Art Gallery

So, I haven't blogged in ummm...almost 2 years. I've been to China and back, had a second little one and probably a million other things worth noting. I've thought about blogging. I've written posts in my head. But what really made me want to start up again? Pinterest. It's a virtual pinboard. It's like my granny tearing out magazine articles out and mailing them to me, but ON THE INTERNET. I'm in heaven. It's given me so many ideas I want to try out.

I've been wanting to create a better art gallery for my boys. My littlest just turned one and I know the artwork from him will begin rolling in soon. The three frames I had previously hung, was not going to cut it. I was really tempted to put up the an IKEA Diginet System. I've seen one in a neighbor's house and it looks pretty nice. But my sister had me worried about the wires and kids so I just hadn't gone for it yet. Then I saw this via Pinterest from Less Than Perfect Life of Bliss: Very cool! I searched Pinterest and found more and more cool ideas, but collecting various vintage frames really stuck with me. And thus the journey began.

First up - vintage frame shopping. LOTS of it. I discovered that here in Chicago, Village Discount Outlet had the best selection for the price. Most of their frames were between $.80 and $3.80. Though I love Brown Elephant, I quickly discovered their prices ($15 for a random print or painting?!) were not conducive to this project. I did buy a couple there that had more ornate frames that I really wanted. I also braved Unique Thrift Store on a Monday for everything is 50% off day to get another unique frame I really wanted. I had forgotten how much I enjoy thrifting, though I really have little to no time for it these days. I started with about 10 frames, pliers, scissors, a flat-head screwdriver, the remote, lots of trashy tv and a glass of wine! I tore into all the frames, removed staples, pulled out the previous 'art' and then using some crappy holiday wrap (drove me nuts to wrap with it - it tore too easily!) my husband bought last year I made a paper template of each frame. I numbered each template and then numbered the back of each frame as well. Then I started hanging the templates in my space. I quickly realized that 10 frames was no where near enough. More shopping, chopping and labeling ensued. Twenty two frames! Finally my templates filled the space. I also laid the unpainted frames in the configuration I had taped up, just to double check myself, but it was hard to envision without them painted. There was lots of re-arranging. My trusty sidekick Annie watched all of this...

Once I was relatively satisfied with the frames and layout, it was time to move outside. I started with one can of primer, and three cans of universal glossy white spray paint. Naturally, Annie came along:
She ran away fast once she realize what was coming! Smart choice on her part. I made several lazy rookie mistakes.
1) Using newspaper. The wind kept blowing it up despite my careful arrangement and it stuck to a few of the frames. Also the grass. Ugh. Cardboard would have been a better choice.
2) Not buying enough spray paint. When you live in a city that doesn't sell spray paint, this is a major PITA. I had to paint the interiors of the frames as well since they are visible as you walk up and down my staircase. I started the project with 1 can of primer and 3 cans of paint. In the end I needed SIX cans of spray paint - yikes!
3) Not enough prepping. I should have sanded several of the frames as I didn't realize the nicks would be so visible with the white paint. In the grand scheme of the gallery it's not a big deal, but if you look closely you can see my mistakes.
4) Not wearing shoes or socks and ruining a brand new pedicure!
My first pass with the 3 cans of paint covered all the frames, but on a more superficial level. I had to return the next day, pick each frame up, get the sides and the interior sides.


One day to dry and I was itching to hang my new beauties! I tried to keep the bottom edge lined up and the far right edge, along the straight walls. I worked from the bottom corner and just kept measuring the spacing to be even between the frames as best as I could. Here's the work in progress - slowly hanging frames and removing templates...

Heading up the stairs

My last step - add the art! I decided against adding clips and just used poster putty to hang the creations. I feared all the crumpled creations my son comes home with would curl up in spots and one clip wasn't enough. I wish I had better pictures, but despite reading tutorials, attempting to figure out my own camera, etc. I just couldn't find a great way to capture a stairwell with no natural light! But anywho...

THE GALLERY!

