Confessions of a decorator: Taking Risks & our navy blue master bedroom

This is a true story, about someone who can walk into a room and make design decisions for anyone else without second thought.

Eh ehmm.

I can pretty much tell you what a room needs to have changed and added to make it feel complete & beautiful.

But, then I get to my house and I kinda freeze up.

It's the weirdest thing. I've literally been debating on a bedroom color for our master for a year.

A YEAR. I mean really. Why was it so scary to me?

Probably because I was really set on changing the feel completely to something completely against today's design grain. 

Everyone out there is all like, "Paint all the things white!" And I'm over here like, "I just need something saturated in my life!"

I like white, light, airy.. but color is not a bad thing either.

I have been LOVING all the navy blue accents that are starting to show up in the home accessory world. I knew I wanted navy blue in my house, and something more than an end table or a vase.

Then there was the part that nearly EVERYONE who saw the patch sample of deep navy on my wall nearly freaked out. 

What if it was a cave.

What if I hated it.

What if I ever wanted to change the color.

What if it took 5 bajillion coats of primer to cover my DARK PERMANENT mistake!

What if a future buyer of my house HATES it.

Let me tell you, that future, nonexistent, made-up, home buyer was the one who stopped me dead in my tracks the most.

I mean this isn't our forever house, so I'll have to sell it someday. 

Then I thought really, how dumb! Just do it Jenna! 

So I did. And I am SO thrilled with the color. It is the perfect shade of Navy. It has a LOT of pretty grey tones to it so it's not too "blue" if you know what I mean.

I pretty much have all the bedding I've been considering on the bed in these pictures. Of course it's TOO busy but it's all part of the process.

Rooms don't just pop out pretty like I think the blog world leads people to believe.

Of course the duvet will get filled with an insert if I permit it to stay. And maybe even some pretty trim added onto it.

It's all part of the process. I've been living with these linens just to see how I REALLY like them. Ya know what I mean?

I've been gathering pretty things for the walls and I am about done I just need to make some artwork for the walls. And edit the bedding selection.

I can't wait to show you how this space ends up.

So  moral of the story is sometimes you need to stop second guessing yourself, and take that risk in your house to make you completely happy. Not everything is about resale. And sometimes you know better than the current trending colors. Break that mold & just do it! 

The paint color is Relaxed Navy by Valspar.

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The happenings lately...

I thought I would drop in to catch you up on a few life tidbits, if you follow me on instagram you've probably already seen all these. If you don't... then you should! My username is paddingtonway :). Come follow me {here}! 

I'm done buying furniture for the nursery, and only spent $195 so far! I am really really really proud of myself! It all is second hand, and needs to be refinished but I like to do that kind of stuff anyways. I can't wait to show you! I haven't found too many accessories yet, but I have ideas for all those! This is the chair I am redoing. Isn't it so awesome?! 

I'm also working on Grace's big girl room at the same time [I like to do EVERYTHING at once because that makes me SUPER productive haha] Here is most of her bedding. I am going bright & colorful but still very classic. I just finished painting her vintage french  bed & can't wait to show you! 

I stopped by Hobby Lobby to pick up some supplies for spring projects. There will be at least 2 tutorials that come out of this cart of goods. Is there anything better than Spring? I say no.

Oh, and in case you forgot... I am still pregnant over here. 25 weeks. I am getting REALLY excited and nervous for this little boy. I just know he is going to be quite the character haha.

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I had a bad day.

I've deleted and rewritten this a million times. I don't want people to laugh, but sometimes life is hard.

I've been doing a lot lately. And I felt really good & excited about all the new exciting, happy developments in our family life, and my little businesses life. I was so excited to share it all with you &get all this amazing feedback.

Then, I had a bad day. Maybe a series of bad days actually. Everything was hard. Everything wasn't getting finished on time. Everything was turning into a mess. Everything was falling apart. Everything was annoying me. And then, I happened to get a mean email.
The world felt so cruel & I felt like a failure. [Yes, I did just say that, and yes I achieved an A in exaggeration and drama-queen back in school.]

