Greetings!

Hello Whimsy Place readers! I'm Stephanie, your new Tuesday post-er!

For the sake of introduction, here's a recent family photo:

I would be the one in the red pants.

I'd like to call myself a Jackie of all trades...

  in the sense that I have lots of hobbies that I'm really only mediocre at ;)

I happen to be a certified personal trainer with a passion for interior design. I know, they totally go hand-in-hand right? Do you not get a work out repainting a dresser or putting up wallpaper? Or really get your heart rate soaring when you spot a gorgeous interior space on pinterest? There ya go!

Behold some of my loves (and a sense of my style) in the interior realm:

I've become such a sucker for black and gold GLAM! I especially love it paired with a little bit of rustic.

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Green-obsessed. That is me.. especially when it involves emerald velvet drapes + an awesome basket chandy

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I've jumped on the mint/seafoam train with ya'll. And there's nothing better than pretty, feminine accessories.

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 And if there's a style that defines me, it's got to be Hollywood Regency. Including the likes of Mary McDonald. Give me lacquered walls any day..

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See ya next Tuesday ;)

DIY Book Page Wreath

Yay! After close to 11 hours of folding and glueing and folding and glueing, I have finally finished by book page wreathe! I love it! It looks classy and pretty and goes everywhere and with everything!

First of all, start with something less expensive than a foam core. Try using tubing, or better yet use an old pool noodle. Just cut it to length and tape both ends together using duck tape.

Next, get an old book. I found one that had yellowed pages because I like the aged look. Then one by one fold each page in thirds long ways. Make sure not to crease it. You want it to end up looking like a ruffle.

Then, after you fold each peice, hot glue in on to your noodle. I started on the outside and layered them toward the inside. In this picture here you can see that i started layering close to 20 in each row. However, i finished with 7 or 8.

It was much faster and just as cute. Every once in a while i would stick an extra one here or there in places that looked to sparce to thicken it up, but for the most part, 8 was great and saved on time. I also laid some pages down flat to cover the noodle before I put on my ruffles as I started using less pages.

I hope you love my wreathe as much as i do.

And...in the spirit of posting on Halloween day... some last minute Halloween decorations!

My monogrammed pumpkin! I totally love white pumpkins, and painting was so much easier and cleaner than carving! Definitely a during-my-kids-nap type of project, just in time for Trick-or-Treaters!

Fall

ith all the falling leaves, Halloween decorations and talk of costumes, fall is surely in the air! Does anyone else feel it? I have mixed feelings. The fall is beautiful and nostalgic in it's own way- mostly because of the yummy treats and cozy evenings. But I am always so sad to see summer go. Oh well. We better make the best of it in our own way. 

My way happens to include boots and sweaters. 

This one from Steve Madden makes my heart skip a beat.

I bought these a couple of months ago and they make me smile every time I look at them. And for about $100, they are incredible deal for real leather!

This oh so cozy one is from www.modcloth.com

And my absolute favorite! This just screams fall to me. Love the layers,

the skinny jeans, the mix of colors, the little booties. Fall? Yes please!

I'm not a fan of the cheesy Halloween decorations that are everywhere. Usually I opt to

not decorate at all for Halloween if I can't do something simple and classy. This one fits the bill 

perfectly! Fun and clearly halloween-ish, it is design worthy at the same time.

 This invite is darling too. Simple and stylish.

Have fun gearing up for fall and preparing for Halloween!

Fall, family pictures and wardrobe

 Every time I book a shoot the first thing the client asks me is, "What do I wear?" For this purpose I have been offering a service where I style the entire shoot start to finish. I love this because I can be a personal shopper and stylist, choose the appropriate location based on the wardrobe and include tasteful props. It's so rewarding to see a vision through from start to finish. 

Well, not everyone wants to pay more for a personal stylist for their family pictures so I thought it would be really helpful to share some great wardrobe ideas for fall. 

 This is kind of an easy concept to copy. Just pick two colors, here they chose green and brown, and then one pop of color. I love how her shoes match the small stool.

 This sort of says rugby chic to me. Here they chose three colors, navy (can't go wrong with navy) yellow and Kelly green. Its casual yet funky and each has their personality shine in their outfit!

 Plaid and denim: super cute for fall, especially in a rural setting! 

 Again, three colors, brown tangerine and maroon. Jeans are a simple thing to put on the bottom if you are on a tight budget.

 Besides loving the pose, I think the green purple and brown scheme is fresh for fall.

For more family wardrobe ideas, click here.

Don't forget to like our Facebook page for 8 free printable cards!

Inexpensive baby shower gift!

I don't know why but I have always preferred to make a gift over buying one. Initially I would say it was because it was less expensive, but we all know that usually that is not the case. I also love to because it's fun to cultivate my hobbies in the process of making a gift. But really I think I love to give a handcrafted gift because I have just always felt that it meant more to me and hopefully the recipient!

This past weekend I had 2 baby showers so I decided to use this freezer paper stencil tutorial. It was so easy. It is basically 5 simple steps:

1. find and image you like
2. trace the image onto dull side of freezer paper and cut out.
3. iron image shiny side down onto fabric
4. paint negative space
5. Lightly iron image!

Haha I think it would have been even easier had I realized that I could have cut the image out directly from the freezer paper with my Cricut. But, at least this shows that you can do it by hand with an exacto knife as well.

I quickly figured out that I needed a simpler image, so I decided to use this whale silhouette i got from a previous post here on the blog. So here is my finished product! Happy Stenciling!

Kate Spade's Apartment

I love interior decorating. There are few things that are quite as fun or rewarding as creating

a beautiful space to live in. I have come to appreciate it even more since becoming a stay-at-home mom. 

Mostly because I spend most of my time at home and also because I feel passionately about

creating a safe, serene and loving atmosphere for my husband and children.

Few things are as inspiring as seeing a home that is as uniquely stylish as the home of Kate Spade.

Get ready to drool!

Notice the incredible crown molding.

Some of it is a little over-the-top for my taste but I admire those who are not afraid to be bold

and just live with what they love!

I love those checkerboard floors! Someday we will have that in our home.

Beautiful white cabinets and subway tile.

This is probably my favorite image of them all. Textured (dupioni silk?) wallpaper, tiny tile on the floor,

a great dose of framed wall art, and a bright red chair. 

I love that the apartment is not huge- it feels so cozy, warm and safe. 

What an inspiration!

Interior Decorator: Steven Sclaroof

Photographers: Tina Barney, Jason Frank Rothenberg, Noe DeWitt and Eric Morin