WHERE HAVE THE PAST FEW WEEKS GONE.

Goodness, it’s been busy over here. But we’re gearing up for some awesome new things and I’m excited to share them with you : )

Bryan and I are remodeling our kitchen. (This is our inspiration – not our actual kitchen. I wish. Hello, those ceilings???) I am SO EXCITED about this. We’ve renovated a lot of our house (well, Bryan did – he bought this house before he met me) and the kitchen is one of the last parts that really needs an update. BUT we’re not just renovating it, we’re really designing it out and making it gorgeous. I love WHITE spaces and natural light. My office is, truth be told, one of my favorite rooms in our house – because it’s painted a gorgeous color called “Conservative Gray” from Sherwin Williams that is a nice soft grey with a SLIGHT hint of dusty blue depending on the light. My furniture is white and the style is very traditional and clean.

So when we started dreaming up our new kitchen, we decided to use my office as inspiration. We chose white shaker cabinets and (after MUCH debate and input from family, friends and even Instagram friends) chose Viscont White granite. This was NOT the safe choice, but we’re excited about the little risk. I love the swirls within the pattern and the light grey mixed with white. We’ll be painting our entire open format living rooms (two of them), dining room, kitchen, breakfast area and foyer Conservative Gray and adding white subway tile as a backsplash. Here’s a little peek at our inspiration. I was dying for a farmhouse sink, but the price tag was high, so we opted for a 60/40 under-counter sink. I’m currently debating between faucets but I think we’ll be choosing a tall brushed nickel one.

These cabinets, let me tell you, are amazing. We’re adding a wet bar to our kitchen (B and I love our stay-at-home wine nights) and are building in a dual zone wine cooler to hold our favorite Cupcake Chardonnay and Cabernet. We’ll have glass doors with lighted cabinets and glass holders in that area. One of my favorite features is the pull-out spice rack within the lower cabinets near our oven. This is all happening (along with a few other smaller projects around our house) on June 1.

I AM SO EXCITED.

I’ll post a “before” photo soon, but I’m embarrassed to share my super-ugly kitchen with you : ) Fare warning. It’s awful. But the after will be worth the time we’ve lived with the UGLY KITCHEN.

What else is new . . .

(I’m leaving the obvious for last)

THE NEW SHOP!

So many product samples are coming in. Some of you have taken advantage of the “Secret Sales” I’ve offered here on my blog. Stay tuned, there’ll be a few more. But I’m not announcing them, they’ll just be posted early in the morning for you to see if you visit and taken down when they’re no longer valid. I’ve done this so that I can take a few sweet photos of your pieces before sending them off to you. I’ll be using these images in the shop.

I bet you’re wondering what the new shop will offer… well, here’s a short list: personalized iPhone cases, personalized Children’s Plates, invitations, photo cards, stationery, notebooks, notepads, clipboards, prints and… THE SIMPLIFIED SYSTEM.

“What is the Simplified System?” you ask.

Well, I can’t share details just yet – but it’s all tangled up in the Simplified Planner in a beautiful way : ) More details soon. I posted a sneak peek on Instagram yesterday : )

Next up.

Lara and I have had SO MUCH FUN with our Making Brands Happen Business + Branding Webinars. Our last is May 16: Get Published. There are still a few seats available. We’ve also been working so hard with our branding clients and are SO PROUD of them and all the hard work they’re doing. Their new brands are unfolding BEAUTIFULLY and we can’t wait to show them off to everyone later this year. We actually only have a very limited number of client spots left for 2012 – more details here.

Stationery Coaching. I’ve been hard at work developing an e-book for private stationery coaching and Making Brands Happen clients. This interactive e-book outlines all sorts of things (it started as a simple e-book and turned into a GIANT book of all my stationery / production / printing / business knowledge) perfect for designers building boutique stationery brands. More details on that soon.

And of course… I’m leaving on Monday for the Spring Making Things Happen tour. I have moments of sheer joy and excitement over seeing Lara and Gina again and meeting SO MANY new friends in Chapel Hill, Atlanta, DC, NYC and Boston…. and moments of tears over leaving my sweet Brady for 10 days. My heart just hurts when I think about it. I’ve made freezer meals, spreadsheets of his schedule and emergency contact numbers (I know, I’m THAT mom), stocked our pantry, bought Brady new jammies, done all the laundry, cleaned our house and even prepared special Daily Surprises for B to open with Daddy before bath time hopefully with me on FaceTime (football paci’s, his favorite organic applesauce squeeze packs, bath toys, etc). Each one comes with a super sappy love note counting down the days until I’ll kiss his chubby little face! : )

I’m tired just writing all of this! Friday is Play Day with B : ) So I’m off for a fun play date with my girlfriends and their little ones! Bryan and I have planned a really fun weekend before I leave for Chapel Hill — a fun local music festival (with food trucks and bounce houses!) and Brady’s first trip to the BEACH on Sunday! : )

xo,

Emily