pewter+sage

Lovin'....

2012-01-30T22:45:00.002-05:00

As we get ready to head into February (say what?), here are a couple of things I've recently dog-eared in catalogs or eye-balled in storefronts:)

From Ballard Designs:

{Crawford 5 Light Chandelier}

{Paulette Server...set of 3 shown}

{Alhambra Rug...in grey or brown}

{Julian Apothecary Floor Lamp...in Antique Brass, ORB, or Aged Silver}

From West Elm:

{the Hand-Blocked Silk Paisley Cover and the Hand-Blocked Silk Casablanca Pillow Cover}

{Modernist Serving Bowls and Mugs}

From Pottery Barn:

{Jaquelyne Lidded Barrel Basket}

{Baluster Table Lamp}

What have you guys been loving lately from main stream sources? Anybody else have a birthday coming up in February? (I'm going to be 35!)

Winter Vignettes: Mantel

2012-01-25T15:10:00.001-05:00

Hello! Our mantel this time round is really different than I usually do. For starters, I actually took down the mirror I always have up there and started fresh!!! (For all mantel decor over the last 5 years, I have just left the silver mirror in the center and added things to either side. This time I got rid of it completely!!) This set up also seems a bit more modern/bold/eclectic/asymmetrical than normal for me...and I'm diggin' it.

Started off with these huge, thick, rustic grey metal frames from Crate and Barrel (the Berwyn)...love 'em - they make a great focal point in the center. Little old lazy me even went so far as to hang one up, floating just a couple of inches above the mantel (but low enough so that once I put the big mirror back you won't see the new hole). I had two of these Brushed Silver shadow boxy frames with white mats (also from C&B) and thought they added some nice contrast, and lightness, to the sides.

{sidenote..I did not actually buy these frames, there are just certain advantages to having a husband in the frame business!...and no, I'm not being endorsed by Crate and Barrel to write this post either - ha! I've always wanted to say that!!}

Then I ran around the house trying to figure out what I could put in the frames. I really like the colors in this Physical Map of the Pacific Ocean (a page cut out from an old atlas I have). And I still had an antique fish print lying around from when I framed a bunch for our foyer. Ooops, did not mean to start too much of a nautical thing going on here...its a WINTER mantel!

The large brushed silver frame got another page from my 2011 Paper Source Wall Calendar and in the small square frame I mounted an old skeleton key I bought in Providence while on a blog date with Carrie (Hazardous Design) and Casey (loft & cottage) onto some fabric I used at Maura's 1st birthday party!

Next up I wanted to add some layers/different shapes, so I brought out some of my letter "P" collection (for our last name). The big black metal P is from a local home decor shop, the lighter silver zinc P is from Anthropologie and the cute little backwards P is a wood letterpress type block that I scored at Brimfield. (Both the Anthro P and the wood P are stuck on the wall using 3M adhesive mounting squares.)

Last but not least, I thought the space under the big hanging gray frame needed something, so I broke out my cute, little, old clear glass apothecary bottles (also from Brimfield).

So that will about do it for all the new little "winter" bits around here (if you missed them, check out vignettes 1 and 2 here and here)...now I can sit back and not have to touch these spots until spring! (And maybe I can try to actually get one thing done from our 2012 to-do list!) Thanks for following along, guys!

PS. I'm linking up to Suzy's House Party Thursday over at Saved by Suzy:)

Winter Vignettes: Family Room Ledge Shelves

2012-01-19T22:20:00.001-05:00

Thanks for your super nice comments on the foyer bookcase for winter! This winter vignette (the ledge shelves in the family room above our coach) is a lot more colorful and seasonally specific. Hope you like:)

I started out this little grouping with something extremely nostalgic. My good friend Jen (she lived 2 houses up from me growing up and is now a super successful architect and furniture designer in NYC) and I did this paint-by-number together when we were probably about 12 (yes, like we were both simultaneously filling in different colors). We were always coming up with some crazy craft project to work on...all while we sported side ponytails and more than one pair of colorful slouch socks at a time. I've held on to the "painting" and have wanted to put it up somewhere for awhile. There's no specific Christmas references anywhere in it, so I think its just a nice late fall/winter scene and seemed perfect for here.

Next I swapped out the holly botanical print that was in this large frame (it used to be black but I painted it white awhile back) from our Christmas decor with the December page from my 2011 Paper Source wall art calendar (I just got the 2012 one for Christmas and there are a ton of great prints to use later). Love the bold, graphic nature of this snowy forest scene, especially that little red bird.

To balance things out on the right, I thought I needed some more warm tones, so I grabbed a couple of old books with red/orange/brown covers. One of my lucky #13 Ball mason jars (from Brimfield, I now own three) and 2 little apothecary jars in that beautiful aqua color (that I got at a flea market in the parking lot of our supermarket!!!) were just the right size and color to finish things off.

Stay tuned next week for our winter mantel. I'm really excited about this one, its definitely different than what I usually do. Have a great weekend!

Winter Vignettes: Foyer Bookcase

2012-01-17T15:10:00.000-05:00

Now that all the holiday decor is down, we gotta fill in the gaps. I have fun playing around with the three spots in our house that I usually change up seasonally. For the next few posts, I'll show you how they look now - post Christmas:)

I wanted to display the new additions to my mercury glass collection that I got for Christmas. The top of this bookcase is a great spot for big tall stuff (its a 2 story entryway), so these two beautiful hurricanes my mom got me from Ballard Designs (yay! my first ever things from Ballards! thanks, Mom!) fit perfectly here. I remembered I had this house portrait of the house I was born in (only lived there until I was about five and then we moved to PA) in the basement (my parents had it and for some reason didn't want it anymore so I took it) and liked the feel of it here with the mercury glass. And thus, a very neutral/metallic/black and white/cream bookcase is born:)

Next up was the other new mercury glass gift I got for Christmas, this sweet little candy jar from my brother's girlfriend (she's a keeper!). It found a home right here next to our clock and picture frames (which stay up all year round).

After my original epiphany, I just filled in the rest of the shelves with stuff (that I have to put somewhere anyways so it might as well do double duty here looking pretty) to make the whole thing feel balanced. Some white pitchers...

...a black book here under Paul's baby shoes in place of the green ones I had there for Christmas...

..and on the second from the bottom shelf (which is within Maura's reach and therefore needs to contain baby-proof items) - just some more large, neutral books (but I think the hardback covers/spines of books are beautiful). I brought down the vintage silver-plate pig I bought at Brimfield from Maura's room (let's face it, the top of her dresser/changing table is a mess and not really all that "styled" any more, and here she can enjoy and play with him) which helps tie in to the mercury glass. And added one of my dad's professional engineering stamps (that proves he's certified in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts) cause I thought I needed some black here too:)

What are you guys putting up for post-holiday decor? I promise the next space (the ledge shelves in our family room) will be way more colorful!!

Ps. Here's how this bookcase looked last winter and for the winter of 2010 (both with mercury glass and books too, but still different).

16 Months!!!

2012-01-12T22:45:00.000-05:00

Maura turned 16 months this week! Hard to believe. Having a toddler is so fun! Looking back, not sure why I was so sad as her birthday approached!

Here's her bunny chair pics from this month and last:

{Really?! This was like the best photo out of the bunch that day.}

We've had a busy and big couple of months. We now have a talker:) She started saying real words at the beginning of December, like right as she turned 15 months. Not putting more than one or two together or anything, but its amazing how fast she picks up words now. Some words she says correctly (like "chair" and "baby" and "bear"), some words she can only get out the beginning part of - like "no" for "nose" and "Maur" for her name (although I see progress all the time - a week and a half ago she couldn't say any bit of "Gram" when we asked her who my mom was, and just a couple of days ago we went to visit and she kept calling her "Grer" or something!), and for some words she just makes up her own version ("cookies" are "coo coos", blueberries are "boo boos" and pineapple is "papple"). Some animals she calls by their real names, like "doggy" and "pig" and "birdie" and then others she always refers to them by the sounds they make (sheep are always "baah", chickens are "bock bock", cows are "moo" and owls are "hoo hoo")!

On the food front, she is finally starting to eat some real veggies. She loves cannelloni and kidney beans. And corn. And she likes home-made eggplant parmigiana. And sometimes she'll eat carrots. We started practicing with a fork and spoon a little while ago and she is really good with the fork. The spoon still needs some work.

{Thanksgiving Day...will not look at the camera}

We waited until after the craziness of the holidays to try getting rid of the bottle. So, we just started the other day with nap time - keeping the same routine except swapping out a sippy cup of milk for the bottle. So far its going so so, some days are good, some days not so much. After a few weeks and once we feel like she's comfortable doing it this way, we'll attempt to take away the bottle at bedtime (I am really dreading this).

In other developmental news, she's getting 2 of her bottom molars in - one on each side, completely symmetrical and at exactly the same time.

{Maura the movie star!}

In November we spent a great day walking around Boston Common and the Public Gardens with my sister and brother. Seeing the ducks started out innocently enough and ended up with my brother having to defend Maura with her stroller from some aggressive geese! (That's what godfathers are for!)

In early December we visited a tree farm to find our perfect Christmas tree. Let's just say we left empty handed but the hay ride out to the field was fun!

{I guess she's not seeing any trees she likes?! Hopefully she doesn't take after her dad in this regard - he only likes the trees that are perfectly triangular and symmetrically cut!}

None of my pictures from Christmas came out very well, but here she is that morning playing with her new Melissa & Doug Jumbo Knob Fruit Basket puzzle (with her great-aunt Peg).

And here's the outfit she wore Christmas Day - my kilt from when I was little (that my sister even wore too)...isn't she so cute?!

It didn't even seem to hinder her later on in the day at my sister-in-laws when she test drove the little Radio Flyer tricycle my in-laws gave her (of course she totally doesn't know how to pedal yet, she just sits on it and presses the buttons).

The weather here has been so mild (outside pics in November with no coats on?!) and we just had our first snow the other day (and it was just a dusting! Unheard of for up here.) So this was the first time Maura really got to play in the snow (if you can even call it that since there was so little of it)...this time last year she was too little to understand it or to really go out in it.

{getting used to her snow boots}

{I love this one - an hour later...she looks like a snowboarding pro, like she's about to strap on her board...I told you, she will not look at the camera!}

Some of the things she is loving right now:

the movie Cars
the Jake and the Neverland Pirates soundtrack
the Fisher Price Zoo Talkers Zoo
the FP Little People Dance 'n Twirl Palace

her Little Tykes Push and Ride Car that she has nicknamed "Mater" (apparently her fave character from Cars, although when she says it, it sounds like "Mayor")...we push her in this inside/outside/wherever, she pushes it, she loves it!

We still try and get outside every day to play. These are some of my favorite times together with her. We go for walks (her in her wagon or car, or she just walks herself), play on the swing set, go to the playground, explore the yard, kick our soccer ball around, get the mail and still collect pine cones.

{she's like me and loves the beach anytime of year...she still tries to actually go in the water every time we go though!}

{'hiking" in the woods on our property...I love this shot!}

We are really blessed to have such a wonderful, happy, smart, inquisitive little girl! She's seriously like my best friend:) We even have matching coats - which I did not do on purpose!

Our Home Goals 2012

2012-01-09T22:30:00.004-05:00

...are mostly the same as Our Home Goals from 2011 because apparently I didn't get that much done in the last year!!!! Aaannnnd, looks like the Home Goals from 2011 was pretty much a copy and paste of the Home Goals from 2010 (here and here). Awesome. Sensing a trend here. What in the world have I been doing for the last 2 years?!

The Nester is hosting her Home Goals Linky Party again on Wednesday (the 11th), so I'll be linking up when it goes live. Anybody else?

Here are some GENERAL, OVERALL GOALS for our home for 2012 and the future:

work on finding a balance between a home that looks good and a home that is kid-friendly
add more pattern/print
add more whimsy
declutter and organize
figure out my style and then incorporate more of whatever it is

Here are some more SPECIFIC, CONCRETE TASKS categorized by room:

FOYER:

find new lighting (some sort of large lantern) and have installed (originally blogged about here)
hire Sean to paint walls
add higher baseboard trim or repaint existing (all the baseboard trim in the downstairs still has stain on it from when we redid the wood floors, considering upgrading - first blogged about here and haven't started yet)

KITCHEN:

paint small black cabinet some fun color
redo wall above said black cabinet
hang up gallery wall (oops, originally blogged about here, never got around to it!)
add higher baseboard trim or repaint existing

LIVING ROOM:

figure out window treatments (I'm not happy with the ones we have now)
create and hang photo gallery wall of family pics
add higher baseboard trim or repaint existing

{so, these panels have been moved to the dining room, but I still don't like the solid fabric roller shades I put up - too much gold}

FAMILY ROOM:

get dry sink from Cape house and refinish/paint, use for storage
find area rug
figure out window treatments
line back of entertainment center with some sort of patterned wallpaper/paper (oops, originally blogged about here)
figure out where to hang oar and paddle collection (oops, originally blogged about here)

DINING ROOM:

buy and install bamboo shades (you guessed it, originally blogged about it a long time ago and then never did it!)
find hutch or sideboard on Craigs List, etc. and paint
maybe paint ceiling a cool color?
continue search for patterned, upholstered parsons chairs for ends of table
add higher baseboard trim or repaint existing

{excuse the in progress jig saw puzzle...I should probably add that to the list for 2012, we started in February of '11 and aren't done yet!!!}

OFFICE:

finish painting trim!!! (OMG!...I started painting this room in June of 2009 and have two walls left of white trim to repaint...shoot me)
clean out, declutter, organize
figure out functionality of this room and then proceed with decor (will it stay as office? will it become Maura's "big girl room"?, etc.)

{I plead the 5th!}

MASTER BEDROOM (this room needs major help since we haven't really done anything to it since we moved in):

decide if wall color is staying or not (high ceilings, pain in the butt to repaint)
window treatments
new lamps
new decorative throw pillows
new bedding?
new color palette (add navy?)

