She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not: Isabella & Max Rooms

Happy Wednesday! I'm so thrilled to have Janell here today from Isabella & Max Rooms!

Janell's blog is one of the very first design blogs I ever found and read religiously! I remember finding it and thinking, "I want my house to be like hers some day" :) Janell is always coming up with new projects and tutorials from her home, two of my favorites being her daughter and son's room. She's also the founder and editor of House of Fifty Magazine. Such an inspiring woman and blogger! Let's hear what Janell is loving and not loving this week...


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Hi everyone, I'm Janell from Isabella & Max Rooms.

Thank you Michaela for inviting me to be a part of this series, it's such an honor to be here!

She Loves Me:

1. Kindness and Thoughtfulness

Being kind and thoughtful are always high on my list of favorite things!

Via Teaching Blog Addict

2. Sugar Advanced Therapy Lip Balm

I am in love with this product I found recently at Sephora...a store which also happens to be another love for me. I'm so impressed with their customer service. When I stop in with questions on products I love getting samples to try before purchasing!

Via

3. Green in Design

I can't get enough of the color green in design lately, whether it be on furniture, interiors, jewelry or clothing!

HGTV, JCrew, Raquel Castillo, Pinterest

4. Books

After not making the time to read books for too long, I've been forced to get into the habit again recently, selecting books to feature in the 'The Books On Our Shelves' column in House of Fifty Mag. I am so happy to have rediscovered my love of a good book and just finished several I can't wait to share in the next issue.

She Loves Me Not:

1. The myth that beauty is possessed only by the young

I love meeting a beautiful woman who is no longer in her youth, there is something completely inspiring about the strength and spirit of a woman that owns her power regardless of her age.

Via Pinterest

2. All Over Tufting

I know I may loose some of you here, but I haven't been able to warm up to the trend of all over tufting!

Via Decor Pad

3. The Idea of Entitlement

I may begin to sound old myself here, but it is really important to understand that very rarely do good things simply show up at your doorstep...instead dreams require work. So, as much as we'd like to think otherwise:

Via Etsy

Thank you again for having me here today Michaela!

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Thank you, Janell! Green is peaking my interest in design, too! I love the energy it brings to any room {or outfit!}
Run over to Isabella & Max Rooms today to say hello to Janell!


What are you loving this week?
Happy middle-of-the-week...
Love,

PS. She Loves Me will be a link up on March 14th, so get your posts ready! :)
PPS. This is the last day to reserve your spot to advertise on Michaela Noelle Designs. Email me for more info.
xo

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{It's Live!} Rue Magazine Fun

Read the issue here! Isn't it a dreamy cover photo?!

Rue Magazine is one of my very favorite online design and lifestyle magazines. The March/April issue is live today, so be sure to get your Rue fix!  I'm extra excited about this month's issue, because I had the honor of writing the "Meet the Designer" feature.  Admittedly, this is a dream come true :) I had the pleasure of interviewing the stylish and talented Seattle-based interior designer, Kelie Grosso, of Maison Luxe.  I hope you'll read the interview and learn a little about her! Kelie is so sweet and I'm looking forward to going downtown to visit her at her shop soon.
Thank you to the gals at Rue for the opportunity to write for your sweet magazine :)


For now, here's a peak into Kelie's portfolio:

 

{Both images via Maison Luxe}

Hope you have a lovely Tuesday!
Love,

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{Fashion} Coral + Stripes

Black knit dress: Nordstrom (2 years ago!)
Striped sweater: Meadow Boutique
Cable knit leggings: Meadow Boutique
Belt: Target
Boots: Steve Madden
Hair: Spiral Waves Tutorial


Well, it certainly ain't fancy Oscar attire, but stripes and coral are two of my favorite things! When I found this sweater last week at Meadow {and there was one left in my size. Fate, I tell you. Fate.}, I knew it needed me. Or I needed it...whichever ;) I layered the striped sweater over a simple long sleeved, black, knit dress.  A belt polished it off and added definition. My favorite part about the outfit is that it's super warm and cozy, while still colorful and stylish. The cold weather really gets me up here in Seattle, so I'm a happy gal when I can put together looks that are practical without sacrificing the cute factor. Let's face it, your day has a way higher chance of being terrific if you're feeling terrific. That's my life moto :)


Are you loving stripes just as much as me lately?
I'm really excited about what's going on here at the blog this week. I have a fun announcement tomorrow, a DIY project coming Thursday, and a giveaway on Friday {hint: my favorite home store}. There should be something for everyone!
Happy Monday...
Love,

 PS. All the beautiful photos were taken and edited by Victoria Carlson Photography. I can't say enough great things about her and her fab work:)

PPS. The winner of the Simply Pillow Giveaway is...Mrs. Matched from What Should I Wear! Will email you shortly. Congrats!!

