Happy New Year's Eve!

Whether you party it up tonight or keep it low key, I wish you all a wonderful New Years!  Tomorrow will be the start of a brand new year, and I hope it starts out with laughter, smiles, a toast, and a kiss!  I'll see you all in the new year (and LMS will be back to regular posts). Thanks for sticking with me!  Have a great time tonight!

Xo,
Kathy

Happy New Years from our crazy family to yours!

(Ryker's fit for tonight)



A Heartfelt Merry Christmas from Our Family to Yours

Hi Everyone,
I'm sorry I've been MIA for a while.  The holidays are always so busy and it's nice to take a break to spend quality time with my family and friends.  My kids are growing up so fast - I can't believe that my little man is almost 6 months old.  Also, aside from that, I've been noticing just how much more grown up my daughter really is since I can now carry on an adult conversation with her.  It strikes me how incredibly amazing she is, how intuitive she is, and especially how she is able to connect with people despite how young she is.  Before she goes to bed at night I brush her hair and we chat about our day and she tells me what part she liked the most and what she wishes she could change.  In those moments that we share together, our connection is so strong that I just want to hold her tight all through the night. With everything that has been going on lately, especially with that horrific tragedy in Connecticut, I can't imagine a world without my kids and it's incredibly unfortunate that although the holidays are supposed to be a joyous time of the year, to others is may be the complete opposite.  My heart goes out to all of those affected by this tragedy, I pray every night for the victims and their families that they find the strength to get through this time.  A friend of mine told me a story the other day about her 5 year old nephew, who had seen what had happened on the news on that very sad day, and this is what he told his mother - "Maybe God wanted those kids to spend Christmas with Him in Heaven."  This brings tears to my eyes and reminds me just how amazing children really are.

This Christmas, I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday filled with love, laughter, and good cheer.  We all deserve happiness, so be sure to treasure each moment.

Love you guys and I'll see you in the new year,
Kathy

Ho Ho Ho!!! ;)

VTD Shop Update

My Kate Spade abstract art collection is ready to be purchased in my shop.  If you order by the 19th, it should be able to still get to it's destination by Christmas.  Oh, and don't forget to save 15% off by punching in the discount code VTDXMAS at checkout.  I hope you guys enjoy it!

-Kathy

Kate Spade L-O-V-E - VTD Series

Kate Spade has always been one of my favorite brands because everything there is just beautiful eye candy and every time I go in their stores I feel like a kid in a candy store!  It's been my inspiration for quite a while now and I wanted to do a series of paintings inspired by the one and only, Kate Spade.  

Image via

So, here's a glimpse of what's to come of this wonderful, colorful, feel good, Kate Spade inspired collection. It should be launched by this Tuesday in my Etsy VTD shop, so please stop by!

image by ME

Kathy

Find the Perfect Present & Save 15% off Velvet Throne Shop today!

Hi everyone!
Please come and check out some new pieces from my shop and enjoy 15% off with discount code VTDXMAS at checkout. If you have any special requests for paintings or accessories please email me here - the discount still applies for custom orders as well, so if you have any questions or ideas please don't hesitate to contact me.  My inventory is slimming down a little so I'll be adding a few more babies soon, even some wearable art pieces which I'm super excited to show you.

All my pieces come wrapped nicely with tissue paper and are ready to give as a gift right out of the box.  So, if you're planning on having it sent directly to another address as a present, please send me a message and I can include a personalized card in the box addressed and signed by you with a personal message. :)

ho ho ho & xo's,

Kathy



Hello December!

Wow! The last month of the year is already here and I can't believe it's time to bring out the Christmas decorations once again.  It's unbelievable to think that this time last year Ryker was just a tiny little thing inside my tiny little belly bump! It's hard to believe how fast he's grown.  At his last Doc visit she said that he is in the 97+ percentile in height and the 90 Percentile in weight....the boy's BIG and a part of me is sad that he's growing so fast!

Ryker in my tummy just last year...

Ryker outside of my tummy NOW!

Last year, we got a larger Christmas tree and I decorated it with Peacock feathers and jewel toned ornaments.  This year, we let Keira pick out the tree and she picked out a smaller Douglas fir which I thought was so cute and just perfect for us. Great job Keira!

I originally wanted to decorate the tree with Black & Gold Christmas ornaments, but decided to save some money this year and go with what we had before since our personalized ornaments collection has already started to grow.  In my opinion, what better way to decorate your family Christmas tree than with your own sentimental family ornaments... so I thought I would continue on that tradition going forward.  Hmm...what should I do this year? 

