Have a Beautiful Weekend!

Happy Friday everyone. With temps here in the 80's, it feels like summertime! I'm going to take my son to Laguna Beach today to play on the beach and get ice cream. Although I love the warm weather, I'm craving rain and some cloudy days...hopefully we'll get some real winter weather soon! I thought this snapshot of simple flower arrangements was so pretty and fresh. Such an easy and classy way to display flowers around your home. For those of you enduirng crazy winter storms, hopefully this brings you a little sunshine :)

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Hello 2014!

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I hope you all had a beautiful New Years Eve filled with fun, good company and lots of champagne! We had a great time ringing in the new year and look forward to a day of relaxation today. 2013 was a great year and I am truly grateful for all of the blessings God has given me - I give all the glory to Him! I'm looking forward to jumping into a brand new year and can't wait to see what exciting things are in store for me and my family over the next 12 months. What are you looking forward to most in 2014? Cheers to you and here's to wishing you a shiny new year filled with lots of love, happiness and good health. xoxo!

'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,

On to the Next...

Happy Friday! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had dinner at my in-laws and I ate way too much but it was sooo worth it! Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, are you ready to jump into the Christmas season madness? Any of you braving the crazy black Friday sales today? I love this time of year and look forward to everything that comes along with it :) Cheers to you and have a lovely weekend.

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'Five Things' Friday - Bits of My Summer

This summer has just zipped on by and I'm having a hard time believing September is just around the corner! I'm not ready for fall yet...I still need to sneak in a few more days at the beach and by the pool (I'm way behind on my tan ;). Here's a little peek at how I've been spending my summer days. What have you been up to the last couple months? Are you ready for the Fall season?

One. Days at the beach with my sweet son Luke. This was taken in Laguna last weekend - it was the perfect morning!

Two. I managed to escape a few times to lay out by the pool - ALONE - where I caught up on all of my magazines and just relaxed (it's the little things that we busy moms miss the most, right?!).

Three. I enjoyed a few lemon drop martinis with friends on the beach at sunset...a rarity these days now that I'm busy running after a 15 month old all day!

Four. Summer evenings out with my husband. We try and carve out time together as a couple as often as possible!

Five. I was in charge of creating flower arrangements for a couple bridal showers this summer, which I always enjoy doing. These roses were for my sister-in-laws bridal shower - I arranged various shades of pink roses in square vases - my "go-to" arrangement for centerpieces!

Have a great weekend and don't forget to enter the exciting giveaway I'm hosting...details here.

Happy Friday. I'm heading off to San Diego today, but wish it were for something fun...sadly, I'll be attending a memorial service for my very best friend's husband, who passed away unexpectedly 2 weeks ago. My blog posts have been a little sparse, as I'm sure you understand.

The image below makes me smile and has such a sweet innocence about it, don't you think? I'd love to be swinging above the ocean with my husband today! Wishing you all a wonderful weekend and just a little reminder to squeeze your loved ones just a little tighter, make sure to tell them you love them and thank God for all of the awesome blessings in your life. It's crazy to think of how just one moment can change everything. Lots of love to you all - xoxo

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'Five Things' Friday

Hello and happy Friday. Today's edition of 'Five Things' Friday is all about the latest in my crazy life, along with and exciting announcement! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to meeting you back here next week.

One. A snapshot of a new scheme I'm working on for a project in Visalia, CA. Going for a modern eclectic look...stay tuned for how it turns out! [Image via Instagram: follow me!@juliethigpen]

 

Two. I just love my little man, Luke! He's now 14 months old (what????) and we have so much fun together. Everyday I thank God for blessing me with such an incredible little person to hug and kiss and love on for the rest of my life.  [Image via Instagram]

Three. I was so honored to be the judge of the recent Olioboard Zatista Picture Perfect Design Contest! I chose the winner on Monday and let me tell you, it wasn't easy! The entrants had to incorporate at least one piece of art (from Zatista) into their design, and I settled on this one designed by Cheryl Elizabeth, because I could really see how much thought and effort went into this space. The art was the inspiration and the room was built around it. Go here to see the other inspiring boards...

Four. Lori Dennis and Kelli Ellis are hosting their next Design Camp right here in my neck of the woods, Orange County, CA! They have an amazing line-up of speakers, including Nathan Turner, Katheryn M. Ireland, Paloma Contreras of La Dolce Vita, among many more...including myself! Yikes - this will be the biggest speaking event I've ever done and I'm a little nervous but very excited! I'll be giving away a ticket to one lucky winner soon here on belle maison, so stay tuned for details. I'd love to see you all there! It would be awesome to meet and mingle with many of my blogger readers and friends.

Five. Hello gorgeous kitchen! You are my dream! The white cabinets, open shelving, beautiful back spalsh...I love it all and I'm pretty sure you do too ;) [Image via Pinterest]

Happy Weekend!

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July! We enjoyed spending time with family and friends - it was a very relaxing day. I'm taking today off to enjoy with my husband and son - I think we may head to the pool for some R & R. Wishing you all a lovely weekend!

I'm having Internet issues and can't load pictures right now, so my apologies for the boring post! 

P.S. Only 3 days left to enter the Olioboard + Zatista Picture Perfect Contest (details here & here). I've been chosen to be the judge for this EXCITING contest and look forward to selecting a winner! There are so many incredible boards up already, it's going to be so hard to choose!

'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!

'Five Things' Friday

So glad the weekend is here, how about you? It's been a few weeks since I've posted my own Five Things so here's an overview of what's been happening in my life lately. May is a SUPER busy month for us - several exciting things to celebrate. Enjoy and have a beautiful weekend!

