How about the Yeates

I call it training in creativity.

2012-01-19T17:10:00.000-08:00

Instagram

2012-01-18T21:03:00.000-08:00

Instagram has distracted me from the blogging world. However, my phone is completely busted so I'm back to blogging.

I just turned 24. Never thought I'd be this old ;-).

Tanner had all these cute ideas planned for my birthday but all I wanted to do was re-furb an old beach cruiser. So we headed off to the ASU surplus warehouse and luckily found one. We spent the rest of the day picking up parts and ordering fun accessories. It's basically finished now. So here it is...

Next project, build lydia a funky bike trailer.

The beginning of November

2011-11-09T14:31:00.000-08:00

she finally gave up and went to sleep

She told Tanner that she wanted to go give minnie a hug

she's totally my daughter

the moment she fell in love with her minnie doll

100th ride

look at those pretty eyes

my fav outfit of lydies. pure craziness

this one is me fav.

walking umberella

smelling the flowers

At the Rose Bowl you park on a golf course.

ASU vs. UCLA game

The month of October

2011-11-09T14:16:00.000-08:00

I've trained her well.

Grumpy 1

Grumpy 2

Grumpy 3

Cool outfit Lydia.

found her making funny faces in my closet

Taco festival with Chelsey

She asked me to take a picture of her and then went and posed on our coffee table

Erika and I at Taylor Swift. More pix to come from Erika...someday.

Halloween party in our front yard.

the minons

Veronica Corningstone and Ron Burgandy

Cara and Justin- Cara's costume was parked by the tree

ta-da!

Jill Fillmore as Elasti-Girl!

Boots and Ghost

Scum

Prizes

roastin mellows

She won!

Harry Potter and Pregnant Erin

I didn't know Dora and Diego were romantic together?!

The after party... thanks Jenna for helping me clean up- you're the bomb.

Found this on my phone today

2011-10-26T15:01:00.000-07:00

Dance

2011-09-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

Lydia's starting dance and she can't be any more excited. Some nights she cries herself to sleep saying she wants to go to dance class. I didn't have to talk Tanner into, she did that herself ;-).

{Kaleigh's Birthday}

2011-09-14T19:54:00.000-07:00

It was Lydia's best friend, Kaleigh's, birthday last weekend. It was a blast. It was a tutu and tie party and Jenna did a great job- everything turned out so cute and the kids had a blast.

{Go, Devils, Go}-Lydia

2011-09-10T15:50:00.000-07:00

Her pronunciation is much better now. We were a little excited for yesterday's game against Missouri. In fact, we left at 4 for a 7:30 game. We had lots of time to visit all the tailgates, watch the band, see the team arrive... and whatever else we could find to do. Five Guy's treated us to a yummy dinner and entertainment is always provided on Mill Ave. ;-).

We won. Of course. Greatest game ever.

"Go, Debils, Go"- Lydia

2011-09-07T10:49:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday's game was a blast. Even though it was 113 degrees. We got a tailgating spot this year so we probably won't start that until it cools off!

Lydia loves the games and dances almost the whole time and never stops asking where Sparky is. She has to wear her "cute ball game shirt" everyday! Even when we go to the diamondbacks games. It's cute though and she's 2 so I don't mind that much (except for the washing part).

{Let's make something}

2011-08-30T13:55:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make something for Lydia's room the other day because her walls are so barren! So, I came up with this- it was fun and I just used things from my garage...

I used SugarBoo Designs, a company based out of Atlanta, for inspiration.

Things I found-
1. piece of leftover Masonite board from making mosaics (piece of wood).
2. some paint samples left over from our remodel
3. masking tape
4. x-acto knife
4. sharpie marker
5. old paint brush
6. old rag/papertowel
7. any left over frame

First: I cut my board to 16x20.
Second: I used an old brush and some left over white paint to paint the background. I painted it using a swirly motion.
Third: I can't draw and I didn't want to mess up my beautiful background I had just painted so I used masking tape and made an outline of what the elephant should look like then drew the line over the masking tape and once it looked right I used the x-acto knife to cut the shape out but left the outline there so when I painted the elephant I wouldn't go over the line. (hope that makes sense).
Fourth: I used an old rag and dipped it in some black stain (you can use paint) and used circular motions to color in the elephant.
Fifth: Painted the yellow splashes.
Sixth: Wrote the words using sharpie marker.

Cost of project: $0.

Inspiration piece:


Can be found at Domestic Bliss for around $270.

My piece:
Trust me, I would have rather just gone and bought the original but money is tight and my little girls room is last on the list so... here ya go!

{Phoenix Children's Museum}

2011-08-22T15:19:00.000-07:00

Uhm, The Phoenix Childrens Museum totally rocks. Why haven't I been there before?! We will definitely be returning very soon!

Our fun filled day with Jenna and Kaleigh-

Oh Shoot.

2011-08-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

It's time. I'm ready to remodel another house. I think I finally have tanner on board too!

Anyone want to buy my house?!

Party Time!

2011-08-15T15:14:00.000-07:00

Lydia turned two on Friday and so we had a parrrtty. It was a blast- we had all our friends over for an outdoor movie and swimming. Lydia partied pretty hard and loves all her Justin Bieber gifts! Thank you everyone who came!!

Swimmin' with Lydie

2011-08-05T08:40:00.000-07:00

The Barn

2011-08-01T17:27:00.000-07:00

House Before/After Pix

2011-07-29T14:43:00.000-07:00

I finally stopped being lazy and took photos of our house. We closed on our house April 13th and finished the remodel at the end of May.

