This craftsman kitchen was so much fun to design! My favorite things are the black “leather” counter tops on the outlying cabinets vs. the white marble of the island. (Note: no island seam! I did it! I found a 12 foot slab of the exact marble we needed!) Be sure to check out my interpretation of a modern “butler’s pantry.” It’s the shelving that leads to the pantry. I added a swinging door to keep it super fun and interesting. And, I know you won’t believe it, but I trash picked the table and chairs! Check back later for the video showing how I saved the table, and of course, the chairs have a secret too.

I love working with teens because they know what they want and they aren’t afraid to break rules. How much fun would it be to hang out here? The best part of this room is we ditched the headboard in favor of a colorful map tapestry.

I call this “elevated college dorm.” It has all the freedom of a room you decorated all on your own, but is pulled together using color and collections. And yes, a collection can be as simple as the green Perrier bottles on the sofa table, which for our purposes has been converted into a desk.

Don’t be afraid to have fun with design!

And find a way to display what your client loves…it makes a house a home!

Powder rooms are small spaces, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have a big design impact. Here, our super modern vanity steals the show with it’s clean, sleek look. I accessorized with a silver fruit collection, a fun take on the old fruit bowl.

Still deciding what to do with the walls. Until then, I’m happy!

My pics from the Philadelphia Flower Show prove there’s an outside trend in the making: Organic Garden Walls. I loved this one made from fresh cut logs, and filled in with various garden plants. (By that, I mean, I have no idea what the varieties are called!) And anyone who knows me, knows I love to decorate with sticks (seriously). This just takes it to a different level.

Here’s a second option with thick vertical branches. Also, awesome.

Finally, copper is not only the color of the moment for interior decorating, it’s amazing outside as well. Love the shine the copper sheets bring to the garden.

So, the vase obsession, or lack of vases, continues. A year with no flowers, and now, we’re rotting with them. We’re getting tired of looking at our improvised glass milk jar vases. Enter burlap. I’m still not over the burlap/twine trend.

So while we have no vases, we do have burlap. This time, I wrapped it around a empty can. You can either hot glue or pin it, whichever is easier. Viola! Vase crisis averted.

Okay, I’ve become attached to the Crazy Garage Wreath, which I rescued from the trash. I just had to see it up close. And when I saw it up close, I kind of fell in love with it. And when I dropped over it over our Buddha Baby, I felt like it had found the perfect home.

So for the time being (until I regain my sanity), the Crazy Garage Wreath makes me smile every time I open the door.

I’m not as Black Friday crazy as some of my friends, but these adorable doors just make me want to go inside and get something. I mean, if their taste in doors is this good, there has to be something in there for me! The store is Charming Charlie and it’s worth a trip just to go through the door!

Outdoor Thanksgiving displays are simply pared down Halloween displays. Get rid of the the scary and keep the orange. I love this rusty, metal flower pot holder that I trash picked. (If I was being fancy, that would be “rustic” instead of “rusty.” But trust me, it’s rusty.)

I found some Daisy Squash at my local farmers, for .50 a piece. So for $3.00,and a strand of fake leaves I’ve had forever, I was done. Bonus: my farmer tells me when I’m bored of the display, I can cook the Daisy Squash with butter and brown sugar at 350 degrees for an hour. He swears it’s delicious. I’ll get back to you on that.

P.S. this is what it looked like when I found it on the curb. Who could have thrown it away???!

What’s a girl to do when she spies a jar of popcorn kernels and she’s not quite sure how long they’ve been in the cabinet? Decorate with them of course.

Glassware is the quickest and fanciest way to decorate. I grabbed two wine glasses, poured the kernels in and dropped in a tea candle. Presto! I’m in the Thanksgiving state of mind.

Square lamp shades continue to be my obsession. And a hot design trend. You can find them for table tops
and even wall scones.

These are from the super high end luxury lighting source Currey & Company. Something to dream about. Until then,
I’m happy to hunt for the knock off versions in my favorite bargain stores!

This caught my eye -how creative is this for an autumn flower display?

The finished product is amazing. Love creative minds!

