Where oh where has Xela gone....

I am so far behind on pretty much EVERYTHING! Life is SUPER busy but in a GREAT way! So much to report. First of all I HAVE MY OWN BUSINESS!

Simply Design

What do you think of the name? Hopefully good things because I can't change it. :) And the biggest news is we actually have a paying client! She just moved here she has been living abroad for the past 10 years most recently in Korea. She has a 5000 square foot home and we are decorating all of it! Kind of a HUGE undertaking for our very first "job" but what better way to learn? We have started with the down stairs so we are currently working on a living room, dining room, master bedroom, kitchen, family room and breakfast area. This has involved painting, draperies, new flooring, building of a new mantle, putting in french doors in the master bedroom, removing of wall paper, etc. We have found so many wonderful people to work with and they are doing an amazing job. I have been a bit stressed (to say the least) but I am so very excited and feel like Heavenly Father hand picked this job for Stacy and I. To build our confidence and to teach us! So pray that everything keeps going well and hopefully I will post some pictures soon! (with her permission of course :))

School is also going really well. It is hard to believe I only have 3 more classes and I am DONE! I have learned so much! I feel a true passion in my life for this, and have seen changes in myself in just a few months. I have felt like I am using some of the talents that Heavenly Father has given my that have been hidden for a long time and there are parts of me that are just bursting to come out. I know this switch turned on inside me when I turned 30 and now almost 2 years later it is amazing to see how far I have come. I can't wait to see what else the Lord has in store for me.

Decorating Kim's house...

I am very excited to reveal my friend Kim's house. Unfortunately my camera battery had died when I tried to take the before pictures. Basically picture a clean slate. The room was already painted these gorgeous browns and reds and they also have these beautiful dark chocolate brown hard wood floors. She had her coach, coffee table and side table and the picture above the fireplace, but that was pretty much it.

Kim has wonderful taste and was so easy and pleasant to work with. She trusted me and let me get whatever I thought would look good. We had so much fun shopping together. Stacy my friend and soon to be my design partner also helped with decorating this room. She went with us on our first big shopping trip. This is where Stacy and I realized how much fun we could have doing this together. We have very similar styles and taste. But she wasn't able to help with the entire room, so the way the room turned out is basically from Kim and I.

Kim is from Korea so she loves to add Asian elements to her home. We found so many beautiful things that just fit perfectly. She has a gorgeous home and I am just thrilled with this end result.

Joe T. Garcia's, Fort Worth TX

My brother was visiting almost a month ago, and we were able to spend some time with him in Fort worth. We went to Joe T. Garcia's (a Mexican restaurant) for the first time. The food was not that great but the outdoor dinning was delightful. Everywhere you looked was green and beautiful. I find myself wanting to go back just to sit outside on a nice cool fall day. Maybe we will just go have a diet coke and chips and salsa, and take in the beautiful surroundings.

First Day of School

(this little gem cost me $100, Welcome Back to School)

The day finally came! Yesterday was my first day back at school. I had a minor melt down the night before, but Jeff gave me a lot of encouragement and love(and a new outfit from the Buckle) and with that I made it through. It actually turned out to be a great day and I had a lot of fun. I have forgotten how much fun it is to learn and to use my brain. It is a small class which I really liked and found so much less intimidating. The instructor is very nice and well educated in interior design. My friend Stacy is taking the class with me and we had a great time. We met a lot of great women who all have a love for interior design and have knowledge of so many different aspects of this (architecture, construction, real estate, marketing and retail) I am excited to learn things from each one of them.







My favorite 2 quotes from my instructor yesterday...

"If it's not my style, it's somebody else's."

"Do it until your Satisfied."

I found out all the things that we will touch on and learn in this class that will surely help me become a better designer.

• 
  
  lighting


• 
  
  scale


• 
  
  color


• 
  
  balance


• fabric / textiles


• business


• ergonomics


• visual literacy


• construction of fabrics, carpet, etc


• blue prints


• accessories


• style


• space planning


• DETAIL

And so much more...

We found out that we will have 4 big projects one that will be judged by 4 professional designers at the end of the semester. We will also get to go on "field trips" to art museums, furniture stores, and other types of "designer" stores. All of it is so exciting and makes me wish that the class was more than once a week.

I also got my first "homework" assignment. I have to write a paper about "what is my style" kind of a hard thing to put to words. And I also have to take pictures of a room in my home that reflects my style. I will let you know how that turns out.

All in all it was a great day! Looking forward to Friday!

Jeff's New Office

Jeff recently moved to a new office. He gave me the opportunity to decorate it. I don't have a professional camera so the "wow" that you would get on t.v. you are not going to feel here. Also we picked out the paint color and the desk, so when you picture the "before", picture an empty white room.

"Before" so we have a few problems with this space.
1. It has NO windows.
2. It has 4 can lights so it leaves areas of the room dark and lots of shadows.
3. Jeff had to have a bulletin board on the wall right by his desk (apparently he is more worried about work than decorating).