BASEMENT:

clean out, declutter, organize
figure out functionality

Gah! A lot to do. Did you guys make To Do lists for the year ahead? How do you balance taking time to actually work on projects around the house with all the hours spent writing and taking pics for posts, reading/commenting on other people's blogs, etc.?

A Nursery Away from Home

2012-01-04T22:05:00.001-05:00

We sleep over my parent's house down the Cape a lot. At first when she was really little, we just kept an extra Pack-N-Play there and Maura slept in that in our room. Then when she got a little bigger, my mom borrowed a portable crib (which is the same size as a PNP but its built like a crib - with a mattress, slat sides, etc., except on wheels) from a friend and we would wheel it around to whatever bedroom was not being used that particular trip (either by Paul and I, the rest of my family or other guests) and she would sleep there. Recently though, we noticed a decline in her otherwise awesome sleep habits when we would stay over. She would wake up in the middle of the night crying and we would not be able to get her back to sleep for hours.

This was a problem that needed to be solved. For everyone's sake:) I think she just plain outgrew her sleeping quarters (she grew an inch and a half since her last check up!). Plus, she never really had a spot to call her own/consistency...only just the PNP/portable crib floating in the middle of whatever room was convenient at the time.

{Nursery Nook...before}

So, first off I knew we needed a specific space that we could convert over into a sort of nursery away from home. There was an odd/cute little nook in one of the upstairs bedrooms (that was created during this renovation) that wasn't really being used. We had an extra twin bed tucked in there, but since this bedroom also has a queen bed (right where I'm standing to take this pic), the twin became mostly a spot for you to pile your luggage, etc. Mom said it would be ok if we stole this area for Maura (thanks, Ma!). Here's what it looks like now:

{Nursery Nook...in progress}

Next up, I knew that if she was going to really be comfortable, we had to invest in a full size crib. I say invest because I'm assuming Maura will not be the last baby to sleep in this house. We'd like more children and maybe sometime down the line my brother and/or sister will also have families who will be sleeping at Grandma and Grandpa's house (or "Pa" as Maura now calls my dad!). I didn't want to spend a ton of money though, so after some research, I headed out to Ikea and bought the Gulliver Crib in white and the Vyssa Spelevink mattress.

Coincidentally, it just fits in this little alcove here which left us enough room for this rocking chair (that my mom rocked me on). (Paul has to be careful when he sits up that he doesn't bang his head!) I brought one of her crib sheets from home as well as her original PB Kids Sophie bumper
(once she started rolling over and moving around in her crib, at home, a lot we took out the real bumper and put in one of those ugly but safe breathable bumpers from Babies R Us...so I just had this sitting in the closet).

{Mom made this pig pillow a long time ago...cute, isn't he?}

I grabbed a basket we weren't using and put some toys and books in it (to leave here) for her. There's enough floor space (and a small area rug we had on hand) in between the nook and the queen bed that we can play here too.

There's definitely a lot more we can do to this space to make it look and function better and make it feel more like hers. I'd love to add some art and/or wall/book shelves...maybe even ask mom if I can paint:) But for now, I'm psyched - we did this right before Thanksgiving and she slept much better then and during a few days over Christmas with no night time random wakings. Yay!

Have any of you guys with kids done this somewhere you sleep over a lot? Any tips/suggestions?

Happy New Year and Our Christmas Card 2011

2012-01-02T15:00:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!! Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday/Christmas/NYE! We certainly did. And it was so nice to have a week off with Paul at home. Between him being around, visiting her cousins and staying with my parents, sister, and brother for a few days, Maura is going to be so sad this week when its back to normal around here (just me and her all day)!

I know its a few days late, but I wanted to share our Christmas card with you guys. I worked with my good friend Holly of For the Love of Letterpress again and I couldn't be happier with how they turned out. Remember our Christmas cards last year that Holly did for us? and Maura's birth announcements?

This year we did things a bit differently...well, because Holly is like 8 months pregnant and due with her first baby in early February (yay! everybody say "playdate"!). So I designed the card and she letterpress printed it for me, then gave it back and I cut and glued the photos on.

{sent in Sage envelopes from Paper Source}

I wanted the card to have a slight vintage feel to it, so I used a combination of fun fonts and added a border that you might find on an old postcard (also helps tie the photograph into the text and make it feel like one thing instead of an add on). I even used a vintage photo filter on the picture of Maura (just slightly) before I sent it off to get printed (uploaded it to the CVS photo website and picked them up in the store closest to me the next day - super easy).

I had been trying since like October to get a good photo of Maura to use for our card and this one was the only semi-decent one where she was sort of looking in the direction of the camera. (Gosh, this girl is super adorable but she WILL NOT look at the camera!) Because she had her winter hat on I decided to run with the whole season/outdoor thing. And since I love nature, and Maura is shaping up to love it too - I'm so thrilled, I worked the silhouette of a pine tree and snowflake into the design.

Didn't Holly do such a fantastic job printing these? Seriously, if you can ever spring for letterpress, it is worth it...everything just looks, and feels, so much better and richer and more lovely with that extra dimension on good paper.

For anyone interested in the process, this is what the final design I sent Holly looked like. Holly then sent away for a plate to be made of my artwork. She mixed up a beautiful soft green ink for me and then printed everything you see here in black in green. (One color letterpress is easier, faster and less expensive than two or more colors - since you have to run the paper through the press an additional time for every color. If you're looking to save money but still do letterpress, sticking with one color is a great budget option.) Once I got the cards back from Holly, I adhered my photo of Maura to that empty spot on the right.

Thank you so much, Holly! We love them:)

Can hardly believe 2012 is here already!! So excited to see what this new year brings! Grateful to be spending it here with you guys.

Christmas Card Garland

2011-12-21T15:20:00.003-05:00

or otherwise titled "What to do when you have a blank wall in your house already filled with millions of holes and your usual spot for displaying your Christmas cards is out because your 15 month old toddler will surely just rip them all down to play with".

I decided to fill the blank wall in our living room (that already has a bazillion nail holes in it from this gallery wall fiasco - don't worry, I've learned my lesson and will not be making the same mistakes again. Slightly embarrassed that I even posted about it and showed you guys) with all our Christmas cards. Just used more of the same jute twine I had lying around (also used to make pine cone garland here and a "peace" banner here), a couple of clear thumbtacks and some mini clothespins from Michaels (would have preferred the natural wood ones but apparently there was a run on them when I stopped in so I had to go with the pastel colored clothespins from the baby shower aisle).

All in all a super easy, quick project that really brightens up this room. The hardest part was waiting impatiently those first few days of December to accumulate enough cards to start:) And of course, I didn't calculate for how extremely popular we are (ha!) and ran out of room, so I have a few cards from the past couple of days that didn't make it up. Silly me.

I added a few of these painted wooden ornaments that I inherited from my mom (we used them at Christmas all while I was growing up) in between some of the cards for dimension and a touch of that vintage vibe that is going on our mantel on the adjoining wall.

How do you guys display your Christmas cards? This will be my last post before Christmas, so I want to wish each and every one of you a Happy Holiday! And just in case I don't see you around these here parts next week, Happy New Year too! Thanks for making 2011 so great:)

Our Christmas Home Tour

2011-12-12T21:46:00.005-05:00

Hey! Just wanted to share how a couple more spots in our house look for the holidays. Melissa of the Inspired Room is hosting her annual Christmas Home Tours linky party today and Jennifer Rizzo is having her 2011 Virtual Holiday House Party, so I wanted in on the action.

***Edit: The Nester's annual Christmas Tour of Homes is now live...linking up over there too! And just found out about Rene of Cottage and Vine's Room by Room Christmas Tour, so I'm adding mine into the mix as well. This is so fun!

When it comes to Christmas in general this year, I've been trying to balance my love for all things metallic with my desire for a rustic, natural look. I just decided to try and mix them together and hope for the best;) (Oh yeah, and I'm trying not to spend any money!) Here's how the bookcase in our foyer ended up:

I bought this chalkboard for Maura's first birthday party in September and later realized that it will definitely be good to have around. Hoping everyone gets my "Winter Wonderland" lyric reference (figured this would be a fitting saying to have up there on the night of our holiday party).

I used one of my Pottery Barn birch sleeves to hold branches from the yard (covered with a bit of moss I had left from my DIY faux terrariums this past spring). Then hung 2 of my beloved mercury glass ornaments from them with green ribbon.

Some of my little white pitchers, etc. with greens from the yard and a couple of empty boxes wrapped with pretty organic (and metallic) paper (plus pine cones!) round out a couple of the shelves.

I always like to still leave out some of our normal, everyday stuff (gotta be practical), but at least adding books in the right holiday palette help tie it in to the new seasonal stuff.

Another spot that usually gets a seasonal update are the ledge shelves in our family room above the couch. So excited that I finally hung these huge mercury glass ornaments my mom got me from Wisteria from the ceiling!! They add a nice touch of whimsy to the vignette.

To balance out all that bling, I framed a botanical print of some sort of winter holly berry stuff (a page from a wildflower guide book I already had) and used embroidered kraft paper and ticking fabric, plus sprigs of fresh greenery, red ribbon and jute twine to wrap up some more empty boxes.

If this is your first time stopping by (thanks!), here's a couple pics of our mantel (read more about it here) and the pine cone garland I threw together for our dining room (more here).

I can't wait to take some time and check out all the other homes on the tour! Thanks for hosting, Melissa! Are any of you linking up? Happy Holidays, everybody:)

Our Christmas Mantel

2011-12-07T15:23:00.002-05:00

Hi! This year I'm breaking out a lot of the same Christmas decor I have done in the past - I think that's part of what makes this time of year so special, all that tradition, the memories of doing this same sort of thing year after year - but I'm also trying to add in some new stuff, or move things around, etc.

I love metallics at the holidays. Mantels are a good spot for collections (lots of the same thing grouped together always has big impact)..so for the past few years I've been filling our holiday mantel with some of my mercury glass. And one of my fake garlands, of course. This year I decided to add a DIY banner and some vintage graphics.

This "peace" banner was super easy to make. First I found a nice old school font and printed out my letters. Then I cut them out and mounted them onto metallic copper card stock (I wanted something slightly sparkly and warm to tie in to the copper leaves I've been adding to the green garland for the last few years). I sized the copper card stock to twice the height of the finished banner letters so that I could fold half over the jute twine and then adhere it to itself to keep it in place (I taped the printed letters to the bottom half of the card stock before folding it in half.)

{sorry, when I took these pics we had not decorated our tree yet, just brought it inside. put it in a different spot this year too!}

I also love paper. And its such a versatile medium, you can use it at anytime of the year. Plus I have a lot lying around, so it helps me keep my seasonal decorating budget down! I thought it would be nice to add some vintage images to the mantel as well and I had these mirrored frames (from HomeGoods) that I wasn't using anywhere else. My first thought was old Christmas cards, so I scoured my stash and found this lovely sleigh ride image.

After searching the hundreds of cards I've saved from over the years I couldn't come up with another one that fit my requirements to frame for the other side of the mantel (pathetic, right?) - I mean, it had to be horizontal, the right colors, size, the right feeling, etc. (plus most cards are photo cards nowadays). So I went elsewhere and found this snowy, serene image of reindeer in the woods at The Graphics Fairy that said peaceful vintage Christmas to me:)

I'm loving that its all a nice combination of old and new. What about you guys? Do you switch it up every year or are you a sucker for tradition? Hmm...who thinks having a blog forces us to reinvent our Christmas decorating year after year, ha?!

I'm linking this up to the Holiday Home Mantel Linky Party over at Rhoda's Southern Hospitality today. You guys, there are over 275 mantel posts already linked up! You have to check them out if you get a chance:)

DIY Pine Cone Garland

2011-12-04T23:30:00.001-05:00

Christmas is a lot about tradition to me, even when its come to decor. But this year I actually added something new (and changed up a few things, more on that to come later)!

This was the easiest, cheapest (read free) project. At the same time, its holds special meaning to me...Maura loves being outside and she loves exploring nature. She took a liking to all the pine cones in our yard and would always bring them to me. So we started a collection, and then I thought it would be cool to actually do something with them. Like make a garland:)

First I baked the pine cones in the oven for about 20 minutes at 250 degrees to kill any bugs or anything that might still be hanging around (read about this here after doing some research). I would definitely suggest using an old sheet pan, I got a lot of melted sap residue.

Then I cut a really long strand of jute twine that we had lying around and literally just went along tying the pine cone stems onto it. I made note to alter the sizes of the cones and the spacing in between, so that it would look random and natural.

After I had a pretty long garland done, I ran around the house holding it up to everything to see where it would look best:) In the end I decided to make two and hang them on the windows in our dining room. (Remember I stole these linen drapery panels from the living room where I didn't like them all that much and moved them here to the dining room? And then I was going to get some bamboo matchstick blinds to replace the ugly roller shades? Yeah, that hasn't happened...yet.)

{sorry about the terrible pics}

I really like them. And they're versatile, I can break them out next fall.

You guys been doing anything with pine cones lately? Or have a toddler that likes collecting things?!

**Linking this up to the DIY Project Parade over at the DIY Show Off Bio. Thanks, Roeshel!!

Next Up

2011-11-29T14:30:00.000-05:00

Hello there! How was everyone's long weekend? Next up around here...besides decorating for Christmas!!...is a small project for the kitchen that I've had in progress for awhile now. But I really want to push and get it done in time for our annual holiday open house party (which is the weekend before Christmas). Sounds pathetic, but for me this is ambitious!

Here's a really old photo of our kitchen. A lot has changed since then, most significantly the floors and those pendant lights over the island. See that art on the far wall next to the fridge (blank canvases wrapped in scrapbooking paper)?

They're coming down. And a little mini art gallery wall is going up! Here's a sneak peek of some of things that will be included.

I've still got to frame a couple of things and figure out the layout. And then make all the holes. I've got 3 weeks. Hold me to it, guys!!!

