The Wolf Huffed and He Puffed...

What has Covid-19 quarantine had you doing that you wouldn’t otherwise be doing? The first week was going ok over here and then both Michael and I had an itch to get working on a home improvement project. I guess it makes sense when you are locked inside that you start nesting. And while all of us just want a safe, strong home to be able to stay together in, it seems appropriate that we landed on this faux brick feature wall.

For starters, AngelaRose just completed her brick wall and it gave me major inspiration. I knew exactly which wall I wanted to do in the living room but it is a very high ceiling so doing brick just was’t in the budget. Michael and I went into HomeDepot to get some inspiration and stumbled across this faux brick panelling that was only $35/panel. We only needed 6 to finish the wall so it was much more reasonable. When I expressed interest in dong the project, he was 100% on board.

We brought home one panel to put up and test out some paint treatments. After that, the next day we picked up the rest of the panels and got to work. It only took him about 4.5 hours to install. It has taken me much more time to paint and I’m not even close to done. I’m starting by painting the grout lines in white paint and then using a damp wet cloth to rub them down. Some bricks i’m washing with a gray paint and then i’m using a joint compound to both hide the seams but also give a German Shmear look. This is the step on on now and its very time consuming. Before you ask, I did not want to go and paint all of the brick white because the character of brick was what I was after. It is a big wall but I love any kind of architectural detail. We decided to wrap the brick around to the office door to make it feel even more authentic. WE ARE OBSESSED! What do you think?

lowercase VEGAN

Right before labor day weekend, my amazing friend came to visit me from San Francisco. It was just going to be a couple days but turned into about a week. By this visit, I had already began training for a half marathon.

Let me back up a couple of years. Monica and I have been friends since 9th grade. Our “training together” relationship started during high school when we juiced together, did swim team together, did cabbage soup diets together, and all that probably not so good for you stuff in the long run. But right after high school was when we both really got into running. In October of 2014, Monica completed her first half marathon and knowing how much she hated running (although literally has a perfect natural stride), she completely inspired me to sign up for one as well. February 2015 was the first Half Marathon i’ve done and it was at the San Francisco Golden Gate Park. The three months of training while in a very demanding semester of design school, taught me exactly why I love the discipline of running. Running is my meditation. It’s uncomfortable. But I’ve always come up with my best ideas and “Aha” moments while running. I completed my second half that March and the years after that I only ran here and there. Fast forward to 2017, having my baby, and trying to run outside again, was crushing. Something I once loved and practiced was now causing me pain and quite honestly i couldn’t run without peeing my pants! It was soul crushing and while others were trying to “push” me, I was fighting a battle internally that only I could understand. Would I ever be able to rebuild that love for running?

So here we are, back to running and feeling great. Monica comes down to LA and tells me when she gets here “I’ve been Vegan and sober since April”. Now this didn’t come across just as a crazy cleanse situation to me because Monica was and is also training for an Iron Man this December in Australia. I mean, pause on that. BADASS! So her being vegan and sober was very calculated in a whole picture kind of way. In other words, LIFESTYLE! Or as she calls it, her “vegan sober bubble”. She wasn’t just cutting out meat and dairy and alcohol and any other recreational shit, she was cutting out toxic relationships. Her relationship with friends, her career, the food on her plate…..She meticulously curated what was going to surround her during this iron man training. She wasn’t comfortable with the idea of contributing to the meat and dairy industry so she cut it out. She didn’t love the day in and day out lethargy she was in in her then current career so she cut it out. And she has never looked happier and overall lighter to me. I realized I had always know Monica as a stressed person but here she was, after ten years of knowing her and she was looking ten years younger!

So anyways, when Monica explained this to me, I simply said “ok! Well I’ll just eat what you’re eating while you’re visiting”. Before I knew it I was having the best veggie burritos and salads and just meals that i’ve had in a while. The cost of groceries went down, and my digestive system seems to really be acclimating. I felt energized to run that first 6 mile run since giving birth to Parker and all of a sudden all the excuses to never become Vegan, just seemed silly.

It’s been over 2 months now. And it’s been much easier than I thought it would be. I also have been sober which is always a weird one to say because when you say the big S word, people assume you were an alcoholic or drug addict before. If you know me you know I was far from that. But cutting out wine and even the green goods has made me focus on letting running be my stress reliever instead of those other things. I' am running the same Half Marathon I did the first time at the Golden Gate park and I am so excited that I am back in love with running. I think having the discipline of eating Vegan and being sober is really guiding this training. I call myself lowercase vegan because I am still not at the place where I introduce myself as a vegan. I prefer to keep it more private on a day to day. But it’s working for me. Ive told myself I can have one day of not being vegan Thanksgiving day. I probably wont have any dairy because I can tell it wont sit well with my tummy but I MIGHT have a little turkey. We will see, Grandma!

