Monday Morning Happy

Morning Friends! I hope you all had a great weekend! Lately I have been a bit off on my blogging schedule  because I have been SO busy with design clients, a wonderful excuse to have been MIA but still I miss this creative outlet. In the next few weeks I will be catching you up on all of my projects and my latest travels to the west coast!

Over the weekend Mr. Vog and I took a ride up to the Northshore to have dinner on the water in Salem. It was the most perfect night, one of those you can only daydream about in the middle of winter. We sat out on a beautiful deck and as we were eating delicious seafood and sipping wine I looked up to see these stunning clouds passing over. The moment was captured and put up on Instagram...where it seems all my photos are land lately. Pop on over to see where I have been and follow me there!

Have a great week and please check back for another post real soon! Thanks

(image from Jace Interiors)

Monday Morning Happy

Happy Monday after Thanksgiving! Have you all recovered from family time and an abundance of delicious food? I for one am off to a slow start, especially distracted by all these Cyber Monday emails! Oh my, the money I could spend!!

Thanksgiving this year was spent in Maryland with my husbands family. Their house backs up to a farm which is fascinating to this urban girl! There is so much land to wander and clear your head with a good walk! On Thanksgiving morning I woke up early and as I was starting my tea I looked out the kitchen window to see this amazing sunrise through the trees. The Social Media Girl I am grabbed the iPad to document it and as I went to take the picture I see the wooden "FAMILY" sign right there on the window sill. How appropriate!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

(image from Jace Interiors, please do not use without approval)

Monday Morning Happy - Gratitude

Morning Friends! Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday of the year, with the focus on family, gratitude and a dinner table full of yummy food it is so much more enjoyable than others! Isn't it nice not to have to run around looking for a the perfect present like we do birthdays and other holidays? This week I am pausing from my chaotic design schedule to be grateful for all the friends I have met through Social Media and the wonderful events I have attended this year! When you have a small company it is these events that provide inspiration and even more importantly time to catch up creative friends!

First up was a great event between Circle Furniture and Social Interiors! Rachel Reider, Kristen Rivoli and Greg Premru have always been such wonderful supporters of the Boston Design Community!

These 3 ladies are not only amazing creatives but also the most genuine you will find in the business. The Brimfield Tent was a great excuse for us to catch up and show off our flea market finds! Raina, Elizabeth, Me and Michelle.


 
The LOOK event at the Boston Design Center was a day full of inspiration, learning new techniques and networking.With our hectic schedules it is a challenge to coordinate a morning with 2 of my favorite ladies, but this day gave us the perfect excuse to catch up. Stacey Kunstel and Gretchen Aubuchon are each taking the design world by storm with their new companies, check out their websites Dunes & Duchess and Fashion & Decor.



 
It is always so fun when people who have known each other only through Social Media meet for the first time in real life. This was the case with the west coaster Cassandra of Coco + Kelley and the east coaster Stephanie of Sabbe Spot!




Next up was a trip to North Carolina and High Point Market to view the new introductions from furniture companies all over the United States! Caitlin of Sacrament Street and Cassandra of Coco + Kelley are 2 of my very first friends I met through Social Media and I cherish any time I get to see them in person! Here we are meeting the incredible designer Barry Dixon.



 
Last but not least is my wonderful friend Erika of Radiant Republic. This picture is so special because it was the last one taken of us before each of our lives changed. We both got married this year to the men of our dreams who are each super supportive of our blogging life and the crazy world of social media! We certainly are the luckiest of girls!

Next years calendar is already filling up with design events but for now I am going to take a minute to enjoy each one of the above blogs and catch up with my favorite Social Media friends on Twitter!

Enjoy this new week,

Jul

Monday Morning Happy - A 40th Surprise!

Morning! This weekend was my 40th (when did that happen...!) birthday and my adorable husband surprised me with a trip to Washington, DC! To say I was over the moon happy would put it lightly, you see I am the planner in the family so to have an event where I am not only surprised but also don't have to plan it, well it was heavenly! Not to mention he knows his "CityGirl" so well he knew I would just fall in love with DC and he was absolutely right!

Of course I fell in love with the architecture in DC,  especially the Eisenhower Executive Building which was an entire block long. The tiny little detail on every square inch of this 2nd Empire design was just breath taking! Now I need to investigate and learn more about this incredible design style!

With this being my first visit to DC I had to take a peek at the White House!

The first museum we visited was the Smithsonian National Museum of American History where I saw the First Lady dress exhibit! I was in awe of the amount of detail that was in Mrs. Obama's inaugural dress by Jason Wu, he is even more brilliant than I previously thought! The jewelry she wore that night was definitely fit for a First Lady!

