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fall house tour

    Fall is my favorite. Truly it is. So naturally, I like a cozy decorated-for-fall home. This year, I am just coming off of quieting the house and it felt really good. When putting accessories back in to each room, I was really selective and picky – nothing made it back that is not practical, pretty or meaningful.

    It was a mad dash to get the house photo-ready, but I made it (just barely!).

    jones-design-company-fall-house-tour

    I’m so pleased to be joining an insanely-talented group of bloggers on the Finding Fall Home Tour. You can start at the beginning here and I’ll link below to the next stop. If you are coming from Rhoda’s lovely tour, welcome!

    Finding-Fall-2014-Button-Corrected

    Today I’d love to show you the front of our house (the entry, half bath, my office and the dining room). Next week, we’ll continue the tour with the living room and kitchen (I’ll give you a few sneak peeks of those rooms today because I’m terrible at waiting). As you will see from the photos, I’m slightly addicted to neutrals and try to keep things interesting by adding a ton of texture. Pattern, sheen, metal, varying wood tones – all of these elements are the base of how I love to decorate.

    Shall we begin?! Welcome to our home …Continue Reading…fall house tour

    my new (easy!) approach to meal planning

      5-meals

      You know what time is not typically the high-point of my day?

      4 o’clock.

      The kids are home from school, my work day is over (at least until bedtime), and the next big thing on my task list is dinner. Ugh.

      It’s not the actual cooking that is problematic and not the eating or even the clean up. It’s the part where I have to figure out what to make that gets me every time.

      Except when I’ve taken the time to meal plan.Continue Reading…my new (easy!) approach to meal planning

      rolled MAGAZINE flowers + antler chalk art

        During my ‘quieting the house‘ rampage, I finally convinced myself to get rid of stacks and stacks of old magazines. Why was I holding on to them? I can not tell you. But from the comments on the IG photo, magazine-hoarding seems to be a common problem among perfectly normal women.

        All of those extra magazines got me thinking … what can all of us hoarders do with old publications that we’re truthfully never going to read again? We can make stuff. Cute rolled paper flowers, for example.

        rolled-flower-antler-chalkboard

        Add the rolled magazine flowers to a simple chalkboard project and you have an inexpensive and whimsical piece of art.Continue Reading…rolled MAGAZINE flowers + antler chalk art

        break the rules: six white pieces to wear this fall

          This is the outfit I wore yesterday:

          emily-wearing-white

          It’s still warm outside (in the low 70’s) and so I’m still dressing summery-ish with short sleeves and cropped jeans and flats. The white shirt I put on (a cute hand-me-down from my sister – originally from jcrew) got me thinking about how it was supposed to be the final day of wearing white until spring.  You know the old rule: no white after Labor Day. So I did a few seconds of research and discovered that it was a fashion tradition stemmed from class divisions in the early 1900’s (here’s a quick article from time magazine).

          Turns out, rules are meant to be broken (especially silly ones like this) and while white linen and gauzy silk may not be the best choices for cooler weather, wearing white during the fall and winter is not only okay, it’s also very stylish.Continue Reading…break the rules: six white pieces to wear this fall

          First of Fall

            Happy September 1st!

            I’ll be honest … I’m not as ready for fall as I usually am. This summer has been great and I’m still hanging on to the last threads. The kids go back to school in a few days and so I fully expect that by the end of the week I’ll be back to my normal autumn-loving self – lighting candles and pulling out my favorite fall sweaters and craving hot tea.

            Last year I painted this cute Autumn Essentials watercolor print and just looking at it reminds me how wonderful this next season is.

            autumn-essentials printable free-download

            Slippers. The sound of rain. Changing leaves. Tall boots. Cozy, warm colors and pumpkin pie.Continue Reading…First of Fall

            quieting the house

              I couldn’t take it any longer.

