Shipping Container Retreat!

My dream one day is to have a really cool home office that is detached from the main house and is in a beautiful backyard. I saw this idea posted a while back on {Dwell.com} and then later on {Apartment Therapy}. I love it! This specific shipping container was turned into a backyard retreat/guest house - so cool! Texas architect, Jim Poteet, was able to find an empty steel shipping container and transform it into this wonderful room for visitors! Measuring 8ft x 40ft, a portion of it was kept as a garden shed and the rest was the living space. Floor to ceiling glass doors and windows, heating and air conditioning, a green roof, bamboo flooring and wall covering were all added, as well as small sink, shower, and a composting toilet. The whole structure was placed on a base made from recycled telephone poles.

Penelope's Bedroom Makeover!

I fell in love with this bedroom makeover when I came across it on {IS*LY} today. The part of this that inspired me was the way they were able to find ways to cut cost by picking up some great deals and doing some DIY along the way. In total this cost $300. Not bad if you ask me!

DIY Bottle Cap Tray

I thought this was a pretty sweet idea from {Apartment Therapy} of something to do with a collection of bottle caps - either paint them or keep the branding from your beverage of choice. This is a perfect project that can start with a cool tray picked up from a swap meet, thrift store or if you have an old one lying around that needs some sprucing up.

PS: I love these colors :)

Book of Cards & Gift Wrap Idea!

Here are a couple cute ideas from {Design Editor}. A cool idea of creating a book of cards received at a birthday or shower that makes for a wonderful keepsake and a great way to wrap the gift that is both stylish and functional.

Shabby Chic Flag Banners!

These whole fabric and paper flag banner things have become such a trend lately - I figured it was time to finally do a post on them. Here are some of my faves. I love this shabby chic style that can be customized for any event :) I am just wondering...is it overdone? Is it a trend that will die out?

Los Olivos Wedding

Those who know me well, know that I LOVE the color grey :) Black, white and grey make up much of my wardrobe and as far as home decorating goes, I tend to stick to neutrals for the most part. When I read that this bride's favorite color was grey, it explained why I fell in love with the decor of {this wedding} and the choice of colors used. It was a perfect mix of elegant contemporary and rustic vintage. From the the incredibly unique chandelier, lace table runners and fabric/ribbon covered candle holders to the place setting numbers and menus. My favorite part of all was the fact that the bridesmaid dresses were not only each different, but they were actually all white! It is usually considered a huge fashion faux pas to wear white as a guest to a wedding let alone those standing up with the bride and groom! I thought it was an absolutely beautiful decision and turned out looking amazing with all the different styles and textures of each dress. Thank you {Style Me Pretty} for always featuring such amazing events that are truly masterpieces.

Hidden Compartment in Wall Behind TV

Ok, so...{this} is pretty much GENIUS! Not much more I can say :) There is even additional storage space and access to cables from the other side of the wall, that when closed, is not an obvious closet! Well done.

Laid Back Cottage

One of my favorite sites, {Apartment Therapy} featured a house tour of Michael Jon Watt's Michigan cottage. It is a total of 818 square feet with a full basement. Here is what he has done with it in the two years he has lived there. {Click here} to learn more about resources and details about each room.

Before & After Country Kitchen

Kerri, of {Driftwood Interiors}, had plans of designing a new kitchen like the one in the first two images. One day while her husband was at work, she decided it was time for an update until they were able to actually remodel. Since structurally the kitchen was in good condition, but just looked fresh out of the 80's (when it was built), she decided to take matters into her own DIY hands. Armed with spray gun, she was able to transform her kitchen for less than $500. Found via {Apartment Therapy}

In Kerri's words:
"I love what a difference a simple coat of paint has made to the room – it’s now so light and airy, and it looks much bigger. But my favourite element came about by covering the brick island with beadboard, which totally changed the feel of the room. The dark brick screamed 80’s style, and by replacing it I think I’ve managed to inject some charm and style into a space that was sadly lacking both. The room was functional but very tired, and with just a little paint, some new cabinet hardware, and a bit of elbow grease it now has a fresh, contemporary feel."

Calligraphy Stamps!

Today while I was at the gym, reading through this month's Martha Stewart Weddings magazine (because I'm obsessed with weddings), I came across an article about the wonderful world that is Etsy.com. This month is dedicated to DIY weddings and one of the Etsy items they talked about in the article was {Emilie Friday}. I LOVE, LOVE , LOVE these! Such a beautiful alternative to traditional calligraphy. Here are some stamps from Emilie Friday as well as {Primele}. In addition to the calligraphy stamps, check out some of the other {Etsy.com Shops} featured in the magazine.

