From Dogs to Donuts

This week I've spent a lot of time working on boring business stuff. But I've also been working a ton of a styled wedding shoot with some fantastic vendors here in Vegas. I've still got a lot of work to do and there are lots of things to put together so it will be a while before you see if but it's going to be amazing. I can't wait to share with you!!


We bought this huge donut pillow from Kidrobot last year from their Yummy line. If you don't know by now, I love Kidrobot. And anything that adds a face to inanimate objects is sold in my book. Luke convinced me I should get a Wii (I was very against gaming systems) by showing me how cute Super Mario Galaxy was. It was all over when I saw the bunnies with stars on their ears. Are you kidding?! There were stars on their long bunny ears!

I like cute things, so sue me.

Working from home means I hang out a whole lot with my dog. My smelly, smelly, dog. She was in serious need of a bath this week. Poor little Ripley Dog hates baths. Hate them with a passion. I sing a song every time she gets a bath....yes, a song for my dog. "It's bath time, it's bath time, do-do-do-do, it's bath time." The fear of God is in her face when I start singing that song pre-bath. And Sir Luke will sometimes do it when we're all laying on the couch just to freak her out. He's so cruel! But it is pretty funny...

Rip and I got off to a late start on our walk this week. But it turns out it wasn't so bad because the sunset was gorgeous and the Cheshire Cat moon was amazing. I love the jet streams during sunset. They're so pretty lit in the light of evening.

I hope you have a fantastic weekend!! I'll be working on some DIY projects.

Display Thursday: Across the Board

I've talked lots about movement form floor to ceiling through photographs. Lengthening the height of a room. Well this time we're talking about making a room look bigger around by leading your eye across the walls.

When I saw this photo it totally changed my mind for how I want to display photos in my loft. We've got loads of art and posters from our various travels. We've got great plans to put them all up in the loft. I was going to do a collected look on the walls around the room in the same way I've done down stairs and in my bedroom. But I love how these move around the room on the same plane of view. The similar frames make the photographs the focal point and continue to move the eye across the room.

Image via Decor Pad

This beachy vibe is perfect for a seaside home or for anyone wanting to bring a little breezy air into a space. I love these fences that I've only ever seen on the east coast. I think they're super romantic. Keep in mind this is definitely a more casual feel (as you can tell from the half naked man on the couch, la-la!) and would not work for a formal room. You could even do something like this for a background of a treat table or photo booth at a wedding. Use clothespins to attach the photos to the fence for easy changes all year long! And because it's a fence there is no limit to how long your fence can be. 

Image via Black White

Using images to wrap a room can seem busy and overwhelming but building slowly and maybe doing a more narrow strip of photographs. I think this would be amazing to blend in photos of ancestors and current ones. Also, how much are you loving that light fixture peering into the photo?! I have a serious problem with loving light fixtures that I have no place for in my house...  Follow the link and look at the rest of the house, it's amazing.

Image via Small Shop

Do you have a space to make movement around the room with photographs?

Arise and Shine Forth

As many of you know I'm very involved with my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My main role is helping mentor and support a group of young women ages 12-18 develop into the wonderful women I know they are and can become. Every January we have a night dedicated to motivating them to make goals and achieve them for the year. "New Beginnings" is also about getting the girls turning twelve and joining our group excited about the program.

I help in the excitement by giving a photograph to each of the girls that reflects the theme of the year. This year it's "Arise and Shine Forth." I shaded all the photos in a warm color to reflect the color scheme the girls chose (sunrise). I love these girls so much! It really is such a privilege to work with them each week. There is a great purpose in helping others. All the clergy and things that happen in my church are unpaid and on a voluntary basis. We have a dedicated group of people in my ward and I'm really glad to be a part of it.

Graphic via Sassy Sites

Can you spot the new girls? They turn twelve throughout the year so we don't get to welcome them just yet but hopefully these photographs will help get them stoked on leaving the little kids and joining our crew of young women. Here's to a great 2012!