Who knows if I'll be back with a blog post for the next two years. But I enjoyed this one ;-)

A good night

So, I've been sick for what seems like forever...nothing too major, but it's morphed into this horrible cough. Once I get going, it's tough to stop. So I told Henry tonight that I would play a little bit longer and then we had to do three short books because Mommy's throat hurt. We read our books and I prepared for departure...

Necessary cars in bed? Check.
Sippy cup of water? Check.
Pillow up on the side of the bed so we don't end up with an arm stuck through? Check.
Green alien nightlight? Check.
Tucked in tight? Check.

Generally after this, the best method is to tell him Mommy & Daddy love him and make a dash for the door. No lingering or we get lots of requests - more books, more water, snuggle please (that one is tough to resist!), etc.

So tonight I make the dash, I'm closing the door, trying to avoid any 'requests' and as I'm closing Henry yells "I LOVE YOU MOM!!!" :D He hasn't been one to spontaneously bust out the 'I love yous', so that pretty much made my night.

Headfirst

How does one return to a blog after nearly a three month, unannounced hiatus? Hmmm...I've gone back and forth over this one...do you attempt to explain why? Recap events from the past three months? Just pretend it didn't happen? I think what keeps one away even longer (as mentioned by funny Chi-town blogger momtrolfreak whom I believe I discovered during said 3 month hiatus), is the feeling that the return post must be MONUMENTAL. EPIC. AMAZING!

Screw it. First post back? I want this pillow:

It's from Target - Home Ikat Dec Pillow

After just a year and half in our new home - I'm ready to re-decorate! Well, sorta. I want to paint our powder room a snazzy cobalt blue, switch out the dotted rug we've had for years and maybe go for a solid blue to accent the powder room. And these pillows, which are sorta navy & grey would be a perfect start. I just wish they sold pillow covers instead of straight up pillows. I've got *way* too many throw pillows already!

My crazy ideas

So, often in the course of decorating my home, I get these ideas in my head. For the most part I can visualize them, but it doesn't mean I know that specific item/plan exists. I do this with clothing too. I know *exactly* what I'm looking for and what I want, but who knows if it's out there or is feasible. I blame my mother. She does this too. It makes shopping difficult sometimes. Rumor has it, it makes us difficult to buy gifts for also.

Our pergola project definitely started as a picture in my head. When we realized this thing had to come down, I knew what I wanted, but wasn't sure how to create what I had imagined. Well, in this case, my vision definitely paid off! I posted a few months back about it. A quick reminder of the before:

Whole top section was rotten. Took very little effort for my Dad to yank that crap off the top. Then a rented truck from Home Depot, a bunch of treated lumber, some deck hangers, blood & sweat from my Dad (thanks!) and we had this:

Next step? LOADS of time on a tall ladder, a bucket of paint, some cursing & sweating from me, but I eventually finished the painting. And, I found this guy on Yelp to transform the bolt of Sunbrella fabric into strips that fit my vision. So, here you can see, painting done, strip number one on it's way up (and lots of giant plastic uglies yikes! as least the picnic table in neutral right?! that's what I tell myself)Once we figured it out, the hanging process was sort of fun, watching the whole thing take shape. It involved a staple gun, some hanger bolts, wing nuts and lots of ladder time. And alas, it's done!

We are still in search of a new pendant light. I had purchased a six arm iron chandelier, but a) it isn't a hard wired fixture and b) it's a bit too much. If anyone knows a good place for outdoor pendant fixtures, I'm all ears!

The front end fabric piece can be pulled down so that when the sun is blaring it's way down in the west, the person dining in the sunny seat isn't blinded. Z and I sat outside on Sunday night, watched the sun go down, chatted and shared a few drinks. My crazy idea seriously paid off this time. Seriously. LOVE our new pergola!

Picasso

Though I am no clean freak, I am certainly a clutter freak. Everything has it's place in my house (well, almost everything). So, it's only fitting that Henry's artwork now has a place too!

When I discovered these Artwork Display & Storage frames at Target I had to have them. Henry's artwork now hangs in the hallway, over the steps as you head to our basement. And when it's time for new art, they open magnetically, have space to store the art you take down, so it's a quick and easy process!

