It's Fall Y'all

I love Fall!  So glad that the weather is finally cooling off a bit and Football season is underway!  I start with basic fall decorations in September.  I love how cozy the house feels after I am done.  Here are a few pictures of what I have done so far.

 

The entry table

A look into the kitchen

My ottoman

 

I am working on my dining room and will put together my table setting as soon as my projects are over.  I am putting new shades on my chandelier and changing the material on my dining room chairs.  Now is the time to do those touch ups around the house so you are ready for the holidays!

Happy Fall,

Kelly

Boys & Girls Club Teen Room

I have been on the board of The Boys & Girls Club of Franklin/Williamson County for the past 8 years.  I recently took a room and turned it into the Teen Room.  It is now a cool hang out just for the older members of the club. 

The Teens really like the room and are excited that they have a place all their own.  I still have a few details to finish up but for the most part it is ready for them to enjoy.


Home is where your story begins......
Kelly

Embrace your Space: Kitchen

I like it when a room looks great but I love it when a room feels great!  Especially when it is a room I spend a lot of time in. So lets talk Kitchens....

The kitchen should be fabulous!  Our lives revolve around this room.  This is where we start our day. Sometimes the day starts out hectic and hurried just trying to get out the door. Other times the mornings are relaxed and easy going and we can enjoy a cup of coffee and linger over breakfast. 

Whatever size your kitchen is, you should make it a warm and wonderful place for your family to start and end their day.  I love cooking dinner with the kids doing their homework at the table and my husband cleaning up after me (as I dirty every bowl in the house) while we talk about our day.  This doesn't happen often with our boys busy sports schedules, but when it does I am a happy camper.

Do you love your kitchen?  If you don't then it is time to make some changes!  I am not talking about a complete renovation (unless you are up for that) more like a rejuvenation.  It doesn't have to look like a kitchen right out of a magazine...who lives like that anyway.  The goal is to create an environment that your family enjoys and wants to spend time in. 

Here is the thing about loving your kitchen....you don't want to leave dirty dishes in the sink, or things piled up on the counter. There is nothing worse then waking up in the morning and walking into a kitchen that is a mess. It puts you in a bad mood immediately.  But wake up to a clean kitchen with the coffee brewing (thanks to a coffee maker that has a timer) and you start the day in a much better mood.  Same thing goes for coming home after a long day and being slapped in the face by a sink full of dishes.  You are in no mood to start dinner and enjoy time with your family because you have to clean up before you even start. 

So look at your kitchen and see where you can make some changes.  Get things organized and put away.  Embrace your kitchen and make it the heart of your home. 

Now time to get inspired....

HGTV

HGTV

Country Living

Embrace your space series intro

Embrace your space, a journey to a happy home.

Your home is a reflection of who you are.  It is a reflection of where you are right now, it tells the story of your life.  As you look around...is it a story that you like?  What does you home say about you?  How does your home make you feel?

When I had my first child, my home told the story of who I was at that moment.  Sleep deprived, unmotivated, diaper buyer and bottle washer.  Not to mention the fact that an infant was in the house and I had a swing, baby seat, infant car seat, cradle and goodness knows what else laying around our small townhouse.  My house told my story very clearly.  As our family grew and the kids were young, our house told of games we played, what the boys favorite toys were and how creative Jacob was as an artist. (on and off the walls)

Now my house reflects more of me but still tells the story of the lives we are living.  Two teenage boys that play sports, an 8 year old daughter that loves barbies and changing clothes but most of that is now contained to their rooms.  My house reflects my family's personality too.  Nothing formal, comfortable and casual with plenty of room to relax. 

Can your house affect your mood?  Absolutely.  So embrace your space and create a home that tells a story you enjoy.  Join me for my Embrace your Space series, room by room ideas and philosophies that will help make your home the sanctuary it should be.

A good home must be made not bought.

                                                  ~Joyce Maynard

teenager's room part 1

I have two teenage boys that share a room.  We have enough bedrooms that they could each have their own room but I want them to be together.  I like that they have to work things out and don't have the option of going into their room and slamming the door on each other. 

We had to get new beds...my 15 year old is 6'3" and growing so the twin beds with a head and foot board weren't working anymore.  I looked everywhere for what I wanted.  So after 2 months of shopping I decided to just make the beds myself.  I wanted the room be their hang out so storage under the beds allowed us to get rid of other furniture.

This is a process so I will keep you updated as we go.  I found bedding and painted the room first.  Next I layed out the bed measurements and the drawers.  Here are the beds.

Teenagers need an entertainment center

Sheving under the window is for trophys and pictures with

storage underneath.

Stay tuned for part 2!

Join the party at

A soft place to land

Vignettes

I just love a party!  How often to you change things around?  I do small changes fairly often but every once in awhile I take rooms apart and rearrange things.  This is my teenage boy's bathroom...trust me it isn't close to this clean now.  I decided to consolidate our beach "finds" and diplay them on these shelves.  I made this out of pine boards and trim plus lots of paint.  Then I found containers to hold the small shells and picked out some of my favorite beach photos of the kids.  I like the way it turned out.  The pictures aren't great but the lightly is really bad in this bathroom.

