emily claire

a new venture

2010-04-11T13:18:00.000-07:00

I've decided to start working on starting a photography business. I got my camera about two years ago and, in that time, I've learned how to use it and I've gotten better at composing decent shots.
I've signed up for Photoshop classes and I'll be attending a photography workshop this summer. Over the next few months, I'm going to work on building up a portfolio. I'm really excited!

It's exciting to think of starting a new career and one that would really play to my creative side!

have you ever wanted to chuck your blog?

2010-04-06T14:16:00.000-07:00

I have. And I almost did. (But I'm so glad that I didn't!)

Ever since my bout with pneumonia in December, I just haven't been able to get my groove back. I've had no ambition to cook or take photos or decorate or blog or do anything else that usually makes me happy. I just slogged through the rest of the winter.

But it's hard to stay depressed when it's Spring and the days are so warm and beautiful! I finally took my camera out yesterday and we took a drive down to Princeton so that I could take a few pictures.

The whole campus is so beautiful.

This fence is partially responsible for inspiring me to go to college. When I was a little girl, my parents took me down to Princeton and I fell head-over-heels in love with this wrought iron fence. I'm pretty sure I may be the only person who went to college partly to admire a fence.

Forsythia - why can't it bloom all summer long?

My husband and I tried to impart the importance of working hard and getting an education to our boys. But they were more interested in picking up rocks.

laptop love

2010-03-15T06:29:00.000-07:00

I am really in love with these stylin' new mini-laptops. HP is collaborating with Vivienne Tam to make them and the designs are so pretty. They make me wish it was time for a new laptop.

longing for summer

2010-03-03T05:04:00.000-08:00

All the snow and gray weather we've had makes me wish I could escape to a place like this:

St. Regis Hotel in Hawaii

And lounge around in something like this:

beach cover-up from J. Crew

Along with a pair of these:

And right beside my lounge chair, I'd have a tub like this filled with ice and cold drinks. Summer is almost here, right?

a little room progress

2010-02-26T12:31:00.001-08:00

We've been snowed in for the past two days, so we used the time to put together the Hemnes dresser for my son's room. I actually like it much better in person than I did when I saw photos of it. And while it's bigger than I thought, it fits perfectly in this space.

I still need to come up with artwork for the wall above the dresser. The little monkey picture has got to go. Also, I want to style the top of the dresser a little better. It needs something that will add a little height.
Meanwhile, our little corner of the world looks like this:

That weird shape in the upper right hand corner of the photo is the snow fort that we built yesterday. For the kids, of course. It's not like my husband and I are immature enough to have snowball fights or anything ;-) The fort was three feet high yesterday and today it's a barely discernible bump of snow.

And as much of an inconvenience as it is, it's absolutely beautiful!

snowy february

2010-02-18T09:48:00.000-08:00

It's funny that about two weeks ago, I was grousing about how little snow we'd gotten this winter. Now we have a backyard that looks like this:

And happy children who look like this:

winter comfort food

2010-02-17T09:35:00.001-08:00

Bananas Foster is my favorite dessert ever. I made some for my son's birthday party last Sunday and it was such a hit! With the adults, of course. The kids got ice cream with rainbow sprinkles.
The recipe that I use is a little different from other recipes for this dessert. Most will call for frying the bananas to caramelize them - I always think that this just makes them mushy. I make the sauce first, then I add the bananas. If I'm making this for a party, I don't add the bananas until just before I'm ready to serve dessert.

Bananas Foster

3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup dark rum
3-4 ripe bananas, sliced into rounds
vanilla ice cream

Melt the butter in a small saucepan and stir in the brown sugar. Stir until the sugar has melted into the butter. Remove from heat and carefully add the rum. (If the alcohol ignites, just let it burn itself out, but keep the lid to the saucepan on hand just in case.) I usually return the saucepan to the stove and heat it gently to let the alcohol evaporate. If I'm making the dessert right away, I add the bananas and stir them a bit. Place a scoop or two of ice cream in each serving dish and ladle the hot sauce over the ice cream. If I'm serving dessert later, I put the lid on the saucepan and set it aside. Reheat the sauce when you're ready to use it (the butter will have solidified on the surface of the sauce, but it'll melt again as you heat the sauce up.)

a room in need of a facelift

2010-02-16T06:18:00.000-08:00

My husband and I are both off from work this week. Of course, this just means that we focus on all the work around the house that needs to get done. My goal is to give my younger son's room a facelift. Tomorrow I'll be driving over to IKEA to pick up one of these dressers. We'll be packing up the crib and storing it in the attic. It's the first time in six years that there won't be a crib in the house. It's a little bittersweet.
I have this nightstand that will work well in the room. I'd like to give it a coat of cranberry paint, but that will have to wait until Spring when the garage isn't freezing cold.

The big boy bed is in good shape, but, as you can clearly see, it needs a bedding update.

Finally, I need some art to fill up the blank wall space. I'm planning on buying some frames while I'm at IKEA. I have some train art that I'll be putting in the frames, but the beauty of frames is that my son will be able to switch the art out as he gets older. Something tells me that a sixteen-year old is not going to want train art decorating his walls.

And just for fun, here's a picture I dug out of my picture files. This is what the room looked like when we bought the house.

elle decor style - sort of

2010-02-10T10:13:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday I stopped at HomeGoods to see if there was anything new. For some reason, a pair of these Foo dogs caught my eye. At $7.99 a piece, they weren't that much of an investment, so I bought them. And though I'm not sold on the orange color, it's nothing that a little spray paint can't fix.

Imagine my excitement when I spotted one of them in a room in Elle Decor. See, there he is!

Granted, it was a promotion for affordable decor and it was sponsored by HomeGoods, but still, it was fun to look up from the magazine and see my own Foo dog on my shelf. The last time something I actually owned showed up in a magazine, it was an Ann Taylor dress that showed up as a Don't in Glamour magazine. Ouch.

Have a great weekend!

easiest chalkboard ever

2010-02-10T10:02:00.000-08:00

About a week ago, I ordered a roll of chalkboard contact paper. I had never heard of it before and I was both intrigued and skeptical. How good could it be?

Well, it turned out to be pretty good stuff. It's easy to write on and erase and it was so easy to use that I transformed a cheap frame that I got at the grocery store into a chalkboard in 15 minutes flat. Much easier than painting on layer after layer of chalkboard paint.

After tearing off the backing on the frame, I removed the glass, pasted the contact paper over the board that had originally been the backing to the frame and pasted a piece of cardboard to the back of that. Then I duct-taped the cardboard to the back of the frame to hold everything together.
I have a second frame just like this one that I'll also be transforming into a chalkboard. Then they're destined for the kitchen.

happy birthday

2010-02-09T04:45:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my younger son's third birthday. Boy, does time ever fly. His birthday party is scheduled for this Sunday, which is one of the reasons why I'm hoping for a snow day tomorrow. It sure would help if I had a little extra time for the preparations. I put up the "Happy Birthday" banner, which I made out of some old scrapbook paper, some vinyl letters and some ribbon.

And here's the birthday boy himself - wishing hard for new toys, no doubt. Oh, to be three again!

snow day survival guide

2010-02-08T10:12:00.000-08:00

Apparently, the East Coast is scheduled to get hit with another snowstorm, which means that we might have a real snow day (not just a delayed opening) on Wednesday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed - I really want to go outside and build snowmen with my boys! I'm also hoping for a lot of great photo opps. January was a dull month for us and I barely even took my camera out of its case.

After we've had enough of the snow, we'll come back inside and have hot cocoa with a fresh batch of Baby Buttons cookies. These simple (and adorable) little cookies are seriously addicting!

I'll be renting out The Tudors on Tuesday. We don't subscribe to Showtime, so I've been catching up on this series on DVD. It's perfect for a snow day.

Finally, I'll hop on the elliptical machine to get my daily workout in. I'm at the point in my fitnesse regime now where I actually look forward to working out. To say that I love it would be a stretch, but I definitely miss it when a day goes by without a chance to work out. I think I'm enjoying the stress relief almost as much as the weight loss.

snowy day

2010-02-03T04:47:00.000-08:00

This morning, we got that happy phone call at five a.m. informing us that we'd have a delayed opening since it snowed overnight. Oh, how I love those two extra hours in the morning to relax with a cup of coffee from my snow day mug!

Outside the kitchen window, it looks like this. Those trees on the far edge of our backyard are one of the reasons I fell in love with our house.