For the rest of you, don't forget Karen from SIMPLY PILLOW is extending a 10% code for all my readers at checkout! Code: FEB10

10% off sale ends February 29th. Happy Shopping :)

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March is Just Around the Corner!

Reserve your ad spot on Michaela Noelle Designs today! I only have 2 spaces left this month! {You are also able to get on the waiting list for April} For more information, please visit my sponsor/advertising page or email me at michaelawarner90@gmail.com for packages and pricing.


Advertising on MND will be receiving a revamp in May with packages for different price points. For more info or to reserve your spot, get in touch with me!


I adore promoting businesses, blogs and shops that I think my readers will love!


In other news...only 3 more weeks until I get to go home to see family. The end of this quarter could not come soon enough :) Home stretch, friends!!
Happy weekend!
Love,

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{Client E-Design} This or That?

Last week one of my cute blog friends, Brittany {love stitched}, came to me with a serious challenge of a room. She sent me photos of her family room and shared all of her problems and challenges she is facing with the design of the space. Since we both blog, I decided to come up with two design plans and let our readers vote on their favorite option. Just so you can get a feel for the space, here are the photos of it now...

And here are sneak peaks of each option...

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Head on over to Love Stitched to see the full design board, cast your vote & help Brittany decide which option to implement!! :) I can't wait to see what she chooses and watch her progress in the design along the way.
While you're over there, check out Brittany's adorable shop. I have two of her headbands and love them!

Let me know which design board you're leaning toward!
Happy Friday!
Love,



PS. You'll also find a surprise discount over at Love Stitched for my e-design services :)
PPS. Don't forget to enter the Simply Pillow Giveaway! Ends Sunday.

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Lights, Camera, Action...

As you know, I'm in a lighting design class at school.  Contrary to what most may think, it's actually a very technical, mathematical and tedious class!  We're learning about how many lights are needed for each room and how many footcandles are necessary to produce good lighting in a space. Yep, footcandles. Bet you didn't know that was a word :)

Last Monday we went to a lighting show room and learned about different recessed cans and fixtures. I thought I'd share some of the knowledge I learned, then show some fabulous rooms with amazing lighting {because who really cares about the technical aspect anyways, right?!}


Lighting Tips:
- Each room should have two or more types of lighting. There is general, task, accent and decorative. Go here for more information on those in a previous post.
- There's no need for equal spacing between recessed cans. Instead, you should install the cans where you need the light the most in order to perform specific tasks.
-The best types of recessed cans are black or silver cans with the lamp placed high in the can. This direct the light down, and doesn't lead your eye to a big bright, white hole in the ceiling. 
-Recessed cans in a living room, or anywhere you plan to read a lot, isn't the best idea! Other lighting fixtures such as pendants, chandeliers, vertical fixtures and table lamps suit reading much better.
- The proper height to hang a chandelier above a dining table is about 30". You also want to make sure the chandelier or pendant is 1' smaller in diameter than the table itself- this allows for 6" on either side of the table {so people don't lean in and hit their heads on the fixture}


Alright...enough of that! Onto the pretty stuff...
1. Great use of general, accent and decorative lighting:

via

2. Well lit hallway with accent lights directed at bookshelves to highlight them:

via

3. Recessed cans in a row above the countertop {workspace} & decorative and task lighting above island:

via 

4. Great placement {and loving the TWO chandeliers- genius!} The eyeball lights pointing to the botanical prints is also a perfect way to highlight the art and help create a mood:

via 

5. Again, two awesome pendants placed over the dining table at the right height above the table:

via

In other lighting class news, we're currently working on grayscale renderings of a floor plan, showing where light is needed. The lightest color gray marker shows where the most light should be placed {sink, toilet, art}, and the darkest colors show where the least amount of light in the room will fall. My partner, Courtney {who blogs! Check it out asap!}, and I had some fun practicing last night with the powder room. Here's our finished powder room grayscale... {final product is the nice one in the back left corner. The others were practices. See our progress?!}

We'll be back soon with even more progress on the rest of the house.
That's all for today!


What do you think makes good lighting in a space??
Happy Thursday!
Love,

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She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not: Conspicuous Style

Happy Wednesday! It's that time again- we get to hear from one of my favorite bloggers! Today Stacy from Conspicuous Style is here. 

