Read about my Favorite Things Party! I include details on how to host and take aways I learned!
Recapping Christmas 2022
Holiday Home Tour 2023
The Remodel: Our Bonus Room
Welcome to our Bonus Room! An add on from the beginning of the year is finally presentable. 🙂
Waker Project Part 2: The Family Room
Look at these beautiful built-ins! Custom design and built for our Waker Project.
Waker Project Part 1: The Kitchen
NEW! Waker Project Kitchen Reveal!
Bonus Bath is Complete!
The bonus room bathroom is complete!
Home Office Makeover
Home office makeover: BEFORE and AFTER photos!
One little change can make a huge difference!
Even a small change can make a HUGE difference!
Woodrose Part 2: Now for the Cozy Part, The Family Room!
A family room update.
Woodrose Project Part 1: The Kitchen
Kitchen Remodel: A referral from another client is the best compliment ever!
’90s Master Bathroom Update: What NOT to Do
Hiring a contractor? Lead with caution.
Brick House: the great debate
Home decisions using brick: exterior and interior. Do we paint brick? Do we leave it natural? What's the right thing to do?
Let’s freshen up that bachelor pad
A kitchen remodel: taking this bachelor kitchen to the present day.
A Spa-like Primary Bath
Let's move that toilet! The first decision made in this primary bathroom remodel.
No Consult too Small
A mini kitchen consult provides big results!
A Sophisticated Boys Bathroom
This boys bathroom got a new fresh look! Delicious new floors, sparkly counters, light fixtures and hardware and a fresh coat of paint!
Lilywood Project: Family Room Built-ins
Home Design: the Lilywood project bookshelf and fireplace surround reveal!
Lilywood Kitchen Reveal
Before & Afters of the Kitchen Remodel at the Lilywood Project
Spanish Style in St. Thomas
A spanish style home consult for a fresh great room update!
A Beautiful Powder Bath
This bathroom remodel goes from 80's splendor to contemporary calm!
Raspberry Dessert
Need a quick and easy dessert for Easter or Mother's Day or any special evening? This Raspberry Galette is sure to please.
Valentine Idea: Paintbrush Valentine
A Valentine good for boys and girls and anyone that likes CANDY!
Homemade Ornaments
Homemade Ornament for all ages
Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Cups
Need a unique COOKIE for a cookie exchange? This Brown Butter Snickerdoodle is the ONE!
Visiting Santa – A Family Tradition
Visiting Santa, a family tradition
China Cabinet Refresh
China Cabinet Refresh - using Opal House Wallpaper from Target
Carpet oh Carpet: how do I choose you?
Choosing carpet for your home
Laundry Room Remodel
Laundry Room Remodel
Master Bedroom Refresh
A house is never done. It is a forever molding and shaping into a home and then remolding and shaping to what your family needs. People change, our tastes change, our lives evolve.10+ Years Ago We moved into this home 11 years ago and since then we upgraded to a king bed and have changed… Continue reading Master Bedroom Refresh
The Blackberry Booze Bash
It is officially fall and we are rolling into cooler nights and shorter days. Rich foods and red wines are being paired to accompany our need for cozy comfort.Earthy Cocktails are IN To change things up, try this delightful and refreshingly cocktail. It has the tartness from the berries, the sweetness from the honey and… Continue reading The Blackberry Booze Bash
One Bowl Banana Bread
I seriously hate dishes. NOT the clean pretty ones! Those I LOVE!!!! I hate DIRTY dishes!!! So if there is ever a way to reduce the amount of dirty dishes, I am ALL IN! I shared my one bowl healthy, vegan banana bread a few years ago. This is a banana traditional bread recipe (sugar,… Continue reading One Bowl Banana Bread
Pumpkin Pancakes
The winds are picking up and the nights are getting cooler. The pumpkins are showing up in the stores and the pumpkin spice EVERYTHING is on all of the shelves. It is beginning to look a lot like FALL! I love pumpkin. The flavor has always been a favorite! And now that it's fall, I am… Continue reading Pumpkin Pancakes
Designing for a Client: Country to Classic
I am a designer. I always have been! I can remember back to when I was 12 almost 13 and my dad built a master suite onto my childhood home. That meant I got to move into their old room!!! Woohoo!!! Master suite for ME! (but don't be too impressed, it was about a 10'… Continue reading Designing for a Client: Country to Classic
My NEW Crafting Closet
A quick re-design of the crafting sewing closet.