Toddler Pizza

I try my best to feed Henry a relatively healthy diet. But let's face it 2ish is not exactly a cooperative age. He knows enough that I can only trick him into eating healthy foods a bit. Personally, I have a little guy who will eat tons of cheese, most meat (well, toddler like meat such as nuggets (at least he will eat the Naked ones), turkey sausages, these chicken apple gouda sausages, and of course, fish sticks), tons of fruit, but vegetables? notsomuch.

Anywho, every toddler loves pizza and I've discovered this quickie 'pizza' I can make for him that makes me feel better than picking up a good ol' Hot N' Ready!

Ingredients:

One Arnold's 100% whole wheat Sandwich Thin

pasta sauce (I use Classico Florentine Spinach & Cheese - yay! he's eating a bit of spinach!)
One or two quick cook turkey meatballs
Italian shredded cheese

I just pop open the sandwich thin, spread on some pasta sauce, add some chopped bits of turkey meatball and then cover the whole thing with cheese. I usually set my oven to 350 degrees, but it's never done heating up by the time I'm done. I just pop it in while the oven is heating and it only takes about 5 mins. Just enough to get the cheese good and melty = happy toddler temperature ;-)

So, it's not rocket science, but HDog loves it and it's fast, which only adds to it's awesome factor!

A mix of things

Sorry, I realized I have been MIA blogger for the last two weeks. I have constructed the occasional post in my head, but have been busy with summer so it just hasn't happened. So, here I present to you, a completely random mix of things.

Very excited to see that iconic designer, Jonathan Adler, is being featured on Gilt Groupe on Wednesday of this week! Feel free to leave me a note or email me if by some odd chance you don't belong to Gilt and would like to. I'd be happy to send you the referral!

I read lots of other blogs and must share - I made this fabulous Watermelon Bombe as posted by Second City Soiree, only subbing raspberry sorbet for the watermelon, as I couldn't find watermelon. As for that subsitution: Appearance? A+. The darker red was so realistic! Taste? B-. I didn't care for the tangy mixed with creamy ice cream, but no one complained. I think I might try strawberry ice cream with added food coloring next time. Now I know I should have taken a picture as soon as we sliced into it. And yet I did not! Oops. Oh well. Here's picture of what remains :-) It looks a bit frosty, because we served it on Saturday night and then again on Sunday afternoon (yay for lots of visitors!). Really nice thing was that once I removed it from the bowl, all I had to do was wrap the whole hunk in press n' seal and toss it back in the freezer that way.

A bit of big (and completely unrelated) news, we have moved the HDog to a big boy bed! I did suck it up and purchase the PBK Riley bed I was eyeing and it really is the perfect fit for our space. His room did have to lose the gorgeous Land of Nod District 28 armoire ( Z was NOT PLEASED about taking it down to the basement since it weighs a ton!), but it was worth it. I will say, we had a laugh worthy episode where Henry broke out, but it's mostly been going well. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Oh and lastly, I should add that being the design freak that I am, I hemmed and hawed over his bedding. I refused to buy some crazy licensed Disney/PBS/whatever bedding. I wanted something that will grow with him and was so happy to find this Colorblock set at Target. I also went with the coordinating striped sheet set. The best thing about all of this? It includes Orange & Blue, so when Z inevitably convinces Henry that he needs an Illini room, I just might be able to add some accents and keep this bedding!

Why my parents rock: Part 2

So, while my Dad was measuring, cutting and hanging wood, my Mom and I were tending to things indoors. My mother is a fabulous seamstress and made curtains for at least one room in each of my sister & I's homes since college, crib bedding for one of my nephews, pillow covers for me, and even fabulous quilts for each of her four grandsons! Her talents runneth over. Seriously, I feel like I need to take some hardcore sewing lessons so that I can do these things for Henry someday. Though having a boy, do you think he'll be annoyed when I want to make matching drapes for his dorm room?

The big indoor project for my lovely mother? Drapes for our master bedroom. My beloved Pottery Barn Kylie Peacock duvet was transformed. You can see the before here, and the after...

And a little one to match over at the window by my desk...

