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1.31.2014

Planked Wall Hallway Gets *NEW* Light Fixtures!


Planked walls seem to be all the rage this year.  They are really a
great way to add character and cottage charm to your home.

I have expressed my frustration with the  'six-door hallway' in
our home.  Yes, I am not kidding, the hallway has 
SIX doors!  I tried painting an accent wall {a mistake, I admit}
then finally decided to add the planking. 

The hallway also had oh-so-blah recessed lights.
I knew adding some semi-flush mounted
lights were one more way to add some 
interest to my crazy hallway.
{and maybe take some attention away from 
all those doors!}


This is a really tough spot to photograph so bear
with me on these crazy angled shots!  

Last weekend my hubby got busy hanging these
wonderful light fixtures from Bellacor.com!
I love the simplicity of the fixtures which
I would say are both modern and traditional.

The fixtures are called the 'Livex Heritage Convertible
Semi-Flushmount' and at $99.00 are pretty
affordable for a light fixture!  Aren't the so pretty?
And if you aren't a fan of these, Bellacor has 
tons more to choose from as well as other
great items for your home!  


We have nine foot ceiling so the fixtures also fill in some of
that vertical space and add so much interest and charm
to this once very dark and boring hallway!



I often find the most interesting homes are ones that don't ignore
spaces that one wouldn't normally think of decorating.  I think
someone needs to start a movement to begin making uninteresting
spaces more interesting - at least ones that have six doors!

In all seriousness, I often tell overwhelmed clients that
small changes, like paint and lighting really can
work miracles!  I think this hallway proves that.


My 'Flea Market' sign was a find at a local antiques mall - it's not
authentic but a made by a local gal here in Portland.


Can you see where I have yet to finish painting my
planks???  See that *VeRy* think strip next to
the door?  Yep, just haven't been able to muster
the motivation……maybe this weekend???



1.28.2014

Around my house…..today.


It's been a productive day - lots of work done and even
in my own house.  It's been entertaining watching
my Instagram feed - so many snow photos from 
all you southern folk!  Stay safe out there!

When I was in Atlanta at the gift show, I made exactly
one purchase for myself - this sweet set of
antler mounts from Two's Company.  They
arrived yesterday and of course, I couldn't wait
to hang them…..and then snap some photos
to share with you!


My entry is hard to style because it is narrow. There is  no room
for a bench or console, typical for entryways.  This hat rack was 
a fun addition but felt it a little lonely.

It is lonely no more!
1.27.2014

Keeping Up…..with Kourtney Kardashian.


Confession time…..
reality TV is just one of my many guilty pleasures 
and yes, I watch Keeping up with the Kardashians.

I actually REALLY loved the family home Kris
and Bruce lived in during the first few seasons -
it was comfortable and 'real' -
{in comparison to many uber-fancy ones that dominate the reality TV genre}.

If I were to pick a favorite of the current homes the family
lives in - I would choose the home of Kardashian sister Kourtney
{and her boyfriend Scott and their two children}.
The home was recently featured in InStyle magazine.

InStyle

While I consider this home to be 'fancy' and very well 
designed, there are lots of nods to the small children
that live here.  It is obviously a comfortable family home.

InStyle

The home is full of neutrals, textures, graphic patterns
and lots of black.  It's traditional and contemporary
all at the same time.

InStyle

I love that Kourtney chose to incorporate pieces from her
parents' homes from her childhood - meaningful pieces
make a house a home!


Are you like me?  When you watch shows on TV
do you get lost looking at the sets?

What are your favorite TV homes?

I plan on showcasing some of my favorites in
upcoming posts.

InStyle

Happy Monday!
1.23.2014

Full Circle


I am lucky to have friends with fabulous homes.  Friends who effortlessly
create beautiful, comfortable, personal spaces that are
magazine worthy.  

You all went crazy over my friend
Meg's cottage when I posted photos here.  
{and BTW - her home will be featured in an
upcoming issue of Cottages and Bungalows}

Remember
the photo below?  
It is a photo of my friends Meg and Allie.
In the photo, they are looking at architectural 
plans for Allie's possible new home.


Now look at the photo at the top of this post.
That photo was taken of these two special friends
in Allie's new kitchen - this week.

A full circle moment. 

I promise I will post more…..promise!

** I still have two pillows left for sale - you can go here
to see them.

1.22.2014

Pillow Sale!


Call this 'winter cleaning' or just me having fun here on the blog.
I know you all love a good pillow as much as me - pillows
are 'instant re-decorating gratification', right?  Well,  I have
been known to go a little crazy with ordering/buying pillows for myself
or clients and sometimes they just don't work.

I love to offer pillow covers to you for a good price.  And for
as long as I have had this blog, you all seem to like 
a good pillow sale as much as me!

To purchase any of these covers just email me at
jillbeth{at}aol{dot}com - it's first come, first served.
When a cover is 'sold' it, I will mark
it as such here on this post.
*Sorry, only US buyers, please.

