Super Cute Chest Makeovers

I have a dear client that had a chest that was made by her grandfather, so the sentimental value was high and the workmanship was excellent and the character was definately there. My client had a problem, she had this chest that she knew that she would always have yet she wanted to utilize it and show it off, but she couldn't really do that with how it had currently looked. I wished I had a before picture but basically the chest was what you would consider plain looking with just a stained wood finish. When she brought it to me my mind instantly started turning with the possibilities... it was a diamond in the ruff... I just had to figure out how to make it shine. Here was the finished product

So after I did this for her come to find out that her mom also had one that needed the same treatment. Here are the before and after of that one as well...

Before:

And here is the After:

When you have a family heirloom or something that has sentimental value as these chests do, consider giving them a complete makeover to fit your style so that you will be proud to show it off. It is amazing what can be done to turn a piece into something completely new.

I hope you all like these chests because something very similar will be added to my line this year....just a little sumthin to look forward too... right?

Where has the time gone?

Ok I really am still here!!! It has been forever and a day since I have written a post. Although I am not promising amazing, fabulous, or killer ideas or pictures on this post, I will tell you what to look forward to....in a little bit. But for now let me tell you all what I have been up to the past what 2 months.

Well it all started back in September tying up loose ends with clients that had stuff in the works, one by the way was the most amazing window treatment with custom rods made to my specifications and oh my oh my how they turned out super scrumptious. This same client got a daybed makeover, new cushions for her kitchen chairs and new decorative place mats. I have started 4 new designs for bedding. In the works with 2 girls rooms and bathrooms that will be mind blowing. I have had a few more design appointments that heaven forbid if I make it to start designing what they need.

Somewhere in the middle of this my son wanted to be Jonny Depp's version of the Mad Hatter and he wanted it bad. Well I would have you know that it was said to be the most popular costume this year, but why on earth could I not find one? So in my search I found one from the Disney store that wasn't even that great and was being sold for a mere $150.00 ....for a costume, for a seven year old, for one night out of the year.... YEAH RIGHT!!! So in my hard searching I came across how to make your own mad hatter costume... what had I gotten myself into? I found myself brainstorming, knowing I already had most of the stuff it required, "I think I could actually pull this thing off!" I tried to reassure myself. Only adding to the mound of a list of things to do, making a mad hatter costume for my son made the list. Luckily I had a costume for my daughter that I had made for my son when he was three, but trying to convince my daughter that it was what she was going to be for Halloween... was another story. It was a crow costume complete with big yellow cleaning gloves for feet. "I don't want to be a bird," she said "I want to be a witch!" But with a tight budget this year I had to convince her that she wanted to be the darn crow!! I can't really say that I blame her, after all every little girl wants to be a witch or fairy or princess and she was one of them. I knew that once she tried it on she would have no problem being the crow... sure enough I got it on her and she started fluttering around the room shouting "I can fly, I can fly...I love this crow!!!" Ha! Success at last! And I must say she looked mighty cute with her sparkly black tights and her hair done all crazy with feathers sticking out. She even left a trail of black feathers where ever she went. I love Halloween!!! I even found time to decorate and decorate early none the less. How that happened I am still not sure, but it was fun. So we wrapped up Halloween with 2 trunk or treats, one class party and a night of trick or treating. Wheeww!!! So the very next week involved family pictures, volunteering in my son's class, and an 11 year anniversary. Which really played out like this: the week was starting off good, volunteering went well then low and behold when the family pictures came up and it was our anniversary, I found myself taking care of a sick child. Oh what fun!!! So our anniversary consisted of canceling pictures and sitting on the couch in the morning with our sick child between us and I slapped my hubby on the shoulder and said, "by the way, Happy Anniversary" I know, sad but true!! What can I say!!!

