Monday, August 29, 2011

Can It Be? : Dining Room (The Placement)

It is Monday and I know that everyone on the east coast is so thankful that this weekend has passed.  I am grateful because my sister, her husband, and our parents were in the path of the storm and they made it out unscathed.  The people in their surrounding neighborhoods not so much.  So, thanking God for their safety but still praying for everyone else who has been touched tragically by this.

I wanted to continue with our dining room.  If you remember we put down hickory flooring and extended it from the family room into our dining space.
(family room area)

(dining area)

You can read more about it here and see the before dining room placement that I was trying out.  
Needless to say the way I had my dining room furniture placed..we all didn't care for it so much.

So, I put it this way..

We are liking it this way so much better.  

Here is the view from a different direction.  

There is still more to do.. curtains and accessories.  Wish me luck ; )





Friday, August 26, 2011

Design=Passionate People : Tasha Goss of Barefruit Co.

Have I mentioned how much I love Twitter?  Well, just in case you didn't know..I do : )  I have come across some really cool people who are designing their life.  I have been doing a series on Modern Earth Design about passionate people who are not just letting life happen to them but making life into what it can be.  

I want to introduce you to Tasha Goss of Barefruit Company

I came across her when she gave me a sweet shout out on Twitter.  


I went to her site..

and found she sells organic products that she makes and I knew I had to try some.  May I add they are incredible!

 The perfume doesn't cause any itching on my sensitive skin
My daughter who was getting severe dry patches on her arm were being moisturized by the Body Butter

I wanted to get to know her and felt that you all could be inspired as well.  I was so honored that she agreed to an interview...

1.  Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

My name is Tasha, and I am a web and graphic designer. I recently stepped
out in faith and followed my dreams of starting my own business, which is
an organic skin care company. I love all things vintage and I am in love
with creating. I enjoy cooking, photography, thrifting and making crafts
with my hands.


2.  I find it interesting the journey that leads people to make certain
decisions in life.  What was the defining factor that caused you to create
your product line?


I absolutely LOVE all things that smell yummy. Body butters, body sprays,
candles, scented oils, body washes, you name it! I was a product junky for
years, stocking up on TONS of products, just because I loved they way they
smelled. I would purchase a body butter from another company/store and of
course, it would smell fantastic but, I would notice that about mid day,
my skin would be dry and I would have to reapply the product. This became
very expensive! I even began mixing other body butters with vaseline, to
make them thicker and last longer. I later found that vaseline isn't good
for the skin. I had to find another alternative. I began reading the
ingredients of each product that I loved and used. I couldn't pronounce
most of the ingredients, so I began to research them, one by one. I then
realized that most of their ingredients were man made chemicals, often
cancer causing agents such as parabens, and they weren't good for the hair
or skin. I became determined to find a way to make a body butter that
smelled great, and moisturized the skin. This was the start of Barefruit.
3.  What makes your products different from all the other organic products
that are out there?
Barefruit offers customizable products. If you have eczema, psoriasis, or
any other skin condition, you have the option to select additional organic
additives that will be added to your product of choice. You can also
select your own fragrance. Each order is handmade and made with top
quality certified organic ingredients.


4.  I have tried a couple of your products and am in love.  I am sensitive
to perfumes when applied on my neck area.  I usually get red, itchy
blotches.  After having seen what your body butter did for my daughter I
tried the perfume on my neck and did NOT break out.  Could you tell me why
your products seem to not cause adverse reactions?  What could be in other
perfumes that can cause reactions like that?


Its hard to say what factors can cause allergic skin reactions. I have had
a lot of my customers, that have very sensitive skin, use my products.
They were all delighted that they had finally found an organic product
that smelled great, and that they could use. I do use manmade fragrances
in my products. My products themselves, do not contain ANY other manmade
ingredients that may be foreign to the body when absorbed into the skin.
Other products that may not use an abundance of organic ingredients use
additives that are man made. The additives may appear on the ingredients
list as one item such as methylchloroisothiazolinone.

