Jake's Birthday Eve...

One year ago, I was nervously packing things up in anticipation for my scheduled c-section the next day. Tonight I spent the time watching Jake spin in circles for 45 mins. before bed-time. Last weekend he stole our neighbor's dog, and wouldn't give the leash back. He walked the dog through the nature preserve near our house (she was kind enough to let him...who wouldn't?). How did this happen so soon? 

This photo is from my cell phone...I wish it was bigger!

Ribbons & Bows

I've just come across Strano Designs via GrosgrainFabulous. The husband and wife team sell these lovely grosgrain ribbons. Not expensive, and how cute would they be to spruce up some roman shades? I'm also really liking the inspiration boards they sell. I can't quite tell what it's made of, but they sure are pretty, and you can get their lovely ribbon magnets to go with it!

Soon to be ONE!

Jake is turning ONE next week, which I find so very hard to believe. We're having a very big party which sort of came upon me by surprise. A couple people who had babies around the same time Jake was born started to ask me months ago...what are you doing for his birthday? Do you have a theme? Are you renting a "hall"? Huh? Ahh...having a cake?

Well, that was until I started thinking about sending out invites, and the family members and friends started adding up. Off we go! No hall, maybe a monkey theme? How's this for a great cake? Gabrielle from DesignMom posted a great link to some awesome cakes...check them out here!

Here I go!

Everyone is out of the house, and I'm off to prime that icky "juice" color off the bathroom walls. Nothing like starting w/ a clean slate!

Downstairs Bathroom

For some crazy reason, my downstairs bathroom which should be SO easy to make cute, completely alludes me! It should be so simple...it's tiny, has bead board halfway up that I've managed to paint white (Benjamin Moore White Dove), but above?

It looked like photo #1 when we moved in. Peach on top, and ick Girl Scout green on the bottom. Why on earth! 

Last summer, in a burst of energy, I decided it would be "fun" to paint it the color of "juice" (photo #2). It's not fun. It literally GLOWS and creates really weird light IN the bathroom. I never even bothered to take the blue tape from around the edges because I knew it wouldn't be lasting.

Now I'm getting another burst of energy, and a real need for a sense of accomplishment. It's small...it could be painted in a day. And tomorrow FINALLY I have a day.

So, I have 2 ideas. The easiest is to paint it a light blue-ish teal color. I've got some extra quarts of paint lying around, and I think they would work (must first prime the awful juice color first). If I do this, I'll hang this cool silkscreen print (phots #3) I bought several years ago at one of the cool art galleries in the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria VA. Unfortunately, I can't read the name of the artist on the print, but would be curious to see more of his/her work.

The second idea is more time consuming...which my sister has told me means that it should be completely ruled out because time is something I don't have a lot of right now. But, could be fun. It would be using the new wallpaper (photo #4) from Anthropologie. I think I would make a white roman shade with blue trim based on photo #5 that Jenny from the Little Green Notebook blog wrote about in her inspiring post about window treatments.

Decisions, decisions...

Happy Valentine's Day Ricardo!

I gave Ricardo these 3 great prints from Art Shark Designs by Megan Nolton. She has created them using a Gocco printer and hand-coloring the red umbrellas. They're sentimental to us because Ricardo was living in Boston when we met, I was living in NYC, and we visited San Francisco on our honeymoon. We'll have to keep traveling together to get the whole collection! We've actually managed to frame them already and I'm hoping to get them on the wall...maybe today?

I kind of want to be her...

Kiersten Hathock is the founder of Mod Mom Furniture. She creates really cool mid-century inspired furniture for kids which I think is absolutely fantastic. After quitting her corporate job in 2003 to spend time with her young children, she turned her talents to creating these super fun pieces out of her garage when she found some free time.

All pieces are eco/child friendly...created out of birch plywood, non-toxic paints, water-based stains and low-voc, water-based finishes. 

She has an on-line store, or you can purchase the above pieces from Design Public. Read all about her here. Don't you want to be her too?

The best art show ever!

I couldn't be more proud...here's Jake's first watercolor in a art show. Ricardo was hoping for a little "color" in the living room, and I think we've found our answer.

The twist and pull

This is a close up of Jake's new trick...insert thumb up unsuspecting person's nose, wrap finger around top of nose, and twist. We're trying to learn the word "gentle". I'm not sure it's working.

Desperate Times...

