New Website Launch!

Happy Monday! How was your weekend? Good, I hope! We're flying to California today with Lincoln (wish us luck!). I'm hoping it all goes smoothly and he doesn't mind being in his little carrier under the seat ;) Also hoping for some super nice flight attendants who will let us take him out of the carrier for a little bit. 
Today I'm really excited about showing you my new interior design website. The blog obviously got a makeover, but it was actually my website that first got the revamp, which then inspired the blog redesign! Now they flow seamlessly with one another in all the colors used, fonts, etc. 
My friend Lauren, of Elle & Company, designed my website and I just love it! It really does pay off to have a professional design your online home, because they pay close attention to detail, are super skilled at their own craft, have done this many times before, know how to use your website platform way better that yourself, etc. The best thing about having Lauren design my website, though, was that she was coming to it with a fresh set of eyes. I told her my vision and she ran with it. Just like interior design clients do with me, I wanted Lauren to develop my vision into something beautiful and functional. I love how it turned out! I'd love for you to take peek!

Here's the homepage:

A favorite element of the website is my new logo, designed by my other friend Jenny Sanders, of Graceline Art & Illustration. Jenny designed our wedding invitation suite and I have the pillows she created on our sofa! Don't you love when you find someone who gets your style and is a kind creative entrepreneur?! I sure do! I love the flowing, yet simple nature of my logo. The deep eggplant purple color is a perfect accent, since as you know purple is my favorite color. I didn't want to use it overwhelmingly, though!

We included a Process page on the website so that potential clients can see a general outline of how we will work together:

On the About Me page I included a few of my favorite things, so my potential clients can get to know me even better. You can click on the images and be taken to blog posts about those topics! Of course Fixer Upper is in the mix ;)

My favorite page might be my Portfolio. It's always nice to see all your work in one place.

Lots of my favorite client rooms are are in my portfolio. You'll soon be able to click on the room title and visit the blog post where I explain the room and design decisions in depth! I'm really excited to be sharing a recent client project (her entire main floor!) on the blog over the next few weeks. The before and afters are INSANE, in the best way, of course.

I hope you like the new website! And if you happen to poke around it, let me know what you think or if you catch something that's not quite right. I so appreciate your feedback and support!

Have a great week!
Michaela


interior design website / services / portfolio

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Friday Finds: Favorite Posts Around the Web

Hey friends! It's Friday! We have a busy weekend ahead, as we're leaving for California on Monday to visit my family. We need to pack for us + the puppy and will be trying to spend some time in the sunshine this weekend, too! 
I thought I'd try something new this week with Friday Finds. I know a lot of you love the fashion posts on Friday, but this week I've just been feeling overwhelmed with stuff. Like, material things. I'm sure you're done hearing about the Nordstrom sale (sheesh, so am I!) and I never want you to think that to be happy to have to buy STUFF.  Yes, I want to be a resource for my lovely readers on home decor and my favorite wardrobe finds, but I don't want to overdo it. So I thought every few weeks for Friday Finds, I would share some blog friends' posts that I loved, beautiful home tours, or anything else that catches my eye. Do you like this idea?! If so, read on! ;)
- My friend Anna is doing a summer capsule wardrobe and I just love the concept of this, especially this week as I've been really convicted of consumerism in my own life. See week two of her outfits in this post!

- My friends at The Inspired Room shared 5 navy & white bathrooms and I, for one, am SMITTEN with all 5!

- Emily Henderson blogged about the difference grout color and tiles can have on your room. This is something I always go over with design clients who are doing a kitchen or bath, so it was fun to see a lot of my same thoughts formulated by Emily herself ;) My parents are going to be redoing their bathroom tiling in both the hall and master bath soon. I'm hoping to share that transformation here on the blog! In the hall bath, I think we're doing white subways, but laid in a herringbone pattern. I'm pretty sure we're going with white grout, as we don't want the eye to go right to the grout, but instead, the tile.

- I have a serious thing for cucumbers this summer. I was thrilled that Natalie blogged this delicious recipe! I can't wait to try it.

- Did you see that Chip & Joanna made over a new property and turned it into another rental for vacations in Waco?! It's SO stunning. One of my favorites yet! And guess what?! You can enter to win a stay there. You know this girl entered! Check out the house and enter here.