One of my favorite things to do (ok, everything’s my favorite), is to mix things up. So of course, I dropped a big pipe cleaner spider (you can never have too many) right on top of these elegant flowers. Unexpected, and loved by everyone who saw them! (except for the guys who were like, “oh, somebody put a spider on some flowers.”)

I also adore draping drug store webbing all over elegant furniture and homes. These pics are behind the scenes of a new web show I’m hosting called Holiday Insider.

Give you more info when I have it!

The best thing about the hotel house (for those of you new to the blog, this is what I loving call the rental home we are living in while we try to figure out if we can ever rebuild our home), is that it’s pared way down. Only the stuff you need. All my decorating traditions have to be re-invented (again), and these curtain ghosts just make me smile. It was crafting at first site. The moment I saw the windows last March, I knew this was going to happen if we were still here at Halloween.

So cute, and done in under seven minutes. I know because I looked at the clock in horror. I wanted to have these done to surprise Brenna when she woke up for school. Too much GMA, and I was under the gun. No worries. I only needed black felt, tape and scissors. I free hand cut the circles, taped them to the curtains, and waited for the giggles. Overall, a great morning. And by the way, this was how it all started.

The last time we saw our pumpkins, they were on top of a pile of pumpkins that had been carved for a candlelit walk called Canal-o-ween.

When it got dark, we headed out to Canal-o-ween to see how the whole thing turned out.

We weren’t disappointed. Going back next year, with or without teenagers!

So this year’s Halloween decor started off with a box of cast of stuff from my Mom. In the box were a handful of black ornaments. Now, one the commandments that I usually follow is that ornaments are only for Christmas. But beggars can’t be choosy. I threw these up on the brass chandelier that I have always hated in the hotel house, and suddenly, I liked it, I really liked it. I would never have done this at my old house (or any place I have lived really). And now I wonder why I was being such a snob. It’s really cute, and even sometimes feels chic.

Who knew? Have the courage to break your traditions!

Okay, this family gets lots of points for this guy. I loved his height, his burlap-like garb– basically everything about him. Just wouldn’t want to see him alone at night.

Who doesn’t love a snowman pumpkin? Even though I’m sick of Frozen, I loved this!

Somethings in life are just worth paying for. An Olillo handbag is one of those things. If you haven’t heard of Olillo yet, you will. They just launched this week with seven amazing styles, designed by seven amazing women. Proceeds from each sale go to support the charitable causes of each woman. Can you say “handbag charity?” Heaven!

Each of the women behind the bags has an incredible story and a noble cause. Simply put, Olillo is luxury with soul. How great is that?

Any woman whose ever carried a bag, knows it’s more than just a bag. The genius design team at Olillo figured that out, and upped the soul factor. Each bag is more fantastic than the one before, and the stories behind them are even more amazing. Worth saving your pennies for! Curious? Check them out at www.Olillo.com.

But they’re not cheap. If you are going to splurge on one luxury item this lifetime, it should be on Olillo. Buy an Olillo handbag and help change the world!

This amazing pumpkin tower is on my to try list. It does mean making a new friend who can actually show me how to do it. I think it would be super cute in a school yard.

You know I love art that comes home from school more than anything! So I was crazy about what my friend Karen did in her daughter Gracie’s room.

Karen stole the idea from…herself! She used to be a teacher and this is how she decorated her classroom with her students’ work. She simply hung yarn securely, and used clothespins to hang whatever came home from school.

The best part is the art changes all the time. Eventually Gracie will decide what goes up and down….and art will probably be replaced by One Direction!

My favorite new thing this fall is my brother Dave’s wishing well fountain. Of course, he made it himself. (See Garden Gift Bags for more on him). I love that it is so rustic and fun, and nothing like the style of everyone else in our family.

He made it from an old water pump my Grandfather had, and I’m guessing, some type of new electric water pump from Home Depot or Lowe’s. I didn’t ask because I knew I wasn’t taking these project on anytime soon. (Why would I, if I could just get Dave to make it?) Or, maybe he made the pump too. It’s possible.

Wishing wells remind me of those days as a kid when you could toss a penny and a dream could come true…

I guess we’ve both grown up…look what Dave is wishing for these days!