Hey Guys! It has been anything but uneventful around here lately! My father in law is coming next week, and we’ve been busy getting ready for him. I know this isn’t news to any of you who’ve been long time readers, but Michael is originally from Germany and his parents still live there. Needless to say, he doesn’t get to pop in and visit with them whenever he feels like it. So, when they come to visit, they stay with us for a few weeks, and we get ready by rearranging our office to be more guest friendly – making room for a bed, and cleaning shelf space for clothes.

Some day, I plan to redesign it to work double duty year-round, but there are more pressing projects to finish first! More than likely once all these projects are done, I’ll look for home Interior Design companies to plan and carry out the redesign for us, so a little break can be had!

Pretty Things

And speaking of more pressing projects, next on the list is our master bathroom! Gah, you guys. I’m super excited. This has been a project that’s been a long time in the making. The plumbing’s been done, the room framed, the floor tile installed for – you ready for this? As excited that I am that this project is finally getting underway, it didn’t feel like this for a while. It just seemed to take us a long time to get these jobs completed, especially because we didn’t realize how much work needed to be done. Surprisingly, after we found a plumbing company that was similar to Silverwater Plumbing, (https://www.silverwaterplumbing.com.au/plumber-seven-hills/), this job actually didn’t take us that long. In fact, it took us longer to find a plumber in our area to start with. Even though it took us a while to get this project underway, at least we know that everything has been sorted so that it is safe for us to proceed with everything else. It has definitely been a long time coming. Even though I’m elated to see everything clicking together, renovating a bathroom is incredibly stressful, especially doing it by yourself. However, outsourcing a contractor for help to redo your bathroom takes away a lot of this stress and allows you to feel excitement for your new design!

TEN YEARS!

I can’t even believe we’ve been here that long, but that’s the truth. That room has been roughed in and ready to be finished since we moved into the house. But you know what, finishing it up wasn’t ever super important to me. I wanted the spaces that we all live in and share together to be finished and decorated before we shelled out the rest of the money to finish the bathroom, so that we could look to make it special in its own right. Right now we’re considering options for the shower portion, perhaps a custom glass shower door? Oh, but what kind of bathtub should we get? We’ve had plenty of time to give it all a lot of thought, but the choice is still yet to be made final!

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Hey Guys! I’m excited to be joining Bre from Rooms for Rent, and an amazingly talented group of bloggers to share some pretty summer tablescape ideas with all of you today! I can’t wait to make the rounds and see what everyone shares, because it’s one heck of a lineup happening today. Don’t miss the sneak peeks and links to everyone’s posts down below!

Spring got off to a slow start in our neck of the woods this year. It’s been unseasonably cold and dreary here for weeks on end, but we’ve FINALLY had some perfect spring weather the last couple of weekends. I’ve been looking at getting some new outdoor furniture after a friend recommended a great company that sells outdoor furniture in myrtle beach. Our outdoor chairs were looking very tatty so I decided to get some new ones ready for the sunny weather. Spring is here! The grill’s been fired up a time or two, bedtime stories are being read a little later, and, at the end of the day, my house has been clean, and the girls have been filthy from head to toe. All sure signs that summer is making its way towards Massachusetts.

I left High Point Market last month with lots fresh excitement and new ideas that I can’t wait to share with you guys via upcoming projects this year. The Design Bloggers Tour was So. Much. Fun.

I love browsing my local high end furniture store, looking for inspiration, designing luxury spaces — it’s so much fun! I was very excited when we got to take a behind the scenes look at some of my favorite showrooms and were able to hear the inspiration behind quite a few lines from super inspirational designers. Gah, you guys. I’m still pinching myself.

There were some new design trends making debuts, as well as some trends that have been around for a few years that are continuing their reign (‘millennial pink’, which we all now simply refer to as blush, for example, is still going strong).

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As most of you probably already know, I was incredibly lucky to be one of ten design bloggers to take part in the High Point Market Design Bloggers Tour at spring market this year! Going to High Point is always inspiring, but this time was such a dream. (If you’re not familiar with High Point Market, you can read about it here and here)

The Design Blogger Team

Haneen of HANEENS HAVEN, www.haneens-haven.com | Heather French, blog.frenchandfrenchinteriors.com
Niki McNeill, www.singlebubblepop.com/blog | Elizabeth Scruggs, www.superior-construction-and-design.com
Alyssa Motheral, greyhuntinteriors.com | Stephanie of Olive and Tate, www.oliveandtate.com
Laura Hamburg, www.willowstreetinteriors.com/willow-street-at-home
Alberthe K. Buabeng, www.albieknows.design | Allison, www.frenchcountrycottage.net
Tamara Matthews-Stephenson, nestnestnest.blogspot.com?