Batik bolster $40 {includes shipping} 12x34  SOLD!

Indigo Crewel Birds $30 {includes shipping} 14x24 SOLD

Vintage French Toile with Black Ticking $50 {includes shipping} 24x24 SOLD

Charcoal/Red Dyed Grainsack $55 {includes shipping} 21x55

Indigo/White Zig Zag $40 {includes shipping} 20x20
Happy Shopping!
1.21.2014

Sweet Room for Twin Girls!

L&S Bedroom

My e-design client's twin girls are moving out of their
cribs and into 'big girl beds' and need a shared bedroom
that is still 'little' girl but can grow up with them too.
The wallpaper from Anthropologie was
the jumping off point for the design and color scheme.
I really LOVE this wallpaper.

I am finally opening up my e-design queue for
additional clients.  Please e-mail me at
jill{dot}hinsondesigns@gmail.com if you
are interested.  I charge $250 for a comprehensive
room design but I also do custom pricing if your
project is smaller or if you simply need suggestions
for pillows, accessories or paint.
I would love the opportunity to work with you!


1.18.2014

Winner!

Happy Saturday morning!  Just popping in to announce the winner of the Starbucks Verismo.  I used Random.org and NUMBER 22 was chosen!  Congratulations Rene from Cottage and Vine!  You will receive an email from me!  Thanks to everyone who entered - in the end, I had 117 entrants for this giveaway - a record here at the Forever*Cottage! Woo-Hoo!
1.17.2014

Friday……good stuff.


Snapped this photo this morning - my current pillow combo and the white 
tulips on my dining table…..each bring me frivolous joy.  I am also grateful it's
Friday.  We have a weekend full of happy - date night with my husband
tonight, soccer games, sleepovers and my big girl goes to her first
high school father/daughter dance{their 'date' is on Saturday}…..
as my fav Kenny Chesney would say, "it's the good stuff".

I hope you have lots of the same……make sure you enter my 
giveaway, I am blown away by the number of entries!


1.15.2014

Coffee talk……{a fun giveaway, oh yea!}


Staples gave me the opportunity to try a Starbucks Verismo in my home.

The single-cup brewing system was fun to use
and made yummy drinks just like you get in 
your local Starbucks all in the comfort
of your very own home.



I am not ashamed to admit, I am not a coffee drinker,
despite living in the pacific northwest {I hear all your gasps!}.
However, I love tea and really liked to be able to brew
a single Chai tea latte.  My girls enjoyed making
hot cocoa and the photo at the top is of my dad
who was visiting at Christmas and enjoyed MANY 
a hot beverages courtesy of the Starbucks Verismo!


Staples has generously offered to give one lucky
Forever*Cottage reader a Verismo of their very own!

To Enter The Giveaway:

* Leave a comment with your favorite Starbucks order,
that's it!

Enter by midnight PST on 1/17/14.  I will announce
the winner on Saturday.

Good Luck!
1.13.2014

The Atlanta Market


Well, I'm home!  I am feeling inspired, overwhelmed and sort of exhausted!

To say the trip/experience was a whirlwind is an understatement.
I really didn't know what to expect when my friend asked
 me to come along saying she thought it would be
good for my business.  

Believe it or not, whenI began helping 
clients decorate their homes, I really had
no intention of purchasing wholesale.  My original plan
when I decided to dip my toes, so to speak, in the decorating
biz was to advise clients on mass market sources and allow
them to do the buying - for me it was not as much a 
financial commitment and for the client it means that
they don't typically pay me as much as they would a
traditional interior designer.  However, as my business
has grown, I know that I will need to offer wholesale
buying services - it just opens up more options for my clients.
 I was a total newbie - as I walked around not fully understanding
how all of it worked but that quickly changed.

It is a true sensory overload!

As just a longtime retail shopper, especially for home decor
products, it was so fun to see the showrooms of some of
my favs - Sugarboo, Design Legacy, Two's Company and
BoBo Intriguing Objects just to name a few!

I also discovered some new favorites too.
And I loved being in the South!  It's the land
of blingy-bling, monograms galore and
barbecue everything!  Walking the market and
listening to all the southern accents was fun
for this yankee-girl.  My only disappointment
was not connecting with some blog friends at the
market - between the harried pace and the bad
cell service inside the mart, it just didn't happen
and I am sorry for that ……but there's always
next year!


1.09.2014

Atlanta bound!


Today I am heading to Atlanta, I have flown through many
times but never stayed.  I am looking forward to seeing new
and old friends!  You can come along by following me on

Ba Bye!!!!
1.08.2014

Weeknight Dinners……favorite blogs….heading to Atlanta!


I love to cook, I really do. But sometimes, cooking on 
weeknights, when the day has been busy and the nights
activities are many is a chore.  I have vowed to do
better and cut back on the too many 'taco nights'
that seemed to creep into the repertoire.

