2025
Color of the Year
INTERIORS + DECOR
Welcome, my friend. The Idea Book is a blog about wellness within the home - a place where I can share my homebody stories and the ways I find comfort in my days. I’m so glad you’re here.
“All I really want to do is talk about how to make the house a home, the living room the epitome of comfort, and the kitchen cozy and practical. …and maybe some life lessons as a mother to three homebodies.”
MY FAVORITE THINGS
Looking for a deeper connection? Follow along for a more casual and behind the scenes glimpse into my home, products I love to buy and share, and lots of design tips.
March | clovers & apricity
This month’s theme is around manifesting & sunshine …and how we welcome that through clovers and apricity at this changing season. I realize that snow is still visiting many parts of the world in March, but in Louisiana, the clover fields are vast and the sun is piercing through with a little more force, a little more rested and ready for its upcoming busy season. Thanks to the influx of content available on the internet through shorts, tiktoks, and reels, I learned a new word - apricity. Apricity means the warmth of the sun in the winter.
It’s a noun. …and it’s a beautiful word to describe what this transition from a hibernating winter to glimpses of spring must feel like for so many - literally and figuratively.
Featuring | Natalie Gill & Roadside Picks
Floral Designer, Natalie Gill, is the owner of Native Poppy, a local San Deigo flower shop that - oh my goodness - spreads so much love. This woman-owned shop creates the most beautiful works of art in the form of flowers for weddings, events, and even teaches the art of arrangements through local and online workshops. Natalie, who was later joined by co-owner Meghan Blancato is just living one of my many dreams.
February | a note on affection
This month’s theme is all around the idea of affection. I think there are so many ways to show love and probably more importantly, so many ways to receive love. In the spirit of February being a season of love with Valentine’s Day on the horizon, admittedly my least favorite holiday of the year, I do want to write about love from a different perspective. I want to share ways I love …ways I love my home, ways I love my loved ones, ways I love strangers, ways to love on a small business, and ways to receive love by gratitude.
Hosting at Home Tips & Tools
Hosting at home is all about knowing your audience. Is it mostly kids? Is this a grown-up vibe with kids in tow? Is it grown-ups only? What time of the day is this shindig going down? Is there something to celebrate? I personally love the Soiree-style party. A Soiree is French for an evening party …one that is typically hosted at someone’s home. In this setting, the mood is casual and all around just enjoying the company of others. If kids are involved, I consider it an early-evening event so parents with little ones can get home at a decent hour. …and those without kids that are night owls can stack a second outing after the soiree raps up!
January | setting the stakes
Welcome to the voices in my head! These themed months are going to be focused on a more subjective view of the things I think about when it comes to the home - more so our existence inside of the home - how we home. Writing more in general is already etched in as a goal for this year …and all the years that follow. For me, writing is both cathartic and functional. It serves as a means of therapy and frees the mind to think about the next thing on the list. My adult ADD thanks me for this freeing of mental space.
Holiday Gift Guide - 2022
IT’S NOVEMBER!!! Today in Louisiana, the high is 80 degrees. …not far fetched for November. I don’t know why I always talk about the weather. I just find it fascinating that the world’s weather just does its thing. We might have a rain and find ourselves in 30 degree weather in a week …because why can’t the weather have mood swings too? Even with the higher temps though, I’m itching for the holidays and the symbolic end of a season and beginning of a new year. The hustle and bustle is about to begin - I’m here for it!
Trim & Millwork: instant character
One of the most loved attributes of what gives those historical style homes that character we love is the intricate attention to trim detail. Trim and millwork details are often found at the baseboard and crown molding of our walls, the transoms above the door frames, the exposed beams and built-in cabinetry, wall wainscoting and other trim and millwork opportunities - all giving any space instant character, texture, and depth.
Pattern Play + Mixing Prints
We should take note from our children more often. As a toddler, my daughter took a spirited approach to mixing her pattern choices during the “I want to dress myself” phase that every parent cringes at. …a polka dot dress, floral shoes, and heart shaped sunnies. Fabulous choices for our trip to grab some groceries.
Color Stories for the Home
Having strong-willed children has been such gift, most days anyway. They challenge me more than life itself, but I know they’ll grow up and make some fantastic humans. Part of raising strong-willed children is allowing them to make their own choices, even if it means they have to learn the hard way - which they do 99% of the time. A little reverse psychology helps too. You’ve got to make them feel like they’re making the decision that best suits them.
For instance, my toddler loves to dress himself, but if it were up to him, he would have worn his fire truck pajama bottoms and his raincoat as a top to church. So, I narrow down the options to 2 or 3 outfit selections that are a bit more …occasion-appropriate. It’s a win-win for both of us.
Wellness Within the Home
The work within the home operates under many moving parts. Different seasons bring fourth different tasks. Different roles call for different outputs of love and attention. Wellness within the home can mean lots of different things, but for me, it’s simply a sense of peace. It’s stopping to smile at a moment in time or a scene or angle of your space you’ve cultivated. It’s a million little things that either happen by accident or happen because you’ve created the moments to occur and bring joy to your space.
Habits of Being a Homebody
For me, comfort is both physical and emotional. It’s not just about good design. It’s about your day-to-day tasks, mundane or otherwise, feeling good.
I created this guide as an humble example and peek into my own home (at my unmade bed and kiddos) and I hope you use this as a tool to build what comfort means to you.
Measuring for Wallpaper
MATH NOT YOUR THING? Don’t worry …that’s what installers are for anyway. Whether you DIY your wallpaper install or hire it out (I’m a fan of outsourcing) the main question is :
HOW MUCH WALLPAPER WILL YOU NEED?
Don’t be scared of the math, this is third grade stuff. Also, I have children who are learning math much differently than I learned math, so I feel it’s necessary to say that some third grade math is admittedly scary …but this isn’t that, so we’re good.
Create More White Space (for the home & mind)
White space is, by definition, the space between objects. When it comes to your home, white space is both physical and mental (and does not have to be white). White space in the home refers to the physical “breathing room” between spaces, rooms, and objects.
White space can bring a room such a sense of calm. It can declutter both your physical surroundings as well as your mind. It just makes you feel good and that is what we are all after - a sense of joy within our home.
Wallpaper Q&A for Your Installer
You build a house, you hire a contractor. You get married, you hire a wedding planner. Time do to your taxes, you hire a CPA.
Ready to install wallpaper? You hire an installer.
Today, we’re going to demystify the process of working with a wallpaper installer, folks. I know there’s a DIY route for all of the above (except do NOT youtube how to build a house …definitely hire a contractor) …but let’s take out the fear of working with an installer, mkay?
Wallpaper Paint Pairings
Tackling Wallpaper Overwhelm
When it comes to wallpaper, I have the pleasure of working directly with interior designers in the trade. This means that particular interior designer might be working with the architects, contractors, and subcontractors for both remodels and new construction. It’s a dream team!
Because the process stems from a collaborative design board of inspiration from beginning to end, I’m often asked “what whites would pair well with the whites from your wallpaper” or I’ll hear ideas like “we want to pull the green out for trim work.”
You see, I grew up around residential and commercial construction. I’m partial, sure, but he’s pretty great. So I know this process dearly.