Lettered Olive - Sneak Peek

Greetings!

I have a very special announcement to make today.
LetteredOlive.com will officially be up and running in September!
There, I said it.
While my Mom is working on different products at her place, I've been up to my eyeballs in sawdust & seashells, and wading through stacks and stacks of the most inspirational quotes & words in existence over here at mine.


I have a confession.
I've had a love affair with Typography for quite some time now.
Numbers, letters, symbols, punctuation- I love to admire them all.
There is so much beauty and grace in the written word.
A single letter or number, used in the right way, can often make my heart skip an entire beat.
There is an extra-special kind of magic, though, that occurs when just the right words are gathered together. For example...

"And then we sat,
on the edge of the earth,
feet dangling over the side-
and marvelled that we
had found each other."

- Erik Dillard

Words strewn together in a way that makes it impossible not to feel.
They are my escape. My motivation.
Silent little 'smile-makers', if you will.

At Lettered Olive, we have combined our love for words, our passion to inspire, and our desire to design unique home accessories- to create a product we call our "Rustic Quotebox".

Here is a sneak peak at a few...

Think-
"above a twin-sized headboard, or crib, or in a cottage by the beach".
This piece measures 28" tall, 18" wide.
Color, Rainwashed.





Think-
"end of a long hallway, or tall narrow wall
that is crying out for something to make a statement".
This piece measures 44" tall, 14" wide.
Color, Eucalyptus.



















Two simple words that pack a positive punch.
This piece measures 24" tall, 14" wide.
Color, Sandbasket.







This piece reminds us to let our light shine, everyday!
It measures 24" tall, 14" wide.
Color, Apple.



The Rustic Quotebox is just ONE of the products Lettered Olive will have to offer. Check back for more Lettered Olive updates throughout the next couple of weeks.

Our goal is to continually develop home decor that is fresh to the marketplace, and pieces we would want to display in our own homes. If you like our style, and would like to see what else we have to offer- make sure to check out www.LetteredOlive.com in September!

And if you have a second, pop over to HGTV.com and rate my audition video! I'm desperately seeking 5-star ratings!
(PS...you can vote more than once sometimes)
CLICK HERE!
Thank you, thank you! :-)

Dining Room - Fabric Options

I went to the one of the coolest places on the planet today.
It's right here, in Prattville, Alabama.
They carry a treasure trove of wonderful fabrics, and I am a TOTAL fabric junkie!
I could spend hours sifting through them. I love touching them and coordinating them with each other. It's such a rush. (Yes, I am truly a design geek)
Anywho, I wanted to see if I could find anything that would make nice drapes in the Dining Room.

Keep in mind, this is the scheme I've got going on in the Kitchen (which is open to the Dining Room):



This is choice number one:



Paired with a rug like this:



And here is choice number two:


I could add some trim to the edges, to make them less plain. Or maybe do grommets across the top, to tie into my nickel finishes in the kitchen. Lots of options to spiff them up, just thought the color was perfect.

Paired up with a rug like this:




This was also a possible contender:



Maybe with a rug like this:



Choices, choices.
I'd love to hear what you all think! What should it be? Combo 1, 2 or 3? :-)

Here are a few more photos of some other fabrics I found that I would love to find an excuse to use SOMEWHERE in the house:







* I'm adding this last bit to this post, because after reading some of your comments, I think it might be necessary-
Remember, I am inheriting an amazing, large, 100-year-old dark brown, wood Dining Table & Chairs in the near future.
Also, my first choice would be to use a sisal rug...but I am worried about putting yet another neutral color in the room. That would mean the only color would be in the form of the drapes and occasionally the table settings. I keep going back and forth on whether that's enough. ?
Lastly, I am not only an Interior Design NUT, but I'm a Gemini.
If I did get Rug #2, and "fell out of love with it" after a year- I would just go out and get something else. The designer, & Gemini, in me is incapable of getting too attached to home stuff. I always want something new eventually.
I don't buy a lot of clothes, gamble, travel, or have any other expensive hobbies, so I figure I can buy a rug every year if I want. :-)

Now, EVERYBODY, chime in here! I mean it...I'm depending on your votes! I will tally them up and blog about the winning combination tomorrow morning!

Layla

PS...I am posting the first ever LETTERED OLIVE post tomorrow morning too! (insert nervous excitement here)

Pantry - Before & During

I am thrilled to announce that the flooring is officially installed in the Pantry.
Woo hoo!

This is what it looked like around noon:



















And then piece by piece, it started to go come together:



And voila! It was done by 2:00!



I can't wait for you to see what's next for this soon-to-be-hardworking little space.
It's going to be the belle of the ball when I'm done with it, I swear!
I plan to use tons and tons of different textures, colors, incorporate lots of great organizational and storage solutions, and give it a bunch of personality to boot.

My intention, and overall design philosphy, is to create beautiful, functional, comfortable, inspiring rooms that make you FEEL. Rooms that you can't look away from without a fight.

Layla

Screen Door - Dining Room

I'm SOOOOO excited to show you what I found!
If you've been following my blog for a while, you know about my obsession with using a Screen Door as a Pantry Door.
Well, I FOUND ONE!
And it was RIGHT under my nose this whole time. DUH!!!
I was making one of a million trips out my back door yesterday, and it hit me. (Not literally)
I ALREADY OWNED THE MOST WONDERFUL OLD CHIPPY BLACK SCREEN DOOR EVER!!!!!

So remember my temporary "door"?