Also, the little table is almost done. It's now a nice, glossy black and we love it!

The butterfly knob from Anthropologie is back-ordered, so in the meantime, I gold-leafed the knob that I had. It actually looks pretty good.

The light fixture for the bedroom has been ordered and it's on its way. I can't wait to see it once it's actually installed. It'll be so nice to have light in the bedroom in the morning.

light fixture for bedroom

2010-01-29T10:18:00.001-08:00

I think I've finally found the perfect light fixture for the master bedroom. My husband and I have been ~~bickering~~ discussing our lighting options for the bedroom for months now and we haven't been able to find a single light fixture that we both could be happy with.
That is, until I spotted this one on Overstock.

I love the shade and the promise of soft, diffused light that it suggests and the crystal finial satisfies my need for a little bling. Hopefully, it'll arrive soon and we'll finally have some light in the bedroom!

2010-01-27T06:19:00.000-08:00

Last week's plans to paint my little green table got derailed by two calamities. The first was that the glossy black paint that I bought actually turned out to be a gross purple color. The second was that as I was heading out the door to buy more paint, the stomach flu hit my two boys in quick succession. Needless to say, the table-painting got put on hold until this weekend.

In the meantime, here are some pricey, but very fabulous file cabinets available at Nieman Marcus. What a great accent in a home office!

This turquoise-colored one is my favorite. It has me wondering if I can find a file box and build a simple base for it so that I can get this look without having to shell out big bucks.

this week's project

2010-01-19T03:14:00.000-08:00

This little table stands in a corner next to our front door. I picked it up at a clearance sale a few years ago because it was cheap and fit this space. I've decided that I've had enough of the pastel green color. It doesn't match anything else in our house. It's time to glam this little table up.

I'm leaning towards a glossy black finish. The white knob will be replaced with this vintage-looking butterfly from Anthropologie.

I'll be posting pictures of the result this week.

bridesmaid bootcamp update

2010-01-18T05:20:00.000-08:00

Last week was the first week of what I've dubbed my bridesmaid bootcamp. I worked out every day and I incorporated more fruits and vegetables into my meals. I managed to lose 1 pound and rewarded myself with this pair of shoes to go with the bridesmaid dress. Actually, they weren't really a reward - I picked them up because they were incredibly marked down:-)

Anyway, I don't want to focus just on losing a few pounds to fit into a dress - I want to lead a healthier lifestyle. Ever since I became a mom, I've found myself skipping workouts and eating junk food on the run. I want to get back to working out every day because it gives me more energy and makes me feel healthier.

This week's shape-up focus will be on adding strength-training to my workout routine. I'll be trying workouts with kettle balls.

Scary-looking, aren't they? But my husband is a coach and swears by them, so I'll be giving them a try. If you turn on the news this week and hear about a New Jersey woman who bonked herself unconscious with a kettle ball - you'll know who they're talking about!

I'll also be adding more whole grains to my diet. Today I'm making this taboulleh salad (recipe here). It has bulgher wheat, which is supposed to be incredibly healthy (lots of fiber and vitamins.)

Thanks for all of the encouraging e-mails and comments! They really helped to keep me going this past week.

antique gilded frame (sort of)

2010-01-10T11:14:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling inspired by the cluster of frames in this photo. We have a large, blank wall in our living room that I think would look great with an eclectic group of frames. Since gold-leaf frames can get pretty expensive, I decided to try the DIY route.

I went up to our attic and brought down this frame. I have two of these that I bought at Sears when my husband and I first got married. I never really loved them, but they were on sale for $3 for the pair.

So I took out a gold leaf kit that I'd bought a few months ago and, following the directions in the kit, I applied gold leaf to the frame. I also replaced the flower print with one of my own photographs.

It was a pretty easy process, except for getting the gold leaf into all the indentations in the decorative trim, but I think the inconsistencies just give it more of an antique look.

stress

2010-01-07T12:04:00.000-08:00

This dress scares me more than I can say.

I have exactly 6 months to get in shape so that I don't look awful in this bridesmaid's dress.
I'm only 5 feet 3 inches tall and this dress is pretty unforgiving if you're not tall and thin. So I've decided that I need to drop 15 lbs and work on toning up my arms.
I'm planning on combining Weight Watcher's and some extra workout time. Everyone I know who's done Weight Watchers has had great results and it seems like an easy enough plan to follow. Wish me luck!

Have a great weekend!

til next year

2010-01-06T18:33:00.000-08:00

This weekend we drove to New York City to see the tree in Rockefeller Center. No matter how many times I've seen it, it always gives me a thrill. I can't wait until my boys are old enough to go ice skating in the rink.

This coming weekend, I'll be taking down the Christmas decorations. This is always such a bittersweet task. Part of me loves getting the house back to its normal state of order, but a big part of me will miss the warm lights of the Christmas tree.

I've started planning my younger son's February birthday party. It's hard to believe that it's only a few weeks away. It's scheduled for Super Bowl Sunday so a football theme is de rigueur. I'm looking forward to it. The pneumonia in December really knocked me off my feet - it's nice to have something fun to look forward to again!

hgtv withdrawal

2010-01-04T06:12:00.000-08:00

What a way to start a new year. On New Year's Day, I turned on HGTV only to find out that my cable provider (Cablevision) has dropped HGTV and Food Network due to a contract dispute. The two channels might come back or they might not so I've been researching other cable providers in our area to switch to as soon as possible. If anyone has satellite TV and would care to leave some feedback about it, I'd appreciate it since I'm leaning towards satellite (low rates and lots of channels - what's not to love?) and my husband is completely against it.

In the meantime, I think that there is so much to love about this office space. Especially the gorgeous fabric on the framed corkboard. I feel inspired just looking at it! My mom has a similar frame that's knocking around her basement and I'm itching to take it and make something similar.

champagne mousse

2009-12-30T14:44:00.001-08:00

My husband and I love to spend New Year's Eve at home. The kids go to bed long before the midnight bells toll and we have a few hours to ourselves to watch a movie, eat great food and drink champagne.

This year, I'm making some Champagne mousse to have for dessert. The recipe comes together easily and the result is an elegant, light-as-air, champagne-flavored mousse.
Happy New Year!

Champagne Mousse

1/3 cup sugar
5 egg yolks
3/4 cup champagne
2 tbsp heavy cream
fresh strawberries, sliced

Combine the sugar and egg yolks in a heat-safe bowl and set over a pot of boiling water. Using an electric mixture, beat the eggs and sugar until you have a thick, pale-colored mixture. Add the heavy cream and continue to beat. Your mixture should be foamy and light. Remove from heat and stir in the champagne. Spoon mousse into serving dishes and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Before serving, garnish with strawberry slices.

on my list

2009-12-23T06:36:00.000-08:00

My Christmas wishlists always feature a lot of books and this year is no exception. Among my top picks for this year are the following books.

The first is a cookbook by Eric Ripert. It's supposed to go through the creative process that chef's use when they create recipes. As much as I love to cook, my skill is limited to finding a recipe and executing it - I have no idea how to invent recipes of my own.

The next couple of books are all decorating books. One of my favorite ways to spend a cold winter evening is curled up in bed with a book full of beautiful photos of beautiful rooms. These books fit the bill quite nicely.

Click on the pictures above for a link.

wreath instructions

2009-12-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

For those who requested instructions on how to make this Christmas wreath, here they are.

First you need fabric and lots of it. I used a 30 inch by 82 inch silk drape that I cut up. (It was cheaper to use the drape than to get fabric at the fabric store.) You can use any fabric so long as it isn't too thick. I used pinking shears to cut the fabric into squares that were approximately 3 inches by 3 inches. The pinking shears make the squares look like holly leaves once they're tucked into the foam ring. Finally, you need a styrofoam ring and a hot glue gun.

Next, wrap each square around the eraser end of a pencil and put a dab of hot glue on the end of the fabric.

Then tuck the fabric square into the foam. Keep repeating this procedure until you've covered the entire foam circle with the fabric squares.

It took me about three hours total to cut the squares and glue them into the foam, but the whole wreath ended up costing about $12 to make, which isn't bad for a wreath.

christmas decorations

2009-12-16T15:49:00.000-08:00

Well, my case of bronchitis turned into a case of pneumonia. I'm finally starting to feel like myself again, but it's been a rough couple of weeks.

