Friday Faves: Modern Rust

Wow, I’ve been MIA this week. It’s been hectic. My husband’s grandmother died so we’ve been trying to make travel arrangements to get back to Kentucky for that. Work had a big deadline this week, and my little girl has decided to stay up until 9 every night now. Gotta love summertime!

But, I didn’t want to miss this post. This week I have another great designer friend from Modern Rust sharing her favorites with us. Brooke and I also went to design school together and basically fell in love over our Freshman Year design board assignment. And now, even though she’s in Canada, she’s one of my dearest friends (who’s also expecting TWINS! Yowza!)

Anyway, here’s what Brooke had to say about her favorites! Enjoy!

My favorite design trend right now would be mixing patterns.  From
pillows to wallpaper to window treatments I see fun patterns
everywhere and find the trend following fashion in seeing them mixed.
Chevron, stripes, florals, it all goes!

My favorite author. This one is hard. I will like a few books and then
hate others the same person has wrote.  Some favorites are Janet
Evanovich, John Grisham, and Jodi Picoult. Depending on the genre I
am in the mood for.

My favorite game of all time is Nertz. It's a fast paced card game and
I love love love it. All good memories involve playing this around my
aunts huge table with 10 or so cousins.

 

I’ve been to several of Brooke’s card parties, and let me tell you they’re intense. Nertz is so much fun. I included the diagram for anyone who doesn’t know how to play.

Thanks so much Brooke for being a part of my series! I love learning about my fellow bloggers!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Want to be a part of Friday Faves? I’d LOVE to have you! Email me at kadiekinney@gmail.com!

I need an agent; and some Tylenol.

I just finished reading a book that’s in the same genre as mine, the MC had the same name as mine, and there were some of the same (weird) nuances about her character as mine. The story itself was completely different, but I couldn’t get past these glaring similarities. Which makes me think that some of the agents I’ve been sending my book to can’t see past them either.

I swear I didn’t copy.

How weird is it though that we can all live in our own happy little universes and write books that we think are completely unique and BAM there’s someone out there who does what you do, only they’re published and you’re not. (YET. I’m not published YET.) It was a good book in the end (I read the whole thing today) and I always love finding good new books to read. But it was a little disconcerting to say the least.

In other news my BFF just finished reading my MS and, bless her heart, she read it in 3 days. She doesn’t even like fantasy books. She said she was hesitant to get started, because she knew fantasy wasn’t her thing, and she was afraid to talk to me if she didn’t like it. But she said that once she got into it, she had to keep going. She read it on the sly at work, and spent father’s day with my MS in her hand.

That makes me happy (her husband, probably not so much). So I’m reinvigorated. I know this story is worth telling. I just have to condense it and clean it up.

And after reading all day, my eyes are going a little fuzzy. So now to pop the acetaminophen, grab some water and get editing.

So maybe one day, an agent will say yes!

Friday Faves: Danielle Oakey Interiors

I'm so excited to kick off a new series I'm calling "Friday Faves." I've got several great designers and authors who will be stopping by to show off some different sides of their personality! First up I've got Danielle from Danielle Oakey Interiors. Danielle and I went to design school together and she's become my Fairy Blogmother, setting a stellar example of what to do in this blogging world, and showing off her impeccable style to boot (And did I mention our husbands are gaming buddies? It's true). I'm so excited to have her here today! 

Take it away Danielle:

Hi everyone, I am Danielle from Danielle Oakey Interiors.

I am thrilled to be here today.

 Kadie and I go way back.

We spent 4 long years enduring design school together, and somehow we both survived!

Kadie asked me to share my favorite design trend, book, and game.

So here we go...

My Favorite Design Trend:

Selecting my favorite was difficult for me but animal photography is a current love of mine.

I seem to be drawn to horses.

{image via here}

Especially when photographed in black & white.

{image via here}

I can't get enough.

{image via here}

 I wish I had one for my home.

Although, I did just purchase this amazing horse lamp from HomeGoods for $29.99.

 I guess that will fill my horse need :)

My Favorite Book:

Does Elle Decor count? Just kidding.

I don't get to read very often, but I did love 'The Help' by Kathryn Stockett.

I can't wait to see the movie.

