Roost has evolved...into Jayme Designs

Roost has officially evolved into Jayme Designs.

To keep enjoying new posts, please head over to the new page.

Today's post:

DIY projects: when does it become too much?

I'm a lazy DIYer. What length are you willing to go to for a project?

To join the conversation, check out today's post.

Cheers!

Birthday Wishes and Surprises

Today's the day! 

It's my birthday!

Tropical Patio design by Hawaii Interior Designer Philpotts Interiors

This is where I wish I was spending the day...

But enough about me! 

I have a birthday present for you!

The new blog is being soft launched today, just for you.

(I guess that makes it the new blog's birthday, too)

 

 

Roost is now Jayme Designs!

All of your favorite posts are already on the new page, so you'll still have access without having to flip back and forth. 

From today forward, posts will be written and published on Jayme Designs.

So, be sure to bookmark the page and subscribe by email to keep up to date!

Because Jayme Designs is still growing, you may notice small design changes to the new page and new features (like design services!) will continue to be added.

If you are interested in design services, be sure to mention that you were a reader of Roost for a special discount.

Head on over to the new page to check it out!

Hooray!

Cheers! Let's crack open the bubbly!

What's on your wishlist?

Everyone has one. 

That mental list of simple things for your home that you'd just love to have if there was some extra cash in your bank account.

One of the items at the top of my list was finally crossed off this week!

{hooray!}

We've been living with a perfectly fine hand-me-down dining table and two chairs that just, well, just aren't our style.

 Since we've just about settled into the new place, we broke down and finally splurged on a new table.

After shopping around at a few furniture stores (discount and otherwise), we found ourselves at Crate & Barrel with a 15% coupon and bridal shower gift cards burning a hole on our collective pocket. 

The criteria:

-It had to be simple in design

-Must seat least 4, and fit 6, even if squishy

-Counter-height, so that the two stools at our peninsula can be used as extra seating

-Dark or reclaimed wood

-As inexpensive as possible.

The Parsons table fit our needs perfectly! With 2 base finishes, 5 top material options, and several size/height variations, we could pick just what we needed.

I love this table for its simple design and versatility. The black base and reclaimed teak top can be paired with modern chrome stools or fully upholstered seating with ease. When it's run it's course as a dining piece, it can be used as a kitchen table! It is counter-height, after all. 

The table alone cost $749, but with the 15% off coupon and a good chunk in gift cards, the cost came down quite nicely! 

{gotta love a good coupon!}

Now we just need some seating!

Do you hear that? I think IKEA is calling my name.

It feels so nice to put a big, enthusiastic "check!" on that list!

Is there something on your wishlist for your house that's just been there for too long?

Summer's not over yet!

It's still summer!!

Why have all the bathing suits and beach chairs been swapped out for Halloween decorations? 

It's not time yet!

Despite the fact that it's no where near time to start planning a Halloween party (and whatever happened to Labor Day?)...there's still some summer left to enjoy.

To make the ending a little less bittersweet, you can get some great deals on patio furniture right now.

The box stores have long ago swapped out their grills for dorm room decorations, but if you look closely, you'll save a ton of money.

Sears has moved all of their patio furniture out of the warehouses and into the stores for easy shopping. You can also get it delivered to your house for free if you spend enough. (This is a huge plus for people without pickup trucks for the giant furniture boxes).

You can pick up this sweet little beachy set at Sears for $499.97...marked down from $999.99. 

Saving 500 bucks isn't shabby!

If you've had your eye on something from Crate & Barrel, this might be your chance. Most of the stuff is marked down (although admittedly not enough to make it super affordable). But, some of the goodies are marked way down!

Been longing for a chaise lounge? You could pick up this one with Sunbrella fabric (above) online for...brace yourself...$248.95! That's a huge mark down from the original $849. Which, let's face it, none of us were willing to pay. You'd have enough left for a few pillows! Score!

(Also available in "kiwi" and the "stone" color shown below on the loveseat).

Or! You could get this Sunbrella fabric rocking loveseat for $498.95, a big markdown from the original $1,149. (It also comes in a cool green "kiwi")

Summer can go, if it has to. But let's let it go kicking and screaming.

...and let's save some money in the process.

How To Download Pretty Fonts

What's the key component to professional looking DIY stationary projects?

Pretty fonts, of course!

It's really easy to get a whole new world of fonts onto your computer. 

Follow these simple steps to fancy fonts:

1. Find your favorite website for font downloading and start searching! 

This is the most time consuming (and fun) part.

I like to use dafont.com

2. Select 'download' for the font you've chosen.

3. Save the file to your computer

4. Open the containing folder (you can find that in your "downloads" documents file)

5. The file will be zipped. Unzip it.

You'll need to unzip or extract the files to use them by right clicking on the file name.

I use WinRAR to do this, but there are other ways.

Download a free trial here

6. Open your "fonts" folder that's found in your Control Panel

 7. Select the font file and drag it into your "Fonts" file. 

8. Enjoy!

These instructions are for PC, so the steps will be slightly different for Mac users. 

