Guest Post Archives - What Meegan Makes

Designer Insights with Meegan

November 18, 2014 By Meegan 1 Comment

I was contacted by Terry’s Blinds awhile back. They asked me to share my Designer Insights.

My interview was posted on their website here, just last week. I was/am honored to be chosen among SO many talented designers, creators and talented people.

Here is the post in it’s entirety. I hope you enjoy it.

Meegan Fast is a lover of all things thrifting and vintage, sharing her latest finds, DIY crafts and recipes at What Meegan Makes. Meegan use to stage and decorate weddings for 17 years, where she organized and decorated every aspect of a wedding to give a bride her perfect dream wedding. The most rewarding part of this being, seeing a bride’s eyes light up after seeing all of her hard work. So we are proud to bring you the Designer Insights of Meegan Fast.

My Interview and Designer Insights with Meegan :

1) In your own words describe your unique style and creative aesthetic?

My style is cottage, vintage, beachy, and thrifted. It comes from years of collecting vintage items, shells, shopping thrift stores and desiring a beach cottage.

2) When starting a new project, what is your creative process?

When I spot something unique, I ponder about how I can make it my own. The creative juices are flowing until I find a place for it in my home.

3) Out of the creative people you have worked with, who is it that you respect and admire the most?

When working as a wedding coordinator, my partner Wendy. We had chemistry much like one another. She would suggest an idea and I create from that, and vice versa. Our creativity went beyond our own expectations. It was an enjoyable time-and many times did not feel like work, but pure creativity.

4) When looking for inspiration is there a particular thing you do to get inspired?

When looking for inspiration I browse through antique malls, thrift stores, and high end furniture shops. Then can envision our small condo on a smaller, simpler scale. BUT, with a high end look.

5) What has brought you to this point in your career? And what is your advice for people looking to follow in your footsteps?

I came to this point after raising a large family and designing weddings for 17 years. I find fulfillment in creating and designing. I stick to my core when choosing pieces. Advice: Follow your love and creativity. Not trends.

Thanks for stopping by today and sharing one of my blogging accomplishments with me. It was a BIG deal for me: Designer Insights with Meegan.

Make it a lovely Tuesday.

Field Trip Friday with Ann From On Sutton Place

July 18, 2014 By Meegan 2 Comments

It’s the time of week that makes me so happy. It’s Field Trip Friday. Today we have Ann visiting What Meegan Makes. I am thrilled to have Ann on my blog. Especially for all of you to see her talent and creativity. It’s your turn Ann…

Hello! I’m Ann and I write the lifestyle website called On Sutton Place. I’m a reluctant empty nester who got a wild idea a few years ago to start a blog that focused on all the various aspects of my home. The house itself, the garden, the porches, the kitchen and the family that lives there. What started as something to fill the empty hours has turned into a full time job that I love. I am a DIY, self-taught decorator and a firm believer in surrounding yourself with things you love.

Spring Farmhouse Porch | On Sutton Place

When Meegan invited me to visit her readers and tell a bit about myself I wasn’t quite sure what to say. So I’ll just start from the beginning. When I decided to start a blog, I had no idea what I was doing. Deep down I knew I just had to try. I was a magazine junkie and devoured every issue of several different home and garden publications.

My sewing skills came in very handy as did my ability to use a paint brush. I wasn’t afraid of hard work and I will be the first to tell you that hard work really does pay off. For more on that read The Story of Our House.

I love a collected-over-time and classic look…but if I really like something that doesn’t quite fit, I do my best to make it work. Even if it isn’t the right style or color. I decorate in layers so it’s easy to change the look of a room by just switching out a layer or two.

I especially love being in my kitchen. I am a very basic cook and I enjoy making family dinners. A good place to start to see what comes out of my kitchen is Family Favorites. I also share some basic baking tips that I’ve picked up over the years. The perfect recipe, in my opinion, has no more than 5 or 6 ingredients. Simple is almost always best!

Other than my kitchen, my two favorite places to hang out are my yard and my sewing room. We’ll start with the yard. It’s come a long way since we moved in and I recently rounded up my ten best gardening posts on what I’ve learned. Nothing makes me happier than decorating with flowers from my garden.

Shortly after I started my blog, I opened an online shop called Sutton Place Designs. I make and sell textile home furnishings from vintage fabrics, ticking and linen. I usually list items in my shop once a month and always let my readers know on my blog and through my social media. I’d love to have any of Meegan’s readers stop over and take a look around.

So that’s the story of my blog in a nutshell. I want to thank Meegan for having me and invite you all to stop and visit On Sutton Place anytime!

Thanks so much Ann for taking your time to be a guest on Field Trip Field. It means a lot to me.

Okay, did you love Ann as much as I thought you would?? I already know the answer to that. A resounding YES!

Thanks for visiting my blog today for Field Trip Friday with Ann From On Sutton Place.

Make it a field trip Friday.