I was covered head to toe in paint the entire time! So was Lydia :-). Tanner and I worked on the house everyday and are so excited to be done. However, there will still be those little projects :-).

I haven't revealed the entire kitchen yet or dining room simply because I'm not quite finished and hope to be done SOON so I will post those soon enough.

Ennnnnjooooyyyy! And yes... we are crazy.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Park City

2011-07-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

I'm moving here next June-August.

Mountain Biking

2011-07-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

This video is mainly posted for Chelsey's entertainment. This was my first attempt at making a video via the Flip. Luckily, there is only room for improvement ;-). I head back to Utah tonight for 3 days at the lake, more mountain biking, and lots of family time before Tanner's parents head off to Cambodia for 2 years.

Utah

2011-07-22T17:47:00.000-07:00

Last week Tanner got a new job offer and even though he wasn't looking to leave his last firm he decided to take this new job. So, since he went to a competing firm they let him take the remaining time off until his new job started. When we found out we hurried and packed our bags and drove up to Utah.

It was one of my fav. trips to Utah. It was an American weekend.

We...
-went to 3 baseball games.
-a waterpark
-mountain biking
-ate at yummy restaurants
-watched movies in the backyard
-played at the park
-reunited with all our friends

Just watching the game with Gramps!

Lydie and soph swimmin

Lydia with her new cousin Oakley

Ready to ride!

Chris and Chaleh showing Lydia pictures

Lydie with Aunt Chels.

The Twiins

2011-07-22T17:26:00.000-07:00

Eric and Alex left on their missions last week. I am going through huge withdraws. I go to my parents house everyday and family family isn't even there right now.

California Trip

2011-07-22T17:20:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July in California is NUTS.

We went to see Charissa's new baby girl and she is a doll. Reesh was a great sport and took a newborn to the beach with us TWICE!

Aunt Chelsey's Trip to AZ

2011-05-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

i love summer

2011-05-28T12:58:00.000-07:00

she makes me laugh

2011-05-16T23:56:00.000-07:00

Puppy

2011-05-09T07:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, Tanner bought a puppy.

As we past the puppies on the side of the road I begged him to pull over so he did but he said, "We are NOT buying a puppy!"

Then about 30 seconds later he says, "Let's get a one!!!"

So we drive home with a puppy and Tanner starts to realize what he got himself into and immediately started to text people and found her a new home.

So sad.

This weeks lessons

2011-05-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

1. Construction zones are dangerous for kids (seriously it looks like i took this picture with a camera from the 50's. time for new phone.)

2. Where there's a will, there's a way. I took down all the old cabinets in our house by.my.self. Oh! and with the help of a good ole' 5 gallon of paint and a bunch of phone books.

3. If there are puppies for sale on the side of the road- Don't stop.

Long Needed

2011-04-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

VACATION.

Tax season has now ended and I am married again... :-). The last day of busy season we packed up and headed to Sedona for a short little trip. It was so nice to talk to Tanner again haha but Lydia had a permanent scowl the whole time. Tanner planned the trip on Sunday during my nap so naturally we ended up staying on a golf course. Poco Diablo Resort was gorgeous. But we almost died out on our porch when a golf ball flew right past us.

Our last few weeks were insane. It was Tanner's 25th birthday....

I did another room in a day for a client cuz it was her son's birthday-

Before:

After: (horrible iphone photos)

I was also the maid of honor at my best friend's wedding. It was SO fun having her in town this last week and helping her get everything ready. It was the most gorgeous wedding.

Mallory had some of her mission companions in town for the wedding so we got to go out with some the next day and it was a blast. We went to the Sugar Bowl and ipic theaters in Scottsdale- Amazing.

We also FINALLY closed on our house and Tanner and I started painting and tearing out everything we are getting rid of. All while trying to run to every granite yard in the state picking out our marble and granite countertops. I can't find slabs that are big enough cuz marble comes so small. It's been a huge pain.

Throw in some naps and zoo trips and that pretty much sums up my last week. And my dad calls me lazy... pssssshhhhhhh.

Now I need another vacation. Good thing we have company in town!!!! Matt and Heidi (Tan's bro and sister-in-law) came to visit us and are staying at the Hyatt Place so we're going to stay with them :-). So, yes Dad, I will be lazy all day today. Tomorrow too. :-)

Contest

2011-04-13T08:19:00.000-07:00

I am having a contest.

It all began a few a days ago when my friend Emily posted an aweeessomme pic of her and her mom when they were younger. Check it out here. And I started to think back on all the portraits my family had done back in the 80's and 90's. They are real contest winners.

So the contest is to decide who wins the best old-fashioned portrait. Winner will get $0.50 to get an ice cream cone at pizza mart ;-).

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!!!

Submit your photos to EmilyYeates@gmail.com!

Contest Photo #1: (The Day Family)

If...

2011-04-08T15:23:00.000-07:00

If I could describe everything I like in a shoe... this would be it....

:-)

Sadly

2011-04-07T19:12:00.000-07:00

Sadly, my camera charger is somewhere in a black-hole known as our "storage unit."

So, I only have iphone photos to share.

Here's a conglomeration of all the projects I've been working on lately-

My client has an 11 year old who wanted a "vintage room." And she had some friends coming into town so she wanted it done in one day. So, we went from "storage room" to "vintage" in one day. It was so fun. I just went to Domestic Bliss and some antique stores and ta-da!
BEFORE:

AFTER:

One of my best friends ordered a mosaic and so I had the privileged of making this beauty for her. Unfortunately I didn't snap a pic of it framed but you can imagine :-).