If you guys have any questions about my journey or even Monica’s, write a comment below!

Sharing A Room With Our Toddler

I’ve talked about this a little on my instagram home tour, but I thought I would publish it here for others in a similar situation as ours to not feel alone or ashamed. We share a bedroom with our toddler.

Before moving into our current condo, we rented the guest house that my mom has now turned into her AirBnb. It was an in between of a studio space and a one bedroom. I had lived here through college and Michael moved in with me when we first started dating. The space was working great with just me, and even with Michael and I both. but when Baby Parker was born, we were getting nervous about space. We had planned to move out but we were able to buy our own property when he was just over a year old. We found this awesome two bedroom two bath in Canoga Park that we fell in love with. it was so much more space than we were used to and we were finally able to have a real kitchen instead of the kitchenette we had been working with for a few years. It felt like the perfect home for our family.

But being that it was our first home, we wanted a little more security with our financial situation so we decided to rent out the second bedroom to one of my sister-in-laws. So this meant our space was now confined to just a one bedroom for us and our growing toddler.

We originally had a crib for him but he kept growing and growing and for his 2nd birthday, Michael made him an awesome custom bed with two huge storage drawers underneath to hide the growing amount of toys. When he built the bed we swapped our bed to the opposite wall so it didn’t feel like dorm beds. I think we did a really good job using an ikea bookshelf and more toy baskets to make that part of the bedroom feel like parkers.

Does Parker end up creeping into our bed a few nights a week? Yes, absolutely. But would that be happening even if he had his own room? Most likely. So for now I feel pretty good about the situation and Parker loves his bed!

Living in LA is expensive. If you are in a similar situation and feeling guilty that you can’t give your kid his/her own bedroom, just know you aren’t alone. You’re doing the best you can currently and there are so many ways to make it feel like they have your own space and so do you!

I'm Giving You Permission, Girlfriend

I have this urge in me to connect with other women. Ok, so maybe that seems a little basic. But does it? Do you look at other women and say “I wish I looked like her.” “Why does she get to be in that relationship and I can’t find myself someone who loves me?”. “She didn’t even work as hard as me and she has a better job”. “She’s only like that because her parents helped her get there.” It’s ok to admit it if you do. I’m simply here asking so that you can identify that seed growing in you. It’s the jealousy seed and those comments are just the seed. Imagine if you let it grow into a tree!

Let me be a little more frank. Women should not be jealous of each other.

When I was younger I never connected with other girls. Other than my twin sister of course. But our friends were always the skater boys or the little boy down the street who liked to break dance with us in our living room. Yes! We did breakdance. I’m digressing. When we went back into public school, this continued. Sure we were friends with girls too but those relationships didn’t stick. I wasn’t very girly. Not in my physical appearance and not in my attitude. I didn’t feel that jealousy over other girls because I wasn’t trying to connect with them over which lipgloss their allowance bought them that month or which padded bra was bigger. (there was NO regard for what was natural looking!!!)

It was a couple of years ago that I started connecting with women. And just like that, it was unstoppable. I wanted to know every one of them. Their differences. Their struggles. And definitely their secrets! It’s funny because every woman I know has a secret. It usually makes them. Not so much the secret itself but how they hide it or if they do. Maybe it’s because I have hit an age where women care less about lip gloss and padded bras. But other women feel so important to me as I build my own business. I was telling my sister in law that when you’re a woman growing a business, the lifeline is other women. It’s a given. It’s like you can’t just be one woman. You have to be a girl gang or a boss babe. It’s a group effort culturally.

If you are a woman business owner, or entrepreneur and want to connect, comment below! Let start a session of sharing. Is there something you are trying to bring to the world? To your community? Is there an audience you are trying to reach? Is there a step you are afraid to take in your adult life? What is holding you back? If you’re holding yourself back, what would it take to let your self take that next step?

I remember in design school, we talked about artwork that gave permission. It usually was a piece that was a little bit out there. The piece usually pushed limits and made you stop in your tracks. These were called “permission giving” because when you looked at them, you felt able to push limits yourself because someone had already tested the water for you. I want to be that for you. I give you permission, Girlfriend!

Family Pictures!