Anyone else trying to cram in some projects during this already busy time? Or are you just focusing on holiday stuff?

Real Room: Updated Traditional Living Room

2011-11-23T00:35:00.001-05:00

Hi! Maura and I recently took a visit down to see my aunt Peg and I couldn't help but take some pics of her living room while we were there to share with you guys. If you remember, I posted two years ago about how we helped her move in to her new place and how I wanted to steal her secretary:)

Here's how the room looked that day when we left (we helped her unpack a bit, and rearrange the stuff she had just to make it liveable until she could really start working on the room).

{before}

Well, its come a long way since then. We'll call the pics I took the other day the afters for now, because I can't speak for exactly how complete this room actually is.

First thing you might notice is the new layout. Second thing you might notice is the new rug, new sofa, new window treatments, reupholstered chairs, stuff on the walls and accessories in general!!

My aunt kept some of her old furniture (like this secretary, she does have good taste! and the coffee table and that side table in between the two chairs) and took out/put up some of her personal items, artwork, family photos and things that make a house feel more like a home.

She updated the space with a new rug, a new sofa (its like a muted dusty sage..from Boston Interiors) and some other key furniture pieces. She had a lot of yellow already, like the throw pillows, so she added the yellow striped drapes and then mixed in the green for a new fresh palette.

{that's the Ballard Designs Olivia Mirrored Side Table in the foreground...my mom (her and Peg are sisters) suggested she get it, and its really nice in person}

Peg wanted to keep her two side chairs but wasn't in love with their fabrics anymore, so she had them reupholstered, one in a lovely goldenrod with a crewel vine pattern (love that texture) and the second in a soft sage and cream thin stripe.

{Isn't that sideboard/chest beautiful?! It's also from Boston Interiors.}

So much better, right? I love taking a peak at real spaces. Even if they might not necessarily be your exact style, we can all respect a good looking room and maybe even learn a thing or two.

And to prove that traditional doesn't have to mean stuffy, plus to keep it really "real", here's Maura enjoying that new crewel:)

Have a great Thanksgiving!!

14 Months!!

2011-11-17T15:10:00.001-05:00

Thanks for such a great Mood Board Monday, everyone! (If you missed it, check out all the gorgeous rooms here.) I was so impressed by all your dining rooms, excited that we had a good mix of the different inspiration items, and basically floored by all your talent:) Maybe with all the holiday madness approaching we'll wait and do the next one sometime in early 2012? What do you think?

I wanted to do a quick check in about Maura. She turned 14 months on November 10th! I won't do one of these posts every month like I was doing during the first year, but I will try to do one every once and awhile, mostly just for me. I work better with a goal/deadlines, and I feel like these posts are a good way to chronicle this wonderful time in our lives. I love being able to look back at these and see what was going on with her each month. I feel like if I don't make myself write about it than I will forget everything!

I also decided to try and keep taking some pictures of her in her bunny chair, just at every month milestone now. So here's 13 months and 14 months:

We made the transition from formula to only whole milk smoothly. From bottle to sippy cup...not so much. After lots of experiments, we finally figured out that Maura likes the straw sippy cups better. That's cool...she's drinking milk from the cup in the morning when she wakes up (not as many ounces, but at least something) and sometimes in the afternoon with her snack. She is still having a bottle right before naptime and bedtime. Her bottle is like her pacifier and has been part of her falling asleep ritual for a long time now. I'm worried that when we try to give her a sippy cup of milk and put her to bed its going to go horribly wrong. So we haven't tried it yet! Does this make me a terrible mother?! Any tips or ideas if you've been through this before? Is it unheard of that my 14 month old still gets two bottles a day? Help!

In the sleep category we are down to one nap a day, right in the middle of the afternoon, usually starting around 1/1:30pm (which is the complete opposite of the schedule we used to keep - now we are out and about in the morning and home in the afternoon). She will usually nap for about 2 hours, sometimes more, hopefully not less:) She still goes to bed at 8pm and wakes up about 7-7:30am. She's a good sleeper.

Maura is getting her 8th tooth...the bottom lateral incisor on her right. She's learned how to run and walk backwards and stomp her feet and put her hands in the air for "hooray".

She finally, finally, finally loves books! Yay! I've been waiting for this for forever. I really want her to grow up to be a reader (like me). If not, that'll be ok too, but I hope so. Now she's so into them. She doesn't necessarily want to sit there and have me read them to her...she likes to flip through them herself, or she points to things and goes "uh, uh, uh" and I tell her what each object is, or we play the game where I ask "Where's the turtle?", "Where's the butterfly?", "Where's the beach ball?" and she points to that specific thing on the page. We play with books a lot:)

Maura's other favorite toys are mostly all new things she got for her birthday: her car, her little baby doll and little doll stroller, her plastic shopping cart and fake food, her ball-poppin' dinosaur, her Melissa and Doug jumbo knob puzzles.

We have been going to free story time at the library on Thursday mornings and attend Mommy and Me classes at My Gym on Friday mornings (both with our buddy Jack - who's 2 months older than Maura - and his mom, Meredith).

Her hair has taken off recently and is really starting to grow! We've started wearing hair bows, so at least people aren't calling her a boy nearly as often:)

We still managed to get in a lot of beach time in September and October! (We've had really warm fall weather up here in New England.)

Our other favorite pastimes include anything outside - hitting the playground, going for walks in the wagon and playing in our driveway and yard (she loves her soccer ball).

We took her to the zoo for the first time in October. She liked it, although at times it seemed like she was more obsessed with the zookeeper's 4wd vehicle than the animals. We had a great time!

{inside the deer park}

{inside the petting zoo}

We also visited a local pumpkin patch. (Again, she might have been more into the tractor that pulled our hay ride out to the patch as opposed to the pumpkins themselves, but...)

This was the first year Maura dressed up for Halloween (she was a cow!) and went trick-or-treating. She loved it! I took her around in her wagon while Paul stayed home and gave out candy. She got so excited during the rest of the night when any kids would come to the door.

One of the things I'm enjoying most about this stage is how much she is learning. Most days she blows my mind with the concepts she puts together, the things she remembers and the associations she makes. I might be biased, but she could be a genius;)

Ps. Its not all rainbows and sprinkles around here:) If you are still reading this (thank you - its a long post!), any suggestions for how to deal with the toddler attitude? She is quick to get very upset when she doesn't get her way. We were in Target and some other stores this morning running errands and she started screaming and crying because she wanted whatever we were looking at. I do not want to to be that mom with that kid. How do you keep them from getting spoiled?

Mood Board Monday Party: Dinnerware and Dining Rooms

2011-11-13T21:45:00.001-05:00

Hi, there! Hope everyone had a great weekend! Welcome to the 11th Mood Board Monday McLinky Party. Glad you could make it:)

This blog party is all about seeing how different people are inspired differently by the same things. This time we're celebrating Thanksgiving and all the other upcoming holidays during which gathering around the table with family and friends is so important. Your task was to design a dining room inspired by one of the four dinnerware sets below. And even though we're all creating the same kind of room, I know they're still going to be very different. So fun!

1. David Stark Wood Slices-Organic Dinnerware from West Elm

{Designed by David Stark, loosely sketched tree rings printed on Wood Slices Organic Dinnerware bring the natural world to your table in gleaming gold metallic}

2. Penumbral Doily Dinnerware from Anthropologie

{Delicate lines of dainty crochet work are impressed upon glazed terracotta.}

3. Chirp Collection, from Lenox Simply Fine Dinnerware, available at Macy's

{A splash of bright watercolor-inspired birds and florals adorn each plate and the interiors as well as exteriors of bowls and mugs.}

4. Philippe Deshoulieres' "Dhara" collection, available at Bloomingdales

{Dhara is inspired by the side designs of a poetry manuscript from Saadi. The colors are inspired by the traditional saris from Penjab and Cachemire. Philippe Deshoulieres has been producing porcelain in the Limoges region of France for six generations.}

**************

Here's my mood board for the week. I knew I wanted to use the West Elm Wood Slices dinnerware right away. In addition, I was inspired by some other things going on around blogland recently. Mainly, the beautiful, organic new textiles by Lauren Liess of Pure Style Home. I decided I wanted to use one of her fabrics for the drapes and when I saw the Magnolia in Orange, the rest of my mood board took shape. (And went in a totally different direction than what I set out to do.) I knew I was after a mix of industrial, rustic, traditional, elegant (while still being cozy) space, I just hadn't planned on it looking like this:) This room is very dark and moody when I'm usually drawn to lighter, more airy spaces. I hadn't planned on using so many warm tones (I'm kind of in a cool stage now), but when I chose the magnolia print I decided to just go for the whole holiday, warm, fall thing.

1. The palette: I'd paint the walls a dark warm grey, to help offset all the golds, chocolates, oranges and other warm tones in here. I was also inspired recently by the painted ceiling and wide crown molding and baseboards in Carrie's family room makeover, so I thought here I'd paint the ceiling a soft beige/gold to reflect the rug and use thick white crown, trim and baseboards.
2. The inspiration: the David Stark Wood Slices-Organic Dinnerware from West Elm
3. On the floor, this Taara Rug from Pottery Barn. I really like the pattern (inspired by Rajasthan block prints) and how there's not a lot of contrast. And just realized they no longer carry this rug in either 8 x 10 or 9 x 12...oops. Whatever, this is all in our imaginations anyways, right?
4. I knew right away I wanted sort of a rough, rustic, natural, old feel for the table. I like the idea of honoring wood in a different than the very metallic, modern, clean way the dishes celebrate wood. The Gun Barrel Salvaged Wood Dining Table from Restoration Hardware does the trick nicely.
5. At the two heads of the table, I like the idea of using these Belfort Wingback Leather Chairs (also from Restoration Hardware). They add a softness to the room and a lovely warmth (both in color and feel, at least I hope they would!). They make the room both cozier and more formal all at the same time.
6. To contrast this, I'd use these Marias A Side Chairs from Industry West (thanks for posting about these this week, Layla!) in gunmetal along the sides of the table. I didn't want the room to get too formal, plus they add a bit more of that industrial vibe. I like the cool tones they bring to the room, help tie in the wall color.
7. Been loving this Lourdes Chandelier every time I flip through the latest Ballard Design catalogs. Why not use it here?!
8. For storage and as a serving area, I'd use the Benchwright Buffet from Pottery Barn. The rustic mahogany stain will bring that dark warm chocolate color from the leather chairs to another part of the room.
9. and 10. I love mercury glass, especially at the holidays. This 1800s Rare Antique Mercury Glass Apothecary Jar and Large Estate 13 Piece Mercury Glass Collection (both from etsy seller ParisCoutureAntiques) would look beautiful on the buffet (or on the table or elsewhere in the room). Their reflectiveness would hopefully add some light and sparkle to the room and since they're silver, bring in more of those cool tones to balance out all the browns and golds in here.
11. I've realized that I love symmetrical series of things framed on the wall. I'd frame a bunch of pages from this 2012 Calendar Flowers and Feathers (from the Wild Unknown) in Pottery Barn Gilt Frames (add some of that gold tone onto the dark gray walls) and hang them in a grid...here I've only shown two, but I'm thinking like 6 or 8 depending on the actual size of the space.
12. For the floor-length drapes and to pack a big punch, plus add that softness/layering to the room, Magnolia in Orange from Pure Style Home by Lauren Liess.
13. and 14. Didn't want the room to become too stuffy and formal, so to add some fun, I'd hang these prints somewhere (not together) - Golden Rules Letterpress Poster and Large Owl Linocut in Orange, both by etsy seller PRINTforLOVEofWOOD.
15. I've always liked the idea of a huge floor-length mirror in the dining room (probably out for now in our house because of the whole toddler thing, maybe down the road), so I'm using the lovely Amiel Arched Antiqued Mirror from Ballard Designs here.
16. To a bit more patina and age, this Antique Copper Boiler (American circa 1880s) from etsy seller ParisCoutureAntiques would work well as a cooler/ice bucket for beverages. It can also hold firewood at the foot of the fireplace I just decided would also be in this room:)

I had intentions of adding some bits of a table setting and maybe some specific holiday decor, but then I ran out of time. And space on the mood board itself. Ooops.

**************

Now its your turn! Here's what you do to join the party:

1. Create a mood board for a dining room using one of the four dinnerware patterns above.
2. Write a post about it, including sources (with a link back to this post so others can come look).
3. Add your name, project and thumbnail image to the Linky here on this post.
4. Then add the link to your SPECIFIC Mood Board Monday POST, not your general blog address.
5. Have fun checking out all the other wonderful rooms!

Thanks so much for taking the time to join the party!!! And even though its a bit early, I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving:)

Mood Board Monday Reminder!!

2011-11-09T15:30:00.001-05:00

Hi! Just wanted to remind you guys that this coming Monday, November 14th, is Mood Board Monday time again!

In honor of quickly approaching Thanksgiving (and all the other fun holidays where gathering around the table with family and friends is so important), we're going to be designing dining rooms based off of dinnerware. Here are the four sets of inspiration dishes you have to choose from:

1. David Stark Wood Slices-Organic Dinnerware from West Elm

{Designed by David Stark, loosely sketched tree rings printed on Wood Slices Organic Dinnerware bring the natural world to your table in gleaming gold metallic}

2. Penumbral Doily Dinnerware from Anthropologie

{Delicate lines of dainty crochet work are impressed upon glazed terracotta.}

3. Chirp Collection, from Lenox Simply Fine Dinnerware, available at Macy's

{A splash of bright watercolor-inspired birds and florals adorn each plate and the interiors as well as exteriors of bowls and mugs.}

4. Philippe Deshoulieres' "Dhara" collection, available at Bloomingdales

All beautiful in their own way (if I do say so myself), right? Feel free (or not) to add glassware, stemware, flatware, (anything else that ends in "ware"), serving pieces, table linens...however detailed you want to be about the actual table setting is up to you. Also, if you're into it, you are more than welcome to throw in touches of holiday decor as well.

