Home Tour!!

I made the announcement on my other blog this week that I am officially starting Grad school this fall!!
I'll be getting my Masters in Professional Counseling!

What does that mean for this blog??
Well at first I thought it meant that I'd have to stop blogging (and lets face it I haven't been so swift lately anyway) but the I started thinking about my college days and spending lots of time on the computer (and I'm taking online classes) and I figure I'll be procrastinating a good bit, so there will probably be LOTS of posts to come!

I'll be working full time AND going to school full time.  I'm slightly nervous, but super excited to get started and on the track to a career that I actually want/feel called to do.  You can read more about it on my personal blog.
Oh and I just got my first professional job as a wedding planner!  Wedding is in June! I'm so excited, more about that later!!

Now lets get on with the home tour!!
I finally broke down and took pictures of the entire house, regardless of it's "readiness".
It is what it is.... and I won't have time for decorating starting August 20th.

I will say that it's so totally different decorating your own house as opposed to someone else's/ finding ideas on pinterest.
I have so many personal things that I have been saving and collecting for years that I can't stand the thought of not having.... so my house gets a little - crowded if you will.
I think I'd call my style... flea market chic.

But we love it and I can't wait to share with you, quirks and all.
I'm going to start with the main room when you walk in the door, the dining and living area.

As soon as you walk in the front door, there is one large open room that I have converted into a duo living/dining area.   It's pretty tricky to do this, especially I'm finding with what to hang on the walls.  In the dining room I have a few random mirrors propped against the wall and I love the way they look.  They look much better in person, and I'm still looking for an even  BIGGER mirror to add to the collection.

I love the look of mismatched chairs, done purposefully. My friend Kristen gave me this table and I've collected chairs from thrift stores and yard sales.  The chair on the left end was FREE! :) 

Coke and Sprite bottles from my two trips to St. Vincent and the Tobago Cays.  I have a thing for glass Coke bottles and these are very special to me because of the great memories from the trips.  I think of the sea turtles every time I see them.

A view to see how the apartment is laid out. 

Vintage school desk I bought for $5!  and original art work by yours truly.... of what else - Grenada!

Moving into the living room.  This couch is so awesome.  We bought it on clearance for $300 at Value City Furniture.  It has beautiful lines and the upholstery isn't grey... it has a slight pattern to it!

What would you call this?? At first I thought herringbone, but no?

A collection of my favorite things!
I know the book shelf is a little too small and this looks a little cluttered.  But.... I haven't found another one!

 Rocker from a yard sale, came already this color.
Globes, keys, cameras, frames, mirrors, and books!
perfect!
See the slight zebra print in the background of the shelf?? Tissue paper I glued on for just a tad of drama.

TV area.  This too has a story.  The TV is on a little table, and there is another table with the front legs removed on top of the TV acting as a shelf so I could have a lamp on this wall!

And of course suitcases and plants.
Note I don't have curtains.... or don't note.  I'm still on that mission.

Coffee table with tiles I found on the beaches of Grenada....
in a bowl I found on the side of the road in Grenada!! love it.

My Grenada area.  This picture kinda sucks.... the lighting is tough to work with in here, ok?
This corner is patiently waiting for the perfect chair to go in it too...

This shelf came bolted on the wall and I hated it. hated it.  We're renting so couldn't remove it.... so I found it to be the perfect place to display alllllllllllllllllllllll my shells and sea finds from Grenada!!! Obsessed much??
And to the right is a Cricket bat I found on the beach one day too!!!
How did I get all this stuff home??? lol.  I left all my clothes and shoes behind ;) 

 

So there you have it.  My Parisian, Caribbean, thrift store mash-up.... in Michigan.

Help me go to Grenada

If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time you will know that my heart lays in Grenada.
I spent two {incredibly fast} years there living and loving the people and that precious island.
I want more than anything to go back!
And there is a contest going on right now that you can help me win a free ticket and hotel!!!

Discover Grenada and Caribbean Airlines are  giving away two trips and I want my friend Amber and I to be the winners and you can help!

I know you get bombarded with stuff like this, trust me I understand.... but I'm not asking for money I'm just {begging} asking for you to take 5 seconds out of your day to click on this link and vote for me!

VOTE HERE! 

It would mean so so so much to me and I will be forever grateful and you will basically make me the happiest girl on earth. 
and if you're really nice you could tell your friends to vote for me too...

I need 800 votes.... and I've been averaging about 400 page views per day so that would be totally do-able, right?! yes! have faith!!! we can start a movement. a send Kelsey and Amber to Grenada movement!! join me!

VOTE!! 


ps. I was totally going to do a giveaway or something to spur on votes... but I found out that was illegal. dang. 

Hardware store adventure

I did a post on my Grenada blog all about the stores here in Grenada where you can find crafting supplies.  
There is a fabric store, there is a tiny store where you can buy beads and jewelry makings, and then there is the hardware store.

The hardware store is home to a lot of gem's one might not normally find.... because you aren't looking with the right mindset.  Grenada has changed the way I look at everything!

I have been joking with my friends that Grenadians think that I am insane.  They see me coming and think what is this crazy white girl doing today.

