Pepper Design Blog

Friday Guest Blog Interview: Young House Love!

Happy Friday! Today I’m sharing one of my very favorite blogs…

Young House Love is an inspiring and informative resource for all things home renovating. Sherry & John, the brains behind this great blog, are a young couple that has tackled every project from floor boards to kitchen remodels.

If you ever want to drop in on a charming duo that is not only rhetorically amusing but also incredibly insightful (step-by-step guides to just about any home project), pop on over! Today Sherry & John share with us a few of their favorite tips… in the form of PDB’s four favorite questions… and you’ll love their answers.

You may recognize this couple from their appearance on the cover of the 2009 spring edition of The Nest - a popular newlywed magazine from the creators of the The Knot (and a personal favorite). They’ve also been featured on HGTV’s Rate My Space, were key bloggers behind True Value’s DIY Blog Squad, and have a wonderful house tour featured here.

Young House Love is part of my daily read. Not every other day and not once a week – but my daily read – because these twenty-something-year-olds are inspiring and creative at a whole new level. I love their fascinating stories and their endless projects… but most importantly I love their engaging and positive attitudes surrounding the whole mess that is remodeling.

As a young home renovating couple ourselves, it’s inspiring to see such beautiful progress and ‘project tackling’ from like-minded friends! Jump on over to their blog and prepare to be thoroughly charmed.

I’ve provided a few of my FAVORITE before and afters from their sweet little Richmond home, so follow the jump for a wonderful PDB interview and some serious eye candy – and don’t forget to visit Young House Love for a step-by-step playback of each of these projects. Read more »

Friday Guest Blog Interview: Bethany of b*spoke!

Happy Friday! I’m delighted to share this special blogger with you today… her name is Bethany and she’s the inspiration behind b*spoke, a blog bringing “the personal writings, ponderings and ramblings on home, life and love” into the hearts of readers on a regular basis.

I fell in love with Emmy Lu Design Studio (her baby) because of this calendar, which I fully intend to frame and hang in my house in short time:

But it’s the wholehearted sharings of Bethany that keep me coming back to check in on b*spoke time and again. Whether she’s showing off gorgeous pictures of her favorite color palettes, offering a clever wrapping paper suggestion or sharing her favorite dinner recipe, her dialogue is engaging and intriguing.

It doesn’t hurt that she owns the cutest Cape Cod cottage this side of the Mississippi (see more after the jump) and that her musings are practical, amiable and often discerning (an especially appreciated bonus after a long day). b*spoke is a lovely morning read and I highly recommend it.

On to the interview! Follow the jump for inspiring design advice from a graphic designer and fabulous home decorator… I really love her three design suggestions for the last question of our interview, too.

Read more »

Friday Guest Blog Interview: The Party Dress!

It’s wonderful to bring the Friday Guest Interview series back after a break from the busy holidays (today is our first holiday-free Friday in a while!).

I’m so excited to introduce you to today’s very talented blogger and have been waiting oh-so patiently to share The Party Dress and Kelly’s wonderful interview! (And inspiration, because she has MUCH of it – just take a gander at the wonderful eye candy she sent over!)

The Party Dress is an entertaining inspiration site full of ideas that cover the gamut from hostessing, home decor, dressing in style and even an entire gallery on NAPKIN ideas (genius!).

Kelly founded The Party Dress ~ Inspirations from the Well-Heeled Hostess in 2009; she is also a regular contributor to Project Nursery, has a newly-opened shop on OpenSky, and just recently started a social stationary shop on etsy.com called WH Hostess (the neatest shop – adorably designed invitations and the like).

Splitting her time between the fashion industry and her love for party planning, Kelly shares her wonderful ideas on a very user-friendly site; posts are divided by categories so you can easily search for the latest and greatest by topic.

Be sure to check out more pictures and Kelly’s answers to PDB’s favorite four questions (love her dine-in answer to current favorite trends!) after the jump! Read more »