Last time we talked about Tom working his magic undecorating of my house.  I just had (and still have) so much going on.  I have to learn to simplify and that I don’t always have to decorate in squares.

On to today’s tips…

Tip One

My other big mistake was that everything stopped at about the same height.  I had learn it was ok if everything wasn’t at eye level.  I have these beautiful tall ceilings and I wasn’t using them.

Notice how the picture and the tree are the height.  Notice how much higher my ceiling is?   That is a no no, I’m not using the whole height of my room.

So how do we solve that?

How about using a taller plant?

Notice the tree is now taller than the bookcase.  I tried to create a little height difference.

Also, how about moving a great piece of art to above a book shelf?

Tip Two

Stop with the fake plants.  Oops!  I used the fake plants from Pier One because I thought it would be easier than taking care of real plants.  I mean come on, I kill every green plant I bring into this house!

Here’s the trick.  SELF WATERING POTS!  So simple, all you do is simply fill it with water once a week and it will deliver the right about of water to you plant.

Oh, and yes they will eventually sit inside a decorative pot.  I just haven’t found one I like yet.

Now these are just little touches.  I promise bigger changes to come!  Remember, it’s a journey.  It won’t happen instantly.  Hopefully next week we’ll be talking about the new art and pillows in my living room!

I want to hear what you guys think.  What kind of designing tips do you need?

For more tips make sure you like TWF Designs on Facebook.

While you’re over there, make sure you’ve liked Rock On Mommies as well.

These turkey meatballs are an excellent way to get some veggies into your little ones without them ever knowing.

Two small carrots – chopped

Two celery stalks – chopped

One medium onion – chopped

Five cloves garlic – choppped

Four tablespoons olive oil

One teaspoon salt

Half teaspoon pepper

One cup seasoned bread crumbs

Two pounds ground turkey

Two small jars tomato sauce (I use Ragu because my husband loves it.)

Saute vegetables and garlic in four tablespoons of olive over medium heat until softened.

Let cool slightly. Put in food processor and process until your kids can no longer recognize that it is a vegetable.

Combine with ground turkey and bread crumbs. Roll into 1-1/2” balls. Place into casserole dish. Pour sauce over meatballs. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until all of the pink is gone.

Simply Charmed

Love these drink charms from Simply Charmed.  The perfect hostess gifted, especially for the hostess who love to entertain a lot.  Retailing for $14.99 they’re a great price point too. 

These magnets are strong enough to hold on any glass. There are also more than just Holiday themed charms, so keep them in mind for the rest of the year too.

Anthropologie

I love shopping the home section of Anthropologie.  I always find such cute Hostess and Teacher gifts.

Again if your Hostess is one who loves to Entertain or bake these are perfect!  The measuring spoons retail for $18.00 and the measuring bowls retail for $32.00.  These are truly a gift that will be handed down.

Wine Chiller

Most parties have wine… right?  Problem is, most people who bring wine don’t bring it chilled.  Well, I have the solution. CorkCicle! I love this idea so much that I’ve ordered one for myself! Retailing for $24.99 this will save any party that is on the verge of running out of chilled wine.

Bluesblossom Designs

No gift guide would be complete with out something from Etsy and who couldn’t use a extra coasters?

Bluesblossom has so many cute designs perfect for the holidays or anytime of year.  Retailing for $12.00, they are the perfect price for a hostess gift.

I hope this makes your holiday season a little less stressful.  Order this week and you’ll be set for the rest of the month!  Happy Holidays!!!

Earlier this fall I finally decided on a theme for our living room.  I love the nautical look.  Navy’s, whites, and light greens mixed with dark furniture.  My problem was, I had no idea where to began.  I threw up a few sea shells, a new rug and then I was stuck again. That is when Tom from TWF Designs swooped in to save me.

From the moment he walked into my messy house I knew this was the guy who was going to help make my house feel like “my home”.  Over the next few weeks (or months) I’m going to take you through my house “redesign”. Hopefully it will help inspire you and give you a few decorating tips.

So first we should cover a few misconceptions about hiring a designer.

