My Favorite Christmas Tradition

The holidays are just the best time of the year, don’t you think? They’re filled with so much gorgeous décor, fun activities, and traditions. I know every family has their own Christmas traditions, whether it’s baking cookies together or going ice skating at a special rink, or just getting together for gifts and games on Christmas.

When Ben and I first moved in together 7 years ago I thought it would be fun to start our own tradition by getting each other a special ornament. It was a way to build our ornament collection and to give each other a personal gift that reflects our interests. I’ve loved searching for the perfect ornament for Ben every Christmas season, but I think he wins for getting me the better ornament each year. Here are the ornaments we’ve exchanged.

2008

A snowman doctor for Ben to celebrate his first year in med school, and a first Christmas photo ornament from Ben to which we added a pic of our new little family (no Finnley yet).

2009

I laughed so much when I opened my ornament and saw that, without planning it, we had gotten each other these mini glass ornaments! We even got them from the same store!

2010

A Mizzou glass for Ben, and a really sweet and whimsical ornament for me.

2011

We got married in 2011, so without discussing it, we both happened to get each other wedding ornaments. I made a ornament filled with our wedding invitation, and Ben ordered a hand painted ornament from Etsy personalized with our wedding date.

The last two years we decided not to buy each other more ornaments since our tree was getting pretty full and still growing (I worked at a home store in 2012, so I collected a lot of ornaments from them that year, and last year we got a new tree that happened to come with tons of ornaments), but I’m so happy we decided to start this little tradition of ours. I love looking back on the ornaments we’ve given each other; they’re some of my favorite gifts (given and received).

Do you and your significant other exchange ornaments or another special gift every year? If you’re in need of some ideas, Coupons.com can help. They have great guides for anything you need: budget-friendly gifts, gifts for “enthusiasts” (fitness, tech, etc), and hostess gifts. Coupons.com also has an awesome giveaway open until Christmas. You could win one of three $100 Amazon gift cards or the grand prize, a $500 Amazon gift card! Who couldn’t use a little extra spending money?! Click here to enter The Good Stuff 2014 Holiday Sweepstakes.

**Thanks to Coupons.com to for sponsoring this post! All opinions expressed are my own**

I’m Back! (And Where I’ve Been)

Hello friends! It’s been way too long since my last post, I’ve missed you all!

There’s no one reason why I haven’t blogged in two months (whoa, long time), but rather a combination of several factors.  In October I went back to Illinois for a long weekend for my high school reunion, and a week later we left for a week-long trip to Washington D.C. Then when we got back I got hit we got with some bad news (the “c” word) about a family member that got me pretty down. That’s on top of the rollercoaster that another close family member has been going through with her health for the past several years (f*cking cancer). So between being busy/out of town and the rough stuff with my family, I just wasn’t in the mood to blog.

Then after I hadn’t posted in a few weeks it was hard to get started again. It’s kind of like exercise; once you get out of the habit, it’s not easy to get back in it.

But I do miss this little blog of mine so I’m coming back. I have a great Christmas themed post tomorrow, plus my kitchen transformation, a tour of my house all decked out for the holidays, and a desk makeover. Stay tuned!

And thanks for sticking around while I’ve been gone, it means a lot!

Modern Black and White Room

Hello friends! I have another fun room design for you today! For this board I started with a fabulous accent chair: this sunny yellow Chinoiserie armchair from Chairish. There’s actually a pair of them, and I think they would look great flanking a lovely light gray sofa like this one designed by The Everygirl for Interior Define. I kept the rest of the room pretty neutral, adding a lovely Moroccan rug for texture, a sleek vintage black art deco lamp, some gorgeous black and white art from Minted, and more.

Luna Sunburst Mirror, World Market// Nate Berkus Vase, Target // Crocodile 1 by Jaime Derringer, Minted.com // Lighthouse Spiral by Jeff Preuss, Minted.com // Leopard Pillow Cover, Motif Pillows, Etsy // Black and White Cushion Cover, Ikea // Rose Sofa, Interior Define// Swedish Lacquered Black Art Deco Lamp, Chairish // Bubble Ceramic Side Table, West Elm // Yellow Chinoiserie Armchair, Chairish // Moroccan Beni Ourain Rug, Rugsville.com // Round Marble Top Coffee Table, CB2

Once I started building this room I realized that it reminded me of Jenna Lyons’ iconic living room, isn’t it gorgeous!

photo via Domino

What do you think of a neutral room with a single pop of color? It’s a little different than my usual style but I love it!

