A Design Kiss From God!

         Well, happy summer to you all! 
I am amazed at how unbelievably busy the last two months have been. I'm sorry that I have not had time to post. 
    I want to tell you about a sweet "kiss"  I received from the Lord last week... a kiss designed especially for me. 
     As I have mentioned before, I love to look at decorating books, magazines and even real estate listings to spark inspiration into cozy creativity in my home. They motivate me to clean, organize and decorate. There is something about the visual feast that prods me to action. It's probably because they are usually perfection. Beautiful design, no clutter, dirt or even lamp cords... haha.
    Well, a few weeks ago I was browsing the real estate listings in my area and I came across a home that gave me a hug!
     I have been looking at homes on line for years and it is very rare to have the decor of a home blow me away with it's cozy perfection... Even when looking in the most expensive of markets it's uncommon to see this kind of attention to detail.
     I felt like I had gotten a new decorating book... for free! I loved it so much that I sent the link to my friends for a look. They were equally impressed and enjoyed the viewing.
    A few days went by and I found myself revisiting the site again and again.. Even my honey loved it and he is not easily impressed... I mean the decor alone had to cost as much as the list price!
     I REALLY wanted to know who decorated it! I had to know whether it was just a very talented homeowner or if it had been professionally done. I told my husband..." I really want to meet the person who decorated this house! I just want to thank them for the design hug and tell them how much I enjoyed their work."... He just smiled and listened.
    I fell in love with one of the rooms. It  was a beautiful blue and white palette. It had been done with multiple prints and textures, which I LOVE!  The wall paper  was AMAZING! I searched  for it on line until I found it because I was determined to use it in my home. 
     Before ordering it, I really wanted to see it in person and feel the grass cloth texture. I knew that this brand would only be available to the trade so it was not readily available for me to see.
      This is the room....

              Now on with my story.
   About a week ago, Alberto and I were invited to a book release party for a very dear friend of ours, Jeff Slaughter. You have to read his new book! He is our favorite storyteller, you will love it! ... "It's All True: Walking by Faith in a Funky World".http://www.amazon.com/dp/1620879336/ref=cm_sw_su_dp 
     Anyway, as soon as we drove up to the party I knew this was my kind of house! 
     As we walked in, I immediately noticed that the homeowners and I shared a love for blue and white as well as the same taste in decor. In short, I was in bliss. I was walking around enjoying every element of their home. Then I walked through their hallway.... and drum roll please... THERE was the wall paper that I wanted! 
      I was blown away at how the Lord knew I wanted to see it and feel it's texture. I told my honey... "This is such a "kiss" from the Father!"... He knew it was. He had the biggest smile on his face watching me enjoy the whole experience. I was seriously giddy.
     I continued walking around visiting with friends and meeting our hosts. I then remarked to them how much I loved their wallpaper. I said "It's Lee Jofa right?"... they could not believe I knew what it was. So I began to tell them where I had found it and how I had fallen in love with the decor of this house on the MLS...
     Then... to my amazement she (the homeowner/hostess...Ruthann) said "My husband designed that house!"...
     Let me just say, I NEVER get star struck, but in this moment I was completely knocked off my feet by the irony of it all. I felt like a little kid getting to meet a favorite super hero... LOL! I was like, can I come and watch you create? Seriously...
     I realized in that moment that...WOW... not only had God given me the kiss of allowing me to see the wallpaper I wanted... He had gone one step further and given me the desire of my heart to meet the decorator of the home! 
      It never ceases to amaze me how important even the smallest details in our lives are to God! He is so good to us and He knows us SO well. He gives the best treats! I still have a smile on my face telling you about it because you have no idea how big of a deal it was to me!
      
     Anyway, the name of this fabulous designer is Eric Ross. He is amazingly gifted! So... if anyone is looking for help from a professional with impeccable taste... one who implements perfectionistic detail into every space...He is your guy! Eric and his wife Ruthann are delightful! 

       Here are some more pics of the house he decorated...

      

and there are many more pics! You have got to see the pool and outdoor spaces as well. Check it out for yourself!

http://virtualtours.promediatours.com/property/1658-cooper-creek-lane/

You have to let it load for a couple of minutes.

If you would like to sample more of Eric's magic here is his website....

ericrossinteriors.com/

Enjoy.

Thanks for sticking with my cooky story. I know it is not my usual happenings ;-), but it was such a fun experience.

I am looking forward to sharing more of my journey of late in my next post, but now I am busy trying to find my "summer stride". 

It is easy to keep everything clean and in order during the school year, but during the summer with the boys home.. it is a different animal! 

I am trying to figure out how to keep the house together and vacation at the same time ;-).

Many blessings on you all as you begin your summer strides. May your time be full of JOY!

It's a Spring Fling!

    Good afternoon friends, I hope that you had a wonderful Saint Patrick's day weekend!

