Howdy There Littlle Cowgirl

This past month I set out to put together a girls room with with a cowgirl flair. Not wanting to create the same looks I often see with red bandana, and rustic course accents I sought out pink hues.  Oh my goodness, this was not an easy task. It started with finding the bedding first, then a lamp and then all of a sudden the accessories came together. Right down to finding the perfect lamp to bring it all together.

Tissue box, boot and frames are screaming darling cowgirl.

This lamp is one word: AMAZING!

Local The Dalles, OR Designer Becky Byers made these darling dresses w/ bloomers.

 As of this posting all of these items are available at skip to my room in The Dalles, OR. We do ship anywhere in the US and if you see something here you must have, be sure to find us on Facebook and leave us a message.  This is just the sweetest collection of cowgirl fun we have yet to find.

Getting Kids involved in Skip To My Room

We are setting up our shop in The Dalles, OR. It's been really hot the past two weeks, stretching the dial over 100 degrees. Working indoors is a nice break.  The kids are involved in helping set up the store.  I love being in a place where I can bring my kids into my work and play.  I loved this picture of everyone doing their part. Here they are wiping down the ledge before we start laying product out. I love Ethan off to the left, "taking a break." More furniture arrives in a week and I am so excited.

In other news here are the new business cards for the store.  My day job is working as a business consultant in brand and marketing. It's always fun to be able to design my own stuff and work on it.

 As I am working in my office I am listening to the new Jason Mraz album called "Yes!" From the consulting side of things I am working on his account in the online space. Giving him a little plug to go and listen here: YES! on Spotify.

Today is crazy busy in getting the finer details of the shop moving forward as I set up utilities, transfer insurance location, and all that good stuff. Thanks for coming along the Skip To My Room journey. Be sure to connect with me in all of my spaces and places online.

@skiptomyroom is a good start. Wave hello.

The Story Continues for Skip To My Room

Today I got the keys to a new little boutique. I feel 26 all over again. I started Skip To My Room when I was 26 years old.  Then circumstances closed that store many years ago.  I loved those days, years ago of my young kids hanging out in the shop, learning to work, and helping care for the store. Those days long gone.  New days are ahead.

I have always kept my toes dipped into the kids room design gig. I started a webstore called Hung Out To Buy and then had a small shop in NW Portland. Now living in the The Dalles, with inventory begging to come out of hiding I found this cute little location. "Skip To My Room" has been on the tip of my tongue all week.  I looked under a name registry and it was available so I grabbed it. I decided I wanted to go back to the very thing that launched a very blessed career.   A few years back I started this blog. I had a Facebook page. The name was available on all the Social Media platforms I like to frequent.

 Tonight I just had to take some things over. So I decided to fill the first window. This display will change over a 100 times in the next year. For now it was a few things I could get my hands on. The story continues for Skip To My Room.  A change that I felt I wanted to make. That window is not even near being completed, but the hour was late and I had to leave. It's going to get better as all the product comes over. I am so blessed and grateful for this location, for this lovely community of The Dalles, OR.

Tweener Fun Two/Too

Tween Fun

This room makes me smile.  Thus young tweener had a lot of input on what she wanted in this room.  We only changed the accessories and added a few furniture pieces, painted and got to work on how to store her stuff. 

Decorated Items-I Take Charity

If you live in the local Portland area and have some used children's decorating items please send me a message. If you are changing out your child's room, have things in boxes stored in your garage..for years...I would like to come and possibly take them off your hands. Perhaps for a small price. 
I am working on a project and gathering up, cute, good condition items.  Things such as lamps. pictures, linens, pillows, area rugs, even some toys, furniture pieces, and anything and everything to decorate a child's room.
If you are able to take pictures of the items you may have or want to email me about what you may have, even better.  Please email at:  skiptomyroom@yahoo.com

Also if you are interested in following (http://www.skiptomyroom.blogspot.com/) in which I have set up dedicated specifically to the design of children's rooms as well as ask to be my friend on Facebook at skip to my room.

Thanks so much,
Elizabeth

Choosing Hues of Blue for a Sweeping View

"Choosing hues of blue for a sweeping view in an open floor plan. I have chosen three complimentary hues of blue. Lighter in the entry which spills to the upper staircase and hallways, darker in the kitchen, back to the lighter in the dining area, and that 3rd hue of blue to bring the family room in. Wide open floor plans can easily be broken up with the same colors, different hues, without being to choppy. She wants a "sweeping" look in her home."

I just cut and pasted an update on my facebook (skiptomyroom), right into my blog. Is that weird?  Words worth repeating even if they are my words.  I have been reading and hearing request for choosing paint colors. I received an email loaded with pictures of this stunning home. I could see the stunning elements in this home. Perhaps a designer's eye?  Beautiful open floor plan, exposed beams, and the entire home trimmed in this beautiful wood.  I tried to be extra gentle and nice when I commented and gave my thoughts to this gal and sadly used words like "drab" "cluttered" and "do you really want to hang onto that rug?"  This homeowner is on teacher's budget.  She admitted that she did not like her furniture and really thought she needed to just start over with painting and new furniture. Only making for a depressing "not going to happen" feeling due to all that was going on, or not going on.  As I looked over the pictures, I saw that she had lovely old furniture pieces.  Turns out family hand-me-downs.  A clutter of precious things which could easily be contained and stored and displayed rather than just placed in available spots.

Being extra sensitive to her budget I hit the pavement.  Spent an afternoon choosing paint colors that will accent and enhance the wood tones, bringing a boring and drab look to an updated soothing and cozy look. Sweeping views with hues of Blue. Open up her spaces and yet still defining each room, wide open to the next.  Looking at her beautiful styled sofa and rendering a look that would cost very little in accessories.  Choosing fabrics that she could choose to make panels in the living spaces to bring it all together and build in the colors of the wood tones and the blues we chose.

Here are some of the samples chosen:

 These blues are not turquoise although they appear that way in this light. You can choose a print for your windows that ties all your elements together. She has both light wood tones and darker tones, which this fabric connects both.

 Hello inexpensive Target pillow which works with all the print options.

 This fabric has hues from the "tired" sofa, which is really very nice, mixed tones of browns and brings in the blue that will go on the walls. I think that Target pillow would be great with this window panel.

 Stripes give height to a room. With this open floor plan, a stripe gives more depth and height to a room if placed in the right space above the window frame.  Again the blues are picked up and the wood tones brought in.

Hello beautiful fabric. The colors are a much softer then the bolder ones above. This would be my first choice, but it's up to this lovely lady to fall in love with her own choice.

Now hear, here, hear is the secret to this room. Using all these fabrics can really pull a room together. You can get coupons for 40% off fabrics. Buy all you need for your windows in one cut of the fabric.  Sew/Hem the edges and you have instant inexpensive window panels.  Make up a few pillows.  Using two prints. No fancy sewing. The fabric is your design source.  Cost effective, beautiful and easy.  All you have to know how to do is sew straight lines. Just like driving a car. 

More exciting on this teacher's budget is that I don't cost as much when emailing and conversing through email.  She has actually saved a lot of money in designer fees.  Knowing what questions to ask, seeing the pictures of every square inch of her home, making her feel comfortable to send the pictures. and she is well on her way to a new look in her home. (Meaning,  she did not have to tidy up or feel self conscience about her home).  Getting to work to find the elements in a cost effective way and hopefully I can talk her into before and after pictures. 

Happy Designing,

Elizabeth Traub

p.s. if you are not following me on facebook, you can just click on the icon to the right and start watching and seeing how design unfold daily in my world.