We visited gorgeous sponsor showrooms, got to hear iconic designers talk about their lines, and were introduced to some really talented people. I was so honored to be part of such an amazing group. And as usual, I spotted loads of inspiring design trends that I’m super excited to incorporate into projects, and share with all of you!

Are you guys familiar with Suzanne Kasler’s and Sarah Richardson’s work?

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Hey Guys! I’m back again today along with 28 amazing blogging friends to share how I made an earthy and elegant Spring wreath as part of The Happy Housie’s Seasonal Simplicity Series.

Don’t forget to check out the links to all of these lovely wreaths down below!

Spring really must be right around the corner, because the girls have been outside playing for hours the last couple of days, redecorating their treehouse and playing in the dirt.

Which has meant more laundry…

…but cleaner house.

And you know what? That’s one tradeoff I’ll happily take.

But let’s get into this tutorial, shall we?

For Spring this year, I wanted to create a wreath that felt kind of ethereal and elegant.

Last year, I was all about using casual fern fronds and delicate little, pink flowers buds. You can find that wreath here, if you’re interested!

But this year, I wanted my wreath to feel a little more full and luxurious, with a subtle dose of color.

I headed to Michael’s last week to get inspired, and I fell in love with a combination of florals in peach, buttery yellow, and white hues.

I used 5 different types of flowers to create this look. Here they are, if you want to recreate it:

Aren’t they pretty?

Yellow isn’t a typical go-to color for me, but I was smitten with how buttery and delicate the little, yellow flowers were.

Plus, they paired so well with the peach ones, I knew right away that I wanted to use them.

I really love making wreaths because they come together so quickly.

And if you’re picky like me, it can really be hard to find exactly what you’re looking for in the store.

All you’ll need to make this earthy and elegant Spring wreath is your flowers, a set of wire clippers, and a grapevine wreath.

I reuse my grapevine wreath each season. I just pull out the old flowers and add in the new; But if you don’t have one, they’re available at pretty much any craft store.

Believe it or not, I don’t hot glue or wire my flower stems in either! You’ll want to do that if you plan to reuse this a few years in a row, but because I recycle my grapevine wreath ‘frame’ each season, this is just so much easier. And I’ve never had an issue with the stems falling out either.

Here’s how I created this look:

Take all of your flower bunches and snip them apart.

Don’t cut the stems too short. I always add the flower stems into my wreath, and if there’s excess sticking out from behind, I’ll snip it then.

That way, I can be sure I’ll have enough heft and length to really secure the stems.

And then the process is as simple as adding in your stems!

I always begin with my largest flowers to ‘anchor’ the look.

I typically do two or three grouping of the largest flower, and then add in the smaller ones from there.

P.S. Those twiggy looking branches are from the wreath I made last Fall. I loved the texture they added to this one too, so I reused them. They were also from Michael’s.

I tend to crave a more casual and ethereal look when I’m making wreaths, but if you prefer one with formal appeal, create 3 to 4 bunches of your largest blooms (in this case, the white ones) and arrange them at equidistant points around your wreath.

Et voila! Relaxed wreath becomes formal wreath.

On the flip side, if casual is more your jam, then pick a couple of spontaneous locales for the larger blooms, like I did, and then use your smaller ones as fillers.

And that’s all, Folks! I told you this was a simple process.

I’m loving this subtle, first sign of spring at our entry!

I’ll be adding a few more details to the porches in the coming weeks, but it’s a pretty start, right?

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the spring wreath inspiration from this amazing lineup of bloggers below!

