My Foyer

Have I mentioned how much I love having a foyer? Maybe not. Well, I really do. Our old house did not have one. Anyone that stopped by had the pleasure of walking smack dab into the living room or as I like to call it- " the eye of the storm." With a foyer, you can give your visitors a peaceful entrance into you home : A room that no one is in for very long. A room  that doesn't house a bed, tv or underwear. It's almost like a "pretend" room. Like "Come on into my foyer- I'm pretending the rest of my house you can't see right now looks just as clean and well kept as this!"

This is a shot of the foyer before we moved in.

I neglected to take a full picture of the "after" foyer. I guess because I change all the time there's not true "after". I find it really difficult to figure out when to take pictures because I feel like nothing is ever finished. I'm okay with that.

I love this little alcove seating area that I created. That bench has been in our family forever- this is the second cover I've had made for it. I have some leftover fabric and plan to have a bolster pillow made.

I felt like it needed some funky art- so I painted up these  little watercolors, painted the mats and put in some Ikea frames that I had. I keep thinking I may do a gallery wall of pictures here at some point.

This piece was my Grandmother's - I have had it since we got married and hesitated painting it until recently.

This piece is placed on the right wall looking towards the front door.

I'm glad I decided to paint it. It still needs a coat or two of varnish. I would also like to put round pulls  on it eventually to give it more of a Regency look. What do you think about my foo dogs? They were 7.99 a piece, although my friend Claire says I paid 7.99 too much. I'll be wrapping these up for her at Christmas.  

Happy Friday!! 

xoxo-

Tippi

I Brake For Books About Yard Sales

I'll be the first to admit I'm to lazy to "yard sale". Getting up early on a Saturday to go digging through someone's junk in their yard just doesn't sound appealing. The usual Saturday scenario  for me is to sip my coffee while watching Keeping Up with the Kardashians on the DVR. However, after coming across this delicious little book by Lara Spencer- I may have changed my tune.

  You probably know Lara from GMA. I bet you didn't know that she is full of decorating fabulousness and wrote a book about it. I can't even tell you how much I love this book. She moonlights as an antiques dealer and interior designer. She gives  you tons of ideas of what to look for and how to change it, if needed. 

And, have you seen her house? TDF! Lots of pictures of her fabulous casa in this book. I love every stinking inch of this house.  I did a little research online and found  few different  pictures that give a better full room view. ( Now I sound like a stalker.)

 OOOh- I so love that sofa and those gigantic lamps!!

I love the mix of Regency with Mid- Century funk with some whimsy. 

I really love her Master Suite. This is slightly different from the book. It looks like she changed out the lamps and added some art above them. A typical designer changing things out.

 This is her daughter Kate's bedroom. I love the accent wall wallpaper. Adorable.

This is her son Duff's bedroom. I never would have thought to put a ghost chair in a boy's room but it works well here.

Definitely buy the book. In the meantime, I'm going to go figure out how I can   become a syndicated morning talk show host so that I too can afford to have my own fabulous home look like this!

For addtional images click here.

(All images: LA Times)  

Getting Stuff Done: A Blog Post I Have Procrastinated About

Hello. My name is Tippi and I am  a procrastinator. I am also a perfectionist. I think the two go hand in hand due to the fact that I like things to be  perfect. So perfect that I can't even conquer something unless I can take the time to make it perfect. If it's not perfect - I ain't gonna do it! There, a project will just be on a list with other projects not getting done due to paralyzing perfectionism. 

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I have also found that I am a terrible gift giver. I will try to find just the perfect gift for someone, passing over ones that would be just find in search of that one perfect gift. It becomes such a big task that many times I am giving gifts late or not at all. Terrible, I know. 

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So, I thought I would just highlight a few helpful tips that I am going to try. I was on Pinterest recently and found this  great post here about "Getting Sh*t Done".  

1. Create a routine. This is super hard for me. Discipline is not my middle name. I do believe that this is so important and I'm gonna try dang it!

2. Make a daily to-do list. The days that I actually break down and do this- it actually really seems to help me get things done. I have found that It's very rewarding marking things off my list.

3. Don't Multi-task. Say what? I always thought this made one more productive. Not so. I am trying the one-thing-at-a-time mentality. It keeps me focused and less scattered for sure.

4. Silence the phone! Need I say more?

5. Do Those MIT's first. Put those "most important tasks" on your list and mark them must do's.

So, now I can check this blog post off my list! Happy Friday!!

xoxo-

       Tippi

A Tisket A Tasket: Tribal Baskets

A Tisket A Tasket: Tribal Baskets by tmaceinteriordesign on Polyvore

Have you noticed these fabulous baskets showing up on the pages of interior design photos everywhere? Not only are the colors bright and cheery but they are perfect for storing all kinds of clutter.  Do you have a favorite? I do. I'll have a number 5 with a side of number 4. Oh heck. I'll take them all please.

If you want to check out a good selection of these all in one place-West Elm is the place to be. If you are the shy type, they also have a great selection of normal natural variety.

If you are feeling at all  budget-y, you could get out those acrylic paints and paint your desired pattern on a simple basket. You know you can do it. I smell a project in the works!

                                              xoxo-

                                                      Tippi

Quick Change: A Mini Closet Makeover

Happy Monday- yes, Monday can be happy. You can do it!! Today  I am going to leave you with a post about a closet quick change. A mini-boutique, if you will. 

Let's go into my closet, shall we? (you should be very afraid right now.)

As you can see, there's a whole lotta stuff  in that there closet. Maybe we should step back.

