Terry’s Fabrics offers everything from custom blinds to gorgeous curtain fabrics, fabulous rugs, a wonderful array of bedding, lovely housewares and much more. So be sure to stop by and  shop around a bit!

To see the full interview go to Terry’s Fabrics.

The new and improved layout.

There hasn’t been a whole lot in the way of fashion here on the blog lately because we are knee deep in this project right here. We finally decided to go through with our kitchen renovation, a project that was long looming over our heads. Our house had gone through a major renovation before we purchased it. Unfortunately, that renovation fell short of the kitchen. Not to say they didn’t attempt to update it, it was put together with all of the reject pieces from Home Depot and Lowes. After doors and cabinets began to fall off the walls we decided we could procrastinate no longer.

Living in Hawaii you don’t get a whole lot of bang for your buck so to speak. We were already working with a pretty small space and it was hard to imagine how we were going to maximize that space to make it work for our family. The current layout didn’t really allow for much more storage space so I decided to extend the counter out into the living room and also make a wrap around space along the wall in the back. It’s amazing how these two little tweaks alone made the space look so much bigger (bigger for Hawaii standards I should say).

High on my list was a breakfast bar for the kids. Our dining room table has taken several hits over the years. It was never meant for everyday messy eating. More as a table you’d gather around for Sunday night family dinners or during Thanksgiving, Christmas and other special events. Not a wise choice for small space living I will say. But it is what it is and we made do with what we had. I don’t think it will be passed down as a great family heirloom after its abuse. Getting back to the counter, our architect added additional storage space at the breakfast bar. I finally have a place to store those Christmas Pottery Barn dishes and serving pieces that rarely see the light of day.

Here are a few things I’ve learned about renovating anything. It is NEVER confined to the room you’re renovating no matter how big your efforts might be, it affects every, single room in your home and probably your yard and garage too. If they say it will take two days, it will take two weeks, maybe even two months and if we keep heading this way it might take two years. Nature of the beast friends. I’ll be sharing more in depth detail of these projects in the weeks to come.

Need decor for the little girl in your life? Well if she likes pink, this might be the room for her. All of the above items are available at Land of Nod. This store has such fun bedding options for both girls and boys. The ruffle Fade to pink is a look that could transition to a tween room as well with the right accessories. So I would consider it a great investment piece.

• The Fade to Pink bedding has a lovely ruffle detail that gradually turns from light pink to dark pink. Which is nice, especially if your daughter is anything like mine and owns several variations of pink accessories in her room. It’s a great way to pull it all together.
• Bonjour Throw Pillow in pink comes from the Confectionery collection but it also works very well with the Fade to Pink Bedding.
• I adore this darling Fashionista Throw Pillow, it comes from the Fashionista collection which is also very sweet.
• The Modern Gold Clip reading light would not only work fabulously in a little girls room you could even add this one to the Master Bedroom.
• Mix the modern look of the lamp along with a classic Chime and Chime alarm clock in pink.
• Last we have another throw pillow in a gold pinstripe that will compliment the gold lamp.

Stop by and visit all of the fun and fabulous bedding ensembles at Land of Nod.

It’s back to school time already! Some of you may either be heading off to college or preparing to send your kids off to college. I’ve come up with a few dorm room essentials for you today to get a fun room started.

• Truth be told, it’s been quite some time since my college days but I might just put this cute print from Hair Brain Schemes on my wall.
• I thought these Wayfair Subway Tile bath towels were a cool addition that goes really well with the
• Paz duvet set from Essenza bedding.
• Desk lamp, must have! Bonus, it is only $8 at Target.
• I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I didn’t gain the freshman 15! Why? I didn’t have any money to eat or drink lavishly. Geez, college is expensive people. However, I can definitely see the need for a book like The Dorm Room Diet by Daphne Oz to keep those eating habits in check.
• Hamper to bring all your clothes home to mom on the weekend.
• Space in a dorm is sparse (usually) but a little poof doesn’t take up much space and will add interest to a bland room.
• Trendy trash can to match the bed.
• Vibrant toaster if it’s allowed.

What are some of your dorm room favorites?

My husband so generously bought me new office furniture for my birthday! Woohoo! I owned a very crippled desk from Walmart but no judgement, it worked just fine for the last five years. Of course this means I really need to take that office update seriously, there are no excuses this time. It was formerly a room full of mishmoshed items that didn’t work well at all together until now. I didn’t really want to make the effort of decorating since it frustrated me beyond belief.

At the sake of not going totally crazy with updates (it’s been a spendy year already with that flood..ugh) these are few minor ones that I’ve come up with. I’m in dire need of wall art and can’t really decide what exactly I want but I’m thinking a collage of some sort. The Love print from Made by Girl was one that really stood out. I adore the simplicity and it would work fabulously in any collage. Polyvore sent me on an amazing trip to NYC this summer and it really renewed my love for the city so the NYC Rifle print is one of my top picks.

Everyone needs an accent chair and Target is one of the more inexpensive places to find one. I plan to finish it off with an Everyday I’m Hustling pillow because let’s be honest, once school starts that will be the truth every single day!

What have you updated lately.

The Banana Leaf fabric is one of my favorites right now and the best part is that it fits my tropical surroundings perfectly. One of my number one design rules is to design spaces around your environment.  We are still in the process of repairing our bedroom after the flood and since it’s already bringing on some pretty big changes, I’m ready for a whole new look with the bedding as well! For this look I mixed the banana leaf print with some pink pillows and added a gold polka dot throw for the final detail.

I always stick with a plain white comforter or duvet since it provides a simple way to update your bedding ensemble with pillows and throw blankets. I’m a creature of habit so  I don’t make a lot of changes but this does give me the option. Last week I found a few pillows that I love from a store called Kapeesoh! They have the perfect tropical pillows in several fabulous colors and patterns. I’m not 100% certain I’ll use them for our Master Bedroom but they are sure to find a home somewhere in this house. See that look here!

Which look would you choose?

Do you ever get into one of those moods where you just want to simplify life and throw out all of the clutter? Well I’ve certainly gotten to that point in recent weeks. I’ve never been one to hold on to tons of things but somehow in the craziness of raising two kids that have packed schedules, I’ve somehow gained some clutter that I cannot WAIT to get rid of. We had a little flood in our master bedroom and that has prompted me to take serious action. I’m starting with my daughters room, it is small so that is the first problem, it doesn’t take a whole lot of time to become out of control so that is one of my first summer projects.

It’s always a little harder to include the kids during a serious purge of belongings but I think it is a valuable lesson to be a part of that process. They can feel good about passing along those toys to children who are less fortunate while also making more room so that they can enjoy their space again because lets be honest, things don’t make you happy and it is just as true for the kiddos and sometimes we forget that.

Here is just one of the concepts I’ve come up with for her new room to make it as light and airy without the clutter. Simple white comforter with two accent colors in minty blue and pink.

How often do you clean out the clutter?