DK

Happy Spring/Summer/Winter everyone!...not sure which day you'll be reading this and so far the week has felt like all three!

I wanted to share with you a space I've been working on for the sweetest girl and the sweetest family.  

Jodi is a friend of mine from childhood.  In fact, I can't remember not knowing her.  It was such a treat working with her and her daughter. 

 Last week another friend posted this online..

I present to you the spelling bee winners from 1982.  Jodi is middle back row and I am front right.  A few questions I have from this picture--why are there so many winners and why are there no boys?  

Ok, back to the design...

I first met with them a while before I was able to begin (hence the Christmas decor).  Their home is gorgeous with lots of great earth tones.  The room was a bit dark and they were hoping for a more light and fresh feel.  She wanted to still use turquoise, black and white.  They also decided to keep all their furniture.  Eventually they plan to get a daybed, so all the bedding will work great for that size bed too.  

Shopping for these rooms is so fun.  We were checking out when DK spotted this chair, plopped in it and declared "this is the one."  

Since they live in another town, we kept all of the stuff at my house until install day. 

I decided to sand and distress the bed since there were several scuffs.  I've done this to lots of furniture over the years--it's easy and inexpensive and if you don't like it, it's already prepped for new paint. 

DK helped me paint the abstract you see in the next photo.  She painted a few other canvases you'll see on the walls too.  

I love helping girls use their creativity and then seeing their art included in the room. 

I remember the first time a friend used the word "creative" and "artist" to describe me--I had never thought of myself like that before, and just hearing the words almost made me cry.  It's amazing how much power words carry.

For the wall color, I knew I wanted to go lighter, but wanted to stay within the color scheme of the rest of their house so we went with the lightest shade on the color strip the builder used for the rest of the house.

We worked all day on the install so these girls had been waiting a long time.  Her sisters' squeals of delight were the highlight of the day!

This lamp with it's black base and black and white chord was made for this room.

You can also see the black and white sheets we found on clearance.

The only thing I did to the desk was sprayed the handles gold.  We found this chair online and the trash can was in the bathroom hiding behind the toilet! 

We went with a fitted sheet on the box spring instead of a bedskirt.

This chair was a great find, it's so comfortable.  The light that will hang above it is on back order and will be here next month.  I'll update the photo when it's installed.

Hanging flat sheets with curtain clips is another inexpensive trick.  I love special window treatments, but sometimes having something simple and white works wonders to help calm and soften a space.

Since she loves pillows as much as I do, we went for it!  So many textures.  My favorite is the blue sequin body pillow that you can hardly see in this photo--it is so big and the color is divine.  

I've heard that she has made her bed every day since...

I found this black ladder online and used it to balance the mirror that's on the other side of the dresser.  I ordered the cutest lights to string on the ladder, but they started smoking when we put the battery in so Jodi raided her attic for Christmas lights as a temporary fix.

...cute little print I found in a box in her room...

The TV was already installed so I made it a gallery wall.  Some of the items we found on our shopping trip, some things I found in her room, and some we painted onsite.

...new knobs...

...lots of textures...

...letterboards add fun and personality... Her last name is Coffee, btw:)

...new furry chair, new sequins!...

...new wall color with new black and white accessories... 

...new curved shower rod for more room in the shower, along with this adorable new curtain...

Thanks for taking a look everyone.  

Need some design help too?  

Click here!

Have a great week:)

Eek! Adorn Room Design Reveal

I'm thrilled to share this space with you! But before you start scrolling, let me tell you about my client, Sydney.  

She knows what she likes, she's smart, creative, determined, full of personality, loves to act, sew, draw--so pretty much you'd all like to be her BFF!  Working with her and her mom was such a treat.  Her parents gave her this room makeover for her 13th birthday. And since she also likes to shop, she went with me to purchase a lot of the things you see in her room.  We had the best time!

Her room before was cute, but was ready to grow up a few years and needed a cohesive look to which she could easily add as much quirk as she wanted.  She had a precious doll house she wanted to move out,  stuffed animals that were ready to pass along, and a hubcap collection she wanted to feature.  

I gave Sydney two design boards and she chose this one.  In choosing the color palette, there were a few things that guided our decisions.

  

*They wanted to keep the khaki upholstered headboard.

*They were willing to change the wall color but would rather not paint a lot.

*She had a dark jade/turquoise pillow she wanted to work around, which I think only ended up in one of the pics, but it's there.

*The bed would stay in the same place because there really was nowhere else it would fit.  

The wall color above the chair rail was agreeable gray and the bottom was a darker color.  In an effort to lighten the room I decided to carry the lighter, agreeable gray, all the way down the wall. Not only did this lighten the room, but it also required less painting and helped the lighter color read more like a warm gray and less like a light brown.

