Total Crash Day

Today was a total bust - ugh. Got up this morning at a reasonable hour and made the huge mistake of sitting on my sofa for "just a minute."

 HUGE mistake.

Out like a light... for 5 HOURS

 Unfortunately I'm having more and more of these "crash" days.

 It's not like my to-do list is that unreasonable right?

 • Plan a wedding for 130 people under $10,000.00 (That means a lot of DIY and searching, searching, searching.)

• Buy a home this winter (we're still awaiting our preapproval letter) for under $300,000 in the DC metro area so future hubby can get to work in the city for under an hour, has good public schools for future baby, is safe, has some sort of yard)

 • Complete training to make Remi a therapy dog with Pet Partners - then volunteer with him as a therapy dog handler within the next six months.

 • Build a barn on my parent's farm for future horse. Within the next year, fingers crossed.

 • Launch redesign of Decorology (that's right - it's going to look WAY better soon) and hopefully grow Decorology. Within six months.

• Launch redesign of ashleywhitedesign.com (it's always one's own projects that come last) and continue to grow my web design business. Within six months.

These are just my priority items.

 Okay, so maybe I take on more than I can chew, but who doesn't really? Everyone is insanely busy, and I don't have children yet, so I don't really feel like I have the right to complain yet... sigh. Luckily, everything on my to do list are things I am excited about and looking forward too, I just need waaayyy more hours in each day...

 Serenity now.


 via ?




via Pinterest via The Garden Nymph




via Pinterest via The Fancy

via Heartbeatoz  via Pinterest


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Interior designer Mark Sikes' Southern California Home: Open, glamorous, and elegant

Interior designer Mark Sikes' and partner Michael Griffin's home is full of unexpected and wonderful moments of old world Hollywood glam, while still maintaining an open and organic feel.  Check it out below:
Couch in the kitchen?  How genius is that for entertainers.  Just make sure it's a stain proof, easily washed material.  Not as crazy about the pendant lights though...



Super comfy looking daybed in a super serene home library.


All the below pictures are of their devine guest bedroom and bathroom.


I would love for a bed half as dreamy as this to be in my master!


The black and white striped awning outside, as well as the black and white palette in the room makes me think of the book "The Night Circus"

Great mix of eclectic (armoire) and elegant (chair)

How unreal is this bathroom - check out the chandeliers!


Love the shower curtain that looks like drapes.  I can't figure out if that framed black and white photograph is in the shower of just a reflection...

What do you think of this Southern California home?
See and read the entire story at Lonny Mag
You have read this article black and white palette / elegant interiors / glamorous interiors / home library / house tour / interior designer house tour / mirrored walls / neutrals / southern california / white interiors with the title November 2012. You can bookmark this page URL https://bellashabby.blogspot.com/2012/11/interior-designer-mark-sikes-southern.html. Thanks!

Giveaway: Beautiful words turned into beautiful art

Lucky Tuesday Decorology readers!  I haven't held a giveaway in a while, so why not today?  This giveaway is for something I particularly like, and is near and dear to my heart.  It's for art (I have my degree in illustration),...and literature (I know how to read) ...and the beauty of typography (I'm a web designer).  I will award two posters by Affichionado to two lucky, randomly drawn winners. Check it out below:


One of my favorite heroine's stories, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, is artfully composed on this poster.  The first winner drawn will win this poster.





The second winner drawn will win the adorable and pretty Alice poster.  I think this would look especially cute in a nursery or little girl's room.






Another cool thing is that the posters can be hung landscape or portrait. The paper they are printed on is top notch, in fact, they look great even unframed.  
I think The Narrative of Sojourner Truth poster looks particularly snazzy hanging in my little home office - what do you think?



To enter, use the widget below to either "Like" Affichionado on Facebook, "Like" Decorology on Facebook, and/or tell us what literary masterpiece you'd like to see on a poster. Each option you complete earns you another entry in the giveaway. The contest will close on November 21 at 12:01 AM EST. The first name drawn at random will receive the Pride and Prejudice poster, and the second name drawn at random will receive the Alice's Adventure in Wonderland poster. You must use the widget for your entry(ies) to be counted.
a Rafflecopter giveaway All dark, poor quality photos property of decorologyblog.com, all other photos property of Affichionado
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Design Camp recap - spilling some of the tips and tricks I learned

I had the exceptional privilege of being a guest at Design Camp in Austin TX from Oct 24th - 26th.  Design Camp was created by celebrity interior designers Lori Dennis and Kelli Ellis.  Aside from two days of on-trend interior design education, the people - speakers and guests - were all awesome!!!  Lori and Kelli were so sweet and made the conference feel more like a party where people discuss great ideas to expand and grow your design business.

