Wednesday, October 31, 2012


Tuesday, October 30, 2012

A Sure Sign

First of all, let's discuss the fact that these laundry rooms are nicer than my kitchen. I mean really, is that a wine fridge in the second room? I'm not a drinker, but if you're asking, I'd definitely take a soft serve ice cream machine.  Secondly, let's discuss the crappiness (yes, crappiness) of dropping my phone into the washing machine today. Why did I put it in the laundry basket? Why? Oh yeah, because my hands were full of laundry, and I wanted to save my self a trip. Heaven forbid I walk up the stairs twice. Luckily, I had insurance, but still, what a waste of $50 for the replacement phone. I was so upset that I bought a pair of jeans while I was waiting for my appointment at the Apple Store. What a day! I know what you're thinking: This is a sign. I should never do laundry again. I totally agree.
image from Nordic Design
image from House of the Day via Wall Street Journal
image source unknown

Monday, October 29, 2012

Neutral. With a Pop of...Neutral.

I can't do it. I can't make believe that I love lots of color all over the place. It's like we're right back to the red lipstick saga: I love it on other people, but I just can't pull it off! Do I design rooms with color? Of course. I love it (for other people). Do I add color to Stella's room? Yes, it's the only room with color.  Do I dress her in color? Yes. My room? Neutral. My closet? Ninety-five percent neutral--five percent is me going through phases of, "I should probably add some color to my wardrobe."  One thing I'm not neutral about: My love for neutral colors. And I don't feel one bit bad about it. 
image source unknown
image from Decor Pad

image from The Designer Pad

Friday, October 26, 2012

Thoughts on Life

I have never used this blog to make political statements. In fact, I rarely make political statements at all. I feel that it is a personal matter and that every person has the right to his or her opinion. In a perfect world, one could state an opinion without it turning into a personal attack against those with opposing views. What I am about to say; however, is personal. And though this is out of the ordinary for me, I feel very inclined to share my views on this topic.

I am pro-life. I do not condone abortion unless it is in the case of rape, incest, or if necessary to save the life of the mother. My view has nothing to do with my religion or my political views but has everything to do with who I am and the morals and values I possess. 

I am so extremely disheartened by the callous attitudes and statements of those who support the act of abortion. I am ashamed of the flippant words that come out of the mouths of some. They speak of "getting rid of" children as if it is an insignificant act. They say that others do not have the right to tell them what to do with their bodies. They are right. No one has that right. But guess what. When you are carrying another human life, it is no longer about you. And in fact, you are taking the rights away from that unborn child. Many justify their decision(s) by saying that an aborted child is "just" a fetus--that a fetus is not a child. 
This is Stella. Stella is our three year old daughter--our daughter who was once "just" a fetus. She was carried to full-term by a very special, very courageous young woman who made a very difficult choice. She chose to sacrifice for another. She chose the gift of life. She chose Stella.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Cutting Edge Stencil Winner

Dute do do doooo!!! In case you couldn't tell, that was a trumpet or perhaps more of a kazoo. You know what I'm talking about. It's the sound you hear before an important announcement. Never mind. That took way too much explaining. Anyway, this is it: The winner of the Cutting Edge Stencil is comment number 20! Alicia, that's you! Please email me the stencil you would like and your mailing address (jamiejjoyal@gmail.com)! Congratulations!! And, to the rest of you, sorry you didn't win. I know you had grand plans for stenciling. I wish everyone could have won. Thank you SO much for entering, and don't worry. I have another super awesome giveaway up my sleeve coming to a [kreyv] blog near you, so stay tuned!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

[color kreyv]: Orange

Let's just get this out of the way: Today is your LAST chance to enter my Cutting Edge Stencil Giveaway. I will be announcing the winner tomorrow! Hooray...well, for one of you, anyway. In other news, orange is looking pretty awesome in these rooms. It's just the right amount, dontcha think? And then there's the Amy Corley room. That's just the right amount of everything. I'll take one of everything except for that huge basket in the corner. I'll take two of those.
image from The Mindful Nest
image from Amy Corley
image from Fitzroy Boutique

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Some Advice...

