The New Blog Look

Good morning!

Wednesdays are usually all about home projects, but today is about my home here on the interwebs - the new blog look!  Here's a little story of how it all happened and who made it happen.

History of the Blog

The story of how Swoon came to be is kind of fun.  A number of years ago, Jamie was planning her wedding and I was helping out with the details, and we both realized how much we loved it.  At the time, I was working at a job (not my current one) that I didn't love and needed a creative outlet.  Jamie and I considered event planning and made pretty decent strides to that end.  We branded ourselves "Swoon Events" and started a company, started blogging, worked with a designer to create our logo and color scheme and even met with a PR consultant.  There came a point where we had to decide whether we did it as a hobby or a profession, and neither of us was willing to leap to the latter. We also realized, as we blogged about home stuff, that our passion was more with home projects and DIY than with weddings and events.  So we did a rebrand, and Swoon Style and Home was born.  We also redid our blog and went with the yellow and grey color scheme that was on the blog for so long.  We shared the blog for years - taking turns posting and sharing about our home projects and style/fashion loves.  

Time marches on and things change ... and Jamie found herself busier at work without the ability to blog.  So the two of us talked (um ... we talk a lot.  usually some wine is involved) and I asked if she minded if I took over the blog for awhile and redid it, of course leaving the door open for her to return at any time.  She was all for it.  I say all this so that you know that I didn't railroad my way to change up the blog.  Jamie was, and always will be, a huge part of what Swoon is. 

And as time marched on, and my life changed, a lot of my focus turned to running and triathlon.  Bill (kind of jokingly) suggested that I rename the blog "Swoon Style Home and Sweat" and I thought that was brilliant.  My posts were settling into a routine anyway - Monday workouts (sweat), Wednesdays projects (home) and Fridays what I wore (style).  I didn't want to change the URL but definitely loved the idea of adding the "sweat" to the name.  Thank you Bill! 

The New Design

So where to begin?  I knew I wanted a totally new look that really reflected me.  I started where I started in the past with blog design: the blog Snippet and Ink.  Snippet and Ink is a wedding blog, but she also creates gorgeous inspiration boards.  Those are mostly for wedding planning purposes, but Jamie and I used them a number of times in the past for our blog designs.  So that's where I started.  I went through all of the inspiration boards and went with the one that I liked the most.  This one:

Photo courtesy of Snippet & Ink

I loved the gold, the white, the cream and that blue.  I thought it was memorable, chic and yet still very simple.  It seemed very me.  Also, I would kill for that dress.  

I wanted a blog with a lot more white space.  Something easy to read.  And also something pretty to read.  I think the blog is just that!  I also wanted something that was easier for my readers.  I've gotten comments that the "comment" section was hard to find.  Now it's right at the bottom of the post, which definitely makes more sense.  The new nav bar at the top also makes sense.  I'll eventually update those buttons/pages.  

The Designer

I started with the designer who worked on past iterations of Swoon, but she is on maternity leave.  So I did some google searching and landed upon Stephanie at How Sweet Designs.  I loved the blogs that she designed, her ordering/designing process seemed very simple and streamlined, her prices were totally fair, and I thought she was a great fit.  And she was! I have to say - it was truly a pleasure and a breeze working with her.  And it took maybe 3-4 weeks from the second I placed the order until the site went live.  I highly recommend Stephanie if you're looking to redo (or even start up) a blog.  It helped that I had a clear direction, but she was able to understand my vision even when I couldn't articulate it all that well (e.g., "the font isn't swirly or swoopy enough ... can you change it?").  

So that's the story of the new blog! I hope you enjoy it. I sure am!  

We were featured! On Apartment Therapy! Pinch us.

I ... am still speechless.  Still!  Because I never, ever thought that we would be featured on the ultra-amazing blog, Apartment Therapy.  We are still in shock.  And so very thankful to AT for the mention. 

A few months ago, when I was on a blogging break, I happened to peek at our Google Analytics and could not believe the numbers.  We had grillions more visitors and page views than we ever had in the past.  And one of our top referring sites was Apartment Therapy.  I did a little digging and found out back in March, Apartment Therapy featured our DIY Pottery Barn knock-off drape shade with ribbon tie tutorial as an easy solution for renters.  We are thrilled and flattered. 

