Happy Easter

We finished painting our paper mâché eggs just in time (thanks to the help of a visiting friend). 

Happy Easter!

to touch the sky

There is a song I sing with Ella when we swing and it goes a little something like this (I know you're really sad you can't hear me singing this right now):

Swinging, swinging up so high

I just want to touch the sky

Touch the sky

Oh, so high

La la la la la la la

Last summer we spent a lot of time on the bench swing on our front porch, but now that Ella is a little older I'd love to swap out that old bench for a couple of these swings!

1_IKEA PS SVINGA Hanging Seat let's face it, this is the only swing I'll be getting from these fine, yet expensive, other options

2_MUT Design Nautica Chair

3_Paola Lenti Adagio Chair designed by Francesco Rota

4_Unica Home Egg Chair by Nanna Ditzel for Pierantonio Bonacina

There's nothing like a little swing break to liven up your day (and make you feel like a kid again)!

small happy kitchens

I can't help but continue to imagine what this new kitchen in our house might look like (and maybe if I plan the entire thing out, it will be more likely to happen - ok, that's a stretch, but I can dream).  Here are some of the images I've collected of kitchens that make me HAPPY!

 1_source / 2_source

 1_source / 2_source

  1_source / 2_source

1_source / 2_ source

kitchen dreams (in plan)

Just before moving to Ann Arbor, my husband and I finished renovating the kitchen in our old house (yes, perfect timing, I know).  I left beautiful porcelain tile, quartz countertops, a butcher block peninsula with seating, lots of friendly drawer storage, a huge, deep sink, and a comfortable amount of square footage for, well, none of these things.  And ever since moving in, I've been dreaming of ripping our current kitchen completely apart and tackling another renovation.  It is apparent that a previous owner made some updates (it's such a stretch to use this term), but Ted and I still curse the kitchen every time we set out to prepare a big meal and inevitably run out of space to work.

Here is the floor plan of our kitchen now.  It is small but I don't think that small kitchens function poorly because of their size.  They function poorly because of their design and layout.  And this layout is terrible.  Can anyone spot the refrigerator?  Oh yea, it's hanging out on your way to the basement stair!

What would I do differently, you ask (because I'm sure you're incredibly curious)?  Well here is the plan of my kitchen dreams (for this kitchen anyway, and for this house sans addition).  I'm a big fan of opening rooms up, and with a toddler running around, an even bigger fan!  I would love to be able to work in the kitchen and see her coloring at the dining room table or playing in her own kitchen.  The new plan is a modified galley style kitchen, narrow, but with a lot of counter space (the longest run being almost 5'-0").  The previous plan had too many openings, and thus paths of circulation,  breaking up the wall space and kitchen functions.  Here I've eliminated two of them, relocating the door to the basement and the back door.

This plan would be a huge project and I highly doubt it will ever come to fruition (especially since we'll only be here for one more year).  But I am determined, at least, to give the kitchen a facelift before we leave.  More on that to come. 

this weekend: paper mâché eggs and lots of play

Hurray for a weekend spent at home (finally)! This weekend we didn't go anywhere that was more than a 15 minute drive from our house. Saturday we enjoyed a surprise run-in with some friends at the mall and Ella got in some unexpected play time with her friend Tate in the (very crowded) play area.

Sunday we finally began a craft project that has been percolating in my mind for the last week: Paper Mâché Easter Eggs. I think paper mâché is a great craft activity for toddlers! It doesn't require any precision, you can't really make a mistake, it's completely non-toxic (which is good since I'm pretty sure Ella decided to taste it a few times), and after it dries, your child has something three-dimensional that they created with their own hands. Oh, and what toddler doesn't love getting their hands messy! The one item that all paper mâché does require is some sort of form work to adhere the paper to. The Easter eggs used small balloons, blown up until they resembled an egg shape as much as was possible. Here's how we did it.

supply list:

flour

water

whisk

large plastic bowl

newspaper (or any paper you have lying around that would otherwise be thrown away)

small balloons

a peanut butter jar lid or plastic cup (to place your balloon on as you work)

cloth rags (handy to have nearby in case the little one decides to take an impromptu break)

acrylic paint

brushes

to make:

1_Place a vinyl tablecloth over your table and a splat mat on the floor beneath where your little one will be working. This made clean up a cinch.