Well, behind that curtain lurked this:



And then I realized I had this:



So I put it here:



And then I put up that picture ledge I've been talking about adding:



So once the flooring is installed in the Pantry, I'm going to cover the walls with beadboard (painted white) and then I'm going to paint the back door (you can see in this photo) a Dusty Apple Green, to tie into the Kitchen:



So, here's the space...in all it's UNaccessorized glory. Can't wait to get curtains and a different Dining Table in there. Ooh! And black french doors instead of the one window...Oh, and new lighting and tongue-n-groove planks on the ceiling, and...and...and... :-)



I've got BIG BIG plans for the Pantry...it's gonna be so cute!
The flooring is going in today- so stayed tuned for more pics as the room evolves!

Layla

Rate my Design Star Audition Video!

Okay, ya'll. NOW is the time to rate my video at HGTV.com! :-)
I need ALL of you, even the "lurkers", to band together and visit this link:

LAYLA PALMER DESIGN STAR AUDITION VIDEO

(If you can't get the link to work- visit HGTV.com and find the Design Star page. My video is very close to the beginning, so it's pretty easy to find.)

If you think I've got what it takes, and would like to root for me on next seasons "Design Star"- go there and give my video a whole buncha' stars!

Thank you, thank you, thank you....I love you guys! :-)

Layla

Reading Room - During

So, here it is. The infamous "Reading Room" in it's current state.
I know, I know. The flooring STILL isn't installed.
It's been CRAZY around this place this week. But Kevin has promised to work on it soon.

I still haven't accessorized the space, or purchased window treatments.
And I've got plans to flank the new opening to the room with drapes.
For now, a lonely little rod just hangs, and waits...



I also want to purchase a twin-sized white pick-stitch quilt from Pottery Barn (it matches the outer most Euro Sham pillow covers in the photo), to cover the fitted sheet you see in the picture now...



In this photo is my little flea market find chair that used to be school bus yellow. I plan to cover the seat with burlap and throw a little green accent pillow on it...



So, to recap- here's what I started with, and where I am now.
I LOVE the fact that I kind of got an extra guest bedroom (or at least another spot for a guest to sleep) out of a pretty awkward six foot by six foot space.
Maybe it'll up the value of the home?

Technical Difficulties

First of all- THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to everyone who commented on my last couple of posts! You guys are so inspirational! I feel more motivated than ever!

Second, I have been having trouble uploading my video to the HGTV.com website. :-(
I chatted with someone from their technical support today, and she said she'd get back to me as soon as she finds out whether my video actually uploaded or not. So now I sit and wait. (Insert "Jeopardy" theme-song here)
I'll keep you posted on whether or not it makes it up on their site!

Layla

Design Star 4 - Making the Video

I've finally decided to enter the competition!
Today will be spent filming & editing my audition video.
Check back tomorrow to see the final cut, and then don't forget to give me a 5-star rating on HGTV.com! Ha ha! :-)

Wish me luck!
Anyone else entering next season?

How to be an Artist

My Aunt Julie sent me this card a couple of years ago, and I've looked at it almost every day since I received it. It's so motivational and inspiring.



Feel free to come back and read it whenever you'd like. :-)

T.G.I.T - Bedrooms

I searched the web for a few of the prettiest, most soothing bedrooms I could find as inspiration for my own. I was thinking I wanted green as my accent color- but after choosing these pictures, I think it's pretty obvious what color I'm drawn to!



This first room is precious. My favorite two things are the horizontal boards behind the headboard (just like my Guest Room!) and the darling little chandelier. I love the thought of a really fancy chandelier over a bed.
I am SO anti ceiling fans. I mean, really, who wants a four foot by four foot appliance that's shaped like a gigantic spider hanging from the ceiling? It looks like a helicopter crashed into the roof of our house! >:-P
I am ripping down every one by the time I'm done here.
Mark my words, it won't be long before someone finds another, less bulky way to circulate the air in our rooms, and then we'll all look back and go, "Gosh, remember when we all had those HUGE PROPELLERS hanging down in the middle of the room!?"



This second bedroom is one of my favorites that Candice Olson has ever done.
Again, LOVE the chandelier. The treatment she did on the ceiling is to die for.
The palette is so soothing and the amount of space is perfection. Lucky homeowner!!




You can't see too much of the room on this last one, but I was really drawn to the windows. There's something so dreamy about having two windows butted up to each other in the corner like that. And all the little panes make me despise my "modern" windows. The glass float on the bedside table is such a neat idea. I must remember to do that, somewhere. The table itself is incredible too. Don't ya just WANT it!?

Dining Room - During

Hey ya'll!
Finally got some pictures to show you where I'm at, as of today, in the Dining Room.
But I must start off by saying-
The apple green curtain covering the opening to the future pantry is a temporary fix. (I'm determined to get an old screen door!) I still haven't purchased new lighting, curtains, or installed the picture ledge on top of the beadboard wainscoting I recently put up. And, last but not least, the dining table and rug are both going to be replaced too.








And here are some extra shots. The flowers are courtesy of my Mom :-)





Here's what I have planned for on top of the picture ledge. The frames I drew in are not the right sizes, but you get the idea. I plan to install recessed "wall washer" lights in the ceiling, to illuminate the black and white photography. :-)



Which fixture(s) do think would look best? I really like these from Pottery Barn. Keep in mind, the new (100 year old) dining table I'm inheriting is longer, rectangular-shaped and dark brown wood.