This was just the kick in the pants that I needed to get moving on a DIY valence for Big's room. I'm using the same technique as when I helped Heather make her son's valence, and I hung the curtain rod, so all that is left is grabbing the trusty seam tape, iron and getting to work!  

I am working on a house tour, and I will get that up as soon as I can.  I'm excited to show you around the place.

Have a happy hump day - just a few more days til the weekend!  i think i can i think i can i think i can ...

See you swoon,

More Blogs You Need to Read

Happy Monday!  You may notice that I haven't posted many house projects lately.  There's a reason for that: work has been absolutely gang-busters.  I've been working a lot more than normal, so my time and energy for projects around the home has been at a minimum.  I hope you understand!  Believe me: I am itching to get cracking on them.  

In the meantime, why not check out the blogs of some of my dearest friends? They are all terrific reads.  Check them out and let them know I sent you!

Tangerine and Turquoise

Tangerine & Turquoise

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My friend Jennie's blog, Tangerine and Turquoise, is among one of my favorite reads.  She is immensely talented - she takes stunning photography, tends to her garden (and her children!), and sews and crafts simply beautiful things.   I love her writing too.  One of my favorite things that Jennie has done is to take a picture a day for a year.  I know you will enjoy her blog.  Jennie says this about herself:  Jennie lives in the South where she takes care of people and things. Previously in her past life, she was an elementary school art teacher, a professional photographer, and a knitting instructor. She now mothers, works part time at the family business, cooks food, sews things, photographs, and tries to enjoy all the moments big and small in her life.  

Post Modern Childbirth

Next up: my friend Rachel's blog: PostModern Childbirth.  Rachel is a doula in Queens and Post Modern Childbirth is her company.  Rachel naturally birthed two babies at her home and is a champion of natural birth.  She's also one of the most grounded, truly kind people I have ever met.  If I were to ever have another baby (no), I would ask her to be my doula.  She's amazing, and I am honored to be her friend.  Her blog is all about her thoughts and musings on birthing and mothering.  

Madelyn Ridgeway: A Southern Flair

Finally, last but certainly not least, is my friend Madelyn Ridgeway's blog: A Southern Flair.  Madelyn is an event planner in Iowa and when I tell you she makes Martha Stewart look like a slacker with zero creativity, I mean it.  Madelyn continually awes me with her boundless energy and inspired ideas for making events look effortlessly pulled together and special, not to mention beautiful.  Her attention to detail is truly remarkable.  Madelyn is a Southern girl to the core and believes in the lost art of hospitality. You'll see this in her blog.  

And there you have it!  A trifecta of blogs for you to check out.  I hope your week shapes up to be fabulous.

See you swoon,

Shabby Apple. Live it. Learn it. Love it.

I came across Shabby Apple a few months ago through another blog and instantly fell in love with their designs...all of them.  I am currently swooning over 100 different things but have been showing an amazing amount of will power when it comes to keeping my credit card number out of the site, for now anyway!

Just so happens one day in November, DIY by Design had been hosting a Shabby Apple contest to win a dress.  I entered immediately and I know we all say this but I never win anything and guess what?  I WON!!!  WOOOOT!  Of course I need the perfect shoes now so stay tuned for that hunt but until then let's take a look at this new lovely that will reside in my closet.

Forbidden City Dress:

I am in love.  I can wear this out or even to work.  I am so happy that Judy at DIY by Design picked this for the winner.  Thank you!!

You must stop in and check out some of the other items Shabby Apple has to offer.  Until then I will show you some of my favorites so far.

Cayenne:

French Quarter:

Happy shopping and happy Friday to you all!  Hope you enjoy Shabby Apple as much as I do!

See you swoon,

 

More Etsy Love

Shopping online is one of my favorite things to do.  I have been very heavy on the style posts lately, partly due to the fact that house projects cost money and I am currently saving up to tackle a few things.  Since I can't dive right into every project I want without thinking about my budget, my other creative outlet is shopping and finding inspiration for my wardrobe and home online.  Although I feel like I have neglected my house for weeks now, it has been just as important for me to find inspiration through my favorite shops, Pinterest, and Polyvore and then bring it all to you.  You never know how one little picture can change your entire outlook or design style for a room or your wardrobe.  The best part?  INSPIRATION IS FREE (OK well most of the time).