Stacy's blog is full of endless interior inspiration.  We connected a few weeks back and I knew I needed to have her here to show her off to all of you. She is one talented interior decorator with a whole house of loveliness to show for it. Take it away, friend! 
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Hi everyone, I am Stacy from Conspicuous Style.
I am so happy that Michaela invited me to be a part of this series.  It is such an honor to be here!

She Loves Me:

1. Pastels

 I know they're everywhere, and I've been caught up in the fad!  I probably won't change a room in my house into a pastel haven, but I do find myself Pinning them like crazy:

Via

2. Anything With Tufting or Nail Heads

I love this classic style!  I will never get tired of tufting or nail head trim, especially when used in unique ways like some of these:

Via

3.  Showing The Hardwood Floors
 So I'm not saying get rid of the rugs or anything, but I have been considering storing some of mine and going for the bare (or mostly bare) look:

Via

She Loves Me Not:

1. Insomnia

I can't sleep.  I think it's my age - my mother went through it at my age, too.  I sleep about 4 hours a night and am always tired.  I try to make the most of it by reading design and humor blogs, and tons of good books.

via

2.  Drama

I'm at the point in my life where I know what matters.  I wasn't always at that point, and wasted more than enough time worrying about who said what about me, etc., etc.  But with my kids growing faster and faster by the second, I've decided I'm just not going to participate in the things that don't matter anymore.  It's easier said than done, but a worthwhile goal, I think.

Via

3. Too Many Status Updates

I'd be kind of surprised if this one hasn't been written here before, but I couldn't find it. But really, do I need to know what time every one of my friends is going to bed and what they had for dinner? I love them dearly, but I survived this many nights without a "Goodnight" from them, and I can live with out it now!  I wish people would save the Facebook updates for things their friends might actually care about.

via

Um, 60,000 might be too many. Just sayin'.

Thank you again for having me here Michaela!  It was so much fun to get to vent (at the end!) and also to share my loves at the beginning :)

~Stacy

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Thank you, Stacy! I'm diggin' pastels, and also find chronic-status-updaters highly annoying, too ;)


Be sure to go say hello over at Conspicuous Style today! Don't forget to check out Stacy's gorgeous home.
What are you loving this Wednesday? 
Love,

PS. Loved all your feedback this last week about joining in on the She Loves Me Link Up! I will be holding the first link up on March 14th! I can't wait to see what you come up with :) Reminders to come closer to the date.
xo

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{CLOSED} Giveaway Simply Pillow

Happy Tuesday! If you've been around for a while, you may know about my infatuation with pillows. They are one of the simplest, most inexpensive ways to spruce up a room, couch, bed etc. I'm so thrilled to be hosting a fabulous pillow giveaway from my sponsor, Simply Pillow!

 

 

{Details}
-Karen {the designer behind Simply Pillow} is giving away this cheery 12x18" yellow printed pillow case. I love me some yellow...so I just may have to snatch this one up, too!
-Here's the cool part: Karen is also teaming up with Nicole of Running in Heels {another one of my awesome sponsors} and is giving 10% of her sale's profits to Nicole's I WILL RUN campaign. Here's the quick rundown:
Nicole is running to raise money for a little girl who was abandoned at birth.  Arya's story gives reason to her running. She was abandoned by her father at a garbage dump the day she was born. Thankfully, As Our Own rescued Arya, who is now 20 years old and attending college. This spring, Nicole has been chosen to run as part of the I WILL RUN campaign to raise funds for Arya and her college tuition. Together, we can impact her life more than we can even imagine!
Full story found here.

{To Enter: first you must be a follower of MND}
- Visit Simply Pillow on Etsy and comment with which item is your favorite!


{Extra Entries: leave a separate comment for each entry}
- "Like" Simply Pillow on Facebook
- Tweet about the giveaway. {Example tweet: @michaela_noelle is hosting a Simply Pillow giveaway! Don't miss your chance to win an adorable pillow cover. www.michaelanoelledesigns.com}


**giveaway will be open until Sunday, February 26th and winner will be announced Monday the 27th. If you do not have a blog or email attached to your blog, please leave it in your comment. If the winner cannot be reached, another winner will be drawn**


Good luck! Karen is so sweet and is also offering a 10% code to my readers until the end of February! Enter the code FEB10 to receive 10% off at check out.
Hope your Tuesday is wonderful!
Love,


PS. If you'd like to donate to Nicole's I WILL RUN campaign and learn more about Arya, go here.

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