 
Next up was a visit to the fantastic Newseum Museum, where viewed a section of the Berlin Wall and an exhibit on how journalists covered 9/11. Both emotional and moving which reminded us how lucky we are to live in America!


 
We took a break to get some fresh air and visit the relatively new WWII memorial. It was packed with people but honestly was one of the most peaceful places I have been! This quote really drives home how valuable women were and how their roles changed during this period in time!



Lastly we visited the National Portrait Gallery which is now ranked as one of my all time favorite museums! I LOVE learning about people and how they have contributed and/or changed society! The Twentieth Century Exhibit was filled with inspiring people some well known and some not as much. My biography reading list just became longer. My favorite portrait was of Rosalind Krauss an art critic. It could be my favorite because every blogger, writer or even student has felt this way while trying to come up with something interesting to say!

Have you visited DC before? What was your favorite Museum? I can't wait to return!

Enjoy the first week of October!

(images from jace interiors)

Monday Morning Happy - Summer Recap

Would someone please tell me where summer went? In June we are all so excited with months full of outdoor activities ahead of us.. we blink and it is the end of August! Though I will not complain as I had one of the most spectacular summers ever! Below are a few pictures from our family outings!

This Delaware sunrise was worth waking up at 6:15am for!



We had an incredible honeymoon in Florence, Tuscany and Amalfi!



Living with a little guy I learned to love the thousands of Lego pieces and used my design skills to come up with creative storage solutions!




Of course our household rivalry (split right now the middle...) between the Orioles and Red Sox continued at Fenway!



 
Lastly I finally got a mini tomato garden set up in the burbs! At my city apt the deck was flooded all day with sun so I was not sure how they would fare in the burbs but I am happy to say they are flourishing!

Those are a few quick tidbits about my summer! What was your favorite memory from the last 3 months?

Enjoy this new week

Julie

(all images from jace interiors)

Monday Morning Happy

Hello Friends! It certainly has been a while since we have visited. I am finally back in the office after a blissful 2 week vacation...the first in my life. Now in this super relaxed mood I would love to implement a 2 week vacation twice a year. If only it would be reality. In the meantime I am back to share all my design inspiration, fun product finds and client projects with you! We are about to have a very busy summer and fall here at Jace Interiors, I can't wait to fill you in on all the details!

 

Stephanie Rausser's photo above is exactly how I felt while I was in Italy. Total relaxation with my biggest decision being what type of cocktail I would order! It was total serenity and in the coming weeks I will share pictures with you. In the meantime have you ever visited Stephanie's website? It is the ultimate cure for the Monday blues. Her images of the cutest kids on earth will have you smiling and humming your favorite song! This commercial for Target is one of my favorites! 

What are you waiting for? Grab that afternoon tea, a piece of chocolate and pop on over to her site!

Enjoy your new week

jul

Monday Morning Happy - Italian Style

Good Morning friends, I am away this week in Italy on honeymoon with the Mr. and right about now I imagine I am deep in the vineyards of Tuscany sipping wine! A hard life, I know! Over the last few months I have been daydreaming through images on Pinterest and I thought I would share a few with you today!

 

 

No worries, I promise I am leaving you in good hands with fabulous guest bloggers while I am away! First up is  a wonderful friend who just launched a super creative (and helpful if you are trying to find your decorating style..) website. Later in the week I will be kicking off a new series "Pinning With" where I introduce you to a few of my favorite bloggers and we peak into what they are dreaming about on Pinterest!

Have a great week and if you want to follow my visual images of Italy you can find them on Twitter Facebook and  Instagram!

Monday Morning Happy

Morning Friends! I must admit I do love a rained out Saturday the type where you are stuck inside watching movies, cleaning out closets and baking a mixture of goodies. Then Monday comes and you are kind of dragging because you need the sun to motivate you to start the new week. Today I sit looking out my office window at another rainy day and all I can do is daydream of the picture below! Come on Mother Nature, I had my rainy day break would you mind bringing back the SUN?!

Days like this I jump over to Pinterest and start adding pictures to this board...the idea of a new phase motivates me to start working instantly!

Enjoy the new week!

(thanks to BHG and Cynthia , who produced the shoot for this amazing picture. Someday I hope this will be part of my home!)

Monday Morning Happy

Morning Friends! How was your weekend? Did all of the Mom's have a great Mother's Day?
The sun was finally out over the weekend so we spent every possible moment outdoors enjoying the perfect weather. The days were filled with yard work, walks, baseball, family lunch with Mom and lounging on the chaise catching up on magazines! My favorite part of the weekend? Receiving our professional wedding pictures, all 979 of them! We had the BEST photographers and I can't wait to tell you more about them later this week! Here is just a little tease to get things started!

