Lots of pomp and circumstance going on at our house! We said 'goodbye' to elementary school during last night's 8th grade graduation and 'hello' to new experiences, new friends and all of the memories that high school has to offer Jack. I am not sure if I am ready to be the mother of a freshman and a senior…

Our summer begins!!

{OK, if you are not in my family, then you may want to skip today's post. I completely understand}

 A few weeks ago, I shared with you photos I had taken from Maris' prom. Today, I wanted to share some of my favorite professional shots taken by the very talented photographer, Terri Clark. 

We only had to step out the back door because we are so lucky to live on the most beautiful creek. 

We were lucky to have Gigi {my mom} in town for the big weekend.

That's the front of our house in the background.

Just Kidding. We met Josh, Maris' friend, at the historic Jackson County Courthouse {now Library} in downtown Sylva.

And then a bunch of her friends trekked up the 100+ stairs to pose at the top of the courthouse. 

Maris and Tate--one of her besties.

The heels did not last long up those steep stairs.

And they were off...

Did you make it through them all?? Bless your hearts!! That was only 20 out of more than 130! Terri does beautiful work and is so easy and wonderful to work with. To take a look at more of her work visit her website.     

Houzz recently conducted a survey in which they polled just over 29,000 members asking them questions relating to their house plans in the next 2 years. Take a look:  

{to see the entire graph--there is a lot more to it, then click here}

I find it very interesting, although not surprising, that in this economy home owners are basing their home improvement decisions on pleasing themselves {86%!} verses increasing the homes value where resale is concerned. I have definitely seen this trend in my own business. Folks who thought they would be building a custom home or selling their current home to buy something bigger, have decided that selling their home {in this economy} could result in a loss of money. So, they have decided to stay put, and make their current home work better for their family through additions and remodels.       

I will be honest--I like that people are making their design decisions based on their own desires. So many times I have heard a client say 'I would LOVE to have concrete countertops, but I am afraid it would hamper resell.' I would then ask 'when do you plan to sell?' Their reply '7 or 8 years'. REALLY??!! You are going to settle on a new countertop? One that you don't love and yet will live with, day in and day out for the next 7 years ???? Create a home that you YOU love and that YOU want to live in. Who knows, your concrete countertops just might be the selection that seals your sale in 7 years!! The first person you need to please is yourself.  

What are your thoughts?      

Have you seen Rue Magazine May edition? This online magazine is getting better and better! One of my favorite articles featured the home of the one-of-a-kind designer, stylist, writer, public speaker and blogger Valerie Hart.

How fun is the framed collection of the Hermes bags {etsy!} hung on the upholstered green walls in her bedroom?

On her blog, Visual Vamp, Valerie gives us a behind the scenes of her bedroom design and she shares the sources for the fabrics and furniture that she used {the rugs came from Wal-Mart!! She used 2 smaller ones to create 1 large one.}. High style on a low budget--who would have thought??

When I first saw the photos, my eyes went straight to those fabulous monogram pillows. I love, love, love the font she used and the clever interpretation using the '&'. 

No symmetry on this gallery wall!! It's whimsical and eclectic and just fun.

To see the article in Rue click here. And to see Valerie's post on her sources click here.

{images 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 - photography by Sara Essex Bradley }