House of Colour Experience

If you have been following along on Instagram I have stopped talking about my House of Colour experience and for good reason. I can say with certainty it was one of the best things I have done for myself. Plus, it was SO much fun. 

Kylie an Autumn, myself a Spring, Addie a Winter

Ironically, having your "colors done" was quite popular in the 80s. However, House of Colours techniques are a little different than your grandma or mom's color party experience. The ultimate goal is for you to discover your season, learn about the 36 colors that are in your season and then identify which of those colors are your wow colors. 

My color analysis was done with House of Colour Consultant Amy Savage, and two other friends Addie and Kylie joined in at the same time. We first walked you through whether you look better in blue-based (cool colors) or yellow-based colors (warm colors). Winter and Summer seasons are blue-based and Spring and Autumn are yellow-based. It is important that you are bare-faced and your hair is covered if you color your hair to allow your true skin tone to interact with the colored drapes. 

As Amy draped her silks around my shoulders I quickly watched the color in my cheeks brighten, eyes sparkle, and the shadows under my eyes disappear when the correct color season was shown. On the flip side when colors were too cool or too warm the shadows on my face were harsher, I looked washed out and tired. 

The only difference between these two pictures is the addition of a lipstick and my wow color silks.

After Amy determined that I was a Spring we moved in my wow colors. These are Spring colors that I can wear head to toe. Other spring colors look best on me if I wear them as an accent or top or bottom only. Amy also showed me what makeup colors will truly complement my season. To my surprise, brown mascara is best for me, and although I was slightly skeptical after wearing brown mascara for the past week I can truly tell a difference.  

So what happens next. I left with a book of swatches that show all my colors to help me identify what pieces I should be adding or removing from my closet. Unfortunately, black on my personal favorites is not in my season. This doesn't mean that I can't ever wear black again, but if I truly want to put my best foot forward there are other colors I should reach for. Also, just because I am a Spring doesn't mean I need to look like an Easter egg. Rich chocolate browns, tans, cream and dove grey are all in my color wheel and serve as great neutrals for me. 

I can't recommend the color analysis enough. The process took about four hours for all three of us to go through it. It does have to be done in person because colors aren't always accurate online. Next, I would love to do the style analysis which can be done online. There are consultants all over the U.S. but I can't say enough good things about Amy from Johnston, Iowa. 

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One Day Board and Batten Bedroom Makeover

Have you ever moved into a space and said "one day we'll renovate, it is good enough for now"? We did just that when we bought our farm and moved into this house almost eight years ago. We painted a few other rooms in but knew one day we would do an entire first floor remodel. Well, this past week I got a little tired of waiting and decided to go for it. 

At the start of the year my husband, Jon was diagnosed with Spindle Cell Sarcoma which is a relatively rare soft tissue cancer. We were fortunate to be referred to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota for his treatments which include radiation five times a week for three weeks, surgery, and then recovery. The drive is five hours round trip and we have been so grateful to the family members and friends that have spent time driving him back and forth each day. 

One of the most important things I can do for Jon is to make sure he gets rest. He has never liked our duvet insert or pillow. The walls were dark and uninspiring. So my wheels started to turn and I thought what if I could pull off a one day room makeover as a surprise while he was gone at treatment. 

Video Tour Here

A good friend of mine flips houses so I asked her if she thought I could pull off a transformation in 6.5 hours and she said no way. So I knew I would need to recruit some help. It took three of us working non stop to pull off the surprise. We finished 15 minutes before Jon and his driver pulled into the farm. I seriously have the best friends. 

Euro Shams (smaller 24x24 size) | Pillow Cases/Sheets in Ivory (another option) | King Size Pillows | lumbar pillow (similar option, option) | Duvet Cover | Duvet Insert | Quilt Old (similar option) | Blanket (not visible but it is one of the comfiest things on our bed)

I knew that board and batten could be an easy way to make a big statement, but there are so many styles. I decided to go with a roughly 1/4 and 3/4 design considering it would be faster than doing the whole wall as squares and even if I did addition horizontal boards most of them would be covered by the bed.

I selected MDF boards that were 3.25 inches wide, and when with a 6-inch baseboard along the bottom. I only replaced the baseboard on the feature wall as I knew doing new baseboards and trim throughout was something that was a little behind my skillset and timelimit. 

Our walls are textured. For true board and batten you would cover the blank wall with a smooth board first before adding your crossbars, but since again we had a time limit and one day we'll still do the remodel I opted to skip that step. We painted the top board, two side boards (the ones against the outer walls) and the baseboard prior to installing with a nail gun. Although we still had to touch up the paint once the nail holes were filled, this prework made it so much fast because we didn't have to worry about any edging painting work. While the boards dried we painted the wall, then the installation of all the boards began. Lots of sites will recommend using liquid nails and a nail gun, however, we only used a nail gun.