2_Have your little one measure out about 1 cup of flour (no leveling required here) into a large bowl. Add about 1 cup of water, then let them whisk it all together to form a mixture that is only slightly thicker than a pancake batter.

3_Blow up your small balloons so that they resemble a large egg (no one said ostrich eggs were out for Easter). Meanwhile hand your little one a stack of newspaper and tell them to rip it up into small strips and/or pieces. (Ella looked at me quizzically until I showed her how to do it. I don't think she could believe I was actually encouraging her to rip something up.)

4_When all your materials are prepped, show them how to dip the paper into the mixture, drag it on the edge of the bowl to wipe off the excess, and drape it over their balloon. Don't worry if they aren't removing as much of the excess paste as you'd like. It will just take longer to dry. And try as much as you can to just let them do their thing, ignoring folds in the paper and places where the paper has gathered up (this was a challenge for me being the perfectionist that I am). It will all dry solid no matter how smooth it is and it will look fine. And most importantly, they will be very proud of their work!

5_When the balloons are fully covered with a layer of newspaper, find a place to hang them up to dry. When they were fully dried, I chose to put another layer of paper mâché on them, but I don't think it's necessary.  Using a pin, pop the balloons and pull them out through the hole that left to leave the knot exposed.  You can cover this hole with another layer of paper mâché.

6_When dry, paint to decorate!

Our eggs were still drying Sunday night after our second coat of paper so we'll decorate them later this week.

Happy Making!

master bedroom swap

Last fall I decided to swap two rooms on the second floor of our home; my husband's office and our master bedroom.  My husband's office held a desk, file cabinet, twin guest bed, and his dresser.  It doesn't sound like much furniture, but the room is tiny and it always felt incredibly claustrophobic to be in there. (Of course, it doesn't help that my husband isn't the tidiest of people.) And there were other issues aside from the over abundance of furniture. The closet in his office is the largest in the house and therefore, mine. But my dresser was in our master bedroom. Conversely, his dresser was in his office but he used the closet in our master. Scratching your head yet?  Now you see why the swap just had to happen!

The original motivation behind the swap, however, was that I really wanted to relocate my workspace from the unfinished basement to a location where Ella could be with me. I had stopped using the space in the basement after a piece I had been working on for a long time was ruined by a spill of some sort on the first floor. Our house is old and the spill must have leaked through the spaces in the old wood floor and subfloor. And the only room big enough to house a workspace for both my husband and I was the room we were currently using as our master bedroom.  Here is the dreadful before pic (my apologies for the horrible photo), prior to our move.

While my husband was traveling for interviews at the start of the semester, I dismantled the twin guest bed and moved the rest of the furniture to the center of the room and started prepping the walls for paint. As you can see, the room was the most hideous shade of orange when we began renting the house and I had been longing for the opportunity to get rid of it. I chose White Truffle by Behr for the walls and White Fur for the trim (yes, I painted the wood trim - this isn't always viewed favorably in old homes but restoring the trim to it's former glory was just not a part of my time table or the look I wanted).  I wanted the small room to feel light and airy because even after the swapping of furniture was complete, I knew it was still going to be a tight fit with just our bed and my dresser.  (I should say that I am actually a big fan of small, cozy bedrooms.  It guarantees that the bedroom will remain a relaxing space without any additional room to add alternate functions.)

As I continued to work in the room painting, I kept doubting the swap.  Mostly because I was concerned that our large canopy bed was just going to overwhelm the space.  I had measured the room and determined that it would, in fact, fit with enough space on either side for our end tables but I decided to go ahead and tape off the outline of the bed on the floor anyway.  It was still difficult to get a sense of the bed's mass and scale in three-dimensions but I pushed ahead.

With the painting completed, I started moving furniture out and bringing our bed, end tables and my dresser in.  I had originally ordered an Amy Butler print fabric for the curtains, but upon arrival discovered that it made the wall paint look orange.  Or perhaps it was because I had spent too much time in the room trying to cover up the orange that I was beginning to see things.  In any case, I set that fabric aside and decided to forgo a print and used the LENDA, a light beige linen-like curtain I picked up at IKEA.  I'm not sure they are the right color for the room but they were extremely affordable and, since this isn't our permanent home I think I can live with them for another year or so.