After deciding on the wall color, I picked the bedding.  

Aww, the bedding.  

The embroidered details and tassels are divine!  The color is perfect too.  I used the color of the details on the bedding for the closet/desk nook (keep scrolling to see).  

it's called deep sea dive

We later discovered this color is similar to Sherwin Williams 2018 color of the year. For the rest of the colors, I added blush pink, white, and gold.     

When I asked about the hubcaps, Sydney said, "I found some on my walk home from school" and then a friend gave her a couple at her 13th birthday party (which was an 80's murder mystery party!). 

After choosing the colors, it was an easy decision to paint the hubcaps gold.  I hung them with simple pushpins so if she decides to move them, no biggie. 

Since she had two closets, I made one into a desk nook.  Her dad removed the doors, reconfigured the shelves and painted it the same color as the dark details on her bedding.  Have I told you how much I like this color!?   

I used a clear acrylic chair so the color would remain as visible and unobstructed as possible.  The light wood legs tie in with her corkboard and with the small side table between the bed and wall. 

The canopy was something she knew she wanted from our very first meeting--hanging it was simple and I think it's her favorite part of the room.  She can interchange any of the throw pillows from the bed.

  I added a piece of bamboo wrapped in white twinkle lights to the corner for added glow and interest.  

I replaced her curtains with these white tassel panels.  They are soft and calming and still allow plenty of light in when the blinds are open.

The polka dotted heart pillow was one of the things she instantly grabbed on our shopping trip.  I love that it ties in with the colors and look but still adds a smidge of quirk to the room.

I can't say enough about this chandelier.  It's a plug-in light with hanging shell-like discs that make the softest wind chime sound when her ceiling fan is on high.  So dreamy.

I like this "hello gorgeous" pillow as a subtle reminder...something every girl needs! 

...a close up of those divine details.

The second-hand dresser I found was fine the way it was, except that the yellow undertones looked wonky with the wall color so I painted and distressed it and added new golden knobs.  

I love to use small dressers for side tables.

We found this wooden side table on our shopping trip--a definite score.  Probably the hardest part of designing is finding cool stuff that I want to keep for myself!

In its former life, this light pendant was a wire trashcan.  I bought it for myself months ago but never used it so I turned it into a pendant light for Sydney's desk nook.  Her dad sprayed it gold and attached it to a simple plug light. 

Oh tassels.

Two other favorites in the room--the pink throw is the softest I've ever felt, and the gold bedside lamp is a touch lamp.  (Touch lamps are the best--I have one on either side of my own bed (circa 1980), I don't know if I can ever go back to using a switch lamp.)

Well, friends that's all for now.  I had so much fun hearing from mom and daughter about what they'd like, dreaming a bit, designing, shopping, and now seeing it all come together.

Creating a space that's a reflexion of Sydney's personality and ideas, and then knowing that she has a refuge that feels like "her" is pretty much the best gig around!

Interested in an Adorn Room Design room? Click here for more information and details!

The Not So Blank Canvas Design Help

Update:  Need some design help in other areas of your home?  Help picking a color, flooring, new bedding...a room makeover of your own?  I can do as small or large a job as you need, just give me a shout!  

Ok, back to the original post....



Here at The Not So Blank Canvas, I know a few things::

Girls need a space to reflect their personality and style.

&
I love creating rooms with personality and style.

So.......

I'm beginning a new project with The Not So Blank Canvas:

~room design for girls~

So how do you know you need to give me a call?  

Do you have a daughter who would love to prettify her room but doesn't know where to begin?  

Do design decisions paralyze you?  

Do you try to shop together, but end up with nothing more than a half eaten bag of popcorn from Target?  Or maybe a basket full of things to return?

Do you feel as though coming to a consensus with her is impossible?
Do you need a gift idea for a granddaughter, niece, cousin, etc?

At The Not So Blank Canvas...
We love to work with teens--their expression and ideas are so inspiring.  
We love to discover and display their personal style. 
We love to create a room that reminds them that they are cared for, and inspires them to be who they were created to be--unique, beautiful, fun, thoughtful...

Here's how it works:

**Note, if you are not local, our consult will be via phone and photos and your design board will be online, complete with links to all items. 

1) We meet to chat about ideas, dream together, plan, hear from mom about the budget, the "no ways" and the "most definitelies."  At the end of this meeting mom and daughter both complete a survey to help identify the style and needs of the space.

2) After timeline and budget is decided upon, we get to work.  Depending on your budget, we can have a one-time consultation to help you get going or we can do a complete room design, decorating, and installation...or something in between. 

