I thought it was high time I put all of my most commonly asked questions in one spot for you Squeezies! I know many of you have similiar questions about our home and the projects I do, so this may help.


QUESTION: Can I paint my popcorn ceilings?
Answer: Our ceilings are that smooshy kind of texture, but have very little actual texture to them. So with the flat paint the texture disappears even more. I'm guessing that painting popcorn ceilings would do the same! If you do it, you'll want to use a roller with a thick nap -- probably about half an inch, so it can get into all of the crevices.

I don't know how much of the "popcorn" will crumble off, so I suggest you try it in a spot like a closet or a laundry room first to see how it works. :)

QUESTION: What is the brand and color of your floors?

Answer: Our floors are Pergo and the color is Santos Cherry. We got them from Home Depot and are completely pleased with them -- they hold up great!

QUESTION: What are the paint colors in your home?

Answer: Our whole foyer, living room, stairway and loft are all Beechwood Gray from Porter Paints. I used the darker tone on this paint chip, Vermont Brown, for the accent areas in these spaces:

The bummer is Porter changed their paint and paint colors a couple years ago, and they don't have this color name on the chip any more. There is almost an exact match now, but you'll have to ask the folks at Porter what will work best. (If they can't help, let me know.)

Our den is Fired Brick from Sherwin Williams (which I had colored matched to Behr):

I LOVE this color -- it is impossible to photograph because it usually looks orangey in pics. It's really a nice rusty red color. Lurve.

Our kitchen and family room is one of my favorites, Sisal from Ralph Lauren. Yet again, I had it matched in Behr paint. (Have you noticed a trend?):

I firmly believe this color would look good in just about any room, in any house.

The nursery wall color is Pale Sand 1 and the stripes are Pale Apple 2, Apple 3 and Apple 4. All are Laura Ashley paint from Lowe's. All are adorable:

Our bedroom is a grayish green called Tornado Watch from Valspar at Lowe's. The fireplace wall is slightly darker tone called Mossy Aura:
I also used these colors in our master bathroom.

Our sunny laundry room is Manila Tint from Behr:

Speaking of the laundry room...

QUESTION: How tall is the beadboard in your laundry room?

Answer: With the chair rail at the top, it is a total of 62 inches tall.

QUESTION: Do you sleep? :)
Answer: YES, and often. I am a sleeper people!! I usually get at least eight hours a night (Good God, thank you for a son who sleeps in!), if not nine (or TEN!) hours. And I take naps often. I lurve me some naps.

QUESTION: Where do you purchase your bamboo roman shades?

Answer: Everywhere! The shades in our den (above) were from Home Depot. Our dining room shades (in a yummy reddish tone) were from Lowe's:

The shades in the family room were from Target:

I also have these in our master bedroom and the loft. I don't remember where I got these but I'm sure it was one of the three places I mentioned.

QUESTION: How private are the bamboo shades?

Answer: It depends on the shades. The bamboo in our playroom/loft (above) is wide apart, so they offer very little privacy.

In our bedroom, they are really tight, so they are fantastic for privacy:Even so, I purchased privacy liners for these windows, as well as our family room windows, at Lowe's. They are pretty pricey (I believe mine were about $23 each), but worth it. I still swear the bamboo shades offer better sunlight control then our two inch blinds, but maybe not as much privacy, without the liners.

QUESTION: Will you ever try out for Design Star on HGTV?

Answer: You all are the sweetest peeps ever for asking this. My friends ask me this a lot too, and I have to tell you -- I have zero interest in doing it. As much as I love traveling, there is truly no place like home for me. I would not move to do a show for a million bucks. (Well...hmmm...) No really. (Seriously, like I would ever win anyway. I'm not dramatic enough for those judges!) And, the thought of leaving my family for even a few weeks just makes me so depressed I can't stand it. :) If it was something I really wanted to do, I would make that sacrifice, but it's not.

Now...if HGTV wants to come to my house, during the Bub's naptime, and will let me keep my yoga pants and my headband on, I'm SO IN!!

QUESTION: What paint and finish do you use on your furniture redos?

I am LOVING a black paint from Behr (shock) called Black Suede. It is a great black -- not greyish at all.

I always use an eggshell finish on my projects:

I usually don't do a coat of poly, but I have on a couple pieces -- the Goodwill coffee table above (the Hot Wheels were leaving marks all over it) and the laminate TV cabinet in the playroom:
QUESTION: What is included with your consultation?

Answer: Good question! First of all, I'm sending a shout out to past clients, and asking if you want me to highlight your redos, I'd love to share them! As far as the consults -- I'm thrifty, so everything I suggest is with that in mind. I work with your budget (if you have one) to suggest changes. That includes paint colors, furniture (re)arrangement, accessory ideas, ways to incorporate molding or beadboard, fun additions for kid's spaces, fabric ideas (pillows/drapes/etc.), artwork suggestions, etc. I'll also answer any questions you have about your space or help with any problem areas. The pricing is $30 for each room. If you have questions on different projects or rooms, e-mail me and we can figure out a price based on what you need.

QUESTION: Please tell me how you do everything -- the blog, projects, family life!

Answer: I have to say, I have it EASY. Many of you know I took a break from my part time decorating gig a couple months ago to give this blog more of my attention. And I am loving it! (!!!!) There are so many bloggers who have kids, work full time, then come home and do a blog all week. I am in awe of these women, I'm not even kidding.

That being said, this following my dream thing is WAY busier than I ever imagined. I swear I have more "work" now than I did at my full time job, but I just work smarter. I only do computer work when my son is at preschool or asleep -- which means a couple mornings, nap time and bedtime. This is why I appreciate your patience with me when it comes to consultations -- I only have a few hours a day that I do them.

The other night, I was laying in bed, my mind positively swimming with everything I needed to do this week. I have submitted content for three upcoming features I can't wait to tell you about, as well as getting my Etsy site up, getting consults done and getting back to your e-mails! (Which I love!)

While I was laying there, thinking about all I had to do, I realized I was smiling. I could just cry telling you that. This is the best stressed I've ever felt, and I have all of you to thank for that. You are helping to make my dreams come true, and I wanted to thank you all again.

So if any of you are still reading, let's continue the questions through this weekend -- go ahead and ask me anything!!

WAIT...let's change it up a bit -- ask anything BUT decorating questions. No decorating questions allowed! (Well, unless you e-mail me, then they are allowed). But here, I'll answer as many as possible this weekend in the comments section. (Almost) anything goes! My favorite color? Yes. Number of siblings? Yes. Anything concerning politics? No. I don't want to think too hard this weekend, ummmmkay?

If you don't want to know anything, that's OK too...

Crickets.

Chirp.

Chirp.