Anyway, nothing makes me feel better than a house decked out for Christmas! I made this wreath out of a silk drape that I got for $8.00. I took a series of how-to photos as I made the wreath, but they're on my virus-infected laptop. It may be a few more days before I have access to them and can post them.

I love apothecary jars. They adapt to any season. I filled this one with ornaments and set it on the dining room table.

creamy walls

2009-12-11T05:21:00.000-08:00

I have always loved cream-colored walls in a room. To me, they're bright, clean, warm and serene. I love how the colors in the accessories in a room stand out against a pale wall.

images above courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens

image courtesy of Sara Story Design

image above courtesy of Living Etc.

image above courtesy of Carrier & Co.

two images above courtesy of House Beautiful

coughing, coughing, coughing

2009-12-08T10:07:00.000-08:00

Did you know that you can break a rib from coughing too much? Yeah, neither did I until I ended up with one after a bout with bronchitis. And let me tell you, it hurts like you cannot believe.

It's my own dumb fault for refusing to see a doctor and convincing myself that my bronchitis would go away all on its own while I ran around like a crazy person getting done all the things that needed to get done. Note to self: sometimes you just have to get into bed and rest.

Also, while I was infected with a rib-breaking virus, my laptop caught a virus that completely froze it. Hopefully, it should be up and running by tomorrow and I'll be able to share pics of my Christmas decorations and DIY projects.

In the meantime, aren't these mercury glass vases from PotteryBarn great? I would cash in some gift certificates to get them so that I could use them for Christmas decorating, but they won't be available until January 18th.

getting ready for thanksgiving

2009-11-23T11:14:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving, we'll be traveling to Connecticut to have Thanksgiving dinner in a hotel with our family. The kids will have time to swim in the hotel pool and we'll have dinner together in one of the suites. I've been so overwhelmed with work and errands lately that I'm incredibly thankful not to have to cook anything this year!

image courtesy of Martha Stewart

However, if I were cooking, I would probably be making this incredibly simple recipe. My mom invented this trick for cranberry sauce a few years ago and, since then, she gets rave reviews every time she makes it. Everyone thinks that she toiled for hours making very fancy homemade cranberry sauce.

My Mom's Spiked Cranberry Sauce

1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
(you can use homemade cranberry sauce if you want to make it)
a tablespoon or more of Cointreau

Stir the Cointreau liquor into the cranberry sauce a tablespoon at a time. Keep tasting the cranberry sauce and stop adding Cointreau when you're satisfied with the flavor. The Cointreau lends a great citrus note to the cranbery sauce and really brings out the flavor of the cranberries. Just don't add too much or the flavor of the alcohol begins to overpower the cranberry sauce.

Note: If you plan on having children at the table, make sure you set aside a non-spiked version of cranberry sauce for them to enjoy.

butterflies

2009-11-14T12:39:00.001-08:00

I had a framed picture that I bought for a few bucks at Bed, Bath & Beyond right after my husband and I got married. It's been gathering dust in the attic for a couple of years now. After seeing this post on Little Green Notebook, though, I decided to bring it down. Here is what it originally looked like.

I printed a butterfly print off the Internet. Then I used some narrow blue ribbon that I had left over from another project to created the border on the matt. Now it's hanging in our bedroom and I love it!

I printed another butterfly for the space over my desk, but I have to get a new matt cut since this one is obviously too small and cuts off part of the butterfly's wings. As soon as I have a new matt, I'll be embellishing this picture with some ribbon as well. It's a subtle touch that adds a lot of impact.

The butterfly prints are available on Vintage Printables. The link to this site was also provided by Jenny of Little Green Notebook. Gotta love a blog that provides so much inspiration!

day trip

2009-11-12T05:58:00.001-08:00

My older son had to go to the dentist the other day for a check-up. He dreads going to the dentist which, of course, means that I dread taking him. It's usually an hour of trying to soothe him and get him to cooperate with the dentist. By the time we leave, we're both drenched in sweat.
So I resorted to bribery this time. The night before the appointment, I told him that if he was really good at the dentist's, I would take him to the Museum of Natural History in NYC to see the dinosaur bones.

It worked like a charm! He's never been so good at the dentist's. And I didn't feel too guilty about bribing a six-year old since it wasn't like I was promising him candy or a new toy. This was a valuable educational experience!

He nearly passed out from excitement when he saw the dinosaur bones. I don't think he ever imagined that dinosaurs were so BIG.

He also loved the planetarium. And despite having been there before, I was as excited as a little kid just sharing his wonder at all the things that he was seeing for the first time.

all photos from Flickr due to my failure to check that my camera battery was charged :-(

Anyway, the point of this story is that I spent two weeks dreading his appointment and it turned out to be an incredible day for both of us. The two of us shared an adventure that we'll remember for years to come.

loving this

2009-11-11T09:42:00.001-08:00

I love this digital recipe organizer from here. It's like a Kindle for recipes.

I keep all of my "keeper" recipes in a file on my computer - it saves me the trouble of having to dig through cookbooks, websites and random scraps of paper when I want to find a particular recipe. I also print out copies of the recipes and keep them in a binder. This recipe organizer would be so much easier and would take up so much less room.

I'm currently working on some Christmas wreaths and handmade Christmas cards that I'll be sharing soon.

ghosts in the yard

2009-10-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

I had some old curtains lying around the house and felt inspired to cut them up to create some ghosts for our yard.

My husband spent the weekend carving some pumpkins.

And even the leaves have taken on their autumn colors. With Halloween just days away now, I'd say we're set.

happy friday

2009-10-23T06:29:00.000-07:00

This is a message I wouldn't mind waking up to every morning! The chalkboard with vintage frame is available here.

wardrobe update

2009-10-19T06:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been an absent blogger lately. The past two months have been a flurry of back-to-school activities, birthday parties, jury duty and just general day-to-day survival:-)
Thankfully, things finally seem to be calming down to the point where I'll be able to tackle my ever-growing list of things-to-do-around-the-house.
In the meantime, I'm indulging in a wish list of items that I would LOVE for my fall/winter wardrobe.

1. First on the list is the New Maggie Bag from Coach. I saw it this weekend while shopping for birthday presents with my mom. The beautiful, plum color had me swooning.

2. All of my cardigans are completely worn out. I love these two from J. Crew.

Shawl cardigan

Chevalier Cardigan

limited release

2009-10-09T04:27:00.001-07:00

Of the past three movies that I've wanted to see, all of them have been in limited release. Argh! I got to see Coco Before Chanel in New York City, but, as a mom, I can't abandon my children every weekend just so that I can drive into the city to see a movie. It's at times like these that I miss living in a big city.
Guess I'll be waiting for this movie to come out on DVD!

flash

2009-10-05T05:53:00.001-07:00

This post is for my fellow amateur photography maniacs.
I finally collected enough gift cards to spring for one of these off-camera flash units and it's my new love. The difference that it's already made in my photographs is amazing - and I barely even know how to use it yet!
This is a photo of my son's bike taken without any flash. The sunlight was coming from behind the bike.

This is the photo with the flash. So much better! See how you can see the colors and details show up in this photo?

So why is an off-camera flash unit better than on-camera flash? An on-camera flash always delives the same intense amount of light directed right at the subject of the photograph. An off-camera flash can be adjusted at different angles and can vary the intensity of the flash so that you can use it in a variety of different conditions and the lighting always looks natural.

Here's one more pretty photo for this Monday morning.

kicking myself

2009-10-01T05:53:00.000-07:00

You know how sometimes you see something and you just feel that you should get it? But then you start second-guessing yourself and you talk yourself out of it? That's how I'm feeling about this currently out-of-stock mirror with a capiz-shell frame. Last May I saw it at Target for $20. The price was low because the capiz shells were coming up on one side (nothing that a little glue wouldn't have fixed.) I actually walked around the store with it for a while before I talked myself out of it and put it back. Now that I have the perfect spot for it, I can't get it anywhere, even at its full price. The nearest thing I could find is this round capiz mirror from West Elm for a whopping $199. Way more than I'm willing to spend at the moment.

BTW, for everyone who wanted to know how the movie Coco Before Chanel was, it was great! It was a bit of a pain to find parking in New York City on a Saturday afternoon, but well worth it to see the movie!

can't wait to see this

2009-09-25T11:14:00.000-07:00

I can't wait to drive into NYC this weekend to see Coco Before Chanel. I'm a sucker for movies with great style!

glass domes

2009-09-21T06:05:00.000-07:00

I love to bake, but everything I make ends up in big Ziploc bags so that it doesn't dry out. It doesn't make for a very attractive, or appetizing, display.
That's why I love these glass domes. Imagine those croissants sitting in a blue Ziploc bag. They wouldn't look nearly as good, would they?