 This is a good resource for more detailed installation instructions.

Now that you have new fonts, what will your first project be?

Organized Chaos: Closets

The unpacking continues.

Today's major mission was the master closet. There is just something about organizing clothes that is terribly daunting. Maybe it's knowing that even when the closet is organized optimally...it's still going to look chaotic.

This is about as good as it's ever going to get. 

There are three things I learned from organizing the closet:

1. I need to buy some color. Half of my wardrobe is ivory, gray, navy, and black. How boring.

2. My shoes are never going to stay that organized.

3. The closet is a lot bigger when it doesn't have a bunch of boxes and shoes on the floor.

I don't know about you, but I dream (almost daily) of a master closet a la Carrie Bradshaw. I don't mean the tiny apartment version with couture thrown everything all willy nilly...I mean the heaven on Fifth version that's perfectly organized and lighted.

Although, I'd settle for any of these (and I'm sure you would, too)...

Contemporary Closet design by Chicago Interior Designer jamesthomas, LLC

Traditional Bathroom design by Boston Architect Solomon+Bauer+Giambastiani Architects

Traditional Closet design by Tampa General Contractor Javic Homes

Contemporary Closet design

Traditional Closet design by Phoenix Interior Designer Palm Design Group

Traditional Closet design by Dallas Closets And Organization California Closets

Now THAT's a closet! oh my.

There's just something about having all my clothes behind doors (even if they're glass) that gets my heart aflutter.

It just looks so much neater when everything is tucked away...except my shoes. Let me see my shoes.

Enough about me...

How do you feel about your closet? 

Do you want to see your wardrobe or hide it away?

All images from houzz.com

The big move in Instagram and the great lobster bake

Last week was a crazy one.

Moving really stinks, but it's worth it in the end.

After 5 days, dozens of trips up and down the stairs, help from two strong men and four eager parents, one washer/dryer installation, two horrifying journeys up the stairs for my favorite furniture pieces, three furniture touch ups, eight million boxes, a four hour stint in IKEA and one celebratory lobster dinner...we're almost all moved in.

There's just one small load remaining in the old place and I just don't have it in me to bring more boxes into this house. That load will just have to stay there until I get the rest of my life sorted out.

My babies (aka the deck herb garden) were one of the first things that I moved, so they could enjoy their new view. 

Loving our new front door.

We have an insane amount of wine glasses. This isn't even all of our glassware.

New sweet new vases that I got at Across The Way Cape May. Found the perfect spot for them above the sink.

Welcome home!

It took a LOT of moving. I'm not sure how two people can accumulate so much stuff in such a small apartment. We're even pretty good at not being hoarders. We just have...stuff. Lots and lots of stuff.

To celebrate the big move into our sweet new digs, we attended a lobster bake at our favorite local winery.

Now, normally I'm totally squeamish about eating a dinner that has a face. I can't put my hand inside a turkey at Thanksgiving and frankly I'm surprised that I can clean shrimp. If that doesn't bother you, I admire your guts. 

I fully expected to make my fiance clean my lobster for me and maybe cry a little.

But then, Alton Brown changed my mind. 

We watch a lot of Good Eats and happened to watch the lobster episode a few weeks ago. 

Throughout the whole show he refers to lobsters as "bugs" instead of, I don't know, "little creature that harmlessly lives in the ocean and was killed because you're hungry". But really, they are closer to cockroaches than they are to my pet cat. So, looking at the situation through that lens, I was able to get farther into the lobster than I thought I would. (Even though the thought of eating a bug wasn't sitting well either.)

I'm proud to say that I did the whole tail and claws on my own with no problems.

I broke down around cracking through the body to get the roe or sucking the tiny legs to get out a little meat.

Maybe I'm getting braver with my food.

Maybe it was the delicious wine.

Yeah, it was probably the wine.

This picture cracks me up, though. Clearly, one of us was thoroughly enjoying our dinner.

What are your thoughts on lobster? Can you tuck into one without feeling just a little guilty?

Splurge v Savings....Wooden Walls

Everyone has a dream house.

You know, that place you pretend that you live where you display all the furniture that you can't afford in the rooms that are perfectly papered and accessorized. Oh, you don't really live there? 

Me neither.

But it's so so nice to dream.

I actually have multiple dream houses. If it's a dream, that's affordable, right?!

One of them is definitely a really rustic chic take on a totally modern house.

Almost all of them have Ann Sacks tile.

If you don't know Ann Sacks, you should check out their website some time when you want a little eye candy to add to your imaginary abode. 

Here's what caught my eye from Ann Sacks this time:

 

 These are tiles made from petrified wood. Seriously. HOW cool is that?

Well it's cool enough to have a price tag starting at...get this...$222.30 per square foot.

Here are my thoughts on this, though....

You can totally do this! You know I'm not a DIYer, but for the sake of thousands of dollars, I'd do it!

