Q+A | Kristin Bliss at Home

Today's the last day of the Q+As - hopefully you found a few more blogs to follow or learned a little more about your favorite bloggers!! Last, but definitely not least, I have the fabulous Kristin from Bliss at Home! Kristin has so many great rooms in her house, but I think my favorite is her entryway - those horizontal stripes, gold sconces, and grid of frames really make the space! I also love that her house is primarily black, white and neutral with pops of colors ... sound weird coming from me? I might be going a little more neutral this time around. MAYBE, we will see - I have lots of ideas in my head :) 

Kristin makes black, white, neutral and pops of color look SO good!!

Here's a little more about Kristin. 

I can't help myself but I love the PSL. Hold the whipped cream and get it with non-fat milk and it is still delicious!! It's pretty much fall in a cup.

My fave fall food is a plate of sliced honey crisp apples with a little warm caramel drizzled over them.

I love to bring the outdoors in. Whatever is from the yard or in season. Flowers, branches, fruit, rocks...anything goes. It can make me smile just seeing some flowers in a vase. If it is a rock my kids picked up from the hiking trail it finds a place on a bookshelf and those become happy little memory triggers.

This image is from our Modern + Fresh Fall Home Tour. The branches are from our yard and the pumpkins bring in the seasonal touch.

The first time we did our kitchen cabinets. I groan just thinking about it! We used a new product and it didn't deliver as it had boasted...so we had to sand them down and start all over...sometimes it just pays to do it the tried and true way and not try something because it claims to save you a step or is supposed to be faster.

I've also learned to have patience when I'm making over furniture. I've walked away from a project when I'm not feeling it. I love doing it, but I have to be in the right frame of mind to do it right. If I'm not feeling it, I walk away and wait a day or two and take my time. I wait until I find it enjoyable again.

My hands down favorite project is our library wall. It was something we all worked on together and we all enjoy it now. 

I also love the black+white abrstract art I made with my boys. I actually had someone email me asking to buy it believe it or not! I had to say no of course, because my precious little people helped me make it and it is something we all love. 

Plaid has always been a fave of mine--especially this time of year. I just added some plaid euro shams to our bed that I made out of stadium blankets and they just add the right amount of color and pattern to our room.

There are so many!! I could give you a list 50 designers long!! I adore Celerie Kemble, Kelly Wearstler, Mary McDonald, Jonathan Adler, Emily Henderson...just to name a few.

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Love Kristin!! How great is her library wall!? If I didn't know, I would have never guessed that it is made from Ikea bookcases, it looks like custom built-ins!!! It's SO good! 

Also, I completely agree on Krisitin's DIYing advice - if I'm tired and getting frustrated, I walk away and come back when I'm feeling more refreshed. I make less mistakes and it turns out better in the end :)  

Thanks so much for sharing Kristin!! 

If you're new to Kristin's blog, make sure to check out her projects page and home tour!

Missed some of the Q+As? Click HERE to see them all!

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Q+A | Kelly View Along the Way

There just are a few more Q+As and I have a real treat for you! Kelly from View Along the Way is funny, super sweet and SUPER talented! She is the DIY queen - find endless inspiration here. Also, I love her style - it feels comfortable and live able, but really pulled together. She was recently published in BHG for her AMAZING laundry room. With a stunning room like that - I think that I'd want to do laundry every day :)  

Here's Kelly

Mix pumpkin and chocolate together in any form, and I will eat EVERY LAST BITE before you can even taste it, cookie-monster-style. I'm sorry. I can't help it. I hope we can still be friends. (P.S.: Here's the recipe for my favorite *healthy* pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. YUMMM.)

Pillows! Pillows with fun textures and patterns! Switch out your pillows for something different and you'll feel like you're living in a whole new place. That's why I say you can never own too many pillows. My husband would say you can never throw enough pillows OFF the couch and onto the floor, but don't listen to him. More info on Kelly's living room here.

I hate to brag, but I am the queen of DIY fails. :) Like this attempt at butt-stamp painting. (Yep. It was as ridiculous as it sounds.) Or this attempt at angled painted stripes. (It was going to be SO GOOD in my head.) My big lesson is this: if you're not creating DIY fails, you're just not doing enough projects. I like to have a good laugh at myself and then post about what I did anyway. If nothing else, you can at least learn what doesn't work. (What doesn't work: toddler heinies as art. Trust.)

We're in the middle of redoing our foyer, so we just got a new rug, turned a $3 headboard into a Hollywood Regency-style bench...

and built this little DIY fretwork console table.