1. I could never afford to hirer a designer.  False!  Most designers are pretty responsibly priced. TWF Designs normally runs around $75 an hour.   When Tom first visited my house he was there for about an hour.   He walked around moved a few items with me and repurposed items I already had. He then sat down with me to make a list of things I can work on when he wan’t there. He also gave me a few things to look for when I was out and about.

A fresh set of eyes are always helps.  Know what you want before you meet with your designer and if you have a budget, let them know.  Just having Tom move a couple things in my house completely changed the look and it would have hardly cost me anything.

2. Designers make money off items you purchase.  False! Most designers will pass on their discount to you.  Tom actually went with me to a green house to buy my new trees because he gets a discount there and he passed it on to me! Most of the items we’re using I already owned. He also will tell me where I should shop to get the best price. He has already saved me time and money!

3. The Designer is going to show up to my house wave a magic wand and my house will be perfect. False!  It’s a process people!   With the tools that Tom has given me, I’m going to be able to do a lot of it on my own.  Ok, fine, so maybe I’ll need a little bit of hand holding, but not much.  I actually shop with confidence now. I know what I’m looking for.

So you want to see pictures of what Tom did?  Did I mention it was a process? Next week I’m going to show a few before and afters, including my new trees!  I’m also going to share a few tips, like less is sometimes more, you don’t have to always decorate in a square and don’t be afraid to decorate above your eye level.

For a more decorating tips and trends follow TWF Designs on Twitter and Facebook.

Disclaimer – Tom has been kind enough to wave his fee in exchanged for a few shout outs.  So please make sure you go follow him Twitter and Facebook.

It was so much fun to look over scores of designs by my colleagues and I especially enjoyed the kitchens that were designed the homeowners themselves. There were definitely some hard and fast qualities that set apart the more successful kitchen designs and I thought I’d share some of them with you!

A VERY personalized kitchen for one of our clients

1. Don’t be afraid to personalize! People get very intimidated about adding personal touches to their kitchens because it’s the room in which they invest most of their home dollars. In the kitchen pictured above, the client asked all their friends and family members to send them a piece of china or pottery to incorporate into the mosaic that covers the walls and ceiling. This is not something I would recommend if you’re planning to sell your home within the next 10 years, but perhaps there are some small touches you can incorporate.  I’m doing this same mosaic idea for my own kitchen but on a much smaller scale, my mosaic will be framed and hung above my stove. Why not display heirloom china prominently in your kitchen so you can enjoy it every day? Like every room in your home, your kitchen should say something about you and your family.

A custom kitchen we created for another one of our clients

2. Remember to use “The Work Triangle” – that means your stove, refrigerator and sink are placed in a triangle in your kitchen. This makes it easy to accomplish tasks quickly, safely and efficiently. For example, you shouldn’t have to carry drippy chicken or vegetables very far from the sink to get them into the pot on the stove.

3. Another great tip is to place your everyday dish and flatware storage directly above or next to the dishwasher. The dishwasher is typically placed within close proximity to the sink, making it easy to load, but many people place their dish storage quite far from the dishwasher, which can make unloading a chore.

This kitchen, for a family with 5 children, is flooded with light day or night

4. You can’t have too much light. Your kitchen is the bustling hub of your home. People are passing each other all day long while accomplishing very detailed, and potentially dangerous, tasks like chopping and cooking.  Try to maximize sunlight during the day by placing your stove and chopping area opposite from your windows or by adding skylights. Nighttime calls for bright downlighting (which can be placed on dimmers for maximum adjustibility) as well as indirect lighting from ceiling mounted fixtures.

Don’t just invest your dollars in your kitchen, invest your spirit as well and you’ll be surprised how much more you’ll enjoy this vital space in your home.

Wishing you love with extra cheese-

Nacho Mama

There are a few of us “Mommy Bloggers” who were asked to taste and review 2 bottles from the Golan Heights Winery.  If you happen to be one of the bloggers who reviewed Gilgal Refaim wines, please let me know in the comment section, with a link to your review.  I’d love to read them as well.

I’ll admit it, every time I get a new wine delivered to my house I get a little giddy.  When I opened my package from the Golan Heights I was a bit overwhelmed by the history of the vineyard and the land surrounding the vineyard.