After receiving an ASTRONOMICAL electric/gas bill, I've decided to redecorate. The above images of the Hotel de Glace are my inspiration. I wonder if they have an ice crib? We will no longer be using heat. Or electricity.

Call the limo!

I'm all set for the Oscars (if I was going)! I'm going to wear this lovely dress from Zac Posen, with these shoes from Manolo Blahnik, necklace, bracelet and clutch, all from Bergorf Goodman. Busy moms need one stop shopping...

For the husbands

These contemporary dog houses look cozy, and the perfect place for the man who utters to his wife those five little words, "why are you so tired?" after giving her a hard time about everything, and who has a baby that seems to be waking up for a looong time every night. Also for the husband who yells helpful hints like, "don't talk to him," when the baby continues to cry in the night. I'm just saying...

1. from Priscilla Zimmerman, Zimmerman Architecture

2. from Sustainable Pet Design

3. from Bernbaum Magadini Architects for "Barkitecture Dallas"

For the Birds

When we purchased our house, we inherited about 10 bird houses from the previous owners that are scattered all over our property. They're darling, and probably hand/home-made. However, some of them have fallen into disrepair over the last couple winters. Perhaps we'll try to give them a spring cleaning, or try adding a few of our own. Here are a that might give some lucky birds a new home! To locate , find them here:

Top left: Bacon Square Farm

Top right: Das Rote Paket

Middle left: Bacon Square Farm

Middle center: Bacon Square Farm

Middle right: Old Crow Farm

Lower left: Das Rote Paket

Lower right: Nathan Payne Art

Namaste

A great site called Yoga Today delivers FREE daily yoga workouts for all different levels that you can stream through your computer monitor. If you click the little icon on the bottom right of the workout photo, you can see the video full screen size. They're filmed in Jackson Hole Wyoming, so the scenery behind the calm-voiced instructors is just beautiful.

Happy Holidays!

Jake and I have been having fun making Valentine's Day cards. Here's a collection of the cards we've made to date.

Yum!

I love this book cover...it's so punchy! The colors, the bubblieness of it, it all says PUNCH!

Baby's First Block

Some friends of ours who had a baby boy just a few days after Jake was born gave us our own personalized version of this block as a baby gift. It was such a unique, special gift! Jake was chewing on it while we read our Peek-a-Boo lift the flap books last night. So much for an heirloom keepsake (but he enjoyed it...yummy!)

I really love this new decorator weight fabric from Amy Butler. I think this chair from IKEA would look great covered in the fabric...perhaps even combining two of the fabrics. There are many fabulous inspirational ideas on her website (like these two bottom images)...take a look! I could also see using the fabrics to make Roman shades...something I'm more adept at than reupholstering! I was pretty psyched to see this fabric has a pretty low price. Many decorator grade fabric is REALLY expensive, and hard to buy since you have to order it though an interior decorator or store. 

A River Runs Down It

So, the lights I ordered arrived...and while the 13" light is great for the bottom of the stairs, the two ADDITIONAL 13" lights I ordered for the upstairs are ridiculously huge. I even cut out a sample to measure before purchasing...I was so sure. But no. Way too big, and it would look like a well-lit stadium in the hall. So, back they go, and of course the sale is over. So much for my big bargain. AND, the rug...we were able to take this sample home...I like it, but perhaps it's a little too wide? Ricardo is NOT liking it (ergh). I could order 7 of the 2'x3' rugs and have them installed which might be tricky, BUT. I can't even tell you how discouraged I am!

Viva La Palm Springs!

Leah Hennen of the super-fun blog More Ways to Waste Time wrote a great post about her trip to Palm Springs. I've never wanted to go there, but her fun pictures of the places she visited make me want to hang out with her for the day and have drinks in all the cool hotels she photographed.

One of the photos Leah took of the Jonathan Adler designed Parker has given me inspiration. Jake's "playroom" is sort of a den/sunroom that was probably once a porch that has been converted to a room. It has what is really a second front door to the house (which everyone ends up using as the main front door, because it's the first one you come to). It's a terrific window-filled, sunny room that has a nice stone porch off the front, and faces our garden in the back. The room has a few issues that I need to deal with...but that's another story. 

There's a shelf above the front door that runs the width of the room. I've never known what to put up there, but I think the collection of colored glass vases and jars in the photo might look pretty fun. Thoughts? Something else? Would I risk having them crash on visitor's heads? And, yes, I know, those are still the plastic $5 faux blinds I bought the week we moved into the house.