Baby Jacob Has Arrived!

Well, he arrive on August 11th so this post is just a little overdue! Jacob Gregory Thigpen was born 10 days early and weighed 9 lbs 6 oz. / 21" long. I decided to go for a VBAC  which was a success! Although delivering a 9.6 pound baby was no easy feat and I've never worked harder in my life (pushed for 2 hours!). I'm sharing this mainly for any of you mommies-to-be who are considering a VBAC and are unsure about it - it was an incredible experience and I'm so glad I decided to go for it!

Being a mother of two now has my world turned upside down! Luke, my 2 1/2 year old, loves his new baby brother but has his moments of jealousy and confusion. We've had to stay very patient with him and make sure to give lots of love and extra attention.  Baby Jake is so precious and I am in LOVE! Here are some photos taken over the last month. Hopefully I'll find time to start blogging again one of these days. Until then, I'm enjoying my maternity leave and doing nothing but being a mommy and wife :)

xoxo,

Baby Bump Update / Checking In...

Wow - it's been waaay too long since I've checked in on the blog! I miss connecting with all of my fabulous readers and needed to pop in and say hello. A lot has happened this summer - we moved into a town home (a nice step-up from our one bedroom apartment), are preparing for the arrival of our 2nd son and work has been busier than ever!

I have one week to go before I'm officially on maternity leave and I'm really looking forward to the time off to finish "nesting." I don't know about any of you fellow mommies out there, but I've been a crazy organizing / cleaning / decorating machine the last 2 months! At times my husband thinks I've lost my mind but then I remind him that I'm nesting and it's something that's beyond my control!

Baby is due to arrive in just 2 1/2 weeks...here are some pics from the maternity shoot my cousin did for me at 36 weeks. I've enjoyed this pregnancy as it's been really easy - but man am READY to get this baby out and back to normal! I'll keep you posted on baby's arrival and hope to squeeze in some blog posts during my time off. Take care and have a fab week! xoxo

 Images by Kelly Ciciero Photography

Some Exciting News...

Hello my dear readers! I miss you and am sad that I don't have the time like I used to to post here on Belle Maison. But I'm checking in when I can and hope to get more posts up and running in the near future. What would you like to see more of or learn more about? I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas!

Now, on to the big news...I'm going to be a mommy again! I'm 14 weeks along and due on August 21st. It's very exciting and a little scary that I'll be the mother of 2 by the end of summer, but I'm up for the challenge :) My son Luke is 21 months now and will be 28 months when the baby is born.  I've been battling the first trimester exhaustion but am finally coming out of it (barely).  I haven't been sick at all, which is a blessing! Are any of you expecting too? Or do any of you have 2 small children and any advice?! I'll need all I can get.  Here's a picture of baby Thigpen from my 9 week ultrasound. Babies are such a miracle and blessing from God and I pray that he takes great care of this little bundle as it continues to grow and develop over the next several months. Thank you for letting me share my special news with you!

       

 

'Five Things' Friday

It's been a long while since I've posted my 'Five Things' Friday series! And I haven't been blogging as much as usual, mostly because life is hectic and I just don't have the time like I used to. I've been working for a firm designing model homes, which I absolutely love, and below are a few Instagram snaps of a recent project. Enjoy and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

One. A glimpse of a dining room I just finished. I wallpapered the ceiling with a green grasscloth and did a beautiful textured stacked stone wall inside the built-in. More photos to come soon!

Two. A nursery for twins (for a model home). The baby on the left is my son from when he was one week old :) The wallpaper totally made this space!

Three. A peek of a master suite I designed for the same model home. Lots of texture and warmth going on here. More pics to come soon!

Four. My son Luke, 19 mos., showing a fake reindeer his coloring book page of Rudolph. It was too precious!

Five. Going for a ride on our horse and monkey. We have so much fun together!

xo,

'Five Things' Friday

Getting a late start on this week's edition of 'Five Things' Friday! It's been one of those wild weeks, where I've barely had a moment to sit down and catch up on anything. Between running my own projects, doing contract work for a model home design firm, caring for my son and everything in between, it's been a very busy start to summer! This morning when I was getting dressed, I realized I only shaved one leg...this tells you what state my brain is in lately! Needless to say, I'm looking forward to a nice (HOT) weekend relaxing with my son and husband. What about you? What do you have planned this weekend?