    I thought I would make this week's blog a bit longer because I probably won't have time to do one over spring break. 

We are getting very excited about spring break around here! How will you be spending yours? 

This year we will take little trips and relish our rest. 

Actually, I am enjoying our clean and organized home so much that I don't want to go anywhere! I guess that is the only drawback of cozy... becoming a major home body... as if I wasn't a big enough one already ;-).  

     Here is an update on the home front... every space that I have tackled has remained completely maintained. Which makes me giddy! Thankfully, order makes life easier.     

My sons came home from school last week to find that I had spent the whole day on their rooms and closets. I had just about given up on trying to organize their Lego collections and toys! It seemed that every time I did, it was all to do over again the next day! 

Insert frustrated face ;-(... 

I am sure there are some moms that can relate to my dilemma...    

I decided to try something new. 

I gave up on trying to color code the Legos and I decided to use the plastic dressers that I used to have in my pantry and master closet. 

They are wide and make it easy for them to shuffle around and find pieces. Now they don't have to dump everything out to find one piece.    

I can once again joyfully hang out in their rooms! 

Before, the chronic toy clutter was totally throwing off my cozy groove. 

It made me want to pull out all my hair and join a therapy group!    

To my amazement, my son Judah came to me and said ..."Mom, Guess what! I sleep so much better now in my clean organized room! 

I want to try and keep it like this all the time!"... 

I had been trying to explain to him why order was important and what the benefits were, now he GETS IT... Hallelujah! 

Maybe one day their wives will thank me. 

I am happy to say that they have been keeping them organized and clean ever since.... 10 days and counting! We'll see...

 Here is what the little plastic dressers look like... Cheap and easy.

I have not had time to paint out their closets yet. They are BIG! Soon... 

   Springing Forward...   

 I had so much fun adding little spring touches around the house that I could not stop.  It has been adding so much warmth to our world.       

It is hilarious to me that I had never thought to capitalize on seasonal decor all year round! 

It all began back in the fall when my friend Emily said... "Kimberly, why don't you decorate for the fall? You would love it!"... 

She was saying this because I was ready to pounce on my Christmas decor spew. Yes, I said "spew" because Christmas throws up all over the Casa Rivera! Not only do I pounce, I pounce early.... very early. Just wait until Christmas. You will see our Christmas wonderland. Fun, yet tasteful.

       

Anyway, I thought to myself... "yeah, why don't I?"... 

I mean the thing I hate most about starting the new year is having to put away all of my cozy Christmas decor and lighting. 

Now thanks to Emily's one question, I am totally addicted to seasonal decorating, especially finding ways to display decorative lighting. 

That shows the power of inspiration...thanks Em... I'll send you the bill! Hehe... Who knew there was so much fun to be had?       

Here are some pics of our ever evolving spring fling...

Added more to the foyer. I love robin's eggs and moss baskets.

 I am totally loving chalk boards right now..

     Thank you Trader Joe's for selling cheap beautiful flowers! 

and I think I am done...              Trying to decide where to put these...

Kitchen island love...  

  Aren't these beautiful? Breakfast table..

 added a lil' more chalk fun... 

I LOVE all my cloches. They are so much fun to play with! Dining room...

Can you tell I have a thing for blue and white?

My little air purifier.

Love these tulips in my favorite tulip vase!

Springy mantle.

Living room cloche.

More embellishments... 

at night... Oh...so...COZY!! 

      White and yellow flowers, homemade burlap garland, birds, and basket lighting.

 I had so much fun making this!

I love using a tea cup and saucer for a nest...

 I added a chalk board here too. Slightly obsessed!

Bedroom arrangement.

     Here are some pics that inspired me...

  ...LOVE 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

  

and I could go on and on....

Now on to the organizational challenge of the week...

This week I decided to do my master bathroom drawers after being inspired by my friend Caitlin's picture of her make-up organization project.

Inspiring right? She has mad organizational skills!!

 I thoroughly cleaned everything and then realized I forgot to take before pictures. Oops... sorry.I gave away a bunch of my make-up to my niece, Morgan, who is an aspiring make-up artist. Now I have more space. I have learned that if you don't use it... loose it. Now everything has a home. I keep my skin care accessible. In love with this stuff...  Brush drawer...  hair tools...

Well, I have had fun this week. I better stop before I start adding more spring... Just looking at all these pictures makes me want to go create. I think I will go on a stick hunt and make some crosses...

This season we celebrate the ultimate sacrifice that our savior, Jesus Christ, made by suffering unto a brutal death on the cross just so that we could know Him and the POWER of His resurrection! What LOVE! As you remember Him, I pray that His manifested presence would fill each of your lives afresh and that the JOY of His faithful goodness would overflow in your hearts! 
He is RISEN! He is ALIVE and He loves you!

Many blessings on you today!