Confessions of a decorating meddler

Hello, my name is Danielle Powell. I am an interior decorator, graduate of a very prestigious school that will remain nameless because I don't know which one. I have decorated homes for the rich and famous all around the world. Just look at this home in London. It was my first design contract: 

I am tall, blond, beautiful, and ageless. My driver's license photo looks suspiciously like it was clipped from the JC Penny catalog. I can't seem to find that piece of identification right now. I am more than just a beautiful face. My portfolio speaks for itself. Besides interior design work, I can draw home elevations, floor plans, and landscape design. Just don't ask me to do roof lines or name plants.

Some may call the work dated, but I call it classic.

I excel at saving my clients money. By using my own crafts and shopping from the JC Penny catalog, I was able to create the master suit above for just $710. Occasionally I order from Domestications for their super awesome "bed in a bag" deals.

Every home should have an indoor pool in my opinion. I won't work on a project that doesn't have one. And that is just the beginning of my list of contract stipulations. For starters, my fee is 3 million dollars. 

You probably figured out by now that Danielle Powell isn't really an interior decor specialist. She was only real in my mind. In the early 1990's I was a pre-teen with too much time, too much creativity, an active imagination, and a JC Penny catalog -- a frightening combination. Being home schooled, my mom saw that I had an insatiable need to design and gave me assignments for decorating projects. Because of that I actually kept a "portfolio" of my work. I had a good laugh as I reminisced through the pages today. I could picture myself in my freshly designed blue and pink bedroom trying to ignore the pounding beat of Michael W. Smith coming through my sister's bedroom door. It seems like yesterday. 

These days I should really go by
I never went to design school and didn't take a single interior decorating class in college. I think when it came down to making decisions for my future, I was too intimidated to pursue the lofty ambitions of Danielle Powell. I was just a girl from a small town who liked to decorate. Actually I am still a girl from a small town who likes to decorate. I love to dream big, but live in the reality of a small budget and little kids in my home with "washable markers" that aren't actually washable. Think of me as the degree-less, cheap version of Design with Christine.

I enjoy decorating my own home and love a cheap project or fantastic deal more than anything. I still have the insatiable urge to design. It's really weird I know. My sister casually mentioned she needed to rearrange her living room furniture one day and I pleaded, "Can I do it?" After everything was rearranged to my liking, I found myself at TJ Maxx with $20 of her money looking for the perfect accessories to complete the look. It was at that point I knew I was a meddler. A decorating meddler.

If someone asks my advice, I am eager to help. People don't ask very much. They probably think that I am joking, but seriously, I'm not. I have painted my dining room 4 different colors in 7 years. Every room in my home has been decorated differently than it is now. I need some new blood (metaphorically speaking) for my sake and for my poor husband who would be happy with monotone rooms. That is why I decided to open up my blog to some decorating advice. It sounds like the perfect solution to my problem and yours (maybe): 

• send me a picture of your space. Email me at ajepeters at gmail dot com.
• tell me what you want to accomplish
• what's your budget? I can work with anything
• I'll give you some suggestions of what I would do and feature it on my blog, complete with pictures and prices

I might have to limit my "contracts" if this catches on. In the meantime, I'll just be sitting here checking my email 14 times a day hoping someone has a design crises for me to dwell on.

Yours truly, 

Danielle

Uh hem,