So, just to recap:

1. This is a fun way to share all of the creativity out there and showcase how we can all start from one inspiration point and end up with a variety of ideas.
2. To be a participant, you need to create a complete mood board for a dining room using one of the four sets of inspiration dinnerware shown here.
3. On Mood Board Monday party day (Monday, November 14th in this case), come back here to link up to the party. You will need to include your sources in your post and give a brief description of the room and how you used the inspiration item.

Guess I should get started on my room, huh?! (Anyone else out there a major procrastinator? Like not on purpose, but you gotta do the stuff that's due first first and the rest later!) I know which dinnerware I want to use and I think I dogeared a table in one of the recent catalogs I was looking through, but other than that...

Thanks for taking the time to participate and I hope to see you (and your wonderful dining rooms) back here on Monday:)

Ps. Check out our previous Mood Board Monday Linky parties here: MBM01, MBM02, MBM03, MBM04, MBM05, MBM06, MBM07, MBM08, MBM09 and MBM10.

Stuck on Stockings

2011-11-06T23:18:00.001-05:00

It's really way to early for me to posting about Christmas, but I'm trying not to procrastinate as much this year:) I've been on the hunt for a stocking for Maura. (I'm still using the same stocking I did as a kid, traditions like that are what make holidays so special, so I'd like this to be one of those heirloom pieces. Something that lasts a long time, that grows with her, that's she'll still be using year after year.) However, I'm not particularly 100% loving anything I have seen out there yet. Factors to consider are look, price, size and whether or not it can be personalized/monogrammed. Here are some contenders:

1. Garnet Hill Woolen Stocking

$78 with free monogramming (through November 22nd)
5" x 26.5"

{Flaunting chunky wool fibers, merry colors and whimsical homespun embellishments, this year's charming collection of colorful hand-knit Christmas stockings was inspired by our vintage Nordic ski sweaters.}

2. Pottery Barn Kids Fairisle Stocking

$34 plus $7 for monogramming
7" x 27"

{As cozy as a winter sweater, our Fair Isle Stockings add a warm touch to the mantel. The ample size won’t limit Santa’s generosity, and a personalized cuff gives family members their own special sense of anticipation.}

3. Pottery Barn Woodland Stocking (probably the reindeer)

$29 plus $7 for personalization
8.5" x 20"

{Our holiday stockings capture the simple warmth of a country Christmas. They’re fashioned from natural linen and layered with different fabrics, including felt, cotton percale, tulle and microfleece.}

5. Upcycled (from wool sweaters) stocking from etsy seller MyOlyGirl (love this idea!)

great price of $17
but at only 5" x 9.5" I think it will eventually be too small

{"Using washed wool sweater scraps, I created this brightly colored striped holiday stocking."}

6. Personalized Christmas Stocking from etsy seller TerrapinKnits

$48 (includes monogramming)
anywhere from 17-22" x 6"

{"All the stockings are made by me with domestic wool spun in Maine."}

7. Walmart Needlepoint Stocking

$19 (includes personalization)
19" long

{Deck the halls with this classic holiday stocking. A vintage design with exquisite detailing gives the personalized needlepoint Christmas stocking a homemade appeal. Cotton back and buff.}

8. L.L. Bean Heirloom Needlepoint Stocking (I'd get her the Snowman and Birds)

$24.95 (includes personalization)
18" x 7.5"

{Handcrafted in your choice of six exclusive designs – all in durable wool yarns. Ready to be hung on the mantel and filled to the brim with holiday treats. Wool front, cotton velvet back, cotton lining make them "cozy to dig into."}

Hmmm....as far as looks go, my favorite is #1, the Garnet Hill Fair Isle, but I'm thinking $80 is a bit steep for a stocking. To be honest, I expected to find something perfect on etsy and it let me down a bit in the stocking category. (Unless I'm just not searching correctly.) Wendy of TerrapinKnits used to sell her stockings with Garnet Hill. She can't make really custom stockings in November or December because she's just too busy, but I could hold off for this Christmas and work with her sometime throughout the rest of the year to get colors and a design I would really love for Maura (for next year). I wouldn't usually be, but I am drawn to the needlepoint stockings because of nostalgia...my stocking is just like these, with a Santa and his toy bag on it.

As far as stocking categories go, there's knit, quilted, felt, needlepoint...any I'm missing?

So, I'm looking for something with a reasonable price, of decent size (we like gifts!), and whose look is somewhat classic so that it will stand up to the test of time. (Having said that, I'm also totally cool with it not shouting "Christmas!!!!"...like I'm fine with just stripes, or a pattern, or a non-traditional color palette.) Do you guys have a favorite? Do you have a stocking you love - if so, where's it from? New moms out there, what are you doing for stockings? Has anyone found any great etsy sellers who do stockings? Any suggestions for where else to look? Please help!!!! Thanks:)

Real Rooms: Cape House Master Bedroom

2011-11-03T17:25:00.001-04:00

Thanks so much for all your great comments about the porch in my parent's house! (See more of their style here.) Thought you guys might like to see how their new master bedroom is coming along. It's definitely not done yet, but the progress so far is really great.

As you can see here, the current master suite did not exist in the old house. Part of the renovation was to add on to the back of the house, making the basement bigger (the lower part here) and creating a new master bedroom and bathroom (the upper part, which is ground level in the front of the house).

Look at those gigantic windows that run along the back of the addition, they're the best part of the new master! (These things are huge, its hard to tell the scale here, but if you compare their height to the throw pillow, you get a sense of the grandness of this wall.) Mom had a window seat bench (with storage inside - there are hinged lids running along the whole thing) and two cabinets (one on either end of the of bench) built in and fronted with bead board. As far as window treatments here go, the backyard backs up to woods so its very private. Mom is thinking custom roman shades. Thoughts?

She recently had a local seamstress/upholsterer create cushions for the bench. I'm not very good at fabric speak, so all I can tell you is that its a lovely beige, blue and white windowpane. Mom also had two throw pillows made in a coordinating green and blue plaid. (I told her she might need some more pillows...and move them to each corner of the bench, coming in towards the center. What do you think? Suggestions for other types of prints/patterns/colors that would work here?)

When you walk into the room, the above window/bench wall is the first thing you see. The wall that the bed is on is to your left. While working with the architect, Mom and Dad changed any normal size windows on this wall to a high, long transom window, because there would otherwise have not been a spot with big enough wall space to fit the bed! They are outfitting this room with some new things while still keeping some of the things they already had. Mom found the wrought iron bed frame at Overstock.com (she wanted something light and airy here). The white matelasse coverlet she already had, as well as the two solid blue throw pillows (I suggested swapping those out for something in a pattern, maybe that has both blue and the warmer beige/gold/taupe in it?). She scored the leaf pillows recently at Home Goods.

In the rest of the downstairs, the walls are all a light taupey-beige (I'm pretty sure its Benjamin Moore's Manchester Tan...that or Bleeker Beige). Mom wanted more of a coastal/beachy cool palette in here so she had the walls painted in a light grey-blue. In an effort to make it still blend in with the rest of the house though, she likes the idea using the taupe/beige as an accent color in here. She bought two tall painted lingerie chests (in this mushroom color) from a local furniture store and positioned one at either end of the window bench built in.

Across the room from the bed, or the wall on the right when you walk in, is a slider out to the back deck. (See the other mushroom lingerie chest there in the corner?) For now Mom has these white drapes from Ikea hanging here, but she is considering replacing them with some really nice oatmeal linen panels (from PB) that she already has from another room and isn't using. Might be a nice tie in to the fabric on the window bench. What do you think? (She also plans on swapping out the rod for something more substantial and hanging it, and the drapes slightly higher.

Square footage wise this room is really big. So Mom wanted a sitting area here by the sliding door. In an effort to save on the budget, she's using these two navy, velvet, round club chairs that she already had. Us kids got her this hand-hooked rug by Claire Murray for Christmas one year (she really wanted one, its very Cape Cod). She doesn't want to cover up any part of the coastal scene, or beautiful craftsmanship, of the rug with the chairs:)

Last but not least is the fourth wall, or the wall that you enter the room on. Its the wall of storage! I love the high ceilings in here, and it meant that Mom and Dad could have the builder add in these little storage cubbies above their closets. (I secretly wish that the handles/hinges on the closet doors were oil-rubbed bronze too instead of brass, but oh well!)

Mom's concerned that the wall with the huge windows and bench and lingerie chests is slightly overpowering everything else and might be putting the room off balance (especially because the opposite wall - this one with the closets - is so white and doesn't have that much going on). What do you think? Any suggestions for how to add weight to other areas of the room? Ideas for anything else in here in general? Thanks so much!

Real Rooms: Cape House Porch Update

2011-11-01T14:39:00.002-04:00

Hope everyone had a great Halloween weekend! We spent a bit of it down on Cape Cod at my parent's house (which is why I'm writing about this today!). If you've been following along for awhile, you know about the summer beach house my parent's own on the Cape and about how they totally renovated it a couple of years ago (read about it and see some pics here) as they plan on retiring full time here. If you're somewhat new - Cape Cod is like my second home. Since I was in college, my parents have had a beach house there. Its only about 45 minutes away from Paul, Maura's and my house in Southeastern Mass., so we're there all the time, especially in the summer.

Before the house got renovated, it had a cute little screened in porch that connected the house to the garage. We would spend a ton of time in there...chatting, reading, eating, playing. Part of the reno was converting the porch into interior living space. Since we loved the function of it so much, my parents made one of the new rooms into what we call "the porch" even though its totally inside the house (they even moved the old porch wicker furniture into the new room). I originally blogged about this room back in May of '09 (read that post here). Here's what the porch looked like in the new house, with the old furniture.

{to add to that outdoor porch feel and to separate this room a bit from the rest of the open house concept, my mom had the builders install beadboard on the ceiling and painted it a lovely blue}

Mom and I were thinking of painting the white wicker furniture black and getting some new cushions for a quick update. Uhm, so its November of 2011. And we never did it. Instead, my mom recently decided to just move on and treat herself to new furniture. She still wanted to that indoor/outdoor feel though, so she stayed with "wicker" but in a black finish (and a larger, more comfy profile to accommodate the guys like my dad) to coordinate with a lot more of the things in her newly updated home . (The whole place is really cool, she's still got a subtle coastal vibe going on without everything being blue and white.) She took a risk with the cushions (that I think paid off!) and went with two different fabrics...a hydrangea floral on the seat backs and a stripe on the seats themselves. And instead of three chairs, she upgraded to four. Here's the new stuff in the space:

{sorry about the dark pics, we were in the middle of a nor'easter!}

Here's a more accurate shot of the two fabric patterns:

A new area rug is definitely in store (as well as coffee table - probably round? - and some side tables). Mom is thinking she'd like a sea grass or jute or sisal rug. Anyone have any recommendations? To be honest I'm not even sure of the difference between all of them. Is one softer than the others (we play a lot with Maura on the floor here)? Doesn't someone (PB, Ballard, I forget) make a rug out of some other, much more comfy material, that is woven to look like a sea grass/jute rug?

For now, we love how they tie in much more with the adjoining dining room and kitchen. The black helps bring these spaces together and all the warm subtle tones in the fabric (beige, taupe, butter, cream, olive) go nicely with the walls, kitchen cabinets, and counter tops.

Plus, they get the A-Ok from this one:)

What do you guys think? Are the two different fabrics ok together? (Mom was worried when she placed the custom order but I reassured her that they would look good together.) I'll try to be back later in the week with some pics of how their master bedroom is coming along!

My Favorite Room

2011-10-26T07:30:00.000-04:00

Hi! So excited today to be sharing My Favorite Room (in our house) over at Rene's blog, Cottage & Vine! I know you all follow her already, she's like really famous! Such a lovely style, and she's one of those generous, kind-hearted bloggers...always doing what she can to make this lil' ol' community we got going on here a better place. (If you don't read Cottage & Vine yet, you will. Every Wednesday Rene asks a blogger to show and talk about their favorite room, it is a really interesting series.)

Head on over there to check out which room I picked. Any guesses? (Ok, pretty much the only one around here actually done!) Thank you so much for having me, Rene!!

Ps. If you missed the next Mood Board Monday inspiration post, go here.

The Next Mood Board Monday: Dinnerware and Dining Rooms

2011-10-23T22:00:00.000-04:00

Let's keep the ball rolling and do another Mood Board Monday party, shall we? (The last one - we rocked wallpaper - was so fun!) In the spirit of the upcoming holidays (especially Thanksgiving), where celebrating with family and friends around the table is so important, I thought it would be neat to use dinnerware as our inspiration! And we can all design dining rooms! What do you think?

Does Monday, November 14th work for everyone? That's the Monday of the week before Thanksgiving (about 3 weeks from now - woah, crazy how fast the fall is already flying by)...we'll get the party in well before the holiday, so this way we won't be stressed out the week of Thanksgiving..well, at least not about this:)

Remember, Mood Board Monday is all about seeing how different people are inspired differently by the same things. There's no budget, no real client (unless you want to really challenge yourself), no limits. Just you, a lovely set of dinnerware and the interwebz!

So, choose one of the following four sets of dishes as your jumping off point and create a dining room. Feel free (or not) to add glassware, stemware, flatware, (anything else that ends in "ware"), serving pieces, table linens...however detailed you want to be about the actual table setting is up to you. Also, if you're into it, you are more than welcome to throw in touches of holiday decor as well.

