The Nesting Place #book #review #homedecor

Recently, I had the opportunity to read the beautiful book The Nesting Place by popular blogger and self-taught home decor maven Myquillyn Smith. To say that this book is beautiful is one thing, and definitely a term that does not do it justice.
 

The Nesting Place is inspiring, or at least to me it was. I read it from the comfort and quiet of our nursery, in an antique rocking chair. A room that I consider to be the place of nesting, of inspiration, or quiet and calm. It was the perfect setting to immerse myself in Myquillyn Smith's philosophy that beautiful doesn't have to be perfect and often times, the most freeing of feelings is that of imperfection.

How true that statement has become for me. I try oh-so-hard to have a beautiful home, and yes...there is a little bit of perfection that seeps through. After reading The Nesting Place, I have realized that the mess doesn't matter. Sure, there are crumbs on my floor...but there is also a beaming 4 year old, a beautiful baby belly and the laughter of a family who is beautiful and perfect in their own way.

My heart sings when things are neatly arranged and in their place. I am happiest when the clutter is at a minimum, and baskets are neatly tucked away in their cubbies (like in the photo above...I LOVE this page and kept coming back to it over and over).

But really? What matters the most is our Nesting Place is beautiful amongst its chaos, and I am thankful to Myquillyn Smith for teaching me that.

Having a beautiful home is something that alot of people think takes a huge budget and is a stressful task. The Nesting Place teaches you that perfect is in the details, the touches that speak to your heart and soul. The can be found objects, passed down heirlooms or big ticket items that define your space.

If you are having trouble wrapping your head and heart around embracing the imperfection, and setting yourself free of the stress and pressure we so often feel to be perfect and have a perfect home, I highly suggest that you read The Nesting Place. Not only is it beautiful, but it is inspirational and the feeling of freedom you will have is the most perfect of all.

Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of The Nesting Place from the publisher for the purposes of this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Birthday Giveaway!! Happy birthday month to me!

That's right friends! The first of THREE giveaways is happening right here...TODAY on Sweet Stella's!

There are a few ways to win, and the prize is a $25 shop credit....for a custom piece!

something like...

Or perhaps

Whatever your little heart desires, I promise to make it pretty for ya!

Enter now, and enter often!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#homedecorheaven

At BlogHer, I had the distinct honour of meeting Kelly Edwards; designer on Design on a Dime and now a designer for La-Z-Boy.

First and foremost, she is stunning. Like seriously gorgeous! Chatting with her about art and interior design flowed very naturally, and it was pretty amazing to scoop up an autographed copy of her book...and leave her my business card. Knowing that she will be looking at my art work is...well it's an amazing feeling that I just can't quite describe.

I started reading The Design Cookbook on the plane ride home from Chicago and holy moly! I am only through the dining room section, and am already thinking about changing things around in our home. We have a formal dining room, but it totally is not our style and does not reflect anything about who we are. The furniture is beautiful, but a really big part of me now wants to move the dining set into our kitchen eating area, lacquer the chairs black and change the upholstery on the seats.

BIG changes are going to be happening after meeting Kelly. I am overflowing with inspiration and will chronicle all of these beautiful changes here on the blog!

Friday Etsy Find...Air Planters

Happy Friday, everyone!!

If you're like me, you have a hard time with finding the time to tend to house plants. I have proudly kept alive the orchid that my BFF Tiffany gave me the day that my son was born in 2010, and it sports many shoots and leaves....yet no flowers. I've revived it many a time, but I nearly always forget to give it water until it is shriveled and on death's door.

Enter the air plant! These little guys are taking home decor by storm, and there are so many amazing planters for them on Etsy!

Here is my favourite one that I have stumbled across in my travels so far

The Emerald Green Air Plant holder by Bird and Feather is absolutely beautiful. It has a bold pop of colour (hello Pantone colour of the year, Emerald!) and yet is so classic and simple in its overall design.

What air plant containers do you love?? Check them out on Etsy and comment with a link to your picks!

Pastel color trends for Spring home decor

One of the loveliest trends this spring in both fashion and home decor is the use of pastel colors. One color in the new Americana line of paints by DecoArt is Irish Moss

Isn't it fantastic?

I think that it is the perfect tone to work into a small bathroom. Ours is absolutely struggling for a touch of this bright and fresh color to breathe some life into it.

Currently, our bathroom is a wonderful shade of cinnamon brown. It's lovely and warm, but since it's long and narrow, the walls sometimes feel like they are closing in.

Playing with a beautiful accent color like Irish Moss will bring so much depth and dimension into this room.

I picture it being used in stacked crates on the back of the toilet, which would be reflected in the mirror and instantly brighten up the room. Then, I would put white sculptural pieces in the crate to plat off the white door and molding, and maybe some chrome accents as well to mimic the chrome at the sink.

How would you use this trendsetting color from DecoArt?

Coffee Table Designs

No family room is complete without a great coffee table design. It's a space to gather, have some drinks, play board games, and if you're a boy mom...make tracks for trains, cars, trucks and helicopters.

When I found this beautiful coffee table on Pinterest, it made me rethink the whole design to our family room.

I love that this coffee table has an interesting design, but because of the glass top it isn't heavy looking. The different angles and geometric features provide so many focal points to the piece, and your eye is able to wander through the whole design, which makes it fit naturally in any space.

What style of coffee table do you have?