I chose to keep all of the framed art and photographs on one wall, in a collage above the dresser, so as not to create more focal points than the small room could bear.  I finally found a round basket (thanks to my frequent wanderings around Home Goods) that would fit perfectly beneath the night stands and keep all of the books and magazines that tend to get out of hand contained (beware, you may find a sleepy gorilla in there from time to time).

There are a few things I'd still like to do in the room.  First, finish painting the trim around the door to the room and paint the closet doors, door to the attic, and door to the room the same grey-brown I've used elsewhere in the house.  I'd also like to replace the contractor's special light fixture (this may pose some issues), and I'd absolutely LOVE to get new bedding (the current ensemble was a gift and though lovely, it's far too dark and formal for my tastes).  I also think it might be nice to add some green into the room, perhaps in the form of a hanging planter?

But for now, it's great to finally have a calming place to lay our heads at night (and one more room in this house painted).

color my world {coral}

I'm dying to start a post with "HELLO SPRING!", but it just doesn't seem to be coming (yet).  So in lieu of spring outside, I'll create a little spring inside.  And what says "spring" better than coral!  I've been lunging and butt kicking past this color in the store windows of the mall for a few weeks now and after grabbing a pair of these sandals on sale at Target this week, I just had to see what else I could find.

1_Marimekko Musta Virta Red 20" Pillow, Crate and Barrel   A little girly and a lot stylish, this would be perfect to add to my daughter's room.

2_Beaded Colorblocked Long Necklace in Coral and Pink (The Ankaa), Son of a Sailor, Etsy I don't typically wear a lot of jewelry but this simple necklace is right up my alley - neutral with a great pop of color.

3_Ballerina with Metal Toe Cap, Zara I love a colorful flat (probably because I tend to wear a lot of very basic colors), and these are on the top of my list for spring.

4_Austin Tote, Fossil  I think I have a tote obsession, but it comes with the baby territory (I practically carry a back-up nursery in my bag now), and this tote would add some cheer to any dreaded diaper change.

5_Coral Ombre Bangle, Banana Republic  I can't wait for the weather to warm up because short sleeves mean bare wrists, and bare wrists need accessorizing!

6_Geometric LOVE Print, 7 Wonders Design, Etsy  You see a lot of these Robert Indiana inspired Love prints and usually I'm not a fan, but this guy I like.  I am a sucker for geometry.

7_Hay & Hee Welling's About A Chair, A+R Wouldn't this be fantastic in a kid's room?!  If only my daughter was old enough to need a desk chair.  I'm sure this chair could encourage lots of homework doing.

letterpress workshop

The Letterpress Workshop I took last Friday was fantastic (and now I can check this off my Love To-Do List)!  I was surprised to discover that Hollander's has a large basement studio space complete with worktables, stools, and a variety of letterpress equipment - proof, platen and cylinder presses, an assortment of type, and all other related equipment to complete a project.  And if you need paper, just run right up the stairs and you're in a printers and crafters heaven.

The full day course walked us through how to set type in a composing stick, print proofs to check our work, lock the type form into a chase, and ink and operate the platen press to print to our heart's content.  We were all tasked to start by setting a small amount of text - a business card or tag - in our composing sticks, and after printing, we able to work on whatever we wanted.  And, after finding out that we all now have access to the studio during Hollander's free open studio hours (are they serious?!), I scrapped my planned project and decided to use the remainder of my time to experiment.  I can't say I'm over the moon about anything I printed BUT I am excited to spend many future Monday evenings practicing a new craft.

With these valuable lessons under my belt of course:

1. To go into the course, never having printed before, with an image of what I wanted to accomplish was dangerous.  I am used to working on computer software, like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, as my primary medium for graphic representation.  It was therefore very difficult for me to adjust my thinking and work within the constraints of a new medium.  All mediums lend themselves better to certain visions and it will take a lot of practice for me to discover all the potential of letterpress.
2. Setting type is extremely time consuming, so with that . . .  
3. ALWAYS proof your type form before final printing (can you find my mistake?)!  

this weekend: in sickness and in Cleveland

I'm not sure much could top the high I had Friday evening after finishing my one-day letterpress workshop (more on that tomorrow), but our day trip to Cleveland on Saturday to look for a place to live for this coming summer was sure to be exciting as well. Maybe? Just a little? Ok, not so much. I awoke Saturday morning feeling as though my head might explode at any moment and with a very sore throat. My husband suggested that perhaps I should stay home; he could take Ella to Cleveland on his own. Call me crazy, but the thought of laying around the house all day, sick, without anyone home sounded rather depressing so I got myself up and ready, determined to make the day an adventure, good or bad. I would say that the adventure was probably more of the later. (Although this photo, of my husband combing Ella's hair before we left, is a total heart melter.)