"After"
We chose a light sage green for the room, it gives it a very peaceful feel (believe me he needs that!)
I added 2 lamps and it brighten up the room so much.
We added a few art pieces to the wall and it gives it the "wow" factor when you first walk in.
I changed everything he had on top of the bookcase, besides his plant. Plants are always a good thing.

The most gratifying part of a decorating job is hearing others say that they "Love" the space.
Everyone at Jeff's work loved his new office . Jeff loves it too!
And that is all the thanks I need.

Black, white and lime green...

I am just loving the colors black, white and lime green together. I came across some of these looks in a design magazine and I just loved it. I think I need to find a room in my house to do with these colors.

This rug is awesome! I LOVE IT!

Wood Beams....

I absolutely love wood beams on the ceilings. I love the dark rich color and the warmth it brings into a room.

I think this "great room" is so warm and homey I just love everything about it.

The only thing I don't love in this entry is the light fixture I would go with something a little bigger, other than that I think it says "welcome"!

Love this kitchen I love the large wood island. It ties in the beams and makes this kitchen fantastic!

Thank you!

I just really wanted to thank everyone for all their kind words of excitement and support! I am so grateful to everyone. Knowing you are all behind me routing me on will make this so much more exciting! I am getting very nervous as the time to go back to school draws closer. One month from today is my big day! It has been a long time, but I think going for something I love and enjoy will be amazing! Thanks again!

Outdoor for summer or Fall....

So it would seem, that I introduce you to my blog and then I abandon it for several weeks. Sorry!
Here is a fabulous backyard that I think would be perfect in the summer or a Texas fall. I can picture having book club next to the fire with a cup of hot cocoa. Care to join me?

Its official....I am going back to school. I have decided to make my dream become a reality! I have found a local college where I can go and get my design certificate. I start school September 18. It is so exciting! I can't express how thrilled I am to start this new adventure. I have always wanted to be an interior designer. I love to help others make their homes or work places beautiful. With this I will be starting my own business. I know that it will take a lot of time and hard work to really get this to take off, but I feel like it is what I am suppose to be doing right now. My kids are starting to enter new phases in their lives. Jordan and Elena will both be in school full time now and Zach only has one more year before he will be in preschool. Before I know it they will all be off and I want to have something that I can call my own. Jeff has been beyond supportive of all of this and for that I am so very grateful. He has shown so much faith in me and my design ability, more than I have ever had in myself. I love him for that.
I started this blog back in June without letting anyone know that I had started it. It was just an idea that I had to have a place to show design ideas from myself and others that I find. But in this short 2 months everything has changed and I have found the courage to go for my dream. So now I am opening this up to all of you. I hope you will enjoy it and that it will help motivate you to make your own space beautiful ,hopefully with help from me :). And to follow your dreams.
Here is to a new and exciting adventure!

A new clock made a big difference.

I got this new clock for this space and what a difference it makes. I am in love with it! It gave the space the big splash of color I needed and was a lot better suited for the size of this wall. See my post below to see what it looked like before I got this great clock.

Love round tables

I dont have a round table but I love them, I think they are a perfect table for entertaining or just having a dinner at home with the kids. If you have the right space for one it is a great piece.

Everyone needs a spot to sit and ponder....

With this courtyard I could picture myself having a party or just a quiet dinner for two. I love the brick patio and the white pillars and simple yet beautiful landscape. It is also a great spot to read a book or just to sit and relax.

I also love this desk area it would be a beautiful place to do some work.

Serene

I love this bedroom, it is simple yet elegant. It looks so serene and peaceful. I just love this design abeachcottage via sweetie pie
Thanks to my friend Leslie for turning me onto this site! They have amazing designs!

My new lamp

I found this fantastic lamp at Anderson's furniture store this past weekend. It was an amazing find because I got it for half price. I love the colors and the cute ribbon around the shade. I am really into lamps these days. I think it looks great on my entry table. I think I need to find a new clock though. One with a bit more personality. They have some amazing clocks at several stores I have been to lately. I think this one would look nice upstairs.

Great piece of furniture...

We found this over the weekend at Weirs for my friend Na Young's house. I just love the extra detail in it.....

Game Room

When we moved into our home 3 1/2 years ago we thought we would love the open windows from upstairs. But the noise that traveled both up and down the stairs was way to much. So in January we closed them in and we are loving
#1 the way they look
#2 the sound in both rooms is so much better.
I almost forgot to take a "before" picture of our upstairs game room before we enclosed it and made it fabulous. (that is why you can see the 2x4 in the picture)
BEFORE

AFTER




We added lighting as well. I love how it turned out.

So what do you think?

And so it begins.....

Welcome to my new blog "X"pressions by Xela. For years I have wanted to become an interior designer. This is my dream. I have not yet gone to school to become an actual interior designer, and I am by no means self proclaimed. Decorating is just something I love doing. I love taking something and transforming it into a vision that was just in my head.
I have been on so many blogs recently that just show people doing what they love and I am fascinated by it. So I am throwing my hat into the blog world. I am going to use this blog to showcase my own designs, designs I do for others, cool designs I find online or out in the world. This is more for my own record but if it inspires you that is an added bonus.
Wish me luck!