Kate & Breigha's Save the Dates

Over the past couple of weeks I have been working with a friend of mine from grade school/high school. who is getting married! I designed, printed, and assembled their Save the Dates. They were so easy to work with and I truly appreciate the opportunity to have been able to do this for them. Here is a bit of the process we went through until selecting the final design they wanted to go with. Aside from the Save the Date cards, I designed and printed custom wrap-around mailing labels. The backings and the envelopes were made made with hydro-electricity with a chlorine free process and 30% post-consumer waste. I look forward to working more with them in the coming months! Congrats you two :)

Another great idea from Martha!

Oh {Martha} :) you've done it again - another wonderful idea! So for those of us looking for ways to get organized (and maybe don't have much space to work with), but still want a great looking room - here is a perfect solution! Office in a chest...now why didn't I think of that? I found this on {Apartment Therapy}.

Succulent Chandelier!

I have a huge love for succulents, so you can imagine my excitement when I found {this}! I can't wait for the day that I have a backyard to enjoy a DIY creation of my own like this :)

Twig Push-Pins

These are awesome! I saw these twig push-pins on {Design*Sponge} yesterday and thought it was such a great idea that I would love to do! The idea came about from a tree being trimmed in the yard and instead of throwing it out, {they} made something with the twigs. It makes a bulletin board or wall actually look like a work of art :)

The New Mr. & Mrs. McElveny

A few weeks ago I wrote about the {dessert table} I did for my good friends Natalie & Garret's wedding on the beautiful Central Coast. These GORGEOUS amazing photos were taken by {Jake}, Necia and Steven of {Mike Larson Photography}. Jake and Necia also shot their {engagement pictures} a while back. Natalie and Garret's eye for beautiful design and talent was evident throughout. From the arch at the ceremony that was designed and built by Garret himself, to all the awesome DIY aspects of the reception. Their style and their love came through crystal clear that day :) It was one AWESOME party as usual guys!

Anyone who just got engaged, getting married, or want pictures taken for any other reason...I would highly recommend them...however my recommendation is not really as important as what the photos themselves say about their skill and talent! Yet another beautiful wedding captured guys :)

Contemporary Meets Arts & Crafts

I adore much of the architectural style that came out of Arts & Crafts movement/Craftsman style homes. I am loving the way {this} 1920's craftsman style has been transformed, while still keeping much of the original character. The high-end modern furniture and chic handmade decorative accents have put a whole new spin on Arts & Crafts.

Binder Clips ~ Cable Organizer!

This is genius! Why go out and spend money on cable organizers when you can just do this?! Found on {Apartment Therapy} .

Natalie & Garret's Wedding Dessert Table :)

So this was my first time doing a dessert table set-up for a wedding :) What better than doing it for the wedding of a close friend!

With beautiful table runners made by the bride's mother, awesome DIY cake stands and framed chalkboards made by the bride herself, San Luis Obispo's Cowboy Cookies, a delicious chocolate cake from Claim Jumper that I decorated with flowers, and 188 cupcakes I made and decorated myself...it all came together nicely in the end :) I had so much fun baking and decorating all of them then finding a way to arrange the whole table to make it all work together. Made me really want to do this for a living...ah...someday :)

The beautiful photographs were taken by {Jake and Necia Odening} from {Mike Larson Photography}. They do incredible work - check back in a few days for some gorgeous photos taken from the whole wedding!

DIY Cake Stands

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that I found this {tutorial} linked off of {Design*Sponge} I can't wait to actually do this. I went out today and found some cool glasses to use for the base, now I need to find the perfect plates to top them with. My friend Natalie and I also hit up the San Luis Obispo Swap Meet this morning and here is what I was excited to find:

Stay tuned to see what I decided to do with this old window frame. So cool!

Vintage China Cabinet

I was so excited when I came across this absolutely beautiful antique china cabinet on {Etsy} today. It is almost identical to the the china cabinet my grandparents have and similar to my mom's. I always thought, man when you grow up are you supposed to have one of these? I was never a fan of that dark "fancy" wood furniture, but over the past few years I have been really enjoying seeing what can be done to make a piece of furniture look completely different after putting some elbow grease into it. I love this shabby chic, antique, clean, sophisticated and fun look! This piece is hand painted sage green with a coat of brown over it. An antique red color was added on the edges to make the piece more unique.