I found these mid-century pretty ladies at Antique Plaza in downtown Mesa. They are currently at the upholsterers and I will show pictures of them when I put up photos of our remodel.

Yes, I went BROWN-BROWN. I had to. It was either go brown or chop it all off. Which might end up happening anyways. This was Plan A. And Natalie always does an amazing job so props to my lovely hair lady :-).

And last but not least, my most important project, Lydia. She's getting SO BIG! I looooveeeee it. I was meant for rearing older children. haha. She makes everyone around her laugh. Unfortunately, she now repeats every awful thing my brothers say. Suck.

Yum Yum

2011-04-03T17:27:00.001-07:00

Good Morning!

2011-03-19T09:17:00.000-07:00

Cruise Pix

2011-03-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

We froze our butts off in Ensenada. Apparently it rains one day a year and we were there THAT day! My sister-in-laws make me laugh so hard I'm cracking up in my seat just typing this.

Here's some peeks inside our vaca-

Missions

2011-03-17T21:47:00.000-07:00

My twin brothers Eric and Alex are going to the MTC on July 13th (exactly 6 years from the day Tanner entered the MTC) to go to Chihuahua, Mexico and Monterrey, Mexico. They're right next to each other. They're pretty excited.

Weekend Outings

2011-03-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

Lydia and I played in the sun a lot this weekend and look how cute she is ;-)


"I hope nobody saw that..."

I kissed a....

2011-03-05T12:18:00.000-08:00

I kissed a baby lion. A BABY LION! So cute. I just got home from a cruise with all my sister-in-laws. We left all our kids at home and just played all weekend in Ensenada, Mexico. Oh my heck, I love my sister-in-laws. We are for sure doing that again. I'll have all the pix from the cruise soon!

Lydia loves her tu-tu, and when I do her hair like a "Who"

This is her funny face...

She does NOT like getting dirty. Freak out.

A little late....

2011-02-23T12:22:00.000-08:00

Goodness gracious. Better late than never...

We finished off 2010 with a bang..

Tanner graduated-
almost his entire family came into town and lydia looooooovved playing with her cousins.

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Tanner and I hosted our family Christmas Eve Dinner and we did a "Back to Bethlehem" theme and we moved out all the furniture and ate on big blankets and the only light we had was candle light. It was fun

apparently Christmas was hard on lydie... ;-)

Sold

2010-12-12T18:24:00.000-08:00

We put our house up for sale on Thursday and got an offer Thursday night. I'm kinda sad to think our house might not be ours January 15th. I was excited to sell and move on but I didn't think it would all happen so fast! I'm just glad we get to be here for Christmas.

Hope all goes well through inspections and appraisal.

Anyways, that's why I haven't posted for a while on my design blog. I've been busy busy. Will be back online tomorrow!

Pretty

2010-12-09T14:43:00.000-08:00

Aren't these so PRETTY?!?!

Tanner... it's my birthday soon ;-)

images from anthropologie.com

Brown Hair/My little climber

2010-12-08T10:39:00.000-08:00

I am on a mission. To grow my hair out. My hair was just so damaged with all the blonde that I reluctantly had to go brown. I love love love being a bright blonde. Here's a photo I set Tanner after leaving Natalie's house...

Every second I turn around Lydia is climbing in or on something....

So Confused

2010-12-07T21:41:00.001-08:00

Backyard is DONE

2010-12-07T14:29:00.000-08:00

So.... I am officially done remodeling our house and am moving on to the next house. Our home is now on the market so if you know anyone who would be interested let me know!

Why are we moving? Because I wanna do another :-)!

BEFORE: yucky.

Lydie

2010-12-05T21:43:00.000-08:00

JR Entertainment

2010-12-05T15:41:00.000-08:00

So, as yo know, my family is full of little entrepreneurs. If you're ever at family dinner we just sit and discuss marketing and business ideas and lately our conversations have been centered around my twin brother's little party business. They call themselves JR Entertainment and throw parties in warehouses and reception halls. They had one of their last parties before they leave on their missions this Friday night and Tanner and I were in charge of collecting money at the door.

If you know Eric and Alex very well you know they are so much fun. They are great business men. In high school they always were involved in photography and creative classes but also had a passion for business. So throwing parties has been a great match for them. They can be creative and make money doing it. They are perusing Accounting at ASU right now but I keep trying to encourage them to go into Architecture or Graphic design because they are so incredibly talented in that aspect.

Friday night was seriously a blast. Even though our job wasn't that exciting it was an eye opener. When we would sit at the dinner table and throw out ideas one thing that held me back in encouraging them with certain ideas was that I thought kids would come to the party and after spending $7 for an entrance fee they wouldn't have any more money to spend on drinks or food. Wow, I was wrong. I can't tell you how many $100's $50's and $20's we broke. Only about 10% of everyone had exact change.

I also thought they wouldn't be able to sell very many drinks. My parents had to bring more after about an hour and we couldn't keep enough stocked. We had a strick no re-entry policy (but I'm such a push over so I always let people back in) however when kids would ask if they could leave and come back in and we would say no they would just be like, "okay I'll just go and pay to get back in."

The party started at 8:30 so I thought it would be fine if we came at 8 to set up cash boxes and things but Alex called us to come in at 7:45 because people were already lined up outside and we had a constant like for over 2 hours. My brothers advertised mainly through Facebook and if kids brought a flyer could get in for $5. They also had promoters at highschools like Basha, Corona, Mt. View, Red Mountain, Westwood, Mesa High, etc. They had redbull girls there handing out red bulls and hired 2 different DJs, a professional lighting and fog company, 2 security guards, and an off-duty police officer that is our good friend. One of the big hits at the party was that they had a photographer set up in the lobby taking free photos and posting them on Facebook. Several other party companies came to film and take photos. Kids were constantly coming up to Tanner and I and asking to meet who was responsible for the party because it was the best one they've been to. Did I mention all the highschool girls hitting on Tanner?

