Jenn's Family Room

I was so excited when Jenn contacted me about the design for her new home AND that I get to share it with you. This space is definitely a creative outlet for me and allows me to connect with new people and even design for people that live across the country. I have not created any mood boards since my macbook died. You will notice that this one looks different from previous boards but I had to get creative since I do not have photoshop at the moment.

We are starting in the Family Room (which is very logical) because it sets the tone for the rest of the house. Jenn had already purchased this Restoration Hardware sofa which was a great starting point for my design. She was also keeping the paint color which was a golden yellow.

Jenn's wishes for the space: "Would like room to be warm, welcoming, comfortable but good for entertaining/fun, pottery barnesque" She also said she was inspired by this design that I created for Katie.

I also did some space planning for Jenn. She sent the measurements to me and I used Floorplanner to create this drawing for her.

I cant wait to start designing more rooms for Jenn!! Hopefully there will be some before and after pics to share as well!!

Are you excited to see mood boards making an appearance again on Designer in Teal? Do you need help designing a space in your home? Check out my affordable design pricing here!

Anniversary Staycation Celebration RECAP!!

***WARNING: THIS IS THE MOST EPIC, PICTURE-FILLED POST EVER ON DESIGNER IN TEAL***

The title says it all, right?? This has been a very long awaited post. If you've read probably any other post of mine then you know that Veronica @ Passion, Pink and Pearls is my "blog bestie." I won't go into how our friendship started but I will tell you that you will be hearing a lot more about her because this is only the beginning of our friendship. Kevin (Veronica's husband) did most of the picture taking (so all of the pics in the post belong to them).

I truly believe that it was in God's plan for us to meet. I never imagined when I started blogging that I would meet someone like Veronica. I was so excited and anxious for her arrival but definitely not nervous because I felt like I've known her my whole life. I stood outside of my car trying to be patient and she was texting me from inside saying she could see me and was waving her arms. We had a nice long hug and snapped our first picture together at the airport. And then I blinked and she was gone. We had 4 days together and every minute of it was amazing. She was just as genuine and kind in person as through our previous exchanges. Her laugh is contagious and her relationship with Kevin was inspiring. I am so thankful that the boys really hit it off as well. I cannot wait until we meet again.

We are both planners and so I wanted to have an itinerary of sorts for their trip to make the best of our time. We stuck to it pretty well and the rain didn't mess up any of it. I jokingly mentioned that I wanted to show them the best of Virginia so they would move here. Who knows??

Tuesday

We headed straight to Williamsburg from the airport. We ate lunch at the Dog Street Pub and walked through Colonial Williamsburg. It was definitely the hottest day but I did get a little tan ;) Then we toured Jamestown. It was closing at 5 and we didn't get there until about 3:45 but despite the receptionists' doubt, we made it with time to spare (for the gift shop). We just wanted a light dinner so we stopped at Chicken Fiesta and left plenty of room for the main event, dessert at Gelati Celesti. This is pretty much my favorite ice cream ever so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take them there. We finally made it to the house and they were greeted with my chalkboard welcome sign, their anniversary gift and Artie!! We hung out on the newly finished deck and split up for some girl time.

Mandatory Williamsburg pic

Hiding in the huts.

We're on a boat!

Listening to Kevin preach it!

Resting and cooling off. Did I mention it was like 95 degrees??

Tim insisted I try the armor on. So we decided to show off our muscles.

We left our mark on the Gelati Celesti chalkboard.

Wednesday

As much as I loved our day trips, I wanted them to experience Richmond as well. We packed in every little thing that I could think of. We started off the day with a Canal tour in Shockoe Slip/ Design District. (and I had to show her La Diff while we were in the area) We ate at Bottoms Up Pizza for lunch. I had never been their either and was blown away by their delicious and humongous slices of pizza. We spent the rest of the afternoon on Belle Isle. It did rain for a bit but we took cover under the deteriorating hydro-plant. We hiked and jumped rocks and swam in the river. (okay well Veronica and I sunbathed while the boys swam) Then we headed back to get all dolled up for our anniversary dinner. I made reservations for us at The Boathouse and although we didn't get the scenic view from the balcony or a sunset the food was amazing and the company was even better. Being the dessert connoisseur lover that I am (haha) I really wanted to try Shyndigz and I knew that would be perfect for our anniversary celebration.

The perfect frame!

I love that Veronica captured this. There was a lot of bad graffiti on the buildings but this little heart was a hidden gem.

This about sums up our excitement about meeting each other!!

It was not an easy task crossing these in sandals.

We've been working hard to wear these bikinis (we had finished week 6 of the Bikini Series 2014 and then took a break for vacay)

I LOVE THIS BRIDGE!!

River City--view from the bridge

My favorite guy :)

My delicious crab stuffed shrimp.

The cloudy, rainy view.

We so fancy!!

eating the Crack Pie (that is really what its called) 

Thursday

We took Kevin and Veronica to see UVA's campus since one of Veronica's friends went there. I got a lunch recommendation from my friend Kim and then we spent the rest of the day at Monticello. This was the part I had been most looking forward to. And it did not disappoint! The beauty of the architecture, gardens and mountains were overwhelming. If you ever have the opportunity to go, do it. I even got a book about the homes of the U.S. Presidents. Now I want to go to Mount Vernon and The Hermitage. We drove way out past Charlottesville to the Wild Wolf Brewing Company for dinner. We tried a variety of desserts there including fried oreos for the first time.

We are the same person....

visiting a place that shall not be named.....only because Veronica's friend went there.

MONTICELLO!!

Best selfie (or groupie) ever on the largest stump I've ever seen.

In the 1000 ft vegetable garden 

Glamour shots..haha

Hanging out with Mr. Jefferson. I gave him a nickel.

This pretty much defines the weather for the week. 

Friday

Friday was not thoroughly planned out because I didn't realize we would have a full day with them. On a whim I decided we would show them Carytown and then stop by Tuckahoe Plantation. But first, I couldn't let them leave without having Dixie Donuts.

Carytown is filled with lots of unique shopping and restaurants and I even found some artwork I want to get for our living room (this Albie Designs print from Modern Arifacts). We also tried a new place for lunch called The Daily Kitchen. It was SOO good and I will be back (a lot). We wore similar outfits most of the time but Veronica gave me this monogrammed tee and we wore them on our last day...along with out mint pants and the boys laughed at us for carrying our purses around the same way.

Perfection.

Our matching shirts. Only one person asked about them. She thought we were bridesmaids.

The designers admiring the restaurant.

The best answers to a survey ever!!

Thomas Jefferson's boyhood home.

Amazing views everywhere.

Gotta frame this one!!

We took a few last pictures before I dropped them off. The house felt very quiet after that. Now its back to normal and eating healthy and exercising.

Until next time pretty lady!!