Say hello...

To my new blog!!!

It is SOOOO me! Thanks Jana! You did an amazing job! (I highly recommend her if you need a new and affordable design) Oh and I also realized that it matches my dream kitchen...how bout that? No we didn't use this picture for inspiration.

Speaking of kitchens....we've been doing some house hunting. That has been a very interesting process so far. If you have any advice, I would love to hear it. 

Now on to the good stuff.....this pretty new space!! I want to share a few changes with you to help you find your way around.

• The navigation bar is a little different. There is a tab with categories that has a pull down menu so that you can find the types of posts you want to read.
• Also new to the Nav bar are my Etsy shop and Design Services.
• You can find all of my social media in the top right corner.
• The sidebar is now on the right and the post area is much larger which means bigger pictures and less distraction while you're reading.
• Oh and check out my new buttons on my Sponsor page!!!

My design inspiration pt. 2

Its time that we talked about who inspires Me in the design world. I am always showing you mood boards and telling you my profession is interior design, but what keeps my creative juices flowing (besides Pinterest andHouzz)?

I have decided to break this up into a little mini series instead of giving you all of them at once. This will also give me lots of time to think about where my inspiration really comes from.

The first designer that I shared was:
-Nate Berkus (pt. 1)

Another designer that inspires me is....

Candice Olson

That's probably another familiar name to you because she is a designer for HGTV.

What I like about Olson design:

-she is not afraid to try new things

-makes great use of small spaces

-nice use of color, contrast and lighting

-can create amazing things on a small budget

-they are bold and make a statement








What else does Candice do?

She has written 6 books, has a rug collection with Surya, a paint collection with Benjamin Moore, a wallpaper collection with York and the list goes on.

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A New Face and a Facelift

Oh man am I excited about this post....

I don't know which exciting part to talk about first?? 

Okay...let's talk about the facelift. I have enjoyed this blog design that I made some months ago but I am ready for something new, something fresh and by someone else. I loved designing my header and everything in photoshop but the install was just too stressful and I couldn't ever seem to get it exactly how I wanted it. Long story short- Jana is working on a new design for me right now. So that will be coming soon :)

Now...for the new face. But it's not exactly a new face....you've seen it before on this blog. Gabby, my new sister-in-law is going to be a contributor for Designer in Teal!!!

Why? Well because frankly I think she should have a blog of her own. She is SO talented and creative and I just know you are going to love her. We are going to start with her doing one post a month and just see how it goes! She may be sharing DIY posts, new recipes or maybe random stuff like I do.

And also because I want to bring you a fresh perspective and a wider array of topics (and she loves teal almost as much as I do!)

So to help you get to know Gabby, we're gonna do a little Q&A. Comment with your questions below (or you can email them to me). 

And just for fun...

Some of my favorite posts from 2013:

Me from A to Z
Chihuly, Cupcakes and Chili
Sara's Mood Board (and my 100th post)
Take me Back
Bedroom Reveal
Celebrating One Year with my Best Friend
Meet Artie
Fall in my Home 2013
Newlywed Game {Holiday Edition}

The "Best Of" Design in Your Home

March/April/May/June/July-August/Sept-Oct

**January link-up at bottom of post**

Jackie and I really appreciate everyone who participated in our Design in Your Home link-up and holiday link-up this year. This link-up started back in March 2013 and we have had well over 100 people join in so far!! I have been very inspired and I hope that you have too!!

Because we didn't have a regular link-up for December, we decided to do a "recap" and share what we thought was the best of the best per category. Everyone who has been featured up until this point was included in the nominations. The blogs that we selected have some major talent but be sure to check back to previous months to see even more inspiring homes!

Here are the awards:

Best Kitchen
Samantha's vote- He and I

Jackie's vote- The Blissful Bee

Best Dining Room

Samantha's vote- Swoonworthy

Jackie's vote- The Sweetest Digs

Best Home Office
Samantha's vote- Home with Baxter

Jackie's vote- Design Improvised

Best Living Space
Samantha's vote- Suburbs Mama

Jackie's vote- Live, Laugh and Love

Best Bedroom
Samantha & Jackie's vote- Bigger than the Three of Us

Best Whole House Tour
Samantha's vote- Cuckoo for Design

Jackie's vote- Decor and the Dog

Thank you so much for your support in our link-up! I can't wait to see what 2014 holds!!

And our favorite Holiday Home was:

Samantha's vote: Passion, Pink and Pearls

Jackie's vote: The Makerista

And speaking of which, let's get started!! Join us for the January link-up (now with thumbnails)
Rules:
1) Please follow your host (Designer in Teal) and co-host (Jade and Oak) via Bloglovin or GFC.
2) Please only link up your own home or space that you've designed/decorated.
3) Have FUN!

I would love for you to share on facebook, twitter, pinterest and instagram!! Spread the word.

If you do not have a blog but still want to show off your work, you can email me the pictures! samantha.n.shipley@gmail.com

Welcome, 2014!!

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Yesterday, the post I shared reminisced on the past year and I'm glad I took the time to do that because it made me realize how I want to move forward.

We didn't make any fancy plans last night because Tim had to work today but I did have a blast because I was with my husband and that's ALL THAT MATTERS! We went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner and then hung out with friends from church and played games until the ball dropped. 

I created 13 goals last January and I was very disappointed in myself after seeing that I stuck with very few of them. SOOOO this year I won't bore you with 14 goals because I am only going to focus on one.

PRAY. 

We will have a lot of big and small decisions to face this year (like buying a house). I tend to stress and worry about a lot of things so I just want to give all to God. My mother-in-law got us a Our Daily Bread Devotional for Christmas that I am very excited about. It will allow me some time each day to pray, read the bible and reflect which I honestly haven't done much of lately.

I know having one goal to focus on for the year will make it more attainable for me and I can always add more from month to month (like doing another 40 day challenge).  Also, if I get this one right, everything else will fall into place!!

Is prayer on anyone else's list?

What are your goals for this year?