Our playroom comes to life!

As I've mentioned before, I've been trying to come up with a solution to deal with all the shoes and jackets (and hats, and mittens, and STUFF) that piles up by the entry to our house...which is also open to the playroom/den/sunroom area. I have also wanted to create a fun area for Jake to play, us to be comfortable, and a way to store all the toys so that the first thing you see when you walk into the house is some type of order. Ambitious, right? Perhaps I'm delusional, but I recently spent a few fun days finding inspiration online and figuring out just what to order to accomplish this daunting task.

These are some of the photos I found that inspired me...

I love the built in benches here, and the storage underneath. One of my goals has been to make space in the playroom to accommodate the adorable table and chair set that my sister painted for Jake:

I like the light shades of white on the walls and trim with the bright red accents:

I think these window treatments are adorable and I think the vertical shelving is nice, but probably too hard to reach for kids:

This was just an ad, but I loved the colorful striped rug, and got me searching for one that would work for us:

I've shown this before, but I can't stop thinking about those great book shelves, and I'm hoping we can work something like that into our room. Also, of course, the bench is great, and I like the simple bamboo shades:

(Photo from Black and Spiro Interiors)

Again, I've shown this photo, but the storage will work for us (with space for baskets underneath). The fabric on the bench is cute too...anyone know what it is???:

(Photo from PS Erin)

While it's true that I probably didn't need to start this project the month before Christmas, I just wanted to get it done, and I knew if I didn't do it while I had some excitement for the project, it probably would never be finished. So, I ordered what we needed, and last Tuesday, I arrived home to an enormous pile of boxes "some assembly required" furniture sitting on the front patio. Yikes! Now what?

I ordered this bench and shelf from Pottery Barn to store all the shoes, coats, mittens, etc. I'll make the cushion for the bench because I didn't particularly like any of the fabrics they had:

I originally wanted the handyman to create a half wall that would divide the entrance area and the playroom and provide storage. Once I discovered how expensive it was going to be, I decided to use this storage "system" also from Pottery Barn Kids to create the half wall. I'm going to have our handyman create a backing to the shelves to finish it off since it will be visible from both sides. Also, all the pieces are separate, so they need to be secured together somehow:

I got this fun rug (20% off, but backordered) from Garnet Hill to add some color to the mix: 

The rest of the room will start coming together once these major elements are in place which will hopefully be by next week!

Wish us luck!

And the winners are...

Thanks to all of you who participated in my first giveaways! The lucky winners are:

Nikki of: Lovely Scribbles (a fun design blog...check it out!) won the MERRY CHRISTMAS SCRATCH AND SKETCH

and

Michelle of When I Grow Up (a career coach for creatives... sounds motivating, right?) won the NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS Shadow book

Congratulations!

Happy Holidays Giveaway #2

Hi Everyone,

Today's Holiday giveaway is this fun Night Before Christmas Shadow book that I designed. The illustrations are printed on acetate, so while reading the story, you shine a flashlight through the image onto the wall. Kids adore it, and I hope you will too!

Here's how to enter... please be a U.S. resident, and:

1. Leave a comment below (please include your e-mail address if you are not a blogger).

2. If you post about this giveaway of Facebook, please leave another comment below with the link.

3. If you tweet about this giveaway, comment below with the link.

or,

4. If you post about this giveaway on your blog, comment below with the link.

Winner will be chosen on Sunday at 12 noon (EST). Winners will be chosen using random.org. Winner will be notified directly via e-mail, and listed in a post by first name only next Monday.

Happy Holidays-Giveaway

Merry Christmas friends, and Happy Holidays! 

To celebrate the season, I'd like to give one of you this super fun Merry Christmas Scratch and Sketch Activity book which I wrote and designed (and which my sister illustrated!). Please stop by again in the next couple weeks... I'll be giving away some more fun things I've created to get you all in the spirit!

This activity book includes 20 black scratch off pages which reveal colored swirls and glitter beneath! You can decorate a gingerbread house, create a stocking, and draw a wish list for Santa. It's perfect for ages 5 and up. Have fun!

Here's how to enter... please be a U.S. resident, and:

1. Leave a comment below (please include your e-mail address if you are not a blogger). 

2. If you post about this giveaway of Facebook, please leave another comment below with the link.

3. If you tweet about this giveaway, comment below with the link.

or,

4. If you post about this giveaway on your blog, comment below with the link.

Winner will be chosen on Sunday at 12 noon (EST). Winners will be chosen using random.org.  Winner will be notified directly via e-mail, and listed in a post by first name only next Monday.