Contemporary Bedroom design by Portland Interior Designer Garrison Hullinger Interior Design Inc.

Reclaimed wood can come from a bunch of sources.

It can be found at antique stores, salvage yards, flea markets...the possibilities are endless.

If you know someone that owns a farm, they might have some laying around.

Keep your eye out for demolition in your area, too.

In fact, there was an old barn being torn down near my home town. They took it apart piece by piece and stacked the wood neatly in piles. Then the piles stayed there. Months later, they're still there.

It's the most beautiful gray weathered wood. You can't fake that kind of authenticity.

If I had somewhere to store it, I would find the owner and make an offer on it as an investment in my real dream home.

That kind of thing can make a huge difference. Nailing old wood up onto one wall in a room is a HUGE wow factor and really not that expensive. 

Contemporary Bedroom design by San Francisco Interior Designer Jeffers Design Group

You could always use new wood, too, and stain it a beautiful color. 

Don't you just love that room? I love that the trim is a color. 

The moral of the story

If you find something that you love that's out of your budget, really think about what it is that you love.

If you aren't attached to designer names and are willing to put in a little elbow grease, you can create something just as beautiful for way less money.

Tile images via  ann sacks

Room images via houzz.com

Shop Feature...Across the Way, Cape May

Hello, friends.

Last week was a busy week! 

After my surprise bridal shower on Saturday, I headed to the beach with my family for our annual vacation.

We went to one of my favorite spots: Wildwood, NJ.

I know. 

Wildwood definitely isn't the classiest (or cleanest) beach locale in the world, but it's filled with some of my favorite memories from childhood.

I always love when we go back.

We usually spend an evening in Cape May when we do go.

I love Cape May for it's quaint little shops and beautiful Victorian homes.

I always stop in at Bath Time to pick up a new bottle of lotion or exfoliating shower wash. They'll custom blend you a signature scent in any combination of their almost intimidatingly long list of fragrances for under $20 per eight ounce bottle.

I love it.

Across the Way

Just a few doors down from Bath Time, there's a fairly new (a few year's old) shop called Across the Way.

I walked in on a whim and had to be physically removed by my fiance.

The shop specializes in unique home decor items.

They have developed an amazing mix of modern and industrial while toeing the fine line between quirky and classic.

I ooh-ed and ahh-ed  my way through the store finding myself drawn to their assortment of gorgeous suspended glass vases and the light fixtures.

I was tempted to walk away with this triple tube wall vase for $42, but talked myself out of it (as I live in a rental and try not to punch a bunch of holes in the walls unless absolutely necessary). I ended up with another set of three that are freestanding on a very modern wooden block. 

I have yet to unpack it, but plan to share as soon as I find the perfect spot for it!

Here's a small sampling of some of the other cool stuff they have:

click the image to be taken to the Across the Way online shop

They have so many neat things (at decent prices) that it was hard for me to leave. 

If we're being honest...the only reason I left when I did is because they told me they have an online shop!

If you ever find yourself within driving distance of Cape May, it's definitely worth the stop!

All images are courtesy of Across the Way online.

Life of a designer...Bridal Shower

My life is a little crazy right now.

Big things are happening!

I shared last week that Roost is moving up to bigger and better things, including offering design services.

Getting things up and running is proving to be a difficult and time consuming, yet rewarding journey.

Meanwhile, my personal life is going at a mile a minute.

I've been planning my wedding for two years (yes, I've been engaged that long) and suddenly find myself with only four months left to plan.

A designer planning a wedding is a dangerous thing.

We're also moving. Next week. No big.
I'm a wee stressed.

Enter my fabulous sister.

She's the left half of my brain and the glue that keeps my together on most occasions.

Knowing that I tend to stress over decision making and looking for an excuse to immerse herself in wedding blogs...she planned the most amazing bridal shower a girl could ask for.

I want to share a few of the photos with you.

She's not a designer or an event planner, just a creative at heart.

This is living proof that you don't need to be a professional to create something truly beautiful in any space.

The details...

The shower was almost totally DIY (except the amazing lunch and cake), including the escort card display.

The gorgeous cake with hand created sugar flowers. 

Milk glass vases filled with beautiful white hydrangeas decorated the tables. Most of the milk glass was an inheritance from my grandmother...the rest was salvaged from antique stores and online bargains.

All the paper goods were a huge DIY project made by my sister and her husband. They were painstakingly cut to size by my loving mother.

The gift boxes at the head table contained a sweet little handkerchief that had personalized monograms sewn by hand (again by my sister).

Guests received an ivory wrap that was tied gracefully to the backs of the chairs. 

My favorite image featuring the champagne cocktail and all the pretty details.

Lastly, please allow me to share a semi-embarrassing picture of yours truly.

Luckily, my sister knows me well enough to not try to put a bow hat on me!

The tulle was from a gift, however.

Wasn't it beautiful?

I'm a lucky, lucky girl.

Now...back to work. There's lots to do!