Help You Dwell shares fresh ideas for how to place art in fun places around your home and introduces some favorite, local artists!
Tips for Storing Seasonal Clothing
10 Ways to Display Kids Artwork
10 Ways to Display Kids Artwork
We recently heard a neighbor friend say that her quarantine home looks like “a craft store exploded inside.” Can any of you with small kids else relate?? So, what should we do with all those newly created art masterpieces from our kiddos? We want to celebrate all their little creations!
Instead of just stashing all their art in a folder or adding it to "the pile," here are 10 creative & manageable ways to bring some color into your home, celebrate the seasons, & show off your kids' imagination through art.
1. Use tacks on a wall that's not front and central in your home.
So this first one's not rocket science, but it's what works in our home. Our laundry room is on the main level & has gray walls so the art can really pop! I (or my kids) just rotate their art 2-3 times a year in this room leaving tiny holes from the tacks. The way I look it, when the art stops coming home someday, I'll be ready to repaint the room anyway, but until then, I get to be reminded of these little people I love so much while I'm trying to find that missing sock or checking their pockets before they hit the washer.
Try these Push Pin Clips
2. Thrift frames with glass removed and cork board added.
This is a great option for a more polished look that keeps it super easy to rotate art. Shannon Makes Stuff has great images for ideas. Let the kids have another art project by painting the frames themselves.
Try this cork board.
3. Have Simply Create Kids create a collage poster of your child's art.
This option is a bit more pricey, but well worth the money to have one piece that speaks for many. My kids would love how professional this art display would make their art look.
4. Create vertical art on a string.
The folks at Artful-Kids used a hanging wire to display art vertically allowing for easy rotation. This is a great option if you're short on wall space.
Use this Hanging Picture Display Holder.
5. Use inexpensive IKEA frames in the color that work for your space.
We love how Amanda Medlin created this wall for her boys' room with multicolored frames, but all white or all black frames would be another great option to showcase your child's art.
6. Clothespins are great for art display.
Aimee of It'sOverflowing.com has a great DIY plan to create a fun clothespin line for your kids to be able to change their own art with ease. HYD helped a client design one similar to this last year & it was a huge hit with their four kids.
Try these mini clothes pins.
7. ArtKive it by photographing your child's art with your smartphone.
This is brilliant. ArtKive has designed an app that allows you to photograph the artwork, upload it, and then turn it into books, gifts, or keepsakes.
8. Mount clipboards to the wall.
HYD loves reclaimed wood projects. These from Old House to New Home are some of our favs. Of course, you could use lots of different styles of clipboards that work best for your space.
9. Professionally frame special holiday pieces.
My thoughtful mother decided to pick a couple of my brother's & my best Christmas creations. My brother's is a Santa with no arms, he's a beauty. I did a lovely manger scene that brings back memories but doesn't come close to the fine artistic ability of my brother. It's been over 30 years since we created them & every year, we reminisce & poke fun at each other when mom hangs them. I love them!
10. Keep it simple with a line of twine.
Nothing too fancy here. Just find a color of twine or string that works for your space & use clothespins, paper clips, or even colorful hair clips to hang the art. The image above is our favorite using the spools as the anchors to hang. I have a friend who uses the twine method above her kitchen sink with smaller art pieces & it's so cute. She uses her childs' art in lieu of a curtain valance.
Get some twine here.
We hope you find these ideas helpful!
Do you have an art wall that works in your house? We'd love to hear how you're showing off your kids' art.
Read some more helpful blogs dwelling well with kiddos!
Refresh Your Home without Buying Anything New
A Home by the River | Home Tour with Carrie Savage
How to Make Your Own Special Nook
Making Your Own Special Nook
Here in Knoxville, like so many around the world, we have spent more time at home lately. We have many things to be grateful for and we’ve had to come to terms with new challenges in our daily lives that need tending to. One thing that’s been incredibly helpful during this time are our special spaces.
With all the time inside, we've so appreciated having that special spot to retreat to when we need a little breather from all the folks being around all day. Do You have that spot?
It doesn't take much, really. Just a chair or seat of some sort, a reading lamp, a blanket, a small table, & a few of your favorite things. Each of us have those few items that make a spot ours. For our team member, Kayla, there's a little plant, some homemade "mommy" items from her kids, a pic of her as a child with her dad and brother, her favorite business card of the month, and always... her journal & the Word. She also feels so thankful to have a built-in bookcase nearby filled with other fun items that inspire her & are available when the mood strikes.
4 Nook Ideas to Get You Started
Below are some thoughtful nook ideas that might help to nudge you into getting your space just right. Or maybe it's a space for your child to read, imagine, or just feel safe & quiet. We found a couple of ideas for the littles, too.
