I’m dreaming of…

Hi there. How’s life treating you? We are back into the swing of school around here and I’m trying to get organized and make the most of each day. Not easy. I often find myself being pulled in so many directions that I get overwhelmed. So, I retreat into my own little daydreams. Highly productive. Not.

We have been renting a beautiful home in a fabulous neighborhood but it’s been three years and I’m getting itchy feet! Growing up, I lived in 10 different houses and two countries (the U.S. & Australia). When Chris and I got together, we moved 5 times in 4 years. Finally, we settled in Portland and have lived here for almost 11 years. No wonder I’m getting wanderlust!

Moving is in my blood and I’m totally dreaming of us buying a large piece of land and building a sweet farmhouse. I want a big porch, an old barn for my art studio, chickens (why not?) and a large, white kitchen, where I would bake bread and make delicious meals. Realistic? Probably not, I don’t even bake – but wow, does it sound good to me right now. I’m being drawn to wide open spaces, quiet, solitude, a slower pace. A place to focus and create. Sometimes life just feels so noisy. Know what I mean?

So in my procrastination, I pulled my favorite farmhouse images from my Pinterest board to share my vision with you…

Okay…I think I got that out of my system. Now back to the laundry…ugh.

Have a beautiful afternoon.

xo,

Ivy

* For sources and more dreamy Farmhouse images see my Pinterest board.*

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Inspired Spaces: Swedish style

Hello there! Okay I’m back with a sweet interior to share with you! I adore Swedish style and this home has such a beautiful blend of charm and elegance…

I love all those neutrals with subtle accents of pattern, texture and soft color. It’s somewhat formal but approachable at the same time.

I will own a clock like this one day!

Great mix of fabrics used here. Color ties them all together, making the look successful.

A classic Swedish fireplace done in Delft tiles…so lovely!

Such a gorgeous home! Hope you enjoyed the little tour.

Have a wonderful day!

xo,

Images via Skona Hem

Up for the challenge…

Hi everyone. Happy Friday. I come to you today excited about possibility, learning and expanding! Even though I am exhausted from a night up with my poor teething, Claire – I am thrilled at some of the new things I’ve been trying lately!

First of all, I am super excited to let you know that I just signed up for Blog Boss – a new e-course with Holly Becker from decor8! I took her first course – Blogging your way – a couple of years ago and it taught me so much! This next one looks to be amazing and I can’t wait for class to begin. There is still time to enroll – check it out here.

Lately, I am trying to expand my photography knowledge so I’ve been dabbling in portrait photography. I know you have all seen my attempts with my children but recently I’ve been taking pics for friends and it has been quite the learning experience. I have such respect for those professional photographers out there that do portrait work. It is a true art! My latest subject was my neighbor, Taryn Emerson. She is such a fantastic friend and an incredible interior designer too! She asked me to take her portrait for her website (in production) and online social profiles. I agreed. So, last Sunday, I handed over Clarie to my hubby and off I went down the street with my trusty camera, in the hopes of capturing my friend and doing her beauty justice! The overcast sky provided the perfect, softly filtered light. We jumped around from her place to mine, outside, inside, front yard, back yard…but ended up with this as our winning shot!

Some of our other attempts…

Taryn was a great sport and put up with all my amateur-ish mistakes. In between giggles, she was poised and patient.

It is so wonderful to have another creative buddy right in the neighborhood and she is always encouraging. She likes to challenge me too…which is a rare gift in a friend. Since I have been avidly taking pictures, she suggested I shoot her gorgeous designer kitchen for her portfolio too. I balked at the request, insisting I knew nothing about interior photography and how we would probably have to rent lights and wide angle lens. She rolled her eyes and said, “Oh come on, let’s just try it!” So over a bottle of wine that night, we styled the entire kitchen and shot it the next morning…

It was so much fun dusting off my interior design skills to style this lovely space and collaborating with another designer is something I have missed! When we started the shoot it was dark and gray outside and I was doubtful that the light was sufficient but like a sweet gift, the sunshine broke through the clouds, spilling light into the room. We scrambled to move Taryn’s heavy kitchen table so we could let the shadow of the window unfurl onto the warm wood floor.

All in all, we were both pretty pleased with ourselves and I learned a lot! There is nothing better than the feeling of meeting a challenge, especially a creative one. So don’t limit yourself, expand your creative gifts – sure it can be a little scary and you might even mess up but one thing is for sure – you will learn and you will grow – and that is worth it every time!

Have a wonderful weekend!

xo,

***Check out more of Taryn’s beautiful interior design projects here and like her new Facebook page here.***

Rainbow Rooms

Every interior magazine I pick up lately, seems to be talking about the come back of color! Splashes of bold 80’s inspired hues have creeped back into vogue – thankfully balanced with more modern styling.

I thought it would be fun to do a spread of Rainbow rooms. So here goes…

Pretty bold huh? If you could pick an eye-poping color for one of your rooms what would it be?

xo,

p.s. want more colorful ideas check out this great article via here.

Images via 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Inspired by Sibella Court

Hi Friends! Hope you had a decent Monday. Ours was very rainy but a trip to the antique stores with a dear friend made it a perfect day!

You may have seen on my other blog, that I posted a curated collection of images by Sibella Court. Well, her book – Etcetera: Creating Beautiful Interiors with the things you love – arrived and I couldn’t help but take pictures of it. It’s so beautiful!!

{click on images to view larger}

Really, you must have this book. It’s a treasure trove of inspiration. I promise.

Have a lovely Tuesday!

xo,