Thursday, May 10, 2012

Babe Behind the Blog: Michelle at Michelle Jane Designs




Hi all Amber's lovers, I am Michelle from M J. Designs. I'm a full time Mummy, an interior and textile designer and a blogger, well I'm trying to be but the full time Mummy thing keeps getting in the way, haha. Amber asked me to post on her hugely successful blog. I’m a little scared, shocked and overwhelmed that she asked me because I haven’t been a blogger for very long and there has already been some fine 'babes behind the blog', thank you Mrs Lewis for letting me be one! 

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR INTERIOR DESIGN STYLE?

I started a blog because I would like to showcase my textile designs and you never know, maybe sell some fabrics along the way. Also, post the odd interior design projects I work on. I’ve been an interior designer since 1998 gulp! I got my first job back in little old London just after leaving University with a Fashion/Textile Bachelors Degree specializing in Textiles. In 2004 the interior design lead me to Los Angeles and I never looked back, well I sort of did as I’ve had a few London based projects now and then, which is amazing. I got to work for some amazing firms in Los Angeles and for some amazing clients! But, Textile design is my passion and I guess another reason that my blog gets pushed to the side, I just want to design pretty patterns all day, oh, and be Mummy of course.


My Textiles have always influenced my interior design style
but I always go with what the clients wants, their style and vibe for their home, office or business. So my style is as diverse as my clients.

My most recent project was a Frozen Yogurt Store in Calabasas CA. These were old clients of mine and I was so excited to work for them again. Luckily, they were very cool when my toddler was at some of our meetings. 

WHAT 3  THINGS CAN YOU NOT LIVE WITHOUT?



WHAT ARE 3 THINGS PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU?



YOUR MOST TREASURED POSSESSION:



WHAT ARE 3 THINGS PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU?



YOUR MOST TREASURED POSSESSION?



YOUT DIRTY LITTLE SECRET?

YOUR FAVE ROOM IN YOUR HOME?



WHEN I GROW UP I WANNA BE A?


If you do fancy popping by my blog and following me that would be brilliant! 




YOU all MUST go follow Michelle's new blog..
You can say "you knew her before her blog was HUGE"
;)

Crystal Ball!

I see these new SHOPPE goodies in your future.....











Coming end of April

I am gathering some of you may have seen these beauties on pinterest....well I am now officially importing these babies so get them while they are hot!

email me if you want to pre-order

HERE

Sweet Purps & Pink

I am crushin on purples...and pinkles!

you know a bit of lilac and bloosh

some lav and rose

grande grape a la Sal-Mon 
(gran-da grap-ay a la sal-mone) 

Anyone want me to make them a room using pinks and purps?













 Aint it purty??

Here is a quote to help you out this monday morning...
BTW who has been watching Shahs of Sunset??
It's fantoostic

"Tehran-Geles"

You all are the BEZZT

I am at a loss for words at how many times you lovers cease to amaze me. 




After hearing all your sweet comments about my emotional pre-school post yesterday, I have come to the decision that we are going to try G on 2 half days of school to start and then maybe 2 full days after she likes it.

This will be so beneficial for her, and part of me has felt this way for a while, I just needed to hear it from my peers!

I am currently spread so thin that those two days of knowing she is in a fun place while I work will be such a welcome relief.

As a token of my gratitude and genuine love for all of you I am offering a mothers day gift for all!!!!

20% off Everything in the SHOPPE!!!!!

Happy Mother's Day

Enter the code 

"YOMAMA" 

for 20% off...
but hurry quick cause unless you wanna pay for some serious fast shipping charges, you better order to get your goods by MamaDay


Thank You all again for being so kick ass!

Interiors related posts to return tomorrow!!



Petal Art

Big Blooms are In!!

Duh









Don't forget 20% off the shoppe for Mom Day..hurry quick!

Enter Code:

YOMAMA

Monday, May 7, 2012

Emotions

Sometimes I get emotional..

Most of the times I try and keep it to myself or the Duck, btt after the past few weeks I have had...I decided to share it with you all...mainly just because you all lift me up so much and seem to say the right things when I need it most! 