The word Gilgal means “circle of standing stones.”  Refaim is from the Hebrew word for ghost/spirits. Over 5000 years ago a race of giants, the “Rephaites,” are rumored to have arranged over 42,000 rocks in a concentric circles. These mysterious stone circles still exist near what is today the Sea of Galilee in the Golan Heights region of Isreal.

So enough my of cliff note version of the history, let’s get onto the wine.

Let’s start with the Cabernet Sauvignon because that’s what my husband decided to open with dinner the other night.

First thing I noticed was that it’s sweeter than most other Cabernets.   It was easy to pick up the scent of blackberry’s in this cabernet.

Now of course it’s suggested that you drink Cabernet’s with Steak or maybe a good aged Cheddar.  In our house that means cheeseburgers and this was a great with for grilled cheeseburgers.

It’s a great sweater summer wine.  It reminds me of all the yummy table wines we drank in Santorini on our honeymoon 5 years ago.

The Gilgal Wines will be released through out the summer in the US.  So make sure you keep your eye opened for them!

Next week I’ll tell you about the Chardonnay.  We’re planning on drinking that with a little quinoa salad and tilapia this weekend.

Last week I got to attend a trunk show of some of the latest fabric collections from Europe, presented by Kneedler-Fauchere, a beautiful designer showroom in Los Angeles. There were DEFINITELY some trends running through almost all the lines we saw. Those trends can be summed up in 2 words: COLOR and FUN!

Take, for example, this fun, fresh bird print from Boussac for French design house Pierre Frey (it kind of reminds me of mid-century designs by Alexander Girard).  LOVE it. Pass the mai-tais, please!

And these muticolored leopard and banana-leaf prints are Classic Cloth re-issues of vintage prints by Rose Cumming…for OUTDOOR use! You might recognize the banana-leaf pattern from the Beverly Hills Hotel. Now it’s being redone in a modern color palette. How fun is that?

And my favorite by far? Famed design house Jim Thompson has been re-issuing patterns by one of my design IDOLS of all time, Tony Duquette. These vibrant, whimsical patterns are as sophisticated as they are cheery! I want a dress made from this pattern,from Jim Thompson’s “No. 9” line-with shoes in that buttery yellow leather. Ah, summer!

I think one big thing about summer decorating is the use of “true” white with whatever other colors you’re using. Any of the fabrics I’ve shown here would make beautiful bedding, and they ALL would look gorgeous with simple, crisp white sheets.

This summer things are really heating up in decorating! I hope you’ll play around a little with color and pattern. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results!

Wishing you a cool summer with extra cheese-

Nacho Mama

I used a large safety pin to poke small holes at either end of an egg, then blew the contents into a bowl. There are so many uses for raw eggs-baking cupcakes, frittatas, etc., WAY more than egg salad! Then I painted the eggs with acrylic paint. And they were a HUGE hit with my whole family! They adopted it as a yearly tradition. Now we always try to mix it up with the materials we use to decorate the eggs from year to year. The best part is when we get to bring out our egg collection and reminisce about past Easters

This is a fun craft that can be adapted for almost any age child. You can put your newborn’s handprint on an egg, or your college-age kid can even write a poem on an egg! Here are a few suggestions to help get your imagination going:

-Gold leaf

-Papier-mache and paint

-Cutout magazine pictures and modpodge

-Markers

This year I’m using sharpies and blue nailpolish! Remember to finish your egg with a clearcoat sealer, like a spray or modpodge. Then you’ll be able to treasure your eggcellent crafts for years to come!