Wood Float Frame / Scratched Bone Frame / Cannon Powershot Camera /

Guys! This is the must important thing whether you want to hear it or not. Take pictures! More importantly, schedule a photo sesh with your people. With your kids. Your cats. Your plants!!! Whatever it is that you want to keep track of. For me, Michael has a bunch of siblings (mostly sisters). Like literally, a bunch! We are particularly close with these weirdos (in case any of them read this and think I am too fond of them). And while they are annoying and ridiculous at least a quarter of the time, they are a big part of our lives. And therefore a huge part of Parker’s childhood. So not only do we want to track the growth of our little family of three; we also want to track the growth of the cousins and aunts and uncles. So every year, around the holidays, we force as many of them as we can to one location to pay money to stand in front of a camera and do things they would already be doing at home, in their pajamas.

Yes most of them get super annoyed I push it so much. But when those pictures roll in from our favorite photographer, no one has complaints because the candid energy we have just caught on camera is beyond instagram worthy! More like huge gallery wall in everyone’s homes.

Some tips we use for our shoots are as follows:

1. Pic a color palette for your outfits. Not everyone listens so try to give options. For this big picture we did blue jean, black and white. For previous years we’ve done just neutral color. If you get too specific, people won’t feel themselves. And the best part of any picture is to let everyone’s personality shine.

2. Ask your photographer when the lighting is best in your location. For us, this is either usually early early morning, or as the sun is setting.

3. Make it fun for the kids! You want them smiling and goofing off in the pictures so the more fun they are having the better the picture will be.

4. Don’t stress about the location. Your picture is mostly going to be of the people in it. We usually pic a trail or outdoor area. Since we wait until later in the year, its usually a picture with more brown than green but that makes for a softer background in my opinion.

5. Bring props! Sometimes you wont need them and sometimes they will hardly be able to be seen in the picture but it gives everyone something to play around with during an already sort of awkward moment of posing for a camera while not posing. Sometimes we bring blankets or an old orchard box. Or try some twinkly lights to put around people if they are battery operated.

Valentine's Day Last Minute Gifts

It’s February, the month of expressing your love! Whether you are married, dating, or just want to have a Galentine’s Day, here are some fun and easy gifts you can get before the big day. Everyone knows a good candle is everything but have you considered doing something more activity oriented like making fresh pasta? I know that this Valentines day, me and the hubs are making fresh pasta and revisiting our old date night in habits. I’ll be setting the table and lighting the home with candles and flowers to make it feel moody and romantic even though we will be be having other guests. The night will be fun and eventful as we make fresh noodles with our guests and possibly a dessert.

How To Stay Clutter Free With Kids

Ok first off, who ever said that this was a possible way of living lied.  I remember being pregnant and all of my friends and family (LITERALLY ALL) kept joking how soon ill have to box up my pottery and frames and dismantle all of of table scapes.  I quickly replied with "Yeah right." The first few months of baby was fine but as I'm sure you've guessed, I soon had to box up my stuff.  At this time I became a huge fan of shelves.  High enough to present my pretty things but out of reach from the little tornado walking around in diapers.  

I found that as little one started walking and running and playing with his toys, messes became a lot more inevitable.  This is when I became a bigger fan of baskets.  Specifically. Baskets with lids to hide the colorful plastic mess that was inside.  I designated a basket for balls, one for random toys and a small one for his magnetic tiles/legos.  I found that three baskets of toys was more than enough for a baby and even two.  Occasionally I will go in and donate toys he isn't using regularly or he has outgrown.  (See below for a few basket recommendations)

Michael is an accountant so he works most of the week including some Saturdays.  While he doesn't have a ton of time to help around the house, we manage to schedule out our Sunday to include catching up on cleaning and finishing a couple small projects around the house.  This includes getting all the laundry done, fresh sheets on the bed, not just a sweep but a mop of the floor, and occasionally things like clearing out the whole refrigerator and organizing a part of the house.  This makes it fun and a lot easier to maintain throughout the week.  Using clear organizing trays make this so much easier to stay on track but an occasional deep clean helps.

And of course, I probably don't even need to spell this one out but when we clean, our baby cleans too.  We even got him the play cleaning set so when we mop the floors, he gets right in their with his own mop.  It’s literally one of the cutest things i’ve seen that involved a mop. The goal is to teach that this is a regular thing of living in a home and taking care of your things.  And did I mention how motivating it is when he gets all excited when the broom and dust pan come out!  That's called multitasking.

Anyways, long story short, it’s not impossible to have a home that is pretty and Pinterest ready at least half of the time while having a toddler. It just takes love, planning, and a lot of organizing. Check out these products below to help you get organized.

The only storage containers I have on my counter top to let me stay on top of what I have in stock.

Some cute storage bins for high shelves.

Cute baskets with lids are decor AND storage.

Clear bins for your fridge.

Shopping South of The Border

A back yard remodel managed to direct me to Mexico when my client wanted a Mexican tile rug in her outdoor dining set up. Fortunately LA is so close and we had our passports so it seemed silly to not go straight to the source. Ill have another post about this back yard project but we are here to talk about how to shop in Mexico. If you need to see pictures of the project, follow our progress under my Interior Design page under "Black/White Backyard".

First off, we had a mission; Mexican tile. If we got nothing else on this trip that would have been ok so we made sure to prioritize during this quick two day shopping spree. We started in Rosarito where there were a couple large tile shops along the main road. Our first tile store stop was actually a great success and despite only getting half of the tile there the first day, we actually returned the next day to get the bigger tile as well as we realized from shopping around that it was the best pricing. That brings me to my first tip, buy when you are sure. There is no returning things so when it is a big purchase, shop a couple stores to make sure you are not jumping the gun.

Once we got the tile we explored the neighboring stores. This particular project is actually using minimal color and if you know anything about Mexican tile, you will know it is anything but that. So this made it easier to just admire from a distance at all of the Talavera with the exception of just a couple gift purchases. What you will learn is every price is negotiable. I found that when buying multiple pieces from the same vendor, it was easier to negotiate. For example, say you see a planter and it is $50, offer $75 for two. It is harder for the vendor to pass up $75. Treat it like its an all or nothing deal. That brings me to my next big point. Don't treat it like their pricing is fair or unfair. Think of it as you are working with a budget and trying to spread it out. And if you need to say I only have $20 bill left for this trip, you would be surprised just how much they will help you spend that bill. But always always always show gratitude when they work with you. And try to bring cash as much as possible. Most vendors only take cash but if they do take card it might add a charge. This brings up a sort of elephant in a room. Using a card can lead to information stealing. There was absolutely a time I was at the pharmacy on this trip and I'm almost positive I saw someone take down my card information. At the end of the day I'm not terrible worried about it because if something happens I can dispute it with my bank but it just goes to show that cash is better all around.

Below is a list of items we purchased and the price. Beware, the prices are insanely good and it might make you want to go down to Mexico yourself just to score some great finds. A couple things I did not purchase but definitely saw a great deal on were cement planters, marble and granite slabs, and huge live edge dining tables.

Cow Skull and Horns - $25 each. We bought two which had great horns and no crazy creepy holes in the head from the slaughter house. =/

Cement Hand Chair AND Gray Large Chimnae - $125 total (holy crap, right?!)

Mexican Blankets - $10 each

Leather Sandals - $25 each pair

Sacred Heart Mirror - $85

Tile - Total purchase was $650 for tile rug and planter

White Gold Hoop Earrings - $40 (the jeweler also did an acid test for us to prove the quality)

Talavera Sun - $30

If you go shopping after being inspired by this post, please use #HinkleGotMeShopping !

A Little Extra

I spent this morning acting like a New Yorker while in New Jersey.  I snuggled the cats in bed while I sipped on my DIY pumpkin spiced latte, tanned my freshly manicured feet (Let’s be honest, that is all that I am going to reveal this Winter anyway), and stumbled into the local Dry Cleaners in tattered sweatpants to pick up my favorite sweater. Ahhh, welcome home to my favorite sweater!

For anybody who knows me, I am a royal pain in the ass to shop with. Put me in any clothing store - even my favorite - and I will meander around for a good twenty minutes, touching things and contemplating what it is I actually NEED before I even dare to try something on. Like most people, I have my shopping comfort zones. Unlike most people, I am constantly trying to break that zone and wander into something daring and different to reflect my sparkly, chaotic, worldly soul. Or, at least that’s what I tell myself. I usually end up walking away with a single item. Yesterday, I shopped for three yours only to bring home a discounted pair of sparkly Kate Spade earrings which, as you probably guessed it, I paired with my tattered sweatpants this morning.

