Monthly Archives: August 2012

Photo Finish

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As we slide into September and the kids get ready to head back to school, we are also busy finishing up Tessa’s room.  It’s really coming together, but it takes A LOT of energy making decisions with lots of opinions weighing in.

Case in point… One of the last details that we are needing to complete is adding something to this wall.

We first discussed doing a Mod Podge comic strip art piece from the several strips Tess had taped all over her bedroom door.  They were some of her favorites that she had collected over the years and they had lots of purple and grey tones which would’ve been fun.  But Tess decided she was done clipping comics and so all the strips ended up in the recycle bin.

We then talked about painting ceiling medallions or decorative molding like these Relief Plaques from Ballard Designs.

Tess really liked the idea, but the ones in Ballard were out of our price range and our local salvage place can’t keep anything like this in stock.  We checked out Home Depot too, but neither of us were very excited about the selection they had.

We finally landed on hanging a grid of frames on the wall.  I found these white frames at Target on sale for $4.88 each which was perfect since we wanted to get eight of them for the space.

Now what to put in the frames?

After further discussion, Tess picked out some of her favorite photos and we had them reproduced in black and white.

Success!

I love that all these pics make my girl smile and they can easily be switched out for new favorites.

I think they really finish off the wall nicely too.

And in case you were wondering about the white fur ball included in this grouping… this is Titus.

He is my mom’s 85 lbs. English Bull dog and he is the sweetest creature on the planet.  He has no idea that he isn’t a lap dog and Tess loves him so.

So… Have you hit any project snags lately? What kind of contingency plans have you had to come up with? How do you sort out the varying opinions… especially when everyone’s not seeing eye to eye?

We are getting ready for one last weekend of family fun before another school year is upon us.  Hope you have a fabulous weekend as well!!

Feature Story: A Goode House

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If Tyson and I had to come up with a label for the style of our home, I would have to say we put our own twist on traditional.  We looooooove classic molding and tailored furnishings with great detail, but we like to mix it up with bold color (purple, anyone?) and fun patterns.

However, if we were to ever have a second home or to start over from scratch, we would dive straight into midcentury modern.  There wouldn’t even be a question.  Several years ago, we even met with a realtor and spent a week seriously considering making the leap… selling ALL of our furnishings and purchasing a midcentury modern home that we stumbled upon and fell in love with.  Cooler, more fiscally responsible heads prevailed, but it’s definitely a dream we still talk about.

So you can imagine my excitement when I came across Stacey’s blog: A Goode House.  Not only is she one of the coolest chicks I’ve “met” while blogging, she also has and writes about the mid-century modern house that she and her husband, Richie, own.  I’ve recommended her blog before, but I’m featuring it today because her place has the best story!

I first read a bit of their history on Stacey’s “About” page when I original discovered her blog.  However, a few weeks back, she shared in even greater detail about the cool history of her home and it’s significance to her and Richie.

When Stacey met Richie, he was an art student in Texas and happened to be friends with the son of one of his college instructors.  The instructor is the amazingly talented Robert Madden.

In the mid 60′s, Mr. Madden met a local architect, Rex Goode.  Although they met at a dinner party of a mutual friend, the two men began discussing a mural that Rex was interested in for his living room that would cover eight sliding panels.  Over several years, that discussion would result in Robert painting this stunning mural for the Goode House.

How does all this lead back to Stacey and Richie?  Well, they married and because of their ongoing friendship with the Madden Family as well as their passion for modern design, art and architecture, they eventually met Rex Goode and his wife, Ruth.

They had a great time meeting the couple, but never dreamed that they might one day own the Goode House.  But that’s exactly what happened.  Many years later when they were told that Rex Goode had passed away and that the Goode House would be for sale, Stacey and Richie made the decision to purchase it and preserve the original vision of the Goodes.

My favorite part of the Goode House is not the beautiful design and decor, but it’s the story.  Anyone could have bought this home and enjoyed, made improvements to, and even done huge renovations to it.  History could’ve been lost.  Details, like the large mural (the largest piece Robert Madden has ever painted) could’ve been thoughtlessly painted over because of the lack of connection to the space.  Instead, two people who know and truly appreciate the home have taken on the challenge of continuing that legacy.

Stacey & Richie have put their own spin on things, made upgrades to the home all the while beautifully maintaining the original design.  Also, because of their friendship with Mr. Madden, they’ve been able to add several additional pieces of his art that compliment the mural and have special meaning to them.  This one in their dining room is one of my favorites!

I want to say a huge thank you to Stacey (and Richie) for letting me share a part of their story.  I hope I did it justice.  I know I have not… I’ve only given you a peek.  So for the full scoop, check out her post on Robert Madden and for their complete adventures in midcentury modern madness head on over to A Goode House.  They might even invite you to sign their door which is another cool chapter.

In Other Life News…

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As you can imagine, last week was a bit of a whirlwind at our house and we capped it off with a weekend away as a family.  Now with two weeks before school starts, things around here are in OVERDRIVE.

It’s actually nothing new.  In fact, every year our anniversary and Tessa’s birthday kick off the busiest time of year for our household and the chaos usually takes us right into New Years.  Autumn is my favorite time of year and it’s definitely the craziest!

And in knowing what lies ahead, one might think that I would be paring back, making space for the things that need to get done and taking time to breathe.  But that’s just not my style.  Instead, today I started contributing to a new blog.  That’s right…  I’m not even sure how I’m going to keep up with Storypiece so it makes perfect sense to take on more.

Actually, it DOES make perfect sense.  As some of you know, I work part-time for my husband and a part of my responsibilities will now include contributing to his blog, Illustration Life.  We will be discussing all the behind the scenes happenings in his studio… projects, events and random life stuff, with a bit of Tyson’s thoughts on art and music.  Some of it will feature things that I’ve already shared here, like the studio remodel.  But there will be new stuff too.

All that to say… this blog isn’t going anywhere.  I’ve got a room reveal to post, an amazing Feature Story in the works and possibly a crazy video in which I make my acting debut. Lots and lots of silliness!  However, if you want to follow along with what’s happening in the studio too, you can check it all out here.

For someone who never considered herself a writer, I’m still not sure how I ended up here. What about you?  What is the craziest thing that you never expected for yourself, but found yourself doing anyhow?  Have you willingly entered into chaos knowing that it would be… well… chaotic?  Was your partner in crime standing at the ready to talk you off the ledge when it all hits the fan?  It will be, if nothing else, interesting.

My Sunshine Girl!

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13 years ago I watched the sunrise as we welcomed this most amazing girl into the world.

And she continues to be warm, fiery and so very funny.

She is one of the strongest and most compassionate individuals I’ve ever met and I am so very blessed to be her mom.

She is so ready to become a teenager, but I am not.  She is my youngest… my baby… and I continue to be amazed by the beautiful lady that she is becoming.

Happy Birthday, sweet girl!