I felt the most useful and inspiring speakers were those that covered information of social media and using it to get your designs and creativity out there!  Leslie Carothers, CEO of The Kaleidoscope Partnership, shared with everyone the amazing "Olioboard," a site that allows you to create 2 and 3D rooms that you can share with others, shop from, and save.  Most design campers agreed this was one of their favorite presentations.



A sample Olioboard

All The Best's Ronda Rice Carman spoke about the necessity of defining your brand, which includes having a website that reflects your philosophy and services.  ( I don't usually like to push my other business, web design, but I can definitely hook you guys up with a gorgeous website!)  She also recommends staying focused on what you want to accomplish - avoid having too many branches of your blog/business.  Find your niche and stick to it!


Design expert Susanna Salk spoke about getting published and her experiences creating beautiful design books.


Susanna's tips include not being afraid to get out there and introduce yourself and your work through various social networking platforms (twitter, facebook, olioboard, pinterest, etc.), and to editors and bloggers.

Lori Dennis (far left) and Kelli Ellis (far right) are the lovely ladies who make Design Camp so informational and fun.  I also got to meet fellow design blogger Julie Thigpen (to the left of Kelli), of Belle Maison.  (Thanks to Julie for the pic)

Maureen Stevens of  The Inglenook Decor (left) and I enjoying a Design Camp cocktail party.

Sounds like you would like to go to Design Camp?!?  You have many more opportunities in Atlanta, Seattle, Denver, Philadelphia, and Orange County.  Learn more and register at Design Camp.

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A real home makeover by Thom Filicia!

Real Simple and Chase Blueprint awarded one very lucky winner a $20,000 home makeover by the wonderful Thom Filicia!  That lucky winner of the contest, "Blueprint to a Beautiful Home" was Stephanie Gayol Phillipou of Mountainside, NJ.

The Philipou's moved into their home December 2011 and had to start preparing for new baby, leaving no time to add their personal style to the home.

Check out her home's amazing transformation!

Before:
What's amazing to me is how their home looks barely lived in, it was in major need of some character!

After:
The blue paint is so refreshing.

Before:

After:
I'm really loving upholstered dining chairs these days, it makes the space elegant and comfortable.



The bedroom and living room are a great study in how to mix patterns. The rug and comforter are in a neutral gray, which makes it easy to add pattern and color without worrying about clashing. The smoky lavender walls are restful, and the global accents remind the Phillipou's of their safari honeymoon in South Africa.

As always, Filicia did an amazing job.  What do you think of this transformation?

You can see and read more about the transformation in the December 2012 issue of Real Simple.
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Blissful bedrooms: Inspiration for a restful space

I am tired today. Like, super uncharacteristically tired.  Maybe because wedding planning is a full time job in itself and I drove a combined 4 hours yesterday to look at two different wedding venues, or because ever since Sandy blew through the east coast hasn't been seeing much sun.

Either way, I slept through my alarm, getting up an hour and a half late, and somehow slept-walked over to my dresser and hit snooze on my alarm NINE times and don't remember any of it.  Luckily I work for myself and from home, but I still feel like a bum when I don't get up at a reasonable hour.

Anyway, plentiful sleep aside, all I want do to is crawl under my down comforter and dream the afternoon away.  I guess this bedroom eye candy will have to do, since deadlines never care how tired you are.

Love the dark wall, the headboard, the quilt, the floors...

Okay, so this is an add for linens, but how gorgeous is that bed?


pastels always look nice in the bedroom

How cute is this?  Especially for a teenager.  And the palette bedframe adds extra storage for magazines, shoes, etc....



What do you think of the draped wall behind the bed?  It definitely adds romance and softness to the space, but I want to see it in person.

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Some of my favorite Thanksgiving decorating ideas

I can't believe how quickly the holidays come and go. I feel like Thanksgiving comes before I even have time to think about decorating, so I made it a point to get on the ball early this year. Here are some decorating ideas and Thanksgiving decor I'm liking:


Greenery as centerpieces.  Sage in Ball jars make the tablescape look fresh.


I tend to like seasonal decor in unorthodox colors, and the amount of white in this Thanksgiving set up rally caught my eye.  I especially like the way they've set up the sideboard with yummy deserts on display.




Check out the pretty felt leaves as a table runner in light blue.

Stamped napkins are a nice and personal little touch.

How do you plan on decorating this Thanksgiving?

1. BHG, 2.-3. Daily Grommet, 4.-5. BHG, 6.-7. Country Living
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