Here are some of the fun tasks that can be included in your design experience:

• design board
• floor and space planning
• pinterest board--specifically for the space, giving access to you both--access to view and access to add to it
• shopping list--furniture or simply decor
• shopping trips
• color consult
• bedding update
• sourcing of wall painting, furniture painting, etc
• room installation 
• sourcing of custom artwork by various local artists

Pricing:

Design Direction

2 hour coaching session (we’ll tour your space, give you ideas, answer questions regarding colors, layout, etc.)

Investment: $75*

Design Help

2 hour consult (can be split into two one-hour times)

mom/daughter style survey

Shopping guide with links

Design Board (detailed action plan for the room)

Investment: $200*

Design Makeover

3 hour Consults--can be split into 3 one hour times

mom/daughter survey

Shopping guide with links

2 Design board options, including unlimited edits

Shopping trips

room install and arrangement

Investment: $525*

*design fee does not include cost of room purchases

Sound Fun? Give me a shout and let's start dreaming about your space.  I can't wait to work with you!

You can message me on Facebook or on Instagram @thenotsoblankcanvas

the painted pillow

When I ordered this pillow cover from h&m I didn't know what I'd do with it, but knew that the possibilities were worth $4.99.  By the way, who knew that h&m had such great bedding!?  My mom got the boys linen duvet covers and shams for Christmas from there, and we love them.

 I honestly don't have any photos of the painting process because I really didn't think I would like it, and especially wouldn't post about it. 

But one day as I was painting the canvas you see the corner of this photo, I decided to experiment with painting on the pillow cover.  

I placed a piece of cardboard inside the cover (there's a zipper in the back) so it wouldn't bleed through.  I used both fabric paint and acrylic paint.  

After it dried, I removed the cardboard and put the pillow form in the cover. 

I love the way it turned out!

I should probably make a disclaimer that this is not the pillow you'll snuggle up with--it is not soft.  It's just a simple way to add color to a room.  

Wouldn't this be a fun project to do with your daughter for her room?

You can barely tell in the photos, but the gold that I used was metallic so in person it catches light--so fun!

I found the turquoise chair at a flea market in Shreveport.  I didn't even have to paint it!  The frame on the wall is from the trash, and the branch is one that was on our porch one day that I decided to hot glue it to my wall.  Don't worry, it comes off easily.

One more thing--do y'all have the Color Snap App from Sherwin Williams?  You can take any photo and match the colors to make a color pallette.  So if you have trouble putting colors together for projects like this or for decorating a room, you could use a picture to get started. 

Here are a few photos that inspired me to make a color snap pallette. Once it matches all the colors, you can click on any of the small squares at the bottom to see the name and number of the color.  

etsy & a coupon code

thenotsoblankcanvas.etsy.com

Happy Wednesday friends!  I've reopened my etsy shop with just a few pieces that I have on hand.  I'm hoping to get a chance to paint this weekend so stay tuned for more pieces next week!

Use coupon code: HAPPY2016 and save 10% 

the never ending t-shirt

Last week I told you how I often use shirts and sheets, or any fabric I can get my hands on, to make pillows.

I didn't start this because of clever creativity but more out of necessity and limitations.

I wrote a few years ago about one way I repurpose outgrown t-shirts.

Of course there are a lot of t-shirts that come and go with little emotional affect, but then there are those that bring a flood of memories.

You see that Detroit Dogs shirt above?  This was the shirt my middle son wore when he was five.  For what seemed like the whole year. With orange basketball shorts that were too big (anyone else have sons who liked shorts so big they looked like a skirt? or kolots?).  The grey shirt with the red football on it was a toddler shirt.  All three of my boys wore it--I get teary eyed thinking about my little chubby boys in that shirt and a diaper. Anyway, so you get my point.

Today I want to show you how easy it is to make pillows from a t-shirt.

This shirt is not as much of a memory  for me, but it is for my youngest.  He is 9 and into all things sports.  And yes our team is called the Wampus Cats--a six legged cat--4 to run the speed of light and 2 to fight with all its might.  

He was so sad when we declared this shirt outgrown so I quickly pulled out the machine and got to work.  I may have a throw pillow accumulation problem which my kids do not share, but they'll agree to having extra ("they aren't extra, they are necessary!") pillows if they're cool.

Keep in mind that the definition of cool changes often and suddenly--rule number 523 of parenting.

The tricky part of t-shirt pillows is getting the logo centered if the shirt isn't very large.  I didn't do a great job with this one but no worries.

As I've said in other posts, I always draw straight lines to help.

I wait and cut the excess after it's sewn in case I make a mistake.

And don't forget to use a pillow form that's a little bigger than your pillow so it will be nice and full.

The pillow sham on his bed (which looks empty in this pic) is one I made years ago out of my husband's old dress shirts and pajama pants (!), which is fitting because it's for the son who would permanently attach himself to his dad if he could...