Santa Fe Color Inspiration

I mentioned last month that Santa Fe and Southwestern style are making a huge surge in color trends and home decor this season, and that my favourite paint company, DecoArt, has released their beautiful new hues for 2013, all of which hit this trend bang on.

Bright and bold, Cinnamon Drop is a brand new color for 2013 in the Americana line of paints by DecoArt. I absolutely love how this color literally jumps off the screen, it's just that bold.

How would I incorporate it into my home decor? There are so many projects that this color trend would be great for....

Painting the back of a white bookcase
Tinting it every so slightly with white to make an ombre set of wooden spoons
Painted crates, stacked in the corner of a bedroom to house books

No matter what application you choose, this color trend will bring a burst of energy into your home decor!

Family Room Home Decor Ideas on Pinterest

Since we are featuring the Family Room in the New Year New Home series this month, I thought it would be nice to share some really fantastic family room home decor ideas from Pinterest this week!

Check out these bold and bright floor pillows

I love that they bring a pop of colour into home decor, as many family rooms are rather neutral with brown or taupe couches and recliners. They're fun for the kids to snuggle up and lounge on with a good book or to watch a movie.

Do you have floor pillows in your home?

Nautical Trends in Home Decor

Tina Dean Designs has done it again with her beautiful nautical inspired home decor pieces.

I absolutely love the versatility of Tina's baskets and am proud to say that I own two of them that I use in my studio. One is my expenses basket, where all of my receipts go before they are entered into Quickbooks. The other houses rings and trinkets as they are finished, ready for customers to fall in love with them.

Her nautical line, which is rooted in cherry red and cobalt blue tones, add the perfect punch of colour to a neutral home decor. You can stay on trend, switch out the baskets as seasons and trends change, and keep your overall decor the same!

Tina's baskets are also affordable, priced at $35 for a handcrafted piece of functional textile art.

To see more of Tina's work, check out her website and Etsy shop, as well as her Facebook page.

Paint Color and Color Trends with DecoArt

Home decor and color trends go hand in hand, so when looking to renovate your home or update your home decor it's always best to trust the color experts at a great paint company like DecoArt.

Southwestern and Santa Fe style is taking centre stage in both home decor and fashion this year, and DecoArt is following right along these trends with their new color palette for 2013.

One of my favourite new color trends is

Banana Cream. It's fresh and light, not overpowering like some of the other yellow color hues on the market. These subtle hues behind Santa Fe inspired home decor are just absolutely lovely and are easily translatable in a variety of home decor applications. It would make an excellent accent color in a fresh bathroom painted with a soft dove grey or perhaps a light aqua, white trim and white washed picture frames on the wall and beautiful pictures in the Banana Cream.

How pretty!

Or...a baby nursery! It would look so lovely as a wide horizontal stripe against a light light grey wall with some chocolate brown accents. So pretty!

Stay tuned for more gorgeous paint color and color trends from DecoArt in the months to come!

Guest Blogger...Tina Dean Designs

When Shannon asked me to guest post and talk a little about my new Eco-Home line, I was both thrilled and honored. You may know a little about my work as an eco accessories designer/textile artist from some of Shannon’s previous posts. I was absolutely thrilled to sponsor Shannon at BlogHer ’12 with a messenger bag and a couple of clutches.

My primary work has been to recycle and upcycle plastic bags and vhs tape into eco-friendly accessories like tote bags and purses. Expanding into home goods just seemed to be a natural extension. Continuously thinking of new ideas to save plastic bags from our landfills and waterways has become a way of life. The Eco-Home line will allow people to have a handmade, eco-friendly, vegan items for their homes.

TDD’s Eco-Home line is starting with baskets and will branch out to other home goods through 2013. The baskets will be available in different sizes for use as home décor, in the bathroom, in the kitchen or anywhere else.

These will be available on the website when it relaunches in the near future. TDD also does custom work.

Visiting the Linen Chest

There's a new store in town, and after a little coaxing from my mother-in-law, I loaded up the toddler and headed out to see what the buzz was all about. Boy was I ever impressed...and holy moly did I want to curl up in one of their gorgeous beds for a nap!

The Linen Chest {located at Southdale/Wonderland in London, Ontario...as well as 20+ other locations across Canada} is simply one of the most beautiful spaces I have ever stepped foot in. From the gorgeous registry station, surrounded by beautiful table settings and china, to the large selection of luxurious bedding...oh and the wall of cushions!! Everything is colour coordinated {which makes my artist heart happy!} and stunning.

Immediately, I was greeted by the friendliest of staff, who genuinely were interested in why I was there {hostess gifts...and for a blog feature on my home decor blog - it was great to see their enthusiasm} and helped guide me through the various rooms of their store. It's set up just brilliantly; each room is featured and shown in the most beautiful way to capture your dream home.

I was thrilled by the beautiful selection of furniture and coordinated cushions - something I've been yearning for in my home studio for a design-corner...where I can sit with a sketch book and draw up gorgeous and whimsical designs for my shop. The Nassau chair is so incredibly pretty...I literally squealed and gasped when I saw it. The ruffled cushion sets it off perfectly, and it's just dreamy!

With the slogan of "because it feels good to be home", I couldn't agree more. The Linen Chest truly feels like home in every nook and cranny, and what an amazing feeling that is!


*disclaimer: I was not compensated in any way for this post; I just really love the store and spaces they have created, and wanted to share the beauty with you!