When you hear that blogger Stephanie Nielson is the mother of four young children--Claire, 5, Jane, 4, Oliver, 2, Nicholas, 10 months--it seems hard to believe that she has the time or energy to create a gorgeous home. But create, she does. Each room draws you in with an airy ambiance and colorful artwork; and children seem to be giggling around every corner. We talk to her on the phone (while little Oliver chatters in her other ear) about how she does it.

What a gorgeous kitchen (and little redhead)! Tell us about the photo wall. They're all photos of our children taken by my husband and me. Our goal is to fill the whole wall.

Is the chandalier an antique? No, funnily enough, we found it on greatchandeliers.com. They have cheap reproduction jewels. (Ours was about $100.) The table was a wedding gift from my husband.

Where does your family tend to congregate? We're always in the living room. Jumping on the couch is a theme of our life.

Why did you put the couch in the middle of the room? The couch helps separate the room into two spaces. In front of the couch, there's a coffee table and TV; it's more fun. Behind the couch is a cozy, conversation area with a fireplace. When friends come over, we sit there.

What do people notice most when they visit? People love how our home is so open. We don't put blinds on our windows. The living room has huge sliding doors that look onto orange trees, and I couldn't bear to cover them. I want the sun to stream in; it's healthy and makes the house feel glowing, warm and happy.

These silhouette prints are gorgeous. Are they of your family? Yes, I do them every year. It's really fun and easy. I hang the old ones in the guest room; my kids love to see how they've grown, how their hair is longer, etc.

How do you make them? I take a photo of each person and carefully cut it out. Then I paint it black and put it on white paper. My grandmother had silhouette prints; and I love how they're reminiscent of antiques and the flea market scene.

How did you decide on light blue for the walls? I was going for a beach house look, so the light blue worked.

What a cute little model. Did you reupholster this chair? Yes, I found the Ethan Allen chair in beautiful condition at Goodwill. Then I found the fabric at Sass, a hodge-podge craft spot in Phoenix.

Have you always lived in Arizona? My husband is from here, but I'm from Utah. I miss the seasons and snow, but otherwise our town in Arizona is a lovely spot and very family-oriented.

Who's room is this? It's our guest room. The bedspread is from Target, but the art is from my mom, grandmother and great-grandmother. I put their cross-stich art into random frames that don't match and aren't straight, but they do the job.

The boys' bedroom is great. What do they like playing with? The silver race car is awesome. I love those kinds of timeless toys; they're made well with no batteries--and no music!

Where did you get the other furniture? When we moved in, the previous owner had left the cupboard behind. It was brown and gross, so I painted and shined it up. I bought the three blue chairs from the Utah elementary school that my dad went to; these are the original chairs from when he was there! I painted a pattern by making squares with tape and painting over in different shades of blue.

You seem to have found or inherited many of your gorgeous pieces. People always say that they want to buy new furniture, but I've never felt that way. I love when things have stories behind them.

Are those baby sweaters that are decorating the crib? Yes, my grandmother made them for my mother, who wore them growing up in the 1950s. Then my mom washed them when she was in college and they shrunk--it was sad but I'm glad! She gave them to us girls, and we dressed our dolls in them. I'm her only sentimental daughter, so later she gave them to me to use as decoration.

That's a great story. What about the fish mobile? They're ornaments from Anthropologie. I hung them from the ceiling for Nicholas. Sometimes when he wakes up, he won't cry; I'll go in there and he'll be staring at the fish.

What gorgeous shelves! Yes, I found that nice thick wrapping paper at Old Navy and just glued it in.

These dogs must have a story behind them. My sister had a sweet old dog who died. I painted a black-and-white photo of him onto canvas and sent it to my sister saying, "Thinking of you." I thought it looked cool, so I painted three and put them in our bathroom.

Does your family enjoy crafting, too? My favorite thing to do is to tell the kids, "We're going to make a craft today. Let's look through magazines and pick one." My husband is really supportive. I tell him what I'd like to do, and he'll say, "Oh, boy." But when he comes home from work, it will be done!

I like your confidence! Have you always been into arts and crafts? I always loved reading my mom's magazines, but I was never that crafty. When I had my own house and children, however, I felt more creative. My kids' personalities inspire me; I try to decorate to what type of children they are. They opened me up to this decorating world.

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