Succulent & Peony Simple DIY Spring Wreath at The Happy Housie

Dollar Store Spring Wreath at Craftberry Bush

Lambs Ear & Blush Spring Wreath at Bless’er House

Elegant Peony & Eucalyptus Spring Wreath at Inspiration for Moms

Spring Fern & Eucalyptus Wreath at Zevy Joy

Boxwood and Bicycle Spring Wreath at The Turquoise Home

DIY Modern Floral Wreath at Lolly Jane

Oversized Spring Succulent Wreath at My Sweet Savannah

Five Minute Eucalyptus Wreath at Amber Tysl

Earthy & Elegant Spring Wreath at Willow Street Interiors

Mini Rosemary Wreaths for a Spring Table at Satori Design for Living

Spring Hydrangea Wreath at Confessions of a Serial DIYer

Branch and Vine Spring Wreath at Town and Country Living

Spring Hoop Wreath with Lemons at Modern Glam Home

Spring Wreath Ideas at Hallstrom Home

Spring Woodland Wreath at Deeply Southern Home

Dollar Store Easter Egg Wreath at The DIY Mommy

Spring Moss Covered Wreath at Tauni Everett

Easy 15 Minute Marshmallow Peeps Wreath at Heathered Nest

Pastel Colours M&M Wreath at Paint Me Pink

How to Make a Paper Flower Wreath at Happy Happy Nester

Spring Floral Hoop Wreath at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Hanging State Sign at Taryn Whiteaker Designs

Book Page Butterfly Wreath at Life is a Party

Spring Basket Wreath at Clean & Scentsible

Simple Succulent Wreath at A Pretty Life

DIY Paper Flower Wreath at My 100 Year Old Home

Spring Plaid Carrot Layered Wreath at Tatertots and Jello

Happy Spring, Everyone!

xo, Laura

Hi Everyone!

Is the weather feeling at all spring like where you are? It really isn’t here so far, and we have more snow in our forecast this weekend. But the days are slowly starting to get longer, and I’ve been starting to lighten up the decor around here; Sure signs that warmer, longer, spring days are on the horizon.

I’m so exciting to be joining Bre from Rooms FOR Rent, and 26 other, uber talented, bloggers to share lots of spring inspired tablescapes with you today.

Don’t miss the sneak peeks and links to all of their beautiful tables at the end of the post. I am blown away by how gorgeous they all are!

Keeping it casual…

Whenever I’m working on a special table setting, I find myself changing up the way I place or fold napkins, and this time, I thought it would be fun to try an informal knot.

I think it’s one of my most favorite napkin ‘folds’ because there’s no reason to stress over perfection.

Because keeping it casual is the whole point.

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It’s both accessible and elegant, which is my favorite type of look, and part of my overall design philosophy, in general.

When toddler cooking mayhem pays off…

We obviously save table settings like this for special occasions and get togethers, but whenever I’m setting one for a blog post, my girls get super excited for me to finish up, so they can plan a ‘fancy’ dinner to surprise Daddy with.

They planned a meal and did the cooking, and it was pretty great, you guys!

Aubrey’s been dying to try her hand at steak, so they did that, with roasted potatoes and asparagus.

They were so excited, and Michael and I were seriously proud. All of their sticky, catastrophically messy, toddler cooking experiments are paying off! Ha!

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Stay up to date!

Don’t forget to sign up for the mailing list, and follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest so you don’t miss out on any new happenings around here!

Isn’t this table setting so perfect for spring? It’s such a versatile look, and I think it works for any number of spring holidays.

The Spring inspiration continues…

And don’t forget to hop around and check out all of the other amazing spring tablescapes being shared today! I mean, I can’t even with all of this gorgeousness.

Rooms FOR Rent | Home Stories A to Z | Maison de Pax | House by Hoff

Craftberry Bush |Amber Tysl | The Turquoise Home | Jennifer Rizzo

Ella Claire | Sincerely, Marie Designs | Modern Glam | The Happy Housie

Shades of Blue Interiors | Paint Me Pink | Shabbyfufu | Nina Hendrick

Zevy Joy | So Much Better With Age | Jenna Kate at Home | Country Girl Home

Maison de Cinq | Crazy Wonderful | French Country Cottage | Home Made Lovely

Pine and Prospect Home | My Sweet Savannah | Willow Street Interiors

Take care, Everyone!

XO, Laura

You Guys!!!! If you’re following along on facebook and instagram, then you’ve probably already heard this news. I’m heading to High Point Market next month along with “with ten of today

Hey there, Guys! If you follow me on Instagram and Facebook, then you probably already know that I’ve been working on a commercial kids play space for the last few months.

Well, it’s finished, and I’m so excited to be sharing this adorable reveal with you all today!

My client first reached out to talk about the project back in October. She told me her hopes for the space, and for her business, and we set up a time to meet to look through everything in person.

The space was vacant and completely raw then, so there was a lot to be done!

