Interior Design

6 of My Favorite Ceramic Finds

0 · Jan 31, 2018 ·

I used to do nearly all of my shopping in person. I like to touch and feel and I like the experience of actually visiting a store. Places like TJ Maxx, Homegoods and my favorite thrift and antique stores are my most shopped places – all places where online shopping isn’t really a possibility.

However, our recent relocation has changed a lot of that. Amazon Prime is my best friend and I rely so much more on the advice of other shoppers, instagramers and bloggers to find hidden online treasures. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely take advantage of any time I get to make an actual, real life Homegoods or Target run but those trips are few and far between.

I wanted to share a few of the home décor items I’ve been crushing on, via the internet and shopping vicariously through other people. While if I had to top choice of décor styles and were to start redecorating my life all over again, I would say that French Country is probably my favorite and at the top of my stylistic list. But that being said, I’m very picky and I believe that it has to be done “right” and I really only like it in the perfect setting – a quaint little French style home in the country. That does not even come close to describing my house.

I also love all of the farmhouse and cottage décor that seems to be all the rage at the moment. But again, sometimes I struggle with seeing farmhouse décor in a non-farmhouse setting. That’s not a blanket statement to say that anyone living in the city cannot pull off that style, but it’s tricky. I like things to feel authentic and as if they belong.

All that being said, we do live in the country and so I feel like I have the right to incorporate some rustic and country inspired finds. I also am loving so much of the minimalistic style choices that I’ve seen lately and love things that are crafted by an artists’ own two hands. My goal in our current home is to combine the items that I love, in a style that fits our home and family, decorating while also keeping thing functional and not overly cluttered but still layered an inviting and cozy. That all makes sense, right?

Continuing on with the purpose of this post was to share a few of my favorite finds lately. And lately my crush has been on pottery and ceramics. I’m trying to get more of my brides to incorporate them into their centerpieces, but without much avail. However, I’m still going to pursue this and at least share the ones that I think you should add to your home. From big box stores to handmade pieces, these are some of my favorite finds – which also go with so many décor styles – farmhouse, modern and minimalistic, boho and even more traditional vibes.

1.The White Hearth

I follow their work on Instagram and I’m so in love with the simplicity and the mark of a true artist. Admittedly, I have not held any of their pieces in my hands but I would absolutely love to. Pottery always reminds my of my grandma, she loved chunky, blue and green pottery and stoneware pieces and often we shopped for it together. So perhaps I love this so much because of the since of nostalgia it brings but somehow I don’t think that it. I mean just look at this butter dish, the perfectly imperfect blue green vase or this adorable gold rimmed ring dish. How can you not love it all??

Image via The White Hearth Instagram

2. Rico Terre

Maybe it’s just because I love flowers and have a little obsession with flower frogs, but I think everyone should have these little bowls in their homes. For some reason, I envision the little worm from Sesame Street (you know, Oscar’s little pet) making a home in one of these little holes and weaving himself through, head and tale popping out opposite sides. I also love their sleek terra cotta taper candle holders, which are each handmade on a potter’s wheel, and would absolutely love to own a set.

Image via Rico Terra

3. Pottery Barn Bowls

Yes, I’m skipping along to a big box store. But who doesn’t love Pottery Barn??? That is one of my centerpieces pictured below in a Pottery Barn bowl, because I will and do think outside of the box and am certainly not opposed to putting flowers in a cereal bowl. I’ve been watching for them to go on sale because I want to buy more and recreate this look again. And as I happen to be writing this post and looking up this particular product, they just happen to be $10 off. Temptation, tempation…

Photography: Samantha James Photography

4. World Market Budvases

They’re lumpy and quirky and I have lots of them which I’ll be using this summer wedding season. I am smitten with these vases. I used them in my personal winter decor with simple sprigs of evergreen or lunaria poking out and cannot wait to use them over and over again. They come in several sizes, pair the mini ones together perfectly or cluster them all together in a larger group.

