At Home With Miggy {Home Tour!}

Perhaps the most commonly received feedback we get about our content at Bloom is that y'all love the home tours. We do too! We're delighted that Miggy is opening her doors and showing us around her 97 year old Victorian home. It's dreamy...

I'm really excited and honored to do a home tour on Bloom today. I admit that this is a rather selfish treat for me as I'm excited to have our first house documented since we only got to live here for 2 short years. Sadly we'll be packing our bags soon and off on a new adventure. Coincidentally, if you're moving to the Cincinnati area, you might be interested to know our house is for sale. :) To start, let me tell you a little about our house. It was built in 1914, which means it's 97 years old! It's a 3 story Victorian, 4 stories if you include the basement which happens to be a total dungeon. (And in fact it is a working dungeon as "the basement" is by far the worst place for our 4 year old to get sent for time out. Super effective). This house has all the original wood floors and is filled to the brim with charm that we had nothing to do with. The minute I walked into this house I fell in love....it had me at hello. Lets get started!

The entry way. One thing about these old houses is closet space is almost non-existent. On the entire 1st floor we have one small closet, so we have to get creative with storage. The red armoire is basically our front closet. (Coats hang on hooks down the hall though).

TV/Computer room, which also doubles as our 4 year olds art room, or as she calls it her studio. Our Warhol Family portraits hang above the couch. You can find the tutorial for making your own Warhol-esque portraits here.

The dining room. One of my favorite rooms. It's big and open with lots of light. The built in bench works great as a table for younger kids--just add small chairs and you're set! We're big on buying second hand/vintage so for all you NYC peeps, we got the dining table and chairs from Circa60. They have great mid-century modern stuff and I'm still amazed we got a great set in such amazing condition.

Living room. (This picture is sorta killing me because the rug is off center, but thats just my OCD, so I'll try to ignore it.) The living room is a work in progress as I plan on getting the blue chairs reupholstered at some point and the rug doesn't really work with the colors but whateves'. My thoughts on decorating are don't buy something unless you love it, BUT it still may need some work (a paint job, reupholstering, refinishing, etc) so don't let that hold you back either. I think of furnishing my home as a journey and I choose to take my time and find stuff I love along the way, stuff that's meaningful to me. I like to feel a connection to the things around me and so I'd rather my house look sort of unfinished or unpolished as I work out the kinks, rather than just getting something I'm not that in love with as a space filler. As far as aesthetic/style we are big thrifters, antique mall shoppers, craigslisters, estate salers, etc. I don't think there is any piece of furniture in the house that isn't second hand. I love this for a couple reasons. 1) I like old stuff. The design and the often good quality really appeal to me. I also like knowing I have something original that no one else has. 2) It's cheaper. 3) Buying second hand is the ultimate green choice. Even if you don't care about the environment and it's just that you can't afford new stuff, you can at least pretend to be really "green" and people will automatically respect your social consciousness. Win win. Also, I'm a painter (when I have the chance) and thus all the art you see in the house is mine. You can see more examples here and here.

We also like found objects...the suitcases on the side of the couch were found on the streets of NYC and we snagged them right up! They make a great side table, plus good hidden storage and I love that I have a little token from our NYC days.

4 Year-olds bedroom. Of course this photo was taken within minutes of being cleaned and was probably trashed within minutes after the photo, but it's lovely isn't it? (The crib has been converted to a toddler bed FYI).

Her shelves/dresser used to be our media center and now it works great in her room for clothes, toy storage and bookshelves. I think that's another thing I learned, if you love a piece of furniture but you're not sure it will work in a new space take it with you anyway...you might find a whole new use for it.

The nursery. The DIY chevron rug is probably the post I still get the most hits on. I still really enjoy this room and was happy with the way it turned out.

Finally the master bedroom.

Well that's it. Thanks for stopping by and thanks for having me ladies!

Lovely! You can read more about Miggy's artful life with her little darlings at This Little Miggy Stayed Home. (Isn't that such a clever blog title?)

