a life of design
We had an unfortunate water leak in our kitchen a few weeks before this year’s Christmas. Holidays give my husband and I motivation to do something extra extra special for ourselves and our kids. We usually love making a delicious, gourmet meal to celebrate the holiday. I love designing a new holiday tablescape, as well! The unfortunate kitchen sink leak led to a kitchen and
My mom and her friends started a pumpkin carving party tradition when I was a little girl. The tradition was always so much fun! A pumpkin carving party is the perfect excuse to eat and drink all the yummy fall offerings, while creating your Halloween decor with friends and family! I usually have our pumpkin carving party inside, but our new home has a fabulous courtyard
How perfect is it that our egg dyeing party fell on the first day of spring!? The symbolism of eggs (new life, fertility) is so appropriate for the official beginning of spring. My toddlers LOVE to dye eggs. This year, our toddlers scribbled the eggs with a white crayon and then we helped them dip them into natural dyes (annatto, red cabbage & radish). The eggs
Having an itty bit of Irish heritage and bearing the poetic name of Ireland, I always feel compelled to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. In years past St. Patrick’s Day meant parades and Irish brews or a traditional Irish meal, but this year I wanted to keep it easy and colorful for the little ones. Pot of Gold hunt cookie baking + decorating rainbows + shamrocks Irish story
Children LOVE to love! Celebrating their love on Valentine’s Day is absolutely irresistible! I wanted to make a spectacular celebration for my two little sweethearts that my husband and I would equally enjoy. To keep our Valentine’s Day celebration family focused, I improvised several kid-friendly tactics… lunch (they are usually at their best), a kid oriented menu, lots of whimsy and a hands-on dessert. The hands-on dessert was inspired
I was naturally drawn to gold as the main element for my family’s New Year’s Eve celebration. It is a typical color seen at New Year’s Eve parties across America, but why? After a little online research, I determined that the use of gold stems from several different cultures and beliefs. Most believing that gold brings luck and/or wealth in the new year. gold brings LUCK Many cultures
I have been LOVING the buffalo plaid everywhere this season! For me and most Minnesotan born, buffalo plaid is not a current trend, it is a token of our home and childhood. Plaid flannel is the uniform of the North American Logger and outdoors-people for it’s comfort, durability and warmth. Paul Bunyan, a mythical logger in American Folklore, is usually seen sporting this pattern. Minnesota kids grow
My family’s pumpkin carving party was always one of my favorite events growing up. Being creative and experimenting with new carving techniques among good company, delicious food and yummy drinks was the perfect way to kick of the year’s Halloween celebrations. Such a fun tradition to pass down to my children! This year I designed a mysterious and simple centerpiece using the pumpkins we would carve. I wanted
We decided to celebrate Cinco de Mayo a little early this year. We opted for an afternoon party instead of a late night party, so a Saturday with daddy was a must! I wanted my party to be different from the traditional, brightly colored fiestas you often see. Instead, I drew my inspiration from the Mexican flag… green, white, red and the copper brown of the
We did it! We finally had a chance to dye our eggs. A day late, but still a lot of fun! I used a natural dye set instead of making my own dyes this year. It really worked great. The colors were more vibrant than in years past. I also purchased a foil kit on a whim. My toddler is only 2, but with constant supervision
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I am Erin and I love the design process: ideating, developing, actualizing! It is exhilarating! Having 2 sweet babies shifted my career from interior design to designing for my family & friends!