We saw an OK place downtown, but the entire building is being renovated floor-by-floor. While the floor where our apartment would be is supposed to be completed in May (we're supposed to move mid-May), the idea of living in a construction zone for the summer is not exactly what I had pictured. And as someone who used to work with contractors, I know full well that completion deadlines are meant to be missed.

We also drove by another apartment option downtown (though we couldn't get inside because the owner was out of town). The building is small, containing what looked to be only a few apartments, and the neighborhood seemed much more vibrant. And bonus, they will allow Henry (it's so difficult to find housing when you have an 80-lb beast dog). It may be that we will continue our trend of leasing before seeing.

I wished we had been able to see more options this weekend but coordinating times to make the trip with the availability of landlords and current tenants has been difficult to say the least. Relocating an entire family for just a few months, I am learning, is not for the faint of heart. Our dreams of finding that perfect loft in Ohio City are just not coming true (one can dream, right).

As this temporary relocation looms nearer and nearer, I've begun to realize that this is much more of an undertaking than I had originally imagined. What will we bring? Will we need a moving truck? Just a trailer? What if this disrupts Ella's amazing sleeping habits? Or worse, what if it totally throws her for a loop and she misses her home (ok, perhaps I'm projecting)? If we sublet our place in AA, do I need to pack up the various knick knacks in the house? Will I need to empty dressers? How many of Ella's toys should we bring? What if I want to come back to AA for a weekend? Where will I stay?

Right now, I have way more questions than answers. And whenever this happens, it's difficult for me to contain my thoughts and focus them just on the present situation. They begin to extend into related future events (as in, when Ted graduates and we must move the entire family permanently to another city).

So, have you relocated your entire family for just a few months? How did it go? What would you do differently? How did you prepare your children?

letterpress workshop: prep

I am preparing to attend a one day Introduction to Letterpress Workshop this coming Friday at Hollander's here in Ann Arbor's Kerrytown.  I am beyond excited as this is something that has been on my Love To-Do list for a long time.  Among other things, I need to come prepared with some sort of text to print.  I have collected many quotes and pulled a few other ideas from sketch books past, but I can't seem to decide on a direction.  So until I do, I'm going to share some of my favorite letterpress (or just plain typographic) projects that have inspired me to learn more.

From left to right:

New Year's Poster, Happy Deliveries, Etsy. I like the placement of the text here, justified to the left in such a way as to not only read as one complete statement, but also to bring attention to each individual word.

Pablo Neruda Letterpress Print, Miss Cline Press, Etsy.  I am a big fan of Pablo Neruda, but aside from that, I like the experimentation here with multiple fonts and the in-line scaling up of the text.

Untitled (I am an invisible man), Glenn Ligon, MoMA.  Glenn Ligon is one of my favorite contemporary artists. Though not letterpress, I especially love his pieces like this one, with layers of text, moving from clear to indistinguishable.

Zeichen Press-Type Limited Edition Alphabet, no longer available.  I've always loved these prints, from the first time I saw them at Room & Board.  They were probably the first pieces to spark my interest in printing methods and the alphabet as potential graphic material.

Kennedy Prints, Amos Kennedy. Amos Kennedy is a prolific print maker.  He uses bold colors and bold text for pieces that are guaranteed to stand out.

No Whining Art Print, Hammerpress.  I am very attracted to the signage quality of this print and the way the bold type is used for the prohibitive phrases and the light type for the permissable phrases.

Black Numbers Print, Inspire U Art, Etsy. Though not a letterpress print, I couldn't help but fall in love with this mid century mash up of numbers.

