Which is why I’m dying to make the Charles Storage my next purchase, for our great room. It doubles triple duty – toy storage, chalkboard, side table. I’m all over it. Something to hide the sins of the little ones but the big ones? None the wiser. Too bad it’s out of stock. Guess some other parents are also onto the cleverness factor. Bunch of smarties out there.

But I am tempted to hang the Lady & Gentleman above my little girl’s bed. I am so completely smitten with this charming couple. How could you not be?

And then there will be the Galloping Garland for me. Somewhere in this house, and in the soul of the little girl in me who fell in love with Dusty Baron all those years ago, this stampede will find a happy home.

Not really. Although I handled it so much better than I thought I would. Particularly considering that She Who Cannot Say No not only said NO but said it one day into having Already Said Yes. Last week, I told a good friend we’d watch their dog. That was before I went and booked the painters. And then this dog went and pooped all over my house. Not once. Not twice. But six times. On my freshly (and expensively) cleaned rugs. Throw in a few pee spots, too. And I did the unthinkable. The unimaginable. I called his parents and said I’m bringing him home. That is a big one for me. Because I’ve been known to rent myself out as a human doormat at times.

So now the house is freshly painted and I’m wondering why I waited so long. Except that I know why I did. It’s a pain in the ass! Choosing the perfect colors for our sun-bleached rooms. Rehanging art, mopping dusty floors. At least my husband is home for a couple of days to help out. And now that it’s painted, I’m finding a million more projects that I want to tackle, of the home improvement sort. Window treatments, reupholstery, you name it. Starting with replacing the tired-looking Oriental rug in the great room with something a little more family-friendly. I absolutely love these faux bois Flor tiles. Love them! And with the rate of juice box spillage in our great room, I think they’re perfect.

But it’s the window treatments that are killing me. A bit of an overstatement? Not really. They are quite an investment, and so I want to be sure I get them right the first time. Especially taking into consideration the view they frame. And okay, you might decide to judge me a bit here, but I’m telling you that there was nothing else on TV this summer, and so I tuned in to that Tori Spelling reality show, and she had these amazing window treatments in her master bedroom that just haunted me, but in a good way. They had trees on them. But not just any trees. Perfect trees. And so since the first viewing of Tori’s perfect tree-print window treatments, I’ve spent countless wasted hours on my computer late at night Googling over and over the most ridiculous search terms, trying to find that stupid fabric, and the best I could come up with was this Osborne & Little fabric. I’m thinking it’s the best I’m going to find, and that it’s going to be precious in the soft green color on the windows in the girls’ little study off of their bedrooms.

And I just received word today that my mother, GiGi, is coming in to visit for five days in mid-November, with the specific goal in mind of painting a mural of sorts in the same area that I intend to use that tree fabric; the girls’ study area. Not quite a study yet, it’s more of an extra playroom at this point in their lives, so really a fanciful mural will be the icing on the cake. So I sent my mother a copy of our current favorite children’s book, “Kaito’s Cloth,” for her to use as inspiration. The illustrations in this book are amazing and GiGi’s a gifted artist, so I think between the two, the girls are going to be pretty lucky with the finished design of their special little corner of the house.

Now I just wish I could fast-forward to November…

My Mama Made It is my newest addiction, and it’s such a new blog that it’s going to take you no time to cruise through her ‘archives.’ Great tutorials for sewing projects, and the projects are easy. Check out the instructions on how to make ruffles, which I can’t stop making! I’ve been sewing them, centered, down the fronts of boy’s tanks from Target. The girls love to wear them, feel all fancy, and they cost nothing to make. (And the ruffles? They can be made by hand, as well. You do not need a sewing machine to do these.)

This lesson in how to shoot self-portraits from a photographer. The author, Monica Shulman, was a guest blogger on another site I recently stumbled onto and have been enjoying, The Blah, Blah, Blahg. I love photography, love taking pictures, but it occurs to me as I go through my collection that there are so few pictures of me! I want some lovely photographs of me!

This absolutely beautiful bridal belt of flowers makes me want to get married again! And wear exactly what the model in this photo is wearing! How stunning, right? Just so perfect. Twigs & Honey, an Etsy shop, has just charmed me with their whimsical designs. Delicious!