One. Last Saturday morning, I took my son for a spontaneous little trip down to Laguna Beach, which is just a quick drive from my house. He and I had the best time walking the boardwalk, playing on the swings and watching beach volleyball. This snapshot captures what a gorgeous day it was!

Two. It's going to be such a fun summer with Luke! Now 14 months, he's at such a great age of exploration and discovery. I took this picture of him last weekend at Laguna Beach at the playground on the boardwalk. He enjoyed the sand, but did attempt to eat it several times!

Three. A winebox garden - how cute is this?! I spotted this on the blog LLH Designs and fell in love. What a clever little idea, right?! Go here for step-by-step DIY instructions.

Four. A must-try refreshing summer drink: Raspberry Peach Lemonade via Damn Delicious.

Five. Another great feature in the July/August issue of HGTV magazine: Emily Hart of the blog Recently, shared some fabulous DIY tips, including the faux gold leaf lamp base (above). You must check out her blog, it's awesome!

Instagram Goodness

I'm putting my 'Five Things' Friday series on hold til next week because I literally have 5 minutes to do a blog post today. Tons of work + chasing after my busy 9 month old = craziness! Ever have days like this? Anyway, I recently joined Instagram and would love to invite you to follow me! It's a fun way to take a peek into projects I'm working on, things that inspire me and bits of my personal life. You can find me under the name JulieThigpen. If you have an Instagram profile that you'd like to invite everyone to follow, please feel free to leave comment with your profile name. Have a happy weekend and I'll meet you back here on Monday! xoxo - Julie

[Commercial project in progress - just finished an accent wall in the lobby]

[My home office re-do]

[Picking out frames with my assistant Luke]

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'Five Things' Friday

Today I'm launching a new series called "Five Things Friday". I decided it would be fun and maybe even therapeutic to close out each week by writing about 5 things that are on my mind, happening in my life or whatever! Random design inspiration, goals, personal trials, favorite thing of the moment...anything goes. And I may even invite some of you to share your "Five Things" right here on Belle Maison, which would be a lot of fun to read! Anyway, enjoy and please feel free to share a thing or two (or 5) that's on your mind today. Have an amazing weekend! xoxo - Julie

1. My husband and I are dropping the baby off at Grammie's house for the weekend so we can get away! We're heading up to the mountains to attend a Couples Retreat though our church, which will be focusing on the topic of "communication" in your marriage and how to become better at it (which we can definitely use, especially lately!). I'm really looking forward to spending some quality alone time with my hubby - a rarity since we had our son nearly 9 months ago. I'll keep you posted on how it goes :) [IMAGE SOURCE]

2. I pinned this house a few weeks back and am obsessed with it! I want to live here and sit on the front porch in the evenings with a glass of wine and chat with the neighbors while our kids play on the front lawn. A girl can dream, right?!

3. This kitchen is a dream! The fresh white cabinets and countertops with pops of yellow make me so happy. Wouldn't you love to spend tons of time in this space with your family and friends? It also makes me want a lemon drop martini...

4. Alt Summit 2012 NYC - I really want to go to this! They have one going on right now in Salt Lake City and it sounds like a blast. What is it, you ask? Instead of summing it up myself, I took this directly from their website: "The founders of Alt Summit come from a blogging family. Understanding that bloggers needed the connections a live event would offer, an idea was hatched. A live event to discuss what is new, what is working, what is not and what is next...Alt has grown to be the premier business conference for pioneering bloggers and rookie bloggers alike. Alt is open to all. Attendees tend to have a shared interest in innovation within the space. There is a generosity at Alt. There is room for everyone." They have an incredible line-up of guest speakers, cocktail parties, dinners, panels, etc. and it would be a great way to connect with fellow bloggers face to face! Have any of you ever been? Do any of you fellow bloggers plan on attending the next one in June? I have no idea what it costs but I'm sure the whole trip would cost me a pretty penny...I better start saving up!