Here are some photos...

The kid in the red pulled up in an Escalade with 7 girls and paid for them all. That was the highlight of my night.

ASU

2010-12-01T21:41:00.000-08:00

ASU football ends tomorrow and that makes me so sad. Let's raise our glasses to Lydia's first year of many many many many more ASU football seasons!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2010-11-29T15:33:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving started out with Tanner mowing the lawn :-). He's never home so unfortunately he has to do all his manly chores on holidays. Look closely, Lydia wanted to help-

Then we went to my parents and while my mom and I cooked dinner my dad took Lydia on a walk all over their neighborhood. She loves going on walks. She just cuddles with her puppy and points and says, "Woooowww" and "What's dat."

My dad's youngest brother came into town to eat with us and so Lydia was so lucky to have his two little girls to play with. She had so much fun with Marlow and Elia. We went to the zoo and played ring-around-the-rosy a whooollee bunch!

I love Thanksgiving weekend because all my friends come home!!! We got to hang out with my two best friends Mallory and Lauren a lot and it was the best. We went to the temple lights and it was pretty much a high school reunion but in a good way. All my favorite people were there and Tanner finally got to meet all of them!! Can't wait for everyone to start moving back home.

Sunday I finished getting all our Christmas decorations up. And when I say "all" I mean the 5 we have :-). This is our very first year we will be staying home for Christmas. It's sad we can't be in Utah with all of Lydia's cousins but at least we get to have a Christmas tree this year! Since we can't go for Christmas we are heading up at the beginning of January and I will be staying for two weeks- YAY!

We are all set for December. All of our Christmas shopping is completed and everything is wrapped. Our house smells like apples and cinnamon and the cleaning lady just finished up! It's a good start to a month that hasn't quite started yet ;-). I am going to be soooooo busy in December so I thought i'd get a good head start with all the most important things.

December is going to be a huge month for us...

Now until December 13th- I have to finish a GIGANTIC design project here...

I'm not sure if Lydia puts this house into perspective or this house puts Lydia into perspective.

Now until December 25th- I start my huge design marketing campaign to Realtors.

December 14th-18th- Tanner's Family comes to town and they are all staying at our house!

December 16th- TANNER GRADUATES. Did I say, TANNER'S GRADUATING!? Graduation Party

December 24th- Another guitar mosaic must be completed and delivered!

December 25th- Christmas, of course
December 29th- Our 3 year anniversary/Ocean Club here we come

...and now you can see why I finished all my decorating and shopping in November. I'm not crazy I promise.

My little lady

2010-11-22T21:46:00.000-08:00

Great Weekend

2010-11-14T12:36:00.000-08:00

I've kinda taken a vacation all week long. For some reason I just didn't have much going on so I celebrated. It was so nice! I am now rejuvenated enough to start a new design job and check off items I've wanted to get done before Christmas.

We ended the weekend with the ASU game. A little bit of a disappointment but that's okay.

The Fair/Mosaic Class

2010-11-10T18:53:00.000-08:00

I used to work for the accountant whose client provides all the rides for state fairs so he hooked us up with tickets and rides. I have never been to the fair and it was everything I had expected! A Freak Show.

I've kept in pretty good touch with my beehive young women's leader for the past 10 years. While she was over the other day she decided she wanted to make a GIANT sunflower mosaic for her cantera fireplace in her backyard. She's a natural. It was so fun having her over almost everyday for the past few weeks.

We just ordered the frame and I can not wait to see it with the finishing touches! Abby is currently planning her "unveiling" party.

I've been working on this guitar mosaic for WAY too long. I started it forever ago and finished it in a timely manner however, when I stood it up the guitar was totally off center so I had to take it apart and move it. Nice. Naturally, it took me a while to get motivated to finish it. I'm happy how it turned out though :-). This piece will be shipped off to Texas for a client's son for Christmas.

This is me...

2010-11-04T16:56:00.000-07:00

...when I wake up!!!

K, how funny are these? Check out her outfit...

This is my second post of the day so keep on reading...

{Thirty-Minute Storyboard}

2010-11-04T16:33:00.001-07:00

... is now posted! You're gunna die... I am...

Click Here!

Christmas Time!

2010-11-01T22:20:00.000-07:00

I am so excited for this Christmas Season! Not necessarily for Christmas but for Tanner's Graduation. I can't wait for his family to come into town. I can't believe it's November 1st ALREADY!!! Now is the time to order a custom mosaic for your loved ones. Last year I made Tanner a mosaic of a photo he took while in the Philippines on his mission. He said it was the best gift he's ever gotten! Here are some ideas on what you could give your hubs...

A mosaic of:
-The place you were married
-Where they served their mission
-Where you were engaged
-Where you first met
-something related to their hobby (i.e. guitar/piano/etc)
-A picture from your honeymoon or favorite vacation

So, instead of spending $200-$300 on a random pair of shoes and a few shirts... get them something they can keep forever!!!!

A mosaic also makes a great gift for your in-laws...

A mosaic is a piece of art made complete out of small cut pieces of glass

Text me at 480-686-3509 for more info!

{The Whole Deal}

2010-11-01T22:09:00.000-07:00

Every Monday {The Whole Shebang} Interior Design Blog features to-the-trade discounts on select items. Check out this weeks item HERE!

