Thursday, November 29, 2012

At Last! Our Guest Room/Office/Kid Zone Reveal

Whew, so I've finally emerged from my Thanksgiving food coma! I seriously ate too much which means the weight loss struggles I've chronicled here, will be a struggle for quite some time. Sigh.
Any who, so happy to be back in Bloggerville, and bwoy do I have a treat for you!
The guest bedroom/office project we chatted about here and here has finally been completed. It was in fact the star of the Thanksgiving day festivities at my client Pat's house as everyone sorta snuck in there to chill.
Let's go take a peek shall we? This is where we started:
This room once belonged to Pat's daughter Jina, and had become a catch-all space since her move earlier this year. To the right, all cleared out and filled with the new day beds. 

 And this is where we are today... 


  • My client has a thing for red, so I decided to add splashes throughout in some key areas - curtain trims, a few pillows, piping along the white pillows, and even the edge of this amazing rug, which was a genius last minute find! 
  • To balance all the pops of color, I decided to go with white walls. The white stools/end tables were the perfect and versatile fit, and they are kiddie proof! Her grand kids doodled all over them with crayons on day one and the markings came right off with the everyday household cleaner.

Okay, let's talk about these daybeds. What a great way to maximize seating and sleeping. When guests are in town, the beds can be pulled together to form a nice king size retreat, of if you've got a mother load of guests, the upper mattress slides off each to sit perfectly next to the padded lower frame to create not one, but two beds! Genius design me thinks. 

My client and I fell in love with this fun fabric and knew it would be a groovy addition to the room. White and red pillows with piping are the perfect balance.



So this guest room does double duty as my client's office. She's working from home a lot these days so we needed to give her a fab area to be productive. We sourced the desk first.  Finding a desk chair that did not scream "desk chair" was the next challenge (why is that so hard?) but we finally fell in love with this amazing and comfy chair. The curtains are one of my go-to faves from Pottery Barn because they are insanely budget-friendly. But to jazz em up a bit, I had the edges trimmed with the same fabric as the red pillows. For even more coordination of textures, I used the curtains to make the over-sized white pillows shown on the daybed (a little trick of the trade that way you're not scrambling to find an exact match of fabrics).  And do y'all remember that I spray-painted these rods? My very own DIY project, hehe.p.s. That's Pat's hubs in that framed photo atop the stainless steel shelves, looking kinda fab eh?










So now we're gonna take a peek at perhaps my favorite corner of the room. The Kids Zone....





This little corner evolved with the design. We knew we wanted a chalk/magnetic wall to keep the kids occupied when they came to hang out and then my client found this insanely cute chair at Ross no less, and I switched the location of the chalk wall, "borrowed" this Ikea side table from Jina's house (don't worry I'm replacing it with something very fab in a few weeks), painted the chair legs white (I'm on fire with this DIY bug) and voila, the kids had their own little office to hang out in. Word to da wise, it takes about seven coats of that magnetic paint to get the wall to work. The three coats suggested on the box is a bold faced lie! 

Kid tested and approved! Grandsons, Oscar and Brandon show their approval. They are too adorable! p.s. little Oscar is a tough cookie so that thumbs up made my day!


Remember these gems? These were the framed art pieces spray painted here. The remainder of the artwork throughout the room, are photos taken by the client on her many trips throughout the Caribbean, supplemented with some  stock photos.

We close out this design with these new frosted doors. You can see the old ones here. Who says the doors can't make their own statement?


That's all folks. A small project with some bold statements. Thanks as always to the team that helped pull this all together, and to Shaggion at Circle Ten Media for taking such awesome photos of all my projects.
Tip of da day: Invest in good photography peeps. Your work is only as good as some good photography. Trust me on this. There are projects I took from back in the day that will never be shown here or my website because the photography is so bad. And that's all on me! I take horrible photographs which drives Debbie and the hubs insane! I'll work on that for 2013.
Questions, thoughts, faves? Holla. Let us know. 

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Live Big. Shop Small.

Your local small business owner doesn't sit in a boardroom analyzing stock reports, pondering how many dots (i.e. people) he or she can lay off on any given day to earn more profits. Chances are, when you walk into a small business, the owner knows you by name. When you click that PayPal link on a small business owner's website or Etsy shop, you're contributing in a major way to that person's livelihood. As a proud owner of a small business, I'm headed out today to support fellow small business owners. Please join me and do the same.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

And the Winners Are!

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!
I know I shouldn't be blogging on holy Turkey Day, but we had to announce the winners of our first giveaway. The suspense has been killing us!
Without further ado, congrats to Rachel Hardison and Mary Beth Hamilton! Each will have a chance to pick an amazing item, valued at $80 or less, from the Nicole White Designs online store.