So somewhere in the last month I had to rescue my sister in law from throwing herself her own baby shower, which for all of us mothers out there know that it is absolute suicide!! She has already had an extremely difficult pregnancy and I just couldn't watch her stress about putting on a baby shower for herself. So I will be hosting it for her next weekend. Well almost immediately I am looking at my house going, "Oh dear." Now mind you I am in a rental and looking at my construction grade white flat paint with all of the dear little marks, fingerprints, toe prints, wall art(which the artist being my daughter, who is three, and not a professional) and smudges of my children and if you look at the wall wrong a smudge will appear and I found myself saying "Oh DEAR." Only next to find myself looking at my terribly trampled, stains resurfacing everywhere carpet finding myself saying, "OH DEAR!" Then looking at half way done projects, a mess of an office/playroom (which I will admit was my side, I wouldn't dare say Sean's side was a mess, it really is always clean...darn him, why can't my desk look that neat and tidy? Sometimes I put a paper or two on his desk just to throw him all out of sorts, I know... what we wives do for entertainment right!!) Anyways I'm getting off the subject... so I am looking at this office or should I say MY SIDE and then that led me to my kitchen niche, you know that awkward space that is always left above the kitchen cabinets, yeah scccaaarrryyy!!! I had stuff up there that was literally tossed up there when we moved in over a year and a half ago and it was just left there, like it was magically going to look beautiful. I can't believe here I am a designer and I am confessing all of this, but anyways as I was looking at all of this and even more that I dare not say I found myself saying " OH DEAR I AM IN DEEP DOO DOO!" No wonder I had not done a bit of entertaining in this house, my house was clearly lacking in the attention department. I am always sooo busy making other people's homes and things look wonderful that I had seriously neglected mine. "Oh Dear!" So what did I do? I clearly sat down and made a plan of what was just a must to do before this Baby Shower. To my surprise... or not, my list was quite long and my husband was starting to get "that look" (you know, the one where he see flashing before his eyes what his miserable life will look like over the next few weeks as I complete my list. But my poor husband is a Saint because he simply complies because he knows it will make me happy.) So I have been hard at work to somewhat pull my house ship shape before the party day. One of the projects being to do something above my kitchen cabinets. Hard at work and almost done when I stepped across my flat top stove and put my bare foot right through it. I had no idea it was hollow under the tempered glass. It was a sheer miracle but I did not get even one scratch. So believe it or not it is cheaper to get a new stove then to replace just the glass part of the stove....just my luck!! What was I to do with a broken stove top when I have some hefty cooking coming up for the holidays? Luckily it is all being taken care of. $$$$

Oh dear, I really did not mean to ramble so much, I really shouldn't continue, but I must!

We finally made it to our family photos and can I just tell you, I looked at the proofs today and they left me speechless and I almost started balling as I saw the most gorgeous children flash before my eyes, but I sucked it up because my kids were sitting on my lap looking at them with me and I wanted to save them from the mere panic of their mother smothering them with a big wet sloppy kiss and a mushy hug as I was crying because they really took my breath away the way she captured them, I could just hear them saying "Maauhmm" which is another way (a child's way) of saying "gee mom get it together" followed by inner thoughts of "what the hec is wrong with her?" Anyways she is aaaahhhhmazzzzing!! Super Talented and a natural at photography!!

So somewhere in the middle of all of this ( notice how I keep saying "somewhere in the middle of all of this" it is because my life meshes together at some point and I can't really remember when it happened all I know it that it happened) Anyways as I was saying... somewhere in the middle of all of this my computer crashes, I find out that it crashed sooo hard that nothing was retrievable... isn't that nice. So everything I had saved for my business...gone, pictures.....gone, all my favorite websites and websites for my business...gone, gone, gone. Sometimes life really throws you a curve ball but for me it is ten at a time.

Well there really is more but for the fact of saving you all from the sheer boredom... Holy freak I can't believe how much I have written or what time it is. So I will simply conclude by telling you all that this is what's to come:

Pictures of all of the above!!! So exciting, isn't it?

Yes I will be taking you inside my "rental" home to show you what can be done to turn it around. All my little projects, although I am super disappointed to not have before pictures now...due to the computer crash, but I guess you will just have to imaging the before. I will also try to have pictures of all of my latest design projects for clients.

Ok I am super tiered and must go to bed, it is past my bedtime! Ha!

It's HOT people!!

OK I have been totally infatuated with something for awhile now, so much that I wonder what the hec I can do with it next. I have used it in countless designs for clients, on furniture and in little nooks and crannies. The only thing that I have not done with it yet is drape myself in it ( which I am sure if there was some way to do that I so totally would.) Have any idea what it may be???

FLOCKED WALLPAPER!!