While these domes are available from PotteryBarn, I'm going to try to find something similar by doing some thrift store shopping. I figure there have to be some decorative glass domes or tops to some cake stands out there.

light & dark

2009-09-18T04:57:00.000-07:00

I'm just loving this room from here.
Have a great weekend!

fabric love

2009-09-15T11:20:00.000-07:00

I have liked this Calico Corners fabric pattern for quite a while.

It makes some very pretty drapes.

And here it is being used as upholstery fabric for a bed designed by Sarah Richardson.

It's available in other colors.

I'm currently obsessing about buying some and figuring out where to use it in the house.

painted kitchen table

2009-09-14T05:39:00.000-07:00

A while back, I refinished our kitchen chairs. I painted them white and reupholstered their seats. Now, I've finally refinished our table to match. Ta-da!

I sanded it down, cleaned it off with denatured alcohol, primed it, painted it, sanded it again, painted it again, sanded it again and painted it again. Finally, I finished it off with two coats of glossy polyurethane. It was a long job, but so worth it in the end! Not only is it just brighter looking, it's also much lower maintenance than the old wood finish.

The apothecary jar on the table is filled with some decorative leaves and some acorns that my son and I gathered in the park.

I spray painted the acorns with some gold paint that I had in the garage. Free decorations are my favorite. Originally, I was going to fill little bowls with the acorns, but my younger son apparently thinks they're candy - so for now, they're safer at the bottom of the jar.

finally, bedroom progress

2009-09-14T05:22:00.001-07:00

Finally, we had some beautiful weather yesterday. There was enough light in the bedroom to take a picture - sadly my good camera's batteries were wiped out so I had to take this photo with my ancient camera.

The three big changes in the room are

1. The crown molding, installed by my husband in August. I love how crown molding instantly gives the room that older home feeling.

2. The paint color on the walls used to be a tired shade of yellow. Now it's a soothing cream color. The shade is White Chocolate from Benjamin Moore.

3. The bedding was a 10 piece set that was in a clearance bin at Bloomingdale's. The whole set (comforter, sheets, bedskirt, pillowcases and euro sham covers) was just over $100! I love the cobalt blue and white scrolls!

The to-do list for this room includes:

1. Getting art to hang on the wall by the desk. I'm stymied about what to use here. Photographs? Canvas? Sunburst mirror? I can't even decide on the color of frame that would look best.

2. Replacing the desk chair with a Ghost Chair knock-off.

I'm having a hard time convincing my husband of the necessity for this. He's having trouble buying into my vision of how great this chair would look with the desk. Maybe I should just order it, set it by the desk and let him see what it looks like in the room? Is that too sneaky?

3. Getting new window treatments. The sheer panels that we have up just aren't cutting it. This is going to turn into a budget-friendly sewing project as soon as I track down the right fabric.

raining

2009-09-11T09:02:00.001-07:00

I've been hoping for at least a little sunlight so that I can snap a picture of the master bedroom progress, but it's been unrelentingly cloudy for the past few days. In the meantime, the rain has made me think of umbrellas. For some reason, I've just loved them ever since I was five and got my first umbrella. My two boys both have frog umbrellas like this one - they just wait for rainy days so that they can take them out and run around outside!

For some reason, I remembered this crazy thing that I saw on the Today Show a few months ago. Can you imagine going out in public wearing this contraption?

And I love this photo. You need some really wide sidewalks to be able to carry this without knocking other people over. I think this umbrella would cover my entire car.

Have a happy weekend!

sneak peek

2009-09-03T10:08:00.000-07:00

This picture from Domino magazine is the very loose inspiration for the master bedroom. The two things that I love about this photo are the drapes and the wall color.

I have a few more things to add to the room before I snap some photos, but I should be done today and I should have some pictures to share tomorrow.

hectic

2009-09-02T09:06:00.000-07:00

The past two weeks have been hectic, to say the least. On the spur of the moment, my husband decided that it was time to redo our master bedroom, so we moved everything out of the room and he painted the room and put up new molding and crown molding. It looks great and I'll post pictures as soon as we move everything back in and sweep up all the debris!
I also sanded, primed and painted our kitchen table and will post the photos soon.
On top of that, we've been busy with back-to-school shopping and I've been trying to adopt a healthier lifestyle. I've been working out regularly and I've added A LOT of vegetables and whole grains into my diet. It's amazing how much extra energy I seem to have (and losing 7 lbs in 1 month is a nice bonus!)
I'm sharing my favorite recipe of the month. I've been making this a lot for lunches because it comes together so quickly and it tastes soooo good! Even my lentil-hating husband loves this salad!
The recipe is from Williams-Sonoma here.

a little indulgence

2009-08-19T10:02:00.001-07:00

While I'm usually pretty happy with my Pantene shampoo & conditioner, occassionally it's nice to break out something a little fancier. I'm currently in love with the Eucalyptus collection from Portico Spa.

It has a fresh, herbal scent that's so refreshing - especially during the summer. They also have other scents like Lavender & Citrus and Verbena that I'm looking forward to trying.

2009-08-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

I came across this image today via the blog, Sketchy. I love the airy feel of the space and I think that at least part of the feel comes from the use of the Ghost chairs around the table. It's renewed my longing for a Ghost chair of my very own.

Although a real Philip Stark Ghost chair is waaaay out of my budget, I did come across these Victoria Ghost chair knock-offs on Overstock.com. The lack of arms on this chair means that I can slide it right up to my desk when I'm not using it, so I won't end up tripping over it. And whereas a real Ghost Chair costs upwards of $400, a pair of these knock-offs is only $269.99. Quite the bargain!

Of course, I say that like I throw around $270 all the time without blinking an eye, which isn't the case. I make big purchases very slowly and agonize over them for weeks and sometimes months before finally taking the plunge.
But this is Overstock.com, where things often sell out in the blink of an eye and are lost forever. Should I just take the plunge and brown-bag lunches for the next couple of months to soothe my guilty conscience?

this was dinner last night

2009-08-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

This crab, pasta and cheese gratin from Williams Sonoma (recipe here) is like macaroni and cheese for grown-ups. (Though my kids both liked it, too.) It was moderately time-consuming to put together, but so worth it. I'm planning to make it the next time I host a dinner party since the whole thing can be assembled the night before and then popped into the oven before the guests arrive.
It also makes for great leftovers the next day.

hotel decor

2009-08-10T05:53:00.001-07:00

When people talk about wanting to incorporate hotel style into their home decor, the W Hotels are frequently cited as inspiration. Now that I've seen some photos of their amazing decor, I have to admit that I'm sold. One of my favorites is the W Hotel in San Diego, CA. The bright colors and contemporary decor make me want to pack my bags!

all photos courtesy of W Hotels San Diego

tile obsession

2009-08-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

Sadly, I failed to win the New Jersey Lottery yet again this weekend, so I guess I'll have to continue to drool over this seriously beautiful Ann Sacks tile from afar. Sigh.

visit to the park

2009-08-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

This summer is flying by so fast! I can't believe that I only have three weeks left before I have to go back to teaching!
I've temporarily put home improvement projects on hold to pack in as much time with my boys as I can before school starts again. A few days ago, we spent the morning in Van Saun Park in Paramus with my mom. We played in the park.

And in the sandbox.

Then we walked over to the zoo, where the turtles were the big favorite with the boys.

And no trip to the park would be complete without a ride on the train. Especially since my younger son is a train fanatic.

This is what he looked like when the train finally pulled into the station where we were waiting with tickets in hand.

This is what he looked like a few minutes later when the train pulled away because it was already full. Have you ever seen more heartache?

Fortunately, we were next in line when the train returned so were able to board. All better!

2009-08-05T17:34:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite decorating books is this one. I love the way it blends vintage and contemporary design elements. And I love the iron vines wall decals from Blik that are on the cover. They come in a set of 8 per package and are a fun and easy way to add graphic design to a space.

what $945,000 will buy you...

2009-08-04T16:00:00.000-07:00

My parents are planning to retire soon and they've been kicking around the idea of selling their house in New Jersey and relocating to Poland. They both grew up there and most of our family still lives there.