Image via World Market

5. Crate and Barrel Candle Holders

These caught my attention because of the versitility of use. They hold either a pillar candle or a taper and the tray is also wide enough to accomodate a glass hurricane or super pretty left alone, if you’re comfortable with having an open flame. This have been added to my rental collection and I cannot wait to use them in my first wedding of the season, and I’m sure they’ll make an appearance in my home decor as well.

Image via Crate & Barrel

6. D:Ceramics

I was introduced to these beauties when I was at the Tinge Floral Workshop last spring and they’ve been stuck in my mind ever since. In a word, they’re striking. The color is subtle yet statement worthy and they’re gorgeous in an arrangement or on their own. I loved the silky and luxurious, matte finish. There are so many shapes and sizes to choose from. You should probably check out their website and stocklist so you can add some hand crafted pieces to your collection.

Photography by Ciara Richardson Photography from Color Theory Workshop Park City

What other ceramic pieces are you loving right now? I’m always intersted in finding new art to add into both my home and event decor.

The Day’s Design Flower Studio :: We Have Floors

0 · Aug 9, 2017 ·

An embarrassingly long time ago, I started to share a vision of what my home studio space would look like (you can reminisce with me here). We had ordered flooring, done lots of dreaming and scheming and I thought that I would begin to see the fruition of the vision. The reality of the situation is remodeling takes time. Lots of time. The floors were started back in October, and then we just hit a huge pause button. It seemed like every day we (and by we, I mean my husband) had set aside to work on laying the floors – which are the foundation of the entire project – something more pressing came up. That’s certainly not a knock against my hubby, it’s just how life works.

I’ve felt very eager and frustrated throughout this entire project. Thankfully, the partially finished project is in our basement, so for the most part I could just ignore the space and mentally pretend it didn’t exist. However, this only lasted until anther flower order came in and I was once again reminded that I don’t have a workspace.

This is not our first remodel project. We remodeled just about every touchable space in our last house, for the most part without any hired help. So one might think that I’ve come to terms with the reality of what it’s like living in an area that’s under construction. But for some reason, every time I’m able to convince myself that this project will be different. This one will be faster, go smoother, cost less, etc etc.

On top of it all, I don’t think it helps when I watch my beloved home improvements shows and they remodel and entire home in a single episode. Those expectations are so ridiculous. My biggest piece of advice as you’re redoing an area of your home, stop watching HGTV and turn off social media so you don’t have to see other people’s perfectly styled homes (even if they too are currently “under construction”. I never see ugly shop vacs and orange hammers and saw horses in other people’s posts).

Now onto the positive news, we have floors! I suppose the title might have spoiled that surprise but it’s still really exciting! My next four weeks are the busiest of my wedding season but I’m still going to try to sneak a little work on the space in as I can’t stop dreaming of the possibilities for this room. At least I can get fabric ordered for my sofa and pick a paint color, because the current shade of tan has to go.

There’s a peak at the flooring and a little color inspiration for you. Fingers crossed, it won’t be another 6 months before I can share another update.

My Holiday Living Room Tour

0 · Dec 28, 2016 ·

I know many of you are moving full steam ahead into the new year. But I’m not there yet. I’m holding onto Christmas for a bit longer. I don’t like the idea of rushing to tear my decorations down and discard my beautiful tree. I like Christmas to linger on as long as possible.

I also find this time between Christmas and New Year incredibly peaceful. The frantic search for the perfect present and the never ending battle of wrapping is behind us. I can just sit and relax, finish up a few winter tasks and watch the girls play with their new treasures.

Decorating this year for Christmas was fun. I had a new living room which gave me a new blank canvas to create in. I have a back yard filled with an unending supply of evergreens. And finally I had a mantle of my very own, which is something I’ve been dreaming about for a long time.