A few other projects helped out by Mom's handy work...arranging the shelves in the living room:
We of course did a bit of shopping, hitting up the local garden center, Joann fabrics (to pick out the pergola fabric) and Mom was so excited to visit our new HomeGoods here in the city. HomeGoods just might be our mecca, inexpensive, unique home furnishings all packed in one store? Thankyouverymuch! Mom of course managed to pick up a few things for her own home there. The big win for me from our shopping? This gorgeous pair of lamps for the living room:

There were many other small projects, hanging pictures, etc. and of course they spent quality time playing with Henry, reading him books, helping with baths, the list could go on and on and on. We had such a fun weekend! I feel so very fortunate to have been blessed with such amazing parents!

Why my parents rock: Part 1

So, my lovely husband spends every Memorial Day weekend with a bunch of dudes in the back of a Ryder truck. All his college buddies make this pilgrimage to Indy 500 each year, keg wagon, Kaboom and Ryder truck in tow. I keep waiting for them to realize their bodies are too old to sleep on the floor of a moving truck, but so far the tradition continues...

So, HDog and I are left to fend for ourselves. We have visited my sister & her fam, my parents in Indiana, but this year, we convinced my parents to visit us.

My father, being an engineer and the son of a carpenter, is quite handy. And enjoys a project/challenge. Despite my best efforts to talk him out of it, he insisted not only in tearing down this monstrosity, but rebuilding a suitable replacement. So...here's the before (pardon the white lines, they are measurements I sent to Dad before he arrived):

The cheapos who flipped our house from a 3 flat to a SFH thought it a good plan to build the basic structure with good treated wood and then just put regular old painted lumber up top, along with the plastic lattice work. So basically the entire top layer was rotten. As in, it took my Dad less that 2 hours to tear the whole top off. It was a huge relief to get it down, as I feared falling in on us during a peaceful dinner some night!

After much discussion, we decided to just build a framework inside the existing structure. And so, in less than 72 hours with just a tiny bit of lifting help from me, my fabulous father took us from the scary thing pictured above, to this: Now, I know it doesn't look like much, but there was much measuring, cutting and hanging that went on to get us to this point (and a couple trips to the store and a rented truck to haul lumber!). Please imagine it sanded, painted and with beautiful drapes of fabric running through it! Seriously though, I've ordered this Waverly Yacht Club sunfabric:

It will run up and down in five lovely strips of fabric and then across the front, with a bit hanging down in front so we have shade as the sun sets in the west each evening. Also on it's way - this outdoor chandelier so we can enjoy dinners/parties on our patio. I might even put in a dimmer switch if I think we need it...

The light is a bit fussy for my taste, but turns out, it's kind of hard to find an outdoor light that isn't too simple, too ugly or TOO EXPENSIVE. So this is gonna have to work. Promise to post photos when it is all done!

In summary, my Dad rocks. He always does such cool things for us. I can only hope that I can be a fraction of the great parent to Henry that he has been to me.

Soon to follow, Part 2...my Mom!

Condo Flashback

I just realized we have passed the one year anniversary of purchasing our home! I know the big move day was May 17, 2008, so we haven't passed that date. I also realized I've never added photos of our condo to this blog. Hell, it started as more of a journal of my knocked-up-ness, morphed into sleepless complaints of being a new mom and of late is my ramblings about decor and fashion. Anywho.


In honor of the move from our little condo...a tour...


I particularly loved our living room! We originally painted this room more of a periwinkle color. Once the first full coat was in place, my husband pulled me aside (we had family there helping) and told me he thought it looked like a zoo! The room had so much natural light, we didn't realize how bright it would look. A mid paint session change brought us to this gorgeous dark grey blue shade. I missed how 'finished' this room looked because I know it will take time to get there in our new place.
I don't miss the kitchen! We did the best we could with the tiny space. I did like having white cabinets, but that's about all I can say about our crappy old kitchen.

Similar to our living room, I missed the finished feel of Henry's room. Probably because I had all that pre-baby nesting energy and had every tiny thing in place before he was born. That and now that he's a crazy toddler things are never in their place! OCD me tries hard to let this go on a daily basis...