Etsy is just as dangerous as Pinterest in my book.  They just suck you right in with all their pretty, pretty pictures and I love how these sites have places for you to save your favorite items and sellers.  Even more dangerous because you can keep a running list of everything you want to buy and come back to it later, so convenient!!  I know you will agree :)

Here are some of my favorite things on Etsy to date:

Armour Sans Anguish

I am totally in love with these vintage lace dresses.  I must have one...or three.

LunaCielo

Affordable, beautiful jewelry :)  What girl doesn't like that!?

And looky here!  She pops up everywhere!!  Here we have Jen sporting the beautiful wishbone necklace.

Lucymir: Lucy's Knitting Shop

Boot cuffs!  Genius!!

Freshline:  Shanna loves this one and has prints in her home from Freshline!

Love this cute idea for a family tree print:

Dahl

Complete and total head over heels love for this dress:

And just to leave you all with a little bit of love today....

Juliana W Jewelry

Hope you all enjoy!  What are some of your favorite things on Etsy?

See you swoon,

Etsy Feature:BrandonAddisArt

A couple weeks ago I posted about my staircase update with the Ikea Ribba frames I had purchased.  You can see that post here for a refresher.  I have been looking for different prints to put in the frames and of course went straight to Etsy.  There is such a wide variety of art and photos that I knew I would find exactly what I wanted if I just did a little searching.

I am always trying to find subtle ways to bring a beach feel to my home without being too "beachy".  I love using white paint, distressed wood, jute rugs and capiz shells in my decor.  For me, this is a way of bringing in beachy elements without going over the top.  With all of this being said, when I came across BrandonAddisArt on Etsy and saw his beach photos, I knew I had to have a couple for my picture wall.

Brandon Addis has a beautiful gallery of fine art photos that include urban an architectural shots, ocean and beach prints as well as typography (these are always fun!).  On top of everything he offers, and I can speak from experience, he was fantastic to work with.  Brandon was always so quick to respond to my questions and was even kind enough to send me a quick line when he knew his half off sale would be ending to make sure I could take advantage of that while it was still going on!  I was truly impressed and plan to buy prints from him in the future.  Thank you Brandon for your wonderful service and stunning work.

Here are the prints I bought in 10x10's:

Along the Dune

Just Over the Dune:

I know I said I was trying to bring "beachy" elements in without actually having the beach right in your face but how can you pass these pictures up?  They bring me back to my youth when I would go to the beach every year with my family and make me feel warm every time I see them.  I am so happy to have these hanging on my wall :)

Here is what they look like in my frames (FYI, there may be some glare, taking pictures of pictures is hard!)

I still need to find three more to fill the rest of the frames so I will be sure to keep you posted on what I come up with.

Have a great week everyone!

See you swoon,

Link Party at A Turtle's Life For Me!

Want to play along or check out some inspiring posts from other bloggers? Head on over to A Turtle's Life for Me and play along! It's Natalie's first blog party and I am excited to join in!

See you swoon,

A Few of My Favorite Blogs

Mmmm, anyone around this week? My hunch is no! Most people are spending time with family and friends, making merry, shopping and returning, going to the movies and enjoying the last few moments of 2011.  I'm right there with you!  So today, I'll keep this short and sweet and share a few of my favorite blogs.  If you're not already reading them, you should be!

6th Street Design School

I love Kirsten's blog over at 6th Street Design School.  She is an interior designer who blogs once or twice a day with beautiful posts filled with inspiration.  Sometimes she posts rooms she is working on for clients.  Sometimes she posts about rooms in her own home.   Often she will post Etsy roundups, which are so super cool.  And every Friday she does a Feature Friday where she features the home of someone else.  Her curtains in her living room are what inspired my own same curtains!  I saw the fabric and fell in love.

Life on Mars

Maury of Life on Mars has such a great blog!  She is one of our most frequent commenters here at Swoon, which we appreciate more than words can say. Her blog is filled with gorgeous decorating ideas, DIY projects and tons and tons of eye candy all infused with style and super hilarious humor.  I adore her blog!  