Before I get all she-hurt-my-feelings-so-boo  on everyone. And if my opinion counts for anything I think the blog world is amazing. I love the inspiration, the endless amounts of ideas, and I super love reading about other mom's crazy days-- because it kind of makes everyone feel like they "belong" like they have a "place".

That being said, this world, this business can be really tough. People are hard on you, whether you know it or not, people judge you. In a Pinterest world, original ideas are pretty much nonexistent, and people get "copied" whether they want to or not. The copiers may do it on purpose or  sometimes by accident. Sometimes you have a soul sister in another part of the country that you never knew existed and you share the same tastes, and think the same too. It's a strange conundrum but hey, it happens.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that before you get all huffy and puffy and yell that someone is copying you. You should do research and see if your idea was original in the first place. Because if she copied you from copying someone else, is your point valid?

Plus, don't we share our projects to be inspire other people to copy us? You can correct me if I'm wrong on that one.

I don't have those kind of days a lot, actually... I can probably count on 1 hand the number of times I've been that annoyed.

So I went to bed and vowed that tomorrow would be better. Thank you all for standing by me while I get my business under control and our world is ch ch changing right before our eyes!

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It's hot, random thoughts, &the shop.

This picture cracks me up. If you knew my daughter, you would know that she does NOT lack personality at ALL! She sasses, she struts, the whole diva shebang. Most of all though, she is hilarious, so sweet, and loving.

She just turned 18 months and started nursery at church. I'll be honest, I'm a little worried she might force kisses and hugs on every other little kid within proximity to her. Who can blame her really? She gets hugged and kissed on every minute of her life. She thinks it's perfectly acceptable, and normal to kiss someones face off.

We've fallen deep into the lazy haze of summer. I seriously don't want to do anything unless it involves a pool or water of some sort. Yesterday while I was out on errands I literally felt like I was going to burst into flames.

This is our first summer in Arizona, and I have officially decided that I do NOT like this hades like heat. I have been trying to convince my husband to move pretty much anywhere else in the Country for months. I wish my powers of persuasion were stronger. I definitely need to work on my methods.

Good news is that I have listed a lot of things back into my shop, and I will be adding more inventory in the next little while. Check it out & keep your eyes out for all the fun new stuff! 

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Just a few things...

It's been a while since I just talked about life, so I thought I'd share a little bit of our summer. We have been SO busy but that's kind of how I like things. With school this fall, I plan on sucking up every ounce of summer I can before I have to get my butt to work.

Gracie has been loving all the splash pads and pools. It's really hot in Arizona, so pretty much every time we go outside it's to one or the other but my little water baby has no complaints. She loves it!

 Grace has a new adoration for the TV. She loves to lounge and sprawl not to mention take up the majority of the couch! It's so much fun to see her grow into a little person.

 I've been stumped with all the big walls in my house. I mean they're HUGE. I decided my office needed a pretty collage so I've been putting it together... slowly. I think I'm going to wrap it up today.

 I followed a recipe for Moon Sand I found on Pinterest for Gracie and she loves it! Except I did catch her eating it one day... good thing it's just flour & baby oil! Even though I'm pretty sure that's still not very good for her.

 I've been experimenting the last few days, seeing if I make my bed everyday if I really am more productive. The verdict is still out.

Tomorrow I'm getting my wisdom teeth out, so I'm going to be out of commission for a few days. And my mom is coming to visit next week. I'm so excited to show her all the fun things to do in the Phoenix Valley!

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Our love song.

I've been trying to write down Spencer and I's love story since well... we fell in love. But lately it's been on my  mind more than ever as the years keep passing, and we have started to grow our own little family.

Our love story is simple. He had me from hello. Quite literally. I didn't last long after he said, "Hi, my name is Spencer Allen... I'm a firefighter." Okay- it didn't go quite like that. He may have held off on the firefighter comment for at least 2 sentences into our first conversation.