Ding Dong: Home Tour with Cami Wilcox

On the heels of several posts about organization, we thought you'd be inspired by Cami, who lives in a small apartment with her family and does an amazing job of keeping it all together...

Hello! Welcome to my home. I am so excited to be here on Bloom! I'm going to tell you how living in a 715 square foot, one bedroom apartment has worked for my family of three. I also have all sorts of tricks to help you organize your home, no matter the size.

This is the layout of our apartment, only in reverse. The kitchen and bath are on the opposite sides, as well as the living and bedroom, otherwise it is the same. Hopefully it will make it easier to visualize the space and that way you know exactly how big my rooms are.

This is our entryway. I found this vintage piece at the thrift store. My husband uses the drawer to store his pocket contents at the end of the day. It is very convenient since it is right by the door and having a designated place keeps him from putting stuff on the kitchen counters. Our most commonly worn shoes live in a bin inside the cupboard below. The rest of the shoes live in the closet in the bedroom.

As you look left you enter the kitchen. My favorite part of this kitchen is the open floor plan. I can see my two year old son playing in the living room while I cook dinner. Here are a few things I do to keep my kitchen clean and well functioning.

• Before I start dinner, I fill my sink with hot soapy water. That way I can wash dishes as I go and after dinner clean up is minimal. I feel like this is huge when your kitchen is the first room people see when entering the house. If you're having guests, you don't want them to see a sink full of dishes right when they walk in.


• Keep 5-6 garbage sacks in the bottom of the trash can so you can easily replace it. I store the large box of trash bags in the laundry area so it doesn't take up valuable under sink storage.


• Use one kitchen tool for multiple purposes. I use my cheese grater as a lemon zester and my muffin tins for cooking meatballs. The more you can multipurpose your items the less stuff you need.


• Counter space is valuable real estate. Even though I make my husband toast every morning, the toaster goes in the cabinet. If you start letting your counters get cluttered with appliances, it will trickle down to mail and other piles of stuff.

Right behind the door is our coat rack. The fact that I love it makes me want to avoid cluttering it up and it creates a designated place for our guests to put their coats.

From the kitchen you walk into the dining area. It is small but functional.We have a gorgeous table that didn't fit in the dining area of the apartment, but just wait, it is in another part of our house.

This is my creative zone. I use the cabinet on the left to hold sewing and craft supplies. My sewing machine lives under the desk but is always plugged in for easy access. I use the vintage suitcase to hold my current project so it is easy to get out and put away in a matter of seconds. I highly recommend creating an area where you can have quick access for creativity.

Here's the living room. This is a very busy place. It is where we store ALL of my son's toys, watch our very small TV, read and hang out. I avoided hanging anything on this wall to give the eyes a place to rest. It also feels more open and clean to me. The green bins in the TV console hold most of the toys. He has plenty of toys, they are just stored in bins with lids to make it easier for him to put them away himself without looking like a mess.

This is the other side of the living room. There is one more toy box behind the little chair by the window. The bookshelf in the corner holds board games and a few books. To make everything seem larger I avoid using rugs, coffee tables or having too much furniture on the floor. All of our furniture has legs to give the allure of more space. The magazine rack is actually a wine rack that I screwed onto the bookshelf. It is perfect for keeping magazines close but eliminates the need for another piece of furniture.

The cabinet next to the sink holds all of my husband's clothes that aren't hanging up. My clothes are on some shelves built next to the washer and dryer, on the other side of the bathroom. It is nice not having to have a dresser for our clothes.

This is the bedroom. You can access it from the bathroom or the living room, creating one large circle. This is great for a little boy who needs space to run. We have some very creative storage ideas going on here. We have a large 6-8 person table that we really like and didn't want to get rid of. So, we used it as our headboard. One added bonus is that there are about 4 inches of storage behind it, so all of our unused picture frames and the table legs go there.