I have some DIY project ideas for Christmas ornaments and gifts I also want to share with you so please stay tuned.  I apologize for the slight delay in posts last week the holidays are always so busy, but I promise more posts this week :)

Also, I've added more paintings to my shop, please stop by and check it out HERE.

xo,

Kathy

DIY: Dining Room Chair Makeover

Hi LMS readers, Breanne here again to share a DIY Dining Room Chair Makeover I just completed with you all. 

I started by removing all the seats with my handy electric screwdriver. Note: Every homeowner should own one of these! My husband helped me sand them with an orbital sander or you can use a detail sander, both are great tools to have for refinishing furniture. We first used a medium grit sandpaper to strip off the finish and went back over it with a fine grit sandpaper to smooth out the wood. The second sandpaper is especially important when you are lacquering or using a high gloss paint. The glossy paint will show every blemish in the wood. We hand sanded the detailed part of the back of the chair.

We primed the chairs using the Black Krylon paint from Ace Hardware for $4.50 per can. Each chair took about 1 can of primer and one can of paint. I recommend letting the chairs dry overnight. Tinted primer for whichever color paint you use is best. Then we went over the primer with the Krylon Black Gloss spray paint also $4.50 per can. Be sure to use long even strokes because as we found, if you spray too much in one spot you'll get drip marks.

I wanted the fabric for the seats to be a contemporary print, but wanted to keep my black and white theme. So, I found an upholstery fabric in a great Ikat print at JoAnn's. I purchased 3 1/2 yards for $30 and still had some left over which I can use to make place mats or a table runner with. I didn't get fancy with upholstering them. I simply lined up the fabric and pulled it tight around to the under side and stapled the fabric with a staple fun. I screwed the seats back on the chairs and Voilà! My "new" chairs were done just in time for Thanksgiving.

Now I just need a bold print rug and some curtains and my dining room will be complete. If you're willing to put a little elbow grease into it, you can create some really beautiful custom pieces!

Enjoy!
Breanne

Ryker's Room Revisited

Hope you're enjoying your weekend! I've been really busy with family get togethers and prepping our house for Christmas. We finally got our Christmas tree this morning so we're getting ready to set that up tonight - Keira can't wait and well, Ryker's too excited he has no words at all ;)
Some of you were asking a few questions about Ryker's room and I noticed that I never did an update on the final look of his room, so here it is.

Q. What white color did you use in Ryker's room?
A. Gallery White - Behr Premium Plus Ultra (from Home Depot)

Q.Where did you get the tree decals?
A. from Styleywalls

Q. Where did you buy that Gold Mirror?

A. Home Goods, and it was super cheap on clearance - it was a distressed white color and I just spray painted it gold. You can check out my DIY project HERE.

Q. Where did you buy the wooden changing table?

A. It was a Craigslist find - it's actually a rolling bar - the top opens up into a large table and the doors swing open (it's great for hiding extra diapers and necessities).  I initially was planning on painting it a bold color, like yellow, but I decided that the natural wooden elements incorporated into the room would add a bit of ruggedness which I loved.

Q. Do you have prints available of that yellow painting in Ryker's room?

A. No, at the moment I only have original paintings in my shop, but if you're interested in a commission piece, big or small, I can definitely paint a special piece to match your nursery or room.  You can contact me via email here.  Also, you can check by shop frequently as I normally add new pieces.

Thanks guys and if you have anymore questions please email me.  I'll try to get back to them asap.

Have a great week!

Kathy

Thank God for Thanksgiving

via

I'm grateful for so many things in my life and because life goes by so fast, sometimes it's difficult to find the perfect time to fully express my gratitude to the people around me that help make it all possible.  Although Thanksgiving happens only once a year, it's important to me to give thanks to God and to those around me that have played a key role in my journey in life.  Today I'm grateful for my family, my friends, the roof over my head, the food on my table, and for YOU and your ongoing support and positive words.  I always say this, but I really do appreciate your support and I love reading the lovely emails I get from you guys, it encourages me to follow my heart and stay true to myself.  I've done just that, and through all your support I hope to continue on this adventure and I hope you continue to follow me because I love sharing it all with you ;)

In the spirit of this Day of Thanks - I'm offering 10% off your total purchase from my Velvet Throne Designs shop just for my LMS followers.  Please use code LMSTHANKS at checkout.  Promotion starts now through Cyber Monday, November 26th.

I hope you all enjoy your day!