You can see more of my room designs here.

Better KC Segment

This morning was super exciting for me: I did my first TV appearance! I did a live segment showing how to make my fall wreath and autumn tablescape on Better Kansas City, a local talk show on KCTV5. I was really nervous going into it but once the segment started I felt ok. The host, Alexis, was so nice and friendly and the producers were awesome and really helpful in getting everything set up. Thanks so much to Better KC for having me on and thanks to anyone who was able to watch it!

You can watch my segment on Better Kansas City’s website here.

For the full tutorials, click here for the wreath and here for the table décor.

Modern Bathroom Designs

This post is sponsored by ModernBath.com. All opinions and thoughts expressed within are my own.

If you’ve been following my blog for a while you might be aware that my style is a little all over the place. I like to mix some traditional elements with more modern ones, maybe throw in a little bit of bohemian or Chinoiserie. In short, I guess the best way to describe my style is "eclectic.”

I’ve designed a lot of living room mood boards and a few bedroom and office boards, but I’ve never done a bathroom design. So when the people at ModernBath.com reached out to me about reviewing their site, I thought it would be a fun challenge. Instead of sticking with a certain style I combined several products I absolutely love. I guess you could call this room “feminine rustic glamor.”

For my dream bathroom I started with this Rustic Chic vanity from ModernBath.com. I paired it with one of my favorite wallpapers (which I’d balance by adding white beadboard on the bottom half of the wall), added a pretty bone herringbone mirror, a two-toned metal chandelier, the most amazing soaking tub, and a tribal stool that can be placed next to the tub for you to set your wine and book on. Now tell me that this doesn’t sound like the perfect bathroom.

Fairmont Designs Rustic Chic 48” Modern Bathroom Vanity, ModernBath.com, $1852 // Parsons Small Wall Mirror – Bone Inlay, West Elm, $299 // Currey & Company Fairchild Small Chandelier, Layla Grace, $1320 // Neptune Wish 01 Freestanding Oval Bathroom Tub, ModernBath.com, $4541 // Vanuatu Twilight Wallpaper, Anthropologie, $198 // Tribal Carved Wood Accent Table, World Market, $149

ModernBath.com has everything you’d need to design your dream bathroom: vanities, showers and tubs, lighting, etc. And they come in every style: modern, transitional, and traditional. I will say that the prices on their pieces are quite a bit higher than you’d pay at a big-box store like Lowe’s or Home Depot, but their options and quality contribute toward the higher prices. This vanity, for example, is made of solid wood and features dovetail drawers, a feature I doubt you’d find in a much cheaper option.

What features would you choose for your dream bathroom? Would you have a whirlpool tub or a clawfoot bath? A killer chandelier or marble tile? Leave a note in the comments!

TV Favorite: Regina’s Office from Once Upon a Time

You guys, do you know what tonight is? The season premier of Once Upon a Time! I really enjoy this show and their modern take on classic fairy tales.

I recently re-watched season 1, which is the best season in my opinion, and I was struck at how lovely the sets are. I really like Mary Margaret’s shabby chic apartment and Granny’s diner, but I especially adore Regina’s glamorous black and white office. (P.S. I’m pretty sure no mayor, except maybe the mayor of a huge city like New York, has an office this nice.)

screenshots via Screencapped

Isn’t it gorgeous?! Now, all the black and white might be slightly over the top for a real-life room, but I think it is absolutely perfect for the show. And how amazing is that tree wallpaper?!

I love this room so much that I decided to recreate it for you. I’m pretty sure the wallpaper, table lamps, and dining chairs are exact matches, and the rest of my picks are as close as I could find.

To see the sources and prices of everything pictured above, check out my Polyvore page here.

Are you into the chic black and white theme? And will you be tuning into Once Upon a Time tonight? Leave a note in the comments!

Friday Favorites 9.26.14

Happy Friday, loves! Here are a few of my favorite links from the week.

This House Tour

Lauren Conrad’s house tour in In Style is to die for. Somehow she transformed herself from reality TV star to my generation’s lifestyle icon, and I’m so jealous of her style, both in clothing and in her gorgeous L.A. home. It’s the perfect blend of California and Parisian style, casual but sophisticated. See more photos here.