Thanks to everyone who entered, and became a follower of the blog, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest and took the time to check out all the goodies in the store. Stay tuned for future giveaways and be sure to check out the store for all your holiday needs.
And thanks most of all to Jessie at Mix and Chic for hosting this giveaway and for allowing me to be a sponsor. You are the best! See all the winning details here:http://www.mixandchic.com/2012/11/and-winners-of-giveaway-are.html?m=1


Now, let's all go eat. 




Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Thanksgiving Mash Up and Giveaway Countdown!

Every single diet plan I've been on this year will officially be erased after tomorrow's feasting extravaganza. I shant complain, nor shall I give a rats booty! Here's to everyone enjoying some quality time with friends and family. And here's to me giving two thumbs down to all the people who'll ditch all that quality time, so they can be the first in line at the mall to buy a television or other electronic device that will be obsolete by next month. 
Enjoy, if you will, this mash up of some of my favorite Thanksgiving E-Cards. 






Have an amazing, blessed and safe Thanksgiving Day guys!
p.s.
Debbie and I will be recovering from stuffed turkey syndrome for the remainder of this week and won't be blogging. But I'll of course pop in for a second tomorrow to announce the winner of that fabulous giveaway hosted with Jessie of Mix and Chic. Today is the last day to enter! Hurry people! Hurry!

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

The Giveaway Homestretch

We're just two days away from announcing the winner of our very first giveaway. Yep, that means you have a few more hours to get in the game. It's just like the lotto - minus the millions, hehe - so you gotta be in it, to win it.
We're hosting this giveaway with the amazing Jessie over at Mix and Chic.


There are rules of course! For starters, you must be a follower via Google Friend Connect and Facebook of both LLD and Mix and Chic
There are crazy opportunities for bonus entries so head on over to Jessie's blog for all the juicy details.

Here is a sampling of some of the goodies from my online store that could be yours for the taking.






The winner will be announced on Thanksgiving Day. That's a heck of a way to help celebrate the turkey day peeps. That's all folks. Good luck to everyone!

Monday, November 19, 2012

A Feature in My Hometown Newspaper

I was a baby who cried non-stop. I mean, all day/night for no obvious reason. My antics are so legendary that whenever I run into someone who knew me as a baby, the first thing they'll say to me is  "Lawd, little girl, we thought you'd be a singer! You cried soooooooooo much." Translation: You would never shut up!
The only thing that would silence me was a stack of newspapers. How ironic that I became a newspaper reporter. The irony continued yesterday when I was featured in one of my hometown newspapers, the Jamaica Observer. 
To share the journey of my years growing up in Jamaica, the struggles I had as an immigrant when I first moved to New York, and my sojourn from journalism to design, was an honor of epic proportions for me. In one final irony, the feature came about because unbeknown to be, the writer was a follower of this blog! Never underestimate the opportunities that can come about from the blogosphere.
Thanks Debbie for being an awesome blogging partner. 
And thanks Cecile, for turning a young girl's dreams into a grown up reality. Eternally honored and humbled. 

  

P.S.
We are currently booked for all design services through December 2012. Feel free to email if you are interested in adding your name to the wait list for 2013. Nicole[@]nwdesigninc.com or Dbrown[@]nwdesigninc.com







Friday, November 16, 2012

This Girl is on Fire

I've been obsessed with the latest single from, Alicia Keys: "This Girl is on Fire". It is the ultimate ladies anthem for any woman who has ever dared to dream, and had the conviction to push through any adversity to make those dreams come through. This weekend and beyond, power through ladies!



p.s.
Don't forget we're hosting our first giveaway eva, so go on and follow us all over da place to win some amazing treats from the Nicole White Designs Store including these goodies:
 
https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/?ui=2&ik=e4bf8566ea&view=att&th=13b0945b9b494688&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P_34kLepiZqPS_EfEGdYnMW&sadet=1353070306864&sads=h72FoV9aMYEqcFSyFWgsItDvt7A 

Head on over to Mix and Chic for all the juicy details. TGIF and again, cheers to a fab weekend.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

My DIY Demon Unleashed and West Elm - St. Jude Children's Hospital

So thanks to some of my very DIY savvy blogger friends, I've been dabbling more and more with some DIY when time allows on projects. DIY works best because there is NO labor cost to you. It becomes a little tricky when your designer does DIY because well, we have to charge for our time and labor. So anyways, I'm squeezing in some simple projects here and there for some of my favorite clients. 
This weekend I installed the guest bedroom project we talked about here. Well, sort of installed. We're 95% complete and will be making final tweaks this weekend. 


https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/?ui=2&ik=e4bf8566ea&view=att&th=13b03f1ce3063fb5&attid=0.1&disp=inline&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P_34kLepiZqPS_EfEGdYnMW&sadet=1352980905862&sads=ssVESuL4bW17L7H_waUWbNnLhdc&sadssc=1
This client has a thing for the Caribbean and had these custom framed artwork from various islands. The walls in the guest room have been painted white so since I needed to incorporate these pieces,  I decided to paint the frames. Colors to be revealed! This curtain rod was also in perfectly good shape but I needed it to be black to make the new white curtains pop. They too got painted.