A quiet moment before the festivities begin!

 

We have delayed our Italian honeymoon to later on this year but this weekend we started our research. Le Sirenuse is a gorgeous hotel with an amazing restaurant which was recommended by my friend Mally. The images are just breathtaking!

(image from Luminaire Foto for Jace Interiors please only use with permission and  Le Sirenuse photography by Joy Zhang)

Monday Morning Happy

Here we are back in the office after 2 weeks off for the wedding! I must admit it is hard to slide back into work after having so much fun! I know many of you over on Facebook and Twitter have been asking for pictures and I promise to share as soon as I receive them. Believe me, we are waiting on pins and needles to see the professional shots too!

In the meantime here is one I can share. Our wedding colors were Aubergine and Coral! It went right along with the "Casual Elegance" theme of the weekend! In the weeks to come I will share the details of how we found our reception site, a place I truly fell in love with. It is an interior designers dream space!

Hope you all have a great new week!

(image from Jace Interiors courtesy of Coco + Kelley)

Monday Morning Happy

GOOD Morning! How was your weekend? By this time next week I will have officially become a "MRS"! We are in the mad dash before the wedding and with that I mean the to do list seems to be growing! How is this possible after months of planning? Everyone says the day of your wedding flies by which I know will be true but I hope to carve out a few minutes by myself to take it all in.

 

If the day could stretch as long as this gorgeous table I will be even more overjoyed!

Check back in through the week for a sprinkle of posts and follow me on Twitter for a few snapshots from the wedding weekend!

(image from Epicuring California - Outstanding in the field)

Monday Morning Happy

Morning Friends! How was your weekend? The countdown is officially on we have less than 30 days until the wedding (thanks Mom for the countdown emails) and to say our to do list is getting longer would be an understatement! That is why today's Monday picture is perfect because I literally have post its and lists taped up all around the house!

This weekend a few fabulous things happened! First I met a new client for a Design Session. She was so excited about the process that it once again reminded me of how much fun my job is and how completely gratifying it is to help people fall in love with their homes! Thanks Sarah!

As a blogger you really never know who is reading unless they leave a comment but by the thousands of readers I have I can tell not everyone is leaving comments! On Saturday night I was at an auction and someone came up to me saying she reads my blog weekly. Well let me tell you it made my entire night! Thanks Joanne and Jean for leading her to CreateGirl!

Lastly I finally settled on a flower girl dress! The Gillian from crewcuts combines elements of my dress and the bridesmaids dresses and I think it is going to just look darling! Once again good things come to those who are patient!


(image from Maison Scotch)

Monday Morning Happy

Today is the last day of winter which is a bit strange for this Northeast girl because not once did I take out my shovel!! I don't ever remember a year without significant snowfall but this chilly girl will not complain! Spring has arrived early and this weekend was perfect for eating outdoors and lounging on a porch!

 

How was your weekend? Did you "miss" out on winter this year?

Happy new week,

jul

(image via Pinterest with a Country Living credit but unfortunately I could not find the link, if you have one please let me know)

Monday Morning Happy - Wedding Update

Morning! How was your weekend? Well the wedding festivities are off to a running start so I thought I would give you a peek into what we have been up to!

 

The invitations have been sent out and we are in love with our wedding motif it is both casual and elegant which fits perfectly with the theme of the wedding!

 

The girls selected the most beautiful cake and oh so yummy!

 

My mother's sunroom was overflowing with gifts! We were completely spoiled by our friends and family and our house is now happily bursting at the seams!

This is just a corner of the dining room table full of gifts! Of course I was so excited to add to my collection of platters and linens, they make me very happy!

The countdown has officially moved from weeks to days with less than 50 and my hope is to have a relaxing few weeks before the big day arrives!! At your own shower what was your favorite gift?

(images Jace Interiors)

Monday Morning Happy

I must admit I am still getting use to my "new life"! When I was a single girl living alone it was not uncommon for me to plow through a project all weekend, barely coming out of my creative zone to eat. Now that there are 2 other people living with me I realize how important it is to put down all of the electronic devices and get back to the simple act of playing. It can be something as simple as a quick card game, reading a silly book or clearing the living room furniture for a dance off (which happens often). Planning a wedding, running a business and taking care of a house can quickly eat up the entire week so when I came across this image on Pinterest it really stuck with me. Not only does it give me a time out to be silly and reconnect with the family, it usually leads to a burst of creativity at work!

