Gus dog; trending home supermodel.

I'm just finished up a wonderful home in Flowermound yesterday.

We decorated their  dining room and their family room.  Here are a few "snapshot" peeks from the day.

 We purchased new furniture, rugs, pillows, accessories and also "used what they had" to complete each room.

Gus was our male supermodel for the photo shoot.

Isn't he cute?  He liked the new rug!

Audra's shoes worked well with our color scheme and were thrown into the shoot as well.  Audra is my intern that is going off to college at the end of the summer :(

You are going to love the family room.

I'll post more as soon as I get them from the photographer!

Are you Consumed with Comparison?

While I was away on vacation, I had time to really clear my mind and focus on my life  as a Designer and Business Owner.

 Of course, when your body and mind totally starts to rest and be refreshed, you start to think about how things are working in your life and contemplate what is working and what needs to change.

 One of the things that really was made clear to me was the BENEFIT I have of being in front of so many incredibly great people in the Design industry.  I have friends and contacts all around the world on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook.

 The inspiration that I have been able to get from those designers is AMAZING.  I could sit and look at images on their profiles as well as read their advice  for hours and hours.

 All of the conferences, workshops, etc. that I have attended over the years has put me in front of so many extremely talented and gifted people that have stretched me, encouraged me and helped me become the best Designer I can be.

However, one of the things that has been swimming around in my head is that I have become very caught up, almost obsessed,  with comparing myself to those designers that I follow on a daily basis.   

I understand and know that it is extremely important to stay in touch with the latest and greatest in the design world.  I want to be the best at what I do and am always wanting to improve and be better for my clients.  Being the best you can be is what we are called to do, right?

 However, I feel as if I have started comparing myself too much, which is making me feel twinges of  discontentment. and stress.   I have been feeling continued pressure to "DO" all the time and find myself thinking things like:

"Oh no, I should be doing that"

"why didn't I get that recognition, I'm doing the same thing"

"I need to be published, I'm just as good"

"I should be writing about that"

"why don't I have that many followers"

"I need more likes"

"why don't I get 50 comments"

"why don't I know about that?"

"Am I as good as they are"

 When I started my business over 10 years ago, I knew that I was doing the right thing.  Everything I did confirmed that I was doing what I was called to do.

 What I have come to realize is that I have stopped having faith that I am just where I am suppose to be at this very moment.   Comparing myself to what others are doing has started to rob me from my day to day JOY as an Interior Decorator.  I have been gifted with talents and gifts that I sometimes forget to see because of my constant comparison.

 The feeling of constantly feeling like I should be doing something better or bigger is not reality and has actually made me feel like a workaholic at times, constantly striving to be more and more and never feeling like I'm good enough.

My takeaway from my vacation is that what I am called to do is be compassionate about what I do and do it well, the rest will follow!

From today forward, I will continue to be inspired by all those that I follow on Social Media.  However, I will have a new mindset.

 I have worked extremely hard to be where I am today with my business.  I don't need to fast forward to anything other than being in God's plan for me which is right here where I am today.  My talents are unique and different and cannot compare to talents that God has given someone else.

My job is to embrace my gifts wholeheartedly and strive to use those gifts to the best of my ability.

Do you struggle with this same thing?  You may not be a Designer, but I'm sure you are just as involved with Social Media as I am.  Do you feel overcome with visual overload and comparison like I do?   Join me as we start a trend of contentment with ourselves and the personal, unique path we have ahead.

Doing what God has called us to do is WAY better than comparing ourselves to what others are doing!

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Fiesta Americana Grand Los Cabos

Wishing you a wonderful day of FREEDOM today as you celebrate with your families!

(The shells and coral I collected on the beach)

I just returned home after a great time in Cabo, Mexico  this past week!   I have never in my life needed a vacation away like I did this time.   I was in much need of a mind declutter from projects, all the hats I wear and needed a time to think about nothing but being with Mr. S.

 It is always so incredibly wonderful to get away and have time to be still.  At first the quiet was kind of weird to get use to.  However, the more I heard the natural sounds around me, the more I craved the sounds of that peacefulness.

I can't say enough about the resort where we stayed.  It was amazing!  The service was INCREDIBLE, the views were breathtaking, the food was absolutely delicious (and my husband is a foodie)  and the grounds were immaculate!

My girls went to Czech Republic to teach English for 10 days so it was the perfect opportunity for us to get away together!

Enjoy this quick video of all the beauty I captured on our adventure.  No words can express what it was like but pictures can start to give you a glimpse!

God bless vacations and GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Tropical Bamboo Gazebo

 

Okay, so you wonder what we are up to on the weekends?

 Well, my husband and daughters have been extremely busy doing some updates  to our cabana.