I am going to use methylchloroisothiazolinone  as an example.
Methylchloroisothiazolinone is a preservative and is a synthetic
ingredient. Its compound contains tons of other chemical agents.
Methylchloroisothiazolinone is also used in paint and glue! In high
concentrations, it can be a skin irritant and cause chemical burns. This
is just one example of the many ingredients that are used in our everyday
hair and skin care products. We do not use these ingredients with our
products, making the chance of a skin irritation unlikely. The ratio of
organic ingredients to our fragrance that we use is 10 to 0.50. Only a
very small about of the fragrance is used, which also reduces the
likelyhood for skin irritations. We also do not use any synthetic dyes. We
are exploring this option and will stay with all natural extracts and
clays to achieve this.
5.  I believe that we design or create the life we want to live.  How are
you doing that and how does your business play into it?
I love to create. I love to design. I also enjoy providing something of
quality to others and seeing their reactions to it. To me it's a win-win.
I believe that I was created for this. Without Barefruit, I couldn't
imagine feeling fulfilled. Many people wake up everyday, miserable, going
to a job that they hate. I have been blessed to be able to wake up
everyday and do what I love....and thats create. Barefruit has been one of
my platforms.
6.  Do you have any advice for other people who are desiring to make a
difference by creating their own business?


Yes! Plan, plan, and plan some more! If you have a vision, write it down!
Write what kind of business you want to have, who your customers will be,
what products or services you will offer, and where you want your business
to be in 10 years.

Always aim high. Research similar companies in that industry that are
successful on a large scale.  Think of them as your competitors. Watch
what they do, and how they market.

Make sure that all of your legalities such as trademarks, name
registrations, etc are a top priority!


Don't allow yourself to become comfortable at any level of success. This
will help you to always be on the prowl for the next step of your
business.

There will be lots of mountains and many, many valleys! When those valley
seasons come, don't focus on what's going on around you. Instead, shift
your focus to prepare yourself for the next mountain.

Mistakes don't equal failure. Think of them as overcome obstacles that you
have learned from!

Thank you so much Tasha for your love of life and your drive for your business.  It's because of this we can take the fruit of what you have produced and our lives are better for it.

Go check her out via twitter.. http://twitter.com/#!/barefruitco & the website Barefruit Co.

Have a wonderful weekend and our prayers are with everyone on the east coast.



Monday, August 22, 2011

Northern Natural Beauty

Good Morning : )
I know that it's still August but I can feel fall in the air.  It's just a little bit crisper outside and the weather is enticing me to go and enjoy it.

Several weeks ago I promised that I would share some pics from my husband's trip to Newfoundland, Canada (which is where he is from).  I think you will be taken by the raw beauty of this place.




(that's my husband, Corey, with his nephews)
Corey catching a North Atlantic Cod
Corey's dad caught a pretty large one!

I think they had a great time don't you.  Take some time today to get outside and enjoy the fresh air..it will do you good.  Have a great week all.


Friday, August 19, 2011

Can It Be? : Dining Room

Hello everyone!  I hope your week has been a good one.  We have been busy here chopping up the tree in the backyard that fell and stacking it for this winter.  Two of my kids were sick so I had my other daughter help me stack wood and did we get a workout.  : )

I wanted to continue on our "Can It Be" series.  Just in case you are new here this series is all about what seemed to be rooms with no potential and if they can be beautiful again.  My husband and I bought a 1950's home that was a fixer upper and we are putting some love back into it.  Is it a tedious process?  Yes!  But anything that's worth something means you have to put your time into it to see it blossom.

Do you remember how we put hickory flooring in our family room?

There's my awesome husband!  He did it all himself..what a man : )

We ended up doing the same thing for our dining room.  It just made the spaces between the rooms flow instead of it being choppy.

We used Behr paint and a venetian plaster for the chocolate walls.  We wanted a cozy feel to the room.  I love the fact that you can separate the dining room off from the family room space for sound control but still keep an eye on the kids through the french doors.  

When we bought this home we only had enough furniture for our family room and 2 bedrooms.  So we had a lot of filling up to do.

Here is the table we bought that was custom made and dining chairs we bought from Slumberland.


I was trying out the dining room this way to see if I liked the use of space.  Hmm...not so sure.  Will keep you posted ; )

Have a great weekend all.


Monday, August 15, 2011

Some Link Love DIY And A Giveaway

It's the first day of a new week and my dog..
who is 3yrs old, decides to leave me presents in my house as soon as I get up.  I hope this is not a sign for the week to come.. LOL.

Recently I came across Shannon, from Anythingology, who made a lovely housewarming gift that I wanted to share with all of you.


How cute is this?  Shannon gives you a complete tutorial on how to make this.  I know I am planning on recreating it. I lack in the green thumb department so this project is right up my alley.  Thank you Shannon for sharing.