This morning I ran all of my errands. I dropped off a package at the UPS Store; I returned a pair of shoes; I went to the dollar store; I went to Costco; I went to the grocery store; And THEN I noticed that my zipper was down. Awesome. Maybe I should just stay inside on Mondays. In a tub. With a beautiful chandelier. By the way, don't forget to enter my Cutting Edge Stencil Giveaway, and ALWAYS check your zipper.
image from White House Daylesford
image from Indulgy
image from House Beautiful

Monday, October 22, 2012

Possibilities: Endless

Look at these lovelies. Just look what you can do with Cutting Edge Stencils. A-mazing. What are you going to do when you win your stencil? Haven't entered, yet? Go to my Cutting Edge Stencil Giveaway, and tell me which stencil is your fave, and you're entered to win your own stencil (a $50 value). Easy. Like stenciling. 
image from Cutting Edge Stencils Blog
image from Cutting Edge Stencils Blog
image from Kammy's Korner via Cutting Edge Stencils Blog

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Cutting Edge Stencil Review AND Giveaway!

Know what's exciting? Getting a stencil in the mail from Cutting Edge Stencils. What? You want one, too? Don't you worry, I'll get to that...

While I would have loved to watch the hubs stencil an entire wall, and then watch him paint over it again in eight months, I just didn't think it was the best idea. Instead, I opted for the Out of the Box Craft Size Stencil, and I plan to stencil the heck out of all sorts of things. Project number one: Stella's toy hooks. SO easy, but would you expect anything else from me? Didn't think so.

The craft size stencil was super easy to use, and you can use it on TONS of things (i.e. frames, furniture, curtains, pillows, etc.). All you do is place your stencil, tape it, roll or brush on the paint, and move your stencil to the next spot.


So, what are you going to stencil with your FREE stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils? That's right. One lucky reader will receive a stencil of her/his choice...a fifty dollar value, people! Here's how you do it:

Go to Cutting Edge Stencils and leave me a comment telling me which stencil you would choose. That's it!  *MUST BE A FOLLOWER OF [KREYV] TO ENTER. (Google Friend Connect and/or [kreyv] on Facebook.)

Now, for those of you want EXTRA entries, you can do any or all of the following and leave me a comment telling me you did so:




Winner will be announced on Thursday, October 25. Good luck!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

[color kreyv]: Navy, Green, & Brown

During my infatuation with cowhide ottomans yesterday, I remembered an ottoman that appeared in Kristin Cavallari's living room when she was on The Hills, so I looked it up. (Of course I was paying attention to their homes. And clothes. Duh.) I LOVE that room (pic 1) and the navy, green, and brown palette.  But, if you ask me, that ottoman should be facing the other direction. Kristin, if you can't get it right, just hand it over, mmmkay?  It's clearly not getting the love it deserves.  Speaking of love, come back tomorrow for an awesome giveaway! You know you want to.
image from Shelterpop
image from Jute Interior Design
image from Houzz

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

You're Never Going to Believe This

You're never going to believe this, but I found something else that I want. I am dying over these cowhide ottomans. Die. Ing. Let's just stop a moment and take in this awesomeness.
image from House Beautiful
image from Houzz
image from S.R. Gambrel

Monday, October 15, 2012

Wait For It...

I'm pretty good with secrets, so I'm not going to give this one away. Let's just say it has something to do with a giveaway. On this very blog. This very week. And it rhymes with Gutting Ledge Pencils. And that's all I'm going to say about that.
image from Balancing Home via Cutting Edge Stencils
image from Cutting Edge Stencils
image from Cutting Edge Stencils

Thursday, October 11, 2012

[so cheap, so easy]: More Animal Jars

A few weeks ago, I posted about the animal jars in the second picture. I'm still in love with them. Earlier this week, I came across more animal jars from Caitlin Wilson Design. I love these, too. So, now, the question is which ones to make and where to put them? Don't worry. I'm sure I'll figure something out.
image from Caitlin Wilson Design
image from Me Oh My

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

A Few Touches...