Good luck, and best wishes!

Holiday Wreaths

Somehow in our frenzy to buy a Christmas tree before naptime, we forgot to get a wreath. Personally, I think it's quite an accomplishment that we were able to put up the tree AND decorate it DURING the naptime, so maybe we'll just have to wait a week until the wreaths happen...it's not that we're not welcoming...we're just pressed for time!

Top three wreaths from William Sonoma, bottom from Two Inspire You 

What is it about pink?

Now that I am a mother of a little boy (who seems to like pink), I'm wondering why and how the color got to be associated with little girls? When presented with color choices, Jake tends to choose pink. At our little Mommy and Me gym class, he picks (all) the pink scarves, and (all) the pink monkeys. At Target the other day when I was looking at the boy blue snow boots, he kept pointing to the pink. Now, I'm not such an avant-garde mom that I'm going to be purchasing him those snow boots, but I do agree with him, the pink IS much more attractive than the drab navy blue boots. I'm quite sure that if there was such thing as a REAL pink train out there, he would be in love.

Train from here. Bikes from here.

Xmas List-Design Books

Now that all the great home decorating magazines have (so sadly) been folding, I think these books would be great sources of inspiration. Any other favorites you'd like to add to your Christmas list?

Happy Thanksgiving!

And thanks to all my readers for stopping by...I love the sweet comments and kind words of encouragement. I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving, and had as much help in the kitchen as I did!

Love,

Heather

P.S. Yes, we made the Betty Crocker turkey cupcakes and they were a big hit, but my photos didn't do them justice!

Color Me a Song

Nothing like a new box of crayons, right? Well, I'm being lured in by tv commercials for the really, REALLY, cool looking "color me a song" activity kit. The faster you draw, the quicker the song. I think this is going to be tops on Jake's Christmas list this year. I have to say, I do put a lot of thought into the toys that I get for Jake, but truthfully, I'm only at a 1 to 3 ratio if it ends up being a toy he actually loves to play with. These days, paper towels and brooms are favorites.

Any toy recommendations for a very cute, 20 month old boy?

All toys from Crayola.

Please bring a dessert

We are (thankfully) guests this Thanksgiving. I cannot imagine preparing a full Thanksgiving dinner. That came out on time. Hot. For XX number of people. My cooking skills are growing, but after living in Manhattan with 80 million fantastic restaurants and six square inches of counter space for years, there was not much incentive for me to create meals. We've been asked to bring a dessert, and I always gravitate towards something that will look good which I feel may cover up any taste issues that arise. Or at least will mask the fact that I count Betty Crocker among my best friends. Is this cheating? 

Images: 1. From Katie M (Whole Foods), 2. From best friend Betty 3. Bridget Lee (inspired by Martha Stewar), 4. Kim Coopet (with recipe)

Choo Choos and Duggahs

As I've mentioned before, it's tough to find really cute clothes for boys that don't involve stripes (which I do like) or fake looking athletic equipment (which I don't like). I saw these cute graphic t's while flipping through the Chasing Fireflies catalog at my mom's the other day, and have been tempted to order them. When I'm driving with Jake, we're always looking for "choo choo" trains and "duggahs" (diggers), so I think he'd love to have them on his tummy. I'm not too sure I can justify the $38 for the white background one because a.) it's for a toddler who will grow out of it by next Tuesday at the rate he's going, and b.) it's white. Having said that...it is very cute! 

Or maybe he just needs this one:

Now What?

Here we are...one foot up, and I'm waiting for the fall that's sure to come someday soon when Jake learns he CAN climb out of his crib. 

What to do? Do I just lower the side on the crib? REMOVE the side altogether? Get a toddler bed? Or, just put sides on the cozy double bed with the super snuggly comforter that I made for his room? Am I delusional to think he would sleep in a double sized bed? Is it necessary to immediately switch to a toddler/other bed as soon as he climbs out?

Some cute options...

A happy orange option, and I love the idea it converts to a chair. From Giggle.

Cute, but I'd have to redo his room (which isn't happening) from here.

I love the cute DIY toddler bed (very inexpensive at $75) that Gabriel Blair of Designmom created. We would need to add sides...