All of us love giveaways and Midwest Living Magazine is having another one.  “My Best Midwest Getaway Contest,” which invites people to share stories of their favorite vacations anywhere in the Midwest, or one their dreaming of, for a chance to win $2,000 in prizes. If this is something you’re interested in you can enter one of two ways: http://www.bestmidwestgetaway.com or on our Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/MTITravelIdeas.  Hope you all enter.

Have a great week!

Friday, August 12, 2011

What A Mess!

It's been a wonderful week here with the visit of my brother and niece.  My kids haven't seen her in years and the surprise on their face when they came in was priceless.

Not too long ago I wrote about our tree falling in my post Random Friday.  Here is what it looked like before the storm.

That's the tree.  I didn't capture how tall it was in this picture..it was 40ft tall.  

Here is what it looked like after the storm.
It broke at the base and was caught up in the surrounding trees.  I waited for my husband, Corey, to get back home from his trip to Canada to deal with this situation.  If not taken down right it could destroy our shed.

He started taking the tree down by sawing off the outside limb.  I was scared because he was up in the tree w/out a harness.  To be honest this kind of excitement is not my cup of tea.  Side Note:  Please take all precaution when cutting down trees or leave them to a professional.

The after..
Corey got the tree down without damage to the shed but part of the tree did fall into our neighbors yard with damage to the fence and having taken down a small tree of theirs.  I guess we have a ton of clean up to do.  I am happy to say that no one got hurt as I wipe the sweat off my brow..WHEW!

I hope your weekend is a little less eventful.. LOL.




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Monday, August 8, 2011

Pop, Pop, Pop

Good Morning!  It's nice to enjoy the quiet before everyone else rolls out of bed.  They are precious moments that help to keep me sane for the rest of the day ; )  Do you do the same thing?


I wanted to share with you a designer trend that is creeping up everywhere and I can't tell you how much my husband loves this.  Red.  The color red, candy apple red, is popping up in home decor.  My husband who has had a red motorcycle, a red car, red shirts, etc..  

 
He just couldn't be more design accurate, LOL.  I think red makes him happy.

To use it in your space you don't need to paint the walls red just add some accessories.  Here are some images to inspire you..

In this pic all they did was add the pop of red to the lighting and it gave the room the wow factor.

Absolutely love this kitchen.  The chairs added the right element of color and make me think about food.  

Warm tones of red compliment the cool blue color.  

I have something up my sleeve where I will be incorporating red in my house this fall and will show all of you.


SIDE NOTE:
I wanted to share with all of you that our Community Undertaking/Rockford Sharefest was put on the Angelo Home Blog.  We were so honored.  While your there check out his furniture line Angelo Home.  It is truly beautiful.  

                                Have a great week!




Friday, August 5, 2011

Could You Live Like This? and a side note..

Yea!  I am so glad it's Friday not for the obvious reasons that it's the beginning of the weekend but my husband comes back today after being in Newfoundland, Canada for the past 10 days.  Why was he there?  Good question..that's where he is from.  I will have to share with you some of his pictures and you will be taken away by the beauty of this place.

Speaking of places, my sister sent me this video of a guy who is living in the smallest square footage I have seen.  It's in New York, which I am very familiar with but have never witnessed personally a place this small.


Here is the video link - NY small apartment.  
The guy has such a positive attitude.

One more thing I would like to share.  Since I have been blogging I have come across some really great people, one of them is Jules from Rumbles & Roars.  She has such a great sense of humor and life seems to be such an adventure.  Her writing style is so relatable.  I encourage you to go check her out : )  Also check out the shout out she gave Modern Earth Design here.

Well, I truly hope your day turns out to be as great as mine will be here shortly.  
Have a wonderful weekend!

Monday, August 1, 2011

Got Some Exciting News

It's Monday, did you all get your morning coffee?  

I have some really exciting news that has been in the works for months and is just the beginning of many amazing things.  No I'm not pregnant..lol.

There is a new tv station based out of Columbus, Ohio that is called Jane tv, take a look at their promo..
(please press the pause button to your right to shut off music)

The beautiful lady, Jacqueline Dorman, who explains what Jane tv is all about in the video is the CEO/President of this station.  I am honored to be asked by her to be a regular contributor to their website.  We will discuss design and life because I believe the two go hand in hand. 
 Jane.tv will have entertaining and relevant shows and I can't wait for it to hit full throttle.  

The website is being upgraded now.  They will go live later this week but the official launch is September 9, 2011.

Check out their fan page here.  

I hope you all have a wonderful week.

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