Aren’t summers supposed to be relaxing? I mean ours was, sort of. But it was also chaos. Sweet chaos with lots of fun and giggles, but chaos all the same. Summer chaos I know from talking to other parents that the summer chaos isn't unique to our family. If you don't have children or haven't had young kids in awhile, consider if you will: Bed time schedules and routines go out the window. Different summer camps each week with different schedules for each child. Lunch this day, camp shirt that day, food restrictions at this camp but none at that camp. Times two kids. Swim lessons 4x a week = soppy wet towels and swim suits every day. Packing for trips, going on trips, unpacking for trips. Every week was different. I am embarrassed to say that on the first day … Read More
A Life More Beautiful
A creative studio intent on making life more beautiful one remodel, party, or project at a time.
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Peak inside my July 2017 art journal
I have a tendency to obsess. Those of you that know me are probably shaking your head YES right about now. Well, my July 2017 art journal reflects a recent obsession. A recent obsession When we went on our June trip to Cinnamon Shore, we took a crazy leap and decided to put a beach condo under contract. Since then I’ve been busy picking finishes, shopping, and designing the interior. Fun! But I also became fixated on WHAT we were going to call the condo. Names count Names are important after all. It’s what we’d call it. It’s what the kids would call it. It’s what strangers will ask for when making vacation reservations. It was important to me that the name be something that reflected both the style of the house and the vacation experience. Exploring options So my … Read More
Peak inside my June 2017 art journal
Not only are vacations good for filling the proverbial well, but it turns out they also do wonders for your art journal! We went to Port Aransas back in June, and instead of sketching in my art journal at night in front of the TV, I changed things up a bit. While the kids played with their cousin in the morning, I spent a half hour on the deck with the sun warming my skin and sketch pad in my lap. It was rejuvenating. And the results were different. Delightfully different. For starters, I wasn't tired. With fresh eyes and the energy of a new day, I was able to give my art journal 100% instead of my late night dregs. How refreshing! Literally. I also wasn't distracted by TV. There was nothing but me, my sketchpad, and the environment. As a result, I found myself lost in time … Read More
What’s hot in Central Austin home interiors
Remember back in December when popular home design site Houzz released their list of anticipated home design trends for 2017? Now that we are halfway through the year, I can confirm that Houzz’s predictions were spot on. While some home interior trends have been more popular than others, here are the 8 styles I'm consistently seeing when I'm out looking at Central Austin homes as part of my real estate business: Patterned tile: Spanish-style encaustic tile with bold designs and bright patterns is popular right now. With affordable ceramic options on the market, it’s easier than ever to make a big design design impact in a small space at a reasonable cost. For example, I used this tile from Home Depot in the kitchen of my recent Balcones project. It cost around $8 a square … Read More
Peak inside my April 2017 art journal
Four months into my daily art journal entries, and after looking at my April art journal I've noticed that my content has evolved. There's less journaling and more of plain doodling. I found that I could only write that I took my children to lessons or worked on the blog or had movie night so many times. After that it got really redundant... Don't get me wrong. I still add the journaling when there's something of interest to include. But otherwise its flowers, and hearts, and just simple doodling. Either way, I still find it a rewarding way to connect to my creativity. I will always love the experience of putting pen on paper. I do, however, need to go buy some different journals. I've tried mixed media paper and bristol paper, but they just don't take the watercolor the … Read More
A peek inside my March 2017 art journal
I once showed a friend some of the water color postcards I painted while traveling. He asked me if a child painted them for me. Yep. That was embarrassing. Art for my eyes only? Since then I've been more self-conscious about my art and rarely show people what I create. Other than doodling during meetings, my art served as a private outlet for my eyes only. If you can imagine, posting my daily art journal online for the world to see is a scary thing for me. The bold, messy art of my children inspires me But I am inspired by my children. They create art with abandon. Big, messy bold art. Color combinations I would never consider that turn out fantastic. Voluminous amounts of art that cannot be contained in tidy folders. They lack inhibition, and it shows in the freedom on … Read More
Aesthetics matter