Paris Parsnip, Alan Kitching, Printed Editions.  I really like the idea that the text can become image, as in this work by famous letterpress artist Alan Kitching.  Apparently, he is also a trained architect too (best education ever but I am biased).

What are your favorites?

inspiring ladies

Source: facebook.com via Traci on Pinterest

For a little over a month now I have been working it out in the mornings with a very amazing group of ladies.  I found Stroller Strides Ann Arbor on Facebook before moving here in July of 2011 while contemplating what the heck I was going to do as a stay-at-home mom (I never really thought I'd find myself in this role) and how I was going to manage losing all of the baby weight with, well, a baby.  It took me a long time to actually attend a class, but once I did I was hooked.  I remember saying to one of the ladies during a class that it was the workout that got me to the class, but the promise of great friendships that kept me coming back.  I feel so lucky now to have met all of these ladies and, if I had regrets, waiting so long to get to a class would certainly be one of them.

Today one of the ladies asked me what the motivation was behind starting my blog.  It's had me thinking all morning.  When I had a baby, left my job, and moved my life to Ann Arbor, I began to feel incredibly lost.  All of these amazing things were finally happening in my life, but they all also required me to abandon a place in my life that I had worked very hard to get to (at least that was how I felt about everything as the post-pregnancy hormones surged through my body).  But as a new wife and mom, I felt a deep desire and need to support and take care of my little family as we entered this new phase of our lives.  My husband was getting ready to start law school and I wanted to make sure he had everything he needed from me to do well and devote as much time to his coursework as needed.  And Ella, she was just two months old when we arrived and I wanted to do everything right for her: nurse her for a year, make all of her baby food, sign her up for classes, make sure she had plenty of time to socialize with other babies, keep her on a good routine and as healthy as possible.  All of these desires, I think, are perfectly normal for any mom and wife.  But being consumed by them began to separate me from myself.  I was trying so hard to pour myself into my new roles, treating them as I often did my previous job, that I left myself little to no time to take care of me.

I owe it to my daughter to take the time to take care of me.  To take care of ALL the parts of me;  to make sure I'm physically healthy so I can teach her good habits and be around for as long as I can, and emotionally healthy so I can engage with her and truly enjoy my time with her, thereby teaching her to enjoy the world and people around her.  Finally getting myself to Stroller Strides has definitely helped encourage good physical health.  Starting this blog has done wonders for the later.

And rather than focusing on being perfect (I am a perfectionist to a fault), I am forcing myself (finally) to just enjoy the journey of it all.

Check out these blogs by a few of these very inspiring stroller striding ladies:

Chez Napier
Paper Hat Gal
Stroller Strides Ann Arbor

We may not be professional bloggers, but we are sharing what we love and there isn't anything much better than that.

figuring out a floor plan

I'm taking a break from my usual Tuesday update on Jane's Playroom/Workroom (frankly, we need the break to actually get some things done on the room) to talk about my favorite way to figure out a floor plan.  When I was eight years old, my family moved into a new house.  I had a very small room and to help me figure out where to put things, my mom showed me this handy method (man, she is smart).  I still have the kit from that first bedroom of my own and I've made many more since (Jane's Playroom/Workroom included).  If you have an existing space and a lot of existing furniture and want to know how it all could be put together (seriously, it can be a puzzle sometimes), then try this out.  You'll love playing with the pieces but I'll warn you: this may lead to obsessive furniture moving (guilty as charged). 

We started by gathering our supplies:

grid paper

construction paper

a tape measure

a ruler or architectural scale

scissors

and a pencil  

We then measured the bedroom and all it's contents (furniture), making note of all the windows, doors, the closet, and any other distinguishing features that might be important to locate.  You can see that I indicated where my heating/cooling supply vent was.  I'm pretty sure this was also my first attempt to represent a door swing (go me!).  We My mom chose the scale we were going to draw the plan at.  I handily noted it on the back of the envelope: 1'-0" = 1/2".   Using the grid paper and a ruler we translated the measurements into the 1/2" scale and drew the plan.  We then drew the furniture pieces (using the same 1/2" scale) onto the construction paper, labeled them, and cut them out.  Now we had a scaled room outline and a pile of furniture pieces to move around within it.  I moved my room around often because of this kit.  I kept it in the top drawer of my desk and would pull it out whenever I got bored to see what other arrangements I could come up with.

this weekend: cincinnati wedding

We traveled (again) this weekend, to my hometown for the wedding of one of my high school friends and a fellow classmate from grade school. It's not often you have had the pleasure of knowing both the bride and groom for such a long time! But what also made this wedding extra special was that it was the last wedding of the high school group of ten friends I've stayed in close touch with since graduating, oh, almost 15 years ago (I can't believe I just admitted that).