I'm excited for this redo because I'm really branching out and using color in a way that I never have before. It's scary but freeing to decide to decorate for what YOU love instead of what you think your friends or neighbors would like. (Here are my six decorating rules to live by.)

 I have a THING for navy velvet. I don't know what it is: I just want to wrap my face in it.

Source: Designed by Sara Gilbane Interiors via Lonny Magazine

And I've never met a kilim I didn't like.

 Jonathan Adler. Nate Berkus. Miles Redd. Amber Interior Design. Jenny Komenda.

 *THANKS so much for letting me crash your beautiful blog for a day, Sarah!*

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How great is Kelly!!? I've loved following her recent foyer posts - that headboard turned bench is pure genius! It looks like it's always been a bench, which is always the best kinda DIY!

Thanks so much for stopping by today Kelly!

If you're new to Kelly's blog, make sure to check out her home tour and projects page - you'll find endless inspiration!!

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Q+A | Lindsay The White Buffalo Styling Co.

Today I have the fabulous Lindsay from The White Buffalo Styling Co. answering a little Q+A! Yay!! Lindsay has an incredible sense of style - it's effortless and natural yet composed and just works SO well!! She also is the queen of yard sale finds, check out this amazing $5 kilim rug that she found! I think we need to go thrifting together :) 

Here's Lindsay! 

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Sarah, thank you so much for having me over today! Y'all, Sarah is so awesome. Of course you know that because you come and visit her every day, but seriously, I love her blog and style. I'm so glad to be here!

It's really hard for me to nail down one food or drink. I adore the spicy, cinnamon, and pumpkin flavors of fall. On most nights during this season, I can be found with a good cup of apple cider in hand and I've been known to add a can of pumpkin to just about everything!

My favorite way to freshen up a room is adding something unexpected or unique. Just like the reason behind my brand name, I love finding the "white buffalo" element in every room. That's something rare, not seen before, or something that just has a story. When designing, I like to start with this and then build the room around it. But, that really is the best way to freshen a room later on too! Find or create one unexpected item that will make people go, "What's that?" or "Where in the world did you find that?" I love a good conversation starter!

My favorite DIY project falls into this "white buffalo" category. I loved West Elm's accordion sconce and really wanted them for our bedroom. As a habitual DIYer, I couldn't justify the $180 price tag and really thought we could make one ourselves. We took the Frack mirror from IKEA (4.99!), a lamp kit from Home Depot, and a shade, and DIYed our little hearts out! You can read more about this project here.

Now, I just have to finish the rest of the master bedroom to go with it!

Y'all, I have so many DIY fails. You have to take risks to end up with the good stuff and risks can also mean failure.

The one that's coming to mind is my most recent. Over the weekend, I was preparing our house for an upcoming fall tour and I had the idea to cover a frame with plaid fabric using double-sided tape. That should totally work, right?

Well, one hour and lots of frustration later, the frame wasn't done, looked horrible, and really couldn't be salvaged.

Once, I gave up, I knew how to tweak the project to get it just right, but after an hour, I didn't have any time left for this one.

Every time I fail at a DIY, I learn how to do it differently and hopefully more successfully the second time. More than that, though, I learn that taking risks is essential in good design. Sometimes you'll fail, but other times, some rare, white buffalo magic will be made.

We have been renovating a house for the last seven months and have just gotten to the decorating phase that I love. I am loving having spots in our house to FINALLY style! One of the first areas that we tackled was the kitchen. I've dreamed of a white kitchen with open shelving that could be re-styled at my every whim for years.

Designing and styling these shelves is still one of my favorites. I chose to keep the shelves themselves fairly modern, layered them over white bead board, and then styled them with a mix of rustic, modern, and pretty touches. They're a really good mix of my eclectic style, I think.

Speaking of my eclectic style, my favorite room in our house is currently our lounge. My readers helped me re-name it recently because I was dumb and was calling it "the front room." "The Lounge" was the winner. I love it!

It's my favorite room because even though it's not finished yet, it has a really good mix of all the things I love. Navajo rug, antlers, mid-century modern chair, cozy handknitted afghan, and plants.

I am in love with all things tribal, kilim, and navajo. Every single room in our house now has a rug that fits this trend.

Our dining room has a black navajo beauty that I found clearanced for $25.

The lounge has that red navajo rug that I basically stole.

The kitchen kilim is still my favorite. eBay has great rugs!

And then, as if all of the rugs weren't enough, I've been stocking up on kilim pillows. I made this pile from $2 rag rugs.