The Fat Hydrangea

I found Sara's blog, The Fat Hydrangea, when searching for ideas for my staircase: hers is ah-maz-ing.   Her home is so beautiful and a fixer-upper, so they have tons and tons of projects going on.  I love reading what she's up to ... and we seem to have a similar style with decorating, as she loves grey and white.  I cracked up when she posted her Christmas loot and most was for her home.  A girl after my own heart.  Check out her lovely blog!

The Foreign Domestic

And finally, I love love love Kirsten of The Foreign Domestic.  She's basically Superwoman -- she has a lovely home, takes amazingly beautiful photographs, posts drool-worthy recipes all the time and runs marathons!  That's plural ... marathonssssss.  She's an inspiration, and I truly enjoy reading what she has to say.  I know you will too!

And there you have it! A handful of blogs that I think you'll really enjoy.  What about you? What are some of your favorite blogs?  

See you swoon,

PS - need some more blogs to read?  We've already shared some of our faves back in the Summer during our mid-summer swoon week.  Here's a link to that post, which contains the URLs for Hi Sugarplum, The Glossarie, DIY By Design, Home Preferred and Richmond Thrifter.  Great blogs, one and all! 

Yippie! An award!

Ooh goodie!  My sweet bloggie friend Kirsten at The Foreign Domestic nominated us for an award! The Liebster Blog Award!

The award is designed to promote up and coming bloggers with less than 200 followers. Jamie and I are so thrilled and touched that you thought of us!  

The rules of the award are that you copy/paste the award to your blog linking back to the one who gave it to you. Then you pick 5 blogs to pass it along to and leave a comment telling them so.  Here are my five!

Noelle at Home Preferred

Sara at The Fat Hydrangea

Nicole at Busy Girl

Maury at Life on Mars

Anna at My Design Ethos

Take a peek at these blogs - I absolutely love all of them!  And thanks again Kirsten for thinking of us at Swoon :)

See you swoon,

Swoon-Worthy Site: Favorite Paint Colors

I'm always on the hunt for fun, useful new blogs to follow.  A few months ago, I stumbled across Favorite Paint Colors, which is absolutely perfect for a paint addict like me. 

Kristin has created the most organized (and pretty!) library of tons and tons of paint colors.  Each day, she posts a new color with a link to the source's blog, and she encourages submissions.  Each post gives the manufacturer and paint color name and whether it was adjusted (cut by 50%, 25%, etc.)  I was thrilled that she featured my den color, Sherwin Williams Mindful Gray, just the other day on her blog. 

Looking for the perfect white paint?  Kristin has the paints organized by color on her sidebar.  Looking for a paint that would look great in your bathroom? She also has paints organized room by room. Want ideas on exterior color combinations? She's got a tab for that too.  I warn you: you could spend hours clicking through this site!  I've also found a bunch of new blogs to follow through the submissions on her site.  Check her out if you are in need of paint color ideas (or if you're like me and just enjoy looking at them for fun)!  Happy painting!

So, who among us is addicted to painting like me? I know Jamie is ... though we both agree that the paint love starts to die down a bit after the second coat.  Let's share stories! 

See you swoon,

{Note: Favorite Paint Colors has not paid or otherwise comped me for this post today. I just love the blog and wanted to spread the word}

Pinterest Challenge anyone?

Katie over at Bower Power and Sherry at Young House Love are hosting a Fall Pinterest Challenge.  If you've done any projects inspired by something you pinned on Pinterest, hop on over and post!

I posted my recent lamp redo ... this guy:

Fun! See you swoon,

Mid-Summer Swoon {Day 5} Guest Blogger: Richmond Thrifter

Today is the fifth and final day of our Mid-Summer Swoon guest blogger series. We hope you have enjoyed it as much as we have enjoyed hosting it, and we really hope that you found five new blogs to read each day!

Rounding out the week is Erin from Richmond Thrifter.  I just love this site and I just love Erin!  Erin scours thrift stores in the Richmond area and manages to find amazing deals on things that have clearly seen better days.  She has an eye for style and can see past the flaws of a piece ... and with a little vision and a lot of elbow grease and patience, she transforms sad, sorry furniture into amazing, gorgeous, swoon-worthy items! She even has a little shop in Richmond where she sells her lovely finds.