I use the same Christmas ornaments for my tree every year. I love pulling each bobble out and thinking of the memory that it represents. Some belonged to relatives that have left us years ago. Some are a reminder of fun shopping trips with my mom. I have those that symbolize the years that my girls were born. And a couple that date back to a time when my husband didn’t realize what he was getting himself into and bought me a couple ornaments back when we were dating. The tree is always the center of my holiday décor.

This year I resurrected a few pieces from my Snow Village. I used to setup up an entire scene complete with mountains of snow. I’m not ready to recreate the entire Department 56 in my house like I used to, but many of this pieces were gifted to me by my grandma and it’s fun to get them out.

And when it comes to greenery, I’m always a fan. I love how adding a couple sprigs can add just the slightest touch of holiday charm to your existing décor.

I’m more than happy to share sources for anything shown in this post however there are too many items collected throughout the years to list them all here, comment below or email me at hello@eventsbythedaysdesign.com if you have any questions.

Hope your Christmas was fabulous!

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Autumn Mantle Decor

0 · Nov 3, 2016 ·

I almost began this post with fall is underway… but quickly realized that it’ November 3rd and fall is almost over. We’ve already seen an inch of snow here in Big Rapids, winter will be here at any moment. In Michigan, we see lots of “transition” months – month’s that aren’t sure what season they truly belong too and November is one of those. Some years, it’s more like winter – bitter, blustery and cold – while other months it stays mild, bidding autumn to stick around a little longer.

But regardless of the weather, I start getting into the holiday spirit around this time each year. I hold back on my urges to rush out and buy a Christmas tree but it’s time to kick the jack-o-lanterns and black cats to the curb.

The next major holiday gathering is Thanksgiving so I’m starting to mentally think of how décor should seamlessly flow from autumn to December. And I finally have a mantle of my own and it seems like the perfect place to start.

So I went into the woods and started gathering. I have loved the abundance of autumn olive around our property this year and the silvery green color is the perfect complement to my living room. I had some leftover plumes grasses hanging out from an October wedding and then grabbed some crumpled autumn leaves. I threw together a quick arrangement that would not only add a little interest to my fireplace but also stand up to the threat of kids and cats (translation: I won’t be heartbroken if something should happen to it since it’s just a bundle of gathered ingredients from my yard). I can easily keep this base if I chose when December rolls around, replacing the leaves with some cedar and various other evergreens.

Happy November!!

Why I Purchased a House that Wasn’t My Style

0 · Oct 19, 2016 ·

When we started looking for houses in Big Rapids we quickly found what we were sure was the perfect house. It needed some updating and wallpaper removal, but it wasn’t too overwhelming and there was a ton of charm hiding just beneath the surface. I was certain with a little sweat and creativity this could become our dream home.

Then we did a little number crunching and realized how much equity it was going to take to make this fantasy a reality. And once you added that to the asking price, we realized that it just didn’t make sound financial sense. We’d most likely never recoup that money upon selling and the current owners wouldn’t budge. We walked away.

Months and months of more searching. Winter was quickly approaching and very few new houses were being added to the realestate market. In my perfect world, there was a two story old farmhouse with handcarved woodwork, crown moldings, original hardwood floors, an old claw foot tub, a grand staircase and woodburning fireplace, on a couple acres of land. It would be rustic yet charming and was just sitting there waiting for someone like me to come along and wipe off the dust. I am drawn to anything cottage style, farmhouse chic, I find craftsman style very appealing and I could even see myself in something from the Victorian era. But as reality was calling, I would settle for anything built prior to 1960 and was even considering some 70s options. This elusive country home simply didn’t exist.

In all our searching, I never saw a single home with with my dreamy white painted cabinets . It was only an hour away from our other house but it felt like a whole different world. The amenities being bragged about in home listings were things that made me shutter when walking into a house. The term “updated” took on a whole different meaning and it almost felt like I was in a time warp. Things like granite countertops seemed like a pipe dream. And I fear that no one cherished anything original from an early 1900s home.