But even without the firefighter comment which let's admit-- made him near irresistible, there was something about that boy that really caught my attention. Maybe how he wasn't a boy, like all the other boys I had met and failed at dating. He was older, confident, and just all around man-ish.  {yes, man-ish is a really good thing to be in case you're wondering}

I went home and texted my very best friend telling her I fell in love that night.

{the first picture we took after a couple weeks of dating. we were babies ahem... at least the one of the right was}

She may have thought I was being a typical teenage girl... jumping the gun on love, but our relationship proved to be that of forever-ness. 

We kept talking, hanging out, and going on lots of dates. 

Sometimes when you know, you just know. I knew Spencer was it for me. I knew it, he knew it, probably even after just the week after we started dating. Some part of me just knew that we were going to travel down the long road of eternity together.

When I think about it, I kind of laugh at how quickly it all happened, because I'm not one to believe in soul mates whatsoever. I think there's a lot of potentially great partners for you, and we get to choose which one we stick with.

But if you asked me today who was my soul mate, without hesitation I would say Spencer is and always has been since the day we first met. Every day that we spend together, the more and more I realize that statement to be true.

But I would owe it all to this simple quote from Thomas S. Monson-

Heeding the Prophets advice, and working as a couple to be better at it every day-- we strengthen our relationship, and become more and more eternal soul mates.

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Utter disarray.

Between being out of town all last week, and putting on the Hoe Down yesterday our home is in complete chaos. I really need to get myself together!

Two things that are keeping me happy through the utter disarray.

These flowers stashed in my old coal pail.

&the new saying on our family chalkboard. Happens to be one of my favorite quotes of all time from our prophet, Thomas S. Monson.

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Working in my office.

When you first walk into our house across from the sitting room there is our den. I was SO excited about this space when we moved in and vowed to make it my own woman-cave of sorts.

Then before I knew it, the rooms that we actually live in took precedence over my woman-cave and now we have lived here for almost 8 months and the space is still in shambles.

I had enough of the disorganization of my prized craft supplies.

For as much as I craft and sit here on the computer, you would think that I would have done something about this space sooner. 

Anyways, I am turning my focus to this room to get it done & make it pretty.

As most of our rooms start, I went to Ikea today... and picked up the EXPEDIT shelving unit for mui storage and I chose the desk to use as my sewing station.

I managed to assemble it by myself for the most part, it only required a few of my husbands muscles to get it all put together. I was surprised, because usually reading Ikea instructions are like deciphering ancient hieroglyphics. Of which, I must admit that my husband is a pro-translator.

It's like insta-organization! I have more storage than I know what to do with.

I can't wait to share with you as this space progresses.

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Back then...

I was organizing photos on our computer the other day, and I stumbled across this picture.

It was our first Christmas we spent together as a couple.

Spencer looks like a teenager, and I literally was a teenager. We had been dating about 3 months, but I think a part of each of us already knew that we were going to spend the rest of forever with each other.

Funny how that happens.

I had dated a LOT of boys, really good guys even. But when I met Spencer, some part of me knew that the boy at the fair that September night was going to be my forever.

Now we've been together over 3 years, and our lives together has been so blessed. We have a beautiful daughter now, we have good friends, a close family, and we even live in a pretty house in a nice neighborhood. But our happiness isn't just on the outside. Since we've been married, heck since I first met him, Spencer has always tried his best to do everything he can to make me the happiest girl I can be. 

Back then I thought I was the luckiest girl because I felt like I had found the greatest boy ever, now I know I am the luckiest because I know that boy I married is truly the great man I always thought he was.

I love you Spencer, thanks for being one of the great ones.

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These are my confessions.

It's been a little while since I talked about me on here. I just need a little me time today, so let's chat.

1. I've tried committing myself to wearing my glasses about a million and a half times in my life. I really hate them on me for whatever reason. So last summer I decided that if I got designer glasses I would wear them FOR SURE. So that's what I did... and I think I've worn them twice since then counting today. Epic fail. Contacts near kill me so I pretty much walk around seeing less than fabulous everyday.