We'd love to hear any other ideas YOU may have. What has worked for you or for your family?
1. Window Seat Nooks
Kate Pruitt for Design Sponge posts fabulous pictures of Lora Neveu's window seat nook that she designed for her daughter. A little more work involved, but well worth the effort for the results.
Lora Neveu on Knee High To A Ladybug
2. Master Bedroom Nooks
This master bedroom nook by Courtney Fernan is a simple example of just a few items that make the spot just cozy enough. She also links where all the items were purchased.
3. Reading Nooks
For the littlest ones, Jen with Mama.Papa.Bubba. gives us a great idea to encourage reading & quiet time from an early age. Just a few pillows, a spot for books & a fun curtain & you're ready to go!
4. Corner Nooks
Kara Tippetts' "Corner Nook" is just enough & not too much when she needed it most...
Need a few items to perfect your nook? Here are some great resources you might enjoy:
Home Office Organization Tips
4 Easy Ways to Organize Your Cell Phone
Easy Ways to Organize your Linen Closet
Closet Refresh : How to Make the Most of Your Closet
3 Things You Can Do Right Now For Your Community, Your Family, and Yourself.
Making the Most of Spring Break
3 Ways to Refresh Your Entry Way for Spring
Entry way by Meegan Buschor of Mia Interiors
When March rolls in, we move out… outside! It’s that time of year to transition our lives from cozy and cuddled to playing and planting. Spring is just around the corner and we want to come alongside you to help transition your home and life for the changing days ahead. Each week this month we will bring you helpful insights, inspirations, and steps for you to get a kickstart on spring organizing.
Let’s begin with the places in our homes we use every single day! Do you think much about your entry ways? We’re talking about any space that welcomes you and your people into your home. This could be your front hallway, garage entry way or mud room. Whatever you call your “drop your things and kick off your shoes” space… we’ve got some tips for you to get you ready for a new season.
Inspiration from @industrieelchique
PURGE
Begin with a fresh start! As you look at your entry way, consider what clothing, jackets, or shoes may be piling up that you may not need anymore. Perhaps kids have outgrown shoes. Start by pulling everything out and organize them in piles with like objects. Sort through each pile determining what to keep and what could be dropped it off at your local KARM store.
Tessa Hop’s natural tones brings simplicity to this clean entry way.
ORGANIZE
Put away your winter coats (when its finally warm enough!) and your heavy boots in their off season home. Pull out that rain jacket and gardening shoes to replace your winter gear! As you enjoy the simplicity that comes as bulky clothes leave, leave only what you need in this area as it can become cluttered easily. Start with assigning a hook, cabinet, or cubby to each person in your home.
Consider decorative bins or a shoe rack or tray for your remaining shoes to stay tidy. Tyne Martinez of Atlanta, in an article on The Scout Guide recommends “choosing a material that adds interest without detracting from the house’s aesthetic, and opting for a style that reflects the formality of the abode.”
Here are a few links for items much like you see in Tessa’s simple and stylish entry.
Juniper Home’s recent mud room reveal has us drooling!
DECORATE
As always, we want to walk into a beautiful home as well as a functional one… but keep it simple! A small antique table for your keys can add some charm to a small entry way. A welcoming bench brings a warm space for taking off muddy spring boots. Save a hook to show off your favorite hat or basket full of spring flowers! Transition a favorite piece of art or collectible to display in this area to bring some life and warmth.
Unsure where to start when considering donating unused items from your home? Read these past HYD blog posts on donations:
Featured
These 5 Things : February 2020
Living with Intention to Create a Lasting Legacy
We recently took a road trip to Nashville for the annual Antique & Garden Show, this year being it’s 30th Anniversary. This spectacular event provides spaces for high quality antiques and a platform for experts in the fields of antiques, landscape gardens, and horticulture. Additionally, it is a charitable event in which proceeds go to Cheekwood Mansion and ECON Chartities in Nashville.
We walked through a sea of gorgeous furniture, art, and decor in thoughtful display and heard educational lectures from the top of each field, including our very own East Tennesseans Kreis & Mary Celeste Beall of Blackberry Farms. This show is top notch to say the least. Above all, we were struck by the beauty of intentionality.
Antiques set before us a reminder that our things tell a story. Each hand crafted piece brings us to imagine the hands that shaped it and the beauty and comfort it brought to the space in which it sat. Gorgeous furniture, like the vintage furnishings from Eneby Home, remind us of how the past, present, and future all intersect before us everyday. Our homes, like our things, mirror the stories of our lives.
