What's Up, Buttercup?

It's been a minute since I declared I was back...

The fall has been particularly busy with running kids to after school activities, reconnecting with old friends, and a lot of travel. In one four-week period, there was only one Thursday night when I slept in my own bed, not in a hotel room. For a homebody like me, that's a lot of time away.
 

As for design, things are picking up there, too. 

This fall Erica and I have been tag-teaming on a home office revamp for a busy mama of three littles. Erica is a brilliant professional organizer. She's like a ninja with a label maker. My role has been to style bookshelves, make recommendations on where to hang art, and to advise on furniture purchases. We chose the Dayna chair from Ballard, and I was gratified to hear that my client would not have thought of it herself but it totally reflects her style!


Last week I taught a class to a group of former teachers and one retired State of Michigan employee. The title of the class was "Decorating your Downsized Space." I have always been nervous about public speaking, but not this time. Besides the subject being something that I'm passionate about, the group was so delightfully nice! We talked about using rug pads and repurposing old things in new ways.  

The Makerista / Hunted Interior

One of the things I told the class was that I think dark deep green is the next big thing. Isn't that color so moody and perfect? It reminds me of the early 90s when I was a beatnik teenager. I've noticed that all of my fashion "wants" lately are things I wore back then (ripped boyfriend jeans, a mulberry wool sweater, under an army jacket). Nothing is really new anymore, is it?


I'm also starting a new project with a dream client. We grew up in the same small town and were friends in high school. While we were having coffee and discussing details of her design plan, this song came on. Did you know that when The Graduate was made Anne Bancroft (Mrs. Robinson, the older woman) was only 36 years old?!?!?!? Seriously. That's five years younger than I am now.


Anyway, we bonded over the concept of Hygge. She has Norwegian roots and is a fan of the simple joys in life. It was fantastic to walk into her home and see the colors that I'd been dreaming of for her kitchen were on special pieces she already wanted to use. Also, my outfit totally matched the color scheme... I'll have to post it on Instagram later. The above image was my inspiration. Of course, the gold floral wallpaper at the top is this one from Hygge & West.

There's still been plenty of time for TV watching this fall, too. I am probably the last person on earth with a design blog to start watching Chip & Joanna Gaines' Fixer Upper, but let me tell you, I am their new biggest fan. I'm also watching This Is Us (tear.jerker, don't you think?) and can't wait to check out Joey from Friends new sitcom. How you doin'!

Because I like to keep myself from thinking too much, I am sort of -- maybe just a little bit --  contemplating joining in with NaNoWriMo next week. The National November Writing Month is a chance to write daily for the entire month of November along with thousands of other people around the world, resulting in a 50,000 word novel at the end of the month. The story would resonate with my loyal readers and so for that reason I am thinking of writing it right here on the blog. Why not, right? I can't promise I'll get to 50,000 words. I don't care too much about the official aspects of the challenge. But there is a story in my soul and I think it would be fun to share.

What's up with you? Does anyone even still read this blog? Leave a comment below! XO