{Image via here}

My Favorite Game:

{image via here}

I just happen to be a board game lover.

I could play Monopoly for hours.

I also might be a little competitive.

Let's just say, I play to win.

Thanks for having me Kadie!

xoxo

Danielle

I told you; incredibly style. I love that horse lamp! Thanks so much Danielle!

Come back every Friday to learn more about your fellow bloggers!

Want to be a part of my series? I'd LOVE to have you! Email me at kadiekinney@gmail.com!

Write On Wednesday: Writing

Can’t Blog. Writing. My goal is to be to 20K words by end of day.

Meanwhile, the Adele Pandora station is serving as my background / inspiration music for this particular work. So. Good.

Happy Wednesday all!

Interior Tuesday: Fun with Fiction 2

I can’t think of a more creative title right now. Sorry. But as I previously stated, I had an idea for a new book and I’ve been working furiously on it. I’m up to 14,500 words! Only 35K to go! Woot!

Anyway, one of my little rituals I do when I start creating new characters, is to create their space. Maybe it’s because I’m an Interior Designer by day, but when I select furniture and lighting and paint colors for a certain character, it really helps them come to life for me. I figure if I can visualize the space in which they live, I can understand what makes them comfortable, how they communicate, and what they’re afraid of…or NOT afraid of.

For example:

This room is not afraid of color or pattern or bling. And that is my MC right now. She’s 17 living in modern times. (No period piece this time.) She’s funny and strong-willed, and isn’t pigeon-holed easily. Her style is a mix of contemporary and comfortable. She’s still a teenager though, and loves bright bold colors, mixed with whimsical pieces.

Do you have any funny rituals to get to know your characters? See anything here you could incorporate into your REAL life? (Is it too early to design my daughter’s teen room? I can’t wait. I guess for now we’ll work on the “big-girl” phase though.)

JuNoWriMo

Is June 12th too late to join JuNoWriMo?

I hope not because I just did. (See the countdown on the right? That means I’m legit.)

Here’s why: I’ve got another idea! For another book! I never thought this would happen to me. But I’m already 5,000 words in and I thought this “contest” would be a great way to motivate me to keep going.

I’ve started a new habit. Instead of going to blogs and reading about what’s going on with these authors NOW I go back to their very first month of posts. The beginning of their blog journey. And it’s been WAY inspiring. But also I’ve learned, not many people get a hit out of their first manuscript. And I’m learning that maybe the timing on my particular piece of fantasy may not be right. And I’m seeing just how much work I have left to put into it. And while I’m still planning on doing that work, I have something else in my head now.

The other day while I was driving to pick up my daughter, a new idea hit me. Sparkly new. Exciting new. And oh my goodness it’s been fun to write. I’m not even done with chapter one, but I know where I want it to go, who my MC is, and exactly what I want to happen.

We’ll see if that’s really what happens.

Anyway, here I go. Only 45,000 more words to go before the end of the month to get my winner badge. Think I can do it? Anyone else on the forums? (For more info on JuNoWriMo go here ).

How about you? Any goals this month? How’s it going trying to reach them?

Write On Wednesday: Revisions and Procrastination

It has come to my attention that my manuscript may have too many words for a YA novel. Why this never crossed my mind before, I’m not sure. Probably because I originally intended for this book to be an Adult novel, and then changed my mind once I was done. My main character felt a little too innocent for the 21-year-old I was trying to make her be. She was resisting. So she ended up being 18 and it feels a lot better.

Problem is, now she’s a Young Adult. And Young Adults don’t often read 130,000 words in a novel. More like 60-90k. So I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 THOUSAND words I need to revise out of my MS.

So my question to the blogosphere is how do you find the motivation???

I have a lot on my plate right now, but every night when my daughter goes to bed, I have ample time to revise and tweak and improve.

But instead I blog. Or play the Sims. Or scrapbook. Or clean…okay maybe not clean. But I WOULD if my only choices were to revise my MS or to clean. That’s what I’m saying. I’m becoming a professional procrastinator.

(this made me laugh)

I did read this GREAT post over at this blog I just found by Julie Musil, and it helped a lot. It reminded me that this piece deserves to be the best it can possibly be, and that if I ever hope to get it out there, it’s got to be polished and ready to print. (Thanks Julie, hope you don’t mind me sharing!)