Our son's clothes go in this dresser. The cedar chest holds all sorts of stuff, our china, my son's too big clothes and a few other things that we use but not often enough to keep out.

I love my jewelery storage. The necklaces, rings and broaches go on this corkboard. The earrings go in the red jewelery case. It's easy to see what I have and I think it looks good.This is super easy to make!

There is a walk in closet in the bedroom. This is where we store the rest of our clothes, shoes and Christmas decorations. The bedroom also has a storage closet that we use for all of our baby gear, clothes and accessories that we want to keep for our next kid.

I think most people can get by with living in much smaller spaces than they are living in. It does take some time to figure out what works for the space you have, but you can definitely make it into a space you love. When we moved here 8 months ago, I got rid of everything I didn't absolutely love. It was so rewarding to donate so many things and I felt so free of clutter I didn't even like that much. Now, before taking anything into my home I must absolutely love it. It doesn't matter how much it costs, if it isn't worth taking up the valuable space in my home, I don't want it.

I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity to share my home with you on Bloom! Thanks for stopping by!

Knock Knock! Home tour with Joan Koplin

We couldn't think of a better home to tour at the beginning of a new year than the home of Joan Koplin. Every time I visit her home I am astounded at how crisp and clean it feels. Her house is the epitome of organized and clutter free, with style to boot. Thanks for having us over, Joan!

(Remember Dana's D-I-Y acorn wreath? Don't you love the colors Joan chose for hers?)

How do you keep your house neat/tidy/free of clutter? You are so organized. How do you do it?

Let me make one thing very clear: my house is not always tidy. I don't pretend to have a clutter free home...but I am one of those strange people whose sanity is irrevocably connected to a clean home. With that being said, balance is the key because what child wants a neurotic mother hurriedly cleaning up behind them everywhere they go?! I have a few areas in my home that I allow to be messy any/all the time. One of those places is a closet under the stairs. I recommend finding a place in your home that is semi tucked away, if possible, that you can allow your children to play and keep messy. I tell my boys there are rooms in the house that are Mom's and that need to stay fairly organized/free of toys and that they have their own space to make a mess/play. Ultimately, children need to make mess/play/be creative and that's okay. I attempt to keep the rule of "let's clean up this mess before we start a new activity, okay?" That helps keep the mess to a minimum (usually).

In terms of organization, it is an ongoing effort. The bills, papers from school, lego pieces, nerf gun bullets, candy wrappers, and crumbs never go away. The way I combat the onslaught of "stuff" is by regularly throwing away/donating/recycling things so that I don't spend my days putting things away that we don't even need or care about. Keep what you use and pass on the rest.

Did you make those fabric canvases? How did you do those?

My husband actually made the frames and covered them with canvas himself (so crafty and clever) for my birthday a few years ago. He bought some one by twos, cut them flat (no angles involved) and put them together with a staple gun. Then he wrapped them with canvas material purchased at a fabric store. In the past I've painted them various colors and have settled on the loud patterns that you currently see...but its a great way to switch up the art in your home. You find a new fabric you like--buy it, wrap, and staple it to your frames. It changes the whole look of the room for very little money.

Tell us about that cool yellow canvas above your bed!

I'm glad you asked because the yellow canvas has a story. My husband found a large, painfully hideous painting in the dumpster of our friend's apartment building. It even had a tear in it. His eyes were filled with the possibilities of the 1980's pastel painting and all I saw was garbage. It sat in our garage for six months when I had an epiphany (I know I'm being mildly dramatic here)...all I need to make that horrendous excuse for a painting into something desirable is a few yards of fun fabric and a staple gun! So, that's the story. I found the yellow material at IKEA, no less, and with a few dozen staples, WHA-LA!

Where do you get your home inspiration?

