Gingham
Boho
Gogger pants
Stripes
Kimono scarf
Flatforms
White
Yellow
Thicker heels & Snake skin
light blue
Floral print
Lace
Pastels
1970’s wide leg jeans
Ear cuff
photo credit: Pinterest
SPRING trends to wear
Category: great accessories
My new Office
This fall i completely overhauled my office space. everything was removed, room repainted and bought all new items. now i have a space that reflects my style & inspires me to be creative!
I had a small area to place desk, so went simple
The lamps add the right amount of glam
Simple accessories keep the top functional & stylish
Drawers for storage are a must
and
the sheepskin for comfort
Art is important to me and where I don’t mind investing my money
Keeping my kid’s art close brings a smile to my face
Overall this area is functional and stylish
TOTAL COST BREAKDOWN: Desk <homeclick>$199, Lamps <target>$80, Seat <crate&Barrel>$15, Lambskin <homegoods>$19, decorative Box <homegoods> $15, Framed Art <antique store>$300
Office Project
This is what you can do in 9 days and twelve hours of work! The deadline was tight, so I had to shop locally, which is limiting, but made the best of it and accomplished the goals of the space. The main requests for the room were to be functional, comfortable and colorful.
The office space is in an old brick building with new paint, floor covering & built in’s.
Lisa was willing to start fresh with her existing furniture.
This office was the last to undergo any attention, so the funds were tight. Seating was important and I was able to find an affordable set. The color of the seating went really well with the room and the neutral cushions gave me a neutral palette to work with.
I really loved the colors and texture of these Crate & Barrel pillows.
The bookcases just needed some rearranging of books and added a few other small personal touches, such as candles, plants and small vase and photos.
A sweet work of art, given to Lisa as a gift was hung above the loveseat. The art against the bricks is the first thing you see when walking to the office, but your eye immediately goes down to the blue throw that is draped perfectly between the colorful pillows.
The old desk was replaced with a sleek simple desk. The key to having an inviting office is the placement of the furniture. Floating the desk at an angle gave enough room for office supplies behind and opened up the rest of the room for a comfortable sitting area.
Prints on canvas of Lisa’s kids will be ordered and hung behind her desk.
A pop of color is just what the room needed to tie everything together! Since the chairs are neutral everything around them could be very colorful. Teal and yellow are also found in the pillows on the loveseat and of course the books. The artwork is done by a local Dover artist, Caryn of “Creative Spirit Art Studio“.
The windowsill just needed some greens and Lisa had a special elephant that was getting lost on the bookshelves and needed it’s own special place.
Lisa Flynn of ChildLight Yoga~
“As a busy professional in a new space, there was no time to shop and make decisions about design and decor. I knew I wanted a warm and inviting office space in which to work, but had no idea how to start. In fact, I was so intimidated to make a decision style-wise, I was paralyzed and found myself working in an empty office of unpacked boxes for weeks. And then, I remembered Denise! We met the very next day, established a budget, and after making a few immediate suggestions and taking a few measurements, she was on her way to shop. Within 9 days, just in time for our grand opening, I had the office of my dreams, on budget! Denise’s calm and friendly demeanor, combined with her design confidence had me feeling I was as much in a therapy session as a style consult that week. Beyond that she saved me a ton of time and most likely a ton of money as well with a finished product that would have taken me a year to pull together. Thank you Denise. You a gift. I look forward to working with you again…and again!”
Steps to getting dressed for a special event
If you want to stand out at an event, you must prepare well in advance to look appropriate and as beautiful as you can be.
- 6-8 weeks before an event I start looking at dresses on line and I may even order one or two. I enjoy shopping at sites that offer free shipping and returns. Sometimes I’ll find a dress locally, but I give myself plenty of time for altering. I like seeing what is trending and find inspiration on various sites. It may be a dress length, color, cut or certain style that I decide to go with. Once I decide what I want my “wow” piece to be, then I get focused. For example, my last event I decided to wear fur and I wanted that to be my ‘wow’ piece so I decided to find a simple dress that wouldn’t take away for the fur. Then the shoes were just as interesting but the jewelry was simple. To see the fur, I needed my hair up, but wanted it to have an Old Hollywood feel. Other times I want to dress color to be the ‘wow’ factor. Then I keep the shoes neutral.
- 4-5 weeks I make sure I’ve thought about my ‘vision’ of what I want the rest of the outfit to consist of. I order shoes and jewelry with plenty of time for returns and reordering.
- 4 weeks make sure you have hair and nail appointments set up for a couple of days before and a hair appointment on the day of your event.
- 2 weeks before I nail down an inspirational hair photo. I make sure I have the right handbag and coat to wear.
- 1 week before I may attention to my body, face and teeth. I make sure that I watch my sugar intake and regularly hit the gym. I make sure that my face is kept clean and use my Clarisonic every other day. I use Super Smile, which is a teeth whitening system.
- 3-1 day before I make sure I get a fresh hair color, cut, eyebrow wax and toes and fingernails polished. Also, steam your dress and make sure you have everything you may need, like padding for your heels, appropriate undergarments, double stick tape, and your lipstick.
- Day of the event I I limit my water intake to avoid bloating. In place of water I drink cranberry and coconut water. I make sure I eat a big breakfast and protein filled lunch and plenty of snacking before I attend the event.
- I shower making sure I wash my face and shave my legs and around 5 hours before the event I get my hair done.
- 2 hours before we need to leave, I put my make up on. I often have thought about the style of my face…do I go for a colorful eye, smokey eye or bold lipstick. Decide what you want to enhance and make sure you’ve found colors that are trending and enhance your dress. For example, when I wore a bright yellow dress I decided to go with bright pink lips and simple eye make up. With the latest brown dress I went for a bronzed face.