Ordering oversized paint swatches from Samplize helped out so much. You can stick these huge paint samples to your wall to see how the color looks throughout the day. I choose Swiss Coffee for the feature board and batten wall and Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter for the other three walls. If in doubt paint it Revere Pewter. The color goes with everything and over the years I have convinced so many friends to use it in their house. Mindful Gray was a very close runner up for this project. We only did one coat of paint due to a short amount of time so we went with a higher quality paint for better coverage and fast drying time. I think there might have been only a couple wet spots as we were dragging furniture back in! 

Upholstered Headboard | Side Table

We also never had side tables in our room. We figured that it was too tight of a fit. I did some measuring and found this skinny side table at 19 inches wide and it fits perfectly. Who knew the joy of not having to put your stuff on the ground would bring! 

When we got married one of the places we registered was Pottery Barn, and I can say the quality of their bedding is amazing. My tip for soon-to-be or current brides... get the GOOD bedding because it is really expensive to replace down the road. I also have always loved duvets with a cover instead of a comforter. Duvets are much less expensive to switch over a comforter and easy to wash. A lot of people cringe at white bedding but I love that you can bleach it. Plus, the quilt at the bottom of the bed I will pull over the top of the duvet if Miss Izzy, our Australian Shepard, decides she needs to be up there.

The key when mixing white bedding is to choose a white that doesn't lean too yellow and to make sure your fabrics have some texture. 

For more inspiration and step by step instructions on Board and Batten walls I suggest checking out: 

100 Things 2 Do
Angela Rose

Our Faux Farmhouse

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Choosing Your Word of the Year

For the past several years I have chosen a Word of the Year. It is a way for me to stay grounded make sure that each goal, new challenge or endeavor truly aligns with what my focus is. 

I dive more into the process of how I select my word of the year into this Squad Life Podcast with Addie Yoder, and then recently was interviewed by Stacie McCracken of the Coalesce Network.

It can be a bit paralyzing choosing a word. The thing to keep in mind is that there is no wrong way to do it. You can change your word. You can keep your word for multiple years. I used the word Brave for two years. People don't have to understand your word. It is truly a personal decision. 

To give you some ideas I have put together a worksheet that can guide you through finding the word that will best represent you. 

Each year I also engrave my word on a necklace or bracelet so it can be a daily reminder. It is amazing that once you choose your word you will see it pop up more frequently. Kind of along the lines of buying a new car and then all of a sudden you see that same car everywhere. If can help design a word of the year jewelry piece for you please shoot me a message or take a peek at my Stella & Dot and Keep Collective boutique. 

Top Finds of 2020

 

We had a lot of fun in 2020 swapping finds and favorites. For as much as we all stayed home this year, you all sure did like coats! What I happy to say is that all of these items are pieces I wear or use pretty much weekly. Except for that snack pack... that is all Jon! 

1. "The" Coat: Man you all loved this coat. It often dropped below $100 and you all snatched it up in a variety of colors. Remember if you grab it for yourself size down one. 

2. Stainless Tumblers: Not only did you buy these for yourself but lots of you told me that you bought the four-pack and gave them out as gifts! 

3. 100 Days of Brave Devotional: This is still one of my favorites. I reopen it often to reference back to pages I marked. 

4. Crave Snack Pack: Jon was given this as a gift this fall and he went crazy over it. Lots of you snatched it up to give as Christmas gifts. Don't forget Valentine's Day is coming up. 

5. Marc Jacobs Booties: I finally bought the suede pair and LOVE them. Then Jon surprised me with the black pair for Christmas. I hope you guys are loving yours just as much. 

6. Sticky Bra: I talked about this bra a bunch in my Insider's Club. I'm a size C and this is the most comfortable bra I own. 

7. Heated Vests: Both the men's and women's versions were top sellers. I know Jon and I glad we have ours while doing farm stuff because it is has been cold! Size up one in the lady's version. 

8. 3-in-1 Winter Jacket: You all went crazy over this jacket, and I am so glad I got mine. After I bought it many of you told me this is the coat you've been wearing for years. I have the olive green version but this camel color was a close runner up. 

9. Leopard Button Up: This is a bit of a splurge unless you get it on sale. I wear mine 2-3 times a week and it is SO warm. 

10. Masks: Everyone needed them this year, but these are my most comfortable ones and the ones I get the most compliments on. 

Were you surprised at anything that did or didn't make the list? Have your personal favorites? Make sure you share or shoot me a message on Instagram. 

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