The style of my home is constantly evolving. I don't feel particularly consistent in the way I decorate. I think that is what makes my home interesting (at least to me). Often I get caught up in worrying about labeling my style and being consistent when really I don't think that matters. Allow yourself the freedom to enjoy an uber modern couch flocked with pink flower embroidered pillows from your great grandmother. So, in answer to your question: I'm inspired everywhere I go. I enjoy elements of a variety of home styles, although clean and simple appeals the most. As you can see, IKEA is an integral part of my home. A lot of that has to do with budget, of course but also their mantra is minimalism and making space functional. What's not to like about that?

(Pennant Banner How-To HERE, Embroidery Hoop Art How-To HERE)

Classic Joan, always a realist, included a pic of their game closet to prove that she and her house aren't perfect. Ahh...we love you, Joan! Thanks for inviting us in!

Ding Dong! Home Tour: Leslie Krout

I can't remember when or how I first landed at Leslie's blog, (the Good Report), but I liked her style immediately. And I was super impressed by her film photography skills - A.mazing. We're so happy to have her here at Bloom today, sharing some peeks into the lovely corners of her home. Thanks for opening your doors to us, Leslie.

* where do you like to draw inspiration for your home? (magazines, fave design blogs, nature, etc)?

I definitely get inspired by blogs. The Decorista is a current fave. and those Design Sponge sneak peeks are the best. I think I'm most inspired by stylish homes done by real people (without hiring professional help). Makes me feel like a great space is attainable.... I can have the home I love too! I'm also inspired by magazines. I get way too many each month, but I just can't get enough of them. I like Living Etc, Country Living, Better Homes & Gardens, and the West Elm catalog is my dream life. Color is a real big inspiration.

* your photos are so nicely arranged - what do you keep in mind when framing/displaying art?

Keep it simple. I don't like ornate or elaborate frames.

* love the prints on your wall above your couch - where do you like to look for art?

Etsy is always a hit for inexpensive art. Lately, I've been looking to my own photographs for art to hang. I've been wanting things to be very personal and have more meaning to us. Which means I'm editing what is already hanging. The two states you see above the couch are a little project I took on. It was totally copied from something I saw in Cookie magazine. They are needlepoints and took a year+ to finish. It was a total nightmare, but I had to finish them once I started. They'll be staying. For some reason we still claim our childhood states as home even though we haven't lived there for years.

* i know you like to have nice things - but you don't necessarily like to pay a premium price -
how/where do you look for good deals? any little secrets to your frugal design?

I'm a huge fan of online shopping. There are so many good deals. I would love to physically browse my favorite stores and immerse myself in all the pretty, but it's just not realistic with kids. And with all the free shipping offers and discount codes online is ideal for me. The key is to not be in a hurry. Everything goes on sale. Also, end of season sales are fantastic.

* i love the plates in your eating area and they're so nicely arranged - did you collect those over time? where did they come from?

Yes, I collected them over several months once I decided that is what I wanted to do. I found the plates all over the place: Anthropologie, Target, Pier 1, and a local thrift store. I can't take credit for the arrangement. I'm sure I saw it on a blog some where, but I thought it made for a non-granny/updated looking plate wall.

That mobile is a $9 clearance from Urban Outfitters. Picked it up in the store a couple of years ago and finally found a place for it. It hangs to the left of our couch.

* are those just paper butterflies on the wall in the girls room? did you make them? what about the pink & orange paper lanterns? and are those some of the girls clothes hanging on the wall? i think that's a sweet and sentimental touch.

The butterflies are cut from white card stock. I used Martha Stewart template.

I just reduced and enlarged several different sizes and cut them by hand. They are stuck to the wall with blue tack (or poster tack).

The pink and orange lanterns are from the Martha Stewart wedding line for Walmart from a few years ago.

The clothes are a mix of things. The stripe dress was purchased from babyGap. I made the polka dot dress. And the red dress was mine when I was a baby. The girls' room used to be red and grey, but I didn't like it so I pulled out these two dresses and the inspiration went from there. It's so much better with this decor, and color scheme.

* how would you describe your style? what are you typically looking for when you're furnishing/accessorizing your home? how is your space a reflection of you, your family, your life?