It's been fun looking up international real estate for them. Here's a nice 2 bedroom flat in Warsaw (where my father grew up) that was showcased in the New York Times. At $945,000, it will definitely not be my parent's future home, but I liked it. It's a historic building, but the apartment has a bright, contemporary vibe.

Those open onto a balcony that looks out on a private courtyard. I don't know what it is about the word courtyard that sends thrills down my spine, but it does.

I love the wood floors and the open floor plan.

The perfect nook for reading on a rainy afternoon.

currently loving

2009-07-31T17:32:00.001-07:00

Ever since I saw the Essex mirror at West Elm, I've been craving it. I think it would great hung over the sideboard in our dining room. I love how the antiqued mirror panels are cantilevered to stick out a bit. It's simple and striking at the same time.

baby ghost chair

2009-07-30T11:17:00.001-07:00

The fabulous Mrs. Limestone of one of my favorite blogs, Adventures in Renovating a Brooklyn Limestone, is having an incredible giveaway. Head over to her blog to enter to win one of these adorable, child-size Ghost Chairs. It's perfect for the aspiring future decor addict!

And if you've never visited her blog before, grab a cup of coffee and prepare to spend a few hours drooling over her amazing home and being inspired by her amazing DIY projects.

chesapeake

2009-07-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

First, I want to apologize for neglecting this blog for the past few weeks. My mom's illness took up all of my extra time (what little there is of it!) and I don't think I've sat down at my computer more than six times all summer. Fortunately, things finally seem to be calming down and I can actually think about tackling all the projects on my to-do list. So thank you all for bearing with me!

Here's the recap of our week in Chesapeake Bay. The kids were thrilled because they got to spend every day in the pool.

In the evenings, the adults got to enjoy the beautiful views of the bay.

While the kids made s'mores by the outdoor fireplace. Well, maybe the adults made a few s'mores, too.

Nothing beats dipping little feet into a cool fountain on a hot summer day.

And mom got to take a few photos with the camera that's been growing rusty for the past few weeks. I'm thinking of framing this one to use over our bed. Or in the dining room. I like the fact that it's abstract and has a lot of blue in it.

vacation

2009-07-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

We've just returned from a vacation to Chesapeake Bay, Maryland. After the past few weeks, it was a much needed vacation - we had nothing to do except golf, swim and eat. Sometimes, that's all you need. I'll be posting more photos as soon as we're done unpacking and recovering from sunburn.

summer decorating

2009-07-17T05:05:00.000-07:00

I haven't been blogging much lately because I've been dividing my time between home and my mom's house. She's been undergoing a bunch of medical tests that have left her feeling very weak, so I've been helping out with the cooking and cleaning to make things easier on her. I'm thinking of ordering a cleaning service for my mom to go in and help her out until she feels better again.

In the meantime, though, I have managed to put a few summery touches on my own house. I spray-painted a few starfish with gold and silver paint.

I put them into a pair of apothecary jars I had along with some sand from my son's sandbox, some shells and some blue glass beads. They're like a bit of the beach inside.

I also found this coral sculpture at Target and bought it.

Here it is in the dining room.

Over time, I'd like to build up a collection of summer accessories - like coral and big seashells - so that I can give my home a beachy feel every year. If I had the budget, I'd love to cover the sofas in crisp white cotton slipcovers and add some casual pillows like these from Pierre Frey.

finished chairs

2009-07-06T12:50:00.001-07:00

I've been taking advantage of the beautiful (look, blue skies!) weather to finish a project that's been hanging over my head for over a month.

I started with a set of these hand-me-down chairs.

I sanded them down, primed them and painted them. Then I added a coat of semi-gloss polyurethane over the top. I also reupholstered the seats and ended up with chairs that look like this.

They really brighten up the kitchen. Next on the agenda is to refinish the table, but I need a few days to recover my strength. After three days of sanding, painting, prying up old staples and using a staple gun to reupholster the seats, I feel like I can barely move my arms.

I apologize for the pictures being a little off, but it was really, really bright in the house when I took the pictures. Ordinarily, I would take them later in the day when the light is a little softer, but I wanted to take them while my son was napping.

deal of the day

2009-07-02T07:11:00.000-07:00

I promise that this is my last lighting-related post for a while, but I couldn't resist sharing this deal. Remember this chandelier from PotteryBarn? Despite the fact that I don't think it's the right one for my dining room, a lot of readers really liked it.

So if you're looking for a budget-friendly version, you can get this chandelier from Overstock.com for $100 less than the PotterBarn version.

They're so similar that I had to put up side-by-side pictures of the two to notice any differences.

I still love it so much (especially at the lower price!) that I'm debating buying it and using it in the master bedroom. Sadly, my husband hates the chandelier-in-the-bedroom look, but I'm sure I could bring him around.

small changes

2009-06-30T06:02:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I took a pair of old lamps and spray-painted them white. They looked better, but I was still far from loving them.

Enter Target and a discount coupon. A new Target just opened up a mere 10 minutes from our house. They sent discount coupons to everyone in the area. Armed with my coupons, I was able to buy two of these stacked-sphere lamp bases for $25. I love Target!

And I love how these lamps look in our bedroom. I feel like an actual adult every time I look at them - which is pretty often. It's a good thing I have a very understanding husband - anyone else would have serious reservations about a wife who spends a ridiculous amount of time staring happily at lamps.

The old lamps have been set aside for the time being. I'm planning on using them once we start decorating our family room.

a sigh of relief

2009-06-26T05:56:00.000-07:00

I've always the beachy serenity of Coastal Living magazine. I've chosen some of my favorite summer-inspired photos for today's post. All of the photos below were photographed by Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn. If you have some time to kill, check out her website - her work is beautiful.

all photos courtesy of Coastal Living and Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn

The past few weeks have been exhausting and the gloomy weather didn't help. I can't wait to take photos next week and post about some of the projects I've been working on.

Have a great weekend!

lotus flower chandelier

2009-06-18T05:57:00.001-07:00

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that I'm not happy with the chandelier that currently hangs in our dining room. It has a very classic shape that just doesn't fit in with the rest of our furniture, which is more contemporary. Also, it reminds me of a crouching spider everytime I look at it.

I've been looking at replacement options for a while now. Initially, I thought I would replace it with something like this from PotteryBarn.

It would look (sort of) like this. It's kind of hard to tell from my poorly photoshopped picture, but I think the style of this chandelier is still too classic for this room. I don't think it would look horrible, but I don't think it would ever look like it really belonged in the room, either.

So I'm finding myself drawn to very modern-looking chandeliers like this one in a room designed by Thad Hayes. This one is just beautiful. I've had this picture in my files forever and I can just stare at that light fixture for hours.

Our furniture in the dining room and living room is Danish modern and I think a chandelier like this would fit in well.

This lotus flower chandelier from Modern Dose is an affordable option. It's made of capiz shell that's edged with metal and I think it's tranquil-looking and striking at the same time.

Here's a mock-up of what it would (sort of) look like. I think I got the scale of it wrong and it would actually be a little smaller.

I have two reservations, though. The first is that I doubt it gives off a lot of light. This would be a real problem since the chandelier is the only light fixture in the dining room.

The second is that it looks like a dusting nightmare. The more I look at it, the more I find myself imagining the dust that would settle over every one of those capiz shell petals.

So I think a little more research is in order.

chloe redmond warner

2009-06-17T04:00:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon these lovely interiors by Chloe Warner and had to share. All images from Redmond Aldrich Interior Design.

last week of classes

2009-06-16T05:27:00.001-07:00

Final Exams start on Friday and I'm in the process of tying up loose ends so that everything runs smoothly. This is what my desk currently looks like. Love those piles of books. Note the Spanish copy of Pride & Prejudice on top of my chem books. One of my goals for this summer (on top of everything else) is to practice my rusty Spanish.

I have a lot of glassware that needs to be sorted and put away.

Also, a lot of chemicals that need to get put away.

I also found out that I'll be teaching AP Chemistry starting in September. I haven't taught it in years - so I need to go through this manual to see if the College Board has added any new topics to the AP Exam.

I need to go through all of these books & binders to plan out the topics, lessons & experiments for the year. It takes a lot of work to put together a good class. Remember all the horrible teachers you had in high school? Yeah, that's what I try to avoid. I like it when my students remember chemistry as the class that rocked!
Fortunately, I used to teach AP Chem before I had kids and had loads of time to put together really obsessive-compulsive notes for the class. That's what those 3 binders on the top of the stack are.