ASU Game Day/Halloween

2010-10-31T22:31:00.000-07:00

We just had the best weekend ever! We had a blast like always at the ASU game. Lydia loves watching the football games and is such a sweetheart the entire time. She had two costumes this year. Saturday she was a cow and Sunday she was a "Lydie Bug." Sunday night my mom and sister-in-law came over to help me pass out candy but we ended up being locked out of my house and Tanner was gone with the key so luckily Lydia was in her costume and we went Trick-or-Treating in our neighborhood. Lydia had a little shoe box we found in my mom's car to collect candy. She accidentally spilled it all out in the street but picked up every piece and put it back in the box- so cute!

Our little skater

2010-10-29T07:52:00.000-07:00

I'm grumpy and I want everyone to know it!

I got this for Tanner but I guess it's Lydia's now

Publish Post

{Thirty-Minute Thursday}

2010-10-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

{Thirty-Minute Thursday} STARTS NOW on 

HURRY ON OVER TO CHECK IT OUT!

Up and Running

2010-10-25T18:51:00.000-07:00

The time has come... my design blog is up and running.

Check it out for the latest tips, trends, and "to-the-trade discounts on items each week!"

{The Whole Shebang} Interior Design.

I'm sure it will be changing a lot over the next few weeks as I get all my sponsors and vendors added as well as a mini decor shop so stay tuned and become a follower for even BIGGER discounts at all your FAVORITE stores!

Oh!... the first two followers will receive a free subscription to Traditional Home Magazine!

Kitchen Dreams

2010-10-21T12:15:00.000-07:00

The last few days i've been designing my future kitchen. The rain has put a hold of my backyard ambitions.

I love the new trend of replacing partial areas of cabinetry with shelving for your pretty dishes...

Backyard

2010-10-19T17:57:00.000-07:00

I've been wondering to myself the last few weeks after hours and hours spent working on our back yard...."Will our backyard ever be complete?'

and the answer is, no.

However, I am having a love affair with my circular saw :-).

A few months ago our backyard project started. My Mom and Dad and brothers came over on a very very hot July Saturday and helped me dig all the holes for our trees and plants...

We rented a post digger and it was MARVELous!

Then, I ripped down our old porches....

After that, I got Tanner on board and he painted the whole house...

Then, I hired a crew of guys to remove all the old gravel, plants, and garbage...

Then, they installed new sprinklers, curbing, and drippers. And my Dad and I planted about 12 trees and 50 plants. And then the new gravel was added-

My most recent project has been rebuilding this old crappy porch area. I am almost done painting all the doors and trim on our house. I have just finished painting our big ugly shed and it's making a come back. After this rain storm I will be staining the wood on the floor of our porches.

As soon as our winter grass comes in I will post semi-complete pictures. I am trying to hurry to finish the back yard so I can have my long wanted garden party!

Old E-mails

2010-10-19T11:20:00.001-07:00

I went through a bunch of old e-mails today clearing out my inbox. I found some from 2005 and I almost couldn't stop laughing while I was reading them. I miss all my friends from high school!

Gypsie Girl

2010-10-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

House Projects

2010-10-11T16:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some updates on our house remodel...

Before

Halfway Done

After (Whitewashed Brick)

Backyard Before

Backyard Halfway

Front Before

Front FINAL!

Mom, this is hard

2010-10-09T23:04:00.000-07:00

Jewels + Hat

2010-10-06T11:59:00.000-07:00

Warm

2010-10-04T19:24:00.000-07:00

There are some things that no matter how young/old/rich/poor I am will ALWAYS warm my heart...

and these are my delights-

Audi Cabriolet- will partake in many years.

Beach Cruisers- I have already delighted in this obsession.

Motorcycles w/ Side bucket- this is what i asked for fer graduation. my dad was outbid on e-bay.

VW Bus- yes they are known for catching on fire. I will have a fire extinguisher. Tanner is finally on board and will hopefully own my first before too long. It will definitely be customized in designer leather and fabrics ;-). I dream of this simply so I can haul around furniture for job installs and giggle everytime i see it.

Boots- this might just be this seasons boot for me. I already tried it on ;-). Boots are ALWAYS sexy- don't ya think?

Small Airplanes- I CANNOT wait to have my license. Mostly so I can wear a leather jacket and aviators. J/k.

Yes, this post was strictly materialistic. Of course nothing warms my heart as much as my little family but I thought I would entertain you with my other obsessions-

Jewels

2010-10-04T11:08:00.000-07:00

My little gangster.

Pretty Lydie

2010-10-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

I haven't take many pictures of Lydia lately because she just cries when I won't let her hold the camera- So I just learned this new trick... I've been teaching her funny faces and so now she thinks it's cute to make funny faces whenever there's a camera. Here are some resents of my little big girl.

how cute are her jammies?!

I just love her :-)

Mosaic Class

2010-09-30T11:33:00.000-07:00

I will be offering a Mosaic class on Saturday October 16th and 23rd from 12-3. You will complete one mosaic during the class time. A design can be provided or you can come up with your own prior to the class start date. I will have glass available for purchase as well as tools.

After the class you will know how to make:

Glass Mosaic Wall Hangings
A kitchen Back Splash
Mosaic Table Tops
Stepping Stones
and MORE!

The fee is $80 for the 2-day course. Please text me at 480-686-3509 to sign up! During the course will be a great time to make a mosaic for a Christmas gift!