Sparkle Power has a recipe for easy-to-make bubbles that cannot be beat! And I’m guessing your home is a lot like our home in the summer, just chock-full of bubble-blowing fun in the backyard. And your kids? Do they eat the bubbles like mine do? I don’t know what else they could possibly be doing with them – we always seem to be running out!

I’ve been reading Creature Comforts for a while now, it’s possible I’ve even written about the site before, but it’s still one of my favorites for design inspiration.

For the DIY-er, check out Cucumbersome. Great tutorials and craft projects. I love the corsage shirt tutorial. And the recycled fabric necklace tutorial. Just what you need to wile away the long summer days…

Centsational Girl… Fabulous for Less. The name says it all, right? I love looking at her before and after shots. Ordinary (and cheap!) things made extra-special. And a lot of it is done with a can of spray paint, my newest obsession for upgrading tired and boring old furniture pieces in my own house.

If you have little girls in your life, you must check out the designs at Whitten Grey. I don’t even have words for how awe-inspiringly gorgeous their dresses are. You can find them on-line at Emma & Avery. I adore this one. This one, too.

And I’m about to tackle some sewing projects for myself, and I’m using the Built by Wendy patterns. So I checked out her site. And I had no clue that you could just order her clothing! Of course, I intend to sew mine up myself, but how cool to peruse her line. I love it. Classic but with a twist – right up my alley! I especially love the dresses for summer, like this one. Perfect for a summer date night, right? Her clothing is the reason I will continue to work on improving my sewing skills.

Marais shoes. So cute, and so reasonably priced. They have the perfect summer sandal, and it’s more than affordable.

The sale page at Tulle. Whoa, is all I can say. Cute clothing, phenomenal prices. I love the button-down shirt dress. And for less than $25? More than a steal! And the belted cardigan sweater? Under $40? Sold. And really, even without the bonus sale prices, this clothing line is priced really well. Do I see a summer wardrobe shopping spree in your future?

These Bensimon Ballerine sneakers. Pea has a pair, and I just love that they are functional tennis shoes, but look more than appropriate with a cute little dress. I can’t get enough of them. And while they are a little pricy, they are also machine washable, so that adds more life to them then we will probably ever need. I just hope she doesn’t wear them into the ground this summer, so that she can pass them down to her little sister when she’s outgrown them.

These cardboard appliances from Pomme in NYC are just plain cool. If you don’t have a play kitchen set-up for your kid yet, I highly recommend one. We spend hours in ours, playing restaurant, mommy & baby whipping up purees, whatever. It’s fun for the whole family! I should add here that we had a cardboard playhouse that lasted for well over 18 months. In fact, it was still going strong when I donated it to the local drop-in childcare center, and that was only because the girls were gifted with a fabric playhouse last Christmas, from their Opa.

Do you have any favorite sites you’d like to share?

And so, I had an idea a few days ago, to start painting and reupholstering them myself. The instructions that I found on various websites made it seem so easy. And furniture paint in a spray-paint can? How much easier could it be?

A lot. Although there is a learning curve with the first of anything new, right? It gets easier as you go… I hope.

I’m still on my first chair. It’s been sanded, taken apart, painted twice and almost completely reupholstered in an Amy Butler print that I’ve had lying around for ages. I’m planning on making the finished chair a mate, an exact replica, and then using them as desk chairs for the girls in their little homework area (which, yes, I know is years away, but as a public space in our home, I’m just trying to get it there). My hands are all cut up, but the chair is starting to look like a real chair! A pretty chair! It’s been a bit of work, you could say. By the time it’s finished, I’d say about a day, maybe a day and a half. But so worth it. New life to an old and tired piece of furniture! Yeah, me! I’d been fantasizing about getting rid of the chairs, replacing them with new ones, but in the end? I worked with what I had. Made gorgeous out of so-so. And it cost me a grand total of under $8, for the two cans of Navajo White Gloss Spray Paint.

I didn’t grow up in a house of do-it-yourselfers. My mom was the ultimate shopper. I mean, it’s her job to shop. For other people, sure, but still. It carried over into her personal life. She is the penultimate consumer. A smart one, yes, but still, a great spender of money. So it never occurred to me that I could do this stuff: sew, knit, reupholster furniture. But I can! And to find that out? It’s so satisfying and opens up a whole new world of possibilities. And yes, I realize that sounds kind of… I’m not even sure of the word that I’m looking for… intense? I don’t know. But I do know that those pieces of furniture scattered around our house… the armoire from my parents first home together, the nightstand I swiped from my mother’s guest room, the mahogany sleigh bed from my own childhood? Suddenly, I see them in a new light, with a fresh coat of paint, perhaps a nice lacquer. And voila! New furniture! Our furniture! Not someone else’s discards…

It’s another nice day out today. I’m pretty sure you’ll find me in the driveway, covered in a layer of finely sanded wood and a mist of spray paint.

