Through the past four seasons, Homespun Forte has come full circle. Started while planning my wedding, I have married the man of my dreams, taken on a new photography career, decorated my house, re-decorated my house, and started the new show Suddenly Inspired – all on Homespun Forte! With all of this change that has taken place – I have decided it’s time to move with it! Time to combine forces with my man, Troy Grover.

Check out our new blog Keeping Up With The Grovers and be sure to subscribe to see our latest photo shoots & homespun posts by me! All of the same good stuff combined on one blog!

If this is your first visit to Homespun Forte – please scroll around! Then click HERE to check out the latest and greatest!

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(1) Modern Danish, (2) Chair, (3) Couch, (4) Credenza, (5) Cake, (6) design

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Suddenly Inspired | First Look from Lindye Galloway on Vimeo.

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Step 1: Good hair starts in the shower! If you are the type of person who must brush your hair,  do it while the conditioner is in. Once the conditioner is washed out, scrunch before stepping out of the shower.

Step 2: Put in your favorite hair product. My three faves are right now are Biosilk, Catwalk Biggie Root Boost (which my sister recommended to me :), and Catwalk Biggie Fast Fix. I probably break all the rules when applying these products – as I spray most of them in my hands & then scrunch them into my hair.

Step 3: Let it towel/air dry. Sometimes if I am in a hurry I use a diffuser – but most of the time I let it dry naturally.

Step 4: Put your hair half up, and look for pieces that need a curl boost. Then, using a medium curling iron, vertically start curling at the roots and wind in down until there is a small tail at the end. I tend not to curl down to the very end of the strand – as it tends to look too perfect :) Another tip – to create more “wavy” looking curls don’t wind the curling iron too tight. Let there be some space between the hair as it curls around the iron. Continue to section off hair & curl the stragglers until you are satisfied.

Step 5: Give your roots a little more boost. When you work your way to the top of your head, take the hair close to your roots & pull it over the top of the curling iron. This will give it a little lift up there!

Step 6: Tip your head upside down & give your hair a finishing spray – with your fav hair spray of course :)

Then shake it out! Don’t be afraid to toss it around – this messy style looks better that way!

Have any hair tips to share?

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Last year, while I worked at a spa – I tried this amazing body scrub by Red Flower’s Hammam line called the”Lemon coffee blossom olive stone scrub.” I LOVED how energizing the coffee in the scrub was & how it made my skin SO soft. With only a little of the Red Flower scrub left in the jar – I decided to play mad scientist & recreate it with none other than the Magic Bullet.

The ingredients listed on the jar include coffee, crushed almond, sugar, lemon rind, orange peel, black olive, fresh lemon juice and Neroli oil. Most of these are basic kitchen essentials – the only ingredient I had to track down was the essential oil Neroli. I found a small jar at Whole Foods -(but I think there are less expensive options out there).

Complete Shopping List

1 Small can of organic olives

2. One Orange

3. Two Lemons

4. Coffee grinds (preferably dark)

5. Handful of organic almonds

6. Organic Sugar

7. Neroli Essential Oil (from a health food store)

Directions

Step One: Once you have all of your ingredients, peel one orange and one lemon and process the rind as fine as you can.

Step Two: Squeeze both lemons and set aside the juice.

Step Three: Combine 3Tbsp ground coffee, 3Tbsp crushed almonds, and 4Tbsp sugar into your magic bullet (or other food processor).

Step Four: Add 3 chopped olives, 1Tbsp lemon rind, 1Tbsp orange rind, 2 Tbsp Lemon juice,  and 2 Tsp Neroli oil and blend blend blend! (I had to stir the mixture a few times & continue to blend to get the right consistency).

Feel free to tweak the recipe as you find fit! It may need a little extra Neroli/lemon juice for zest. Below you can see my final result on the left next to Red Flower’s authentic scrub on the right. I would say they look pretty close!

Use

This body scrub is great for use in the bath/shower. Leaves your skin feeling soft & rejuvenated. Small batches are recommended – if you make more than you can use, give some to a friend :)

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Then we shopped shopped shopped! Here are a few photos of my early morning finds!

Above: three white shadow boxes ($1 each), a rustic teacup ($1), a Timeworks clock ($5), an antique soap dish ($3), a fun Spanish style tray ($4). I also found a great rug & outdoor table (not pictured). It was a very successful garage sale day!

I love the details on this antique soap dish!

When I saw this little chicken wire tea cup I thought it would be a great planter. I lined the inside of the cup with moss & potted an ivy plant inside. I love how it turned out!

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When we moved into our house, the first thing Troy & I wanted to do was paint. Something about color on the walls feels more like home. We went to Home Depot, chose a few colors (off of a whim) & got to painting. Luckily, most of the colors we loved. But, as I walk by our home office on a daily basis, I second guess our avocado green paint selection. As beautiful of a color it is – it’s just not right for our small space. It feels dark & dingy. I’m not sure that Troy is so keen on re-painting – but this time I have done my research & we will do it right!

A few tips that I’ve learned about painting small spaces:

1. Use light colors to make your space feel larger, more open and airy. I am loving the soft colors below from Restoration Hardware. Especially when we live so close to the beach!

2. Consider using furniture the same color (or in the same color scheme) as your walls. This blue dresser below is a great example (featured on design sponge)

3. Keep it calm. Don’t clutter your walls, instead – highlight a focal point. I LOVE this bathroom below! So pretty!

And that’s the colorful side of things! Hopefully you haven’t made a paint color mistake like mine! Stay tuned – I’m hoping to turn it around! Restoration Hardware here I come :)

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My neighbor Lydia turned me on to this easy wall art idea! It works great for a combination of spaces & won’t put your decorating budget over the edge! Below is a little step-by-step tutorial for you to try at home!

What you’ll need: Embroidery hoop(s) (They come in a variety of sizes & are usually under $5), fun fabric (depending on size of hoop .25 yd – 1 yd of fabric) and a pair of scissors.

Step 1: Cover inner ring with fabric.  Step 2: Place outer ring on top, pulling fabric tight tight.  Step 3: Tighten the outer ring. Step 4: Cut off excess fabric. (Pointer – be sure fabric is in place & tight before cutting – it is hard to adjust after!)

Here is my finished project – hanging in our family room. I love having some new fun colors & patterns.

Below : Some other CUTE fabric embroidery hoop inspirations!

Embroidery bulletin boards, Red Embroidery hoops, Graphic Embroidery

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