1. David Stark Wood Slices-Organic Dinnerware from West Elm

{Designed by David Stark, loosely sketched tree rings printed on Wood Slices Organic Dinnerware bring the natural world to your table in gleaming gold metallic}

2. Penumbral Doily Dinnerware from Anthropologie

{Delicate lines of dainty crochet work are impressed upon glazed terracotta.}

3. Chirp Collection, from Lenox Simply Fine Dinnerware, available at Macy's

{A splash of bright watercolor-inspired birds and florals adorn each plate and the interiors as well as exteriors of bowls and mugs.}

4. Philippe Deshoulieres' "Dhara" collection, available at Bloomingdales

Hope you like one of them!!! For anyone unfamiliar with the concept of the Mood Board Monday McLinky party, here's the general idea (we would love to see some new faces and hopefully lots of you back from previous parties):

1. This is a fun way to share all of the creativity out there and showcase how we can all start from one inspiration point and end up with a variety of ideas.
2. To be a participant, you need to create a complete mood board for a dining room using one of the four sets of inspiration dinnerware shown here.
3. On Mood Board Monday party day (Monday, November 14th in this case), come back here to link up to the party. You will need to include your sources in your post and give a brief description of the room and how you used the inspiration item.

Thanks so much! Feel free to spread the word - the more bloggers, the more beautiful rooms! Can't wait to see the dining rooms you guys "cook" up:)

Ps. Check out our previous Mood Board Monday Linky parties here: MBM01, MBM02, MBM03, MBM04, MBM05, MBM06, MBM07, MBM08, MBM09 and MBM10.

More Fall Around Here

2011-10-19T22:45:00.001-04:00

The bookcase in our foyer got a quick change to take it into fall. Here's what it looked like this summer:

Here it is now for fall:

I swapped out the sun/floral print in the frame for this bird image from an old Cavallini calendar (similar to this). My vintage glass fishing float got replaced with dried gourd, one of my #13 blue Ball mason jars, and two old aqua apothecary bottles that I recently found at a flea market in our supermarket's parking lot:)

I kept my old Hardy Boys books (helps tie in to the vintage book thing going on on the mantel) and just added a mini white pumpkin to the shelf with the white pitchers/bottles. Easy and quick, gotta get this stuff done during nap time:)

I always put mini pumpkins in the transom window above our front door, but they look better this year now that the door's black. Yay!

The ledge shelves above the couch in our family room got a quick redo for fall too.

Love this photo of Maura's feet taken during her photo session with Sarah of Afterglow Photos when she was 10 weeks old.

For some reason this old wooden vise (from the early 1900s) that I got during my first trip to Brimfield in 2009 makes me think of fall and harvesting, even though it was only used to hold pieces of wood together.

I bring out this wheat bundle every year. This time I just changed the color ribbon on it to green to tie in more with the color scheme of the vignette. I bought like 6 of these wood chunky candlesticks at our neighborhood yard sale this year...not sure if I'm eventually going to paint them or not, for fall the wood is working well.

And...that's all I got:) Stay tuned next week for the inspiration for the next Mood Board Monday!

This Year's Fall Mantel

2011-10-14T01:20:00.001-04:00

My fall decor usually starts with a big trip to the garden center/nursery for lots of real pumpkins, gourds, berries, and whatever else strikes my fancy while I'm there. Then I come home and go from there. This year though, between trying to save some money, it getting harder and harder to do long, drawn out errands (that involve thinking and focusing and imagining) with Maura because she doesn't want to sit still, and the fact that the pumpkin harvest got hit pretty hard up here led me to try a different route. Work with what you already have. Or at least cut way back.

This was not what I had in mind when I started out, but here's where she ended up. (I think I just gave my fireplace a gender.)

My only new purchases were this grapevine wreath from Michaels ($2.99) that I hung on the mirror and the two white mini pumpkins.

I ended up with a kind of vintage book and dried botanical theme thing going on. That screams fall to you, right?!

I had/read a bunch of these Cherry Ames books when I was a kid (she's a mystery solving nurse, you already saw my stash of Hardy Boys books here).

Finding this beautiful book I had of my grandmother's stashed away sort of inspired the whole look. She signed it in pencil, with her maiden name - and she married my grandpa when she was 19, and the date June 12, 1937.

I'm not sure why I have this red book or who it belonged to, but the inside cover is signed in pencil with "something (Maria maybe? its hard to read) Muller 1907". In this case I faced the spine towards the wall because it served me better to have the golden carmel color of the old pages showing (to help balance out my long skinny wheat bundle on the other side) than the red of the cover.

Something about this James and the Giant Peach was speaking to me. I like the peachy tones in combination with the sea foam and turquoise and green of the other books. The illustration is so charming and doesn't Roald Dahl just sort of bring back good childhood memories? It was given to me when I was 10 by my aunt. She signed the inside cover with a message and the year 1987. (What's with all these dates ending in 7? Maybe these books were meant to come together here!)

On the left side of the mirror, next to Cherry, I cut out and framed a page from a collection of Beatrix Potter stories that I have. I tried to choose one that sort of gave off a fall vibe (scarecrow?) and had similar colors in it to the rest of the pieces here. I had this yellow frame lying around...it was a bit too vibrant, so I just white washed it a bit with some white acrylic paint to tone it down and blend in more with all the soft shades of cream and butter, etc. that are going on.

Do you think the mantel reads fall enough or is it too subtle for you? Thanks!

PS. To see how fall has gone down in past years at our place, check out the 2010 mantel here and the 2009 one here.

**edit: Sweet! I'm linking this up to the Saturday Nite Special over at Donna's Funky Junk Interiors. She's got a Fall Mantel party goin' on and a linky for Home Decor and Crafts, Sewing and Cooking projects. Phew! Lots of awesome inspiration all in one place:)

Foyer Update: Antique Fish Prints

2011-10-10T23:35:00.002-04:00

Hi! How was everyone's (hopefully) long weekend? The weather was GORGEOUS here in Massachusetts, it felt like summer:)

Last week, I posted about how I finally painted the inside of our front door black. Over the weekend, I hung up the four antique fish prints that I got at the Brimfield show this May (hand colored engravings from 1827-1834, done by French naturalist and zoologist Baron Georges Cuvier ). I bought them specifically for the foyer, to go on either side of the front door.

On one side of the wall we have this pesky light switch. It pretty much dictated where the prints would go. I framed and hung them horizontally, because the light switch is fairly low on the wall and I was worried that if I went with vertical frames, the one under the light switch would start to get really too low on the wall. Plus maybe it helps to balance out all the vertical planes of the door, side window panes, etc.? (Please answer yes.)

If anyone is really paying close attention, you'll notice I did not use all of the original prints I bought at Brimfield. I actually cut up some of the pages to frame bits and pieces of them separately. Is that a big no no? Probably, but I thought it was better than abandoning the whole project and having these beauties sit in a box somewhere because I didn't like how some of the pages were cropped when trying to fit them into my mats.

The gigantic fish eye isn't buggin' anyone out, is it? I think this kind of stuff is so cool...as an illustration major in college I appreciate the technique and they kind of remind me of the technical drawings I used to have to do both as a product designer and a 3d animator.

Just for kicks, here's the foyer before before before (going way back to before we had the cherry floors sanded and restained in dark walnut, before the door went black and before said fish art):

And here's the after, as seen from the upstairs landing:

Foyer Update: Black Front Door

2011-10-05T13:36:00.000-04:00

Sorry, we've kind of been living in baby land around here on the blog lately! I did just manage to accomplish something home related that doesn't involve our just-turned-one year old though:)

Way back in February I posted about wanting to paint the inside of our front door black. I even bought the paint then but had to wait until the weather warmed up. The summer came and went, but I finally managed to get 'er done a few weeks ago.

Here's the before. Kinda boring, even though we have this awesome transom window.

And now, after two coats of Benjamin Moore straight-off-the-shelf Black in semi-gloss.

I love it! It's definitely much more dramatic. The black attracts your eye, so its a focal point now.

{sorry about the terrible pics, its hard to get good shots in here because the light is always flooding through the windows}

Sweet, I love crossing things off the to-do list! Stay tuned next week for another quick, mini foyer update. And still gotta find a lantern to put in here in place of our current chandelier (posted about that way back in January...oops!).

Anybody else considering painting any of their doors another color other than white?

Old School Paper Chains

2011-10-02T22:40:00.001-04:00

Maura's nursery got a super quick and easy update this week...old school paper chains hanging from the ceiling!

For Maura's first birthday party (pics of that hopefully coming soon), my sister (in from London for a few weeks) and I made a bunch of paper chain garlands to use as decor.

{scrapbook paper from Michaels cut into strips 1"wide by 10" long}

{my not-normally-crafty sister (she's in finance, people! if she can do this, you can do it!) using a mini stapler to attach the paper rings together, in totally random color/pattern order}

They looked so cool that I couldn't let them go to waste after the party. It took 5 minutes to hang them from the high sloped ceilings in the nursery (using clear push pins) and they add such a fun, whimsical element to the room!

For $13 and not a lot of time, I think they pack a big punch. Plus I like that they're a nice personal keepsake for the baby...made with love by her mama and auntie for her very first birthday.

{do not try this at home, or maybe you already have - standing on top of the dresser to get better blog pics!}

I think she likes them:)

Linking up to the DIY Project Parade over at the DIY Show Off (this was so easy it shouldn't even count as DIY!) and the Creative Bloggers' Party and Hop at Homemaker on a Dime.

pewter +....Fitz?!

2011-09-29T07:20:00.000-04:00

Today I am extremely psyched (and flattered) to be guest posting over at Honey & Fitz while Dina is away on vacation with her family at the beach. You know Dina, the one who WAS JUST ON THE NATE BERKUS SHOW! She amazes me, she has a little guy (Knox) who's just like a month or two younger than Maura (you guys gotta see his room if you haven't already!) and she still manages to post daily, bang out crazy DIY projects, put together inspiration boards for fun, and run an etsy shop. She pretty much inspires me to try and be a much more cool, creative, hard-working, organized mom/design blogger:)
So, head on over to Honey & Fitz today to check out how I would go about converting Maura's nursery into one for a boy (if we were to ever be blessed with a little guy - no, not pregnant!)...all starting with this awesome vintage map and starry night bunting from etsy seller Moon and Lion. Thanks!

12 Months!!!

2011-09-28T00:02:00.001-04:00

Well. It's come and gone. Maura turned one on September 10th! Happy late birthday, Lovie Love! (It's just still so crazy to think about what I was doing this time last year. I think the first thing we should do on our birthdays is call up our moms, and dads, and thank them for everything they did that day to bring us into this world!!!) I really can't believe that a whole year has gone by already. It is amazing that a little human being can change so much in such a short amount of time!! I'm so proud of you, girl! At first I was sad that the first year is over, but I'm realizing now that this whole toddlerhood thing is such a fun stage:)

One of the best things about this month was that my sister was in town all the way from London for two whole weeks. Maura loved spending time and bonding with her crazy (and I mean that with the utmost respect and love!) Aunt Moh. Here they are together watching an outdoor movie at our neighborhood block party (on Maura's actual birthday).

Here's this month's bunny chair pics (maybe I'll take them at the end of every month from now on?):

{woah!}

{nothing like a new pajama shirt and no pants to end the year!}

Weight: 21 lbs 5 oz

Height: 31 inches

Eating Habits: Maura's doing a great job with table food. We are slowly adding more to the menu of things she likes. She's still not a fan of real vegetables, but she really loves fruit (especially blackberries...weird, huh?!) She'll eat like a champ at the beginning of each meal and then she hits a stopping point and does not want to sit in that high chair for one more second (at this point the screaming starts)!

Bedtime: bedtime somehow got pushed back this month to around 8:30/9 pm. I think the fun activities of summer, mainly the beach, made her nap in the afternoon a bit later than usual, which resulted in a later bedtime.

Sleep Habits: Maura's sleep patterns are mostly still the same. She continues to sleep through the night and wake up at about 7:30am (thank you, girl!). Just as we reached the end of the month, her naps started to be a bit more inconsistent though:( She used to nap guaranteed twice a day for 1 hour and 15 minutes each time. Every once and a while now her morning nap will last for a lot longer (one day she slept for 3 hours!) and this is beginning to effect her afternoon nap. I think she might be starting to transition down to one nap a day. (Not sure how I feel about this!) Any advice for setting or adjusting to a new schedule?

Developmental Milestones: Maura's finally getting some more teeth! Four are coming in on the top all at once (both central incisors and both lateral incisors). The biggest thing I noticed this month in terms of development is her ability to understand what we are saying to her. It's like we can really communicate now..I can say "let's go into the kitchen and make a bottle" or "wanna go outside and take a walk?" and she knows what to do. She's starting to build a large vocabulary of words/things she knows and can point to or go get when you ask her to like shoes, hair, shirt, bunny, frog, ball, etc. (she doesn't say them yet).

Firsts: first Labor Day, first (and only!) Christening, first time away from Mama overnight (for 4 days and nights while I was away at a wedding!), first time gardening, first neighborhood block party

{sorry, this pic is terrible quality (Maura's baptism was rescheduled to a weeknight because of hurricane Irene), but that's my sister and brother - Maura's godparents - and you can kind of see Maura's dress here...I had to have it hemmed so the girl could walk comfortably!!}

Favorite Toys: do shells, rocks, mulch, sticks and leaves count? I'm having trouble coming up with her favorite toys because this month has been a lot about playing outside or at the beach, and just generally walking around and exploring the inside of the house. She still loves her Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Say Please Tea Set, Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Learning Letters Maibox, Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Laughing Kitchen, and books. She loves playing with silly stuff like a package of paper cocktail napkins, Tupperware, or a storage basket of old, empty toiletry bottles, etc. I held off buying her any new toys recently because I was hoping she'd get some cool new ones for her birthday. And boy, did she! She definitely has some favorite toys now, but those don't count for this post:)

Favorite Pastimes: walking everywhere, going to the beach, anything involving playing in/with water, exploring nature, anything outside, climbing up and down the stairs over and over, climbing up and down from big people chairs, listening to music, going for walks, play dates with our friends, going to the last few days of our Gymboree Play and Learn Class (the location we went to closed down, we definitely want to continue some "mommy and me" activity, just signed up at My Gym - anyone done these classes?)