Ella had a grand weekend too!  A new pic in the red chair and a new pair of Tiny Tom's!

I also had a chance to see some other great friends on Saturday for lunch (the talented and lovely ladies of Larken), and another pair of good friends on Sunday for a tour of a their new home (who, by the way, have great taste - a tour of their new digs on the blog soon). It was a whirlwind of a trip.  We returned last night and, after traveling for three of the last four weekends, I am spent!  I'm looking forward to holing up here in Ann Arbor and waiting for my friends to have their babies!  

this (long) weekend: new orleans {part 3}

Sunday was our most touristy (it's a real word, I looked it up) day in New Orleans. We started of at Jackson Square, browsing the art vendors' works, but were focused on our primary destination, Cafe Du Monde, on the other side.

We waited about 15 minutes to get seated, ordered the requisite beignet's and hot chocolate (coffee for me), and chatted until I felt a warm, wet sensation on my lap.  Ella had completely peed through her diaper.  I quickly got up, grabbed my diaper bag and we headed to the restrooms at the Cafe.  Big mistake!  Has anyone been in these things before?  They were tiny and GROSS.  But what choice did I have.  The pee was continuing to seep through her pants as I contemplated my options.  No where to set my bag down except the floor.  No where to change her except the floor.  So, the floor it was.  I luckily had a changing pad in my bag to layout before putting her down but, after I changed her diaper, I realized that I had no back-up pants!

So I dried her pants as much as I could, pulled them back on, and we went back to our table to enjoy our beignet's.  They were delicious and immediately snapped me out of my pee-induced funk.  And after we finished we headed to Baby One, right down the street, for a new pair of pants.

With the new, dry pants in place, we headed out on our walking tour of the French Quarter.  We hit-up Molly's on the Market for an Iced Irish Coffee (amazing), strolled down Royal Street browsing the galleries and antique shops, and then, as soon as Ella fell asleep, began to make our way down Bourbon Street.  It's one of those places you just have to see (and smell) to understand what it's really like.  We came, we saw, we gawked, we held our noses, and we left.  Perhaps the one place on Bourbon Street worth visiting, however, is Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop, believed to be the oldest building used as a bar in the US.  This is also the first (and hopefully last) location at which Ella received a strand of beads.  That's what you get for being overly friendly to a nice drunk wandering by.

We ended our tour at Bar Tonique for an excellent cocktail and then went in search of a place with great food and good happy hour deals!  Borgne was the perfect respite from the grit of the Quarter.  We snacked on Catfish Sliders, Pork Empanadas, Duck Poppers, and Crawfish Croquetas.

This is the last post on our fantastic trip to New Orleans.  We didn't get to visit nearly everything we would have liked to so I guess we'll just have to go back!

this (long) weekend: New Orleans! {part 2}

Saturday, our take-it-easy day, started at Palmer Park, just down the street from our gracious host's home. Ella hadn't been on an outdoor playground since our December visit to see my mother in Florida. It was incredible to see how much she's grown and learned. She has gained an amazing steadiness, and the increased coordination of her arms and legs is amazing to see. She rode on her first big girl swing and tackled her first climbing wall.

We hit up Crabby Jack's for lunch: gigantic shrimp po-boys and gumbo.

With a babysitter lined up for the evening (from Cincinnati even, go figure), we went to dinner at The Country Club with our hosts and several of their good friends.  The meal was solid but had a clear winner: a grilled duck confit with nutella, apple butter and mozzarella sandwich.  Sounded so crazy, we had to try it!

Afterward, we headed to Blue Nile on historic Frenchman Street to hear Big Sam's Funky Nation.  I had no idea what to expect, but the music was incredible and the dancing, even better!

on the boards: playroom/workroom {part 3}

I completed the floor plan for Jane's playroom and workroom/living space last week. The multi-purpose room came together more easily than I had anticipated.