I was thrilled to find this Weeknights with Giada
hardcover cookbook on sale at barnesandnoble.com
for $5.99!  It will be my inspiration, and considered 
a good start on a more varied weeknight routine.
You can get one HERE.

****************

Also, I have added some new blogs to my blog
list on the sidebar - go check them out.  Of 
course, I want you to come here and be inspired
but I also have lots of blog favorites that
inspire me and always love to share!

****************

Finally, I am heading to Atlanta to the gift and home show tomorrow.
I am tagging along with a friend and look
forward to check out the new trends for 2014 in home
decor - I have never attended a show like this
so I don't know really what to expect.  I am bringing
my camera and hope to be able to share some
fun photos with all of you.


1.05.2014

A fresh start, a clean slate…my beginning.



"Anything is possible"…..I have been an eternal optimist {mostly}
 throughout my life, so I always love the seemingly new beginning
that the start of the new year brings.  

I know it doesn't make sense, pick a
random day in a month and it could be YOUR new 
beginning but a fresh start but for me is officially on the biggies - new years,
the day my kids go back to school after summer vacation or
even at the first signs of spring.  They are my personal trimesters.

I'm pretty sure that where I am in life 
with my children and family determines
 my beginnings and endings. And I'm going with it…….
and holding on for dear life to the surge of optimism, energy
and hopeful feelings that 'anything is possible'.

I happily make lists and plans and goals….
I strategize and plot and make more lists, 
I organize and purge……..
 and with way more giddiness than 
I probably should admit to, 
I happily cross off items on my lists
……..anything is possible!


The first place that feels my energy is usually my home - after
all the Christmas decor is put away I go into
super re-arrange mode and this year was no different.  

My mantle was cleared and restyled with some favorites - I 
know it's a little weird to have a mirror with hooks on
it but I had it in the closet and I like the light a mirror
reflects during these darker Pacific Northwest winters.
The large antlers are from an elk and found by my
brother near his home in Colorado - he brought
them to me at Thanksgiving.  The vintage brass candle
sticks have been collected over the years - mostly found
at thrift stores for less that $8 a piece.  I break my
"no faux plants" design rule for these crazy 
cool faux boxwood-like orbs - what can I say, I 
am a plant killer and crave greens in the winter.

Here's wishing you all fresh starts in 2014!
1.03.2014

A Fun Client Living Room

Hardy Living Room

My client is a young mom{and dad} with four small children who all 
by herself has great taste and does a fine job decorating
her home.  However, I am happy she has sought my
advice to help her finish spaces in their new larger home.

This formal living space has high ceilings, and gets 
lots of light.  After I suggested SW Urbane Bronze as a 
paint color choice for her new kitchen island, my client 
fell in love with the color and painted the living room
walls Urbane Bronze too!  It is a dramatic, dark color -
not meant for many spaces but this room gets load of 
light and has lots of white millwork to balance the
dark walls.  

We are working with some existing, more traditional pieces
already in the living room.  When I crafted the design
board for the space I tried to make the space feel 'young',
layered, yet traditional too.  For example, I mixed the vintage
bird prints with a more contemporary art piece - and
added a ghost chair {knock-off} which will be paired with a very
traditional secretary that is already in the space.

This style is REALLY me.  And working with
clients who trust me and collaborate with me is just 
the best!  I also happen to think it yields the best design results.

I am going to be updating my design services page {above} - 
about time, huh?  However, it has taken this long
to really decide what types of services I prefer to offer, 
what I am best at offering as well as making sure I offer
services that best meet the needs of local AND
e-design clients.
1.01.2014

2014 - Let's get this party started…..with a look at my bathroom {before/after}.



For whatever reason,
sharing photos of my bathroom is sort of weird for me but I imagine you are
all just like me and love peeking inside the most intimate parts 
of other people's homes. {Tell me I am not the only one who loves
driving around at night and being able to peer inside the windows
of homes!}  I know, totally weirdo!
We really did a full cosmetic makeover in this guest bath over the last year, for very little $.
It all began with stripping wallpaper then adding beadboard and wainscoting
{thanks dad!}.
After those basics were done, I relied on styling the space
with some fun vintage finds and items that make it a personal space too.

I found the vintage brass combo cup/soap/toothbrush holder last
year at a flea market and knew it would be used in this bath.

The small painting is a beach scene of the Oregon coast and the 
number 4 is used all over our house…..cause there's 4 of us.

I found the 'Delaware Dr.' sign at another flea market and bought it
because my husband's company is headquartered in Delaware and
we lived there for a few years.
The bamboo shelf is another flea market find {I think I paid $5 for it} - the jars
are from Target.  I simply spray painted the lids gold.
And you all thought I wasn't crafty!


The French hatrack is something I have had for 
many years, has served many purposes in many homes.  Here
it serves as a great place to hang your towel when you in the shower.


As I was taking photos, this guy decided to photo bomb -
as he often does.  Such a poser!


And in case you are still here, and interested…..
this is what we started with!


I have lots of fun plans for 2014 - I can't wait to share them with you!

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