- 1 hour before I get dressed, pack my purse, brush my teeth and give myself time to snap a few photo before leaving.
If you follow this timeline or make your own, you’ll be sure to have a cohesive and polished look for any special event.
Spring Shopping Guide for Effortless Style
Spring ‘Wardrobe Essentials’
Wardrobe Staples:
Sweater vest in oatmeal or tan, Navy or black blazer, Basic light weight sweaters in black & pop of color, Short sleeve shirts in black, white or gray & 1 pop of color, Skinny ankle cotton pants-printed & solid navy, Skinny jeans & white Jeans, Printed shorts, Skinny metallic belt, Printed colorful scarf, Ankle booties in gray or tan, Tan trench coat, Jean jacket, White button down, Denim button down, Ballerina flats in black, Loafer or Toms canvas slip-on in color or stripe, Tan wedges, Undergarments (thongs & push ups).
Trends:
Black & white large stripe flowy skirt, Florals, Pastel everything, Cream or white blazer, Cutout clothing, Crop tops, Nude colored evening dress, Open toed or cutout chunky heels, Silk sleeveless blouses, Asymmetrical wrap short skirt, Boyfriend jeans, Aquamarine anything & nail color, Metallic accessories, Chunky knit cropped sweater in a pastel color, Tall or shorter gladiator leather flats, Lady- like jewelry- flower & pearls, Bright orange or pink lips- keep other makeup soft.
How to add Trends to Basics:
Dress yourself mostly with your basics and add a trendy item or two. Layering is the key to stylish dressing. Edit, look, edit again!
Clothing Tips:
Keep your basics up to date-no fading, ironed & clean to wear all week. Avoid too short skirts, heels over 4”, too tight or baggy, overdoing anything. If the trend doesn’t flatter than don’t wear it. Wear clothing with confidence!
How to Get a Great Look every time you Get Dressed:
Depending on where you’re going decide what style of clothing you’ll need to wear, casual, business, dressier, etc. If you already have your staples in place, then you’ll have pretty much everything you’ll need to create a perfect look. Here’s a little cheat sheet!
Dinner with the girls
Skinny jeans, tucked in sleeveless silk blouse, chunky heels, trench coat, metallic belt and statement necklace
Date night casual
Asymmetrical wrap short skirt, tank, jean jacket, heels and scarf & statement necklace
Date night dressy
Nude colored dress, ladylike jewelry, trench, heels
Weekend
White skinny jeans, tank tucked in, metallic belt and denim shirt over with Toms
Weekend evening
White skinny jeans, silk sleeveless top tucked in, belt, ladylike jewelry, chunky sweater, ballerina flats.
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A feel of History
My house has exposed wood beams and everyone seems to enjoy how different they make the room feel. I find that when wood beams, bricks or early wood floors are added or exposed in a home, it adds so much depth and character to a home without trying. Here are some examples of rooms that feel like they have a touch of history to them. What I love about all these rooms is they don’t feel entirely ‘old’, the historical elements add character to these updated rooms. Classic mix!
photo credit Pinterest
Introducing my new Living Room
After 13 years, last March I decided it was time to revamp the living room! We were using our 13 year sofa that was all wrong. The rug is only 10 years old, but I was ready for a new style. Since my kids were babies I’ve used a round soft ottoman with tray on top, but now the kids are 6 and 9 time to have some sharp corners! Our tv was in a cabinet which was outdated as well.
The Process
Cover the sofa or buy a new one….we bought a new one!
Painted the wall a new lighter creamy color.
Cover the chair or buy a new one….new one of course!
Swapped out the rug for a new style. My old style was more traditional and now I like cozy mod.
Ditched the TV, stand and ottoman
Before After
I wanted a more neutral and cohesive look when you walked into my living room. The focal point is the fireplace and after I painted it, it felt so fresh and light and that’s when I made the decision to start “Project Living room”.
The old wall color was a brownish taupe that worked really well with gold tones. Painting the walls was my first change and I went for a creamy color. The color really lightened up the room and gave me room to play with the upholstery colors. Before I was really stuck with golden/taupe sofa.
Before After
Moving away from brown tones to cream tones gave me the freedom to switch to gray. I loved going for a deeper sofa color since all the walls went so much lighter.
You can also see my old oriental rug in photo above with my old chesterfield sofa. Below is my new chevron rug in gray and cream.
I ditched the soft round ottoman and added two square mirrored tables that I had from three years ago. I picked them up at Target for $35.00 each.
Before my sofa faced our fireplace but once I knew I was ready for a change, I wanted to have a chaise on my sofa and move it to the right of our fireplace. The antique brown cabinet stores my china, candles and various decor items.
I didn’t want to have the TV in a cabinet any longer, so I talked my husband into getting a flat screen and console.
I found this stunning mirror and silver Paltrow Console Table on Joss and Main for $450. This console not only matches my coffee tables, but my starburst mirror that is high above my fireplace.
Before After
Though the brown paisley chair was so cozy with the matching ottoman, it was worn out and ready for a new home. Our new chair is in a solid light gray. By keeping the sofa and chair print free, I had the freedom to go bold on the floor and will have fun with throw pillows and blankets.
My New Living Room!
I accessorize with antique, new and collectables. The mantel turned out far better than expected. Several items are one of a kind, from various trips my father in law took. The large jar is filled with beach finds than my boys search endlessly in the summer on several Maine beaches. The other two tables in the room are antique finds. The mirror and copper bowl of over sized grapes are also antiques from our family. I’m not afraid to repaint things as you can see from the items that are hung high over the mantel. I have several framed photographs and figurines that are put away or in other rooms, but if there’s anything I can’t say enough is ‘edit’ and ‘edit again’. Less is more and quality is always better.