Girls: Mommy, can we go downstairs and play?

Mommy: Yup. Just make sure to play with one toy at a time, when you’re done with it, put it away and take out another. It’s more fun that way.

Girls: Okay.

(cue the sounds of toys, dolls and art supplies being thrown all around the room; oops, there goes the dollhouse… crash!)

Mommy: Oh. My. God. What the? Who the heck is going to clean THIS up?

Girls: YOU are!

Mommy: Oh no, you are sooooooooo mistaken, my little mess-makers. YOU are both going to clean up this mess. Or else…

Girls: Or else? Or else what? We’re going outside!

Mommy: Stupid toys. Barbie shoes – why so tiny? Pfft. Who the heck needs this many books? And Legos? Why so many pieces? Ouch! I just stepped on one! Jeez, I freaking hate this. What? I have nothing better to do than to clean up after these people? Really? Come on, guys! Team players! I’m not your maid! Or your servant! Stupid toys. That’s it. I’m done. And another thing? Husband? While we’re at it? Put your stupid belt away and stop peeling off your socks and leaving them on the floor! Just grow up! This is not my life’s work! To clean up after you, either! What, I have three kids now?

(This last part? Is spoken to myself, with the muffled sounds of my girls running around outside, in the backyard. Not helping me clean up their junk. My husband? Is making monster sounds, chasing them. I, in all of my OCD-ness, am inside, organizing toys, finding missing pieces, taping up ripped pages in books, etc.

So, I do what any mother would do, or at least what I’m told any mother would do: the next time the mess is made, I threaten to take the toys away if they are not put back in their place at the end of the day, and put them in the Sunday Bag. Which means you will not see them again until Sunday. Got it? Sunday. And then, I do, again, what any mother would do. And I follow through. I stomp around the house, pick up the ignored and discarded toys, place them in a sac and throw them in a clever hiding place, much to the girls’ pleading of, “no! Not that one! It’s my favorite!”

And then? Well, you can guess how this ends, right? NO ONE REMEMBERS THOSE TOYS IN THE SUNDAY BAG EVER EVEN EXISTED.

Stupid Sunday Bag.

So, I have since gone through all of the toys in the house, found all of their parts and pieces and taken a careful inventory. Kid not old enough for it? Stored for later use. Kid not interested? Donated to a worthy organization. Kid outgrown it? Passed down to a friend with a younger child. And on and on. Now? Streamlined. Toys, games and books that I have deemed fit for our home, our needs, our tastes.

This story is ending up a lot longer than I’d planned, but here is Chapter 2:

Meaghan (love the spelling!) sent me an email earlier in the week, suggesting that I check out a book on Amazon that she just received called “Cool Spaces for Kids.” She thought I’d like it. And she was right. UPS dropped off my copy this afternoon, and I cannot put it down. In fact, Pea and I just spent the last hour pouring over the pictures, talking about which projects we should tackle, and when.

The premise of the book is basically the same rule that we are trying to live by these days: less is more. Imagination is good. And children should have special places – just for them – in and around the house. A place all their own.

Interesting timing, since:

my husband and I have discussed the empty flower bed in the side yard, and how we’d like to teach the girls about food by having them grow their own vegetables. We’re starting with lettuce and cucumbers (this is covered in the book);

I have been dreaming of clever (and attractive!) ways to incorporate a window seat into the stairwell on the girls’ bedroom level, just under a window that overlooks the mountain across the street (also covered in the book);

pup tents… I have had plans for erecting a couple for the girls, out in the backyard, this summer (yup, it’s in the book);

and lastly, a conversation with my husband, as we drove him to the airport this morning, about a project I’d love for him to take on: a toy storage box with a chalkboard top, for the great room. That’s where we spend most of our time entertaining, and although currently there’s nothing in there for the girls, save two cabinets full of books, the room always ends up scattered with toys at the end of the day, so why not an attractive way to house them? I showed him a picture of one, from a shop that I like. He said no problem. Upon returning home from the airport? The new book I spoke of above was at the front door, and in it is a project for this very table. And with casters! (Which I had also requested on the one my husband build for us, I think they’re not on the one for sale above. Not that it matters. Because my husband is making us one! With casters! Lucky us! And, see? It’s in the book!)