 My husband built our cabana about 4 years ago (see above picture) because our previous one (canvas)  collapsed in a snowstorm (see previous below).   The above picture is before it had the terra cotta tiles put on the roof.

We are outdoor people and love to sit outside on summer evenings.

 Being that I grew up in Africa and my husband in Papua New Guinea, outdoor living, even if it's hot, appeals to us.

We decided that we wanted bamboo as the walls around the cabana to make it more private and tropical.

We found these bamboo panels online and knew they would be perfect!  My girls are looking to make money for their missions trip that is coming up this summer.  So...my handy husband put them both to work and is teaching them how to work hard, that's for sure.  He even had them using the drill by the time they were done.  He was PROUD.

Our paradise!  We feel as if we have escaped to another place when we are in our backyard.

Hope you have a great weekend.  Take some time to sit out on your patio.  Great conversations happen when you take time to just sit and enjoy each other.

Montclair Estates Elegance

This past week a had a quick getaway to Arkansas to kick off the summer with my family.  It was an incredible time.  It was eye opening to me to see how my "DecRenew" team took care of everything while I was away!  I am extremely grateful to the contractors that work along side me, they are continually making my job such a pleasure.

 It was hard to come back after being in paradise at Lake Greeson in Arkansas.

My mind was renewed (as much as it can be for a few days away) and I was ready to get back to work the day after we returned.

A wonderful family hired me to decorate their piano room, dining room and entry.  They have been in their home several years now and have remodeled each room.  They just hadn't done any decorating  to their 3 front rooms.  Of course, these are the first rooms guests see first. They hired me to make it look inviting, comfortable, classy and welcoming.  This is Phase I of the decorating.  We will be adding some additional items sometime next month.

 The dining room was already furnished and had all the lighting.  We just added draperies, artwork and accessories.

BEFORE

 Amazing what a difference color, texture and draperies can do to a room.

AFTER

The artwork was inspired by the drapery fabric.  Mary Howe from Divine Inspirations did the painting for us.  I outlined the concept and colors and she did her magic like she always does, such talent!

I created the urns by adding moss to a round Styrofoam ball and then surrounding them with grapevine to give it a really natural look.  I just love using greenery that has lots of branches incorporated.  Truly looks like you picked it off a tree.  The urns were aged with an aging solution.

 My camera died in the middle of taking these photo's so I apologize for the "not so vibrant" shots.

The piano room was cleared out completely.  We kept the piano where it was because it is the star of the room.

BEFORE PIANO ROOM

 AFTER PIANO ROOM

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

  We had the fireplace fauxed with layers of  grays.  It now is more of the focal point in the room and coordinates with the colors in the entry. We added all new custom furniture, rugs and accessories, leaving the piano as the focal in this room.

AFTER

 This oil painting is the mom of my client.  She is perfect for above a mantel in a piano room don't you think?

BEFORE

We created a gallery wall with all of the oil paintings that were done by family members.  Framing them all in the same frame made them a grouping that works together, even though they are all quite a bit different.

AFTER

 I didn't use the oil painting with the fruit because I felt like that one is more appropriate for a kitchen.

Substantial dark frames changed the look of the artwork drastically!  Grouping them together makes it more of a collection.  Spreading them out all over the home would have lost their impact.  Seeing them all together tells a better story and showcases the collection.

I found the glass  lamp bases and changed out the shades with something a little more decorative than plain white.  The muted chevron pattern is gorgeous with the rug.

 These custom chairs are my favorite thing in the room!  The colorful  pillow makes the entire room come together. Well....I love the gallery of artwork too!

BEFORE ENTRY

AFTER

 The entry accent wall was painted a similar color to the fireplace surround,  uniting the rooms together.

 I found the chair at an estate sale and had it painted a light gray.

 Reupholstered the seat to match the pillows in the piano room and united everything together with a  cream Brazilian  hide.

 These Spanish doors were added to the stairway wall and are an incredible statement to the home with their weathered texture and color.

The amount of work that goes into one of these installs in incredible.  It always blows my mind to see the ideas that have been swirling around in my head come together within an 6 hour time frame. Months of preparation and organization.  Such an  awesome feeling to see it all put together.

The reveal is always so exciting and this family all gathered together to do the final walk thru after being gone all day.

The moment you drive away from a client and watch as the family walks back into their home is always such a rewarding feeling.  I love knowing that as they enter the front door, new memories will be created as they have friends and family gathered around for meals around their dining room table.  I can imagine lots of gatherings around the piano too, especially  for holidays and special occasions.

Thank you Lord for the blessing of using my gifts to warm the hearts of others.  It's a gift that comes back to me ten fold.