Here's hoping there is some time to "play" in your new week!

(image from Marc Johns)

Monday Morning Happy

Morning All! Last week I took some much needed time off to put the finishing touches on the wedding plans and let me just say it feels SO dang good to have made some decisions! Of course I can't reveal all just yet but I can share inspiration for the tabletop. I wonder how I would ever have planned a wedding without my trusty friend Pinterest?! Mr. Vog even said to me the other day "What did people do before the internet, look vendors up in the phone book?"...I shudder at this crazy thought!

 

(images from Style Me Pretty Kristin Spencer, Image unknown pls share the source if you know it, Style Me Pretty Studio28)

Monday Morning Happy

One of my resolutions for 2012 is to get out from behind my computer and take the time to be social! Sometimes work gets so busy and I get so wrapped up in social media conversations I forget how valuable face to face time is. This past week I had 2 great opportunities to get out, have some fun conversations and even collaborate with a few of my favorite locals!

The ladies I like to call my "inner circle of local designers" these ladies are incredibly supportive and fabulous creatives in Boston! Rachel Reider, Leslie Fine, me, Gretchen Aubuchon and Mally Skok!

 

The incredible designer Jonathan Legate was in Boston for a visit from Canada and Michelle gathered us ladies to show him the best brunch Boston could offer!

Me, Leslie Fine, Mally Skok, Jonathan, Michelle Cortizo and Andie Day

As much as I love what Social Media has done for me but nothing compares to meeting friends face to face!

Monday Morning Happy

Welcome to a new week! We finally got some snow this weekend and most people in my life would be absolutely shocked to here me say....I thoroughly enjoyed it! The idea of feeling "snowed in" with nothing to do but read magazines and watch movies sounded so appealing. Well like most things that isn't exactly how the weekend went but I did carve out some time to work on a new and very fun project! I have been asked by Gretchen the mastermind behind the new website Fashion + Decor, to be one of their contributors! Below are just a few of the rooms I used to pair with shots from the runway. I don't want to spoil the big reveal but I can at the very least show you a room or two I selected!

Even though I was inside by the fire enjoying the snow fall I was clearly thinking of summer colors and the ocean!

Stop by Fashion + Decor to sign up, they will be launching very soon! It really will be one of the most inspiring sites for both fashion and home lovers!!



(Images from Architectural Digest Designer Paul Vincent Wiseman, Photographer Matthew Millman, Elle Decor Jarrett Hedborg Photographer Grey Crawford)

Monday Morning Happy (a day late)!

Morning! How was your long weekend? At least I hope you had a long weekend. I am finally getting into wedding mode, I admit I have been so focused on my design work I have not given it as much attention as it deserves. With under 100 days to go (yikes!!) I best get a move on it! Many of you have asked how it is going so I thought on Monday's I would give a little update. This weekend was all about registering, which for a girl who is constantly scouting this was a small challenge. I don't design from 1 store so it was hard for me to register at just one. Finally I scaled it back to 3 stores...well then I added 2 more so I guess it is really 5!

 

You can never go wrong with classic blue and white plates. This will also allow me to use fun serving dishes that are not all matchy matchy!

 

Adding these bowls to my everyday dinnerware made me one happy girl! Cue the jumping up and down while clapping in the store!

 

 Of course you know I had to sneak in my love of typography somewhere and these "His & Hers" hi ball glasses fill the need! We might even use them for our wedding toast, how fun would that be?!

The only time Vog stopped scanning was when we arrived at the table linens. His response "don't you have a 3 drawer dresser FULL of linens?" and my response was you have football....I have linens! Knowing that there were 4 play off games about to happen, he proceeded to scan them all!

I would love to hear from you! What is the one thing you hope to register for someday or what is the one thing you were so happy you did register for? Please share, I have the scanner and it is ready to click away!

(Images - plates bowls glasses)

Monday Morning Happy

Morning! How was your weekend? It seems Christmas is upon us since we went to get the tree this weekend but to be honest, with all this warm weather in the Northeast (it has been 60 all month) it feels more like September than December! It makes it difficult for me to get in the mood, does anyone else feel this way?

On Friday I drove out to Concord to visit my friends Rachel and Katie who were knee deep in holiday decorating. They volunteered their time and design skills to decorate a house for the holidays to support the Concord Museum! They did an incredible job in such a short time! My photos are not fabulous but you get the idea.

 

 

 How adorable are these cubbies, a perfect place to hang your coat!

Pop on over here to see photographer, Michael J Lee's images of this gorgeously decorated house!