blog

my design projects, inspirations, & a few personal tidbits

Here you will find what inspires me, and a peek into how I pull spaces together – the good, the bad, and the sometimes ugly mishaps along the way. I sprinkle in a little family life, travel, food, fashion, and party events, too.

February 24, 2014

Hello Everyone!  Hope you had a great weekend.  It has been much warmer, and dare I jinx it, spring-like in my neck of the woods.  I feel for you out there who are still covered in ice and snow.  (well, unless you really enjoy ice and snow :) ) If you have been reading awhile, you know how much I love buying antique or vintage furniture pieces and giving them new life through upholstery.  You can find some really interesting shapes and great bones in old pieces, and although discovering them before someone else does is getting a bit harder (don't you think so?), the end result is well worth it. While doing some friend visiting and furniture hunting in Austin a couple of years ago, I went to an estate sale and found this $40 chair. I do have a love for this type of chair, which I lovingly refer to as the Mad Hatter.  (I have a similar pair I use as host chairs in my dining room.) AStoriedStyle.com It has lived in my garage for a long time now as I waited for the perfect space for it.  It came as pictured with no cushion, and at some point, someone took a marker to it, but I just couldn't sell it.  Finding this type of chair is rare, and I knew it had a spot somewhere in my home.  A trip into my favorite local home store, Simple Things, inspired me, and suddenly I had an idea. I saw this chair on their showroom floor, and I was sold.
February 21, 2014

Hi Friends, I'm having to do some housekeeping around here to keep up with site traffic.   Servers, coding, blah blah blah, not super interesting....

February 19, 2014

I posted the above image on my Instagram yesterday (follow me @astoriedstyle), and it made me think of a recent conversation I had with a friend.  She was telling me she thought she was terrible at accessorizing, and we were talking through it.  I actually am not very knick knacky and prefer my rooms to have a few pretty vignettes, snapshots if you will, of pleasant arrangements, and that's it.  First of all, let's just be honest, I do not like dust-catchers, and that is what a bunch of accessories everywhere feels like to me.  And also, I think you can make your spaces more personal through a few well-appointed items.
February 17, 2014

Okay, so I know it's not Valentine's Day, but I tried to post this Friday, and for some reason, my site will not let me upload pictures.  I have just discovered a way around the problem, but it takes about twelve years to get everything done.  My site manager is working on this problem, so hopefully, all will be back to normal soon. Since our oldest was born, I have made the same type of valentine for my husband every year.  He loved it so much the first year I made one, I decided to continue the theme.  I've made seven of these family valentines now, and it is so much fun to look at all of their little faces and how they have changed.  When taking these photos, I try to capture lots of little things that emphasize their personalities.  Here's a look at these family treasures...

They are pretty easy to make, so even if you're not much of a crafter, I think you can do this. : ) Plus there's just something special about homemade cards, right?  They may not be magazine worthy, but they are yours, and they are sentimental, and they were created with your time and hands. Here's how I make my family valentines...

HERE’S WHERE I AM SOCIAL