Are we living with intention within the spaces we dwell?
Living with Intention to Create a Lasting Legacy
A highlight of the show was attending the lecture in which Kreis Beall & Mary Celeste Beall shared their insights on home, family, and making it all beautiful. Kreis and Sandy are the founders of Blackberry Farms while their daughter-in-law Mary Celeste is the proprietor. The incredible experience that Blackberry Farm has become seems so difficult to wrap ones mind around until you hear these two women speak of their inspiration from their own family history and each other.
“...she wanted the place “to look like Mom’s and smell like Mammy’s” paying homage to the two women who had helped shape her.”
The respect and love that is shared between this mother and daughter-in-law duo speaks to the power of family in creating home. Both spoke with such vulnerability, humor, and wisdom on how their separate journeys have led them to today. Kreis shared that in the early days of Blackberry Farm, she wanted the place "to look like Mom's and smell like Mammy's" paying homage to the two women who had helped shape her. She also encouraged us business owners to dream big and "start at the top" like the time she called Julia Child to ask if she would lead Blackberry Farm's first cooking class.
Mary Celeste spoke on the importance of creating a home that works for one's own personal living style. As she and Sam designed their forever home at Blackberry, they were very intentional to include the parts that were important to them, not what was trending at the time. They planned their home to grow with their growing family (they have 5 children), and the home centers around the table, the most important place for them.
The thread of sadness of Sam's passing almost 4 years ago is palpable and real as one listens to this journey, but his inspiration and commitment to creating a place to gather with the highest quality food, drink, and venue is very much alive.
What a gift it was to hear this story in person! If you'd like to hear more about Kreis's journey, her new book, "The Great Blue Hills of God" is now available and it's wonderful!
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So, as we think about the impact of our stories…. How can you live with intention in your home?
Consider the Past.
Our “stuff” have a story. The floorboards we walk on everyday. The trim around the doors we swing countlessly open. The hearth we face every night after a long day. And that favorite chair we curl up in as we welcome a new day. Every thing has tells the story of the past. We were struck by the knowledge expert antique collectors and sellers brought to us at the Show. Consider seeking out experts on the pieces you already own or before you pursue something new to learn how you can be more intentional with your spaces.
Pay Attention to the Present.
How are you wanting to live? Like Mary Celeste, can your spaces reflect how you want to live, not just what is in style? Consider your current dreams and intentions (maybe whip out those new years resolutions you drew up just over a month ago!) and how your home can be a sanctuary for those dreams. Who are the people most important to you, and how can your home and things provide pathways for those people?
Leave a legacy for the Future.
Lastly, we want to encourage you to consider the things you currently own or the ones you intend to welcome into your home with intentionality toward the future. Of course, there is always a time and place for mass made products that we can pick up on the fly! But as you move through your own home, consider how you fill it. Consider what you are leaving to the ones you love. A thoughtful look at the past and present can inform a beautiful future.
As you can hear, this show renewed our love of antiques and their place within the spaces we dwell! In our work with HYD, we love seeing how YOU intentionally craft your spaces. Comment one way that you are living with intention.
Meet our Crew!
Meet these INCREDIBLE additions to our already powerhouse team!
We’d like to introduce you to SEVEN new, beautiful faces behind the hard work and unique presence of our services here at HYD. What a gift to bring to you the diversity of style, backgrounds and personal touches that each woman offers.
caroline king
HYD ADMIN
Caroline is from right here in East Tennessee. As our newly added administrative wizard, she is the SANITY of Help You Dwell! She is amazing at connecting all the dots, helping clients feel heard and welcome when they call, and is an appointment genie.
Current Fave Spot in Her Home:
MY KITCHEN ISLAND
What She’s Currently Spinning on Repeat:
HARRY STYLES
SARAH
Sarah is a Knoxville Native. She has a deep love for decluttering and organizing the things that mean most to you. She also uses her art background to help people find the best spot for furniture and/or belongings.
Current Fave Spot in Her Home:
MY BEDROOM (BECAUSE I CAN FINALLY RELAX WHEN I GET THERE!)
What She’s Currently Spinning on Repeat:
BILLIE EILISH & LAUREN DAIGLE
barb
Barb is originally from Portland, but has called Knoxville home for over 20 years.Barb’s extensive background in education and administration brings an intentional and calming approach to any job.
Current Fave Spot in Her Home:
MY COZY OFFICE
What She’s Currently Spinning on Repeat:
ERIC BIBB
laurie
Originally from Georgia, Laurie now calls Tennessee home. She has had a lifelong interest in making things look pretty! She loves packing, unpacking and sharing the joy she finds in organization with others.