One. Luke turned one on May 2nd! We had a huge party for him and as you can see, he had no problem getting down and dirty with his smash cake. For his outfit, I sewed a kids tie onto a onesie and then ironed on a #1 patch. It was super easy and turned out pretty cute.

 Two. I love this photo my husband captured of me and my son on Mother's Day.

Three. A visit to a local fabric warehouse this week had my head spinning with creative ideas. I just can't get enough of the color coral...now where can I incorporate it into my apartment?!

Four. My husband Ryan and I celebrated our 6 year Anniversary on May 19th. We've been together a total of 11 years! He is the love of my life and I am so blessed to have him as my husband, best friend and father to my son.

 Five. A sneak peek of a project I recently finished for a client. I'll be sharing the before & afters soon!

 xoxo,

Happy Weekend!

I'm skipping my usual 'Five Things' Friday post today for lack of time, but wanted to share this amazing bouquet of flowers with all of you mom's out there. Mother's Day is on Sunday and it will be my second one celebrating. Last year at this time my son was barely 2 weeks old - my, how time has flown. Being a mother has been such a blessing and I feel privileged that God has given me such an incredible little boy to love and care for every day of my life! Motherhood is definitely a challenge and probably the hardest job in the world, but it's worth every single moment. To all of you moms out there, enjoy your special day - you deserve it!!! xoxo - Julie

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'Five Things' Friday

Well, here we are, another week gone by. Today's 'Five Things' Friday is all about what's been inspiring me lately and happening in my life. If you have anything you'd love to share about your own life / inspiration, please feel free to leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.

 

One. Lifestyle blogger Meg Biram, whom I adore, has joined forces with the lovely Victoria McGinley from VMac + Cheese, to launch The B Bar - Cocktails and Cure-alls for Blogs and Businesses. Whether you're a small business, new blogger, or veteran blogger, these ladies (who are experts in these areas) have created a menu of cocktails (aka e-books) to inspire you, guide you and help you make your blog the best it can be. I see a few "cocktails" I'd like to purchase and can't wait to try them out! Bonus: Visit Meg's blog for 22 awesome tips for bloggers, from some of the top bloggers out there! [IMAGE SOURCE: MEGBIRAM.COM]

 Two. One of the best DIY furniture makeovers I've seen in a while! See how Brittany of the blog, Brittany Makes, completely transformed a sad dresser found on Craigslist. Details here. [IMAGE SOURCE: BRITTANY MAKES]

Three. I made these New York-Style Coffee Cake Crumb Muffins for brunch on Easter Sunday and they were a total hit! I found the recipe while perusing Pinterest (I'm totally addicted), and traced it back to the blog Table for Two. Julie shared this incredible recipe with her readers and I followed it exactly, especially the part about using cake flour instead of regular flour, and it turned out super moist and mouth watering! It was pretty easy and I had just about all of the ingredients in my pantry and fridge. I urge you to try it ASAP - I promise you wont be disappointed :) [IMAGE SOURCE: TABLE FOR TWO]

Four. My little pumpkin is turning ONE next month! How has a whole year gone by??? Everyone warned me from day one, "enjoy this special time, it goes by so fast." Man, were they right. I just sent out the invitations for Luke's party and am having so much fun planning the details. Once again, Pinterest has been my go-to source for party food and decor inspiration! Any advice for the first bday party from those of you who've been there? [IMAGE CREDIT: LIFE WITH THE RUDYS]

 Five. My heart. Need I say more?! Have an amazing weekend!

xoxo,

Celebrating Five Years!

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Wow...It's hard to believe that I began this little blog 5 years ago! I was in a very different place back then, working as a project manger at a busy design firm that was eventually brought down by the sinking economy. After being laid off, I took a leap of faith and started my own interior design business. During those uncertain times, Belle Maison was what truly kept me focused on my passion and motivated me to keep pushing forward. Over the course of 5 years I have developed some wonderful friendships with fellow bloggers and readers, networked and collaborated with some incredible brands, had the opportunity to travel to several different states on behalf of my blog, and have had the chance to connect with my fabulous and loyal readers. Your comments, emails and encouragement through the years means more to me than you'll ever know. I truly hope that I've inspired you in one way or another, whether it's been to make your home more beautiful, to take a chance and paint your bedroom wall bright teal or to start your very own blog. God continues to bless me in life, even through the rough patches (and there have been many over the last couple years). I can honestly sit here today and say that I'm filled with so much joy. I have so many things in life to be thankful for, like my adorable son Luke and my husband Ryan. Let me tell you, there have been a million nights where my husband has waited patiently to watch a show or movie with me, while I work away on the next day's blog post. Although he may not always understand why I put so much effort into Belle Maison, he knows it's so very special to me, which is why he just lets me continue doing my thing, year after year, and I love him for that.

And as I'm sure you've noticed, I gave this little blog a (much needed!) overhaul. I worked with Elizabeth from TMC Designs and am very happy with the way it turned out! I figured 5 years deserved a face lift :)  Just having a fresh layout has given me new motivation and excitement to make 2013 the best year yet on Belle Maison! I look forward to recruiting a team of talented contributors to bring you more inspiration, along with continuing on this journey sharing the things that catch my eye and keep my passion for design burning bright! Thank you for following along and I hope you'll continue on this journey with me for the next 5 years.

*** 5 Years of Memories...Events, Projects, Favorite Interiors and Family ***

Much love and gratitude,