- Last but not least, do you feel like you need a little reminder to give yourself grace? Or a reminder that God has offered you His grace? You can enter to win this beautiful mug by my friend Kristin on my Instagram today! Don't forget to enter all of the giveaways on my instagram this week-- there was one each day.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! Wish me luck traveling with a dog on Monday ;)

What are you doing this weekend?

xoxo

Michaela

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New Pillows for Our Sofa + Caitlin Wilson Textiles Giveaway!

I thought it was about time to show you some summer touches in our home, seeing as we are halfway through summer now! Where does the time go?! I'm super excited to show you some our new pillows for our sofa for a few reasons! 

First, pillows are one of the easiest ways to update your space on a budget. They also do WONDERS for adding texture, color, and pattern to your space. I can never understand why people don't have pillows on their couch ;) My husband is one who throws all the pillows off the couch, except for the one he's using, when he plops down...and that's fine with me, but during the day while I'm working, you can bet the sofa looks just like this. Karate chopped pillows are my jam. They just make this little apartment of ours look more put together than it actually is! Mess on one side, perfectly chopped pillows on the other...that sounds about right ;)

The other thing pillows do is make a living space feel inviting and homey. And I'm all about creating a warm and inviting environment for us + our guests. I loved the pillows we had before, and will be keeping them to change out every now and again, but these watercolor floral pillows have me swooning big time. They have just the right softness, while still providing a pattern that mixes well with our lattice print curtains and work well with the seaglass colored accent pillows.

Lincoln insisted he get in on the photo action ;)

The final reason I'm over the moon with these gorgeous pillows is because this watercolor pattern was designed by my sweet friend Jenny of Graceline, who designed our wedding floral pattern, envelope liners, and did all of our calligraphy!! How special is this, that now her work is also on our sofa?! Jenny did this GORGEOUS collection of floral pillows for Caitlin Wilson Textiles, my favorite textile designer, and the result is stunning. Gold zippers, linen fabric, perfect attention to detail. I would expect nothing less of these ladies! 

Our wedding invitation suite (see more here):

Our pillows:

I love how recognizable Jenny's beautiful art and illustration is! I can tell something is her work from a mile a way.

DETAILS | similar coffee table / sofa with a chaise-- thank God it's slipcovered because we may need to order a new slipcover after Lincoln's puppy stage / wood sign -- custom piece, they take custom orders! / curtains -- on sale now! / similar garden stool -- under $30 / gold moroccan pouf / rug 

I can't even handle this last picture. The hairs in front of his eyes kill me!! Look at that blurry tail wagging!

Okay, want to know the REALLY exciting part about this post?! Not only does my couch look really pretty with these pillows, but one of yours will look equally as beautiful with the Graceline Collection for Caitlin Wilson Textiles soon! That's right, the next giveaway are these gorg pillows!

One lucky winner will get to choose 3 pillows (either in blush, gray or navy) for their own home. You can enter the giveaway on my Instagram. It will start around 12pm EST.

blush / gray / navy

Do you like the pillow combo in our living as much as I do? Hopefully this sparked some inspiration for minor updates in your home that bring you joy!

Happy Tuesday,

Michaela

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Summer Lovin' Essentials + Beach Towel Giveaway

Hi friends! I hope enjoyed your weekend! This weekend we had gray skies and lots of humidity, so we stayed inside mostly, playing with the puppy and then went to the mall + out to dinner on Saturday evening. It was enjoyable and relaxing! I also started watching Mad Men on Netflix. My husband has seen it all the way through, but I never had, so since I love the 50's, I thought I'd like it. So far, I really like the show but I want to whack the men!!! Not cool. I'm hoping there is some character growth ;)
ANYWAYS...
This week marks my 7th year of blogging-- holy cow! That time has flown by. If you had told me I'd STILL be blogging 7 years ago, I wouldn't have believed you. I love, love, love this little blog because it means I get to take all of my passion God has given me for design, the home, people, style, entertaining and hosting, community and more, and bottle it up in little posts here for others to see and hopefully enjoy. If you're interested in starting a blog or have a small creative business where you think you should start a blog to support that business, I say go for it! That's what we teach at The Bloom Workshop, as I believe it's so vital to your business. I thought I'd link to a few posts over the years about blogging, incase you're interested in getting some tips:
- You Know You're a Blogger If... - Why I Started Blogging (An Interview with my Favorite Bloggers) - Blogging Tips - Opportunities Through Blogging