Current Fave Spot in Her Home:
MY PEACEFUL SCREENED PORCH
What She’s Currently Spinning on Repeat:
EARTH, WIND, & FIRE
Kayla
Kayla is a Knoxville Native. She enjoys rearranging furniture and organizing drawers. She LOVES helping people feel less bound by the things in their life.
Current Fave Spot in Her Home:
MY TINY DESK IN THE CORNER OF MY BEDROOM
What She’s Currently Spinning on Repeat:
THE HIGHWOMEN
JANET
Janet is originally from East Tennessee. She brings creative insights into organizing and thoughtful storage and packing ideas along with her peaceful countenance.
Current Fave Spot in Her Home:
THE BASEMENT SET UP AS MY SEWING ROOM
What She’s Currently Spinning on Repeat:
THE KILLER ANGELS (AUDIOBOOK)
gabby
Gabby is also a Knoxville native. She loves helping others realize that no matter their circumstances, they are not alone. Whatever it they may be experiencing, she wants others to feel comforted by our presence!
Current Fave Spot in Her Home:
MY LOFT! IT’S MY BEDROOM AND HAPPY PLACE
What She’s Currently Spinning on Repeat:
JESUS IS KING BY KANYE WEST
erin J
Erin has lived in many places, but happily calls Blount County home! She enjoys helping others find simplicity by decluttering and organizing to create calm, functional spaces.
Current Fave Spot in Her Home:
MY SEWING ROOM
What She’s Currently Spinning on Repeat:
90s HITS STATION
Liz
Liz is originally from Washington State but landed in Knoxville after college. She is excited to bring her love for organization and beautiful spaces to her work.
Current Fave Spot in Her Home:
ANYWHERE I CAN BE CRAFTING!
What She’s Currently Spinning on Repeat:
WE NEED LOVE BY JOHN LEGEND
We’re so happy you’ve had the chance to meet our growing team! You can read more by clicking on their photos. Be on the lookout in the coming weeks for an invitation to MEET OUR TEAM and mingle in our new office at an Open House coming in early March.
*Happy* New Year Refresh!
If you’re anything like me, the holidays were a beautiful blur for a number of reasons. Family and friends gathering (which means that space behind the toilets finally got clean), endless dishes piled up in the kitchen, and a horde of gifts brought home in piles waiting to be put away. It was also a season of emotion; the joy and wildness of children, the fun of giving gifts; but also the grief of those who are no longer with us or the unmet longings that can surface greatly this time of year. And then, it’s all over. January begins, and everyone seems to have moved on to resolutions, dreams of new goals, bodies, projects, and of course…spaces. In some ways, I think we are all ready for a reset by January, a fresh start to help us move into a new season after what can feel like a funny time warp of the last 6 weeks.
And you might be thinking, I’m TIRED. In a good and full kind of way. How can I begin to refresh my home? One of the things I love most about what we do with Help You Dwell is coming into a space and making new what is already there. Sometimes we don’t need fancy new containers (although we do love them!) or a total home makeover. We just need fresh eyes and simple steps to bring some new life!
1. Change Position
A simple change can go a long way, even within the same room. Bring in a beloved piece of art from another room, exchange throw pillows from room to room, or rearrange the furniture to bring a change of perspective.
2. Let Go
With the tree and garland gone, now is a great time to see your living room afresh! Break down those gift boxes from Christmas, put away new gifts and toys in a more permanent place, and get settled back to your usual living space. Take an inventory of your decor, pillows, and blankets and consider how they are serving you - and then let go of them if they’re not!
Photo: @houseofniina
3. Make Space
Clear off all of those counter tops that were the centerpiece for your holiday gatherings and meals. Tidying up your kitchen island, decluttering countertops, and clearing the dining table will help your home feel refreshed and ready for a new season.
Now sit back and enjoy your fresh space and a new year!
HYD 2020 : A Growing Team & A New Office
Image: Texture Photo
It’s been a day over 3 months since we posted a blog. That’s not normal for HYD. For over 5 years, our leadership team never missed a blog each Thursday.
2019…. you were a doozy for HYD!
We won’t spend too much time focusing on what was, but I did want to take just a moment to give a short state of the union for those who are interested…
Our team is now 16 incredible women strong. The Divine intervention involved in bringing all these women together for such a time as this is clearly nothing I or any one of us could have orchestrated on our own. For that I am beyond grateful and very humbled to be at the helm. I can’t wait to introduce them to you over the next few months in your homes and through the blog.
We are fully moved in to our new office at 214 W Magnolia Ave just around the block from Regas Square. The very talented Megan Stair has curated an incredible gallery full of one of a kind art, as well as handmade leather goods, textiles, plants, jewelry and so much more.
