Entrance rooms

My good friend Sabine and I are starting a new business, Artisanal Art & Home.  I will spare you the details and leave an element of surprise, but due to this new business venture, we have entry rooms on the brain.  What makes a perfect entry room?  I like it to be comforting, to allow me to take a deep breath and say “ahhh, I’ve arrived home”.  It also has to be functional.  I need to be able to hang up my purse, put my keys in the spot they are meant to always be in, stash my mail… and all sorts of other functioning details that make arrival and departure all that much easier, all while looking pretty.  Tall order, right?  Especially if you have a husband and kids!  Well, we have all of those, and we are determined to create the perfect zone.  I haven’t found the perfect example, so you will have to stay tuned until we launch the business after we finish staging ours!  Here is a bit of inspiration in the mean time.

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I’m a sucker for striped rugs, so those of you who know me understand why I’m pulled to this one, but besides that this is functioning and pretty.  I personally need a bit more stash space.  Definitely some drawers.  I like the idea of keys in that beautiful black shell bowl, and the magazine holder for mail and what not is brilliant.  Plus, the colors are great.

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I really like the idea of this one, not necessarily the actual pieces.  I love the idea of a family photo gallery wall, reminding you, every time, why you love being there so much.  What a blessed feeling that would be.  Who wouldn’t want to take their boots off on that slip covered bench.  After a long day, I might not make it past that point!  Even the collected stone door stops are a great idea.

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The styling of this, although pretty, is not necessarily my taste, but the use of the 2 tables with the storage basket between… brilliant!

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Ok, this magnetic wall is brilliant!  So functionable for a family.  You could choose some permanent art, hang a simplie graphic calendar, and leave spots for permission slips and the don’t forget me stuff we all have.  Pretty perfect.

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This is a great one for people who don’t have alot of space.  A simple chair and some hooks.

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All in one.  Stream lined beauty.

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This I find just beautiful.  Lots of storage and I imagine that mirror to be a hidden medicine cabinet!

Help us, what would you want in your entry room/area?

DESIGN CRUSH: Estee Stanley

Design Crush: Estee Stanley

 
 
We were re-arranging our playroom yesterday and my daughter started to play with the stickers in my old, insanely treasured collection of Domino Magazines one of them happened to be an issue where Estee Stanley a hollywood stylist turned interior designer was featured.  I have been so inspired by her for years now, that I have decided to share some of her beautiful interiors today. My style is a little bohemian, a little natural, a little glamorous and just enough casual to be insanely comfortable, so Estee’s interiors really resonate with me.
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

JUTE

Jute

 
This house by Jute home is so serene and beautiful.  I love natural, organic looking spaces and this really fits the bill!
The livingroom is so well done.  I’m partial to the sheepskin pillow, but the chair and the lamp are absolutely spot on.

Really loving this playroom, but in particular I love the jump rope with the changeable art work, so cute!
 
The leather chair reminds me of a old catchers mit.  In particular that gallery wall is really drawing my attention.  I like how they unified the colored and black and white photos with mismatched frames by using the white matting.  Looks relaxed but well thought out.

 The stool, the chair, the woven baskets and linens, I would be sitting there quite a bit!

What a beautiful concrete tile back splash, so cheery!

I hope you enjoyed the Jute home tour as much as I have!

TIS’ THE SEASON: CHRISTMAS FUN

Tis’ the Season: A Toddlers Christmas Activities

 
 
Christmas is nearly here, and I’m definitely on the ride!  We have been having such a fun time with it, visiting Santa Clause:
 
Cutting down our Christmas tree in the snow packed Pecos National Forest:
 
We also cut one for my brothers restaurant, The Hollar. It’s such a fun tradition to start with your family, and the forest service encourages the cutting of trees to help manage forest fires!  
Why do those trees look so much smaller in the forest?  We totally went overboard, and had to cut some of our tree off to fit it inside, even at the highest point of our living room… nearly 12 ft.  but it is beautiful.  The leftovers are making some really beautiful arrangements.
 
 
We had an amazing snow day, just in time for a beautiful white Christmas:
 
 Isla and I stayed in and baked Christmas cookies, and once I got the hang of doing it with a toddler, it was a blast.  They surely weren’t pretty:
But Isla had so much fun, and that’s all that mattered.  To help all of you parents out there who might be attempting this, pretend you are playing with play dough!  I ended up giving Isla a large piece of dough, and she just played with the cookie cutters and chocolate chips:

 
It was truly a disastrous mess, but a lot of fun especially since she had a fever and a little cold!
Today we went on a sledding hike and built a snowman (notice he has a belly button, Isla’s creative input):
She had a great time decorating him!
It’s been such a fun season so far, look for a post this weekend on the house decorations and a toddler Christmas party we are throwing here tomorrow!  I baked for hours today!

coming together…

 

 
 

Thursday, April 28, 2011


coming together…

 





Today seemed like a monumental day. The appliances arrived (the refrigerator had been destroyed, so it was sent back), the bracket’s for the shelving and the brace for the island was dropped off AND some interior doors were hung and drywall primer started to go on!
Like I said, a HUGE day!

coming together…

 

 
 

Thursday, April 28, 2011


coming together…

 





Today seemed like a monumental day. The appliances arrived (the refrigerator had been destroyed, so it was sent back), the bracket’s for the shelving and the brace for the island was dropped off AND some interior doors were hung and drywall primer started to go on!
Like I said, a HUGE day!