Teen's Room Photos

2010-09-28T08:02:00.000-07:00

I am officially FINISHED with Sage's Room. I couldn't be happier with how it turned out simply because when Sage walked in she about died. She hadn't seen ANYTHING except the pillows on her bed. When her family first moved here a few months ago she told her mom to stop bugging her about her room because she wanted to do it her self and didn't want any help. So her mom had me take her out to lunch and shopping for the day and on the drive home she asked if I would just do her room and surprise her. So, I did! Her mom said I was a miracle worker because Sage was so adamant about doing it herself. This project was so much fun because it aloud me to be youthful again! I love Sage and this room has her name written all over it except I should have picked up some more pictures of Zac Efron. That's the one area I didn't focus on enough. :-) I took these pictures late last night so they aren't very good- I'm going back after the painter finishes painting the chair rail and I will get some better ones then- There are still a few parts of the rooms I don't have pix of.

BEFORE-

Here is my inspiration board from when I started-

Teen Room Preview

2010-09-24T13:23:00.001-07:00

I'm starting an install on a 15 yr. old girls room today and here's a little peak-a-boo (that's the mother in me talking)!

Craft Room Preview

2010-09-22T22:20:00.001-07:00

Craft room for a client-

This room will contain some of my most favorite items from my favorite designers!

Rug- The Rug Company
Chair- Aiden Gray
Pouf- Serena & Lily
Chandelier- Marjorie Skouras Design
Desks- Restoration Hardware
Cushions- The Rug Company
Floor Lamp- Pottery Barn
Wall Map- Restoration Hardware (But the real map I use will be from Domestic Bliss, they have a great collection of vintage maps for very reasonable prices)

Must Have #2

2010-09-22T19:59:00.000-07:00

Uhmm..... SWEEEET!

A-S-U, A-S-U, A-S-U

2010-09-19T18:36:00.000-07:00

Sparky's little buddy...

Must Have #1

2010-09-14T17:51:00.000-07:00

I always think to myself "Emily, you need to start posting your great finds on your blog." And then months pass and I am still saying the same thing to myself. So, I am beginning now...

Must have #1

Images from: Here

Anthropologie Sculpture

2010-09-10T11:48:00.000-07:00

A while back Anthropologie came out with these paper machet bird sculptures. I loved them but they were over $300 a piece. So I did retake on them in stained glass and created my favorite mosaic triptych yet. I don't think I will ever part with these. My client wanted some though so I'm making another set of 3 for only $300!!! Pictures don't do justice-

Hpapy Birthday Mallory!

2010-09-02T10:29:00.000-07:00

Today is my life long best friend Mallory's Birthday. Too bad she deserted Arizona or I would take her out... See what you're missing Mallory!!!!

1 Year

2010-08-15T20:54:00.000-07:00

Lydia turned 1 on Thursday. It was so much fun to celebrate a birthday in our family that wasn't just mine or Tanner's. We woke up, went swimming, went to lunch, played with Nana and Papa and then went shopping once Tanner got home from work. She got a "baby" grand piano. She just had a fit over it for like 30 minutes giggling and playing it. She got lots of nice gifts and cards from her Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles. Thank you everyone for making her day special!

Reflecting Aspens

2010-07-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

$350 w/o frame

Text me for more info! 480-686-3509

Park City Summer 2

2010-07-27T20:39:00.000-07:00

Park City Summer 1

2010-07-26T22:19:00.000-07:00

MOSAIC SALE!

2010-07-21T19:22:00.001-07:00

Given the large number of requests to purchase the guitar mosaic it's going on SALE! Sold for $1,000 in 2009 to VP of Marketing for Fender Guitars... however my dear friends... unfortunately we all are not made of money! So... it is now $300(unframed)/$400(simple frame included). The more I make the easier it is therefore, the cheaper it is for you- YAY! The mosaic is made with stained glass and wire for the guitar strings. It is 2'x4' (Huge) and is stunning in real life. I really miss mine :-(.

Text me for inquiries 480-686-3509

Didn't want to but I am...

2010-07-19T17:22:00.001-07:00

I have gone back and forth about selling these pieces but I am really wanting my built-in computer niche so I am sacrificing :-).

Now for sale...

Also, I have been storing this piece at my parents in Park City and will just post it in case any of you readers know someone with cabins- this piece is one of my favorites even though it doesn't really fit in with Arizona decor. It's large and soooo preettttyyy when it is in the mountins.

Text me for pricing 480-686-3509

friends

2010-07-07T23:25:00.000-07:00

While at a family party a few weeks ago I was talking with my cousin and we were discussing the love between and mother and a child and how even when they stretch you to your limits you still love them anyways. She put it perfectly when she said, "You always love your children but there comes a time when you like them too." After all my struggles with lydia I've always loved her to pieces but now I feel like were friends/buddies/play pals.

She started laughing this week. I know... months behind other children. She has always had her own little laugh... unfortunately it sounded more like she was suffocating than laughing. She's enjoying life now and whenever someone starts to giggle she just busts out the exact same laugh as mine. It's so funny. She' can't help herself.

Blackout

2010-06-30T21:14:00.000-07:00

Our power is out right now and I'm really hot so tanner said he would go get me Neilson's.

Since the power is out, he can't open the garage.

So he offered to longboard.

I could have told him to release the garage and push it up but it's kinda funny he's longboarding there.

MMMM brownie delight :-)

2:20 A.M.

2010-06-29T01:51:00.000-07:00

Every summer my family leaves the heat for PC. This year they couldn't stand leaving Lydia so they drug me along with them for a little while. I hate leaving Tanner but I loveeeee mountain biking:-). Tanner was able to come up for the weekend and I was supposed to fly home with him on Sunday but I just couldn't leave quite yet. So here I am again, sleeping alone. AND ITS TERRIBLE. So I will return home tomorrow. It's been about four years since my family started spontaneously moving to and from the city of park. I NEVER thought I would think of this house as home. However, I've grown to LOVE this place. Nothing beats setting the back porch table to have dinner and over looking the city through all the gorgeous aspen trees.