I just love the punch of color and pattern that it adds. Some of these rugs are old, some are new, but for some reason, this pattern makes me feel like the objects have a soul and story. Whether or not this trend stays popular, I think these patterned beauties will be hanging around my house for quite a while!

There are so many amazing designers that I love, but I just have to give it up for Miss Emily Henderson.

 

So much of my eclectic style is inspired by her. I love how she mixes different colors, patterns, and textures in a no rules sort of way. 

Thanks so much for having me, Sarah! I loved stopping by :)

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ooh how gorgeous is Lindsay's West Elm accordion lamp hack!? I love West Elm, but I prefer Lindsay's version! That would be perfect for our current bedroom since it is so tight!! 

Her kitchen is also stunning!! LOVE the open shelving and mixed metals! and that rug is fabulous!! I want :) 

Thanks so much Lindsay, such a pleasure having you today!! 

If you're new to Lindsay's blog, make sure to check out her home tour and tutorials page! 

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Q+A | Brittany - Brittany Makes

Today I have the insanely talented Brittany from Brittany Makes today answering a little Q+A!! Where do I start!? Everything that Brittany touches turns to gold! Seriously, she has crazy good DIY skills - upholstery (fabulous upholstered headboard - love the fabric!), sewing (amazing striped pillows - definitely want to try soon!), building (beautiful x benches), and furniture rehabs (perfect coral dresser - seriously I neeeed to find one just like it so I can do the same thing :), she can do it all AND the end result is super professional!

Brittany's participating in Home Depot's Holiday Style Challenge, and I cannot wait to see what she comes up with - it's going to be amazing!!

Here's Brittany :)

Have you tried Coffee-Mate's peppermint mocha creamer? It's amazeballs! Ironically I drink it year-round. People give me judgy looks when I drink it in warmer months (my husband included), but once Fall hits I'm accepted back into society and the world is good again. My second favorite fall beverage is a newbie - Starbucks' new Chocolate Chai - ZOMG its delicious. Sorry PSL lovers.

Does making my bed count as a DIY? Totally kidding. Although it is a perfect way to freshen your bedroom! But let's be real, I think the easiest way to freshen up a room is by fluffing or tossing in new pillows. And my favorite quick DIY? Making new pillows. I can't tell you how many pillow covers I've made while watching New Girl. I switch them up frequntly and stash away old favorites to bring out at any time. Pillows are the simplest accessory to modify or update the vibe and color scheme of any room. Striped pillow tutorial here.

Recently I tried to make giant antlers from clay, that was a fail because one, they wouldn't fit in my oven, and two, they were just bad, oh so bad. But my biggest DIY fail, which is something we have to live with every day, is the extension cabinet in our kitchen. I didn't mention it in my blog, but I totally screwed up on the angle when I cut the butcher block. It's barely noticeable to guests, but I know it's there! I know the exact moment when I was like "eh {shoulder shrug} can't find the protractor so I'll just use cardboard." Lesson learned, measure your angles!

Tough question! My favorite project is usually the project I just completed. I love my headboard, and I love my gallery wall. I pretty much love my entire bedroom most because its the first space in our home that feels complete. I'm probably at risk of my readers becoming sick of all my bedroom posts.

My crush for Scalamandre Leopard silk velvet fabric will never end, mainly because I'll never be able to afford it at $330/yard. It's so beautiful, yet so unattainable. *le sigh*

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But on a more affordable scale, I'm lusting for all kinds of jewel toned velvets right now. I have 2 chairs in hand waiting to be made over in a luscious emerald green.

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But if I had to crush on some pattern, it has to be the Marimekko Tuuli fabric. Sarah teased me/us with when she revealed her recent tufted headboard tutorial! There are so many fabrics out there its hard to keep them straight!

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I adore many designers and get inspiration from SO MANY talented ladies, but Emily Henderson just kills it (and me) every. single. time. I'm obsessed with the level of detail in her work, she truly knows how to execute her visions, which is by far the hardest part of being a designer.

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Thank you so much Sarah for letting me ramble on your blog today! You're a rock star! Have a blast on your road trip to a new/old home :)

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Ok, how great is Brittany!? I will never tire of seeing her gorgeous bedroom, it is perfection!! More posts please :)

I too am not a huge fan of Starbuck's PSL ... that Chocolate Chai sounds amazing, I'll have to try it!

If you're new to Brittany's blog, make sure to check out her projects + tutorials page!!

Thanks so much for stopping by Brittany!! 

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