Featured // HGTV!

Finally, I can share! Over a month ago now, HGTV contacted me to share some of my photos from the Color-Blocked Neon Rope Basket that I was featured on Design*Sponge. We talked back and forth, and HGTV wanted more ideas on how to incorporate neon into home decor. It is the trend of the season! ;) 

I wanted to make the most of the opportunity, so I brainstormed a bunch of ideas and asked a good friend of mine, Kate from Portland Flea, to see if I could do a little photo shoot at her house. We had a blast and I think the photos came out really well! 

In the end, the "feature" was three photos included in a article entitled "20+Ways to Decorate Your Home with Neon", but I'm more than thrilled to have been a part of the process and I learned loads throughout this process. The article consists of 21 different ideas and photos, scroll through the slide show and you can find my three photos that I contributed. 

Here's a few of the photos that didn't make it and a little more about the process. 

I knew that I wanted to make something for this photo shoot, so I got to work at piecing together a little pillow. I chose a vibrant neon pink and some neutrals. and pieced together an improvisational log cabin block. The vase was a last minute idea. I had bought some knee highs from Target and I loved the look of them. I wanted to include them but at first I couldn't figure how... finally I tried out putting the sock on a vase and I loved the look! Cut off the foot of the sock, and viola! 

Finally, here is a bigger shot of the dining room table set-up. This was my favorite part. I loved making the table decorations and setting the table. It made me what have dinner parties! Now if only I could get the cooking part down... ;) 

Make sure to check out HGTV's article. 

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! }

An Interview with Emily Henderson

Photo Credit: Bonnie Tsang & Laure Joliet

For me, Alt Summit was all about Carpe Diem. When Emily Henderson, uber-stylist, tweeted that she would love to be interviewed by bloggers, I jumped at the chance! I've been a Emily-fan from the moment Design Star Season Five first aired. She is from Portland and has a super down-to-earth, friendly personality. I immediately started following her blog (check it out, she's hilarious) and when she won (no surprise here),  I couldn't wait for her show, Secrets from a Stylist, to come out. Fast forward two years, Chris and I always watch and re-watch her show together and pick up good stylist/interior design advice for our business.

Upon walking into the Grand American Lobby Bar, I was struck with how Emily is so friendly and welcoming. We chatted for awhile, so as to not overwhelm you, I've broken the interview up into three parts. Here's a peek into my interview with Emily - Part One:

Heather: What is your favorite mid-century piece that you have?

Emily Henderson: Well, I got my sofa at the The Good Mod in Portland. At the time I didn't have very much money. He sold it to me for $900 including shipping. Now, looking back, even if it were $2000 I would have bought it again. I love that sofa.

 

Photo Credits: Emily Henderson & Laure Joliet

 

Do you have a favorite mid-century piece or designer?

EH: I like Mid-century, I don't like a whole room of it, I get a little sick of so much of the Danish stuff, or the American made Danish. I like anything Milo Baughman, 70's Moroccan stuff. One of my favorite spaces is the Parker in Palm Springs, it was designed 8 years ago and it's still amazing. Right now I'm obsessed with and I have been for awhile 70's Brazilian furniture slings and stuff. Can't get enough of right now and it's really hard to find. There are good places that have knock-offs or reproductions. But the originals are hard, they aren't American - made.

There is so much mid-century everywhere you look, that will eventually die out, what do you think is the next new trend in design?

EH: The 80's, saturated colors, matching upholstery to your drapes, in an over-the-top way. I don't even know if I could do it! I will for the show, but I don't know if I will for me. It's so much a commitment and both things are very expensive. I think that 80's florals, but in an updated version will be really big in upholstery. Eclectic is not going away, we don't need to worry about all-of-a-sudden, everything changing, but the seventies are back now, and the 80's are back in fashion, which means that they will come back in home very soon, that's what happens. Fashion is always two-years ahead, because you don't have to commit, where with furniture it's a much bigger commitment. 80s is the cheap version of the 30s furniture, The 30s were really round arms, curved backs, large-scale, lots of color and kind of gaudy. 80's furniture is inspired by the 30s but they did such a bad job of it, except for the higher end stuff. So now, when I see something I'm not sure if it's 80s or 30s, but I like it.

 

 

 

Photo Credit: Amanda Friedman & Chimay Bleue

It is funny when you see something andyou're not quite sure when it was from, and you're wondering do Ilove it or hate it? Didn't you tweet about that?

EH: Yes, it's hard and kind of terrifying!When something is inexpensive, I get confused.

I agree, it is really hard! That's whenthe trigger finger comes into play, I know I don't have it, do you?

EH: Yes, I am such a sucker for stuffthat's weird or that I haven't seen before. That's when I haveproblems not buying because then I'm afraid I'll regret it. If it'sjust a beautiful piece, then I know it's great, we needit. But if it's so weird, then I don't know. Will I regret for therest of my life not having this weirdness? In general, my gut ispretty good. But the end of the day after 9 hours at the flea market.I'll make such mistakes. Especially cheap mistakes, I rarely makeexpensive mistakes.  

Photo Credit: Emily Henderson & Orlando Soria

*please excuse iPhone quality photo!*

{ Click here for Part Two }

Happy Friday!