Today I got to go mountain biking again with my sister-in-law Chelsey. It was gorgeous. I love to go ride at Park City Resort. There's tons of old mining buildings and beautiful trails with full tree coverage so you can't even see the sky. My favorite part of the resort is the fact that we can ride down to main street eat lunch and then take the town lift back up into the clouds and ride back down again. Today was my favorite day of riding so far. Mainly because ever since becoming a mom I've become a wuss-asouras and today I finally got back some of my oh-so-missed athletic agility.

Sleeping alone is never fun so I look forward to returning home. I am so tempted to go get Lydia from her porta-crib so I can have some company.

Home Improvement

2010-06-20T18:15:00.000-07:00

Tanner and I have been working on lots of projects now that he gets one day a week off. I loooveee summer!

Right now we're working on painting the exterior of our house and next we will be putting in the landscaping. I know I haven't posted any picture of our house yet and it's mostly because I didn't think it would take this long to remodel and so I was hoping to post pictures of everything completed- but since that is totally not the case here are some "along-the-way" pix.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Happy Father's Day Tan

2010-06-20T18:08:00.000-07:00

Lydia and I are in Utah for a family reunion so we're missing dad a whole bunch!

Summer Dress Tip

2010-06-14T17:27:00.000-07:00

Summer dresses that hit the knee are hard to find however, Nordstrom will lengthen any dress as long as there is a large enough hem.

Relief

2010-06-12T19:59:00.000-07:00

About a week ago I was called in to do a design consultation on that home in Scottsdale I told you about. Basically... the whole project was a disaster and I was called in by the investor to do some clean up. It was really stressful but as the days went on and the ideas started flowing I could finally sleep at night. I presented all my ideas this morning and it went really well. I feel so much relief.

On another note... I love when Lydia gets out of the shower...

So much

2010-06-08T21:55:00.000-07:00

I have so much to tell you. Not that you care I guess sometimes it just feels good to get things off your chest :-). My brain feels like it's going to explode so it's a fabulous blessing that Lydia lets me sleep it off. I'm afraid I can't write all the gory (sp?) details this instant but here's what's on my plate...

I had a very long design drought. I wasn't really pushing it since the economy had worn me out. However.... out of no where I've been picking up design consultations and currently have two jobs on homes that are over 6,000 square feet. One is in East Mesa and one is in North Scottsdale. The one in Scottsdale is a residential home that is going to be an assisted living home so the two jobs bring up two TOTALLY different challenges... you have NO idea. I have some good stories about that job that might get even more entertaining by tomorrow morning. I have a meeting with the investors tomorrow so I'll post the stories soon!

Chelsey came down to visit us this weekend and it was SOO fun. We shopped til we dropped on Friday and I purchased somethings that i'm pretty proud of like.... matching sperry's for me and lydie... and the rockin-est shoes, I'll have tan take a pic as soon as I wear them cuz anyone who likes sparkles will be jealous :-) I also got a summer dress that I spilled all over right before I walked out the door to a meeting tonight. Hate when that happens. Saturday we laid out alll day and mmmaaayybbeee Sunday too. But we did go to church ;-). I have been blessed with a daughter that loves to lay out.

Beginning of Summer

2010-06-02T20:35:00.000-07:00

Our memorial day weekend was AWESOME. Having Tanner home more has been so much fun but it all ends tomorrow- he graduates banker training. We've gone swimming just about everyday and have celebrated as much as possible.

These faces are great-

I still can't stop laughing about this picture- I was trying to get Lydia's attention so I could get a good pic but she just wouldn't look at me so all of a sudden I let out a giant scream to get her to look and I about scared Tanner to death. ahhhh hahaha.

Tanner and I had to speak on Sunday so we couldn't go anywhere for the holiday. Which is okay since I got to give Tan a honey-do list. The picture below is of us driving to church-lydie helping. Our building is just a few houses down. I know, it's sad... we drove.

I now am having to start baby-proofing our house. Luckily her chubby little fingers can't fit into the electrical outlet- she tried. So adventurous.

Mt. View Graduation

2010-05-30T21:58:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my little brothers graduated. They are the biggest studs I know.

Design

2010-05-28T09:29:00.000-07:00

FINALLY I got another design job. It's been soooo long since anyone has had any $$$. My mom just sold a house to a couple from Denver and she introduced them to me a few days ago. They are AWESOME. We went and met at the house yesterday and we are so excited to take this...

and turn it into this...

(Designed by Betty Lou Phillips)

(Designed by Betty Lou Phillips)

Daddy's Girl

2010-05-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

Tanner has been getting home from work around 4:30 lately so Lydia has been able to play with him more. It's been the best ever!

I love this little supermodel pose. I came home from doing a design consultation the other day and found Tanner and Lydia asleep on this pool raft. As soon as she saw me though she just started crying for "mama."

Sorry i had my finger in front of the flash but it's still darling.

Her favorite toy is an orange plastic loaf of bread... but when we can get her to part with that she likes to play with this little xylophone.

Sleep

2010-05-26T12:49:00.000-07:00

Lydia is sleeping through the night!!! I've just been kissing her face off all day!

Light

2010-05-23T21:11:00.000-07:00

Wow, thank you everyone for all the sweet comments on my last post. I am shocked to even have comments. I really thought no one would read such a long post!