And this is just the cutest for a little boys room...although definitely not for us yet! But I think it's great!

Owl Sweater

I'm thinking about owls today because Jake and I actually SAW one on our little nature walk today. The most exciting thing about this sighting is...this is the first time Jake has retold a story (in his own way). When Daddy came home, he said, "Owl, Don". Translation: "Don from next door showed us an owl!" Of course, I am in awe of each step he makes.

I made him this little sweater and hat last year at Thanksgiving time. I don't actually knit very well (and I can't read a pattern), but I had this vision, and sort of pieced this together. He looked so cute wearing it. I haven't tried it on this year, but am hoping it might fit. As you can see from the photo, it's a little wide, so we may just get a little tummy showing this year. I got the idea to put an owl on the sweater from this (really good selling) journal I designed.

I am also thinking about owls today, because it seems that Jake his honed in on his favorite "dude" (aka "lovie"). It's owl dude (not monkey, frog, giraffe, dog or tiger...we've got them all). Before he goes to bed, or gets in anyway snuggly, he says simply, "owl". I always love to see what kids come up with as they refine their taste for their favorite thing. I'm going to have to stock up. I'm already getting a little panicky when we can't find "owl".

P.S. My oldest niece decided pink bows are the best...her bed was full of pink satin bows at bedtime...they had to be just the "right" shade of pink, so my sister bought rolls of the ribbon!

Playroom

Isn't this the cutest playroom? I just love how the bookshelves exhibit the books face out. In my mind, all it needs is an easel! The photo is from the portfolio of Black & Spiro Interiors. I strongly recommend taking a look at Australian based Anna Spiro's online portfolio for some great ideas and inspiration!

Brunch is for Wimps

My husband's birthday was this weekend, and to celebrate, we decided to go to Soho to have brunch and then to Room and Board to see if we could finally buy some end tables. I had visions of my husband and I chatting lovingly in a chic little bistro while Jake happily sang Ah Mo Wo (Elmo's World), as we beamed at him with pride. We would then stroll past chic shops that I formerly frequented and into Room and Board where we would unanimously decide upon the end tables. Nice, right?

We ended up having the world's fastest brunch as Jake suddenly grew 5 more hands and grabbed everything in sight. My husband and I sat in stressed silence waiting to see what he would come up with next. About 15 minutes later, my husband said, "I'll take him out" and I sat alone and finished my latte.

Then a quick race to Room and Board where Jake immediately let us know that there was NO WAY he was staying in his stroller and proceeded to race through the store banging on every table and climbing on every bed and couch. (My former self saying, "why doesn't this woman control her child?" and my new self says, "I guess it's not SO bad to climb on the gray couch, but I'm definitely drawing the line on the white duvet cover") The sales woman told me she was beginning to hyperventilate watching him because "she had had two of her own" (said in a knowing way). She pointed me in the direction of padded ottomans which she strongly suggested we replace our coffee table with (we weren't even looking for a coffee table). At this point my husband said, "get whatever you want" and raced after Jake who kept giving him gleeful looks before he teased him and took off. We left with no end tables, and at that point I was suddenly quite content with the tv tables that have been acting as end tables for the last two years.

We got in the car and my husband said with pure conviction, "we're never going anywhere again."

Mom Dork

What is it about Mommy and Me type classes/gyms that just make me feel like a total mom dork? It seems like all the mommies joined some mommy club pre-birth and I just showed up late. On the days that I take Jake to some class or other, my husband always asks if any of the other mothers talked to me. Unfortunately, the answer is usually, "no" (although I DO try to strike up conversations!). And then, he laughs and says, "it's not you!". I'm beginning to wonder! Some moms just seem to hit the ground running, and I always assumed that with a baby would come new mommy friends. Let's just say, I'm still waiting. 

(Images from by Dear Kiki)

Fresh Kicks

When I found the art for this journal a couple years ago at the Surtex show, I loved it right away. Apparently, so does Hollywood, because it has been requested to be used as a prop in a feature movie! I can't wait to see it come to life on the big screen!

My little elf...

Here Jake is in his elf costume which was a big hit at our party! There were some cute curly toed shoes to go along with the outfit, but it was pretty rainy out so they didn't last too long on the soggy elf!

Hope you all had a good time. I'm still trying to get over this cold/virus/whatever but it seems to keep getting WORSE!