So, in a nutshell: cool book, great ideas, all easily (I think) doable. And reasonably priced to complete, as well. Fits right in with my – our – new philosophy on home style and lifestyle…

Simple. Elegant. Sophisticated. Kid (and dog!) friendly. DIY (on occasion). Not going to break the bank (always good).

I think we’re going to be busy this summer…

Enjoy your weekend. We’ll be writing up hardware store lists, ourselves…

Oh, I almost forgot… Thanks, Meaghan!

I don’t think they are difficult to make, but the outcome is fantastic. He hung the first one at the foot of Pea’s bed, and she’s in love with it as much as I am. It looks great. It’s very low-profile, neat and different from the expected basket of books that’d been housing her nighttime reads, on the floor next to her bed, up until yesterday afternoon.

And I could easily have bought this shelf, and not thought twice about it. But how much more meaningful that rather than simply clicking on the “add to cart” button, my little girl’s father handcrafted a similar shelf for her? In his own wood-shop? While she played in the yard, next to his shop, with her little sister. You can’t put a price on that…

I love that my husband is so capable. I also love that I’m steadily learning that there are things I can live without, that there are things we can make ourselves. We made a vow to try and simplify our lives, and it looks to me like it’s working. And sometimes, as I’m sitting in front of the television at night, my knitting in hand (I’m making my first official sweater for Pea – from this book), I have to giggle at how old-fashioned it all seems. I’ve always been a traditionalist, but I also have always been a huge consumer. If I wanted it, I bought it. And most of what I was buying could not be accounted for a mere six months after the purchase was complete. And that’s so sad, to buy just for the sake of buying. So, we promised one another that we are going to be more mindful of the things we bring into our home.

I still believe firmly in quality over quantity. I buy the best that I can because it makes me feel good, but also because I know that over time, that item will pay for itself. Quality lasts. In fact, I still have the first cashmere sweater my mother ever bought for herself, over 30 years ago. She passed it along to me a few seasons ago, because although she was bored with it, it was a good sweater. And I’m enjoying it now. And with a little extra care, it looks nearly as good today as the day my mother bought it for herself. Splurged on it, really, all those years ago, when I was still a snot-nosed kid in the single-digits. She couldn’t really afford it, she was a single mother with two small children, new to the workforce. But she bought it, and all of those years, she’d held onto it. Long after she’d actually stopped wearing it. That beautiful black cashmere sweater with the boatneck held so many memories for her. And now, the sweater holds so many memories for me. There’s a story in that sweater. And I’m reminded of it every time I see it. I love that.

I just caught Coco with a cornflower blue Sharpie pen in her hand, and I will tell you that those pens are going to be the end of me. They come in all of these tempting colors now, and for some reason, you can find them all over our house. And Coco had one, cap off, in her little hand, searching for paper. And I just knew what was going to come next… Sharpie pen lines all up and down the front of her dress. And while I am good with the laundry, no one is that good. It’s not coming out. And the old me? Would’ve taken the dress off of her and thrown it in the trash. But the new me? Has left her in it, after all, it’s still ‘clean.’ And I’m now eying it with endless possibilities in my mind of how I can alter it, fix it, change it up…

Growth is good, don’t you think?

Oh, and The Bump? Brought to you by the geniuses behind The Knot. If you’ve recently gotten married (like in the last six or so years, which is about when I discovered their site), are planning a wedding, or are familiar with the magazine aisle at your grocery (there’s a magazine!), then you’ll know who I’m talking about.

And so, with no further ado, my first post for The Bump…

I went with the pink and orange swirl invitations, so at least I knew what my color scheme would be. And when her husband saw the invitation and proclaimed “we love orange and pink together!” I knew that I was on the right track.