Ah, onto the master bedroom and bath. I was never over the moon for our bedroom, but did love some elements of it, for example the chandelier (sniff, sniff, I was a bit sad to leave it), our custom built bookcase bedside tables and I'll always have a special place in my heart for all things black & white damask. The good news, if ever you have the pleasure at staying at the Heaven In A Paper Cup household, our lovely guest suite is outfitted with most of this ensemble! I admit, I'm way more excited for our awesome aqua & green master here in the new house (note to self, take better photos of new bedroom, the work in progress photos kinda suck!).


Our two bathrooms from the condo represent such a labor of love since we lived through their complete gut rehabs. I spent many an hour researching attractive, yet cost effective options for tile, vanities, etc.

The last two rooms are the guest room/my office and the guest bathroom. I'd say the guestroom represents the least complete room in the condo. I always wanted to put a big collage of 8x10 photos above the daybed, but I never put in the time to make it materialize.


Finally, the tour ends with the other renovated bathroom. We actually had this one converted from a half bath with a weird closet into a full bath. In the end I loved this bathroom even more than our master! The mosaic tiled custom shower with the adjacent tiny linen closet turned out absolutely amazing. And who doesn't love a pedestal sink?! My favorite piece of both bathroom redos? The tiltable beveled glass mirror in this bath, that could totally pass for a Restoration Hardware piece, but I found it at Lowe's for $70!

I did love our five years living within earshot of the Cubs seventh inning stretch and loved our little condo, but I must say, I don't miss it!

Epic win!

We are currently enjoying a beautiful Sunday morning in Chitown - sunny, warm and nothing much on the agenda. This morning I slipped on this combo plus a simple white tank, walked to Starbucks with HDog in his wagon and in that short time received two compliments on my attire! I'm been struggling to find better work/stay at home ensembles and am really loving this choice :-) Epic 'mom' clothes win!

In times of stress...

I shop. So, between my husband getting back on the road, my basement being jackhammered up (more on that later), work and one non-stressful factor (I'm only 6 pounds from the 'goal' weight I set for myself - yay!), ummm...I've done a bit of...damage! Really it's nothing too 'bad', but I have been ordering/shopping away. The highlights:
Two pairs of shoes from L.L. Bean heading this way: This adorable navy blue hooded sweatshirt dress for only $20 from the Norma Kamali for Walmart line (as posted by Elements of Style - thanks!):
This shirt and shorts from Old Navy, the colors were just too perfect for me to pass up (which were really so cheap it should be illegal!): A new Hobo International Zoe wallet from Lori's Shoes (also v. necessary, as my old one was literally falling apart and Lori's had 25% off Hobo!): Last night's big haul was from BodenUSA. I've never ordered from them, but always think they have cute stuff. So when they sent me a coupon for 25% with free shipping and free returns, I decided it was time to give it a try. I always think this vest look is cute, pulled together yet not too fussy, which seemed perfect for my work from home life:So I ordered a couple of vests (one was reg price, the second was from the sale section), the scoop neck t for under it, a grey pre-layer t-shirt combo, and since I love polka dots, I couldn't pass up the green & aqua spotted pull over: Whew! I think I still see the smoke coming off my credit card! I swear I'm done for a while ;-)

In honor of Earth Day...

I saw a news spot this morning on TerraCycle. Then, it was mentioned on Oprah as well! Seems like a really cool company and it's inspiring to think of it's CEO, who is a Princeton dropout, took an idea, ran with it and is rapidly becoming a huge success. Now where is my fabulous idea?! Anywho. These people upcycle all sort of stuff, creating products like flower pots, kites, tote bags, the list goes on and on. Can't say I want to carry this, but I like the idea:

(photo courtesy of www.alternativeconsumer.com)
Also, very worth mentioning, you can sign up to join their recycling "brigades", sending in used wrappers of different types and they will donate money to the organization of your choice. Very cool!

In other upcycled news, there are some very cool things to be found on etsy:

If only Henry were 6, this adorable t-shirt:

Or a GIRL! - what cute dress made from a vintage tablecloth:

Or perhaps, miniature recycled tin dress shaped earrings?

