Friday, March 26, 2010

Tackling the Kitchen Cabinets...Finally!

You might recall months ago that I posted about our home...that beautiful log home that Eric, my ruggedly handsome hubby- built by himself. You might also recall the photos in that post that featured my yet unfinished kitchen. (See that post here.)
Well we are finally getting around to making those kitchen cabinet doors! Eric has worked hard each evening this week to make eleven of the twenty five cabinet doors we will be needing in the end, and I'm now busily painting them. I thought you might enjoy seeing the progress today.
We are hoping to get these eleven cabinet doors hung this weekend, put on some of our pretty bronze knobs, finish the remaining doors and drawer fronts over the next few weeks- and have a completed kitchen to share with you soon! Imagine how much less-cluttered my kitchen will apppear with all of that junk concealed! Keep your fingers crossed for quick success, please!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

A New Hat for Me!

I was recently asked by Kathy Barlow, a self-proclaimed "design junkie" to become a contributor to her wonderful blog, Home Workshop. Kathy has aligned several top notch interior design specialists to contribute monthly articles about topics within their area of expertise, including interior redesign, furniture refurbishing, kitchen design, decorative paint finishes, and more. She has quite a stable of experts aligned and so when I was asked to be her nursery and kids' room design specialist, I certainly couldn't resist!
Today, my first article was published on the site. Check it out and be sure to leave your comments there, and check in again often...you'll find some great tips and images to inspire your next home design project!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

New Wall Art Collections!

I've mentioned recently that we've been very busy creating some new wall art for the Sherri Blum Designs line. I'm still up to my elbows in paint completing the Sports Collection, but have some images ready to show for some of the other lines. Click here to see our newly updated Transportation Wall Art Collection.

Meet our Sweet Treats Collection:


Friday, March 12, 2010

Help the Children


I stated recently how much I absolutely love my career. I don't do this for the steady income (anyone in the design field knows that it's feast or famine in our business!), but because I love the opportunity to be creative. There are many ways to express creativity, however, but I have chosen to express my creativity by designing children's decor. I've chosen this specialized field because I love the magic and whimsy of childhood. I really enjoy interacting with children to understand better what is going on in their wonderful little minds! I also love working with parents who are so full of love for and anticipation of the birth of their baby. It's all so wonderful and certainly gives you those warm and fuzzy feelings just reading about it, I'm sure!
And because I'm blessed to work in such a happy environment, I believe fully that it is my responsibility to give back to the community. I remind myself how fortunate I am to have healthy children and to be blessed with a job where I can work with children every day. So each month, I donate to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. I would love it if you would consider visiting their site and even if you can't donate to their cause, at least take a moment and send a few prayers their way. This is a reputable organization and worth your time and attention.
That being said, I also take on a few "free" jobs each year to help children as well. I donate Sherri Blum Designs products to auctions and more recently, when asked by a former college sorority sister- I took on the task of redecorating the foyer of her childrens' preschool. This little school had a small budget within which to work and the director needed some help figuring out how to get the best bang for her buck. So I visited the site, took my "before" pictures and came home to begin the planning.
As we all know, the foyer isn't always necessarily the place to invest big bucks, however it does give your guests their first impression of who you are, what your tastes are and how you live your daily life. So it's definitely a space that deserves some attention! And in the case of a child care center, it even sets the mood for the young children as they arrive to school each day. It's very important that this space present a warm, cheerful and comforting atmosphere.
This is the main entrance into the center before we began.

The cinderblock walls were a drab gray blue color and the carpet, while a bit outdated- needed to stay. So our first task was to select fresh, welcoming wall colors that would work with the existing carpeting. I offered two color schemes from which the director and parents could select. They chose the more conservative of the two, and were very happy with their choices.
See the before photos here, as well as some photos of the space after the paint had been added.
I'll post more images once we get the finishing touches completed!
In the meanwhile, please share with us what you do to "give back" to the community. I'd love to hear from you!
This is the area just past that entry door...a little alcove with a small kneewall and stairs going to another section of the building.
Here is a little hallway going back to the classrooms. The drywall on the right is the only drywall in this space. I want to make it a focal point since everyone walks past it each day to come and go.
The deeper blue area below the glass is bulletin board. The director and teachers don't like to use it as such, however, because all of the little hands grab and touch everything as they walk past. We will be removing those unnecessary boards and giving it a clean, fresh coat of paint!

Sherwin Williams has this great computer program in which you can login and upload your own image to select paint colors for use in your room BEFORE you invest in a paint color you might not like! I used it to show the director and parents the various color schemes I was recommending for the room. It was very helpful to them! The colors vary slightly between computer screens, but it gives a good idea.
This artwork was donated to the school back in the 1970's if I'm not mistaken. Regardless, it has great sentimental value and is adorable and colorful! We will place it on that drywalled area to make it a focal point for all to appreciate!


 Parent volunteers painted the area...looking good so far! Now we are working on the furnishings and accessories to warm it all up! Check back for more to come!
We're setting up a parent sign-in area.
Hallway, minus those unused bulletin boards!


Monday, March 8, 2010

Loading New Designs on the Site!

Well it's been a long and cold winter and spring is finally on it's way...and with spring comes freshness, newness, and renewal of life and hope. So it's only appropriate that I bring that freshness to my business and finally get my websites updated!
I've got a long way to go and MANY more new designs to add to the site over the next few weeks, but I've got a great start and would love to share some of our new kids' wall art and  nursery wall hangings with you. I've taken the time to add new and current details to some old favorites, as well as to create some great new designs to add to the already expansive collection.
So visit the Sherri Blum Designs website and keep checking back, as we will be adding many more images over the next couple of weeks.
Happy Monday!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Happy Customers Make My World Go Round!

I love both of my "jobs"...in fact I love what I do so much that it feels awkward calling it a "job"! I absolutely love having a blank canvas in front of me -whether it be a new nursery to decorate or a canvas for one of my wall hanging designs. I love creating and hope that my designs will bring smiles to the faces of all who see them and enjoy them in their homes each day.
So you can only imagine how rewarding it is to receive feedback from my happy clients and customers! And when they send photos of my nursery wall art hung proudly in their nurseries, I get that warm and fuzzy feeling all over! Yes, my "jobs" are fun, no matter how you slice it!
I just received a new image of my Tea Party Wall Hanging as used in a new nursery and thought I'd share some of these great customer photos with you today. If you have a Sherri Blum Designs canvas in your home, I'd love to see it and receive your feedback. If you have any suggestions for a new design, I also welcome that. Some of my best selling products have been suggested by customers and my retailers.
In the meanwhile, enjoy these happy customer photos while I put my brush to four new canvases! Yes...I have some great new designs I'm working on this week and I promise I'll share as soon as I'm able!
 
Room by muralist Debbie Viola


  
I want to nibble on his little cheeks!


  
 My  Storybook Wall Hanging is well loved.
  
Full House star, Jodie Sweetin loved her Sherri Blum canvases. I enjoyed working on her nursery with her. She called me up to help her finish the room for this People Magazine photo shoot and an Access Hollywood taping, which was to take place within two weeks! We pulled it off!


  
Custom made for Tori Spelling's daughter, Stella and son, Liam. Her publicist wrote to me and said that Tori loved them both!


Yes, even Octomom is a fan...this hangs on the wall right outside of her nursery.


Custom made for Marcia Cross's twin daughters.

Angela Kinsey, (Angela Martin from "The Office") even wrote a thank you note! She is a class act! I love her card!
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