Operation Sleep is still in motion. They way it used to go is like this... Lydia would fuss, so I would bundle her up, nurse her, rock her, and then lay her in bed and tip-toe out of her room and pray she would stay asleep. VERY STRESSFUL. So, now it goes like this... Lydia will fuss, so I pick her up, stick her in her crib, tell her I love her, and I leave. MUCH less stressful. Listening to her cry sometimes is hard but I just feel good knowing that there's a plan. Most of the time she will just cry for 15 minutes or so and then fall asleep. Last night she cried from 1-5:30 in the morning. The Dr. said for the first few nights she might cry all night but then she will learn to put herself to sleep and then will sleep through the night.

So, you are all right, there is light at the end of the tunnel. I feel more in control now and I know this will help me to be a better mom during the day.

-----------

This weekend was super fun and not the usual. On Friday Tanner invited over a co-worker and his wife for dinner. We made steak and potatoes. Tanner helped me cook and it was so nice to meet new people had to actually have the energy to entertain. Tanner is in banker training right now so he's meeting new friends. The great thing about having to go to training is that he has Saturdays off. We haven't spent a Saturday together since Christmas.

Saturday morning after we put Lydie down for her morning nap Tanner and I got our suits on and together we went and jumped off the diving board. That was something I haven't done in over 5 years I'm sure! It was wawwwaawwayyy too cold so our swim lasted about 30 seconds. We don't have any patio furniture yet so I blew up our air mattress and that's how we laid out- so classy. Later we spent the day shopping and we ate at our fav. spot ***RUBIOS***. Honestly, have any of you ever had their churros- they're ridiculous.

That night I went to Sam and Jordan's wedding reception. The Hatfields moved in across from my parents a few months ago and it's been fun getting to know her fam. I just had a blast at the reception. It was so nice seeing so many friends from high school and even though we have all gone our separate ways we were still able to sit and laugh together all night. I'm so glad I went. Thanks for the fun night girls :-).

Humbling

2010-05-21T14:39:00.000-07:00

Being a mom has humbled me more than anything ever has before. Quite often the only thing you read in new mother's postings are how cute they think their baby is and how fun it is to have a baby. However, whenever I start a post I usually delete it because I just find myself on the verge of tears and venting about how HARD being a mom is! I realize it is easy for some amazing moms and some babies are... I suppose... easier than Lydia... but last night was a night of awakening.

When Lydia was born I was thrown into a whirlwind of circumstances. Lydia had reflux but the Dr.'s thought it was colic so they wouldn't give anything to treat her inconsolable crying that would last until 2 a.m. every morning and continue on and off the rest of the night and all through the day. Her sleep habits were terrible. My sister-in-laws tried to help with books and advice but to tell you the truth I never read them and I gave poor effort at trying their advice frankly because I was just about too exhausted to be the active knowledge seeking mom I should have been. This sad state of motherhood lasted for me until Lydia was about 8 months old. For the last month I feel like I've slowly been getting my strength back but I still was up with Lydia at least 3-4 times every night.

I've known I just needed to let Lydia cry it out so she would learn to sleep but I was about to go crazy if I heard her cry anymore It just made it easier for me to console her.

Yesterday I worked all day to build up the strength and mental ability to carry out my plan of letting her cry it out all night. When 7:00 p.m. came Lydia got super fussy and I just didn't have the strength anymore so I just went and set her in her crib and left the room. She cried and cried and cried for probably an hour. And the whole time steam practically coming from my head and so I went and picked up a book my sister-in-law Chelsey bought me when Lydia was first born called "Baby-wise". (Yes, all you good mothers had already read it before your babies were born). I was finally set out to find the answers. Basically what I read made me cry.

I read all about how everything I have done for the past 9 months is wrong. I was the one who was making Lydia have terrible sleeping habits. I was the one making myself miserable... quite humiliating but I REFUSE to be in survival mode anymore after 9 months. I want to feel rejuvenated so I am determined to take the advice I read.

After letting Lydia cry herself to sleep she slept until 6:30 this morning. FOR THE FIST TIME IN HER WHOLE LIFE SHE SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT. I was still up at 11, 1, &4, listening and waiting for her to wake up but she didn't.

I feel like I have still been able to be myself for the most part these last few months... on the surface... but underneath I've felt like a haggard, old, scowl faced lady. I just want to give my forehead muscles a rest and feel like my body is always smiling. It's hard to admit when you're wrong. But, it feels good.

The End.

Tanner doesn't know how to pay the guitar but Lydia doesn't know that :-)

So, when lydia hit her 8 month mark she all of a sudden became this little lady. She is just moving around everywhere and is so close to walking. It has made my life a thousand times easier. Believe it or not. She is SO much happier now.

This picture makes me really happy. I think it's the dress haha.

We went to Utah a few weeks ago for a super quick trip for Tanner's friend's wedding. We were able to go to our nephew's baseball game and the wedding and that's about it. Tanner's school schedule loves to cut our trips short.

When you're a mom you rarely get pictures of you and your baby. So I love this one! Especially her half yawn half smile face.

Prom

2010-04-25T16:00:00.000-07:00

My little brothers are my favorite. Wouldn't you love to hang out with these guys everyday?!

My mom said that this morning they both woke up with giant smiles on their faces talking about how fun their dates were.

Crawling

2010-04-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

Lydia has been learning the crawl this last week and is so close!

We are all cooking for Brook's birthday!

My brothers at our new house! It has been so fun having my family over to hang out.

Picnics with nana

2010-04-20T11:50:00.000-07:00