I remember the day that I purchased that sweater. I was living in California and had just gotten a call back saying that I was selected to become an Advocate for survivors of sexual assault. This meant that I would spend six hours every week supporting men and women in the hours immediately following a sexual assault. It felt so spot-on for me to be the one holding up, talking to, laughing with, and comforting a complete stranger in what could, arguably, be considered one of the most vulnerable moments in their life. My mom gave me her Nordstroms credit card and told me to go get something that fit the “business casual” attire guidelines for the agency. I knew I would be working the overnight shift in a cold building so I figured I would start by finding a sweater - something cozy and comforting. Naturally, I took my sister with me.

My sister is much more sure of herself when she is shopping. She is clear about her image and what she likes but she is a designer so she has an unfair advantage. With her help, I eventually found a long, crocheted, beige sweater. It’s one of those sweaters that doesn’t actually keep you warm because the holes are so big but you throw it over a tank top, call the look hippie-chic, and imagine yourself as a layering goddess. It’s one of those sweaters that does not count as a whole “top” and, really, it forces way more wardrobe planning time than a sweater should require. I twirled around in the poorly-lit dressing room falling in love with this stupid sweater before I even looked at the price tag. Worst. Mistake. Ever. My sister sat in the room with me and explained how important it is to get something you love even if it costs a little extra because you will probably love it for a little extra time and I eventually gave in and purchased it. The budget my mom had set for me was completely blown on this damn sweater.

Fast forward six years and I am across the country picking up that same sweater. I don’t pair it with Uggs and leggings like I used to but it has incorporated itself nicely into my Autumn layers. It reminds me that, when I don’t trust my gut, I should at least trust my sister. In some silly poetic way, it is also the perfect example of how the women in my life help shape me. There are so many little stories like this where a girlfriend of mine has taught me something small but impactful. My morning coffee and to-do list routine is owed to my friend, Lauren, who is one of those insanely productive morning people. My skin care regime is something my friend, Isabel, suggested briefly while using me as a test model for her makeup artist interview. Those Kate Spade earrings I purchased yesterday were actually me just copying my friend, Kristina, who somehow always looks like a million bucks even if she spent the whole night drinking rose. The list goes on and on.

Today, I am living in New Jersey and commute to New York where I am a Case Manager for men and women coming out of our correctional facilities and into their first apartment ever. My clients have a long history of mental health challenges, substance abuse habits, homelessness, and incarceration. They face gigantic hurdles every day and the job is often tiring. There are some days where a client relapses and other days where a client celebrates three years of sobriety. It is an honor to continue to be welcomed into the vulnerable (and often times lonely) corners of a person’s life. I wish that all of my clients had the level of support that I get from the powerful women in my life.

April Hinkle

2016

Mirror Mirror in the Flea Market

If you have been following me at all then you won’t be surprised that I love a good challenge at a flea market. But lets back up a week when my lovely client asked me to consult her on a mirror for over her antique, bone and gold inlay table. She had picked out a hand full of gold antiqued mirrors from various websites and shops that send catalogues up the ying yang. They all looked relatively similar with just minor detail changes. While I did actually like them all, my concern was that they were not authentic as her table was. Something in my gut said they would take away from the table by trying to match instead of compliment. That is a huge subject in interior design my little proteges. Find something to stand out in the room and let that piece be your focal point. Everything else will work for it. So let it all “Work, Work, Work Work Work…”

I politely picked a mirror for client and said that I picked the one with the least detail for all of the above reasons. BUT also said something along the lines of “If you really want to know what I would do if it were my space, I would paint the mirror a dark blue to match your other accent pieces. No black. No gold. No white. Less predictable.” And I kid you not I was so surprised when she said “Let’s do it.” (Insert shocked super excited emoji here) Well I wasn’t about to let her refinish a $400 mirror so let the flea marketing begin! So we set an appointment to scope out the local flea market in two weeks.

You may or may not know that going to a flea market looking for something specific is a COMPLETE gamble. Especially one as small as the one we were going to in both of our neighborhoods. I went to the market about 30 minutes before she came just to scope out what they had and start haggling before. And I was surprised to find two runner ups. But one had my attention. It was a lot more intricate and…well here is a picture of it….

I mean…..HELLOOOOOO SEXAY THANG. Am I right? I had my navy blue filter glasses on and it was a prime suspect of perfection. I saw it! I immediately attempted to show client but of course I couldn't find it at first so we stumbled upon a couple more. But we found it. She was a little hesitant. The birds were not her thing and the pagoda on the top was not giving it the right scale. So we popped them off!

Several coats of paint later and some sawing, sanding and filling, we have an ecstatic client with a one of kind piece of jewelry for her home. See pictures below to see transformation.

Stay tuned for final project pictures of the table accessorized and the room finalized!