So other than that, what motivates you to jump back in and revise the crap out of your MS?

Awesome Giveaway at Danielle Oakey Interiors

Hi friends! So I'm shamelessly trying to get another entry for this giveaway, but you should head over and check it out for yourself! Danielle's hosting a $100 Giveaway from Joss & Main. I'm drooling over SEVERAL of their items! Good luck and I'll be crossing my fingers as well!

Danielle Oakey Interiors

Interior Tuesdays: My Living Room

Back to the home tour! While I’m not done with my living room yet (is any room ever DONE? I mean really?) It’s my next favorite room in the house. This is the one I had planned before we even started house shopping. I’m so glad it worked out in the space we ended up with.

And believe me, it was hard to see it finished (even for me) when this is what we were faced with:

…

Yeah.

I’m almost positive my Grammy had that same carpet in her farmhouse in Rural Idaho. And the sparkly popcorn ceiling? No thanks.

Here’s what we did with it:

I wish I had a better camera…Or better lighting. But you get the idea.

The Sofa was an online find but is manufactured by Ashley Furniture. The rug is from Feizy, the coffee Table’s from IKEA, and the pillows are Pier 1. I’m wanting to replace the drapes and the floor lamps, but currently they’re both from Target.

Sigh.

The chairs and mirrored end table are all online purchases from Target, although I’m sure you can get them in store. The Frames are from years ago and I don’t remember where I got them.

So it’s kind of a different view, but this is the same wall. The white frames are from Pier 1 and I just inserted small squares of some coordinating scrapbook paper. The bookcase has been with me my entire married life and I still love it as much as I did back then. At the time West Elm was doing shelves like these, but being still in college, I couldn’t afford their version. Thank you (once again) Target. They had this baby for half the price of a West Elm bookcase. You can see we’re overflowing it, but that’s just until I can find another bookcase I love as much.

So like I said, I’m not done. I’d love to add some more color to the space. At first I didn’t know what to do with the scalloped valances, so I just painted them the wall color to make them go away. But now I’m thinking of upholstering them. I want to make some drapes with some more pattern too. Here’s what I’m thinking fabric-wise:

via

via

And I’d love to add more decorative pillows to the sofa, like this one:

  via

And these would really pop on those striped chairs. I’m lusting a little bit…

  via

 

But for now, this is how she stands. It’s so crazy to look back at those beginning pictures. I was so intimidated. I’m a commercial designer. I don’t do homes. So textiles and pattern are still somewhat exotic for me. And the lighting. Ooh the lighting. One day we’ll get rid of those nasty industrial sconces and add a pendant right over the coffee table.

See what I mean. Nothing is ever done!

Have some before and afters you’d like to share? Email me at kadiekinney@gmail.com!

Simtastic Sunday: Generations

I got back from Denver on Friday and it seems it takes a whole day for my brain to return. After 3 days of working straight from 8am to Midnight, my mind had officially stopped functioning by the time we sat down on the plane to come home. And yet, despite the layers of dirt on my clothes, the blisters on my feet and the bruises on my arms, it was an excellent trip. We only need to add a few more finishing touches and the building will be done. It’s so so beautiful. And I hope soon I’ll stop having dreams about unpacking un-ending amounts of furniture.

Now on to what today is all about: the new Sims expansion! As soon as we put Baby Girl to bed the night I got home, I ran to Target to get The Sims 3 Generations expansion. And here I am a whole day later and I still haven’t experienced a lot of new content. Because I’m CRAZY. I had to set up the perfect neighborhood, with the perfect house, and the perfect couple. Now they finally had their first baby and I can start seeing what they’ve added to this game.

Here is the trailer so you can see what I’m talking about:

All the fun stuff is for the kids and teens! FINALLY they have Prom!

Okay my nerd flag is going to get waving out of control here, but suffice it to say I’m extremely excited.

And what am I NOT doing while playing the new expansion? Editing my book. I need to cut down the word count. I’m just feeling a little discouraged right now. Like I jumped into this trying-to-get-published thing a little too early in the process. How do you get motivated to do revisions? Throwing a Bachelor Party for your Sims? Oh, that’s just me? Weird.