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I share little bits and pieces of my blog and life on: Pinterest Facebook Hometalk Google + Stumble Upon Bloglovin’ twitter Instagram

The Best of Field Trip Friday

May 30, 2014 By Meegan 2 Comments

It’s Field Trip Friday! One of my favorite days of the week. This week I am sharing 4 Field Trips for you. Each one has been a guest on Field Trip Friday at some point. I thought it would be fun to look back at The Best of Field Trip Friday. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did both times around…

There is a small snippet from each field trip so you can get a little taste of what each blogger’s forte’ is.

Let’s get The Best of Field Trip Friday started!!!

First off, we start with one of the best bloggers around:

Julie, the redhead from redheadcandecorate.com.

Maybe some of your followers can try one of our ideas.

Here’s our most recent project:

Winter Beach Lodge Living Room

My husband, Richard, and I, transformed our dark living room by selling our sectional on Craig’s List, updating the furniture, painting, and adding some inexpensive custom trim to the walls to open the space.

I also integrated several DIY decorating ideas into the space such as:

Thrift Store Lamp Makeover

Illuminated Photo Door

We also used a dead elm stump from our yard to make an end table.

This was really easy, and almost free.

Just had to buy a can of polyurethane.

Stump End Table

Click here to see the full tour from Julie.

Next, it was a delight to have:

Anne from White Lace Cottage

My kitchen has changed a lot!

Painting my kitchen cabinets was the best decision ever!

They have held up well and make my kitchen nice and bright even in the cold winter months.

Before Photos Of My Kitchen

One of my favorite things to collect is white ironstone.

I love my open cabinets, it now gives me more room to display my growing collection.

My kitchen was not the only room changed when I started my blog.

I transformed our whole house!

I painted all of my walls with a creamy white color.

This allows me to add any color to the mix,which is fun to do since I love to change!

More of Anne’s home tour here.

Another classic blogger:

Julie from the blog, Lilacs & Longhorns.

Our home is a blend of leather and stained woods (his favorites) as well as fabrics and finishes I love.

I recently finished re-doing our formal dining room and I absolutely adore how it turned out.

It’s my favorite room in the house.

It is casual and comfortable and it seats a crowd.

We almost always host Thanksgiving and as well as a lot of family get-togethers so this space is well-used.

That said, our living room is the main hub of activity around here.

We do not have a formal living area, so this one serves as both a formal and casual space.

As you can tell, our home is very open and full of light.

It is what drew us to this house when we bought it.

To view Julie’s FULL home tour look here.

And finally, this week, a fabulous DIYER:

Jeanette from Country Design Style.

I made the bed, not just pulling the sheets up. I made the bed, using plywood and wood leftover from a house construction across the street in our old neighborhood. The chair was made copied from one in a local furniture store window, except I added the “bowtie” a family symbol. The cabinet on the right was made to hold a TV but in this house it’s only duty now is to hold pillows.

Our TV now hangs on the wall in the master bedroom. My grandson helped make the shelf under the TV during summer break.

This is a faux or fake fireplace and one of my personal favorites. Many broken and scrap wood pieces were used to make the mantel. This picture does not show it well, but the firebox area is painted with chalkboard paint. That makes for some fun chalk drawings.

Now let’s run back through the downstairs to the front door. I forgot to show the powder room sink. It was made with a leftover log from the living room ceiling.
I did not make it!

To view the full tour of Jeanette’s home click here.

I hope The Best of Field Trip Friday was a lot of fun for you today. I certainly had a great time enjoying the talents of each of my blogging friends.

Make it a Field Trip Friday for yourself…

Happy Weekend!

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I share little bits and pieces of my blog and life on: Pinterest Facebook Hometalk Google + Stumble Upon Bloglovin’ twitter Instagram

Field Trip Friday with Nancy from Artsy Chicks Rule

May 9, 2014 By Meegan 1 Comment

It’s Field Trip Friday with Nancy from Artsy Chicks Rule! It’s a real treat to have Nancy here today.

Nancy is more than talented. She can transform furniture, make crafts, and has a beautiful blog full of inspiration. Take it away, Nancy…

Hi Everyone!

I’m so happy to be here today to share a bit about myself and my blog.
Thank you so much for inviting me Meegan!

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My name is Nancy and I am a mother of 2 and wife to one fabulous guy.
I write a blog called Artsy Chicks Rule about my love of DIY, design & decor on a budget.
I love re-inventing thrifty finds, making signs & graphics and a little bit of everything else.
My husband and I have been DIY-ers for many years.

Here’s one example of a DIY project we completed in our home….
Kitchen Before and After Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

Kitchen Cabinet makeover with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.
You can read more about our home here and see a few room tours here.

I also love doing anything “artsy” and have my entire life.
Which is why, when I started thinking about writing a blog, my husband came up with the name….Artsy Chicks Rule.
He’s called me his “arsty chick” for 25 years so the name was a perfect fit!

My motto – Re.store, Re.style and Re.love.

I’m a thrifty girl. Always have been!
I love a deal…..and I love to decorate on the cheap!

Above all, my favorite thing to do is paint and bring new life to old pieces, either thrifted or those I already own.
I move things from room to room and re-invent things constantly around here.

This Aubusson Blue Chalk Painted Thrift Store Dresser is one of my all time favorites.
This also happens to be one of my favorite colors in the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint line.

Isn’t that blue fabulous?