A pop of botanicals wallpaper installation (video included)

Jump to Video Jump to Wallpaper link

Catch the installation video at the end of this post!

Anytime a client stresses wanting peace and calm in a space, my first question is how many botanicals and green design elements can I get them to say yes to. For my client's nursery, using this green and white wallpaper from Target not only covered her peaceful request but also was strategically selected for its developmental effects on her baby.

Design Concept

Through the With Vibes, Design & Foodie Curation Services intake form, we start to gather concepts and adjectives our client is seeking to manifest in their space(s). From there the research begins to create a narrative and color story for the project. For our client's nursery, she emphasized calm, and peace, with a touch of luxury. Also to be considered in this project is that her large furniture (grey) was gifted so the color story would have to be created around those pieces.

Based on how important peace and calm were, my mind went immediately to green. Seriously and it's not just because it's one of my favorite colors. Green is the color palette GOAT when it comes to creating a sense of calm in a space simply because of its naturalistic feel. It also has developmental perks for babies as it reduces anxiety and promotes concentration. That led me to plan for the ceiling to be a calming green (imagine the baby laying on their back concentrated and calm), but also a bold green and white patterned wallpaper.

The contrasting pattern on the wallpaper was a strategy as well. Starting out and for a few months, babies best identify objects and spaces with contrasting colors and shapes. By choosing this wallpaper with contrasting colors and a print large enough to distinguish shapes and objects research shows that we are creating an environment for concentration and healthy brain development.

Lastly, this wallpaper was selected for its adaptability as it is removable. Planning in adaptable concepts and design features puts the power back in the client's hands to grow with the space. Clients love this! It is best to plan adaptable things into a nursery, even if perfectly planned because life just changes, things get dirty, and parents (and kids) want and need to be able to adapt. Whenever this client is ready, they can just peel the wallpaper off the wall with minimal to zero damage to their wall.

The Simple Process

This simple process took me a little over 1 hour and a half. The actual task of putting up the wallpaper doesn't take a ton of skill depending on the pattern and wallpaper you select. The tricky part comes in with walls that don't evenly meet the ceiling or adjacent walls. In that case, you have to do some slanting and crafty cutting to make sure that your pattern is straight vertically. But even with uneven circumstances, it's still doable with patience and these tools & tips below:

Tools needed:

• Removable Wallpaper (link to this wallpaper)

• Hairdryer

• Putty knife

• Utility knife (sharp)

Tips:

• Align wallpaper with ceiling and side walls to get the pattern to be straight

• Always match the pattern from panel to panel

• Use a putty knife to smooth the wallpaper down the wall

• Use a utility knife to cut along ceiling and baseboards

• Gently remove wallpaper from the wall to make adjustments

• Use an air dryer while gently adjusting wallpaper to remove air bubbles.

• Remove switch and outlet covers before installing wallpaper, cut around the opening, and then replace once complete

Target Botanical Wallpaper Installation Video (Follow the brand on Pinterest!- https://pin.it/2zZn0ZN)

This wallpaper has the perfect vibe for this calming and peaceful nursery design! Get subscribed and stay tuned to see the final design!

Leave a comment on this botanical vibe and let us know what you think!

The new game-centered restaurant in Ardmore, pa- twenty one pips (video included)

Check out my Pinterest post below about Ardmore, PA's newest game-themed restaurant, Twenty One Pips.

Let me start by saying that this restaurant is worth a visit for a cute family night. My quick review of this restaurant is that I loved the game concept and the food was good, it just needed some more vibes. See my pros and cons below:

Pros:

• Great Concept! Who doesn't love games? And they have a couple of different ways for you to play. You have the option (for a small fee) to have board games at your table. A game curator brings games and also makes suggestions for the table. You also have the option to play arcade games such as skeeball around the restaurant.

• The food and quality were good. We ordered flatbread, a beyond burger, steak, mussels, a charcuterie board, and a few drinks. The flavors were simple and to the point.

• The location is great. When a say great I mean that it is located in a safe area and easy to find. There is also metered street parking as well as a metered parking lot adjacent to the restaurant.

• Speaking of location, the building itself has great potential for instagram-able moments. It's a two-floor loft space that is easy to move through.

Cons

• More vibes needed. As mentioned above, the restaurant concept is great and gives you an overall good experience, but for a Friday night I expected to be engulfed in an experience. The music was too low, meaning someone had to tell me there was music after I asked, "Where's the music??".

• For a Friday night (and definitely for opening night), an incentivized group game like bingo would have been cute to set the vibe for the gaming space.

• Although the food tasted good, the menu and presentation of the food and drinks could have been more... fun. The drinks had no garnishes and presented in plain glasses. The food was just simply plated. In a game-themed restaurant, with a bar, I expected a mature whimsical vibe .

• This is a small note, because the loft space is open, airy, and comfortable. I would just like to see stronger photo worthy moments. Maybe oversized game-themed art pieces, more greenery, or maybe interactive game walls through out the space.

With all that said, I enjoyed my experience at Twenty One Pips. Without any updates to the vibe, I would go back for a cute family date as opposed to a lit instagrammable girls night. But that's just me- Check it out and let me know what you think in the comments!

Restaurant Vibe Video (Follow the brand on Pinterest!- https://pin.it/2zZn0ZN)

Comment about this vibe!

With Vibes,

High Tea & Happy Hour

A sweet summer hiatus & a new youtube series

Trigger Warning: Death, Miscarriage

Not too many things make me just... stop. Just brain broken, not being able to move, full stop. Now if you don't know how significant that is for me, I am a natural busy body. I always need to feel and be busy. A Capricorn personified.

My recent string of events hit differently. It felt like a personal attack; these happenings were designed to make me process hurt and trauma unlike usual. My normal mode is to cruise through the situation as quickly as possible and try to forget it as quickly as possible. It's what I'm used to and the environment I was raised in. With all of the hurt and trauma I've experienced, I have yet to be forced to sit in a moment of hurt and really let it marinate. I had to allow myself to fully experience that I was having a miscarriage and then a few days later that I lost my Father-in-law.

I began documenting my pregnancy journey as soon as I found out because... well I'm an influencer and 1. It's great content and 2. It's like a live baby book. I continued to document this journey during the miscarriage, continued through losing my Father-in-law, and through any feelings, I had afterward. Completing the story was not only important to my healing but it being complete took it off of a list of tasks that I had started and stopped. At that point, I really needed to see it through for my mental health.

Immediately after discovering that I was losing my pregnancy, I decided that day I was taking a sweet summer hiatus from social media and focusing on that moment. But in a way, it felt like my body was making the decision for me to be present. I couldn't leave the house or bed for 4 days because my body felt like it was in labor. My brain along with the rest of my body literally felt broken and the pressures of social media did not need to be added to that.

Although this sweet summer hiatus had a rocky road ice cream start, life has gone on and has become softer and more centered. I invite you to follow the My Miscarriage Story series on Youtube as well as any other content added to my Youtube & Pinterest for updates and of course vibes.

Subscribe and stay up to date on my website and YouTube... and just everywhere else once I'm off this hiatus lol.

Leave a comment to say hello!