Urban Backyard Garden Party

With this beautiful weather I thought I would share with you a recent event request for a garden party to showcase a recently acquired wall mural and updated landscaping in a backyard in Baltimore City.  I immediately had a vision that included strung globe lights, soft music playing in the background, good drinks, and great company.  Below are some images I found that perfectly illustrate that vision.

Image from The Daily Nest

Image from Pinterest

Image from Pinterest

Once I had a chance to discuss the party and space with the client I set to work on a design board and (very) rough sketch of the backyard.

The mural mentioned above has a flamingo theme which I attempted to highlight with accessories.

I will be sure to take before and after pictures of the set up and post them soon!

Design Show House: Ticket Giveaway

The design show house is so close to opening! All this week it will be open to private parties then opening to the public following a ribbon cutting on April 30, 2017. I am so exited to have people experience this house! It has been such a labor of love to go through this process and I cannot thank you enough for following along on this journey.  To show my appreciation I am giving away 2 tickets to the event ($50 value), which can be used any day of the event April 30th through May 21st. Follow me on Instagram (upper right corner of blog) and comment on the Ticket Giveaway post for a chance to win! Winner will be drawn at random.  Good luck!

Additional information about the show house:

The 40th Annual Symphony Decorators' Show House "Mayfair" will be open to the public beginning Sunday, April 30 through Sunday, May 21, 2017. Tickets are not date specific. You may use your ticket any time during normal operating hours.

All proceeds support the educational programs of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra including OrchKidsTM, the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras and Midweek education concerts impacting the lives of more than 55,000 students a year.

TICKETS: $25 in advance / $30 at the door

HOURS:Sunday 12 pm-4 pm
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 10 am-6 pm
Thursday 10 am-8 pm

PARKING: Parking and a shuttle available with a $2 donation at: Padonia Park & Ride, Deereco Road, 1/2 mile south of Padonia Road

Design Show House: Bringing the Vision to Life

Once Casa Pena Designs was selected for the space we had a few weeks to get all of the items ordered and installed in the space.  I reached out to a few vendors who graciously offered items either deeply discounted or for free, which is a huge help to a designer like me who is just getting started.  A huge thank you to Kohler, Lamps Plus, Phina's for the Home, and Target for making this transformation possible!

First phase to tackle was painting the wall.  I chose SW Rock Bottom for the dark wall and SW Snowbound for the trim/ceiling.

Painting the dark color on the wall really added dimension and character to this space. I think it was the boldest change we made and I've received a lot of comments on it from the vendors who have been through the house.

Next we (and by we I mean Jeff) hung the light fixture from Lamps Plus.  I am so in love with this lamp! It really pops against the dark wall and makes the bathroom look so rich.

Over the course of the next few weeks I bought lots of accessories and made the curtains and valence for the shower stall and the window. My dining room was quickly transformed into my workroom for sewing and managing design boards, accessories, documents, and everything that goes along with this business. I think I'm going to need more workspace very soon.

Once the Kohler Purist Faucet came in, we installed it right away. I couldn't wait to see it shine in this room.

At the risk of sounding cheesy I've got to say: my husband has been a total rockstar. He installed the light, the faucet (which was no easy feat), and still had energy to help hang art and paint. His support during this process has been nothing short of amazing to me and I appreciate him so much!

Stay tuned for the final reveal and a give away in the next few days!

The Show House opens to the public Sunday, April 30th through Sunday, May 21st.
Sunday: 12:00pm until 4:00pm
Monday: Closed
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday: 10:00am until 4:00pm
Thursdays:10:00am until 8:00pm

The Cafe will serve snacks and lunch and there is an antiques tent where you can purchase items on display in the decorated rooms.

Design Show House: MY DESIGN IS SELECTED!

The design boards were submitted and it felt so good. The amount of time and effort that I put into both of them was a true labor of love. We were told that designers would hear back if they were chosen on Friday so imagine my surprise when I heard back on Wednesday!  YOU GUYS! I was blown away at the response.  The judges loved my design board for the Sophisticated Bathroom and couldn't wait to see the transformation!  Not only did I get chosen but I also got my first choice room! Most of the designers who bid on the house are established firms who have been designing for years. I'm thrilled to get to work along side them to turn this house into an amazing work of art. I have a feeling I will learn a lot through this process and am grateful you are along for the ride.  