5. This sums up how excited I was to hear the good news about my husband's new job! He's been out of work for 2 years, freelancing here and there, but nothing steady. He starts on Monday and I'm thrilled beyond words for him and for us. I'm also excited to have my home office all to myself! We live in a one bedroom apartment and my office is in the dining area (we have an open floor plan). We've literally been in the same space for 2 years together...every. single. day. You know what I'm sayin? It's been tough! I'm also looking forward to stressing a little less over money and how we're going to cover our bills every month. God is good and has totally hooked us up. I'm looking forward to being excited about our future again ;) [IMAGE SOURCE]

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Adventures at Design Camp

I recently headed out to Austin Texas to attend Design Camp, hosted by celebrity interior designers Lori Dennis and Kelli Ellis. These ladies did such a fabulous job, were super down-to-earth and kept us laughing and entertained the entire time! The 2-day event was jam packed with tons of design info, fun cocktail parties, networking and attendees from all over the country. I had such a great time and made a handful of new friends - everyone was so open and friendly! I loved Austin, but didn't get to see a whole lot of it since most of my time was spent at the conference. I did squeeze in a couple of fantastic dinners, but definitely need to go back to really see the city! Here are some highlights from my trip, including valuable tips and information that I plan on incorporating into my business and blog! Here we go...

Posing with my two new friends, hosts Lori Dennis and Kelli Ellis

With Lori Dennis, fellow design blogger Ashley White of Decorology, and Kelli Ellis

Camp Highlight: Hearing guest speaker Susanna Salk talk about how to get published! Susanna shared some very valuable tips on getting your work out there: 

• Submit your project snapshots to major blogs - bloggers are always looking for fresh content to share with readers! And you never know who's watching.
• If you don't have very many projects to have photographed yet, style a photo shoot in your own home; you can always focus on styled vignettes with accessories / details if you don't have a whole room to photograph.
• Don't be afraid to put yourself out there and share what you've done - take advantage of social media platforms! There has never been a better and easier time to promote yourself as a designer. Editors and bloggers are always on the lookout for fresh faces and new projects to feature.

Camp Highlight: Hearing Ronda Carman, editor of the amazing blog All the Best. Ronda spoke about building your brand and writing a successful blog. Takeaway tips:

• What is a brand? It's collectively what people say, feel, think...about a product, service or company. It isn't what YOU say it is. It's what THEY say it is. 
• Be clear on who you are and what your point of view is - it's all about the whole package! 
• Be different than what's out there - you want to stand out and be original!
• Focus, focus, focus! Avoid being all over the place with your blog and /or business. Be disciplined and innovative on what it is that you're trying to accomplish.
• Collaborate with like-minded people to help build your brand and business - two heads are always better than one! Especially if you work for yourself and are often alone. 
• Stay connected with social media and be sure that you're actively participating in the conversation about your brand, other brands, etc.

 

I finally got to meet Keri Peterson of KP Spaces - she won the giveaway I hosted for Design Camp a few months back! We instantly clicked and I look forward to keeping in touch with this talented, sweet and fun lady! Check out her blog here.

A snapshot with the amazing new friends I made and hope to stay in touch with!

I couldn't come to Texas and not visit a boot store! This one was filled with the most beautiful boots in every color and style imaginable. I was so tempted to splurge on a pair but will have to save that for my next trip to Texas :)

There were many more highlights of my experience at Design Camp and I plan on sharing more in future blog posts. For more info and to see if there will be a camp hosted near you, click here. I'll be guest speaking about blogging when camp heads to Orange County, CA next year!

Baby's First Halloween

Happy Halloween! Today is Luke's first, which is so exciting for me and my husband. We're heading over to the pumpkin patch to take some pictures of him this afternoon and then on to a block party at my Aunt's house where Luke will be dressed as a tiny Pirate :) How cute is his costume?! I found it at Babie's R Us, but I really need to learn how to use my sewing machine so I can whip up his costumes in the coming years, just like my mom would do for me and my siblings. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the day and have something fun planned! Are you dressing up? What will you and/or your kids be? And if you're one of the millions affected by the devastating hurricane, my thoughts and prayers are with you. Be safe!

[Pirate Luke at 6 months old]

[Me and Luke - I just had to buy him overalls for our night at the pumpkin patch!]

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New Issue of Adore Home + My Blog Loving Feature!