{shout out to Mason and Morgan!}

Mama and Dada love you so much, Maura! Thank you for being our little girl:)

Mood Board Monday Party: Wallpaper

2011-09-25T23:10:00.001-04:00

Hi, there! Hope everyone had a great weekend! Welcome to the 10th Mood Board Monday McLinky Party. Glad you could make it:)

This blog party is all about seeing how different people are inspired differently by the same things.
This week's challenge was a fun collaboration with Cathy of Room Rx, who had the brilliant idea to use wallpaper as our inspiration. So, your mission (if you chose to accept it - and thank you so much if you did!) was to design a room (of your choice) around one of these four wallpaper patterns from Layla Grace:

1. Amy Butler Lacework Sunset

{An Honoree for Interior Design's Best of the Year award, Lacework is a modern take on folk aesthetic. Delicate textures complement the bold feel of the mandalas as sunset pinks and terracotta pop against a deep red background.}

2. Spherica Parchment Paper

{The medium scale of Spherical's interlocking circles creates a modern pattern suitable for a wide variety of interiors. The tonal parchment design of this screen printed wallpaper adds dimension to any room.}

3. Amy Butler Passion Lily Field

{Passion Lily bursts upwards with blooms tucked inside the elegant structure of a graphic trellis. Its field-inspired palette contrasts shades of green and cream infusing a room with an eclectic modern aesthetic.}

4. Leafy Scroll Sky Paper from Layla Grace

{Inspired by embroidery, the gracefully trailing vine of this Leafy Scroll design has been surfaced printed for a subtly raised texture. The neutral ivory and sky blue palette of this wallpaper creates a soft backdrop for traditional and modern interiors.}

**************

Here's my mood board for the week. I knew right away that I wanted to use the Amy Butler Lacework Sunset (even though it is totally out of my comfort zone) and how I wanted to use it. But then I got stuck (sourcing everything else)...this was definitely the hardest room I've ever created for Mood Board Monday, but I'm happy with how it turned out.

Let me explain...My sister and I sleep in this room (read more about it here) when we're visiting my parents at their summer beach house on Cape Cod and I'm always thinking of how we can redo it (right now its all random stuff they already had).

Enter this lovely inspirational image I found on Pinterest of wallpaper on the back wall and two twin beds nestled cozily under the eaves.

So, this is how I'm going to use my Amy Butler wallpaper - on just the back wall, with the window, behind the beds. I'm hoping to create a "girl's room" that's comfy, cozy and cute/classy for all ages.

0. (Sorry, I realized after numbering everything that I forgot to number the color palette, so I got lazy and called it zero!) The palette: mostly warm (reds, pinks and oranges from the wallpaper) but contrasted with bluish grays(I noticed the leaf work in the background of the wallpaper was some kind of what seemed like neutral cool tone to me, and I wanted to pull that out). All the other walls other than the featured wallpaper wall would be painted a soft blush pink.
1. The inspiration: Amy Butler Lacework Sunset wallpaper from Layla Grace (only used on the back wall behind the beds)
2. Instead of using the real beds already in this room, I'm stealing beds from another room in my parent's house...in the guest room my mom has these great family heirloom antique pineapple beds from the early 1900s. (My grandpa slept in one when he was a kid and then they were used in the house my mom grew up in as well.) They're a lovely ebony color and I think they'd fit nicely with the wallpaper.
3. As for linens on the bed, I like the bright, crispness of the Hanna Quilt and Shams in White from Pottery Barn. I think something simple against the busy wallpaper is best here, but I like that they also have a tone-on-tone quilted pattern stitched on them.
4. Also on the beds, this fun Circle Round Sheet Set from Anthropologie. I wanted to pull out a bit of the orange from the wallpaper, plus the circles echo those on the wall, just in a much smaller scale:)
5. I also wanted to pull out some of the bright pink from the wallpaper for the throw pillows on the beds, so maybe something like this Trina Turk Trellis in watermelon from etsy seller AriannaBelle.
6. Above each bed, I'd hang one of these Medici Cameos from Wisteria. I like the contrast of this very small swatch of blue grey on all that red.
7. In between the beds and under the window, I'd place some sort of bench (this one is the Blakely Rustic Bench from PB - originally blue but photoshopped to look pink) to use as bedside table. I'd paint it the same pale pink blush color as all the other walls in the room.
8. I found this Autumn Stripe Rug from Dash & Albert that brings together the reds/oranges and greys in one piece. The white quilts on the beds will really pop off this.
9. On the opposite wall across from the beds/wallpaper (so on a light pink wall), I'd place this gorgeous French Country Pine Dresser in from Wisteria.
10. This Suzanne Kasler Gourd Lamp in French Blue from Ballard Designs adds more of that muted bluish grey to the room.
11. I'd hang this beautiful French Honeycomb Mirror from Wisteria above the dresser. The scalloped edge reminds me of the lacework in the wallpaper and the gold ties in to the frames of the cameos.
12. For more pops of color and because I love to read, the second collection of Penguin Classics with Coralie Bickford-Smith. (There would probably be a basket of childrens books around too for any younger kids who stay here.)
13. Versatile, fun and hopefully the same rust red that's in the wallpaper, I'd throw a couple of these Knitted Poufs in Blood Orange from CB2 around.
14, 15, 16. I'd hang a gallery wall of artwork, prints, etc. framed in black on one of the other walls (easily adaptable for all ages). For starters, I'd use this Seagull Watercolor Art by eastwitching, this graphic Today is the Day Linocut Print by etsy seller the big harumph, and this adorable Hot Chocolate Print by Belle and Boo.

**************

Now its your turn! Here's what you do to join the party:

1. Create a mood board for any kind of room using one of the above inspirational wallpaper patterns.
2. Write a post about it, including sources (with a link back to this post so others can come look).
3. Add your name, project and thumbnail image to the Linky here on this post.
4. Then add the link to your SPECIFIC Mood Board Monday POST, not your general blog address.
5. Have fun checking out all the other wonderful rooms!

Remember, feel free to include an example or inspirational image of the way in which you are going to use your wallpaper if you think it will help others visualize your space better:)

Thanks so much for taking the time to join the party!!! Can't wait to see your wallpaper fabulousness!

PS. Thanks again, Cathy, for the fun tag team!

Mood Board Monday Reminder!!

2011-09-18T22:53:00.002-04:00

Hi! Just wanted to remind you guys that next week its Mood Board Monday time again! The linky party will be here on Monday, September 26th, and it'll be all about wallpaper:)

If you remember, Cathy from Room Rx and I sort of teamed up on this one. She came up with the awesome idea that we should get inspired by wallpaper (so many beautiful designs and so many cool ways to use them), and each of us chose two patterns to include as possible jumping off points for you guys.

Here's my original post (a guest one over at Cathy's) with more details and a longer explanation of MBM (in case you've never played along before).

Here are the four inspiration wallpapers you have to choose from when designing your room:

1. Amy Butler Lacework Sunset from Layla Grace

2. Spherica Parchment Paper from Layla Grace

3. Amy Butler Passion Lily Field from Layla Grace

4. Leafy Scroll Sky Paper from Layla Grace

Sweet:) So, just to recap:

1. This is a fun way to share all of the creativity out there and showcase how we can all start from one inspiration point and end up with a variety of ideas.
2. To be a participant, you need to create a complete mood/design/inspiration board for a room based on one of the four wallpapers shown here.
3. On Mood Board Monday party day (Monday, September 26th), come back here and link up to the party. You will need to include your sources in your post and give a brief description of the room and how you were inspired by the wallpaper pattern.

Check out our previous Mood Board Monday Linky parties here: MBM01, MBM02, MBM03, MBM04, MBM05, MBM06, MBM07, MBM08 and MBM09.

Thanks, everyone! Hope you can join us on Monday:)

Ps. Go here to check out Cathy's "Wallpaper Wow" post with tons of beautiful wallpaper eye candy!!!

Maura's 1st Birthday Party: Invitations

2011-09-08T11:40:00.001-04:00

Maura turns one on Saturday (really hard for me to believe), but her party isn't until next Saturday, the 17th. I'm not going overboard on any one particular theme, but I am kinda running with the idea of a slight vintage alphabet flash card look and feel for a few things. (Similar to the alphabet cards hanging on the wall above the crib in Maura's nursery ...and we have a more modern set that we like to look at when she's sitting in her high chair eating.) Maybe with some other old school learning/toy ideas thrown in there for good measure. (Of course, we've all met me and thus know that I tend to think big and usually run of out time!)

For her invitations, I went with "Bb is for birthday" (as opposed to "Mm for Maura", etc.) and painted a little watercolor cupcake (since we're going to serve cupcakes for dessert instead of cake...hopefully not a huge no-no at a first birthday party!).

I want the color palette of the party to be bright and fun...watermelon pink, seafoam and aqua, yellows, oranges, shades of green...kinda like her room. I'm going to also try and incorporate lots of pattern. So I used Paper Source cover paper in Strawberry to back the invites and sent them in these cute envelopes in Pool.

I'm hoping the combo of old school school-house and script fonts plus the rounded border give off a bit of the vintage vibe I wanted.

I didn't have exactly enough time to work on these as I would have liked (sorry, baby girl!) so I think I probably could have developed this idea a bit further, but I think they're good enough to fit the bill.

I hope to somehow display the set of alphabet cards we use at mealtimes at the party (no way am I messing the ones on her wall!) and incorporate the whole "Aa is for apple" idea with any of the other paper things. I'd like to leave out some vintagey children's books on the tables as part of the centerpieces/for kids to read during the party. And get a chalkboard for people to write messages on and hold up at the photo booth. Any other ideas for how I can develop more of the vintage alphabet flashcard/learning/toy theme at the party? Thanks, guys:)

Ps. Check out some of my inspiration for party decor here.

Summer Mantel a Little too Late!

2011-08-30T23:35:00.000-04:00

Hi! Hope everyone in her path made it through Irene safely! We lost power for about 22 hours, but other than that we were lucky. (It has been a crazy few days though...my sister's flight made it in from London on Saturday, but my Dad's from Texas got canceled because of the hurricane. Early Sunday morning my grandmother passed away and Maura's Christening scheduled for that afternoon got postponed due to the storm.)

On a happier note, I finally finished decorating my mantel for summer. What? The day after tomorrow is September? Oh. Hmph. I had such great intentions. I started in early June during one of Maura's naps and then she woke up. And then it was the end of August. And I had never gone back to it. I guess late is better than never. Plus, its not sooo summery that I can't leave it up through the beginning of autumn, since apparently decorating for the seasons is not a top priority when you have a toddler:)

I wanted something light and bright and airy. First I draped these capiz shell garlands from West Elm (waaaay back in the day, I've had them forever, no longer sold) on the mantel. I love how they catch the light and sparkle, but since they're white shells on white wood, its a lovely subtle effect.

Next I added these matted botanical prints, which were pages from a wildflower book that I cut out. (Click here to see how I used them last spring on the mantel with some other stuff.)

This seemed like a good spot for the DIY faux terrariums I made this past spring (they used to be on our coffee table but then Maura got mobile and they need to be up high now), so I put one on each side of the mirror to keep the whole symmetrical vibe going.

Lastly, I love how these old apothecary jars I found this year at the Brimfield Antique Show look together with the white and green. They kind of add to that layered but not a lot of contrast feel that I was after.

I'm so not ready for summer to be over and fall to be here, but if you actually have your mantels ready for the appropriate season as opposed to two months too late, link up your fall one at Layla's Fall Mantel Party on September 27th at The Lettered Cottage (part of Layla, Rhoda, Kate and Sarah's It's Fall Y'all Autumn Link Parties)!

Maura's 1st Birthday Party: Inspiration

2011-08-25T23:43:00.000-04:00

Hi, guys! How's it going with you? Things are a bit more hectic here this week than I anticipated, but I wanted to at least try and post something. Maura's birthday is coming up in two weeks (what?!) so I have birthday party ideas on the brain. Here's some inspiration I've saved out on Pinterest:

{alphabet flash cards}

{balloons on mason jars}

{children's books on the tables}

{Maura's weekly bunny chair pics display}

{photo booth}

{paper chain garlands}

{balloon garland}

{"one" garland decorating her high chair}

More birthday party posts to come:) In the meantime, I'd love to hear about your first (or any kid age) birthday parties! Any advice? Things you wish you had done differently, etc? Do you always have take home goodie bags? Planned activities/games? This rookie needs help, thanks!

Ps. I jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon and then forgot to tell you. If you want to follow me (I don't have a ton, but its a start), go here. I'd love to follow you back:)

The Next Mood Board Monday and a Guest Post!

2011-08-17T08:20:00.001-04:00

Hi! Remember Mood Board Monday? Lol, you might not, since I've only done one so far this year. Bad blogger! I even made one of my personal goals at the beginning of 2011 to do more Mood Board Mondays. Well, that was an epic FAIL. Really sorry, guys. But I'm back on the wagon now. And this one's exciting because its a collaboration:)

Do you guys know my friend Cathy of Room Rx? She's a sweetheart. An interior designer out of Wisconsin, Cathy is a wonderful new addition to this crazy online world we live in. Her blog has great weekly features like "Color of the Moment" on Tuesdays and "Fresh Fabrics" on Fridays. And she loves (and is pretty good at) making mood boards.

I am honored to be guest posting today over at Room Rx while Cathy is on vacation. The topic...the inspiration for the next Mood Board Monday! Cathy chose the category (as well as helped me pick out the specific pieces). And its a fun one. Wallpaper!!! So cool, right? The MBM linky party will be here like usual on Monday, September 26th but you have to head on over to Cathy's today to see the inspiration patterns and get all the details. Hope you'll join us!!