              There was just too much stuff cluttering up the visual space in our home. I’m in a weird spot in my emotional life – deeply craving light and calm, direction and needing a deep exhale – and it has translated into this crazy lady pulling off and packing up every accessory just to let the house (and me) breathe a little.

              plants

              My friend Myquellyn calls it Quieting The House.  By removing all of the stuff (the accessories, pillows, picture frames, cute things!) it reduces visual distractions, clutter and loudness that I just need gone right now. I’m an accessory lover, but sometimes it gets out of control and quieting the house becomes necessary to help figure out what I like, what is just there for the sake of being there, what works, what doesn’t and why I insist on putting so many pillows on the couch.

              So this past weekend, I shushed the house. Mostly just the living room and entry/hallways. The kitchen is next.Continue Reading…quieting the house

              how I edit iphone photos for instagram

                My iphone is like an extension of my arm – it’s by my side at nearly all times of day (and night). I love it for texting and checking the weather and asking siri important questions like ‘how many days until …?’ (asked by a certain second born who is slightly excited about his upcoming birthday) and watching cute youtube videos like this one and this.

                Most of all, I love it for the camera.

                Admittedly, an iphone does not take the same quality of photos as a real camera, but the fact that it is always with me, easy to use and quick to capture everyday moments works out just fine for me. It is fun to practice photography with my phone – looking for interesting angles or composition or finding the right light – and sharing those photos on instagram is a favorite, too.

                I almost always do some editing before posting to instagram (I like a slightly dreamy, washed out look) and thought I’d show you what that looks like.

                raw-and-edited-instagram

                We’ll use this photo taken yesterday of a piece of my mom’s blackberry pie (yum).

                Here it is straight from the camera:Continue Reading…how I edit iphone photos for instagram

                farmhouse inspiration

                  We’re finishing out our summer with a quick stay with my family at The Farmhouse.

                  farmhouse

                  Isn’t it beautiful?! The Jones side of the family has rented this restored 1800’s farmhouse for the past three years and it’s been such a perfect place for our families to be together.

                  (UPDATE: here is a link for details on The Farmhouse)

                  Being here reminds me of how much I love the look of a farmhouse. Just clicking through my pinterest boards confirms it. Here are a few of my favorties:Continue Reading…farmhouse inspiration

                  rwanda one month later

                    One month ago today, I was on my way to the beautiful country of Rwanda.

                    rwanda-collage

                    I miss it so much.

                    Since returning I’ve been asked many times, “how was your trip?” “what did you learn?” “how has it changed you?” “what was the best part?”.  I don’t know how to answer any of them except just to say I miss it.Continue Reading…rwanda one month later

                    what she wears (dressing Audrey)

                      Since the day she was born, I have loved dressing my girl. I like classic styles, easy and comfortable with a little bit of color and pattern thrown in for fun. It’s how I dress myself and what I gravitate to when shopping for Audrey.

                      My baby is now four, and sometimes she has an opinion on what she’d like to wear, but mostly not. I know. It won’t last long. So for now, I’m running with it.

                      dressing-audrey

                      Continue Reading…what she wears (dressing Audrey)

                      ice ice baby

                        There were only a few things I truly missed while in Rwanda and one of them was ICE.

                        ice-on-tray

                        It’s one of those quirky things about me – I am addicted to good ice. Soft enough to break, just the right amount of crunch, not too solid or too melty. Who knew you could be so particular about ice.

                        My love of ice started at a young age, but came to it’s peak when I was pregnant. While my friends craved hamburgers or steak or sour patch kids, I would go through the Starbucks drive thru just to order a cup of ice. It was like dessert. Some call that an indication of iron-deficiency (which I also had), but there was nothing so satisfying as a cup of frozen water.Continue Reading…ice ice baby

                        twirling in Africa

                          My best friend prayed for me before I left for Rwanda. She prayed that as I rode on the rollercoaster that the trip would be, I would always hold fast to God’s promise that he loves all of His children and wants to do His… Continue Reading…twirling in Africa