And since this is a shower for baby #2, I didn’t feel the need to get into the real baby shower extravaganzas that we’re all familiar with when we’re pregnancy with our first. No diaper cakes, pin the diaper on the baby, etc. I opted to keep it low-key. A brunch. But being that I adore a good project, I had to throw something in there that would get our creative juices flowing. I had a few ideas floating around in my head. In the end, it came down to a tie between picture frames and onesies. I let Pea choose. She went with the clothes. But more on that later…

A quick trip to Target garnered quite a bunch of goodies that fit in perfectly with the overall shower’s look. As the centerpiece, I went with a pink storage bin with a chalkboard front on it. Obviously, something the new parents will find handy in the coming days, once it’s life as a centerpiece has come and gone. It can be used as a portable diaper caddy (loaded up with diapers, wipes and cream), or for toys or books. See? The gift that keeps on giving. And then, I loaded it up with 20 Circo onesies. (I went with the all-white 5-packs, one in each size: 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months and 9-12 months.) Centerpiece / project: I rolled the onesies up, one at a time, and tied a pink bow around them. On the chalkboard, I wrote “Design a Onesie.” And then in two little pails, I threw in some fabric markers and glitter fabric pens. I’ve used this activity at all of the showers I’ve hosted, it’s always been a huge hit. It brings people out of their shells, and it garners the new mom an additional however-many onesies (one per guest) that she’s going to need. Don’t you remember those first months? Ten outfit changes a day? (The Circo onesies are far better than the Gerber ones, which I’ve always found to be too tiny to begin with, and then shrink additionally. Bringing me to my next tip – launder the onesies first, then roll ‘em up.)

The menu is simple. Since it’s brunch, I went with two stratas… One vegetarian and the other Italian-style, with bacon. These are brilliant because you can prep them the night before, leave them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, and then cook them off the morning of the event – they generally take about one hour, and they can feed an army. Then we’re having individual berry cups with Limoncello yogurt dollops (homemade and so easy, but always sure to impress), assorted breads (as in banana, zucchini, store-bought) and then Izze sodas and bottled waters. For the sodas, I went with the Clementine and the Pomegranate flavors, so that I could stay with the overall pink and orange theme. A minor detail, but so charming, I think. Pea and I spent the morning rolling up orange plastic-ware in orange napkins and tying pink bows around them.

I’m giving the mom a pair of adorable pink and orange polka-dotted pajamas and a frame in pink and orange that Pea made, with a photo of her son in it (he and Pea are classmates and destined for marriage, according to her son).

The whole thing, from grocery store to Target and all points in between, and home again, prepped and loaded into the car, took about 6 hours. And I’m so tickled with how it all turned out. I really think that simple is the way to go. I wish I could post some photos, camera is still M.I.A. But I’m sure to get some shots tomorrow, and will pass them along.

Happy weekend!

But since moving to Utah, I scarcely go. We’re talking maybe every three or so months, I will pop in. The last time we went, as a family, was last Saturday, to load up on supplies for Coco’s birthday party. And as I was whizzing through the aisles, in a rush to get what we needed, get out and get to the airport to pick up my mother-in-law, I ran past a sole pitcher by Orla Kiely. It’s strong, simple, sleek and natural-looking. It’s perfect. Just perfect. And it called my name. But in my rush to get out of the store, I ignored it.

Bad move.

I dreamt about that pitcher all weekend. I looked at pictures of it on Target’s website. It’s out-of-stock at every store within a 50-mile radius of our home. And it’s not for sale on the Target website. And so, I headed back into SLC this morning to pick it up. And it was gone. Gone.

Sigh.

But while I was there, I did come across the last remaining pair of these Mossimo sandals in my size. Sure, they were black and not my preferred brown, but at $14.99, I snagged them. Quickly. These shoes are a near-perfect knock-off of a pair I had years ago, bought at Barney’s in NYC. Only Target’s version costs about twenty times less than the pair from Barney’s. That are long since gone. But not forgotten. And then, for another $12.99, I snatched up this clutch wallet in bright orange. To replace my $250 Commes des Garcons wallet that has turned out, after barely six months, to be an overpriced piece of not-at-all-well-made crap. And lastly, these little pink gladiator sandals for Pea and these little butterfly sandals for Coco. Because even though it is a veritable blizzard out there right now, summer is just around the corner.   

And I learned a lesson: must check Target out monthly. Because otherwise, I am missing out…

(Oh, and in case you’re interested, you can order the Orla Kiely pitcher off of the Target website via Amazon. I have no idea why. But you can. And I’m ordering mine. Now. I’m not missing out on it again.)