They're filled with notes that look like this:

See, they've got logarithms and everything. Don't they make you want to hunt down a chemistry textbook so that you can spend a lazy afternoon calculating pH values and equilibrium constants? ;-)

So anyway, forgive me for my lack of blogging this week. Next week my schedule becomes a lot less hectic and I have a couple of projects in the works that I can't wait to share!

some friday art

2009-06-12T05:38:00.000-07:00

It is still raining. Every morning this week I've woken up to gray skies and fog. I could really use a little sunshine!

So, while sipping my coffee this morning, I looked up some daily painter blogs to try to get some inspiration. That's the great thing about art - whether it's painting or writing or designing a beautiful room or cooking a magnificent meal - all art has the ability to pull us up into a better place.

Shell Seekers by Debbie Miller

Fade to Black by John K. Harrell

Misty Morning by Nancy Eckels

Have a great weekend!

white elephant decor

2009-06-10T07:43:00.000-07:00

The weather here in New Jersey is dreary and I am overwhelmed with end of the school year grading and projects (just two more weeks to go!). So, of course, I'm daydreaming about vacations. I would love to spend some time at the White Elephant resorts in Nantucket - mainly so that I could walk around and drool over all of the gorgeous rooms. Enjoy!

blue & white

2009-06-09T06:15:00.000-07:00

I have an ongoing love affair with white. I love how it brightens a space and makes it seem bigger and sunnier. This month's Traditional Home had some outstanding examples of using white.
This kitchen makes me feel faint. I love those pendant lights over the island.

Here they are close up.

A dining room with French doors that open up onto a patio just begs to be used for entertaining.

Seriously, wouldn't it be great to have a dining room that opens up onto this?

The room below is from a different house, but I loved it, too. I've been planning to refinish our kitchen table and chairs for a while. They're a similar (sort of) style to these. This picture is inspiring me to pick up my paintbrush.

on a need to sew basis

2009-06-07T06:54:00.000-07:00

I stopped by Calico Corners this weekend and ordered some of this fabric.

I was so disappointed that they didn't have it in stock since I was all set to do some reupholstering. I should get it in the mail in a week or two. The seat cushion for my desk chair is upholstered with a pretty horrible orange-yellow fabric. I think this green lattice will look much fresher.

I also ordered some of this fabric for the Roman blinds that I want to make for my son's room.

Once I had picked out what I needed, I wandered around the store looking longingly at other fabrics and imagining all the sewing projects that I could pursue. The drapes, the throw pillows, the duvet covers. The Ralph Lauren fabric in this duvet cover so pretty in person.

However, I refuse to allow myself to order any more fabric until I've finished these two projects. Hopefully the fabrics will arrive soon so that I can put my staple gun and sewing machine to good use. They've been collecting dust for a while now.

Hannah Nunn Lamps

2009-06-04T05:30:00.000-07:00

Hannah Nunn has a beautiful line of paper cut lamps that are stunning for the skill that they require to create. Each of intricate designs is cut by hand.

I love the soft light that they produce. I can imagine a couple of them around a room during a dinner party. Or how about a cluster of these little votives on a table?

bookcover DIY

2009-06-02T11:27:00.001-07:00

Inspired by this photo of DIY bookcovers from renovate + decorate, I decided to make a few bookcovers of my own. I started with these books and covered them with some leftover scrapbook paper I had. (For someone who does no scrapbooking, I have a surprising amount of scrapbook paper lying around.)

I used brown cardstock to cut the strips that I'll write the titles on. I cut all of the strips out of brown paper to give the books some uniformity. And voila, a new look for some old books.

While I wouldn't put new covers on all of my books, it's nice to have a pile of coordinating books to add some interest to a sidetable or nightstand. Also, I keep all of the original bookcovers in a plastic storage container so that I can put them back on if I want to.

a bit of summer

2009-06-01T16:16:00.000-07:00

Strep throat was not fun to recover from. Even after the symptoms went away, I still felt blah for days afterwards. Seeing the sun this weekend definitely helped get me on my feet again.
I spent a lot of time outside in the garden. Did you know that spending even 10 minutes outside everyday improves your memory and your mood?

Nothing beats playing in the sprinkler and with the hose.

And I tried out a summer-inspired recipe for dinner. This was one good pasta with clams dish!

Spaghetti with Clams

adapted from a recipe from Tyler's Ultimate

40 littleneck clams, scrubbed under running water

extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp butter

10 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 lb pancetta, chopped (I substituted bacon for pancetta and it turned out fine)

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup white wine

2 pints cherry tomatoes

freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

handful of fresh basil leaves (dried basil flakes just don't work for this recipe)

1 pound cooked spaghetti, tossed with olive oil

Add 2 tbsp olive oil to saute pan and heat. Add pancetta (or bacon) and garlic and cook until the pancetta renders its fat. Add the tomatoes, crushed red pepper and black pepper and saute until the tomatoes soften a bit. Remove from heat.

Pour the white wine into a separate large pot. Add the clams, cover and cook until all of the clams open, about 10 minutes. Discard any clams that do not open. Transfer the clams to the saute pan and toss with the tomato, garlic and pancetta mixture. Add about 1/2 to 1 cup of the broth that the clams cooked in to the mixture.

Transfer spaghetti to a serving bowl and dump the clam mixture over the spaghetti. Tear the basil leaves into small pieces and sprinkle over the dish.

evening bags

2009-05-29T06:14:00.000-07:00

My husband and I have to attend a few weddings this summer and I've been shopping around for a new evening bag. RedRubyRose has some of the prettiest evening bags that I've seen. My personal favorite is this one with the embroidered peacock feather.

The peacock blue silk lining makes me go weak in the knees. I think that if I had this bag, my friends would start to hate me. I'd constantly be snapping it open and ordering them to look at that beautiful blue color.

meet my dream house

2009-05-29T05:18:00.000-07:00

I think that this is the most perfect house. There's something about white houses that just moves me. And this one is just the right size for a family of four. Not too big, not too small.

If I had this deck, I would be out here all the time. Seriously, even in the winter. The afternoon light slanting down through the tree branches is beautiful. Just looking at this picture makes me imagine friends and family milling about during parties and barbecues.

I also like this cozy little family room. The fireplace and furniture are a little outdated, but that's an easy fix. I'm a sucker for sun-filled rooms.

photos courtesy of Realtor.com

I've driven past this house about a dozen times since it's been on the market. It's in a beautiful, park-like neighborhood that abounds with families and it's still only an hour's drive from New York City. If I could, I would buy it today.
At the moment, though, my husband is looking to change jobs. We don't want to move until we know where he'll end up. Hopefully, the perfect job will pop up soon and it will be in a town that's within reasonable driving distance.
Have a great weekend, everyone!

Thalya Chair

2009-05-26T09:38:00.000-07:00

Meet my latest object of obsession - the Thalya chair. I'm quite taken with it.

I'm torn between the clear chair and this lovely green one. The pictures here don't do it justice - it's crystal clear and luminous if you see it in person.

Oh, how I would love to have a set of these around my kitchen table! Sadly, this love is not meant to be. At $293 per chair, the price is ~~laughably out of my price range at the moment~~ a bit steep so there are no immediate plans to order one.

desk in the bedroom

2009-05-24T17:54:00.000-07:00

I finally got to take some photos of my corner of the master bedroom. I'm really pleased with the desk here. It fills out the space much better than my diminutive nightstand used to and it's so much more functional. I actually have my own little space to do work in now!

The lamp on the desk used to have a brushed stainless steel finish. I gave it a few coats of glossy white spray paint and it looks much better now.

I still need to get something to hang over the desk. There's an awful lot of empty wall space there. Also, I'd like to get some storage boxes to stack under the desk to keep files and a few books in. It's a slow process because the idea of this bedroom makeover was to keep it as inexpensive as possible. I'm hoping to find some interesting stuff in thrift stores or at garage sales this summer.

I'm also in the process of finding some fabric so that I can sew some simple drapes for the window and reupholster the desk chair cushion.

Why is it that everytime you finish one project at home, it seems to create a half-dozen other projects that need to get done?

winner!

2009-05-24T15:20:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway. I used Random.Org to select a winner and the winning number was 5. Congratulations to Heather of the very creative blog DoodleBuds!

Heather, send me an e-mail at emilyclaire2@gmail.com to let me know where to send your book.

Hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day weekend!

giveaway

2009-05-19T05:35:00.001-07:00

Sorry for my lack of posts this week, but I've been sick with strep throat (delightful, I know). It was making the rounds in my sons' daycare, so it was only a matter of time before I picked it up.
The New York Times published a piece about this book about two weeks ago. It sounded great, so I bought a copy over the weekend. I fell in love with this book right from the first page. It's full of eye-popping inspiration for frugal decorators everywhere. My favorite thing about this book is that it celebrates thrift store shopping rather than making it seem like a last-ditch attempt to decorate your home on a budget. It's full of beautiful images of gorgeous rooms decorated with unique items. It even has sections about how to spot a quality piece, how to refinish furniture and how to incorporate thrift finds into your own home.
I love this book.
I love it so much that I went out and bought a second copy so that I could give it away to one of my readers. So if you'd like to enter the drawing, just leave a comment (about anything - I'm not picky) and I'll pick a winner on Sunday at 6:30 pm EST.

mirrored furniture

2009-05-19T05:18:00.001-07:00

If I had seen a piece of mirrored furniture in a showroom a few weeks ago, I probably would have shuddered and thought that it would look completely over the top in a room. But thanks to these two photos, I am now in love with mirrored furniture. What surprises me is how understated and yet heart-stoppingly elegant it looks in a room. And since it reflects back the colors of the room, it will match with anything.

photo courtesy of Sarah Richardson Design

photo courtesy of DecorPad

poladroid

2009-05-18T05:30:00.000-07:00

I know I'm hardly the first person to post about Poladroid, but I finally tried it this weekend and it was so much fun! For anyone who hasn't tried it yet, you just download the application to your computer and drop photos into it. Within a few minutes, a "Polaroid" version of your photo develops.

Here's a picture of my kitchen table.

This is a photo that I took at work during a chem experiment.

I'm planning to use this photo of my son to make a card announcing his pre-K graduation. It has a real going-off-into-the-world-to-do-great things kind of vibe.

In other news, I got the Parson's Desk this weekend! I'll be posting photos soon. I just have to get rid of the cardboard boxes and styrofoam that are littering the bedroom at the moment.

technical difficulties

2009-05-15T09:31:00.000-07:00

We've been having Internet problems all week long - they should be resolved by Monday. In the meantime, this post is the best I can do.
Have a happy weekend, everyone!

to do list

2009-05-14T02:41:00.000-07:00

Summer vacation is beginning to loom large on the horizon and I'm looking forward to the free time to get projects done. Here's my ambitious list of things I want to accomplish during the next few weeks and over the summer.

1. Get to West Elm & figure out how to fit Parson's desk in my car. This is one of the times that I wish I drove an SUV.

2. Put Parson's desk together and spend a few hours staring at it with gloating satisfaction. It'll be the first new piece of furniture we've bought since my older son was born five years ago.

3. Leave children with husband and go to New York City. Spend entire day rummaging happily through stores for fabrics for various sewing projects.

4. Immediately after finding said fabrics, proceed to Lady M's and splurge for a piece of this:

5. Explore all antique stores, thrift stores and flea markets in the area. After doing a little Internet research, I was surprised to learn how many there are.

6. Take children to NYC to visit the Museum of Natural History since they both love dinosaurs. Then proceed to Lady M's and splurge for a piece of this:

~~7. Prepare all lesson plans, worksheets and tests for upcoming school year.~~

8. Have picnics in the backyard. Substitute grape juice for wine for young children.

9. Sit on deck in the evening and watch the fireflies.

10. Wipe dust off sewing machine and sew a few skirts. Beg mom to teach me how to put in zippers. If feeling very ambitious, sew a simple summer dress.

11. Host an end-of-summer barbecue.

12. Try out at least two new recipes per week.

pretty books = pretty bookshelves

2009-05-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

While I wouldn't buy a book just because it's pretty, I do like these books and think that they would look great on anyone's shelves. They're the Fine Editions from White's Books and they're currently available on Amazon.

I especially love this edition of Shakespeare's Sonnets and Poems.

I even love the dramatic black on the edges.

Faithful Domino readers may also remember the frequency with which this book appeared on bookshelves in the magazine. It's currently available from Amazon, but they only have 6 copies in stock. It tends to sell out quickly whenever it appears in a high profile magazine spread so if you've been longing for a copy, act fast.

If you decide to buy some books and need to purge your bookshelves, check out Paperbackswap.com. It's a site that lets you post books that you don't want anymore and send them out whenever someone requests them. For every book you send out, you get credit for a book that you can order. It's a great way to get rid of books that you'll never read again and get some "new" books in return.

my very exciting weekend

2009-05-11T18:13:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I got to take some photos for a local band for their upcoming album. It was nerve-wracking and very exciting and an entirely new experience for me. I think that the greatest thing about being a professional photographer would be the opportunity to meet so many great new people all the time.

I also had a run-in with faux celebrity when the Real Housewives of New Jersey arrived at the salon where I was getting my hair cut. I didn't see much - they were on their way downstairs to the spa with their film crew. I was surprised that they drove all the way out to Morris County (it's over an hour's drive from Franklin Lakes) to go to a spa, but I guess it made for a longer limo ride and more fodder for the show.

I'm on the fence about watching this version of the Real Housewives - I've never met a single real housewife in New Jersey who looks anything like these chicks. Of course, I'm sure women in California, Georgia and New York had the same complaint about the Orange County, Atlanta and NYC versions of the show.

Oh, who am I kidding? My eyes are going to be glued to the TV set tonight just like they have been every Tuesday night for the past couple of months of RHofNYC drama:-)

fun with red spray paint

2009-05-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

This is the lamp that has stood in my older son's nursery since he was born. It was never one of my favorite pieces, but we were saving up for a house, so we made do. Now that my son is five, though, he really needs an update in his room.

I was going to replace his lamp, but decided to try a DIY intervention first. So I spray painted it with a satin finish cranberry red and switched the lampshade.

I also sprayed the frame of his corkboard to match the lamp.

I wanted to spray the frames of the pictures over his bookcase red as well, but my younger son woke up earlier than expected from his nap. I think I should paint them white first so that the black doesn't bleed through.

That abstract masterpiece in the frame, by the way, is my son's first artistic creation. He finger-painted it when he was 1 year old and it's been in his room ever since. I love decorating with free art!

I also need to get his room some new window treatments. I want to do a Roman blind with a red stripe, sort of like this:

I've looked up patterns and directions for sewing them myself. (This will be the first time I've sat at a sewing machine since I was twelve.) I just have to find the right kind of fabric. I'm thinking of driving up to NYC this weekend to visit a couple of fabric shops that might have something I could use.

mother's day present

2009-05-07T10:20:00.000-07:00

For the past two weeks, I've been putting together a cookbook for my mom. It's filled with recipes that she's been asking me to copy for her and includes photos that I took of the finished products and of her grandsons. The best part is that I put it in a scrapbook, so each page is covered in plastic. If she spills anything on the pages while cooking, she can just wipe them off.

It's like a cookbook/photo album and I'm hoping that she'll like it. It's the first Mother's Day present that I've made by myself since grade school.

teacher's gifts

2009-05-07T09:54:00.001-07:00

I spent part of my morning today making gifts for my sons' teachers. It is Teacher Appreciation Week, after all!
As a teacher myself, I always like the simple, heartfelt gestures the best. A thank-you card written by a student just melts my heart. I actually keep them all in a file in my desk so that I can take them out for inspiration on a hard day.
So for my boys' teachers, I started with these paint can containers that I picked up at Michael's for about $2 each. I tied on some ribbon and a name tag.

Then I filled them with homemade cookies that my boys helped me make yesterday. I wanted them to cool overnight so that the containers didn't get all steamy from warm cookies.

And voila, a simple, homemade gift that I hope will brighten my boys' teachers' day!

turtle baskets

2009-05-07T06:53:00.001-07:00

I took a personal day from work today. I've been feeling a double dose of work burnout and mommy burnout so I knew that it was time to schedule a quiet day to myself. I've been reorganizing our office and redecorating my older son's room this morning because that's what I do to relax and now I'm about to head out to HomeGoods to see if I can find a lampshade that I need.
Before I head out, though, I wanted to share these adorable turtle baskets from PotteryBarn Kids. I'd like to use the smaller one as an accent piece in our bathroom but I can't justify spending $79 for a basket (however cute) while we have larger projects to complete.