It takes a while to get a place to look right--to look gathered, collected, lived in. My house is finally starting to look a little more lived in, you know, eight months before we move and start over again. Oh well. That's fun, too! I added a few more touches to Stella's room including a floating shelf above her dresser and a book rack. You can never have too much book storage. This rack is just big enough to hold her current faves until we get that dream library built! (To see Stella's entire room, check out this post.) In the meantime, perhaps I should put a picture in that frame. If nothing else, I should at least take the tag off of that basket. It's kind of working against that "lived in" look I'm going for.



Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Baby Girl Nursery

Here is my baby girl nursery. I like the pairing of ultra feminine elements with the more masculine striped rug that was used in yesterday's boy nursery. Granted, I can't afford a new Restoration Hardware dresser and that to-die-for Land of Nod glider, but isn't it gorg? Maybe my unborn child that may or may not be a girl would like this nursery when she is sixteen. We should be out of debt by then. I hope.
art, dresser, vine pillow, ruffle pillow, glider, rug


Monday, October 8, 2012

Baby Boy Nursery

Sometimes I buy rugs for the house. Like eight rugs. And then, I take them back. But sometimes, I keep one (or two), only to roll it up and put it away for later. When this happens, I insist that I will use it again at a later time. Please keep in mind that insisting is VERY different than promising. Either way, I do plan on using my Dash & Albert rug in the future. It's actually a great rug.

We're hoping that the next room that needs a rug will be a nursery. Of course, that could mean either a boy or a girl, so today, here is the design board for a boy based around the rug. Tomorrow, I will show you my board for a girl--using the same rug, because not only did I insist on using it, I may or may not have also mentioned how versatile it is.
giraffe art, polka dot pillow, kelly green pillow, armoire, rug, chair, car

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Best News I've Heard All Day

So there I was just perusing through Facebook when I stumbled upon a West Elm post that mentions their Salt Lake City store. What the what? I had to read it twice. Then three times. Salt Lake--that's where we're moving! (If you missed that announcement, you can see it here.) I am so excited, and to celebrate, I am posting my favorite items from West Elm: my pintuck duvet cover and my rocking bird. Oh wait. Those are the only two WE items I own (and some cloth napkins, but those don't count). I've got some catching up to do. 
image from West Elm
image from West Elm
I'm not the only one who's excited...



Wednesday, October 3, 2012

[color kreyv]: Black & Gray

I love black and gray (and of course you've got to throw in a little bit of white). I know it sounds all gloomy and dark, but it's not. With the right gray, lighting, and use of black as an accent, it's quite delightful. Yes. Quite delightful. Opposite of the nights I've been having. It's crazy how a few mosquito bites can go unnoticed all day long until the moment you try to sleep, and then they itch like crazy. How do those little creatures know to bite you right on your ankles and toes? How did this post go from black and gray to mosquitos? I have no idea. There's no connection. No connection whatsoever.  Now, let's just look at the pretty pictures and try not to think about our mosquito bites, shall we?
image from Jenny Abbot Interiors
image from Sarah Richardson
image from 30 Elm

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Backsplash, Backsplash

...and that was to the tune of the backpack song from Dora the Explorer. Stella started singing it at about nine this morning, and twelve hours later, it's still stuck in my head. No biggie. It actually gave me an idea: backsplashes. I'm currently loving white subway tile (how gorg is the blue?), but I think I could easily be talked into something shiny, or ANYTHING Sarah Richardson does. Amazing. But, alas, it will be A LONG, LONG time before I get to choose a backsplash. One year and nine months before we even finish residency and fellowship...and then there's that pesky debt. Awwww, man! (You know that was Swiper the Fox, right?!)
image from Meringue Designs
image from Apartment Therapy
image from Sarah Richardson

Monday, October 1, 2012

Just. Plain. Pretty.

Oh, Monday. I really feel bad for you. You are the least favorite of the days of the week. You mean cleaning the house, grocery shopping, and worst of all, you mean that the weekend is over. I'd rather just look at pretty pictures until you go away.  P.S. Can you tell your friends Saturday and Sunday to last just a little bit longer?
image source unknown
image from Restoration Hardware
image from Casa Decor