Furniture layout...big or small space, you've gotta nail this!

Pay attention! This is an important one. There are a whole lot of ways to skin a kitty on this one but there is only one rule. It may be the golden rule in furniture layout or it may just be my own golden rule, I'm not real sure but here she goes....

CREATE A CONVERSATION AREA. Make it intimate, no matter if your space is huge or if it's small and you have no choice in it being intimate. I hear a lot of excuses for bad furniture layout! "we need every seat in the space facing the TV" or "my space is too small to fit any furniture" or "I have a long living room, how can I divide it up" or, and I love this one "there are too many windows in my living room and no space to put the furniture" WHAT?!? Never complain about having too much light!!

In response to some of these main dilemmas I have found some images of layout solutions that I hope will inspire some ideas!

One of the easier no brainer ways to create a conversation space is to layout your area symmetrically. This establishes balance, organizes the space and means you don't need to spend a lot of time trying to reinvent the wheel.

BELOW: I like this layout because it makes a great conversation area and also addresses the two major concerns of everyone needing to see the TV and having enough seating for a big family. It has become very trendy and also very functional to use benches as extra seating. It also visually squares off the area and although your kids are not going to sit and watch TV on them, they are great to pull up to the coffee table for extra guest seating.

VIA: Pinterest

VIA: Pinterest

BELOW: This layout allows for lots of seating without having to commit to buying a sectional. Having two sofas is less of a commitment if you decide you want to break apart the room later or rearrange for a fresh look down the line. For an alternative layout, the couch facing the fireplace could switch places with the two chairs and it would function well this way too.

Get out my bag, It's time to show you off!!

There's really no need to be too snobby about a wallet. Having a nice bag is one thing but a super fancy wallet hiding in your purse might be spending money on the wrong kind of accessory. However, it is a bigger must to have a wallet that suites your needs! Do you carry a ton of receipts, a checkbook (I know I am dating myself), lots of change and cards or are you a minimalist? It's gotta function for you. And if the price is right you can afford to change it out for the season. This spring, I came across my new wallet for summer!! And now its time I share it because I am loving it! 

The brand, "Spartina" was started in South Carolina and is growing fast! I love their fun fabrics and their practical shapes and sizes. 

This is the wallet I bought recently. It is the Wrist Wallet and retails for just $42.00 and comes in most of their fun patterns! I love that it has the wrist strap so I can carry it by itself sometimes. 

Spring bling in colors you'll want to eat!

Well by now you all know I love to throw in some fashion finds when I diverge from the subject of decorating... Sometimes it time to work a little magic on thyself. So, I am going show you a couple great finds that I have succumbed to or that are on my list for summer. 

First off, my youngest boy Vince just got out of school for good this week... On my last day of freedom for a bit I decided I was gonna set out to get myself something fun. I ended up purchasing this very cool  bright yellow enamel ring set at Nordstrom!

This is from the Ariella Collection at Nordstrom. The set of 3 rings is only $38.00 and they come in an array of colors. It was hard to decide! I may just have to get another set at that price (or maybe just some lotion for those hands, gees)! 

These  rings come in 8 different colors!! Here are some of the colors I loved...

A Letter to My Daughter

Today you are 6! Happy Birthday Stell-belle. Today you get your own "letter", inspired in part by this excerpt below from "Bossypants" by the very funny Tina Fey.

A Mother's Prayer for Her Child

“First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.
May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.
When the Crystal Meth is offered, may she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.
Guide her, protect her when crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.
Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels. What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.
May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.
Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen.Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.
O Lord, break the Internet forever, that she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.
And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.
And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back. “My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.
Amen.”
-Tina Fey

"Shut the front door," these will blow your doors off!

Your front door is the first thing that your guests see before they enter your house and the last thing unwanted solicitors see when you shut it in their face. Point is, make an impression with it! Our house is black and white. Perfect opportunity for a bold red door. I'm not talking about your grandma's maroon color red. I'm talking "Rave Red" by Sherwin Williams! Boom! "Don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya"... I really need to stop posting at wine o'clock!

Buyers remorse? Never!!!

I'm not a purchaser who keeps the tags on long. I don't make a whole lot of returns... maybe even a tad dangerously over confident when it comes to home purchases. None of this means I am always right or that it is the best decision for the space I had in mind! And although I seldom regret buying something I like, I may move it around several times before I find the right spot for it! 

Where I struggle is marrying practicality and function with something I am excited to look at everyday. I have posted a couple times about our home office. We have spent a lot of time making it the way we want it and now that I spend more time in there writing to all of you, I find myself obsessing about it. After all, since I write more in there, I drink more wine in there and next thing you know it's like a lounge I have to love frequenting:) Pipe in the music, please!

Long story short. We needed a console area behind our desk to hold the computer "stuff". After searching for awhile and knowing our computer was coming any day, we decided on this modular system from Crate & Barrel. That could have been one of the reasons for my remorse because I feel like you can always find a better deal than furniture from Crate & Barrel! But alas, it was perfect for it's function and is gray which would go with our black and white office. But as soon as I got it in there, I wasn't feeling it... It seemed a little too plain and "office-like" for the look I'm going for in there. 

A few months back I started accenting with gold in the room. So I decided to doctor up my gray modular shelving and add gold to liven it up a little. Oh man, please let this turn out!! I am about to super glue spray painted hardware pieces to my Crate & Barrel purchase! My husband was looking at me the entire time like "don't f this up"!!

Here is what it looked like before!