My Quilting Chronicles

I am one of those creative people who constantly feels inspired by different projects that I see around me, whether it be on Pinterest, or another blog, or my own family. My mom and my aunts have been quilting for a while now, but I just started to jump on the bandwagon. I love the craftsmanship that goes into making a quilt, and all the beautiful patterns from the fabrics. The task seems a bit overwhelming, but luckily I have experts to rely on. I can already tell that my favorite part of the quilt making process is selecting the fabric. Seriously, there are so many beautiful fabric lines out there. I am quite smitten with the new Jennifer Paganelli line at Joann Fabrics. It was released on June 30th, and I was lucky enough to be able to snag some over the holiday weekend. This line of fabric inspired me to get started on my quilt. So here are the fabrics that I am using, not all are from the Jenny Eliza line, some are from Joann's own line, and one is from another favorite fabric designer named Amy Butler. 

Here is the pattern that I am planning on following....

I love the hex pattern, and I also love when there is white in a quilt. I feel like the other fabrics pop against the white. I chose a pretty little swiss dot print for my white fabric.  

Here is the book I purchased from Joann's with the quilt pattern.

So there you have it, the fabrics that I have chosen, and the pattern that I am using. I hope it turns out as good in person, as I visualize it my head ;) I will be updated my progress as I go along. I'd love for you to leave me any helpful tips about quilting in the comments. You can also follow me on Instagram, I'll be posting updates on there too! Wish me luck, I am excited about this new project. I actually have cut out all the patterned pieces, all 78 of them. 

XO~Gretchen

Designing a Beach Bungalow Part 4 The Master Oasis

Have you been following along? Yay, if so. Well here is Part 4 in my blogging series. I have been sharing my inspiration and design ideas for a beach house. Today I'll be blogging about how I would design our master bedroom in our "pretend" beach house. First I would have my handy hubby or a local contractor add panel molding to the walls in the room, like the mood board photo below. Then I would paint the wall color, including the trim, a really chalky, pale coral. I think one of these colors from Sherwin Williams would work really well.

I really want the master bedroom to have a sophisticated feel, with a little whimsy, and of course be comfy. I love the soft color pallet of corals, mixed with blues and grays. And I am a big fan of the brass accents. What's old is new again, and yes brass is back! 

So here are the details on the bed. You can find this one at Ballard Design. You are able to custom design this bed, with a variety of fabrics, but I just chose a simple off white linen.

I would keep the bed linens simple, and just use an off white, duvet and pillows. Then I would accent with a few fun pillows like these. The first pillow is from Williams Sonoma, and I love the coral detail on it. I actually have similar pillows on our current master bed.

I found the fabric for these pillows at Hawthorne Threads. I love the navy, with the corals and aqua. It's an Amy Butler fabric, she is one of my favorite fabric designers. 

I chose a simple throw, that has a pillow ticking feel to it. Something about pillow ticking always reminds me of the beach. 

So there is the bed, and the bedding, pretty simple, yet comfy and inviting. Just what I would invasion for my master bedroom beach house.

Here are the details about the furnishings I chose for the space. I love this tall armoire from Ballard Design. They have a great collection of painted wood furniture, with lots of color options. I just happen to adore this bluish, aqua finish. This would be a perfect place to tuck away a TV, and have additional storage.

Next I found this long dresser, that I think would be nice. I do not like when furniture all matches, I think it great to have different colored finishes, and embrace the eclectic look. 

This piece is also from Ballard Design. 

The side tables are from Layla Grace. I love the X pattern on the front. I would add two of these, one on each side of the bed. 

Oh how I love this velvet chair. I looks comfy, vintage, and modern. I think it's the perfect combination. I don't need a new chair for our current home, but I sure do love this one. :) You can find it here.

Now for all the little details the make a room. I found this rug online at Wayfair. This rug has my favorite color combination. I think it's what pulls the color story together in this room.

Another great find from Ballard Design is this tall wooden mirror. It would be great to lean on a wall in the room, or place above the dresser. Every girl needs a full length mirror ;)

This Paris map can be found at Target. I love how it looks like an old vintage map, but does not cost a lot of money. You could frame it yourself, and save some money. I always have luck with large frames at Michael's Crafts or Hobby Lobby. 

Another great artwork piece I would use in this room is this painted wooden sign. A local boutique in town Dress and Dwell carries this Sugarboo line. I think it's always great to have a meaningful piece of art in your master bedroom. You could also create a piece like the one I made here.

Here is the piece that I made :)

This is another great art piece I found online at Target. It works well in a serene beach inspired space. 

Loving this fun and whimsical lamp by Layla Grace. I would put them on a bedside table. I may try to emulate this lamp shade. I think it would be easy to make by gluing pom poms on to an existing lamp shade. 

I would use this fun little modern print fabric for an accent pillow. You can find the fabric here. 

Lastly, I saw a similar piece to this one, at Target recently. I think it is a perfect little accessory to any room. Brass accessories are really on trend. 

So there you have it, how I would design a master suite for our beach bungalow. This has been a fun series for me, because I love design, and I really adore anything beach inspired. I always say that the stork did not drop me far enough south. I think I was meant to grow up near the beach. Someday we hope to own our own little piece of paradise. I have a couple more spaces that I plan on designing and sharing with you for this home. Stay tuned, and check back. You can see the other spaces that I designed here(boy's room), here(guest room), and here(family room). :)

Until next time..

XO~Gretchen

Baby Girl Nursery

Since I am the mom of three handsome boys, I always love when I get the opportunity to help decorate a little girl's space. This mom happens to be one of my favorite clients, she is nice as can be, and crafty. This nursery design was a combined effort, and I wanted to share with you the results...

Pink never gets old, especially when it's your first little girl. We chose a soft pink, it really complemented all our fabric choices. I always love the combination of pinks and aqua, I think they work really well together. The ceilings are only 8 feet tall, so we opted for a ceiling mount chandelier. My client made the artwork above her daughters bed, I just picked out the fabric. She just covered the canvas with fabric and glued on the wooden painted letters. A ribbon was attached to the back. This is a great way to personalize your child's space, and you are only limited by your imagination.

I love the birdcage fabric. 

I adore this Amy Butler fabric that we used for the drapes. I found it at 

Fabric.com It's a little more aqua then it appears on the website.

This is an adorable craft project made by one of her friends. It works out perfect to hang her collection of headbands, and post some family photos. :)

This is a little corner of her room. Her talented mother-in-law painted this artwork for her, and I made the little birdie mobile. The mobile was pretty easy to make. I just used felt for the birds and the flowers, and then yarn for the legs of the birds. I accented it will little scrapbook flowers. I found a wooden loom, painted it aqua, and glue ric rac around it.

I love the way this little nook of her room turned out. Lots of baby rocking and snuggling will be taking place here. The side table was an inexpensive piece I found, and she painted it aqua.

                                     Collection of vintage books and a sweet little bird.

Close up of the Amy Butler fabric. I made this sweet little pom pom pillow for her chair.

This piece works well not only as a dresser but also as a changing table. And this amazing rug is from RugsUSA.com

                                                 Cute pom pom garland that I made.

Reading shelf filled with lots of wonderful books.

I really had so much fun helping with this space. I've been so busy with Lulubelles.com stuff lately that it was fun to work with my other passion, interior design. Hope you feel inspired and thanks for stopping by. 

XO~ Gretchen