Pepper Design Blog - Page 221 of 358 - A Little of This & That... Renovating, Decorating, DIY Projects & Family

Life is Precious

February 9, 2011

Very recently friends of ours lost their five-year-old daughter to an unknown cause while she was taking a nap. Stella Maria was a bright, vibrant young lady that brought much joy to her family and friends. Her death stopped us all in our tracks.

Their family has asked me to share her story with you as a testament to the beauty of life – and as a reminder of how very precious it is. Stella’s aunt (fashion blogger Made by Lex) has captured, most eloquently, the peace and love of this beautiful little girl and her young family.

“A 5 year old child taught me purity, innocence and unbridled joy in daily life. It’s reminded me to love my God with the innocence and passion of a child… Stella was such a joyful girl with a strong love for Jesus. She was a sensitive soul and a heart not of this world. She had the sweetest voice, the curliest curls and dimples that melted you.

We are never to young. We are never to old. It is never too early. It is never too late. We are never too rich or poor. We are never not good enough or too good. NOW is the time to choose LOVE.

…We have today. I have this one special day to show LOVE. I don’t know about the future but I know I have now. I want each moment to count and know I’ve done all I can to love fully each day and to live with the joy of a child.”

Read more of her story and about the services here.

I’m holding my own daughter a little tighter today as I lift up Francesca, Phillip, Stella and their extended family in my prayers. Stella is among the dancing angels watching down on us now. (To learn more on how you can help their family, please visit this link.)

Guest Bathroom Sneak Peek

February 8, 2011

I’m letting the cat out of the bag a little early on this one… because I can’t stand the anticipation any longer.

We officially won’t break ground on our new guest bathroom until March, but that hasn’t stopped me from numerous trips to Lowe’s and plenty of mock-ups to design a brand new, sweet little modern bath for our visitors (and Olivia, it will officially be Liv’s bathroom as we plan to have it accessible via the hallway as well as her bedroom).

New Guest Bathroom Layout

Sure, we still have the old-kitchen-turned-office to finish, the nursery-that’s-75%-done and the brand-spankin’-NEW-kitchen (oh poor new kitchen with its teeny tiny details that just won’t wrap up) – but why not dive into this amazing project that will leave us one bathtub closer to a clean and modern space for visitors to enjoy?

And we don’t currently have a bathtub as our current bathroom’s tub is broken (aka so old it has stopped working all together). And it’s been over a year. And I’m a bathtub person. And I’d so desperately like to sooth my tired body in one that I’m willing to halt all other projects if necessary (though it’s not and they won’t) to add one to our home.

Can you believe Olivia’s four weeks already!! Just for fun, here we are getting coffee with a friend.

I could stare at that yawn for hours.

Introducing San Diego Magazine

February 7, 2011

Exciting news! You can now find me each month in my local San Diego Magazine sharing favorite trends for decorating, entertaining and organizing. I was thrilled to be asked to contribute as a guest writer for their At Home section after the magazine found me through this blog.

Guess what the first issue up was? The SEX issue. (I had to highlight the word as you would have loved seeing me 9 months pregnant, feet so swollen I had trouble squeezing into my own shoes, with a quart of ice cream in one hand and “Baby Whisperer” in the other as I bounced romantic bedroom inspiration ideas off of Kevin in preparation for the February issue). Kevin was laughing at the horrible irony of my current bloated, big belly state the entire time. It was quite unromantic.

San Diego Magazine

I decided to take my two pages in two different directions – one inspiration board would feature a feminine, shabby chic take on a romantic Valentine’s Day bedroom. Here was my initial board:

And here’s what was printed:

The second page would highlight a more masculine, contemporary ‘sexy & sultry’ bedroom. First, my inspiration board:

(That’s a heated towel rack down there in the right hand corner – how perfect to step out of a warm bubble bath and into heated towels! Note to self: add to our future master bathroom makeover.)

And what was published:

San Diego Magazine - Sultry Slumber

I’ve had so much fun putting these trends pieces together! March will be much more PG and April screams Spring.

I’ve subscribed to San Diego Magazine for almost as long as we’ve lived in this beautiful city and it’s truly a fun, engaging publication that highlights serious city issues, features regular investigative journalism as well as plays up the best restaurants and ‘what to do’ in the city. It’s a neat experience to be a part of the publication.

Check out the full digital magazine version here, but consider yourself warned that it really is the sex issue.