{the above are just eye candy via Pinterest...purely to show the power of wallpaper...they have nothing whatsoever to do with MBM...you still have to go over to Cathy's!!}

PS. For anyone who has not played along with us before for Mood Board Monday, its fun...you should come. It's a blog party all about seeing how different people are inspired differently by the same thing. You get to make a mood board for an imaginary room with an unlimited budget...all based off one of the inspirational starting points:)

11 Months!!!

2011-08-15T11:22:00.002-04:00

Sniffle, sniffle...our baby turned 11 months last week! That means this is the last post I'll write like this before she's a year old. I'm excited to have a "toddler" but I'm also really sad that her birthday is rapidly approaching. This year went way too fast. The baby days are over:( In part this is due to the fact that Maura started walking this month!! What a cool thing to witness. She went from taking a few steps back and forth between say Paul and I to walking a few feet away to get something to just completely walking out of the room to where she wants to go in a matter of a week. It is so cute to watch:) I feel like this was a big month developmentally in general. I love spending every day with you watching you grow, Lovie!!

Here's this month's bunny chair pics:

{Just keeping it real! "Get me outta this chair, Mama!"}

{This is the week we were on vacation, so I thought her bathing suit was a good choice!}

Eating Habits: We've added some new table food to the list of things she likes (such as blueberries, strawberries, banana pancakes, cranberry orange muffins, bagels with cream cheese...her favorite meal is definitely breakfast!). We're still working on getting her to like more real food proteins and fruits/veggies. She's getting a lot better with the sippy cup.

Bedtime: around 8 pm

Sleep Habits: Maura's sleep patterns are still thankfully the same as the last few months. We've got a great schedule going. She takes two naps a day - one in the late morning and one in the late afternoon, both usually about 1 hour and 15 minutes long. She goes to bed around 8pm and sleeps through the night until anytime around 6:30 - 7:30am.

Developmental Milestones: Maura is walking! We're so proud of her! (But boy, do you have to keep an eye on her even more now!!) She also learned how to climb the stairs (she's quick!) and almost more importantly, how to come down the stairs on her bum, sit and scootch style. Maura caught on to putting things in places on purpose now...before she was only good at taking toys out of a bucket, or taking shapes out of the shape sorter. But now she has learned how to put stuff back into a container, and how to put the different shapes into their respective holes, etc. I've been so excited for her to learn that skill and I'm glad she's finally getting it. Good job, girl:)

Firsts: first family vacation, first time out of the country, first time on a working farm

Favorite Toys: VTech Sing and Jam Band (we carry this thing with us everywhere we go), Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Say Please Tea Set, Haba Wood Baby Blocks, Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Learning Letters Maibox, Fisher Price Stack and Roll Cups, Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Laughing Kitchen. Now that she's learned how to put things places, Maura is changing the way she plays with some of her old toys and is loving her Fisher Price Rock-a-Stack rings and Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Cookie Surprise again.

Favorite Pastimes: going to the beach, climbing up and down the stairs over and over, walking everywhere, listening to music, opening up cabinets and taking everything out of them, playing outside on a blanket in the grass, Gymboree Play and Learn class, anything involving playing in/with water, watching "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" and "Jake and the Neverland Pirates", rocking in her rocking chair with her buddy the bear

Thumbs Up!

2011-08-09T00:39:00.001-04:00

Here's some things I'm loving from around blogland recently:

Check out this awesome bookshelf makeover from Hi Sugarplum! ...found via the DIY Project Parade over at Roeshel's

Speaking of bookshelves, did you see Jenny's DIY arched bookshelves?

Love this killer back entry way make-over from {a home in the making}...found via the new Room by Room linky party over at Cottage and Vine

I really enjoyed reading this post from Lauren at pure style home about her process.

Love the beautiful patterns printed on the back of these gray and yellow letterpress invitations...by The Happy Envelope via Oh So Beautiful Paper

If you're looking for some lakeside cottage/camp inspiration, head on over to Layla and Kevin's Wandawega Week....what a great story, with great pics!! Can't wait for the rest:)

PS. Totally not related at all, but have you guys been watching Design Star? What do you think? I haven't watched tonight's episode yet (got it waiting on DVR), so no spoilers! I definitely think the challenges are at least better this year than last year. Do you like the guest judges? Who are your favorite designers?

Beads and Baby Food Jars

2011-08-04T23:24:00.000-04:00

Hi! Just a quick post to tell you that we're back from vacation, I'm alive, and to sincerely apologize for being the world's worst blogger lately. Seriously...I posted 3 times in July...that is pathetic!! Somehow the time is getting away from (how is it August already?) and though we're thoroughly enjoying our first summer with Maura, it seems like (read - its obvious) this blog is suffering. I will try and do a better job moving forward, but I will warn you that the next month and a half is looking crazy busy 'round here (we've got Maura's Christening - yes, I know she's about to turn 11 months and you're supposed to be baptized when you're a little baby but this is what happens when the godmother lives out of the country, a set of invitations due, an out of state wedding, a block party for my development of 80 houses that I'm in charge of planning, Maura's first birthday party (!!!!) and a bridal shower for my oldest friend that my mom, sister and I are hosting...aaaahhhhh!). However, there will definitely be another Mood Board Monday linky party coming soon (yay, finally!), so stay tuned.

And now on to the actual point of this post! Usually I buy the Gerber little plastic tubs of solid food for Maura (I know, I did have hopes of making my own puree for her, but that dream died when I realized I would be spending all my free time - uh, what free time, you have a baby?! - with my blender), but sometimes I like some of the flavors that you can only get in the real glass jars. Instead of recycling them, I figured they could be used for something since they're so cute, like mini mason jars. Then I remembered a shoe box full of beads I had stashed in our office closet.

So now I'm keeping all my beads in the baby food jars, organized by color. Aren't they pretty! Gotta love stylish storage...it kills 2 birds with 1 stone.

So, is anyone else having trouble keeping up with their blog these days or is it just me? Anybody use their baby food jars for other things?

PS. These are not the first recycled glass jars to make an appearance in our office...I got the big, real mason jars holding stuff too:)

Apparently...

2011-07-21T23:10:00.001-04:00

...babies need a lot of stuff when going away on vacation!!! (In the midst of packing now.) We are leaving tomorrow for our annual trip to Prince Edward Island, Canada. We made the 12 hour drive last year when I was 8 months pregnant (stopping every hour so that I could go to the bathroom), so we figured it shouldn't be that much harder with a 10 month old...aaaahhhhhh! We're dividing the trip into 2 days, and are going to head out in the early evening, hoping Maura will fall asleep and spend most of the drive to the hotel tomorrow night asleep. Once we get to the island, I know she's going to love it - the house we rent with our friends is right on the beach! - so if we can just get through the drive, we'll be good to go. So excited that its our first real family vacation!!

I'll try to post from there next week, but am not promising anything. Anyone have any tips for traveling long distance with a baby? Have a great weekend!!

PS. Click here and here to see some pics from our previous trips to PEI.

10 Months!!!

2011-07-18T11:19:00.002-04:00

Maura turned 10 months last week! Holy cow, that's getting really close to one year old!! This past month was a fun one (partly why I haven't been blogging as much, sorry!) - we are learning that Maura is an outdoor adventure girl (yay! I was hoping she would be.) She loooves the beach, playing outside in the grass, investigating things like mulch, trying to eat mulch...and leaves and shells, and if we're inside, she likes to watch the landscaping guys, the trash collectors, the postman.

Maura is finally getting some teeth! Her first one popped up on the bottom and that was quickly followed by the two teeth right next to that one. I think she is teething just a wee bit, she is somewhat more cranky than usual (which for her is not at all) and is quicker to cry when she's had enough of something (like sitting in her high chair). Also this month, she took her first steps on her own!! So exciting. She only did it once, but it was definitely like 4 or 5 steps in a row not holding onto anything. Thatta girl!

Here's this month's bunny chair pics. (It is becoming increasingly harder and harder to take these. She just does not want to sit still on this chair!)

Eating Habits: This girl is like my side of the family - she's an eater! We are constantly experimenting with new real/table food. We've added blueberry muffins, french toast, grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese, meatballs, ground chicken and beef (with Sloppy Joe sauce or taco sauce), and deli meat with American cheese roll ups to the mix. She still has some fruit or veggie puree with each meal because she does not seem to like many real fruits or vegetables (We've got the protein, dairy and carbs covered). Any ideas? She still drinks 5 bottles a day (one when she wakes up, one before her morning nap, one after lunch, one before her afternoon nap and one at bedtime - all 4oz. except for the bedtime one). We're also experimenting with different kinds of sippy/straw cups to see which kind she prefers/can get the hang of.

{Her hair does not usually stick up like that! I think this was sweaty hat head from playing outside!}

Bedtime: around 8 pm

Sleep Habits: Ever since we did some sleep training when Maura was 8 months, her sleep patterns have been great and consistent. She takes two naps a day - one in the late morning and one in the late afternoon, both usually about 1 hour and 15 minutes long. She goes to bed around 8pm and sleeps through the night until anytime around 6:30 - 7:30am. Sometimes she wakes up and makes a little noise about 5:30am but she'll fall right back to sleep after that for another hour or so.

Developmental Milestones: We are finally getting some teeth! Maura has 3 coming in on the bottom. She took her first steps on her own, 4 or 5 in a row, I was so proud of her!! Maura is now a waving machine...hello, goodbye, don't yell at me for throwing my food on the floor, everything gets a wave:)

Firsts: first 4th of July, first time playing in a puddle, first time playing at a splash pad

Favorite Toys: VTech Sing and Jam Band (we carry this thing with us everywhere we go), VTech Sit to Stand Learning Walker, Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Learning Letters Maibox, VTech Rhyme and Discover Book, Fisher Price Stack and Roll Cups, Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Laughing Kitchen.

Favorite Pastimes: going to the beach, listening to music, playing outside on a blanket in the grass, Gymboree Play and Learn class, walking/cruising along furniture, anything involving playing in/with water

Three Little Birds

2011-07-11T10:58:00.001-04:00

"Woke up this morning, smiled at the rising sun...three little birds on my doorstep...singing a sweet song..."

Maura loves this song. Coincidentally, when she was born, my good friend Jen sent her these three adorable hand made ceramic birds from a studio near where she lives in Brooklyn.

They each came strung on a little white cord for hanging. We've never had a mobile in the nursery, and this corner was looking a little empty, so I hung them from the ceiling here over her crib (but not within reach).

The white cords weren't long enough to reach the high ceilings, so I snipped them off at the ends and instead added some skinny colorful ribbon I had lying around.

Maura loves when I gently tap all three of them and send them flying back and forth:) Thanks, Jen (nothing like a friend who knows that nursery decor is what I really wanted when I had a baby)!!

Ps. For more about Maura's nursery, click here (antique botanical prints and dresser/changing table), here (Ikea ledge shelves), here (window treatments and glider), and here (crib and alphabet flash cards).

Oars and Paddles

2011-06-30T23:17:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited!! I won a giveaway!! You guys read/have heard of Frugal Farmhouse Design right? Lori owns the most charming shop called White Flower Farmhouse on Long Island, where she creates "simple country style" and sells unique finds and beach, cottage and farmhouse wares. To celebrate her 2000th follower, Lori hosted a super generous giveaway, a pair of vintage oars straight out of a shipyard on Long Island.

Oh boy, I thought! Sign me up!!! Imagine my surprise and shock the other day when I got an email from Lori saying I was the winner!!! (Like out of more than 100 entries, people!!!) Saweeeeet! I'm so happy!!!

This is awesome because:

a. I already have an old child's paddle I bought at the Brimfield Antique Show this year and a painted paddle that I got once while browsing HomeGoods (I like the size and shape but not the colors, so I want to repaint it). So now I'll really have a paddle/oar collection.
b. My Dad grew up on Long Island. And Dad's a sailor. And during the summer, on the Cape, I'm his crew (we'll have to see what happens this year once you throw a 10 month old into the mix!). Our sailboat is moored in the middle of a cove, so to get to it we row out in our dinghy (well, Dad rows and I direct him, since he's sitting backwards.) Every time I look at these oars I'm going to think of that special time spent with Dad.

The oars aren't here yet (I can't wait!), but once they are, I'll take some pics to show you.

In the meantime, I have to figure out what to do/where to put my oars/paddles. They look great just simply leaning against the wall like this, but I think this option is out now that we have Maura.

{Completely Coastal}

{Cafe Cartolina}

I could hang them up as part of a larger group, with other objects like frames or an old wood vice:)

{Emerald Cove}

{houzz}

But I think now that I'm going to have 4 (so psyched!), I want them to be their own collection, a real statement piece on the wall together somewhere.

{Completely Coastal}

{Pottery Barn and Coastal Living via 3 Meadow Lake Cottage}

{Coastal Living}

{Completely Coastal}

{Layla and Kevin's guest room}

{Pottery Barn}

{Villa Cantina}

Thank you again, Lori!!! And congratulations on your big milestone - you deserve it, you are an inspiration!

Now, who knows the difference between oars and paddles? There's a couple: oars are usually much longer than paddles. Oars are actually connected to the boat using oar locks, whereas paddles are not. And probably most importantly, oars come in pairs - if you are rowing, you're using both oars, one in each hand. If you are paddling, like in a canoe or a white water raft, you're just using one paddle. (Kayaks use double-bladed paddles.) And thus ends today's lesson on propelling small watercraft:)

Have any of you decorated with oars or paddles? Ever won a giveaway?!

Have a great July 4th weekend!!

My Glass Fishing Float and Bookcase for Summer

2011-06-26T22:50:00.000-04:00

It's cool when you have a mom who knows and understands your style (mental note: try to be this cool when Maura is grown). Back in May, as this year was my first Mother's Day, my mom got a me a gift. A vintage glass fishing float from Wisteria!!

Since the turn of the century, these hollow glass floats, woven into the rope line of large fishing nets, were the worldwide choice of commercial fishermen from Norway to Japan to America. Often these round glass renegades escaped their worn-out nets. With the advent of plastic and the decline in commercial fishing, these lost, blue/green clear glass floats are now rare and highly sought after by collectors around the world. They were made by fusing glass together, so each ball has seams. Since age and origin is difficult to determine, no two will be exactly alike.