Also, the overwhelming consensus in comments and e-mails was to get the Parson's Desk rather than the chest of drawers. You've all made me very happy, because I really love that desk but I was doubting my design intuition. So thank you to everyone who offered their opinion! I'm planning to pick it up over Memorial Day weekend & I'll definitely post pictures of the result!

help, please

2009-05-05T17:24:00.000-07:00

I can't make up my mind between two options for our master bedroom, so I'm putting it up for a vote. You might remember that this is how my side of the bed looked.

The nightstand is way too small for the space, which is why I stuck that plant stand in the corner.
The original plan was to refinish the nightstand. This was my favorite option because it was the cheapest. For some reason, it didn't occur to me that refinishing the nightstand would not make it any bigger.
So, option number one is to replace the nightstand with the previously mentioned Parson's desk from West Elm. Here's what it would look like (sort of) in the space. The one I like is chocolate brown and there wouldn't be so much clutter on the surface. In fact, the accessories and lamp would be completely different. I like this option because the desk doesn't look clunky in the space and I would have my own desk space.

Option number two is to place a small dresser in the space. This one has the obvious benefit of providing lots of extra storage. I really like this option as well.

I feel like this one decision is holding up my entire master bedroom project so I'd appreciate any opinions or suggestions. Oh, and it has to be one or the other. I thought of putting the desk on my side and the dresser on my husband's side, but we don't have enough space.

homework

2009-05-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

Last week I had to shoot some flowers for my photography class so I went outside and took pictures of every flower that I saw. None of the resulting photos had me skipping for joy. Two hours before my class yesterday, I found a silk peony stem that my son had brought home from our last visit to my parents. (My mom didn't want it anymore.) Just for kicks, I held it up in front of our sliding glass doors and took a few photos. These are the two that came out the best.

So after all the careful work I'd done, the two pictures that I snapped on the fly ended up being the ones that I took to class last night. It's kind of funny, but also kind of frustrating that my best pictures are usually the accidents. Hopefully, if I keep taking pictures, I'll eventually get to a point where I instinctively know how to adjust for different conditions and get a great photo.

something beautiful for a rainy friday

2009-05-01T05:30:00.001-07:00

While sipping my morning coffee this morning, I read a few blogs and came across Habitually Chic's post about the Junior League House Tour. Her post included a picture of a room from Sara Story's home - the room was beautiful. So I went to the site for Sara Story Design and it was not disappointing. The rooms are so serene and creative - I really had trouble finding just a few favorites to include here. If you have some free time, then by all means, grab a coffee or some tea, make yourself comfortable, and go to her site and look through the images.

And look, a Parson's desk! I think it's a sign that I need to get myself to West Elm this weekend.

the west elm parsons desk

2009-04-29T11:39:00.000-07:00

I admit that I am hardly the first blogger to profess love for the Parson's desk from West Elm. To tell the truth, when I saw a picture of the desk in the West Elm catalogue, I wasn't too impressed. It seemed so spare and plain and I just couldn't see it in my own house. So I turned the page and never thought about it again.

image courtesy of West Elm

At least, not until I started coming across images of this humble desk in action. It's so darn versatile! It can be a fantastic desk.

image via DesignSponge

image via sfgirlbybay

image via DecorPad Flickr stream

Or a console table.

image via West Elm

But the image that really spoke to me was this one, where the Parson's desk is used as a nightstand/desk. I'm considering scrapping the nightstand that I'm refinishing (by scrapping, I mean relocating it to my son's bedroom) and replacing it with a Parson's desk. It could be my own little oasis. The only change I'd make is to replace the chair in the picture below with an upholstered storage cube like the one in the picture above. In theory, I like the chair, but darkness + getting into/out of bed + chair in my way = me with broken bones.

image of Liz Lange bedroom via Flickr

robin's nest and small joys

2009-04-29T06:12:00.001-07:00

I was out in the backyard yesterday evening when I noticed a nest tucked into a corner underneath our deck. I couldn't remember if I had seen it before or not and there was no way to see inside of it, so I went up the stairs and peeked down through two of the floor boards of the deck. Sure enough, there were four tiny, blue eggs nestled inside! (The picture below isn't mine - there's no way to take a picture through the narrow crack in the floor boards.)

Before my husband & I got married, I'd spent most of my life living in cities where seeing a squirrel was the closest I ever got to nature - so this is one of those small joys that brightens up my whole day!

i don't know how event planners do it

2009-04-28T06:18:00.001-07:00

I am so not cut out to be an event planner. I stress out way too much about all of the things that can go wrong. I worry that the vendors won't remember to get the decorations done on time or that the caterers will deliver the food to the wrong location. My mind dredges up every horror story about I've ever heard about an event that went horribly wrong.
For the past few weeks I've been planning our school's National Honor Society banquet (which is tomorrow.) The closer it gets, the more I worry that I've forgotten some important detail, despite the fact that I keep copious notes from year to year to make sure that I don't forget anything.
So if I've seemed a little distant or preoccupied the past two weeks, it's only because my time is tied up in this event. Come tomorrow night, I'll be breathing a huge sigh of relief!

dining room art

2009-04-27T05:05:00.001-07:00

I've wanted to fill up this blank wall in my dining room with a display of frames for quite some time now. This weekend, the empty wall finally got to me, so I decided to put up the frames. I figured that it would take half an hour, at most. Much to my surprise, the project ended up taking over four hours!

I seriously underestimated how much time it would take just to hang the frames. Then I realized that the pictures I'd put in the frames really didn't go together well, so I decided to redo them. The bigger frames now hold the Hugo Guiness prints that I posted about a few weeks ago. I love how the silhouettes work with the dark frames.

The picture in the bottom middle of the display is one of the evening photos that I took.

And the two pictures on the top left and right are blueprints that I made yesterday. I make blueprints every year with my chemistry students to teach them about photosensitivity, but after seeing these PotteryBarn cyanoprints:

I decided to try making some of my own to use as art. I bought Nature Print paper from here. It was really easy (the package includes directions) and my five-year-old had fun helping me make them.

I'm going to try making some more blueprints with different plants. I didn't really have that much to work with since this was a spur of the moment project, but I think I can get better results using plants that will lay a little flatter on the paper. I used a piece of glass from one of the frames to press the branch down onto the paper before I set it in the sun, but it was a thick branch and I could only press it down so much without breaking the glass.

rethinking pink

2009-04-23T09:18:00.001-07:00

Right now, the tree in our front yard is covered in beautiful, pink cherry blossoms like these.

It makes me push aside the curtains in our living room just so that I can see them everytime I glance out the window.

In honor of the cherry blossoms, I pulled some pink-themed rooms out of my files.

Kips Bay Showhouse

image from Country Living

image via DecorPad

unknown source

image from Phoebe Howard Design (thanks, Freckles Chick!)

from here

image via Coburn Architecture

unknown source

bold & noble prints

2009-04-23T06:19:00.000-07:00

I am deeply in love with Bold & Noble prints at the moment. The intricate patterns and punchy colors are fantastic.

These would look great in a kid's room.

And this is one of my favorite growth charts.

On the homefront, the nightstands have been sanded, rubbed down with alcohol and have received their first coat of paint. Right now, they look purple-brown and that's a little worrying, but a few more coats of paint and they should look just like the headboard.
I hope!

eileen kathryn boyd

2009-04-22T05:47:00.000-07:00

After seeing the living room that Eileen Kathryn Boyd put together for the 2009 Kips Bay Show House, I decided to look up more of her work - and I like what I found. The pictures below show the Kips Bay Living Room. Love all the colors!

The pictures below are from Kathryn Boyd's website. Her gorgeous use of color is what draws me to these rooms.

Her website is definitely worth a visit - if only to view more images of her work. She also has a blog.

bedroom plans

2009-04-20T16:42:00.000-07:00

One of my ongoing projects has been the master bedroom. Something always gets in the way of my making any significant progress in this room. (Example: While refinishing the headboard, I came down with a stomach virus.) But I'm getting tired of going into a room that feels like it's only half done.

So it's time to finish this project. The two nightstands are slated to be refinished this week. Frankly, I'd rather replace the nightstand and that weird little plant stand on my side of the bed with a small chest of drawers that would fill up that space better, but it just isn't in the budget at the moment. (Daycare is a killer expense this year.)

Also, the lamp on the nightstand no longer looks the way it does in the picture. The lamps were the objects of my weekend DIY. Pictures of the results are pending.
There's a lot more that will need to get done, but I'm trying to break this project up into manageable pieces. If I can get that one wall done, I'll feel that I've accomplished a lot!