An Interview with Emily Henderson: Part Three

{ Click to see Part One and Part Two }

Photo Credit: One, Two

What is one of your goals?

I want to do more styling ofpersonalities than interior design. But right now, I've been taking  a lot of interior design clients. In the future I'd love to step this back. I would love to have a show that's a lot more realitybased, more about personality and less of a before and after show.Brain and I would love to buy a fixer-upper house, it would be greatfor that to be a show. In a perfect world it would be Martha Stewartmeets Rachel Zoe show. I'm not in a rush, you have to earn in!

Photo Credit: Three

I commend you for your blogpost awhile ago about stepping back and prioritizing. We get it, it's crazydoing everything!

Yeah, I need to step back from otherthings, not the blog. I love the blog. The blog just doesn't pay, Ineed to change that and I can change that. I need to re-prioritizeit. Everyone else is making money off of their blog, why am I not? I'mgoing to try and give it full mental energy to figuring that out andless to interior designing. It's so fun waking up to blogging.

Do you feel like this conference hashelped you know the first steps to making money through your blog?

Yeah, not so much the seminars, buttalking to people, and everyone is very supportive and giving awayinformation. Right now, I'm doing market ads, managing those isreally time consuming, they are not making much money, but they aretaking a lot of my time. I've learned that there are other thingsthat I should be doing that is a lot easier!

Photo Credit: Four

Since I'm a craft blog, I know that youare pretty crafty, what is your favorite craft to make?

For myself, I have always made my ownhome dec pillows. I do love collaging, gold and copper leafing, andsewing. I could gold leaf everything. I was a decoupaging queen for a few years...I found a photo ofsomething I decoupaged in my early twenties. I'm planning on bloggingabout it, it is awesome, it's terrible, but it's awesome. I threw itaway and it's one of the biggest regrets of my life.

I don't do much crafting anymore. Ifeel like you have to be really good at it for it not to look DIY'ed,I don't want it to look amateur. I don't have time to make myselfgood at it. I love pottery and I took a pottery class, but learnedit's really hard. You can't just phone it in. You can't be good ateverything and so I'm not going to try some things. I'd rather buy from people who are professional. 

Photo Credits: Five

I know that you are a big fan of the Bachelor, as am I. Who do you think will win the Bachelor, Ben?

Kasie B, there is something I like about her.

I'm fearful of the model, Courtney, butI think she might take it.

She could. Also, she is kind of crazy,guys are pretty attracted to girls that are. So I think it's between,Casey or Courtney. I really like Ben, I was excited when he wasannounced. He does seem relatively normal.  

Again, Thank you so much Emily! I really appreciate you giving up your time. 

Interview with Emily Henderson: Part Two

Photo: One, Two

You shop all different types of stores and youknow what makes a shop unique. What would be your advice for Chrisand I potentially opening our own shop?

EH: Besides having awesome stuff,obviously, having a lot of it and turning it over often. Because thestores that I love every time I go they will be totally different. They will have everything from accessories to large pieces. Then I'llwant to buy something. Make sure to style it cool. Bernadette Breu is a good example, found, weird, European, it's awesome!

Photo Credit: Three

What's your own style?

EH: I love so much! I think that ultimatelyI'm consistently drawn too really girly English florals, Victorianfurniture, that mixed with 70s glam. I've loved the 70s for awhile,I've always dressed 70s, even ten years ago, I was wearing it. So Ilike to say Crazy-English-Grandma-Cat-Lady-Meets-Seventies-Glam.That's the stuff that I don't sell, those are consistently my twostyles. I had an oil painting that I found at the flea market. I hadit framed with crazy blue and gold, really ornate, and really big. Ithought to myself, I'm really attracted to this stuff. Then, I wentto pick it up and I'm like, "Hells, Yes!" Not many peoplecould like this. I mixed it in on a gallery wall with contemporarystuff. But I think that I can handle a lot more than other peoplecan. People may think it's granny, but I think it's timeless and beautiful. Ilove florals more than anyone I know.

Photo Credit: Four, Five

How does your husband take your design?Does he input at all?