Ooh - or this tunic, made from a men's dress shirt and a necktie!

Happy Earth Day everyone!

*sigh*

We had a really, really nice weekend with my best friend and her family. Finally made a trip out to the Kohl's Children's Museum out in Glenview. It was so cute! I really wish they lived closer...

Creepy.

So, just before lunch time today, I took some light bulbs upstairs so I could get the new Target lamps fired up. To my dismay, one of the switches was missing. Bummer. So today's lunch time meant a return trip to Target. No biggie though, since I love Target!

I returned the broken lamp, grabbed a cart, picked up a new lamp, some different light bulbs (they require 3-way 100 watt bulbs) and then decided to do a lap around Target. So, I cruise through the shoe section because many a blogger have gone on about the Miss Trish of Capri line currently in stores. I'm strolling through and I plop a flip flop on the floor. As I'm slipping my toes into the shoe, a man comes racing around the corner, stops and pretty much watches as I try the shoe on. Then looks back up like he is perusing the shoes. The WOMEN's shoes. Whatever. So I move on. He moves on. I stop and admire another shoe. He does as well. So at this point, I'm mildly annoyed/weirded out. I give a brief though to whether he thinks I am a shoplifter and perhaps he is store security? I move on out of the shoes and cut a sharp turn around the corner. No biggie.

I cruised the toddlers clothes for a few minutes and then stroll back over and am taking a quick glance at the clearance clothing racks. I'm checking out sweaters, not really digging (and not really intent on buying, just looking) and all of a sudden I look up and that SAME DUDE is about one rack away. WTH?! Mind you, he wasn't overly creepy looking, I say he was mid-thirties, average height, medium complexion African American, wearing a baseball cap (like a JCrew baseball cap, not a sporty one), jeans - decent looking guy (I might of thought good looking if I weren't freaked out by now!). As I realize his presence, I hear him say, "This is adorable". We are the only two in the section. Um...WHAT?! I bolted. And fast. Straight to checkout at this point. I saw him go by checkout and continue to loop around the store.

The crazy thing is, I'm so not averse to talking to strangers. Matter of fact, I'm rather chatty with people in public (what can I say, growing up in a small town will do that to you). But, the dude in the women's shoes and women's clothes, following me...ummm NO I DON'T WANT TO CHAT. Part of me wonders if he was trying to hit on me, but even if I were single, I really don't think that's a tactic I'd be interested in. Oooh...what if he wanted to be my fabulous gay boyfriend? Hmmm...nope, still creepy!

I swear I kept my eyes super peeled as I left Target and as I drove home. Didn't want to end up on the 10 o'clock news as being killed by some freak who followed me home from Target.

Work in progress...

I'm so excited to complete our master bedroom and bathroom. I kinda felt like our master in the condo was unfinished, maybe because we kept the walls white.

So, you saw a glance of the dark teal (BM Calypso Blue) in our bathroom and now for the bedroom update! We had the bedroom painted two shades lighter than our bathroom (BM Seaside Resort). I kind of chuckled when I saw the first full coat in the room, it totally looks like Tiffany Blue! This picture didn't show the color very well, but here's the overview:

Mad props to my lovely husband, for hanging our bedside "tables". Since we have West Elm's storage bed, we needed some sort of solution that would maintain our access to the drawer at the head of the bed. So, the wooden cubes that used to hold our desk hutch up received a coat of paint, a few screws and voila! Beside tables were born. The color below is more true to life:

And, next, let me profess my love for Target! The acrylic ball lamps pictured, are new (pardon the plastic still on the shades), courtesy of the big box giant. I was leaning towards crystal and saw a fab pair at HomeGoods, but they weighed a TON! We did make sure we hit wall studs in hanging our tables, but I don't think I want to test that too much, so finding these classic acrylic lamps was perfection.

I did find two super cute leather jewelry boxes by Milano Series during that same trip to HomeGoods and couldn't believe the fabulous color match:

So now I just need a visit from my seamstress (a.k.a. Mom) to turn this gorgeous peacock inspired fabric into a wall of floor to ceiling simple drapes, the width of the bed.