We wanted to embrace country life but it was seeming more and more like we were going to move into a modular home to do so or compromise by settling for a historic downtown home in a college town. There were some 70s chalets and a couple options in between but nothing felt like home.

For five months my husband commuted an hour each way to and from work and I began feeling like a single mom. Blizzards and long days meant he would often stay in Big Rapids for days at a time and it was a pretty dismal period of time. Not to mention that our house sold within 48 hours of being placed on the market, so much faster than we ever anticipated and the pressure was on.

I realize that last sentence could be interpreted as though we settled. And maybe there’s a small part of us that did. But when purchasing a house there’s more to consider than just dream qualities and aesthetic features. There’s availibity on the market, money, location and if you don’t act quickly enough, you will miss out. I get knots in my stomach just thinking about it. Not only did we need to consider the ultra picky tastes desired by a designer (ugh, me), we also had to consider the function and design for our family – number of bedrooms, play space, kitchen (I’m married to a chef after all), storage, the property and the list goes on and on.

So when this house popped onto the market, it had potential. My sister’s reaction really hit the nail on the head, “it’s really nice, but it doesn’t look like Shelby.” She was so right. I’m not an espresso cabinet and tile floor type of of girl. I like soft lines and airy colors. But I know how to paint a wall and everything in this 1950s ranch was brand spanking new and the idea of not having to completely gut a bathroom or kitchen to make it liveable was extremely appealing. The previous owners did a really great job of remodeling and put a ton of care into the space, I just wish they would have consulted with me on a few of the finishing details 😉.

Family Photos in Ada Park | The Day's Design | Katie Grace Photography

So here we are. I’m learning to love this home. I do love the property and little by little I’m adding my mark and customizing little pieces along the way.

Picture from last fall, by Katie Grace Photography. I promise to share a few pictures of our new home in the near future, but if you need a refresh of my “style” you can see our previous home tour here here and here.

Shelby signature

The Day’s Design Flower Studio :: The Inspiration

0 · Oct 6, 2016 ·

I’m probably a little premature on this post. Perhaps it’s a little bit of a dream yet to think that I might actually have a completed studio space in the near future. But my new flooring came in, so right now I’m going to live on a hopeful note.

I don’t have it all figured out quite yet, other than to say I have a space. The loosely outlined plans are to turn my bland basement into a working studio area. Flowers seem to take over my home, and for once, I would like to prep for a wedding and keep the mess contained to somewhere besides my kitchen.

In my imaginative mind, out basement is sort of shaped like an “S”. it’s a walkout basement, so there’s an entrance off the garage and also a couple of windows which provide some extra light. Now imagine dividing that “S” in half – one side (the half with the entrance) will be a sitting area. I have an antique sofa to reupholster and I’m looking for some other beautiful yet functional pieces to fill the space. The other half, which I like to refer to as the back half of the basement or the bottom of the “S”, will be my flowering area.

Some items for my shopping list there – an old wooden work bench or possibly kitchen island as my main prepping and designing space, shelving shelving and more shelving for storing containers, wheeled carts/shelves for completed centerpieces and a few miscellaneous pieces of furniture for storage and additional counter height creating area.

My timeline for this project is still very much unknown. For anyone who’s ever remodeled a room or house, you know that things just never go as planned. Everything takes twice the expected amount of time. And if you’ve read my blog for any amount of time then you really know how drawn out my projects always are. Throwing two little girls into the hustle with a husband who’s in the height of his busy season is just a recipe for chaos. I’m not even going to pretend that I have a deadline in reachable sight. But my special order flooring has arrived, so that’s a step in the right direction.

I’ll leave you with just a little glimpse of the inspiration behind my space. Again, this is a really loose interpretation, but it’s at least getting me headed in a direction.

Photo Sources (left to right, top to bottom): Hetler Photography | The Beach Studios | Perfectly Imperfect Blog | Wildfield Paper Co Instagram | Greetings of Grace

And if you’d like to see more, check out my Pinterest Board which is keeping me inspired for this project.