Wishing you a Happy Easter with extra cheese-

Nacho Mama

I was sent a coupon to try one container of Delizza pastries for free. They are available in most supermarkets, but I got mine from Smart and Final, where they are sold in tubs of 50 for about $6-not bad, right? They offer creampuffs and mini-eclairs with vanilla or chocolate custard filling. Since I am a total eclair whore, I chose the traditional, chocolate-covered mini-eclairs with vanilla custard filling. The directions said to allow the pastries to thaw for at least 45 minutes before serving. So I invited my sister-in-law and her husband to join me and my kids at the zoo for coffee and pastries al fresco. I packed up a thermos of Peet’s and I put half the eclairs in a plastic storage container. By the time we got to the zoo, parked and made our way inside, the pastries had thawed completely…

They were absolutely DELICIOUS! The pastry was crisp and not too sweet, the custard was creamy and didn’t taste like instant pudding (my common gripe with eclairs) and the dark chocolate was divine. It reminded me of the eclairs that are baked daily at City Deli in Hillcrest, which I love, only *petite*.  They were an especially huge hit with my 7-year-old, who hates to try ANYTHING new, even sweets. Each one was slightly larger than my thumb, and for all of you Weight Watchers out there, a serving of SIX mini-eclairs is only 7 pointsplus. And even at this size, 6 is kind of a lot!

Even if you’re not baking-impaired as I am, I hope you’ll give these yummy pastries a try. Your family is as sure to be as impressed as mine was. Bon Apetit!

Wishing you love with extra cheese,

Nacho Mama

One of the perks of being an interior designer is that I get to attend various “markets.” That’s where we get a sneak-peek at what the upcoming design products and merchandise will be. I try to attend as many of these as I can and blog about the trends that I spot here and there. This year’s California Gift Show promised “One Amazing Show-Two must-see venues”  and did *not* disappoint!

If I could come up with a theme for the whole event, it would be “Handcrafted With Love for Your Home.” I can’t remember the last time I saw so many vendors offering goods that were *truly* made by their own two hands! And those who weren’t producing authentically handmade goods, were offering products that *appeared* to be homemade

The first venue was the LA Mart, which was slightly more restrained, with a “gallery” feel…

And the second venue, the LA Convention Center? Somewhat more “rock concert” …

It was exhausting-but fun! Here are my picks from this year’s show-hope you spot some trends you might want to try out this year in *your* home!

Saucy-Wear Aprons. After seeing these, I was dying to rush home and bake with my kids-and I’m a terrible baker! These are made in downtown LA and can be customized for your business or event (maybe even your family?) Childrens *and* adult sizes available. Shop online at www.etsy.com/shop/cindymcgrath

These BEAUTIFUL letterpressed cards and notebooks by Dandy Lion Press feature the artwork of Maia (a bay-area artist, seen here) and will definitely impress your friends! If, like me, you’ve resolved to send more handwritten and heartfelt correspondence in 2011, you can’t go wrong with these charming, savable cards. You can by them online at www.etsy.com/shop/DandyLionPress

Another great California vendor was Sonoma Lavender. They grow their own lavender and eucalyptus and make sachets and spa products-this was the yummiest smelling booth! You can order their products online at www.sonomalavender.com

I was a bit of a bookworm as a kid, so it’s no surprise that  I was utterly charmed by these journals made from reclaimed children’s books by Attic Journals here in California. They even use the first couple of pages of each book on the inside of each journal. I wanted to buy a basketful for the nostalgia factor alone! For info check out www.atticjournals.com

Those of you who regularly read my blog (cue shameless plug!) www.nachomamasblog.com know that I am a HUGE fan of Kathy Cano-Murillo, aka “The Crafty Chica.” You can check out her awesome blog with crafts and tips at www.thecraftychica.blogspot.com Kathy was one of several vendors at the LA Mart whose work had a latino flair (you can buy her art online at www.etsy.com/shop/craftychica) BUT at the Convention Center? She had an awesome “Make and Take” booth where we could try out her line of craft markers, paints, glitter and clip art (available on Amazon)!!

What better way to blow off the tension of being on my feet all day looking at all that eye-candy than to make some of my own? I had so much fun playing with all her wonderful, colorful products and the best part was that I got to take my “Love Shrine” home with me (yes, that’s a taco!)

This year’s California Gift Show really inspired me to do a lot more crafting and entertaining at home in 2011-and I can’t wait to use some of these beautiful handcrafted products while I pursue domestic bliss. Hope you were a little inspired to make some magic at home yourself!

Wishing you love with extra cheese,

Nacho Mama