We have a design meeting at the house in a few days, after that we can get in to our space and begin working our magic. 

To read about the whole process start here:

1. Announcing the Design Show House

2. BSO Design Show House Sophisticated Bathroom Design Board

3. BSO Design Show House: Adventure Awaits Reading Nook

Don't miss updates on the BSO Show House! If you want to see more be sure to sign up to receive updates on the right under subscribe.

1. Light, 2. SW Paint Color, 3. Mirror, 4. Shelf, 5. Kohler Purist Widespread Faucet, 6. Radiator Cover, 7. Succulent, 8. Fabric , 9. Mornings Away Art Print, 10. Towels

1. World Map Wall Mural, 2. SW Paint Color, 3. Telescope, 4. Lego Head 5. Light Fixture, 6. BB-8 Pillow, 7. Bike Pillow, 8. Dot Desk, 9. Floor Cushion, 10. Sailcloth Storage, 11. Sign

Pinterest Challenge: Fall Art Project

I found a cute Halloween art project on Pinterest a couple weeks ago and had to share.  What a great way to preserve those baby feet forever! 

Source

Source

And here is our version:

Black Canvas: Michael's - $7.20
White Paint: Michael's - $0.69
Total Project - $7.89!!

Laundry Room Art Project

I think the laundry room needs a little artwork but it's not in the budget, especially since I haven't picked out a counter top yet.  I got the Ribba 3-picture frame from Ikea for $9.99.  I gathered all my paint samples I purchased for the laundry room and two more I picked up on clearance from Home Depot for 50 cents each.  I had been saving some bottle caps and bottles for this project as you can see in the picture I used a scope bottle, baby bottle wash, keurig k-cup, milk container top, laundry detergent top, and top to lemonade bottle.  The frame measures 20 x 9 so I measured and drew out my project area on the sheet of card stock.

These were the two caps that worked the best (wisk detergent cap and simply lemonade cap):

I am going for a "bubbles" look.

Circle Containers: Free

Paint: $1.00 plus some I already had

Card Stock: 39 cents

Ikea Ribba Frame: $9.99

Free time during T's nap: Priceless

$11.38 Spent

Final Product:

Tyler's Room: Big Updates for a Big Boy

I've been wanting to update Tyler's room since May (when he decided he was over the crib and crawling out was so much more fun).  I bought him a full size mattress and box spring to use with his crib (it converts to a full size headboard).  It's been sitting on the floor in case he falls out he wont hurt himself.  Also so he can get back in on his own because this Mama likes her sleep.  A lot.  :-)

Here is an inspiration board I put together of everything I have been considering doing in his room:

Source List:
Curtains, crib, dresser, chair, shark sheets: PotteryBarnKids
Striped duvet: West Elm
Sailboat picture and pillow: Etsy
World map: EBay
Paint: Behr

Here are a few pictures of Tyler's room when we first moved in:

The lovely light:

Here is some of the progress we've made:

We painted the walls,  hung his curtains, and added his furniture.

To see his nursery in the old house click here .

Tyler's 2nd Birthday Celebration

We celebrated Tyler's 2nd birthday with a small party at our house.  It was lots of fun and a great chance to get all the kiddos together for some play time.  Tyler had a great time playing with his friends.
His favorite toy seems to be his LittleTikes Craftsman Workshop.  He plays with it every day and was so thrilled to get it.

He had a great time opening his cards, all Elmo themed.  Of course you MUST use a flashlight when opening mail, right?

 

I like this picture.  We are like celebrities looking in all different directions.  Also check out all that loot behind us!  Tyler is one loved little birthday boy!



Notice the finger: going in for a swipe of the frosting.

Elmo needed a time out...turns out he looks like a punching bag - LOL!

It was a great 2nd birthday!!!