So many of Erin's projects have made my jaw drop to the floor! Like this lamp base turned side table or this mid-century china cabinet transformation.  Head on over to Richmond Thrifter for a daily dose of inspiration! And now here's Erin!

A hideous Ikea dresser!  Not what you expected right!

Ikea- $35.00

Isn't it one of the most pitiful pieces of furniture you've ever seen!  Like, put in the Goodwill giveaway pile, pitiful! 

But look what you can transform these little $35 Ikea drawer chests into! 

http://www.curbly.com/chrisjob/posts/6762-ikea-hack-rast-dresser-makeover

http://designmanifest.blogspot.com/2011/05/another-rast-hack.html

http://www.samanthamuse.com/2011/ikea-rast-hacks-link-party/

I have to give mad props to the ladies who inspired me through the above makeovers!  I am so madly in love with these I want drop everything and run to Ikea immediately.  Don't they have childcare there too?  Cause there's nothing like leaving your child with a complete stranger at a furniture warehouse! I'm sure they are insured right ;) 

So that's what I'm swooning over lately, a boring, bland, unfinished set of drawers...with sooooo much potential!  Thanks for having me today!  I'm honored to be among such talented ladies this week!  And happy Friday everybody!

Mid-Summer Swoon {Day 4} Guest Blogger: Home Preferred

Up today in the fourth day of our fun Mid-Summer Swoon series is Noelle of Home Preferred.  I think Noelle and I connected online in a link party and I am so glad we did because she has become such a great bloggie-friend!  Noelle is the mom to five (yes, 5) children and wife to a husband who will move a dresser down a flight of stairs after 12 hours of work to make his decorating-savvy wife happy (love.that). She loves to blog about decorating, baking and entertaining ... and let me tell you, her parties look absolutely incredible (like this one and this one, oh and this one).  The party-planner-wannabe in me loves it when she posts her parties!

So without further ado, here is Noelle!

Today I am honored to be guest posting here at Swoon Style and Home! This blog has all the things I love.....wonderful home design advice and ideas, good food, and of course fashion. I love how beautifully Shanna and Jamie has put it all together on such a beautiful blog! Thank you so much girls for having me here today!!!

Well of course I too "swoon" over stylish homes, good food, and pretty fashions!! Today I will give you some "swoon" worthy style tips for your home, on a budget of course! I am a believer that we all can have a beautiful home, even on the tightest of budgets. I know because I am a mother of 5 kids, and having a pretty home was always important to me. Although the budget did not allow me to just go out and buy from the catalogs, furniture stores, etc. I learned to re-do, re-purpose, and imitate the things I would see on a very small budget.

Here are several tips to get you started or keep you going on your quest for a beautiful home......

• Fresh flowers- flowers bring life to a space! If you are lucky enough to have a garden and a green thumb, cut some flowers and bring into every room.. If not, the market has very inexpensive flowers in all kinds of varieties and colors. I used these in a vase for a spring party, they cost just under $10, and they set the tone for the table!

• Go Big-large scale accessories add drama to a space! Look for apothecary jars, large candle holders, even a stack of books can accessorize a table nicely. I found these chunky candle holders at a garage sale for $5, they were black, and I needed them to be antique white...solution, invest in a $3 can of spray paint and they were perfect, again under $10

• Pillows,pillows, pillows-I love how changing pillow covers can change the feel of an entire room. These are covered with Dwell Studio for Target.....dishtowels, yes dishtowels. They were 3 towels in a package for $9.99, I just broke out the sewing machine and some scrap fabric, and did some straight stitches for seams around the sides and bottoms. I just fold over the tops, you could velcro or button them too. Beautiful fabric covers, for under $10

• Add a little bling-I love some shine in any room! You can invest in a can of chrome spray paint and turn mundane items into sparkling accessories! I picked up this Conch shell at a garage sale for $3, and a couple of coats of chrome later, a statement in the room. I've seen these at discount retailers for $20. With the cost of the spray paint, about $3 with a coupon, my cost well under $10.

• Turn anything into art-I made these vinyl numbers in just a few minutes on my Cricut Machine, but you can buy vinyl numbers in the hardware store for just a couple of dollars each. 

I could go on and on, but I hope you have enjoyed these tips and I hope to you soon! Thanks again, Shanna and Jamie!

xoxo

Noelle