Pre-Teen Room

As much as I don't want to admit it, we only have 6 more years until our baby girl will go off to college. Ugh...that makes me want to cry just thinking about it! I can tell now that she has hit the "preteen years" that she will do just that....sprout her wings and go off into this world and do something fabulous. Oh, the confidence and determination that child has. In transitioning into the teenage years, she wanted a "older" room. We finished out a room upstairs as well as the bathroom as we had planned when we built our home 3 years ago. This was a project that could not have been done without the help from a few "KEY" people! One of those "KEYS" would have been my sweet Daddy. He completely trimmed the entire bedroom and bathroom. That was a fun day, just me and my Daddy. It reminded me of when I was little and would spend the day in the basement with him while he "tinkered" on anything and everything. I don't think he ever realized how much I loved Saturday's because of that very reason. I guess I was kind of like the boy he never had...but I was a girl! Anyway, he taught me (unknowingly) how to do or fix just about anything! Just ask those who know me well! Where there is a will, there is a way! That's my motto! Back to the room, we hired out most of the other work...carpet, plumbing, marble. I did the basic painting and then my fabulous friend Connie did the accent wall. Check out her blog when you have a chance. http://www.laughterbylakeside.blogspot.com/ She has been given a great talent-designing, decorating, painting, and yes she can sew as well! Once the room was completed we began the decorating process. We purchased furniture from Haverty's. This furniture will carry her through to her adult years. We plan on letting her have it when she moves into her first home. I was not offended when she asked if we could "buy" her bedding instead of me making it! This comes from a child who has had custom bedding for every phase of her life so far. I understood completely! She picked out a bright and eclectic bedding set from http://www.anthropologie.com/ . It totally fits with her personality. The window treatments in the bedroom were purchased from Pottery Barn. http://www.potterybarn.com/ The shelving was purchased at Lowes Home Improvement but has the look of a page out of Pottery Barn's catalog and much more reasonable as far as cost goes. The writing desk came from Target and the chair from Pier 1 Imports. The desk lamp shade was customized by using napkins sewn together that were purchased at Anthropologie. Every preteen needs a display board to tack pictures, notes, accomplishments, reminders, etc. on to. I picked up an open frame at Hobby Lobby and covered foam board/cork with napkins that were sewn together as well from Anthropologie.

This was a fun project! Maggie enjoyed being a part of the "design" process. I think she did a great job!

Sweet Clients

I love meeting new clients! I am amazed when I try and trace the connections from client to client. Most of my clients are friends of a friend and so on. One day I am going to sit down and figure out all of the connections that exist between all of my clients. Pretty cool. I am blessed to have met so many people through the 10 plus years I have been sewing and consider many of my clients "friends" now. There are many clients that were some of my "first" that continue to call me as they have more "projects" for me. I enjoy catching up with them and seeing how their lives have changed, how their kids have grown, and of course, helping them make their homes even more beautiful. I LOVE MY JOB!

I have posted some of my most recent projects below. The first set of pictures is of a clients family room and her preteen daughters bedroom. She was a joy to work with and everything turned out like she expected. She used a beautiful rich brown brocade style fabric with a multicolored tassel fringe. On the window, I did a double width panel mounted on a short rod. We did this to create the illusion that the window was wider. I simply mounted the rod so that it appeared the the window continued to the right. This also helped to fill that corner of the room. She has large leather/wood furniture in the room, so the panel helped to balance it out. I used Allen Roth window hardware that you can find at Lowes-very reasonable but yet substantial for this type of installation. For the french door, we chose the Dana valance from http://www.patemeadows.com/ . We used the same fabric but pulled a deep cranberry silk in for the sash. This is a great window treatment for a variety of windows. In her daughters bedroom, we chose the Brenthaven pattern from the southern living patterns on the same website. We also added two Euro Shams for the bed to pull the fabrics together.

The next pictures are from a client's master bathroom. They totally remodeled the bathroom and it looks so great. The tile work is just beautiful as well as the faux finish. She picked a floral fabric with a black background and a small animal print to compliment. She chose the Pull Up valance from pate meadows. I mounted the valance on finials that I purchased from Hobby Lobby in a black iron finish. In the wetroom, I made a functioning Roman Shade with a Point Valance. As I have said before, Roman Shades are a great choice for privacy. They are classic!