Kitchen: Choosing Product
Remodeling our kitchen took work, took time, and took lots and lots of decision making. In my article on the step by step process for a kitchen remodel, I talk about how the process from beginning to end. Today, I am sharing with you all the details that are decided on before and during all… Continue reading Kitchen: Choosing Product
Caramel Cupcakes
Well, how is YOUR summer going so far? Happy to not have schooling every day on top of everything else: cooking, cleaning (oh the cleaning!), working, laundry, etc.?! My family is trying to keep up with reading & math on weekdays, but we need more TO DO'S! And this week, my teen got her first… Continue reading Caramel Cupcakes
Healthy Griddle Cakes with Berry Compote
Hi friend! How have you been doing? Any visits to the farmer's Market lately? Our local market opened up last month and I have been 2 weeks in a row! First, I needed to grab a bouquet of peonies before they are no longer in season and second for peonies AGAIN but this time I… Continue reading Healthy Griddle Cakes with Berry Compote
Meal Planning During Quarantine
I don't know about you but cooking cooking cooking has got me tired tired tired and totally lacking creativity in the the food department. Every day, the same ol' routine. Am I alone? No, I don't think so! We are all going thru this together! We are all trying to chug through our days, getting… Continue reading Meal Planning During Quarantine
Annual Girls Trip: New Orleans 2019
No kids. No husband. I am in a Lyft, heading to the airport for a long weekend to New Orleans. Just saying this, I can hear Harry Connick Jr.'s voice talkin' in my ear. The south. I've never been. Well, not since I was a young girl on the cusp of my thirteenth birthday, traveling… Continue reading Annual Girls Trip: New Orleans 2019
Where’s the Bar?
If you have been following me, you will know that this lady loves her cocktails! 😉 Some of my favorite posts have been the Crimson Kiss, the Salty Bunny, and most recently The Clover Club. When we reconfigured our kitchen, we lost our "bar area". Now, don't get too sad for the signature cocktail queen. … Continue reading Where’s the Bar?
A Stinky Review
I have been trying to find a deodorant that works for me for YEARS! My goal is to smell fresh but I also don’t want to have those ugly underarm circles. Deodorants help you smell good and antiperspirants keep the sweat away. What's a girl to do? I will deal with underarm circles IF it… Continue reading A Stinky Review
Our New Kitchen: Before & After
I had a lovely kitchen. I really did. I remember walking into this house 11 years ago and thinking, we can never afford this house. It's so grand. It's so well kept. It's been updated, and it looks out onto a flat back yard (those are hard to come by in our neck of the… Continue reading Our New Kitchen: Before & After
Kitchen Remodel and The Nitty Gritty Details
Come along on our adventure, following every step of our recently remodeled KITCHEN!
Lemon lbs. Cake
Lemon. It's the taste of summer. So refreshing, thurst quenching and oh so delicious. In California, they are blessed to have the perfect weather to grow citrus. At my dad's house in the bay area, there is a very large lemon tree that produces the grandest lemons I've ever seen. I mean, these things can… Continue reading Lemon lbs. Cake
May Day Art
May is upon us and we have so many things to celebrate: Mother's Day, Teacher Appreciation Week, a few special birthdays (my son, my sister, my friend April, ... 😉 ) and of course, one of my favorites: MAY DAY! When I was a little girl, I can remember going early before school started and dropping… Continue reading May Day Art
Quarantine Cocktails
I do not know about you, but this quarantine has brought out the drinking bug in me! 🙂 And when the drinking bug hits, Josh Madrid is a good person to know! 😉 Josh and I met while working together as Art Literacy Coordinators at Bonny Slope Elementary School. We had the best time playing… Continue reading Quarantine Cocktails
Bookshelf Styling
Many years ago, even before I got married, I was part of a book club. Oprah started her book club in 1996 and everyone was joining along. It was a wonderful reason to get together with other intelligent women, sipping wine and analyzing the story we had all experienced that month. Some were fantastic reads… Continue reading Bookshelf Styling
Healthy Dinners in the New Year
We just completed our first week back to school after being off for 2+ weeks. The good thing is: WE SURVIVED!!! We got to school on time. We jumped back into piano and dance and baseball lessons. And we--well--ME! I jumped back into cooking quick healthy meals for my family. If you know me, I… Continue reading Healthy Dinners in the New Year
Wreath Making Party
Oh what an afternoon! Another FIRST in the books!!! I hosted a wreath making party inspired by my dear friend Tania @thebendflowercompany who hosted one in her new space in Bend, OR last year and said it was a total blast! We laughed, we learned and we all left with the most beautiful wreaths to… Continue reading Wreath Making Party
Melissa K Manos Designs 