About

Hello! I’m Julie. Welcome to my little corner of the Internet. My tagline is home / creativity / real life because these things (after my family) are my passions.

On this blog you’ll find inspiration for a lovely, lived-in, creatively-stylish home (I dislike nothing more than expensive, generic, overly-styled interiors with no character!) tutorials for the DIYs and crafts that I regularly do, a smattering of real life posts (“real life,” not “lifestyle” because first of all there is no “lifestyle” going on here (LOL). But really, I may post about my favorite cocktail recipes or day trips OR I might post about laundry, cleaning, and surviving a global pandemic with two small children). You also might come across some general musings.

Want to know a little more? Here goes:

I was born in Chicago, IL and have also lived in Memphis, TN, New York City (and Westchester County), and San Diego, CA, where I live now with my husband and two sweet kids. I’m happily married; my husband is my best friend and the love of my life.

I have an undergrad degree in Communications (with emphasis on journalism) and a graduate degree in Counseling Psychology. Fun fact: I’m also a licensed therapist and although the education and experience of this has been immeasurably beneficial, I had to come to terms with the fact that the mental health career path just isn’t the right one for me.

I spent several successful years in design and sales in the kitchen and bath remodeling industry. I love design and seeing the happiness that people experience when their space is finally just right. Ultimately, it felt like my career was ready for the next step and in a little bit of a different direction, so I accepted a position in the San Diego office of Houzz, where I thrived and ultimately worked on the Design Specialty Team. Anyone who knows home improvement knows that this is a gold star on a resumé. I loved working at Houzz, I can definitely see myself going back there, and I only left because good ol’ COVID-19 closed down my kids’ preschool. Being home with them felt like the right thing to do (and still does, at least for now).

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For the not-so-bright spots: I’ve struggled with depression (less) and debilitating anxiety (more) for most of my adult life. Both were massively triggered by the birth of my son in 2015 (postpartum anxiety, or PPA). My entry into motherhood was NOT graceful. I expect I will write more about this at some point, because I believe it’s a topic that is very important to today’s women and I don’t think it’s explored nearly enough.

I self-diagnosed Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) before I had it confirmed by a psychiatrist. I’ve had massive amounts of therapy (of several different kinds). I am currently working with a therapist via Zoom, who specializes in trauma and works with several modalities, the most beneficial of which (so far) has been EMDR. I also take Zoloft and Wellbutrin. I can finally say I am getting better every day.

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This is not the first time I have blogged! I had a personal blog from 2005-2009 and met many of my closest friends through blogging. I’m excited to see where this will take me.

I appreciate your visiting and I hope you’ll comment here and there to say hello. 🙂