an unselfish woman.

She was so amazing. Her and my Pop-pop were the best grandparents anyone could ask for and more. They both will remain so close to my heart. I will miss her tremendously and my heart aches just to be able to hold her hand and laugh with her one more time. I always will remember the wonderful memories of her, there are so many. The smell of her sweet perfume..(no old lady perfume by any means) :)Her humor, and all the girl talks.

She is now free of pain and worry, in a beautiful place with my Pop-pop.

They will be holding each other through eternity. I love you so much Granny~ You're my Glamours Gran...Always in my heart...

All my love~

Stace

My heart goes out to my mom, I am sure Gran is so grateful for you and your tireless care for her. You did so well in time of hardships and when it seemed unbearable you did everything you could for her to make her comfortable. She was a wonderful grandma and even more amazing mother just as you are Mom. You have done so much and I am sure Granny is smiling down on you now with a full heart of gratitude...

Love you Mom...

SUNDANCE SWAG BAG.....

Okay, Brady gets major brownie points for this one!! So as most everyone knows the Sundance Film Festival is going on in Park City Utah. One of Brady's clients The Metropolitan Restaurant was asked to cater a private party for Paris Hilton, and guests. (by the way if you have not eaten at the Metropolitan, it is one of the best establishments in SLC!) The party was held at a private residence in PC, and the owner of Metro asked Brad if he wanted to help with the party. Of course he said "Yes!" He said it was pretty cool, lots of NFL players, directors and their wives, and some celebs...Dinner was supposed to be served at 8:oopm sharp, but timely Paris didn't show up until 9:30, go figure :)! Anyway, it was a long night for him, BUT.... Are you ready, one of the guests gave Brady his fancy Swag Bag ('cause he didn't want it, to much free stuff I guess :) )

So let me tell you these bags are incredible, and this was just a small one too. These celebs are so, SO spoiled and they get all of this fancy, expensive FREE STUFF!! After opening the bag and looking through it made me think, why don't these people donate all the money that goes into this stuff to charity, I don't know, I even felt a little guilty getting all this stuff for free, but it was fun :) I am sure it will never happen again, SO... This bag was filled with...

~A knitted KATE SPADE beanie that says Hawaii or Bust with darling pom poms

~Organic lavender dish soap, laundry detergent, linen spray, room spray, and more...

check out their site http://www.ecos.com/ everything is earth friendly ,petroleum free, and all natural product .

~Some DARLING handmade stationary, the box it came in was super cute

~A organic cotton T-shirt

~Baby beanie from Baby your Baby :)

~Some way cute crystal earrings by a company made here in Alpine, UT Tres Jolie Design, the packing on this baby was oh so cute!!!

~A huge jar of refining body salt peel by Babor, so yummy

~A skin care kit by Dr. Hauschka (apparently a famous dermatologist in Germany)

~Botanical Face Soap and moisturizer

~Mineral makeup, an entire face sampler from Pixi Petra, NICE

~A SIGG water bottle

~Massage oil and lip serum

and some other little stuff... Good job Brady :)!!! SCORE!!!

It blows me away that this kind of stuff is so common to them, and they go to function after function receiving these bags....I am so glad someone shared the love, and gave to my hard workin' hubby :) Thanks Babe...

Oh, and just for fun this is was the menu for the party....

Super Fun!!!

Sweet Saturday....

Messy, Messy, Messy!!! My big helper boy did such a great job eating up some sugar cookies Mommy made last Saturday. These pictures say it all... Love my messy boy, he is such a great partner over the mixing bowl! :) Oh, and lately Brayden has this thing with dinosaurs, his plastic dino toy goes everywhere with him....So of course he had to invite the Dino to our baking fest! What a sweetheart...Big Kisses Kiddo!!

More Treasures....

So these little treasures have found a great home! I have been needing a bedside table for my side of the bed. This small table is the perfect shade of green with a little bit of glaze over the top, and it has great storage for holding my magazines and yes...my yarn for crocheting(grandma..I know :) ) best of all, it came from one of my favorite consignment stores...Emilejayne! If you have not visited this darling shop it is a must stop!!

And~the second table is the steal of the year...I found this sweetie on KSL.com. The picture was deceiving, you couldn't really tell what color, or size it was. But, I had to check it out...and the best part...you ready? $10 for this darling thing! I am currently using it as a coffee table it's a good size, has such fun legs, and is a bright red color. It did need a little love, so I just went over it with a dark glaze. They are both great tables, I am so happy to welcome them to my furniture collection! :)