Yes can you believe it... We are not talking about your grandmas 1950's rendition of the stuff, I am talking damasks, brocades, floral bouquets, and skulls and cross bones. If you play your cards right these papers are timeless and very classy and will definitely stand the test of time. They can be a small investment but the statement is WOW!! No wait... FREAKIN KILLER!!

Here are some of my favorites:

I love this against this color of blue!!

Black and white always looks amazing

This is one of my new found favorites, it comes in a variety of colors, it would be so great applied in a boys room and it has been shown in a bathroom in the colors of pink and a powdered blue.

The forever favorite color of a girl. Pink!!

This has to be my favorite application, I love how they accentuated the curved wall up onto the ceiling. It is just beautiful. I always tell my clients to not forget their ceilings, I think they are just as important as any of the four walls in a room ( it is the fifth wall everyone seems to float on past.)

This design is one of the most popular and comes in a variety of colors as well and they all look fantastic. You can see the red above and the black and white are the same design.

More pink what can I say.

I love this neutral color with the foil backing, (one of the very few foil backed papers I love) it makes the light bounce and dance around the room. Paired with the freshness of white and the rustic look of wood and whola, you get a fresh crisp room that is to dye for!!

I will be posting at a later date of all the applications that I have personally done with this crazy stuff that covers your walls so beautifully so stay tuned for that. For now have fun letting your mind run crazy with the possibilities of flocked wallpaper... you know you will!!

Craazzinessss!!

I just wanted to inform everyone that due to the unbelievably crazy month there will be no featured products for the month of August. I just simply did not have enough time to create what I wanted to for you all. I have learned over the years that I have been in business that when craziness comes some things just have to take the back seat, and out of the long list of things in my life that usually means it is my business. What can I say, my family comes first and I am proud of that!! I never really got that concept before as I was always juggling between family and my business, trying desparately to find a balance between the two, but since the past year it has really clicked for me, there is no such thing as owning your own business and having a balance between that and family. I always wanted to grow my business and become a huge phenomenon, and share my style with the world... who doesn't when they create a business that they believe in, but I have realized that it is not really important right now in my life...being a mom is. As seeing my children grow up and as fast as that happens I made the decision that when time is tight and the stresses of the world come into play that time will always belong to my family. I cannot tell you what peace this gives me in my life in knowing that I have control over my business and not that my business has control over me. It gives me no greater joy than to spend that extra time with my children....I LOVE IT!! So therefore may you all have a better understanding of where I am coming from and although I love what I do and creating and designing it will never be as important as looking into my childrens eyes and seeing the happiness in them when they know they have a mother that is always there for them. I am still doing what I love, just at a much slower pace, so thank you all for your patience and understanding, because heaven knows many of you out there deal with the same issue.

Monochromatic Bliss

All right all my peeps, today I wanted to talk about the wonderful world of a monochromatic design scheme. Now I know your probably thinking, "What the hey, Shayce is so colorful in her designs, why on earth would she be talking about monochromatic design?" Well I will tell you why.... monochromatic does not just mean your beige, whites, and creams.... no no no.... their is a whole world of monochromatic that is very colorful. It can be a combination of one main color with touches of one or two more colors as accents. When monochromatic is done right, it is like living in a world darn near close to heaven. So here is what I got for ya all...

Lavender is front and center in this one with the accents of the killer guilded mirror and a slate bluish grey.

Blue, but not just any blue, the perfect blue.. with accents of white and the greenery from the plants.

I love this, it is character exposed in a small space. I'll tell you why, the lines on the sofa...superb, the color put on the sofa...bold, the animal skin laid on the painted wood floors...daring, the stack of books...intelligent. The main color is white with accents of black and gold...fabulous.

Just open the doors and let me run inside!!! I want to park my rear on that chaise and be queen for a day sipping my tea and eating cakes, and a few servants would be nice and.... ok I know I am rambling.
Green with touches of pink and blue. I never get tired of staring at this because it is what I preach to my clients again and again, different textures, different furniture pieces, mismatched patterns. Although the wood floors and architectural features do a hec of a lot in this space.

I had to throw in a white one, in this one I love all the old chippy pieces they add the second color with thier underlying wood tone.

