just bought....

a pair of these these savoy house  fairchild sconces at joss & main.
i have NO idea where they are going to go, but at $55 a piece, i couldn't resist.
they have some cute stuff today!

a day at thanksgiving point

summer is winding down, i am trying to cram as much fun as i can into next 2 weeks.

the kids and i have spent a LOT of time at the pool this year, but we have also been on quite a few little adventures--(we try to do something "big" each week.) 

earlier this week, we ventured to thanksgiving point...

for those of you who have never heard of thanksgiving point, it is a fun destination with a tons of things to do---it has a museum (one of the best in the state!), an imax theater, extensive gardens, a petting zoo, a golf course, an amphtheater, a great emporium, a cafe, ice cream parlor, several other restaurants, and more. there are summer camps available for kids, gourmet cooking classes,  floral arrangement  and gardening classes, numerous concerts, and during the holidays, they have a fantastic light display. 

it kinda has UH--LOT of stuff to do. 

it is located about 20 miles south of downtown slat lake city, and is almost 

impossible to miss from the freeway!

here are some pics from our visit:

 (aren't these gorgeous??)

 loved the potted boxwoods too...

 a peek at a corner of the HUGE gardens...

 LOVED these lanterns.

hmmm.

i should consider this a triumph....ONE of my THREE kids is actually looking at the camera and smiling. not a small feat. 

(PS--my oldest daughter is now OFFICIALLY the same height as me! if i weighed 50 pounds less, 

we could share clothes. i am sure she would be THRILLED about that! )

a look inside the emporium....this place has everything...home decor, an adorable toy and candy shop,

"made in utah" goodies, jewelry, clothing, bedding, bath products...

 loved this display!

after we strolled through the emporium, we stopped and got a bite to eat at the cafe:

we also MAY have ordered a few of these...

we had a great time! we will most likely go back later in the month before school starts...we wanted to see the museum, but it was SO crowded, so we are going to wait until a few other counties are back in school so that there will be fewer people. 

i hope you enjoyed the mini-tour!

before + after: e-design-casual, eclectic family room

as promised, here are some progress pictures of the family room that blogged about earlier in the week.

 as you can see, the room already had a lot going for it---it is spacious, gets a lot of light, has a fireplace centered on one of the walls with matching bookcases flanking it.

before:

a few things that were not changing:

1. the paint color--the walls had recently been painted, and the color was great.

2. the basic layout of the furniture.

3. the sofa, dresser and chairs were staying, as well as the great brass lamp.

 

a few things we wanted to address:

1. the room needed more seating.

2. the wall along the back of the room felt neglected and needed to be dressed up (and that that return air vent was an eyesore!)

3. the bookcases needed to become more of a design feature.

4. the window needed to be softened with some drapery.

5. the fireplace needed to have more interest, as well as the wall above the dresser.

6. the homeowner wanted to add some color

after:

(a BIG thank you to my client for taking these great photos and sending them to me!)

changes to note:
-added two large slip covered chairs for additional seating. the nesting tables in between them really round out the grouping.
-darker paint added to the back of the bookcases, new styling there as well
-bright pops of color in new pillows
-a new side table and lamp help connect the sofa to the chairs, which helps control the traffic flow around the other side of the room
-new styling over the mantle and the dresser

this wall is my favorite thing in the room!

 what used to be a blank wall is now a great space to showcase the homeowners collection of vintage art...and that return air vent was painted so it blends in with the wall! (sometimes it is those little TINY changes that can really make a tremendous impact!)

of course there are a few more pieces of the puzzle yet to be put in place--
some drapes made from an off-white and blue cheetah print will be hung soon, a small metal side table added in between  the woven chairs, and a pair of ottomans will be placed in front of the fireplace.

i am so pleased with how well the room looks, and i think my client did an amazing job of transforming this room by following the full design plan that i worked on for her.
a win-win situation for the both of us!
:)

**to see more photos of this space with a few more details finished, click here.

design plan: casual, eclectic family room

a look at the idea board for a design plan for a client that wanted a casual and eclectic space for her family to hang out in. she was in LOVE with celerie kemble's hot house flowers, and wanted to use it as inspiration for the color scheme. here is the plan i pulled together for her:

and, for the first time on my blog, here is a look at another page from the full room design---
(which includes a floor plan, extensive notes, wall decor/styling inspiration, selected wall elevations,
a one hour phone call and all information that you need to transform your room on your own!)

summer is coming to an end, and i will be taking clients for full room designs starting the beginning of september. 