Another Weekend in LA

It seems kinda silly that I went back to LA a week after I got back from our Christmas vacation but I had very good reason. As a lover of interior design (as evidenced by Display Thursday) you'll often find my reading design blogs or watching HGTV. Specifically, Secrets from a Stylist with Design Star Winner Emily Henderson. When she came on the scene I realized that I do have a style, it's collected! Hooray, I'm not totally crazy for liking to combine every design style into one room!

So, Emily often talks about shopping at the Rose Bowl Flea Market. I've always wanted to go to the Alameda Flea Market but being so far away it wasn't entirely viable. So when I heard about the one at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena I knew I had to venture out. It happens on the second Sunday of every month so my friend Britta came down to Vegas from Utah and we drove back to Los Angeles together. It was a whirlwind weekend and I had so much fun, I can't even tell you.

We went to the fabric district in downtown LA.

Olvera Street, the oldest street in Los Angeles. It's super touristy but I love it and there's some great authentic Mexican food down there. And horchata, tasty, tasty horchata.

We parked at Union Station (for a cool $14....) and stopped to take a rest and people watch for a bit. Then hopped over to Little Tokyo to have a cream puff at Bear Papa's. There was a collection of around 100 people playing on their DS's and we figured out they were all playing for a huge trophy for Mario Kart Champion, amazing.

To cap off the weekend we ventured to the flea market, even though I overslept. I'm not often overwhelmed by oodles of goodies but in this case I roamed aimlessly for around two hours being guided by Britta before I finally made a purchase.

And if you don't believe it I wouldn't blame you because I barely do. We met Emily Henderson!!! I was floored! She is such a gem and was so sweet and chatted with us for a while. I was completely star struck and promptly bought a lucite side table right after and continued my serious endorphin rush.

So what did I come away with you ask?

I collect Dunnies, as a few of you are aware. They're art toys from Kidrobot. Different designers are chosen for each series and make a Dunny design according to the theme. I get one from each series. But if the series is AWESOME then I might squeeze in a couple more.... I have a lot, too many really. I like Kidrobot a lot, a lot. So I got two letterpress drawers to house my little friends so they look a little more like art and a little less like random rabbit toys all over the house. And of course I had to get that cute "S" when I saw it. Snd it was $5! My first purchase was that Kodak Brownie 8mm camera for Luke that had a sweet case to hold it up. We collect stuff.... And finally my RAD lucite table!!! SCORE. I can't believe it was still there at 2:30 right before the end of day. Plus she came down on the price because of it. Sweet for me!

Also, I'm thinking of sell some of my prints from my adventures on Etsy. What are your thoughts? Would you be interested?

Display Thursday: In the Bedroom

I have one wall of wedding related photos in my bedroom. I got a couple printed at my work back in 2008 and they're fantastic. The printing method is crazy and frameless looking. Sometimes I wish I had them downstairs so I could look at them more often. I centered everything around a framed poster I gave Luke our first Christmas together. Which was only ten days after our wedding... yes, we were crazy, CRAZY IN LOVE!

Ok so first off I love this bedroom. It's not tally my style but I can totally appreciate how rad it is. I am a sucker for red. And in combo with a fancy-schmancy headboard, uh, I'm sold. What I love about the photographs in this room is that they coordinate with the black and white decor and leave the headboard the main focal point. Plus that are hung in such a way that the sweet lamps on the side tables don't hide any of the photos, unlike in my bedroom... Also, that bedskirt, drool. I might have to make me one of those.

Image via MSN

You can also forego a headboard and use images in place. In this space they chose to set them on shelves so they are easily changed out as the family grows. Beautiful, no? And P.S. that ottoman side table with the tray is fantastic. Who would have thought!

Image via Habitually Chic

You can also keep it simple with one image lit by a distinctive light fixture. It can also act as a reading light for those late night book worming sessions (I need to have more of those). Plus you know I can't resist a photo of a dog. Isn't he cute?!

Image via sfgirlbybay

I threw in this extra one because in a home theater like this it would pretty much be my bedroom. Look at those lounges with pillows and blankets?!

Image via Pinterest

Do you have personal photos in your bedrooms? I have most of our wedding photos in our bedroom because I wanted them big but not too flashy in our living room. Also, how big is too big to print a photo of your dog? Remember, you love your dog like a normal person loves their child. 30x40? Too much?