There are so many fabulous online reads these days, one of them being Adore Home, who happens to be celebrating their 2 year anniversary in the new October/November 2012 issue. I'm so honored to be a part of their blog loving feature in this month's issue! They reached out to several bloggers and asked us to share the items we are loving right now. It was hard to narrow down my top picks to just a handful, but I manged to pick some very special items that I hope you'll enjoy. And be sure to flip through the magazine cover to cover - it's packed with beautiful images, trend reports, interviews, home tours and more. LOVE! 

 {Adore Home October/November 2012}

 {Check out my blog loving feature on page 64, where I share some of my current favorite online finds. Be sure to view the entire page to see the full spread, along with several other fabulous bloggers' top picks!}

 {Classic Beauty - a gorgeous home designed by Emily Ruddo, page 116}

 

 {Interview with artist Christy Gammil, page 92 - I love her work!}

{ Seaside Simplicity home tour, starting on page 129}

{The Chic Lisbon gorgeous home our on page 102}

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Changes Ahead...

I don't share too much about my personal life here on belle maison, primarily because I don't want my blog to be a place where I unload my problems...but today I need to share a few things that are going on in my life. Maybe some of you have had similar experiences and can relate. (You may want to grab a cup of coffee or tea for this post...it's a long one!).

As many of you may know, I had a baby back in May - a sweet little boy named Luke that I'm absolutely in love with. When it was just me and my husband, I had all the time in the world to blog, run my online store and work with design clients. But with a baby in my life now, things have shifted and I've had to make some major changes to accommodate my "new" lifestyle. Working from home and caring for my son full-time (aside from either of the grandmas babysitting once a week), has turned my world upside down, to say the least...not in a bad way, just in a different way. Any sort of routine I had before has gone out the window which has been a struggle for me to accept - especially with me being all "Type A" personality! I have a hard time letting go of control and a hard time asking for help - a combination that has left me in over my head more often than not. But with a baby, you're kind of left with no choice than to let go of some control, unless you're superwoman, which I've learned I am NOT.

One reason I waited 5 years into my marriage to have a baby was fear of the very thing I'm talking about - having the life, marriage and career that I worked so hard on, change. The thing I didn't realize, and couldn't have known until I experienced it first hand, was that it would bring change but in a wonderful way. My priorities have shifted and what once might have been super important to me has taken a back seat or become less significant. Luke is my number one priority now and being the best mommy I can be is what really matters.

  

Now, I'm not saying you can't have children and a career - women do that every day! I'm just saying for me personally, I've had to re-prioritize and shift things around so that I can still do what I love (interior design & blogging) and raise a family without sacrificing my sanity.  All that being said, it's with a tinge of sadness but also some relief that I've decided to close my online shop, Modern Chic Home. When I launched the shop nearly 3 years ago, I had a different agenda and was able to stock, pack and ship out super unique and fabulous items (all on my own, BTW - no assistants, no employees). Eventually I transitioned into carrying vendors with products that could be "drop-shipped" directly to the customer so I wouldn't have to spend several days a week packing orders in a warehouse (which allowed me to continue working with clients and keep up the blog). Things started to slow down early this year and with all of the competition out there (especially with big names like Amazon and Overstock), it's really hard to compete and stay relevant. I've gone back and forth about this, prayed about it and discussed it over and over with my husband.

In the end, it's time to let the store go...for now at least. I have strong faith in God and feel in my heart He has other plans for me and my family. I'm still going to be working as an interior designer and most importantly, I'll still be blogging :) I actually have plans to re-vamp the blog (can anyone refer me to an amazing person to re-design my current layout?), in addition to bringing you better content and inviting more guest contributors - I want to continue connecting with my fabulous readers by sharing my passion for as long as I am able!

Sorry for the super long post - for those of you who are still reading, thank you! I sincerely appreciate your support and kind words, always. You're the reason I continue doing what I do! Next week I'll be announcing the official date Modern Chic Home will be closing (if you have a current order with me, no need to worry  it will ship out as planned). Have any advice or experiences to share? I'd love to hear any and all thoughts on this! Thank you and have a fantastic weekend. xoxo - Julie

The little love of my life :)

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