Friday Favorite- Initial House Inspiration

We loved our first home so much!! So when it came to building a new home, we literally almost went and built the exact home on a different, larger piece of land.  It was at that point that we learned our large ranch would not fit on most lots with a pool in the backyard- (oh yes we are putting in a pool)!!! So we moved onto looking at 2 story homes.  I knew immediately I wanted all bedrooms upstairs- we are at the beginning of growing our family and I did not want endless nights climbing stairs to reach my little ones.  I also wanted laundry upstairs with the bedrooms and a play space for Emersyn on the main level.  So the search for a layout and floor plan that worked began.  After discussing our wants with our builder and looking at different homes, we finally settled on a floor plan.  That is when the real work began.  I immediately hired my design sister from Jessica Stout Design to be with me on every decision and there are LOTS of decision to be made when building a custom home!!

Here are a few of my early inspiration pics when thinking about the feel I wanted the outside of this house to have.
All pictures are taken from my Pinterest: For the Home.

Immediately I knew I wanted a light, airy feel to our home.  When looking at homes I am always drawn to a lighter gray and classic stone.

I LOVE a large, double door entryway.  I think a large entrance is very welcoming.  I want to modernize it a bit and go with a painted door instead of the traditional wood, and I have learned it would be easier to maintain as well.

I don't love garage doors, unless they are really nice ones, and I have found out those cost a fortune!  So my plan is to add a pergola detail and paint them.

Dark windows are really popular right now.  I think when building a new home you want to be on trend but in a way that it won't be dated as soon as that trend is over.  I think dark windows are a bit trendy but really quite timeless.  They are pricey- more than white let's just say that.

I also love a bit of tin roof.  -ever since the 'love shack',  "tin roof, rusted."  Sorry as soon as I said tin roof I thought of that song.

Designing and building a home is a constant battle between beautiful Pinterest pictures and what you can realistically accomplish.  I must say I am pretty excited to see all of our exterior selections come together.  Some inspiration picture ideas made the cut others were simply too pricey.  But honestly that is the name of this home building game- spend your money wisely and put it into places that will make the most impact.

Check back next Friday as I share interior ideas!

Moving and Building...

Well after living in our lovely home for 5 years we decided it was time to move on.  Let me start by saying when we moved into this home my husband and I both stated...."This is a house we could be in forever and not need to move."

You can find an entire tour of this house on the House #1 Moments page at the top.  Fast forward 5 years and suddenly we were wanting more storage space, a flat driveway, not so many neighbors in our backyard view, and other things.  It was a hypothetical conversation until suddenly we were looking at an offer on our home that wasn't even on the market.  We took it as a sign and packed up our things over a weekend.  It all happened very quick- as movers sat in our driveway, neighbors slowed as they drove by... I am sure a bit confused.  We sold a lot, stored a lot, and rented a town home in the downtown area.

 
This move was a bit hard at the beginning especially for Emersyn.  She cried the first few days saying she didn't like to move and wanted to go home.  Talk about breaking my heart.  However, this new spot is filled with fun places to walk and activities going on.  I think she is really loving it!

As we live here in this town house living our 'city' life, we are building our dream home and what will be (mark my words) the LAST home we build or move to in a VERY, VERY long time!!! Or that is the plan at least!

So I thought it would be fun to go back to my old FRIDAY FAVORITE series and focus on the house.  I will share progress pics, inspiration pics, and the whole lovely process!!

Let's start with the lot.  We are in love with the fact that we have no neighbors on our right side and no neighbors behind us.  To be in a neighborhood that we love but to still have trees as our view!!!!- we consider ourselves pretty lucky we snagged this lot!!!

Check back Friday for my first FRIDAY FAVORITE-HOME EDITION!!!

West Elm Meet the Maker

I am SOOO EXCITED to announce that I will be featured as West Elm's Meet the Maker Artist later this month.  West Elm is one of my all time favorite decor stores.  They have a style and a wide selection of products that I feel can fit every home.  I can not wait to add tons of their things to our new home!  

So knowing how I feel about West Elm, you can imagine my pure giddiness to find that our local West Elm team found my artwork worthy to be featured in the Indy, Keystone store!!!  AHHHH- okay I am a little excited! and super nervous to be honest!  As I have mentioned, I come from a family of amazing artists and I think therefore, I judge myself very harsh.  I have never had a true art class- this is just my honest love of art coming out in words and paint.  Taking a chance and putting my things out there is exciting and terrifying!  But I am trying to stick with the excited feeling!!

So... MARK YOUR CALENDARS... for SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24TH 12-5 pm!!! I will be selling my paintings, with LOTS of new items!!!  Grab your girlfriends and come shop!!!

Etsy Store Open!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IT'S HERE....... MY VERY OWN ETSY STORE!!!

If you are not familiar with Etsy, it is an awesome online website that holds individually owned stores that sell handmade products.  You can find anything from headbands, clothes, jewelry, paintings, woodwork, etc. (honestly the list is never ending).  I have decided that this is the perfect way to offer watercolor prints and custom made pieces.
I am over the moon with excitement and can only HOPE and PRAY that this little side creative outlet will turn into so much more.
Hope to see everyone over at Etsy, you can find me by typing in my store name: jlmmomentsanddesigns

I will also always have link directly on my blog.  On the right side bar, you will see a SHOP MY ETSY STORE link that will take you directly to my store.

I will be adding new paintings all the time so check back often.  Also if you have any questions about a custom painting please feel free to email me with ideas or questions!

jlmmoments@gmail.com

Fall Decor in the Etsy Store

Fall is one of my very favorite times of the year.  The weather can be at its best: bright sunny days with a hint chill in the air that calls for your cutest sweater and boots.  Not only do I love apple orchards, pumpkin patches, football, and fall fashion, but I love decorating my home with a touch of that fall warmth.
I am currently working on decorating our rental for fall (OH YES, this little rental will see all the holiday decor just as any home should!)  Part of decorating for fall is creating small spaces in your home with a cluster of decor.  So I am working on getting the Etsy Shop full of fall paintings that would be perfect for a mantel, shelf, table, or cluster of fall anywhere in your home!!

Here is a little peek at those fall items you can find in the shop.

Head over to the ETSY SHOP to see the fall decor ready for purchase!
Let me know if you have a favorite fall saying or picture you would like to see painted!! I am always looking for new ideas!

The POP UP SHOP was popping!!

After moving into our temporary townhouse, my sister from Jessica Stout Design and I decided to take full advantage of being in a prime location.  Our townhouse is located on a very popular downtown street in Carmel's Art District and our lower level is already zoned for business.

With that in mind, we selected a Saturday with an event happening which we knew would bring lots of people to our area.  After deciding to really do this..... I got to painting!!

I spent the next few weeks painting and drawing almost every night after Emersyn went to bed.  And with those paintings we set up shop!

The day was amazing! We had LOTS of friends and family visit the shop as well as those walking by.  We sold lots of paintings, arrows, and large wooden signs, and overall we were pleased with the outcome!  So of course we are onto looking for our next POP-UP SHOP opportunity!

I am currently working on getting all art from the shop onto my etsy store!

thanks to all of you who supported the POP-UP SHOP!!