I love it! The color is so pretty, and the cloudy, bubbly texture is really interesting. I wonder where this guy has been?! I wanted to add a bit more of a nautical vibe to our place and this is another step towards that without being too cliche or kitschy. Thanks, Mom!!

I though that the perfect place for my new/old fishing float (at least for now) would be on top of the bookcase in our foyer that I restyle for the seasons. It needed something large and anchoring behind it, so I stole this white frame and fun sun/floral print from my my family room ledge shelves for winter (ironic, huh?!). I was going to swap out the print for something different in cool tones, but once I had it up there I realized I loved the contrast of the warm yellow and orange with the sea foam, it really made the glass float stand out.

Once that was done, I just did what I always do to finish the look, shop the house for other items in this similar color palette and rearrange/test until I'm satisfied.

My Hardy Boys books from when I was a kid (that I've been saving for my kids to read) were the perfect blue/teal to balance out the glass fishing float. Yay! These have been in our basement in a Tupperware and I've been waiting to put them somewhere:)

Coincidentally, the orangey-red behind Frank and Joe's portraits goes great with the sun/floral print. Sweet!

I swapped out one of the photos in the frames for this new one of Maura's hand (from her portrait session at 10 weeks - gosh I love that baby girl!).

On the bottom shelf I added a white tray from Target (helps to balance out the large white frame up top), a teal book, and orange book and Paul's baby shoes. All fairly sturdy items should Maura decide to play here.

So, this doesn't totally scream summer, but I'm diggin' it. The color combo is fun and bright, its got a hint of nautical, and the books remind me of summer reading and afternoon trips to the library with a stop at 7-Eleven for a Slurpee on the way home:)

Did any of you guys read The Hardy Boys too? Or were you all just Nancy Drew fans?!

Shabby Apple Giveaway Winner!!!

2011-06-20T12:57:00.008-04:00

Hi! Thanks so much to everyone who participated in the Shabby Apple Giveaway last week! We have a winner...according to random.org, its lucky number 16!!

Congratulations, Day Lilies!! You'll look equally as gorgeous in North Shore! I'll be in touch via email soon so that we can get you your dress:)

Remember, you can always still use the code "pewterandsage10off" for a 10% off discount when shopping at Shabby Apple. Hope everyone's week is off to a good start:)

A Visit to Hazard Ave.

2011-06-16T23:00:00.002-04:00

Remember in April when I met up with local bloggers Casey (of loft and cottage) and Carrie (of Hazardous Design) at a stella and dot party at Casey's house? We got together again on Sunday, except this time we ventured down to Providence to Carrie's GORGEOUS home on Hazard Avenue. Built in 1886, this place has such charm and character, wonderful architectural details and loads of fun little hallways, staircases and a butler's pantry...I got lost more than once going to the bathroom:) Carrie and her really handy husband Chris have been renovating it room by room...and they are doing it right! I was so excited to see these beautiful spaces in person:

{Carrie and Chris' master bedroom}

{Carrie and Chris' office...and that's Harry, btw}

{the newly revealed powder room - AMAZING, and I'm in love with this light, I think I want it somewhere in my house - it feels very scientific to me, maybe cause it looks so much like an astrolabe?, like something Dumbledore would have in his office}

At the stella and dot party, Carrie was the lucky winner of a free design consultation with Casey, which is why we decided to meet at Hazard Ave. Ok, so its why Casey was supposed to go down to Providence and why I just invited myself to go along!! I got to sit and watch as Casey helped Carrie with some ideas for her family room (next up on the to do list). It was so cool to see a real interior designer in action...and really hard for me to keep from interrupting and asking a million questions. Here are the ladies talking window treatments. (Its such a great room, love the high ceilings, all that trim, crown molding and its got a fireplace.)

Can't wait to follow along as this room starts to take shape! After the serious stuff was over, we headed out to lunch and then on to some shopping. First we stopped in at this really cute shop called Comina. I was immediately smitten with these Glass jug lamps from Cisco Brothers, so pretty!

{cool star chandelier}

{loved this file cabinet handcrafted of reclaimed and recycled wood from Northern and Southern China}

I was so excited to find out that Comina carried Dash and Albert rugs, I've never actually seen one in real life before.

So of course I had to buy one! I found this 2' x 3' diamond indoor/outdoor rug in this lovely shade of blue/green/gray ("Ice")...its not often you see rugs with this much gorgeous color subtlety (at least in the places I've been looking!), so I snagged it up. I think I'm going to put it under the sink in the kitchen...where I've been wanting to add more of that soft cool tone.

Yay! I love it! Anyways, next we stopped in at another fun boutique shop called Butterfield. I must have been on a lighting kick, because I was really into this:

And if you didn't already know, I have a slight decorative throw pillow obsession, so was immediately drawn to these:

{the Ikat chair isn't bad either!}

And because what blogger real life meeting wouldn't be complete without antiques (?!), we rounded out our shopping excursion with an antique mall. The first thing that caught my eye was this old spice cabinet. (I think the first thing that I actually thought was "hey, its miss mustard seed!")

Upon further inspection (taking a pic of the tag so that I could tell you guys what it was), I discovered this spice cabinet is, no joke, from the town in Pennsylvania where I grew up!! How about that for random? Too bad it was $6,800:(

After hand painting my own, I'm on the lookout for old sign inspiration so that I can try another one. This one was cool.

And again with the lighting! This candelabra was $35...Carrie and I said how pretty it would be hanging outside all lit up for a night time party.

Carrie was the only one of us who bought anything at the antique mall (I did buy an old key at a really small antique store we ran into quickly, I'd been on the look out for one after regretting not getting one at Brimfield in May when I had the chance), and she scored big! After much debate about whether he was weird or totally awesome and unexpected, she went home with this large, framed oil painting of Abraham Lincoln for $25!! Although off by about 20 years, its cool that he was president not too long before the time that Carrie's house was built. A nice nod to the home's past. When we got back to Hazard Ave., Casey and I helped hold up Abe in different spots around the house so that Carrie could see where he fit best.

Thank you so much for a fabulous day, guys! I had such a great time!

PS. Check out Carrie's post about our day here (with a pic of Abe in his new digs) and read Casey's post here.

PPS. I think our next gathering might be at my house. Aaahhhhh! I gotta get my act in gear and like get some projects done! These girls have such great taste, I gotta step up my game. They've definitely inspired me:)

Summertime Favorites

2011-06-15T08:43:00.000-04:00

Hi! I'm guest posting at Little Blue Prints today. Megan's hosting a really fun Summertime Favorites series and I'm honored to be a part of it. Head on over to find out some of my favorite things about summer (my favorite season)...and what's on the agenda for this little black cabinet:)

PS. Megan is an awesome DIYer with a really cute etsy shop. And she's a stay at home mom to 3 boys. How does she do it all? I can barely get anything done with only one baby who naps twice a day and goes to bed at 8pm!

PPS. Today's the last day to enter the Shabby Apple giveaway!

9 Months!!!

2011-06-12T22:40:00.001-04:00

Maura turned 9 months old on Friday. Wow! Unbelievable. She's now been with us for as long as we were pregnant waiting for her:)

Dada and I love you very much, baby girl!

Here's this month's bunny chair pics:

Weight: 18 lbs. 15 oz.

Height: 29.5 inches

Breastfeeding/Bottles/Solids: We stopped breastfeeding this past month, so she's just eating solids and drinking bottles. She has 3 solid meals a day and 5 - 6 bottles.

New Foods/Eating Habits: We've tried lots of new foods over the last month! She's still eating the Stage 2 purees and we are constantly experimenting with finger/table food. Maura's meals always consist of a fruit or veggie puree (depending on the time of day and usually mixed with rice cereal, we also alternate with baby yogurt instead of puree for breakfast), some Gerber Lil' Crunchies (she now likes all the flavors) to keep her occupied and one real table food. So far for real food she likes bananas, mozzarella cheese sticks, Ritz crackers, pasta, hot dogs, popcorn, and blueberry pancakes.

Bedtime: 7:45/8 pm

Sleep Habits: We have come so far with sleep in the last month! We borrowed the Dr. Ferber "Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems" book from a friend and it worked like a charm!!! Maura had a couple of "problems": 1. she would only fall asleep at the end of a bottle or on the breast and then we had to successfully keep her asleep while putting her down in her crib and 2. she would wake up in the middle of the night randomly, cry and only go back to sleep if I breastfed her. After reading the book, I realized that this all went back to the fact that she did not know how to fall asleep on her own. We had to break her of the associations of the bottle/breast with going to sleep and teach her to fall asleep in her crib while awake. Once she had accomplished that, if she woke up in the middle of the night (which is normal), she would be able to fall back to sleep on her own. Both Paul and I were dreading the "ferberizing" because we thought it would be terrible and she would be "crying it out" forever, etc. We started with nap time on a Friday and she did so well! We only had to go back into her room to comfort her a couple of times over the next few days, mostly she just fell asleep after a few minutes of crying/talking to herself, moving all around in the crib. Nap time and bed time are so not stressful anymore! She takes two naps a day and now sleeps consistently for an hour each time. She sleeps through the night until about 7am and has not gotten up in the middle of the night crying since we started (3 weeks ago) - she has woken up a few times, we can hear and see her on the monitor, but she makes little noises to herself, turns on her Fisher Price Aquarium, lays there quietly and falls back to sleep. It is sooooo nice going to bed at night knowing you won't have to get up at 2 or 3 am:) I'm really proud of the great job she has done and I feel better knowing we've helped her with one of life's big lessons...learning how to fall asleep on your own.

Developmental Milestones: Maura is constantly pulling herself up to a standing position, she can stand for a few seconds on her own, she can walk/side step holding onto to something (like along the coffee table) and will walk a few steps if you're holding her hands on either side or will walk toward you from something else if you help her, she learned how to actually sit down from a standing position as opposed to just falling down onto her butt, she has started waving (although I'm not sure she really knows what it is), and just over the last few days she has clapped a couple of times!

Firsts: first Memorial Day, first time putting her feet in the ocean, first time on a ride at the mall

Favorite Toys: still loving all her toys from last month - books, Fisher Price Stack and Roll Cups, VTech Sit to Stand Learning Walker, the plush Rocking Caterpillar Paul's parents got her for Christmas, the Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Cookie Shape Jar, Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Laughing Kitchen, and Haba Wonder Dice. I think we need to get some new toys to add to the mix. Any suggestions?

Favorite Pastimes: listening to music (she starts bopping up and down the second it comes on), playing in her room, following mommy around (crawling), Gymboree Play and Learn class, standing holding onto anything and everything, bath time, play dates with Jack

{Maura and Jack}

Least Favorite Pastimes: getting into her car seat, getting her diaper changed and getting dressed

{Tuesday Gymboree class...bubbles!}

{Thursday Gymboree class...Mason, Cam, Morgan, Maura}

PS. Don't forget to enter the Shabby Apple dress giveaway!!

Shabby Apple Giveaway!!

2011-06-08T11:20:00.003-04:00

Time for another giveaway!! And I'm so psyched about this! Have you guys heard of Shabby Apple? They're an online boutique specializing in women's dresses, with great jewelry and accessories, even little girl's dresses, maternity and bridesmaid dresses.

"After years of not being able to find stylish dresses that covered enough skin to make you really feel comfortable (without wearing a tank top, cardigan or long slip), owners Emily and CK decided to do something about it.

They visited trade shows, marketplaces and designer studios only to discover the problem was not that department stores weren't buying the right dresses, but that designers weren't designing them.

Shabby Apple is proud to offer you fantastic dresses that allow you to look fabulous, without having to compromise anything else."{Some of my favorite Shabby Apple dresses...Gondola, Nine to Five, Toe The Line}

In addition to providing fabulous style to women, Shabby Apple works hard to help provide a better life for them as well...they partner with Unitus, a non-profit organization that accelerates access to life-changing financial services for those struggling with hardship and poverty worldwide. Another admirable thing about this company is their support of artists and the fashion design community. Their Emerging Designers program gives start up designers a chance to work side by side with Shabby Apple in bringing their creative vision to life!{More of my faves...Cider, San Gabriel, Sequoia}

So, I'm super excited to be able to giveaway a Shabby Apple dress!! You can win this beautiful North Shore dress (new this spring!) from Shabby Apple's South Pacific line.

{Two pleated, spiraling rosettes adorn the bodice of the surf-colored North Shore dress, while the simple, elastic-drawn waist gives a perfect fit to every shape. Falling just below the knee, the straight skirt has a retro feel. Pull it on over your bikini for a day at the beach, or doll it up with heels and a clutch for a night out under the stars. This dress is made from a leightweight, delicate fabric and FITS GENEROUSLY on our fit guide.}

This would be such a big boost for anyone's summer wardrobe! Its so versatile and seems like it would be flattering on any figure. Whenever I buy new clothing, I always try and think about what I already own in terms of jewelry, shoes, bags, jackets, etc. that it will work with. This gorgeous teal color pairs well with so many other colors...it will be easy and fun to accessorize.

And as if it couldn't get any cooler, Shabby Apple is also giving pewter + sage readers a 10% off discount coupon code! Just enter "pewterandsage10off" when you're ready to check out!

Ok, you have two chances to win the North Shore dress from Shabby Apple:

Required entry: head on over to Shabby Apple and try to narrow it down to one favorite dress (or collection)! Come back here and let me know which one you love with a comment on this post.
Bonus entry: Like Shabby Apple on Facebook and leave a comment on this post

This giveaway will be open until next Wednesday, June 15th at 11:59pm EST. The winner will be chosen via random.org. and announced later that week. Open to U.S. residents only.

PS. Want to have some fun on the Shabby Apple website? Check these out:

Play buyer for a day and help Shabby Apple decide which new dresses they should carry!
Take their style quiz to help find your signature look!
Answer 3 questions to figure out your fit!