The guestroom will also function as an office space since she's working from home more these days. When her adorable grandsons come to visit, we wanted to create a little zone in the room that they could call their own. We decided to paint this wall with a magnetic paint and chalkboard paint so they could both pin items on the wall and write away to their hearts content without getting in trouble! So word to the wise, that magnetic paint is a britch! Three coats should do the trick? Er, no. Try seven or more which is why our project isn't complete and why they have gotten such scathing product reviews.  Sigh.


In other news: Our friends at our favorite West Elm store at the Village of Gulfstream are hosting a Customer Appreciation Event today from 5-9 pm.  


20 PERCENT OFF RUG BAZAAR. SHOP NOW » 

UP TO 25 PERCENT OFF SELECT CURTAINS + FREE SHIPPING. SHOP NOW » 

They're having some killer sales (I got some great deals here for the guestroom) so tonight's event is a great opportunity to start your holiday shopping early, and also give back to the community by making a donation to the St Jude Children's Research Hospital. Their Thanks and Giving campaign is a time to give thanks for the healthy kids in our lives and give to those who are not. It is important to remember that at St. Jude, no child is ever turned away because of a family’s inability to pay. All costs for treatment, travel, food and lodging for patients and their families are covered. Eighty-five cents of every dollar St. Jude receives goes directly to research and treatment, which is why it is so important for us to help. So please go forth and shop this evening to show your support. Enjoy some light refreshments as well while you shop.

That's all folks. Holla back and let us know what's cooking with you and what you're giving thanks for this holiday season. 

*LLD received no compensation for this West Elm/St. Jude Hospital mention.



Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Thanksgiving Decor Settings to Salivate For....

We know the turkey is da Queen of the show on Thanksgiving day, but that doesn't mean the table setting and decor can't give that Queen a run for her money. Here are a few show-stopping settings we found to get ya motivated to turn it up a notch this year. The first is a gravity defying centerpiece by the uber fabulous Preston Bailey. How in the world is that thing standing? Any who, feast on - yes, the pun is intended.
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Any faves? We love that the the oxblood trend will likely seep into many settings this year. But I think my faves are the simplicity of setting at that stunning glass table with the Lucite chairs, and the personalized touches added to the candles and napkins in the that rustic setting. Which do you prefer? Do you go all out with your Thanksgiving decor or do you just sit back and let that turkey do her thing? Holla. 

p.s.
Thanks for all the anniversary wishes. The hubs pulled out all the stops and it was a great night.
p.s.s
Did anyone (besides moi and Linda at My Crafty Home Life) watch the premier of Million Dollar Decorators? I caught a bit and am so NOT impressed with the ridiculous expenditures. A $50,000 table that weighs a ton? So unnecessary. And what decorator worth his or her salt would NOT know that the paint crew and company had not yet finished doing their job or mailed a $10,000 check to a vendor you'd NEVER met or seen his/her workspace? Come on..............This is reality TV that is not based in reality, at least clearly not my reality which aint million dollar budgets.  


































Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Happy Anniversary.....

Two years ago today, I married the love of my life. 
A true friend, confidant, supporter, cheerleader; someone who's seen me at my worst and never cared. I'd marry him all over again, in a heartbeat. 
Happy Anniversary babes.


The Gazebo at Moon Dance Cliff Resorts, Negril, Jamaica


My amazing niece, who woke up this morning and reminded everyone it was our anniversary.



Oh Lord, how much I love these Pour La Victoire shoes. Sadly, they can no longer fit. Perils of feet that grew a size during pregnancy, but never got the memo to return to normal.

Family style eating - my favorite recommendation for large events - for the reception.





Patrick having his own Paparazzi moment!
My brother Craig, quite the soccer player in Jamaica, walked me down the aisle.
Okay, we got a bit emotional.  

We do!


Psst, hey you, what you doing later?
Yes, we had a large bridal party and yet with just 75 guests, a pretty small wedding.

My husband's childhood friends turned groomsmen. They are just as silly as he is so it's never a dull moment when they all get together. 
Headed down by the cliffs for some photos. Notice that all the 6" heels have been removed. lol
 
And then the party got started...
The hubs and his groomsmen serenaded me. Okay, his singing skills are a bit suspect, but you would have thought they were New Edition! They were killing it! A fun and complete surprise because no one had any clue this was going down.


My friends and family know how to get down! I did not share the most scandalous dance photos. They were too scandalous! Really scandalous!
 

Two of Xavier's Godmothers getting down!
 
That's all folks.


As you know, the lil man is still under the weather so we will likely have a candle light dinner for three at the house this evening. Again, I would do this all over again, including the wedding! We had that much fun. 
p.s
This is my favorite anniversary song, which will probably be playing all day on my Pandora.  








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