Case in point:
I was wasting some time waiting on a bus at the hardware store last week.  I was roaming up and down every single aisle looking for inspiration in anything and everything.  In the back corner I stopped to examine the area where they cut keys.  Keys are a favorite thing of mine (what isn't right?) and so I was looking at them and an employee approached me and asked if I needed assistance... here is the convo:
How much is a key?  
Which key? - any key
You just want a key? - yes
A automobile key is $20EC -  yikes! do you have any mistake keys?  Keys you have cut and the person didn't buy?
You want a key that doesn't work? - sure
*pulls out a box of damaged keys* - yes! how much are those keys?
I have no idea... let me ask someone
*3rd person enters*
She wants a damaged key? - yes
Why? - I like to make things.  I think I could hang it on a necklace or put it on a picture
.....................
I guess you can have one. - for free?!
Yes...

And that is how the exchange went.  Two Grenadian men think I am crazy, but I got 2 free damaged automobile keys out of it! :)

They're about 3 inches long.  I haven't decided what to do with them yet, I think I'm going to paint them and hang them on a chain.  I'll be sure to let you know.

Have you gotten anything damaged from a store for free before?? Have you ever thought about asking for damaged keys?  It's worth a try!  This is something I will for sure be trying again!

Decorating J-O-B

Last week I had the awesome opportunity to help a couple who are professors at my husband's school decorate their home!

They heard I studied interior decorating and asked me to come over and give them a few tips and I was more than willing to help.

The couple recently decided to move to Grenada long-term and shipped some of their most precious belongings to remind them of their time spent in Africa, but were clueless as to how to use them.

They faced similar issues as me with living in a rental home made of concrete.  Drilling holes and painting weren't an option and on top of that the home came pre-furnished and buying anything new was out of the question.

I went over to their house for about an hour, asked a few questions, snapped a few pictures, and came home to prepare an action plan.

I knew the wife loved their African tribal print fabrics, the husband really liked colorful, modern designs over the natural African look, and they were in serious need of some storage (without buying anything new).

Also, the main room of the house serves as living room, dining room, kitchen, office, and guest room... all in one large rectangular space. 

I drew up some floor plans, created a few 3-D images of what I wanted their room to look like, and gathered some inspiration images.

They were so easily impressed by my ideas it was amazing!  If I do go into this as a career someday remind me to work with the over 50 crowd ;)

Ok so enough chatter, here are the pictures!

the layout of the room. 
The only change I made was to move the office area and to create a new reading/guest sleeping area.

This 3-D rendering was created using mydeco.com to give the client a visual of the reading area because they were having trouble picturing it.
It didn't turn out exactly like this, but they got the idea.

This is what we started with.

As I said they had a lot of fabrics from African that they wanted to use.  Since a framer is out of the question, I taped the fabric to pieces of cardboard.  Taping it prevents the fabric from being damaged and the cardboard allows it to be hung on the wall easily.

Another little trick I came up with was to use a pashmina scarf to create a pillow case.  The home came with a pair of green plaid pillows that did not match anything, but the client had several scarves and wraps.  I wrapped the pillow in the scarf and tied it decoratively.

I didn't end up using this pillow (way too many prints going on) but I really like how it turned out and I think I'll be using this trick in the future!

Ok and here are the before and afters!

I moved the office area across the room and used this corner, which was a much larger space, as a reading area and to serve as a sleeping area for guests.  It is a 1 bedroom apartment and before they just had a twin sized bed behind their sofa in the living room.  This gives the bed and space purpose and provided lots of wall space to use some of their tribal print fabrics.

The zebra, giraffe, and other piece are all 3 fabrics wrapped around cardboard as well.

The larger prints were too large and heavy to wrap on cardboard and so it is just draped behind the bed.

I went outside and cut some bamboo shoots to put in the vase as a final touch.  I didn't have time to arrange the bookcase, which will forever irk me.  One of my favorite things to do is arrange books and shelves, but we were on a limited time frame - only a few hours!

The other side of the room, the new office area created in the corner.

Didn't get a great picture and we had to literally pick up the desk as is and move it.  The man had to work!

But I was able to hang a few bright, modern photography prints in his area to make him happy about all the African tribal work going on :)

 

Mini-makeover. 
I went out on their porch and brought in some of their sea-finds - shells, rocks, and driftwood to add some decoration to their entertainment center.  I also grouped a few of their family photos in a more prominent location so they can enjoy their family from the Caribbean. 

Another issue to address was the storage dilemma.  They are a very active couple with loads of equipment - tennis rackets, kayak oars, snorkeling stuff, life jackets, coolers, beach chairs, etc.  But they had no where to put it.  I snuck a few things in behind the entertainment center and under the daybed, but there was still more!  I decided to put up a fold up table they had and covered it with a cloth and hid lots of junk underneath ;)  The last remaining cloth was quite busy, so many animals!  So I found a hammock that they had and never used and draped it over to sort of tone down the print and add a little whimsy to the table.

That vase is just waiting for some  flowers or branches to be put it in too.

This has been a Grenada Re-Style.

Total cost? $0

What do you think?

Oh wait!  the best part!

THIS IS THE VIEW FROM THE HOUSE.  SITTING ON THOSE SOFAS YOU CAN SEE THIS!