{danielle poff photo}
But now for the really exciting part of the post, in order to celebrate this blog and say THANK YOU to you for reading, I'm hosting a new giveaway each day this week! I truly wouldn't have continued on if it weren't for my incredible readers. I've loved getting to know you through comments and emails over the years. Thank you for supporting me and this little blog of mine. It means the world! So these giveaways are for YOU :)
First up is one of my very favorite things -- well ALL of the things I'm giving away are my favorite things. But we're kicking off the week with a Beach Bum Towel Co. giveaway! These beach towels are made by one of my sweet friends, Erin. I just love her to pieces and used to work for her wedding planning company when I lived in San Francisco. She's SO creative and talented, so that creativity spilled right into developing her own towel design. 
The Beach Bum Towels are incredibly soft, thick (a huge plus for me!), and long (a huge plus for my 6'3" husband!) and are really cute. The boho vibe is so fun for summer. A lucky winner will get to pick one beach bum towel (either mint or coral). You can enter on my Instagram today!

We took the mint one on our honeymoon in Maui...that's where our first ring shot of both of our rings below was taken :)

All this beach towel talk has me so thankful it's summer! As a born and raised California girl and now living in Michigan with frequent trips to the lake, this is the weather I live for. I rounded up some outdoor beach and patio finds + some cute suits and coverups on sale. Nearly everything here is on sale...hooray!

SHOP:

So today we're celebrating summer and cute towels and you for sticking with me through this blogging journey! Now head to my instagram to enter the Beach Bum Towel Co. Giveaway. It'll be up around 12pm EST.

Good luck + Happy Monday, Michaela

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Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Public Access Open!

TGIF! Thank God it's Friday is right...it's been a long week over here! Between all my interior design client projects and taking care of / training our 12 week old puppy, I'm one tired puppy mama ;)

The good news is (besides the fact that it's Friday) that the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is open to the public now! I scoured the women's shop and put together a few outfits for you that are still in stock.  You can shop the looks below each graphic.

1. This one is a little dressier with a fun blouse with bows on the sleeves! These booties are one of the top sellers in the sale and come in black too. These black pants might have to come home to me, because they are insanely amazing reviews! I also still can't get over that these Kendra Scott earrings are on sale for $35. 

Details:

2. This look is chic and feminine, just my style! My favorite AG Jeans in this look should be arriving at my door step today (I was told to order a size down!), so I'll share them on Instagram with you asap. You know I love a ruffle detail, so this top is a winner! These flats are also really cute. They come in a few different colors, but I think this nude color is my favorite because they're so versatile. 

Details:

3. Last, but not least, because life is busy and we need casual looks in our wardrobe! A simple tee with a raw hem (so cute), distressed denim jeans on the cheap,  and some sneakers. PLUS, how could you talk about an easy casual outfit without mentioned one of my favorite dry shampoos and other hair products are on sale. Have you been to The Dry Bar? If not, their products smell amazing! I threw in my favorite MAC lipstick and gloss and some sunnies. 

Details:

I couldn't leave my girls out who like dresses best, so here are a few stand-outs!

If you need a bit of help building an outfit, use this inspiration I created for you! Start with jeans (the cuts and washes are labeled), then choose a top (either dressy or casual), next pick out a shoe and finish it off with an accessory or two. Just click on the actual image on the graphic to shop it!

Shop:

Lastly in this epic post, let's talk about the guys! If your man needs a good pair of jeans that will last for years, this is it. My dad only buys AG jeans now, because of the incredible softness and quality.

My husband has a few pairs of these shorts and he loves them. Great fit and WRINKLE FREE!

He also has these from last year's sale...they're great work pants! 

FINALLY, these Sperry's are on sale for $66...instead of the original $100 price tag. Prices go back up on August 7th, so hurry! I got these for McCann last year for his bday :)

If you made it to the end of this post, congratulations! You can go enter the $50 to Nordstrom giveaway I'm hosting on Instagram as a thank you for reading ;)) 

Okay, that's it! Happy shopping + happy weekend! SO MANY fun things coming to the blog next week in celebration of my blogging anniversary (read: lots of giveaways!)

xoxo

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