The shower curtain is from Target

From Drab to Fab

I am slowly redecorating my home office.  I have a million other projects going on and my personal stuff always takes a back seat.  Any hoooo....I have a huge box of fabric in the attic and from time to time I remember to go through it before I head off to the fabric store.  Score!  This old office chair my dad gave me 10 years ago needed help, lots of help.  I had it covered with blue jean fabric before and ripped it off and started to recover it and realized I would like it better with a slipcover look.  So here it is.

Before

After

I made a pattern with lining fabric and winged it.  I still have some finishing touches to add

Trim and ties to secure it to the chair and I might add foam to the arms to make it more comfortable.

My office is vintage cottage and I am working on a desk now and shelving, I have a new embroidery machine and need to make room for it.  I will post pics along the way. 

Happy Decorating,
Kelly

Also linking to
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Spring Decor

Here are a few pictures of my spring decor.  I am joining the Shop Your House party on Finesse Your Nest

Before you say anything....I have two wedding pictures in my entire house and you will see them both

Before

After

I found the bunny in my daughter's room, the container was in the

garage and the moss was in my office. 

Full view

I love this old pie safe.  It is in my dining room.

Close up

I added moss to the bottom and found a Shabby Chic decorative ball in my

craft room and added it too.

I thought this turned out well and then went to change my table in the foyer.  I found the bunny in the attic with my Easter table decor and the bird was in my office.  I had the nest in my craft room and  the eggs are from JoAnn's last year and the ribbon was from an older project.  The container matched the one in the dining room (I have 3) and a different candle with a small grapevine wreath around it in the birdcage.

Before

Okay a little plain but I have been busy!

So after my "shopping spree"

Full lenth view

I had fun and I hope I gave you some ideas for your home!

Happy decorating~Kelly
because home is where your story begins......

Spring Fever

Time to make a change?  Me too.  Spring does it to me every time.  I start thinking of ways to change every room in my house.  I have 3 big projects that I need to get done but they will disrupt my household and I just can't deal with that right now.  So I will day dream about the changes I want until I can handle the huge mess.

so I am thinking about the color brown....but I am not loving the white covered books...seriously?  I have better things to do with my day.

from Better Homes and Gardens

I do dream about a wonderful screened in porch but sadly I don't have one.

from Better Homes & Gardens

Maybe organize a closet or two?

Okay...my closet will never look like this, but it is fun to think about it!

Do you have a Spring project to share?  I would love to hear about it...I will try to finish one up this week and take pictures! 

Happy Spring,

Kelly

Home Staging

Buyers base their interest in your home in the first 20 seconds they walk through the door. We all know that first impressions are everything! The housing market is very competitive and you want your house to stand out from the rest. The point of staging is to appeal to the most potential buyers possible.  How you live in your home is one thing, how you sell your house is another.

Here is one of my recent staging projects.

Simplify Sunday

Life is crazy...if you live at my house it is really crazy.  So my journey to create a calmer, more organized home is a must.  As an interior decorator, what most of my clients want is a home that is attractive for entertaining and comfortable and easy to live in.  A place where their family is nurished and friends are welcome, not a decorator's showroom.

Remember that this is a journey....it is a process and will take some time.  As a decorator, I am expected to have a beautiful picture perfect home.  Truth is after I decorate everyone else's home, I really don't feel like coming home and working on mine.  I have several projects that need to be done and can't seem to find the time or desire to tackle them.  I do not deal with chaos very well, and most of you know that when you redo a room.....the whole house becomes chaos. 

So I have been doing some simple projects.  Small things everyday that are easy to complete in an hour or so.  First was my junk drawer in the kitchen.  Why do I have a junk drawer?  If I am not sure where something goes....it goes in the junk drawer, never to be seen again.  Next was the hall closet, and then the linen closet.  It feels so good to have those things done.  Not very glamorous I know but guess what?  I love it

Once I get the smaller things done,  the big projects won't be so overwhelming. 

My favorite shops in Franklin!

Show Us Your Life is a weekly blog event hosted each Friday by Kelly's Korner where bloggers indulge readers with fun facts about their worlds.  There is a different subject each week and so many interesting bloggers participate!  I hope you enjoy!

because home is where your story begins.....kelly

I love to shop...really love to shop!   Historical downtown Franklin has several shops and restaurants.  Here are a few of my favorites!

PDs is a great place to find decor items at a great price.
119 South Margin St.

Franklin, TN 37064

What's in Store has great accessories!  My husband always finds great birthday and Christmas gifts here!

407 Main St.
Franklin, TN 37064

Franklin Farmers Market a great place to support local farmers and vendors.

The Factory at Franklin
Franklin, TN 37064

Hope you can visit us here in Franklin soon!