Wearing White on Labor Day!

Back in the 1940's the rule was that you could only wear white between Easter and Labor Day!  I never abided by this rule, but I googled anyway it to find out how it really even came to be and if you're interested in finding out why, click here. 

So, our city is repaving cracked sidewalks in our area and guess who created their own Hollywood Walk of Fame right in front of our driveway...Little Miss Fashionista, Keira!

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe weekend and also please help to keep the Philippines in your prayers.  They just had a 7.6 magnitude undersea earthquake this morning and tsunami alerts were issued for several countries including Japan and the Pacific Islands today.  We pray that God is with you all through this tough time.
God Bless,
Kathy

Go on Time Out!

Everyone needs a time out every once in a while.  My daughter wouldn't agree with me on that, but as an adult I think we all need a break every so often.  After I had Ryker, my days would just go by so quickly at home, with two kids, that by the time I got the chance to look at the clock it's already 9:00 at night.  Now, I have not only just one planner, but TWO - because I needed more space to write down my daily "To Do" Lists.

Today, my wonderful husband wanted to give me a "Mommy time out".  So, he sent me out of the house to spend some time to myself while he stayed home and helped with all the vacuuming and cooking for the day!  It was so awesome and I'm so grateful for him.  It was such an unexpected nice gesture and very well appreciated.  When I got home I just felt so refreshed and so excited to see my family and he just looked so cute with Ryker on the bjorn!  

Now, don't forget to go on your time out! ;)

Workspace Wednesday - Craft Edition

I'm a sucker for crafting and DIY projects and since I've converted our 3rd bedroom into Ryker's nursery I wish I had another extra room to convert into my craft space.  So, until we can start our extension I've migrated my crafting area to our dining room table, my easel onto my backyard deck, and have somehow managed to store all my things in the closet and in my vintage secretary desk. Since the weather has been really nice out, it's actually been a great treat for me to be able to paint outdoors while watching Keira play on the swing set.  However, this shortage of creative indoor work areas has got me thinking of clever home office spaces, or should I say "cloffice" spaces. 

Closet offices are SO Cool!

I love how femme and cozy this space feels.  The colors work very well together and that disco ball adds a touch of glamorous fun to the room!

Image via

It's great to have a craft space where you can shut the doors after you've made big mess right before bedtime...

Image via

I definitely need to upgrade my Inspiration Board!

Image via

For the meantime, I don't mind sharing my indoor crafting space with my talented little artist

A Gorgeous Little Girls Nursery

I came across this AMAZINGLY decorated baby girl's nursery that made me want to decorate another nursery (for someone else that is) ;)

I am totally crushing on this Nursery Works Uptown Collection - it's beautiful, it's Black & White, and it's just super classy!  This collection was designed by Tamara Kaye-Honey who did a FABULOUS job designing this room for the Hampton's Designer Showhouse.  You can see more of her work on her here.

The frame around the mirror is a great touch, especially against this gorgeous wallpaper!

 Love the little details!

All photos from HERE

My Paintings - Coming Soon to Velvet Throne

Happy Monday!

I was asked to do a couple commissioned paintings so my workspace at home is now covered with paint splatter (which is actually looking pretty cool with all the colors mixed together)!  Here are a few pieces that I've been busy working on lately.  I've also decided to add some original 8x10 paintings to my Velvet Throne Shop soon since I've had some readers email me inquiring about them.  Hopefully within the next week or two I'll be able to launch them online.  

Please subscribe above to get more info on the launch date or if you're interested in larger commissioned paintings please send me an email at kmichondesign@gmail.com.

Thank you everyone for all your positive support and emails.  I always love hearing from you guys!

I hope you have a great week!

Kathy

 

with my Swarovski Crystal signature jewel

Photo Credit: Me

A Look Inside Lonny

This month's issue of Lonny Mag featured an inside look at the Editor in Chief, Michelle Adams, NYC high rise.  I love the way that she decorated her bedroom. It reminds me a bit of my decorating style with the color theme and the mirrored furniture.  Her room just feels so fresh and inviting.

I've always had a thing for canopy beds - maybe one day I'll get to try this DIY project!

I need to buy this Lucite box below - it's such a great way to hide (or show off) your accessories 

All Images via Lonnymag.com

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

Closet Cleanse

As I said, this is the month of getting things done and my list keeps getting longer and longer and it's staring to feel really good to cross things off as I go.  My lower rack on my closet decided to come crashing down so it was a good time for me to filter through my closet and decide what to keep and what to part ways with.  Erik already setup a shoe rack in our garage for all the shoes I "outgrew" after giving birth to two kids (yes, I went up a 1/2 size for each child)!  Our plan is to have a garage sale by the end of September to clear up some space at home.  There will be a ton of clothes and shoes there, so if you're interested in coming please don't forget to subscribe to my blog above to hear about the sale first.

Erik looked exhausted just looking at the pile!

...and of course the little munchkin found a new hiding spot!

I'll post more pics of some goodies you'll see for sale soon!  Happy Friday Everyone!