2. My office is the saddest room in my house. I had all these grand plans to decorate it just so when we moved in and then I started with the other rooms in my house that we actually live in the most and this one got pushed to the side and is still unfinished. It's kind of right off the main entry way so EVERYONE sees it. I really have to do something about it soon. Today is the day! .... or tomorrow.

3.  I am a makeup and hair product junkie. And I only like the good stuff which is pretty costly. Smashbox primer, foundation, & halo powder make SUCH a huge difference that I just can't turn back now.

4. The thought of returning to school in fall kind of makes me hyperventilate a little. I am SO excited to be going to school for Interior Design because I can honestly say I am super passionate about it and know for a fact that I will LOVE my career. Just going to school now that we have a kid feels like it might kill me. Can anyone else relate? 

5. I've been on project overdrive the last few weeks, and I have hit a lazy patch. I just want to lay by the pool all day every day. It's hot here, so I really don't see the problem with that plan.

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This is what's been up.

I am in the middle of finally wrapping up my dining room table right now. I can't wait to show you when it's done! But I thought I'd just pop in to share with you a little of my lately.

I'm loving this salad right now. Spring greens, feta, walnuts, cranberries, in Brianna's creamy balsamic vinaigrette. SO yummy. Perfect light lunch!

This is one of the pallet projects I was working on for above our master bed. But I kind of hate it. So it's getting fixed... somehow... I'm not quite sure how yet... that is the big question.

We just got our chevron rug in the mail yesterday. I love it. It adds the perfect geometric touch to my life. 

We just transitioned to some fresh white bedding and I absolutely love it. It is so crisp, clean, and perfect!

I tried to make cinnamon rolls on Sunday but that turned into an epic fail due to the missing salt. They sure do look delicious though... I wish the taste matched how pretty they are. Dang.

Anyways, that is all I have for now. What have you been working on? I'd love to see.

Hopefully I'm  back with some kind of project reveal something... because I feel pretty lame. 

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Sorry that I have been absent.

I know I've been too absent from this here blog lately... but I do have good excuses. 

I have been on an overhaul trying to get my half done rooms farther along the best I can. It's been a little  bit crazy.

I have been working on a series of projects that have been lying around for a little longer than far too long. There has been a lot of fabric, paint, and pallet deconstructing around here lately. My friend Nikki has been trying to teach me how to use power tools and it's been a lot of fun!

I can't wait to show you what I've been up to.

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The current state of affairs.

Baby Grace is getting all too big for my taste. She plays in the play places at the mall like it's no big deal [with the minor getting ran over incidents every now and then]. I can literally not believe it when I see her run around laughing and having a good ol' time that my child can possibly be that big.

Our front room is coming along and let me tell you, it is the most relaxing place to sit for an afternoon nap.  I might have indulged in one or two of those too many lately.

I have serious project ADD. I literally can NOT focus. I'm embarking on my first quilt, and after I got to this point I well... you'll see in the next picture...

[ps- I absolutely L O V E this new fabric line from Moda called Hello Luscious]

I decided to  make a book page wreath. I know. I have serious issues.

I won't even mention the half painted chairs in my garage, or the dining room table in there too. Oops, I just mentioned it. I feel like all my dark secrets have been revealed and are out there in the world for you all to judge me as you will. 

Here's hoping I get some focus ability back in my brain soon so I can get things done around here. 

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I really moustache.

I love days when I spend the day doing silly things. I've spent today making some photo props for a wedding. Here is little a sneek peak.

Why are moustaches so hilarious?!

 And Mr. Billionaire glasses are pretty hilarious too... not to be confused with Harry Potter glasses... I assure you people  B I G difference.

Tutorial coming soon.

But for now...

Source: mallorylucille.tumblr.com via Jenna on Pinterest

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When momma is down and out...

Oh friends, I am so not a complainer but I am so sick.

I don't even know what I have to make things even better.

I thought I was getting strep, lost my voice [still don't have it actually], fever, and then yesterday I almost felt better... until I woke up this morning and was just exhausted, sick to my stomach, and threw up.