Yikes, peoples. Now that's a big 'ole mess. Might I mention that I share this closet with the Mr.? I'd love to blame that mess on the floor on him- but I won't. Because I'm the perfectionist. Well that doesn't make good sense does it? My philosophy is that if I don't make time for it to be just perfect- it is going to be incredibly imperfect until it gets done. Sad. Weird. True. 

Here's the after. I think we can all stop screaming and breathe easier now. I cleaned out the clutter and ta da- I have a lovely place to keep my jewels, handbags, and zapatos. ( Please excuse that girl in the mirror-  she's not her prettiest when she's in the midst of projects!) 

Here's how to create your own mini closet boutique:

1. Start with a cute shelf. I bought this one at a consignment shop. They are really easy to come by. You could also buy something new and similar here. 

2. Line your shelf with some fun patterned contact paper. I found this on the clearance rack at Marshall's. You can find something similar here.

3. Add some fun books to stack giving your shelf some height. I love getting books to decorate with from thrift stores. I also sometimes find really good deals here. 

4. Use various plates, bowls, and dishes to hold smaller jewelry pieces. A larger bowl I had was perfect for housing some smaller clutches. I also gathered a couple of random dishes to hold some other loose pieces. These can also be found in abundance at thrift stores but i found mine right in my own kitchen.   

5. A jewelry tree is a must have item. I used one here to add some more height. It obviously serves a great  purpose for easy access to  my favorite necklaces. You can buy them for $10-$12.

5. Add some pretty perfume bottles. As you can see- it might be time to replenish some of my favs.    

6. Display your sunglasses on the top shelf. If you are like me, they are often times left in the car to get scratched  up and damaged. At the end of the day they go back right on top of this shelf. Easy peasy.

7. Add a piece of funky abstract art work. I made this one. I recommend you make one too. So easy and el cheapo. Canvas and paint. Done.

 8. Display those handbags! Mine were hanging on the closet door and stuck out  
as you entered the closet. I like them much better on this shelf. Ah, more room!

9. Display a few pairs of your favorite shoes. This really serves no purpose but to give it that fancy boutique feel. It might even give you a little extra room on that shoe shelf to buy more.( just don't tell your husband! )

10. Add a fun rug. You can find your own cute little 2 x 3 flokati here.

How To Wear Ankle Booties

How To Wear Ankle Booties by tmaceinteriordesign featuring skinny leg jeans


Here's a fun little post I created from Polyvore. So, if you feel so inclined to spend $350 on that lovely little Alexander Wang sweater- go right ahead. I'll be at Old Navy buying a knock off cheaper version.

This creation stemmed from a very recent purchase I made at TJ Maxx.( you know- where you find the max for the minimum!) I found some really cute ankle boots very similar to those pictured in the set and just HAD to have them. I had no idea how to wear them or what to wear them with. The fashion gods must have taken  over my body because before I knew it I had left the store with those boots in my bag.

I am also loving colored skinny jeans. I have several colors and think they are such a nice alternative to the usual blue denim. My bright pink ones are fabulous. I'm happily surprised how many things they go with. Besides that, I can cross the street with confidence that I will be seen by oncoming traffic.  


Apparently I'm right on track with the trends because after doing a little research for this post I discovered that lots of fashion-y celebs are sporting these little numbers:

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Oh Miss Isabel - aren't you popular! You , Katie, and Suri all hanging out  in your "Dickers" together.

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Here you are again with Katie and some more friends. Wow- you get around! 

If you want the real deal Isabel Marant's - they are going to run you about $565 a pair. Otherwise-  get yo' self to Tj Maxx and pick up a pair for $35.   

xoxo,

       Tippi

My Latest Project: Downtown Window Display

Just a quick post to check in and ask the question what the heck happened to Summer? How is it the end of July? I was going to make homemade ice cream and have water balloon fights and most of all GET A TAN!! Dear Summer: I'd like a do-over  please ! Before you know it it's going to be February and time to take the tree down.

Anyhow, here's what I've been up to:

A few months ago I was approached about designing a window for a bookstore we frequent in downtown Hendersonville. I was very interested at the time but   I would be unable to meet the deadline due to other commitments. Luckily, we worked some other dates and here's how it all went down:

I was given a theme " Ah, Summer in the Mountains". I originally thought I would use my son's kayak in the window and make it all "outdoorsy- sporty".I thought I could use his hiking boots and all that jazz to set the scene.  Then I realized that it was destined to end up as "Blah, Summer in the Mountains". Boring and expected and not at all having my stamp of creativity on it. So, on to plan B I went.

Plan B was comprised of displaying items that you might see smart  booky- lovin people doing in the summer aside from reading. I wanted to draw people in with color and a touch of whimsy- and more grosgrain ribbon they've seen in their lives! 

Over several weeks I scoured  over thrift stores (ah chew!)  finding items to drag into my house for my husband and kids to trip over. Ah, the continuous ramifications of of mom's projects!  

In the end, my house looked like a bomb hit it. That's a true sign of the creative process working it's magic.    

 

 See, even my cat was feeling creative. And she just loves it when I use the word "whimsy".

This was probably a strange sight to see as I drove through town.

So, let's  cut to the chase- here is the end result. I'm really pleased with the window and how it turned out. If you are in Hendersonville - be sure to check out Fountainhead Bookstore!! Thank you Valerie! 

Here's a before shot ( apparently Fingerinthepicture Syndrome is a common trait passed down in my family for generations)

Before!

         and...

After 

                 Ta da!