-Kathy

Workspace Wednesday - Kardashian Style

Part of the reason why I love watching the Kardashian show is because the interiors of the homes are such great eye candy.  The designer, Jeff Andrews, did a wonderful job with the interiors.  Khloe's home office is one of my favorites.  It's chic, sophisticated, and very rich in texture.

 photos from Casasugar.com

The Residences at 400 Fifth Avenue

New York City is one of my favorite places to visit.  It's such a beautiful city and since I also loved watching Sex and the City - there was something about NYC living that was always so glamorous to me. A friend of mine just moved in to the Residences at 400 Fifth Avenue and I was just in awe of how beautiful this place is! I can't wait to visit!

...plus she lives just minutes away from this!

What more could a gal ask for?

All images via 400fifthavenue.com

"Pink" Me Up Tuesday! - New Makeup Staples

I've always been a Black Eyeliner & Nude Lip kind of gal, but I've switched it up to more of a brighter fresher shade and gone PINK! I've been loving pink a lot this year - from Neon Pink to a rich Bougainvillea Pink shade I've been seeing a lot more of on lips these days! It always feels so girly and fun to try a new shade of lipstick on!

- Garnier BB Cream is light and feels so nice on your skin. I don't use it everyday, but it's great to use in place of a foundation.  

- MAC Liquidlast Eyeliner - I've been raving about it since I've worn it in the delivery room! This thing will NOT come off without a fight with your cotton pad and eye makeup remover! As it is a bit of a hassle to remove all traces of this liner from your eyes, it definitely does it's job of staying put...even on the lower lash line!

- MAC blush in BLUNT & SUPERNOVA - I've been cheating on my IT cosmetics contour palatte with this bad boy.  It's small and fits into my makeup bag and it's just the perfect shade to contour your cheekbones.  I use Supernova blush on the apples of my cheeks to add a bright, fresh pink color.

- MAC Small Contour Brush 109 - This is the perfect brush for creating deep contours on your face...definitely worth the price because it should last you forever.

- LOREAL Colour Riche Balm in COTTON PINK - it's just the perfect pink shade for my skin tone - there's more yellow than blue in this lip color so it's more subtle like a nude pink lip.  It's really moisturizing, all while depositing just the perfect amount of color on your pout.

- Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in PINK POP - I barely wear lip gloss, but I gave this a try and it's such a pretty pink color at such a great price!

Have a great day & don't forget to subscribe to my blog above! 

;)

Kathy

DIY - How to Make $13 Sunglasses Look Like $130 Sunglasses

I bought a pair of Jessica Simpson rose gold framed sunglasses from TJ Maxx a couple months ago for only $13!  I love the style, but wanted to add some "bling" to it with my Swarovski Elements flatback baguette crystals.  You can also just use some crystals sold at your craft store for a less expensive alternative to the Swarovski ones. All you need are the supplies below:

- Inexpensive sunglasses or an old pair of sunglasses that needs some revamping (you want to look for flat areas to apply the crystals to)
- Flatback crystals (Swarovski Crystals are the best quality, but I also found some flatback acrylic crystals from Michaels that could work also)
- Jewelry Rhinestone Glue (you can also try to use Super Glue, depending on the surface you're working with)
- I used jewelry tweezers to help grip and apply my crystals to my sunglasses (you can use regular tweezers or flat nose pliers)

BEFORE...

AFTER...

Not bad for a pair of $13 sunglasses!  No one could believe it only cost that much!  Have fun with it...the more bling, the better! ;)

I hope you have a great week everyone!

-Kathy

Decode Your Baby's Cry!

My sister just recently turned me on to the "Dunstan Baby Language" and I just couldn't believe how accurate it really was in decoding a baby's cry! According to Priscilla Dunstan, there are 5 words that babies use to communicate to adults through their cries.

There are 5 dominant sounds that babies make during these cries that you can hear to help you understand what they really need.  I watched the DVD today and used these techniques to try to figure out what Ryker needed when he started to cry and it actually worked!

The 5 words/sounds they make are listed below.  This video interview from the Oprah Show also gives a glimpse of the language.  The DVD is definitely worth watching though - it tells Priscilla's story of how she was able to figure out this language, plus the samples they show are great in getting more familiar with these different cries.

Sound  =  What baby is feeling
"NEH" = Hungry
"OWH" = Sleepy or Tired
"HEH" = Discomfort (too hot or too cold, or diaper is wet)
"EAIR" = Lower Gas Pain/Discomfort
"EH" = Burp Me




I hope this can help you mommies out there... I know how tough it can be when your baby is crying and all you want to do is find a way to help soothe them.  This is definitely worth a try!

Let me know how it works for you!
Happy Thursday!

Texas Home Eye Candy - Rue Magazine

RUE Magazine just released their August Texas edition and I am LOVING the home of Judy Aldridge, the author the Atlantis Home blog, which was featured in the issue.  I love how bold and glamorous her design style is. The pops of green, purple, and red really compliment the richness of her decor pieces adding a feminine touch to the rooms.

Photo credit: Atlantis Home blog

The HOT boys of July!

Last month just flew by so fast! I seems like it was just yesterday that it was still June and I was anticipating when my baby boy was going to make his appearance in July! Now it's already August!

It has definitely been an eventful month, which is probably why it flew by so quickly. Here's what we've been up to...

My beautiful son was born!

My handsome hubby celebrated his birthday!

and...I finally got to meet the hot Salvatore Brothers from The Vampire Diaries! ;)

I guess it's was a fun filled month full of CUTE BOYS!

Now here's to August - the month of getting things done!