Meet LeAnn

Written by Allison Gibeson

Published in Lee’s Summit Lifestyle, March 2020

LeAnn Parker finds reprieve through decorating, organizing and creating

Life is rarely clean and organized, but that’s exactly why LeAnn Parker enjoys using her creative skills. She envisions and executes beautiful spaces as a sort of escape from the messy and mundane aspects of everyday life.

“I love creating something out of nothing and challenging myself to use things that are used instead of new,” LeAnn says. “I grew up in a family of artists and creativity my whole life, so it feels like second nature to beautify spaces. In this season of life, my creative outlets center around our home. These include tablescapes, party styling for my family and friends, and a bit of gardening.”

Her family has lived in their home for a decade now, and while the neighborhood is close to everything, it has a rustic and country feel as there is undeveloped land nearby. Given this backdrop, she has developed an interest in the cottage style.

LeAnn says her stylistic goal is to be classic and timeless with a touch of contemporary trends. If her staple items such as a table or couch have classic or neutral tones, she can change out seasonal items such as pillows and blankets. To that end, her goal is to have all staples in a neutral or white so she can add in a splash of seasonal color as appropriate.

Additionally, she loves the natural outdoor style and enjoys using items that can be found on a walk through the woods. In fact, she displays a deer antler her son found in their yard a number of years ago.

“I’m inspired creatively by nature and vintage finds,” LeAnn says. “I think so much is inspiring about nature – endless beauty to reflect back into interior spaces.”

LeAnn says her favorite book as a child was The Secret Garden, and the idea of finding an old overgrown space and bringing it back to life has captivated her interest. Her love for vintage pieces comes from memories of antique shopping with her family every summer along Lake Michigan.

She loves to decorate her home with plants and believes they make a room more alive even if they aren’t real. In fact, half of the plants around her home are faux plants. She typically uses real Pothos and Spider plants and faux fiddle leaf figs and succulents.

Food and books are other common pieces she uses for decorating. After all, fruit can be displayed in bowls, pasta looks great in jars, carrots can be made into bouquets and kale can be used as a centerpiece. Then she often finds old novels at thrift stores, tears off the covers and places them on shelves backwards with the pages outward facing. She says this adds a neutral texture and height in places that need it without spending much, and books can be used for tablescapes, place settings, gift wrapping, cupcake toppers, Christmas ornaments and more.

Radish Bouquet

Food and books are other common pieces she uses for decorating.

Hosting parties is another of LeAnn’s passions as these events provide a reprieve from the stresses of wonderful but somewhat chaotic times in life such as getting married or having a baby.

“When hosting a party and event, I always try to challenge myself creatively by using an item that is reused or unexpected and giving it new life,” LeAnn says.

For example, this past Christmas she used old maps in all her décor and gift wrapping. She says the next party she creates will be similar, perhaps using old music pages.

Stay tuned for more creative insight from LeAnn in coming months. For more examples of LeAnn’s style and creations, visit her Instagram — @silvertoothhome.

Simplifying home organization with two tips

Having an organized home helps to destress from everyday life, yet it’s not always easy to achieve. To help, here are two simple tips LeAnn uses to maintain an organized home:

The speed clean. LeAnn often purges or organizes one small area around the house per week and rotates around the house all year. This takes her between 10 minutes to one hour depending on the area. She picks a single drawer, shelf, closet or basket and evaluates all items there and sorts them out based on if they are still needed, can be reused, donated or thrown away.

Fun with baskets. “Everything looks tidy thrown in a basket,” LeAnn says. She often removes grocery items (such as granola bars) from their original packaging and places them in baskets. The pantry looks organized, and she can easily glance and see what needs to be restocked.