This Sofa

I popped into Anthropologie last weekend to take a break from the Plaza Art Fair crowds (so much fun, but so many people!), and this navy velvet chesterfield sofa literally stopped me in my tracks when I saw it. It’s that gorgeous in person. It’s not exactly cheap ($2498), but it is stunning. It also comes in a ton of other pretty colors, including teal, yellow, and rose. Check it out here.

This Kitchen

I love a bright, white kitchen, so it’s no surprise that I love this kitchen remodel by designers Owens + Davis. What is surprising though is that according to their instagram page, this is an Ikea kitchen! And obviously I also love the colorful kilim rug by Amber Interiors, it goes so well with the white cabinets and counters. Owens + Davis are seriously talented, see more of their gorgeous rooms here.

This DIY Project

The lovely Erin from House of Earnest (who I had the pleasure of meeting at this year’s Go Blog Social conference) comes up with the prettiest, expensive-looking DIY projects, like this copper rimmed glass candleholder. It looks seriously sophisticated and high-end, don’t you think? I think it’d be perfect for a modern fall centerpiece. For more photos and instructions click here.

That’s all for today friends. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

P.S. to see more Friday Favorites from past weeks, click here.

Client Living Room Inspiration

I mentioned yesterday that I’m working with a friend on redecorating her house, and I am so excited for this project! I went over last week and we worked on picking out paint colors for the downstairs rooms. She loves cool colors, like blue and gray, but she also isn’t afraid to have some fun and go bold. After talking things through, here’s what we came up with for her living room:

A medium gray (sea haze) for the living room walls, a bright blue (electric blue) for the accent wall around the fireplace, and a coral (summer sun pink) for decorative accents (all paint colors are Benjamin Moore).

My friend and her husband already bought a charcoal gray couch and loveseat and they’d like a black leather ottoman for the coffee table (something soft that their little girls won’t hurt themselves on), so I used those in my room design. I added a gray and white rug, some fun throw pillows, curtains, and some patterned stools for extra seating that won’t block the fireplace.

Verano Sofa, Crate & Barrel, $1799 // Safavieh Large Square Ottoman, Target, $262 // Oversized Chevron Pillows, Target, $22 each // Geo Floral Pillow, Target, $15 // Ranarp Floor Lamp, Ikea, $60 // Nate Berkus Area Rug, Target, $110 // Agate Serving Tray, Target, $20 // Ombre Window Panels, Target, $25 each // Threshold X-Stools, Target, $48 each

*prices current as of 9/23/14*

My friend doesn’t have a large decorating budget so we’re shopping at inexpensive stores like Target and Ikea for most of the items. By the way, Target is having a fantastic sale on a lot of their furniture and home décor right now, if you’re in need of any new items for your home you should check it out!

DIY Blog Tour

Happy Monday! If you’re an avid blog reader like I am you may have noticed other bloggers participating in a DIY Blog Tour. Well last week the sweet girls at My Only Sunshine posted their blog tour and tagged me to do my own this week, so it’s my turn to give you a little peak behind the scenes of Blue 11 Interiors!

1. What are you working on?

October is going to be a super busy month for me! I’m attending the KC Bloggers Workshop on the 4th, going to Go Blog Social’s pop-up conference in Chicago on the 11th, and spending a week in Washington D.C. with my hubby later that month! I’m also focusing on getting my decorating business going. I’m taking Kirsten Krason’s e-design business course so I hope to start offering that service very soon. I just started working with a friend from college on her new house which I am super excited about! I’ll be posting about our ideas for her house this week.

Before we sell our house in the spring, I’d like to tackle a few projects, like replacing the backsplash in the kitchen, so I’ll be sure to keep you posted on that!

2. How does your work differ from others in its genre?

Blue 11 Interiors is primarily a decorating and design blog, but I, like most people, don’t have a ton of money to spend on decorating, so I like to share budget-friendly finds and ideas. I also throw in a few lifestyle posts about what I’m up to and liking at the moment (books, movies, etc). I have a lot of local readers, and I adore Kansas City, so I like to highlight local places and events as well.

3. Why do you write/create what you do?

I became hooked on design blogs several years ago. I would read Apartment Therapy and see the home tours and DIY projects and just feel so amazed and inspired at others bloggers’ style and creativity and I wanted to be part of that world. I started Blue 11 Interiors around the same time I was transitioning out my job at a bank and into interior design school, which was also around the same time we bought our first house, so I had lots of inspiration/ideas/projects to share. Two and half years later, I love blogging even more and I’m still finding lots of fun stuff to post about.