I would describe my style as happy modern. I like clean lines and simple decor, but when I started really focusing on decorating our home all that simplicity got a little institutional and sterile feeling for me. So the "happy" was achieved with pops of color.

When I am accessorizing and furnishing the home....

I look for things I want to stare at all day. Or more specifically that I won't get bored staring at ALL DAY. Things that will make me happy while I'm cleaning, cooking, nurturing, changing diapers. Our home is so important to me. It's the backdrop for our life. I like having something pleasing to look at while I'm living it. And so much of that is tied to color for me.

I'm not really sure if this space is a reflection of us. Gosh, I think so, but we're not totally there yet. It's such a work in progress. Some of the spaces have already changed since I took those photos.

I'm trying to creative a cheerful, loving, modern, interesting, meaningful little haven. Hopefully, we are cheerful and loving too.

Thanks a million for the photos & the shared thoughts, Leslie.
You've created a lovely space. Don't be a stranger.

Ding Dong! Home Tour: Katy Dill

We love home tours at Bloom. Love them a whole lot. We were so excited that Katy was willing to open her doors to us and show us around her wonderfully colorful, whimsical home. Her home's every bit as magical and invigorating as her blog. You're going to love it!

I feel honored to be invited to Bloom today!

Welcome to our home!

We love having people in our home, so this is a fun way of inviting all of you to "come over". We've enjoyed making our house a home over the years, and have changed almost every single surface [walls, floors, fireplace, and counters] since living here.

Our front entryway had peach tile and a very boring brass light fixture.

I cut FLOR carpet squares to lay on top and found this green chandelier on sale from Urban Outfitters that Ryan installed.

Sorry, you have to pay to get a reading of your weight: my grandpa had a coin-operated arcade business years ago that left a garage full of such things as scales and giant Donald Duck rides that now reside with us. My dad gives each grandchild a miniature chair with their name carved on it.

Off to the right come into the kitchen. Last year the kitchen counter laminate really needed replacing, and as we were browsing the neutral options, Ryan finally said, "Katy, just get what you really want." So I went green! I painted the cupboard knobs with some nail polish--the perfect shade I found while visiting my parents in Korea.

People ask if I ever get sick of the countertops, but I can honestly say I have loved them every day since!

Into the living room: The girls did the paintings above the homework table and my sister, Ashley, did the painting on the right.

This is our photo wall that still captures my fascination from wedding photos to the present day.

Our master bedroom--we just had to put on our "winter quilt" we've had since we were first married. I told Ryan I didn't like the pattern anymore, so we flipped it over for a clean, white look. The painting on the right was done by my dad and the photo over the bed was taken almost 2 years ago by Ashley Thalman.

I got this barrel from Ryan's mom who got it from her dad--they used to get inside and roll around in when she was a little girl. Then it was used as storage. There are still dishes inside that we like to pull out every once in a while and rotate through, all I did was paint the metal lids and rims.

This is the art room. I got the letters from a craft store and painted them with a varying hues of orange.

Yes, Donald still works. Usually. If I could only find water storage containers in orange ;).

The azure sky room: I painted this a soothing blue and had chair moulding put up. I painted and glued the wooden dots that mimic the circles on the moulding. Ryan made the stars, but you can get yours here. Artwork done by my dad: "Dancing with Rosemary" and "Holiness to the Lord" plaque. The Van Gogh quote always hung in our home growing up and I asked if I could inherit it. I didn't have to wait, fortunately.

Our book nook where I love to discover Clover studying closely each page of a book. Both rugs were hand hooked by my mom.

The mantle. It used to be a peach colored faux-marble. Actually, it still is, we just had it covered with tiny green tile. And I love it. The giant hibiscus is metal and really heavy. That's probably the only heavy metal we have in our home ;). We bought it at Shrimpfest one year from a traveling artist.

I play the concert grand harp and will start my oldest on the lever harp next year. Our black and white Christmas tree that caused me to send Ryan to the store to get more lights....three times.

Thank you for coming over!