EH: Nope, only if I'm getting rid ofsomething he likes. He'll say: "oh wait, I kind of like it"Or I'll let him make the decision if I'm on the fence aboutsomething. Do you like it or not like it? There was one painting thatI blogged about, I got it for free, it was a woman from the 70s, itlooked like she wasn't wearing a bra, it was a portrait of astranger. He doesn't like those, this one specifically weird andugly, but I liked it. He put his foot down. "I'm not saying wecan't keep it, but just for the record I hate that painting.""Far enough." But he is way to smart to argue with me. Thehouse isn't fairly feminine. We have a lot of furniture that'smasculine, it's all of the accessories that are feminine. It's notlike we are sitting in a french tea.

Photo Credit: Six

What I love about your show, is how youteach people design principles. I've learned so much. One lesson that stands outto me is when you taught about masculine and feminine furniture lines. You're really help teach us!

EH: That's awesome! Thank you! What Ireally do love is all of our main pieces are masculine and thensmaller pieces are feminine: a cute little garden stool or littlebrass drum tables. It's easier to decorate on top of simple linesthen try to masculine a really curvy piece of furniture.

Photo Credit: Seven

Yes, because then what would you add toit? A masculine shaped pillow? There just seems to be some objectsthat are innately feminine.

EH: Totally, there are a couple of episodeswith all girls, which is so fun. Do you remember that episode withhot pink, brass, and green? Super feminine! I loved that room. Thewhite chairs were crazy. But I think ultimately, I couldn't live inthat room with Brian. He just wouldn't fit.

{ Stay Tuned for the final Part Three Tomorrow! }

Living MS Living // Painted Lampshades

This month proved difficult! With all of my projects (business cards, bag, sewing, etc) going in preparation for Alt, it's been hard to keep up with everything else. But, don't fret! 

Here is where it got tricky! I've been painting coats of paint for the past three days. After three coats of paint, the interior looks amazing, but when I put the light comes on you can still see streaks through it. 

These pictures were taken after four coats: 

These were taken after eight coats: 

 At this point, I love the gold! And the coats did make a difference. However, I felt like it wasn't making that much of a change between the coats. I didn't want to take the time to do 20 coats.

So Plan B! Cover the outside of the lampshade with paper! I've seen this done lots of times, but have never done it myself. 

I used Zots to adhere the paper to the outside of the lampshade. Then I trimmed the excess paper, and glued down the edges with PVA Glue. I used this glue because it's a great paper glue and I knew it dries clear. Plus, I had it on hand! :) 

I love my new lamp! I learned that things don't always turn out like you planned, but that's okay! On second thought, I may not have used the right lampshade or paint. Has anyone else tried this? Did you succeed? 

 

Cost: $8 for the lampshade (Target), $4 paint (Collage), $3 Lamp (Thrift Store)

Difficulty: Easy, just time-consuming

* This post is part of my new project for 2012. Living Martha Stewart Living. Every month, I will make a few projects from the current month's magazine and share it with you! Click here for more information. *

Anthopologie Table Tops!

Anthropologie continues to blow me away! In the past few months, that have introduced so many new lines! Here let me catch you up:

B H L D N : new wedding store & web site. So much has changed about weddings dresses since I got married five years ago.

Decorator Concepts: it will be more for home decor and helping to decorate your home. Read all about it on Holly's blog at decor8. 

Lastly, this morning I opened my email about found this lovely surprise: 

You can make your own designs using their Tabletop Design Tool. It's so much fun! Click here to try it out! 

Here are a couple that I made: 

Give it a try, it's lot's of fun! 

Happy Wednesday! 

inspiration boards

Wow! it's already Wednesday! In some ways, I can't wait for the weekend and in other ways I'm scared at how fast time is moving! It's so true that time does move faster the older you get!

This week is super busy as my real job, teaching, is requiring a lot of extra hours. I'm currently catching up on grading papers, and writing comments and report cards. Then next week, I'll be a bit more off the radar as I'm going camping with my whole class...at Outdoor Ed! It will be a fun week to do something different with my students. 

 

 In my blogging class, Holly from decor8 has given us an assignment of developing an inspiration board. Have you seen inspiration boards before? I'm new to them, but totally inspired. Here are a few that inspire me! 

The Craft Begins

This is a computerized inspiration board, but I love the drawer unit and the color combos! This blog has lots of inspiration boards, too.

Her Library Adventures 

A fellow BYW classmate! I love how she propped up her board on her typewriter! 

Every Little Thing

I love the different textures, words, colors, and photography!

I'm still working on mine, and I want to photograph it during the day, so I'm waiting for the weekend. More to come soon! 

It is a great process going through pictures and images and deciding what inspires you! Give it a try! :)