4. How does your writing/creating process work?

I’d love to say I’m very organized and plan out my posts weeks in advance, but that isn’t true. For the most part I really just post whatever I’m working on or liking on that particular day. I do keep track of ideas that pop into my head by keeping a list of post ideas on my iPhone and by pinning ideas onto a secret board on Pinterest.

I have a nice office that I should work from but most days I blog from the couch while watching reruns of Gilmore Girls and How I Met Your Mother (although today I’m proud of myself for taking my laptop outside and working from the deck while listening to my Backstreet Boys Pandora station ).

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That’s it for the tour! I’m tagging Erin from Color Me Styled to participate in the tour next Monday.

I met Erin at Go Blog Social in April and she is as cool in person as she seems on her blog. She focuses on fashion but she does a few DIY projects as well, including this hanging geometric wall art project that I adore:

Thanks so much to Brittnee and Skylar from My Only Sunshine for tagging me in the tour! Make sure to check out their blog for all kinds of cute DIY projects. These girls have only been blogging for a couple months but they are seriously talented. And also make sure you pop over to Color Me Styled and look out for Erin’s blog tour post next Monday!

Friday Favorites 9.19.14

Hello friends! Sorry for the slow week, I’ve been pretty busy the last few days but I promise I’ll have some good posts to show for it soon. In the meantime, here are a few of my favorite things from the interwebs I’ve found lately.

This Blog Post

My friend Kari  at This, Too wrote the sweetest post this week titled “The Ladybug.” It’s hard to describe, but I promise it’s worth checking out.

This Collection

The Nate Berkus collections at Target are always amazing, and this fall’s collection is no exception. There are so many killer items that would make any home gorgeous and glamorous. Check it out here.

This Facebook Account

I, like most women on the planet, adore Amy Poehler, so I obviously had to check out Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls when it popped up on my facebook news feed. The Smart Girls group, according to their fb page, is

“an online community for young girls and the young at heart, which encourages women in volunteerism, activism, cultural exchange, and self-expression through the arts. Founded by best friends, comedian Amy Poehler and producer Meredith Walker, the organization is dedicated to helping girls cultivate their authentic selves. Our motto is: You Change the World by Being Yourself.”

What a great mission! They work towards this vision by sharing articles every day about women doing interesting and inspiring things in their community. I don’t read every article they post, but I really enjoy the ones I do read. I’d definitely recommend following along!

These Rooms

I have a deep, undying love for anything and everything Jonathan Adler, so of course I love following him on Instagram. I’m obsessed with these rooms he’s posted recently, they’re so pretty! For more prettiness follow Jonathan Adler on Instagram.

 

That’s it for today! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I’m hoping to check out the Plaza Art Fair, what do you have planned?

The Perfect Kansas City Saturday

This weekend I got together with some of my closest friends from college for a book club weekend. We’ve been doing a book club for a few years now, which serves two purposes: we get to read and discuss a new book, and (more importantly), it gives us a reason to get together.

Since my group of friends is spread out across Missouri we usually choose to meet somewhere in the middle, but this weekend we gathered in Kansas City. I hosted the group, and as the host I wanted to make my friends feel welcome and show off some of my favorite spots in KC.

A few of the girls met at my house Saturday morning for breakfast. I made these pumpkin muffins from Today’s Momma to go with our coffee. I also decorated the house with this Oh Joy! banner and some dollar section chalkboard coasters, both from Target.

We met up with the rest of the group for lunch at Chez Elle, the cutest and most delicious creperie ever. We each got our own savory crepe for lunch and then split three dessert crepes between the group. If you haven’t been there yet I highly recommend it, everything was amazing!

For the actual book club part of the day we headed to Amigoni Urban Winery to discuss The Mark of the Dragonfly. Amigoni is housed in a gorgeous old building that is perfect for spending an afternoon in whilst sipping wine. Wine + good friends + discussing a great book, it doesn’t get much better than that.

We finished up the night with dinner at Jerusalem Café followed by more wine and games back at my house. I had such an enjoyable weekend, I’m so thankful that I was able to get together with my friends for our book club.

Are you part of a book club, or another “club” that gives you and your friends a reason to get together?

Ikea Wish Lists

On my tour of Ikea last week as I was struck at how many things jumped out at me and screamed “buy me right now!”. This was, of course, in addition to the running wish list I already had in my head. I think Ikea is a wonderful resource for certain items, like storage furniture and accessories, but I would use caution when buying larger pieces of furniture like sofas. Go to the store and feel the materials and sit on the furniture to make sure it feels comfortable and sturdy. Even if it’s only $400, you don’t really want to throw away $400 on a junky couch that you’ll have to replace in two years.