The third set of pictures are from a returning client! I have done her kitchen and now her dining room. I enjoy working with her so much. She picked a fabric that came to life once the panels were put together. She wanted to do the style I have in my own dining room. It reminds me of a beautiful ball gown adorned with a beautiful tassel fringe!

It was truly my pleasure working with all of these clients! I look forward to working with them again in the future!

Fabric Frenzy!

I know my postings are few and far between but I cannot sew and post at the same time! Business has been great despite our terrible economy. I am enjoying meeting new clients and and filling my sewing room with beautiful fabrics and trims!

I have posted pictures of two projects that I installed this morning. The first picture is of a very sweet friend's family room. I made roman shades with valances for a double french door that opens to her screened in porch. The main reason for the shades is too shield the sunlight from shining on their television. She wanted something that would add color and serve a purpose. Roman shades are a great option for privacy and make a great addition to any window. They can be used alone or layered under panels or even valances. Thanks Kayce for allowing me to help you with this project and for referring me to so many of your sweet friends!

The second project is a kitchen, mudroom and family room door. My client chose a rich stripe in chocolate, avocado green, terracotta and gold that coordinated with her existing decor. We decided on a box pleated valance with tassel trim for the kitchen. In the mudroom, a roman shade with a complimenting tassel trim was installed. My client had already installed long panels that she had purchased on clearance at Pottery Barn in the family room but wanted something for the door to coordinate. She went back to Pottery Barn and purchased an additional panel so that I could make a roman shade. The fabric is a beautiful linen in a warm gold tone-it compliments the kitchen fabric perfectly.

Back to Work

Yesterday, I had the great pleasure of installing window treatments for a precious family. I have been blessed by her hospitality and conversation. She has a beautiful home and has the gift of decorating and making her home feel warm and inviting. She is in the process of having her cabinets painted and glazed in her kitchen. I made pleated panels with trim for 3 double windows that overlook the back yard and a roman shade for the window above the sink. She did a great job of choosing fabric that complimented furnishings she already had. I am looking forward to working on other projects with this client, she is a precious person. I could see a friendship blossoming! Thanks Joy!

New Pictures

Sorry, it has been a while since I updated the blog. Life is extremely busy right now. I am sure most of you know the feeling well with Christmas quickly approaching. I have completed a few projects that I am very proud of. My first client is a precious friend of mine and has placed complete trust in my hands with making beautiful linens for her home. She has chosen absolutely gorgeous fabrics and has unbelievable taste and talent in decorating. As you see, her home is breathtakingly beautiful without my assistance. We have several more rooms to finish so check back! Thanks friend for trusting me to put the finishing touches on your home! Love you girl!These pictures are of a teen's room. My client wanted to bring in black to this bright and colorful room to make it a little more "mature" for her teenage daughter that will be graduating from High School in the spring. We added a black and white polka dot fabric for the bedskirt, throw pillows and window treamtment. It really came together well. Of course, the Christmas tree is gorgeous. I used beautiful black finials to mount the valance to the wall instead of a traditional rod. The teen's dad did the striping on the accent wall. How cute! Connie added some finishing touches as well with a custom canvas above the bed and 2 great display boards. I'll get her to post those on her site soon. http://www.laughterbylakeside.blogspot.com.

Homecoming week is always fun in our small town. The kids dress up each day in a different theme. We had tacky day, western day, twin day, college football day and of course, school spirit day! Here are a few pics of Maggie during the week as well as a few of our "little nerd" on Halloween!

My nephew as the great "John Parker Wilson" (Roll Tide) and my niece as "Elvis"! I couldn't be prouder of those two! LaLa loves you both!

Falling In Love With Fabric

Fabric to most people is just that-Fabric. But to me, it is the icing on the cake or the last brush stroke to a piece of art. I have started taking before and after pictures of the projects I complete so that you can see how fabric can make a house feel like a warm and inviting home.

I had the privilege of meeting and working for a client that found me through my blog. We conversed through email for weeks before we actually met in person. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her and look forward to working with her on more projects in the future. She has a beautiful home set on a fabulous piece of property. Below are the pictures of the window treatments I made for her.
I have posted some additional pictures below of other projects that I have completed.