With Love & Gratitude,
Kathy

Wednesday Treasures

Hi All,

I've added a few more pieces to my VTD Shop, please stop by and check it out! I'll be posting a few more within the next couple days so please stay tuned and check back.  I hope you love them!

This one above just got sold, but this smaller version is still available

New "Two Faces" Collection

one piece, two faces.

* All photos by Kathy Michon for Velvet Throne Designs, please site accordingly, thanks.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow!  Are you guys planning on catching some early Black Friday deals at midnight tomorrow?  If so, good luck and I hope you find what you're looking for and more! ;)

Kathy

Our Wedding Day Flashback & 4 Year Anniversary

Today is our 4 year wedding anniversary! Woo Hoo! Time flies and I sure am lucky to have this wonderful and handsome man as my husband, best friend, and father to our beautiful kids.  I thought I'd share some memories from our big day.

 

The wedding had a Peacock colored theme with pops of Turquoise, Purple, Electric Blue, and a touch of Chartreuse. Yes, our wedding entourage was quite large with a total of 26 bridesmaids and groomsmen

* All Photos by Brandon Vaccaro

Here's a couple video highlights from that day also.  This first one was the "Deja-Vu Video" Our videographer Andrew from Skipno Productions was able to film this the day of the wedding and have it shown at the reception later on in the evening.  It was an amazing video to watch at the reception to remember all the things that went on throughout the day including seeing behind the scenes footage of each of us getting ready.

Deja-Vu - Kathy & Erik from Andrew Guevara on Vimeo.
This second video is the Wedding Day Highlights video that captures the entire day.
Kathy & Erik - Wedding Day Highlights from Andrew Guevara on Vimeo.
...and I hope for many more years to come! Cheers! Kathy

Black & White Bedding Update

I finally got around to posting up some photos of the Black and White Duvet set I got a while back from here.  It got sold out a couple days after I posted about it, but the good news is that it's back in stock on Amazon and you can purchase it here if you like it.

I love the contrast of the clean black lines against the white.  It really helps to brighten up my bedroom since my walls are painted a deep plum color.  I added a silver sequin pillow to compliment the silver accents I have in the room - pulling from the metallic silver crown moulding and lamp shades.  

All I'm missing now is a faux fur throw...I'm loving this one from West Elm and the price is not too shabby! I'm adding this one to my Christmas wish list!

What's on your Christmas list?

Kathy

New Looks & A Sneak Peek

Hi All!

You may have noticed that the LMS website has been changing up a bit.  I'm working on a few new things for Living My Style and Velvet Throne Designs so I might be switching it up a bit more within the next few weeks.  I've just finished working on a large commissioned piece and am currently in the middle of another large project (I'll keep you posted on that one shortly). If you're interested in a commissioned piece - large or small, please email me velvetthronedesigns@gmail.com 

*All photos were taken by Kathy Michon for VTD - Please site accordingly.

I'm also working hard on this really awesome collection that I'm just so excited to share with you all really soon....ahhh I can't wait to show you!  That collection should be launching by the end of the month.  For now, here's a sneak peak of a couple things coming soon to Velvet Throne Designs.

The "Two Faces" Collection - (Acrylic on Acrylic Box)

Each piece from this collection can be displayed two different ways

this side...

 or this side...

There will only be a couple pieces in this collection so please subscribe to my blog for updates on the launch.

Up Next: My Black & White Bedding Pics 

Happy Monday / Veteran's Day!

I hope you all had a great weekend and for those lucky peeps who have Veteran's day off today - I hope your weekend continues to be a great one! I have lots to share with you so please check back this afternoon to see what I've been working on lately.
I'll be posting some photo updates and have news for an upcoming giveaway. Stay tuned and have a great day!
Kathy

Highlights of My Week

Hi Everyone,
I know I've been lagging a bit on my Weekend Highlights posts, so I've decided to do a "Highlights of My Week" instead since so much goes on throughout the week. I hope you all have a wonderful day!

My dad was so cute being "Super Lolo" ("Lolo" = "Grandfather" in Tagalog)

My friend celebrated her Engagement Party - it was beautiful (and so was this marble fireplace!!)

This was such a gorgeous idea for a hanging photo collage of the couple!

Look at Ryker checking out my friend's daughter (she's just a few weeks older than him)

Remember this photo?

I got new Hello Kitty slippers for the house - love it! Only $9.99 at Ross!

Happy 4 Month Birthday to my best boy creation - I love you so much Ryker Keane!

Leopard print Dolce and Gabbana

Leopard Print Painting by ME

Up Next: New Goodies Coming To MY SHOP