About

Making it Lovely was named one of the 50 World’s Best Design Blogs by the London Times Online, and Nicole’s work has been featured in the Chicago Tribune Magazine, Time Out Chicago, ReadyMade, Everyday with Rachael Ray, CS Interiors, and other publications.

A Little More About Me (Nicole Balch)

I’m transforming my so-so house into a lovely home. Follow along, offer advice, or just get a glimpse into the creative process!

When I’m not working on my home, I’m working on my business, Pink Loves Brown. I design and sell cards, stationery, gift sets, bookplates, pins, magnets, and pocket mirrors. Running my business is my full time job, and I love it. When I have extra time, I take on additional design work at Smart & Lovely.

My husband Brandon loves movies and video games, tolerates the color pink, and makes me laugh. Often. Our daughter Eleanor was born April 29, 2009, and we’re totally in love with her. We’re also expecting another baby mid-February, 2011. Oh, and we have a dog named Murray, and three cats in varying sizes: Violet (S), Mabel (M), and Kili (XXL).

I should probably write more, but here’s something I can tell you… I like to use ellipses too much – and I don’t use em dashes nearly enough.

Contact Me

You can send me an e-mail, or write:
Nicole Balch
P.O. Box 1268
Oak Park, IL 60304

My Photos

I usually use a Canon Digital Rebel XT and the lens that came with it, but I also have a Canon Powershot G10. I don’t know much about photography (other than “don’t use flash”), but I know a thing or two about composition. I fake the rest with Photoshop.

I have a Photo Gallery here on the site, and I also put all of my photos up on flickr.

This Website

I started blogging on Blogger in January 2007, and switched over to WordPress in January 2008. WordPress and I are now besties and we’re very happy together (sorry, Blogger).

The blog design was done by me (Smart & Lovely).

Privacy Policy

I do not share your information with anyone, ever. You must enter an email address when leaving a comment, but it is not published or added to any mailing lists. This site uses cookies for stats, but the information collected is very general and cannot be linked to an individual’s personal information.