later this week i will be posting before and after/progress pictures of this space! it looks so great, and i am really proud of the work my client has done so far!

interested in working together to create a more beautiful and functional space?

email me at autumnclemons@yahoo.com, and lets get started!

spark modern pillows

i am thrilled to welcome my newest sponsor, spark modern-- one of my favorite etsy shops for pillows.
lauren and amy create gorgeous pillows with the most beautiful high-end designer fabrics,
and always have a great selection to choose from. (very impressive, considering how quickly their pillows sell! not only that, but they will also do custom pillows from ANY fabric you want! just give them the name of the fabric!)

i often use spark modern pillows in my e-design and pinterst boards because i know they are well made, and i love the fact that each of their pillows are made to order. this allows each client to customize the pillows as needed.

they really have so many beautiful pillows that it was hard to select a few to highlight for you, but here are some of my favorites:

osborne and  little maharani pillow
(this pillow is available in several colorways, and they are all gorgeous!)



betwixt in stone/white
i find myself using this fabric a lot, and for good reason. the colors are beautiful and the small scale geometric print looks great EVERYWHERE. spark modern has great prices for these pillows, and currently offer several different sizes and 6 color ways of this fabric.


kelly wearstler's bengal bazaar pillow in grey/indigo. this fabric is a great balance between masculine and feminine. wouldn't this look perfect on a white slipcovered chair?
(lauren and amy also have this pillow available in other colors.)

oh boy. it is insane how much i adore this fabric. this colorway is particularly scrumptious.
schumacher's chenconceau in aloe.

it's not to late to perk up your porch or patio, and this trina turk sonriza pillow marine/pool would do the trick!

be sure to check out spark moderns etsy shop and check out all of their other great pillows!
happy shopping.

kids + summer: wizard for a day (3 activities to keep the kids from killing each other!)

well, hello! all you mommas out there.

are you having a great summer?

mine was pretty low-key until last week, when swimming lessons, diving lessons, band camp, tennis lessons, a family reunion, family in town, and a funeral for a much-loved guinea pig all coincided. it was busy week, but i am looking forward to a few relaxing weeks with my kiddos before they head back to school. 

as a mother of three, I appreciate ANY engaging and quality project that my kids and I can do together.

last summer, my family visited orlando, where we spent a day at islands of adventure, home to the wizarding world of harry potter. (or, as i like to call it, the w$zard$ng w$rld of h$rry p$tter)

 despite the heat, the long lines, and the crowds, it really was a magical place to be.

all three of my kids love harry potter, and i thought it would be fun to make a summer day filled with activities inspired by his world of magic. 

*this is a great day to plan when you know that the weather that is not conducive to the kids playing outside, as all activities can be done indoors!

activity #1:

wizard t-shirts.

get any plain t-shirt.  Black gives the best effect for the stenciling, but a lighter shirt works best for images.

for the "muggle" t-shirt:
simply print the page and lay wax paper on top of it. 

trace the words with an exacto knife. If you are careful, you can staple several sheets of wax paper together to create multiple stencils. (i did three at a time.)

 once you have completed your stencil, lightly iron on, wax side down onto your t-shirt. 

paint your t-shirt, and remove the wax paper.

another way to create a t-shirt is to print a picture onto "print and press" transfer paper.

trim the edges from your picture, and iron on.

you can download the "Harry P" font here, and customize your t-shirts, or you can click here for the "muggle", harry potter, severus snape or sorting hat picture pdf files seen above.

activity #2:

making butterbeer:

there are literally hundreds of recipes for butterbeer on the internet, but i tinkered around until i came up with one that is fast and easy, and doesnt' require any time at the stove, which is great because kids love to help make it!

Magically Easy Butterbeer Recipe:

Butterbeer:

2 liter cream soda

2 tablespoons Butter extract

2 teaspoons rum extract

*drop the extracts into the 2 liter bottle, put on cap and slowly rotate until combined.

Cream topping:

1 7oz container of marshmallow creme

1 cup whipping cream

1 teaspoon rum extract

*add all items together in an electric mixer and combine until smooth.

pour the butterbeer into a glass,  

drizzle with the cream topping,

and enjoy!

activity #3:

movie time.

get some popcorn, grab your butterbeer, and beat the heat (or rain) by watching one of the movies!

hope your summer is filled with magic and fun!

(*this is a post that i originally wrote when i was a contributor at design dazzle. 
i modified it slightly for the repost here.)