Your first view into the workroom from the foyer will be of Jane's workspace. She is an incredibly organized and tidy person, so we weren't worried about it being front and center. The orientation of the desk allows for a direct view into E's play space so that Jane can keep an eye on her while she's working. We will help define the space with a rug and will use a floor lamp to save valuable desk top area. Jane already owns an IKEA EXPEDIT shelf in black-brown. We'll place that to one side of the window and either purchase a new EXPEDIT shelf to match or find a small round side table for the opposite corner. A collage of small framed photos and prints above the side table will help to balance the weight of the EXPEDIT shelf in the opposite corner.

The remainder of the former living room will function as a scaled-down living space with a large coffee table we'll re-purpose into a fun game table. An existing cabinet base, already painted a medium grey, will sit against the wall and provide additional storage space (and perhaps a place for a small television in the future). We'll try and find two inexpensive but interesting and comfortable chairs to flank the cabinet.  And, when Jane and her husband find a new sofa for their family room, we'll move their existing brown leather sofa into this space.

In the playroom, we'll hand paint a neutral rug with a bold pattern and soothing colors to anchor the space.  Flanking the bookshelf, we will install four sensory panels for E to explore - a magnet board, a chalk board, a felt panel, and a TBD board (accepting all suggestions).  In the bay window, a DIY mobile will hang above a child's table and chairs.  And to finish it all off, Jane and I will tackle our biggest DIY project yet - a reading bench to accommodate two large storage bins complete with upholstered cushion and fun pillows.

Jane and I met yesterday morning to review the floor plan for the two rooms and to create our DIY project list.

DIY Project List:

1_ Painted area rug inspired by i heart organizing

2_ Sensory wall using IKEA SPONTAN magnet boards

3_ Custom desk side panels and cord management solutions

4_ Mobile for playroom

5_ Chalkboard game table inspired by BHG via Pinterest

6_ Frame and display wall collages

7_ Floor length curtains

Now to decide what to tackle first!

this (long) weekend: New Orleans! {part 1}

This post is a few days late but certainly (at least I hope) NOT a few dollars short!  I put in lots of Adobe time for this one folks!

This weekend we traveled to New Orleans, a first for everyone in the family, to visit a good friend of my husband's, and his girlfriend. The trip did not disappoint! Thanks to our wonderful hosts, we were able to experience the great food, drinks, and sites of character-rich New Orleans.  And because I have so much to share, I'll post the details over several days.  First up: Friday!

It was a cool 45 degrees, but being the sun starved northerners we are, we thought it would be great to spend it outside, walking the almost 3 miles to the Audubon Zoo. In retrospect, we probably should have taken the bus. I have never seen sidewalks in worse condition than those in New Orleans! Between the ancient oaks and poor maintenance, we had a challenge getting the stroller up and over all of the cracks and seismic steps! Ella's first visit to a zoo was fantastic and ended with her first carousel ride (on a panda of course). 

We headed north to Lakeview to Susan Spicer's Mondo New Orleans for dinner; a great neighborhood restaurant with amazing food and a family friendly atmosphere. We started with a huge selection of appetizers: steamed pork buns with sesame snow pea slaw, chicken lover pate with creole mustard and crostini, and a duck pizza with eggs over easy (trust me, it was delicious). Is your mouth watering yet? I enjoyed an order of steamed mussels and chorizo in a garlic sherry broth for my main course. I was so consumed with my own meal that I can't even tell you what my husband ordered!

found: bloom florist collective

This past Tuesday I attended a BYOC (Bring Your Own Container) class sponsored by Bloom Florist Collective and hosted at Pot & Box's cozy event space here in Ann Arbor. The Collective was created to "educate and inspire," and is made up of four independent florists: Susan of Passionflower, Holly of Sweet Pea, Tracy of Red Poppy, and Lisa of Pot & Box. Read more about the Collective here.

I decided to bring a bright yellow vintage teapot I found at an antique mall several years ago. At my previous house, the teapot graced the open shelving in my kitchen but, when we moved, I couldn't find a place for it. Sadly, it has been living hidden in my dining room sideboard, which isn't a bad home if you love midcentury modern.

Thanks to the experience and wisdom of our instructor Tracy, of Red Poppy Floral Design, I brought this home: