An Update on My Week + Colors Popping Up For Spring

Happy Friday!

Always happy to see Fridays arrive.  This week has been so cold, so staying inside where it is warm and working on projects from my computer as much as possible.

I did get out and do a little shopping for some new clients.

Everyone has new Spring colors and new lines of product out.  I am loving all of the color I am seeing!  Target is debuting a line in Orchid and Blush and Pinks called their Botanic Blush Collection.

You can bring in all of these colors and trends into your home in just small touches.

How about this little Ranunculus and Peony Arrangement in a Gold Vase on a stack of books for your coffee table?  I might be rushing back to Target TODAY to get this!

Or this Purple Faceted Glass Vase can be filled with your own fresh flowers to bring in some warmth on these cold, winter days.

These new ottomans are so HIGH END looking!  The gold plated metal legs are to die for!  Now, I just have to decide if I buy one for myself, or for a client.

Let's not forget the natural whites!  My favorites at Target right now!  They are killing it with the natural woods and bright whites and creams and woven basket texture.  And they go with any style. The key to doing an all NEUTRAL decor scheme is TEXTURE.  And, once again, Target nailed it with various textures in the pillows, throws, and accessories. 

There are TOO MANY pieces in this collection that I LOVE, I just can't possibly show you all of them.

Other collections I am swooning over...

White and Gold Decor Collection

Nate Berkus Spring 2014 Collection for Target

I always love what Nate Berkus brings to the table for Target.  He has some crazy things sometimes, but it is always uber chic!  And it is nice to see a little more of a 'manly' side to some of the decor at Target. 

Like this Gold Table Lamp and Decorative Woven Pillow with Side Fringe.  Who doesn't love side fringe?!?

Speaking of Fringe....

Nate Berkus Fringed Decorative Pillow

Okay, let's get back on track...

So, as I was saying, Target has once again nailed it with staying on trend!  Thank you Target for being more and more fabulous everyday! 

But I think the BIGGEST color trend I am seeing for Spring is INDIGO!  I have always loved this deep, rich subdued navy color.  And it is everywhere right now.  Think of it as the new neutral.

(Have I ever mentioned that I like to be ahead of the trends versus jumping on the trend bandwagon?!?  Well take a look at my sister's bedroom I did for her 3 years ago -- INDIGO!!)

It's all over Pottery Barn.

And at World Market.

A close up of the wonderful Ikat print on this cloth napkin.

And the great thing about this napkin is -- it's REVERSIBLE!  So you get double the pattern at a low price.

I am thinking about framing these napkins and using them as kitchen decor for a client.  Kind of like this!

And West Elm. 

And basically everywhere else I shop.  I have a lot of great go-to shopping places close to me, but don't forget about online shopping.  Most stores have online exclusives, so if you aren't on-line shopping, you might be missing some really great items and deals! 

And in other news for the week.  I finished up a design plan for a client. 

I gave them two different color options.  The first has Coral as an accent color, where the second choice is to have Green as an accent color.

The husband is from Argentina and the couple wed in Argentina.  So I had to bring in some Argentinian flair and flavor to the project!  They liked the option with the Green accent color.

The overall plan here is that the clients are getting their Oak kitchen cabinets painted white!  Woohoo!  So excited for them.  New granite countertops.  All of the walls are getting painted a soft gray.  Maybe a soft blue in the kitchen.  To be determined.  A bold accent wall in the living room on the fireplace wall with light and dark gray stripes.  A gallery wall above the tv with new bookcases.  And lots of other fun stuff in between!

Have a great weekend!  Stay warm in this Polar Vortex.  View from my office.  I shiver just looking outside!

all Target, World Market, and West Elm images are from their website

2014 Resolutions and The Best of 2013!

2013 was an amazing year for me.

I hope 2014 will hold even more amazing events for me! 

What a year!!!  I can't believe 2013 is already here and gone!  I remember thinking about celebrating my 1st year wedding anniversary last year at this time, and now my 2nd anniversary is in the near future.  It really was a great year for me.  There were so many memorable moments, I can't choose just one that was the best!  

In March I became an Aunt!  It was the longest 24 hours of my life as I sat at that hospital waiting, pacing, and praying for her arrival.  She is such an amazing little person to be around and I am blessed to have my own business and work schedule where I can drive just 10 minutes to her house to see her whenever I want! 

They say the hardest year of marriage is the first year, but for us, it flew by! My husband and I have a blast being together and celebrating life together!  We spent an amazing 1 Year Wedding Anniversary in Louisville, KY!!

In October of 2013, I gained a sister when my brother got married.  It was the most beautiful beach wedding in Charleston, SC. 

Not only did I start Jessica Stout design full-time from home (which is a HUGE accomplishment for 2013) but I also started Refurbish and Refinish. 

My shop within an Antique Mall that specializes in repainting antique furniture, vintage furniture, and second-hand items.  It's a creative outlet for me to sell my craft pieces, paint furniture, and create new home decor items for customers. 

Some of my own personal New Year Resolutions/DIY projects/Goals for 2014:

(in no specific order and no order of importance) 

1.  Home Office Makeover

I've made some improvements over the last few months now that I am working from home.  But it is time to complete the project and get totally organized in my home office.

2.   Guest Bedroom Makeover

It is the only room in my home that I haven't really done anything with.  I threw in some side tables left from my college house, bought two new throw pillows initially for a pop of color that I still love, and that was about it.  I want to change out the ceiling lighting, add some kind of DIY headboard, maybe new curtains (test out my sewing skills, maybe), DIY art for the walls......etc.  My intentions for this space is to give it a major makeover, top to bottom, while doing everything myself, everything DIY, and test out a lot of new ideas I have. 

3.  Guest Bath Makeover.

Maybe some new DIY artwork.  I haven't done a lot in this bathroom so it is time to freshen it up.  When we first moved in we painted the white walls beige, I hung a pretty cool industrial shelf that I still like above the toilet, I made some really cheap artwork with dictionary pages, and that was it.  The goal is to just change it up a bit and add some pizzazz to the space.  The mirror is a builder grade flat piece of mirror that I would love to frame out.  So maybe a DIY tutorial project there!

4.  Master Bath Makeover

I have done nothing in this space!  Nothing!!  Well, I have some pretty towels hanging in there, but seriously, that is IT!  I would love to paint, or not paint and keep the white walls.  Still deciding.  But it needs artwork on the walls.  Maybe stencil something on the walls?!?!  Just some simple things to freshen up the space.  Bigger projects I have in mind for the Master Bath -- frame out the builder grade mirror and change out the lighting. The lighting in there is hideous!  If I can't figure out a way to change that look of it without replacing it, then it will be changed completely!

5.  DIY Reclaimed Wood Mirror

I've been holding out on buying a floor mirror for my master bedroom for a few months now.  Actually since June of 2013 to be exact, when I painted and decorated the space.  I always wanted to make a reclaimed wood floor length mirror for the space instead of spending well over $100 on buying one.  So, this is definitely on the list!  A must do!  

6.  Get my husband's Man-Cave back in order.

I used a lot of items in the bookshelves of the man-cave around the house for Christmas.  So when all of those items get put back into the space, it will be a great time to freshen up the space.  I am thinking of a DIY artwork project using some photography I took in October in Charleston, SC.  I would LOVE to change out the lighting in there as well with something new and fun, and INEXPENSIVE!

7.  DIY Rug

I have always wanted to paint my own rug.  I'm not sure where I would put it, maybe in the man cave or use it in my antique booth, but either way, it is on my list of things to try!

8.   DIY Kids Kitchenette 

I promised my niece I would make her a play kitchen for her 1st Birthday!  I only have 2 months to get this completed!  And that doesn't seem like a lot of time..... I have been looking at some closely online and it seems like A LOT of work!  I'm not sure if I have all of the tools available that I would need to make this happen.  So this goal might be a little far fetched this year!  Next year?

9.  New Blog Design/Branding

Now that I have my own business (full-time) I want to focus more on my brand, my overall look of my blog, and make it the best it can be! (maybe rename my company?!?!)

10.  Learn, Learn, Learn!

I love to learn about new things and my goal this year is to continue learning about everything!  I want to learn everything I can about blogging.  I want to learn more about building and wood working skills.  I want to learn more about growing a successful company.  I want to learn more about other bloggers and how to network with them.  I want to continue to learn about interior design, trends of the new year, and give my clients the best possible designs! You can never stop learning!

11.  Kitchen Update

I have been dying to put in a back splash in our kitchen.  This just might be the year that gets accomplished!

Overall, my goal this year (for my own home) is to TRY and DO a lot more DIY projects!  This is the year I will learn new traits, new skills, and hone in on my DIY skills! 


What do you want to see JSD accomplish this year?  Any DIY projects or posts you would like to see me do?  

New Years Eve 2014!

This year's New Years Eve party was more about comfort and family than sparkly dress and big party!

 I rang in the New Year at my sister's house with some of our closest friends and a whole bunch of cousins.  I wanted to give this small event a little surprise and an activity that gets better as the night goes on, so what better way to do that than a photo booth!  I created a DIY photo booth with props and a backdrop that was easy and a big hit to make the night more memorable. 

There are lots of ideas on Pinterest for DIY Photo Booth backdrops and props but I kept it super easy with just some butcher paper as the backdrop.  (see my Parties! board on Pinterest for more ideas) 

Out of all of the free printable props I found on Pinterest, I liked these by Erin of Strawberry Mommycakes for I Heart Nap Time the best! 

I just downloaded the files, printed, cut them out, and attached them to some wood kabob sticks I already had lying around the kitchen. 

These are our props that we ended up with!

For the back drop, we just taped up two sheets of butcher paper, which can be found in huge rolls at your local hardware store.  It was taped directly to the wall with masking tape for easy removal.  We used a sharpie to print our title of choice directly onto the butcher paper.  (we double checked to be sure the Sharpie didn't bleed through!  It didn't!) 

We kept it simple with just "Happy New Year" and taped up some gold metallic balloons at the top.  We also used the Sharpie to write 2014 on the balloons.  

 

I also used the butcher paper to cover the bar top (easy clean-up).  This way you can write fun things on the paper, the name of the event, or even have guests write on the paper throughout the night.  I used it to label the food items with arrows!

 

We played some group games!

My niece celebrated her first NYE!

But overall, the Photo Booth was my favorite part of the night! Other than kissing my hubby at midnight! :-)

 

Next year we might have to make the backdrop a little bit bigger!  Some of my cousins are a little too tall for this one! 

 

The fun thing about a Photo Booth?  The pictures get more and more interesting as the night goes on!

Our Stay-at-Home New Years Eve 2014 Slumber Party was a hit! And the DIY Photo Booth made it just that much more memorable. 

Cheers to 2014!

Follow My Blog!

If you thought I had some great stories and projects in 2013, wait until this year!  I have so much planned for this year, you will definitely want to be up to date on all of my latest posts, projects, and design plans!

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