My client knew she wanted to have a neighborhood area, a camping area, a play bistro/restaurant, a spot for birthday parties and crafts, a space center, a stage, an ‘adventure’ center, a coffee bar, a small retail store, a woodland themed baby area, a central seating area for parents with views of every corner of the space, a cash wrap, and a spot to sit to take off shoes and store coats.

And it all had to fit in a 3500 square foot room that’s shaped like an irregular hexagon! Here’s the floor plan that I came up with…

And here are some of the real life views!

I decided to keep the retail in the front of the space, beside the cash wrap…

With the shoe and coat storage on the adjacent side…

I pulled in this beautiful birch wallpaper because my client based her business name, Little Seeds, off of the quote, ‘little seeds grow into mighty trees.’

I love the symbolism and the way it reinforces her branding in a pretty and subtle way.

She wanted the space to feel bright, cheerful and whimsical, with a sophisticated overall vibe, and I think we achieved just that!

A funny, little anecdote about this project is, my husband and I first fell in love with indoor play spaces 7 years ago. We were in Germany, with only two kids at the time, and discovered these crazy cool play centers geared towards both kids and adults for the very first time.

Our favorite one had a natural/organic vibe with swanky wooden toys, and a little cafe that sold yummy treats and an amazing assortment gourmet coffees. It also had lots of comfortable seating for parents with vantage points that allowed you to just relax, and watch your kids at the same time.

We left there asking why on earth these weren’t more of a ‘thing’ back home, and wondering if we should start one up – no joke! I told my client about this the first time we spoke, and I got off the phone feeling like this had to be fate, lol!

When we got back from that trip, we went looking for indoor play/cafes, and surprisingly, there were more around than we thought there were. But none of them were nearly as perfect, or as adorable, as the one we’d fallen in love with overseas.

Flash forward 7 years, and here I am, having just designed one, and it’s even sweeter than I had envisioned it would be.

You tend to really be able to let your imagination run wild when it comes to designing for little ones. Plus, my client had some seriously adorable toys and ideas for the types of zones she wanted me to include!

I’ve said it before, but designing spaces for kids is one of my favorite project types, and getting to actually create a space that I’ve been thinking about off and on for so long, has been amazing.

There are so many sweet details in here, you guys.

And I think one of my favorites is this incredible custom gate that I asked Josh from Honorable Contracting to build for us. Amazing, right?

I love this cozy corner for mommas and babies alike, to relax and explore.

I could literally go on and on with all of this cuteness!

But if you’re local, you’ll just have to come in and see the rest…

Because this post is becoming a novella!

Well, guys, I hope you love this whimsical, little space as much as I do!

If you live locally, stop by Little Seeds to see this sweetness in person, and then say hello to the owner, Debbie, for me – she’s amazing!

Little Seeds is located at 25 Taunton Street, Plainville, Massachusetts.

XO, Laura

But despite the busy-ness Christmas can bring, it truly is one of my favorite seasons, and I absolutely love the chance we get, to peek into so many homes decked out for the holidays at this time of year. Each day this week, a new group of talented bloggers are sharing their Christmas homes as part of The Happy Housie’s Seasonal Simplicity Christmas Series and I think you’ll be very inspired! I’m up today, and if you’re visiting me from Danielle over at Finding Silver Pennies, welcome! Danielle is so incredibly talented and I’m excited to be joining her today, along with all of the other ladies you see below!

Tuesday

Sincerely, Marie Designs
Satori Design for Living
Finding Silver Pennies
Willow Street Interiors
Confessions of a Serial DIYer

Happy Happy Nester
Life is a Party
Two Twenty One
Tatertots and Jello

I shared our Christmas tree and our living room all dressed up for Christmas last week, and if you missed that post, you can find it here.

And today, I’m sharing a few festive changes that I made in our kitchen for Christmas this year.

So come on in, and join me on this little tour!

Whenever I’m decorating my kitchen, I like to keep things simple.

I try to display things that you’d typically find in a kitchen anyway, but in a way that feels classic and fresh. [Read more…]

The week after Thanksgiving typically means Christmas house tours in blogland, and I’m excited to be joining a few of my incredibly talented east coast blogging friends for my first tour of the season today!

Jackie, from Finding Lovely, Rachel from The Cultivated Life, and Jenny from Palm and Prep, are all uber talented, and I’m thrilled to be a part of their Coastal Christmas Holiday Home Tour this year!

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