The textures in this room never end, you gotta love that!! A croc covered ottoman...love!! Ok obviously black and white with touches of yellow... so bold.

This one leaves me wanting to see more, it is so casual and comfortable but with classic vintage style. Cream with touches of blue and white.

White with touches of grey and gold, oh my!! This room is soo simple yet so gravitating, I love that.

Ok so when doing a monochromatic scheme in a room, remember that color choice is everything, not just the three colors that you choose but the tones of them as well, be very very careful about that. Also don't be afraid of choosing some bold colors, as you have seen they work beautifully, just as well as the whites and beiges. Also if you notice that in every picture above except for one, there is a chandelier, if you are not on the chandelier boat please get on..and fast!! There is nothing like a chandelier to ground the whole room (even though the place for it is hung on the ceiling..ha ha ha, design humor, it will get ya everytime, I know I'll stop) and give at a purpose.

Here are a few of my hot monochromatic sheme choices:

charcoal, with touches of white and turquoise

white, with touches of a greyed off lavender and gold

antique pink, with touches of charcoal and green

black , with touches of white, antique gold and pink

HOT HOT HOT...LOVE LOVE LOVE

Winners!!

Just wanted to wish the winners of my giveaway on Whippy Cake's Blog just this last week a great big congradulations and I hope you enjoy the winnings, Jourdan and Jessi

Here is what they walked away with...

One of my curvy branch ball topiaries that is a $45 value along with a coupon for 30% off her total purchase on my website.

Then the other prize was a set of my vintage books also a $45 value along with a $30 off a purchase under $150, or $50 off a purchase over $200 on my website.

I hope everyone that participated had a great time and I hope all of you have checked out Whippy Cake's new website because it rocks!!

Project Done!!!

I can't beleive it, I finished a project for myself. Well maybe not quite for myself, it is for my children,but it still counts be cause they are in my house. So let me brief you quickly on how I came about this project. I have this sister-in-law, whose house I was at one day and she had these wooden plaques, each with her children's names on them and then there were all these little paper tags hanging off of these hooks. Can you guess what it was? A Chore Chart, ok seriously, all of us who are blessed to have little ones running around the house causing chaos where 'er they roam, know that them little ones must be tamed with, you guessed it CHORES!! It was such a bad word when I was a kid, yet the best word a parent has ever heard. How could I have let soo much time go by without a darn chore chart in my house, these things are heaven!! So I have to admit through this project I had developed resentment to my sister-in-law, heaven bless her sole, because my mind would not stop running with ideas on how to make these chore charts for my children, and no way on earth was this going to be a simple one day project. Darn my sister-in-law for the good idea!! So anyways I went with the approach that I was going to only use things around my house and workshop to make these chore charts and this is how they turned out!!

Here is my daughter's chore chart.

When her chores are all complete the tags are turned this way so it looks all cutsie.

I used all of my left over price tags from my products and had some major fun putting trinkets on one side of them.

I basically took a vintage mirror and popped it out of the frame, then I just used up some paper and other things I had on hand to adorn it.

I just had to place a good luck sign on Chloe's chart because heaven knows she needs all the luck she can get when she is handed a task...she is 3 and a half.

My son on the other hand is pretty efficient and ended up with pretty cool chore chart.

I really wanted to keep it as masculine as possible with a broze, gold, black and cream theme with a hint of red and blue. It is amazing at how "boy" it looks yet I got away with using quite a bit of glitter. Pretty sneaky huh!

I actually hand cut all of his tags because I couldn't find a shape I really liked for him.

I just love this tag with the buttons and safety pins!!

So this shows the front and back of the tags. On one side you have the chore and the other side you have the adornments.

So each and everyday we start out with the tags faced this way so they know exactly what chores they need to complete and when they are finished they get the greatest satisfaction of flipping them over so the decorative side shows. And they hang in our hallway with all of our family pictures and the perfect height for their little fingers to take all the action.

In this case it is showing that my daughter needs to get dressed and do her hair, and the next one is brush her teeth. The pictures are great so she knows exactly what to do since she can't yet read.

I was just sooo excited that I actually completed something that I just had to share it out of pure self satisfaction, I know silly huh, but anyways hopefully you all enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed watching my children have some responsibility....aahhh parenting is great sometimes!!!