Here are some items I would love to get for my own house or that I just think are really cool. I had too many things to fit onto one board, so they’re split between accessories and furniture.

 

Stockholm Chandelier, $99 // Lappljung Ruta Cushion Cover, $10 // Riskorn Plant Pot, $5.99 // Bumerang Curved Clothes Hangers, $3.99 // Idyllisk Table Runner, $9.99 //Areca Palm Potted Plant, $14.99 // NÖDVÄNDIG bowl, $12.99 // Ribba frame, $7.99

Holmsel Chair, $69.99 // Tobias Chair, $79 // Vejmon Coffee Table, $149 // Strandmon Wing Chair, $279 // RÅSKOG kitchen cart, $49.99 // Kallax Shelving Unit, $64.99

 

Are any of these items are your shopping list as well? What else will you be shopping for when the new Kansas City Ikea opens tomorrow? I’m also curious to hear your thoughts on the quality of Ikea furniture if you already own any pieces. Discuss in the comments!

Ikea Press Preview

File this under yet another “Perk of Being a Blogger:” last Wednesday I got to be part of an official Press Preview of the brand new Kansas City Ikea! The store doesn’t open until September 10 but I got to join press and bloggers from throughout the city for a special preview event a week before the opening. How cool is that?!

We were treated to a buffet lunch of Ikea’s signature Swedish food items (smoked salmon, pickled herring, deviled eggs, and of course, meatballs) plus sparkling cider and lots of pretty desserts.

The store manager and the marketing director addressed the group and told us about the upcoming promotions for the Grand Opening. Here’s the scoop on the giveaways:

September 10: The first 40 adults in line will get a free sofa; the next 100 adults will get an armchair; the first 100 children will get a stuffed toy; the first 2500 customers from 9/10-9/14 will get an envelope with a surprise gift of a gift card between $10-$250 or a BOGO food voucher; and if your birthday is September 10 you get a free $40 gift card!

September 12: The first 40 adults will win free meatballs for a year.

September 10-September 14: All customers can enter a drawing for a $1000 gift card.

After the speeches we were split into small groups and escorted on a tour of the store. If you’ve never been to an Ikea before, let me tell you: this store is massive! The whole building is 359,000 square feet, and the warehouse takes up 2/3 of the building, so the shopping area is over 100,000 square feet. I’ll tell you now that if you go, you’ll want to make a day of it. Good thing they have a restaurant there so you won’t starve during your 3+ hour shopping trip (3 hours is apparently the length of an average shopping trip at Ikea).

You’ll start your shopping journey upstairs, which is where all the big stuff is (furniture, kitchen cabinets, closet systems, etc). They have just about anything you could ever need in a variety of styles, from traditional to ultra-modern and everything in between. They also have 37 fully outfitted rooms and 3 complete model homes, with the largest clocking in at almost 600 square feet. Small for an actual home, but huge for a display inside a store.

They have a great kids section with tons of furniture for every age from baby to teenager and lots of colorful toys and accessories.

The downstairs is where you can pick up all your accessories, from dishes to duvets to picture frames and lighting.

Something else to note if you’re an Ikea novice like I was is that while you shop for your furniture you’ll keep a list of what you’re going to buy, and then take that list to the warehouse to pull your own items. If you don’t want to spend your time wandering through an enormous warehouse you can pay them to pull the items for you and then deliver everything to you no later than the next day. If I was buying more than a couple small things I would definitely choose this option.

Another interesting feature at Ikea is the free supervised play area. If you have kids and you don’t think they would enjoy shopping with you for hours, you can drop them off at there for an hour while you shop in peace. The kids just have to be between the posted heights and they have to be potty trained.

On the way out of the store you might stop by the food market to pick up some yummy Swedish food to take home with you. Although not exactly Swedish, I recommend the cinnamon rolls (a package of which was given to us as a gift for attending the preview).

And so concludes my virtual Ikea tour. The Kansas City Ikea opens this Wednesday morning at 9:00 a.m., will any of you be there for the big festivities? If you go this week let me know what you think, hopefully it won’t be too insane.

P.S. come back tomorrow to see what’s on my Ikea wish list!

 

**Linking up at Life of Meg**