214 Magnolia Gallery is also the perfect place for HYD to offer our carefully selected furniture and home goods for sale on consignment for our clients. We miss hosting HYD’s bi-annual flea at The Hive, so this has been an incredible opportunity for us to continue offering this service to our clients and buyers. Come by and see us!!
2020 is here and HYD is too. Our holiday takedown teams are busy as bees assisting in homes all over Knox County and beyond. We are looking forward to walking alongside several families as they relocate, renovate, or prepare their homes for a move this Winter and early Spring. And HYD is looking forward to hosting workshops later this Spring and throughout 2020 to give you tools for organizing in your own homes.
Be on the lookout for more blogs to come! We’ve got home tours lined up, all kinds of tips for organizing and moving, stories of local folks doing great stuff here in K-town, and so much more.
In the meantime, don’t hesitate to reach out with a call or text to 865.245.9080 or an email to info@helpyoudwell.com if you need any help with an unruly closet, a packed out garage, a frustrating pantry, an upcoming move, or just a consultation on how and where to begin in your home.
No job is too big or too small for HYD and we look forward to helping you get unstuck in 2020!
A Writer’s New Oasis | Home Tour with Celia
White Station Architectural Finds
“The legs are salvaged balusters from a Victorian house in Virginia. The apron is window trim off a farmhouse in Tennessee and the oak boards for the top are barn wood planed from a barn in Tennessee. This is a table with a story!”
It’s been awhile since we’ve highlighted a local maker, but we have a treat for all of you! If you have a love for architectural salvage or re-purposing beautiful old pieces, look no further. White Station Architectural Finds is the brainchild of Blair Wright, a local Knoxvillian who finds, restores, and re-purposes all kinds of pieces, picked from all over the US.
Blair Wright. Window pediment and box of balusters
About 5 years ago, preparing to be a vendor in an antique show in Clinton, Blair’s daughter Natalie suggested his Alma mater as a potential name for his craft. White Station High school in Memphis, where Blair attended, has roots dating back to the late 1800’s.
Baluster lamp
Baluster lamp
Blair loves the hunt and he loves the process of restoration and re-purposing. Blair comes by his love for picking honestly as he spent much of his childhood being drug through old homes all over the deep south by his mother and grandmother. Read more about how his journey with architectural salvage began and evolved, here. (click on the “story” section to expand)
Newel Post, corbel, and stool
In regards to picking, his favorite place is New York as he has access to many kinds of things there that aren’t available in Knoxville. Because Knoxville doesn’t have as many fancy historic houses, it’s harder to find the more intricate and elaborate pieces here or in surrounding areas. With a network of salvage yards in the North East, Blair enjoys digging through barns, shops, back rooms, and estates to find his treasures. He much prefers stumbling upon a barn or shed full of stuff than walking through an organized, barcoded storeroom.
corbel
baluster leg sofa table with reclaimed oak tabletop
corbels and window pediments
spindles repurposed as jewelry stands
window pediment
antique column
plinth block vase/decor
On a recent trip to Virginia to pick up some balusters that he bought through Craigslist, he ended up being invited to look around the rest of the home and barn, resulting in the finding of a large amount of antique shutters and a pair of arched french doors. These jackpot moments are part of the thrill for Blair. With Facebook marketplace becoming so crowded, Blair often finds pieces at Auction as well.
Arched french doors
Shutters repurposed as decor. We love the texture these add to the space.
Aside from selling his pieces in Clinton antique fairs, Blair sells to a few local and regional shops, and through pop ups like Help You Dwell’s Flea markets and Pineapple Consignment. The next opportunity to see and purchase his work will be at The 15th Annual Clinch River Fall Antique Fair
Part of being a good picker is knowing what your buyers are looking for. Blair has a working relationship with local shop The Back Porch Mercantile (take a closer look next time you are there-- the corbels holding up the back counter were finds from White Station), The Painted House in Cookeville, and a few other stores in the area. One shop may cater to a more primitive style while another may have a french provincial style. Blair has a system in place that allows him to do the grunt work of digging and picking to supply local shops with pieces they wouldn’t ordinarily have access to.
Of all the salvage he has seen, this piece still haunts him-- he refers to it as “the one that got away”. While on a trip in New York he found this gable from an old house and after trying to think through transportation and a plan for the piece, he had to pass it up.
If you can’t make it to the Clinton Fair, you can always direct message Blair through Instagram if you are interested in something you have seen of his. Additionally, if you have architectural salvage that you are trying to offload or are hunting for a particular piece, contact him. He’d love to take a look!