The duck has been gone for 5 weeks now on tour and he still won't be home till the end of the month.

I am a full time working from home stay at home Mom.....

This means I work a normal 12-14 hour day and am a mommy 24 hours a day with a sitter who helps 2 days a week....and a hubby who will be gone for the majority of the rest of the year. 

Recently lots of crazy huge opportunities have been coming my way and quite quickly landing on my lap. I am so excited and eager to make the next big jump in my career and future. However I am carrying around this giant Lump in my throat thinking about my baby.

You see... 

When I first had G the plan was for me to be a stay at home Momma. For 8 months I was at home with my monkey day in and day out just the two of us bonding and being Mommy daughter. The duck was gone for a lot of these first months so I really had a lot of alone time with my thoughts. I was co-sleeping and breast feeding and basically a solo mama and needless to say I got a bit  overwhelmed. 
As much as I loved G, I didn't love the way I felt staying at home. I felt useless and like I was withering away with nothing more to talk about then poop, breast milk, and sleeping..  I needed to do something creative but I felt guilty for leaving my baby.

Because the duck was gone I didn't have a lot of support or many friends to talk to about how isolated I felt so I just decided that I was gonna get my ass back to work and never let G out of my sight for longer than a few hours.

 I could make it work....I can do it all, right???

I would go to work and literally every two hours would get whoever was watching G to come to meet me at work so I could breast feed her. She wouldn't take a bottle ,so I was on a 2 hour time limit anywhere I went.

I grew to just accept that in order for me to have a career I would have to do both Mommy and work at the same time and do both 100%....

and here is where the emotional part comes in.

I have done my best to try and keep G at home with me, but work is overwhelming and G is getting frustrated with my obvious pre-occupation. 

I am realizing that I cannot do it all AND have a happy baby if she is getting ignored. My first priority is to G as her Mommy and I only want whats best for her. 

I say this because it may be time to put her in preschool and I am crying just typing this. 

I have been scouring the Internet trying to find reasons why I should and reasons why I should not, but the general consensus seems to be, you should do what is best for your child.....

What is wrong with me?

I took G to an open house at one of the perspective schools we are looking at and she LOVED it...she talked about it for a week and kept asking if she was "going to go to skoo". You would think I would be happy to put her somewhere I know she will love being...but I am scared shitless.

I am a control freak by nature and the thought of not knowing her every move KILLS ME! 

Who will hug her if she falls, who will understand that when she walks up to you on her tippy toes and says "woobeenook" that she wants to cuddle. Who will know that she is hungry or tired or just needs to chill??????

Seriously I am hysterically crying typing this..

Lovers, PLEASE give me your stories. Tell me it's gonna be OK or tell me I am a horrible Mother for even thinking about putting her in school before she is 3...or just tell me to take a bath and a xanax and get over it.

I don't know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


Sorry for the Monday bum out but I am just at a crossroads.

Look at how freaking cute she is!!!!

See how hard this must be!




Friday, May 4, 2012

my week in Instagram

 Client awesome's house is coming along QUITE nicely!
New drapes are gonna get made...We got a SWEET new entry rug 
AND I am bout to put the smack down on some super radical dining chairs and a dining table...
Whoa ....serious stuff!

look how pretty!








Also here is a VERY VERY small smidgen of the newest member of the Amber Interiors client family

Client Super Sweets


this is just the backyard folks......the house is STUNNING to say the least!!!
It's gonna be one for the books!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Pretty Paper

are these not the cutest things you eva did see???





I certainly think they are.....go HERE 

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Discount Time!

So I got my shipment of these amazing runners, morroccan blankets, neon striped throws/tablecloths, and Kantha quilts

I would keep it all...but then I would be broke

So I am here to do two things for you today

1: 

tell you that I am giving away this beauty over on one of my fave blogs 

Gasp Gasp GO QUICK AND ENTER!!!!!


2:

I am giving you all a big fat DISCOUNT CODE!!!!

15% off up until Mother's Day!

enter FAB15 

Here are some of the goodies you could get your pretty little paws on





Spleee-DONK

Paaa-DOOSH

Ba-Ya-Ya-Ya-YOING!