Wtheck?! Undiagnosable.

My daughter has pretty much had free reign of the house for the last two days with my husband working all day and me so out of the loopy loop.

I swear every time I turn around there's more mess that I have no idea how it got there.

My 1 year old has been busy, having lots of fun with no boundaries I'm sure.

Dirty dishes multiply mysteriously somehow because I haven't even eaten anything.

 Toys are not just not picked up, they are out of their bins all over and have claimed our house as their own.

Messy unmade beds.

Laundry is reproducing rapidly too. I don't even know how because I've only worn sweats for the last 5 days. Laundry has secret powers... it'll always be a mystery to me.

 Ah yes, and the christmas tree is still up. The crowning glory.

Did I mention that we're having a house full of guests over the weekend.

I told you it just keeps getting better.

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Twelve for 2012.

I can't believe it's almost a whole new year! 

I know I say a lot how I can't believe how fast time goes, but really, I can't believe how fast time goes!

I love new year's because I think it's the perfect time to re-asses our life through the last year and decide what we are going to try to do a little better or differently all together. 

I thought I'd make a goal list that I am calling

12 little things that I would like to finish or at least make immense progress at before the end of 2012.

1. Become more present in my every day life. Cherish time with my baby a little longer, rush her through her daily schedule less, hug my husband a little tighter, and spend more time focused on them rather than myself.

2. Become closer to my heavenly father.

3. Keep my laundry from piling up by doing at least one load a day. 

4. Cook dinner at least 3 nights a week for my family.

5. Thrift more, save the difference.

6. Take part in one of the seasonal Boutiques in the Valley.

7. Spend more time outside.

8. Learn to sew better.

9. Enroll in the Interior Design program at MCC.

10. Budget money better.

11. Become and stay better organized.

12. Simplify, simplify, simplify.

I am already making strides in the last two. I have been cleaning up mess and organizing it into baskets, groups, tossing out the unneeded things. Today my project was my make up.

I put my daily makeup regimen in a little basket with the brushes in a thrifted vase to hold them upright.

No more chaos or rummaging each morning. 

I tucked the rest of the makeup that I wear less into the cupboard where I can grab it for those special occasions.

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Let's have a little chat.

Here I am again with about a zillion things I have on my mind lately. So I thought today we could sit down & chat a little.

Grab your diet coke and hold on because my mind is all over the place today.

-I'm a little sad that we aren't having a big birthday party for Gracie. But my husband is so right, 1- we just moved and hardly know anyone, 2- she is only 1 and will have no idea 3- it is Christmas and we have so much going on already. However, we are going to have family over for cupcakes and I am doing some no hassle decorations.

My poor Christmas baby is already jipped. I hope she'll forgive me.

First of all a crown is in order. Here it is without embellishments yet.

I keep changing my mind what to put on it so it's still bare. The moda fabric totally makes me happy though. Hopefully inspiration strikes soon.

-I am also making one of these for my daughter. Well she's only 1 so really it's more for me but I just think it will be darling hanging in our house on her birthday. Maybe a birthday banner would be nice too.

I want to make one of these for her too. Darling right?

-Husband and I are on a major diet. I'm mostly doing it to support him.... but the 5 lbs I lost in one week is fine with me too :). However you severely cut out carbs and man, I miss my bread and pasta. Diet coke is my one last comfort.

-I love little peeks of Christmas all over my house. My current favorite is my pink poinsettias in a basket on my counter.

Gorgeous.

-My husband asked me to write a list of things I want for Christmas because I'm a little all over the place because I want things for me, but need things for my little business. So torn.

-Also, there is a whole new section of my shop called Little Blooms that have fun little things for little girls.

Of course I say that lightly because I may or may not wear these clips myself. 

My shop will continue to grow at my own little snail pace. I have a lot that is waiting to be listed in the upcoming days.

-Tonight I am going to my first bead party and I am really excited. Gracie just loves those little necklaces and I am so excited to put one together for her.

Okay I think that is all, now with all that out there I can focus a little better.

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