Mellow Yellow

First, sorry for the recent shortage of posts. Our home internet has been down and I have been insanely busy. I promise to return in full force once this move, when ever we do end up moving, is behind me.

Now for my Friday Favorites! It is just me or is gray and yellow EVERYWHERE? I have to say I am really loving this pairing. Its modern and mellow, and I want it in my house or wardrobe. As always I found a few things on Etsy to get me moving in the right direction.

Top to bottom, left to right: Everybody Wallet, Floral Print, Gumballs Necklace, Jetson Flower Calling Cards, Happy Rainy Day Print, Yellow Sparrow One-piece, Yellow Birds on Gray Tiles Print, Yellow Rose Necklace

Handle With Care

On Monday my husband started his new job in Rockville Maryland. Until the house sells and we buy a new home in the DC area, he’ll spend his weekdays in Northern Virginia and weekends in Richmond. Elliot and I miss him very much. I think next week I am going to surprise him with a care package. I plan to fill it with little reminders of home and goodies that I know will lift his spirits. As usual, I found a lot of inspiration on Etsy.



Since he just started a new job, I'd like to send him something for his new office. I love the wood grain print on this key board wrist rest by eightXeight. He may also need some nourishment to get him through those long days at the office, I think these cookies by The Fancy Lady Gourmet would do the trick!

To remind him of his favorite little buddy I would send him this fun giraffe tee by Sheriff Peanut. Of course I would buy the pint sized version too so that father and son could wear their shirts together on the weekends. Did I mention that the giraffe is one of Elliot's favorite animals?

To encourage him to continue to cook health meals for himself I would send along something for the kitchen like the manly spoon rest I found at YAVA Glass. Speaking of manly, nothing says macho like fancy soap. Unless of course the soap has a name like Warm Sandstone and no frills packaging like the soap I found at Vistah Soap. I especially like that this soap is available in "short stay size" - a reminder that the distance between us is temporary.

To keep him up to date on the things that happen in our lives while we are a part (like new words Elliot is learning) I'll keep a journal and share it with him on weekends. The journal/card I found on Journal Junky couldn't be more perfect. I think I might also send him a "photo of the week" of Elliot. I'd send the first one along with this adorable frame found on Sealed With a Fish.

Lastly, to give him something to remind him of us every night, Elliot and I would write him a sweet note on the postcard pillow for sale in Olive's Shop.

This blog has made me miss him even more. Thank goodness its Friday and he'll be home tonight!

Free to Decorate

I know, I know...its already been blogged about and pretty much everyone knows about it, but I couldn't resist writing a post about my new favorite thing - Freecycle. If you are not part of your local Freecycle network you need to sign up. Basically via a listserv, Richmond's is administered through a Yahoo group, people post things they want to give away or things they would like to receive.

I have been a member for a week and I have already found a home for a box of fire works I didn't know how to dispose of, and I was the lucky recipient of a truck load of really nice (used once) professional grade moving boxes. I have seen all kinds of things come across the listserv, from a half built boat to boxes of baby clothes.

Check out some of these amazing freecycle design finds from other crafty bloggers. Top to bottom: the blue desk and recovered Danish Modern chair were spotted on Nina's Apartment Blog; the bookshelf is actually re-purposed book shelves - check out the before and after transformation over at the Crafty Nest; and last but not least don't you just love this adorable nursery courtesy of House of Turquoise? The chalk board was the freecycle find.

Eastern Influence

I have always loved Asian art and design. Yesterday, I was thrilled and sad to stumble across the Japanese Garden at Maymont for the first time. I can't believe that we have lived here for 5 years and now that we are moving I have found, what may just be, the prettiest spot in the City of Richmond. At least I'll have a few months to explore my new favorite place while we are in transition.

I took a lot of pictures yesterday. As you can see the garden was filled with color, water, texture, and balance. Spending time there got me thinking about how that fact that although I love it, I haven't incorporated many Asian influenced items into my own home. I think what's holding me back is the fear that a room can quickly go from subtle touches to a trip to the far east. After scanning the web I found a few things that could add that touch I'm looking for without going over board. And yes, I know I am mixing Chinese and Japanese influences.

I love the bright red color of the Fu Dog bookends. They were one of many items on the CB2 site with an Asian influence. I could also see them as part of an arrangement of interesting items on a mantle. The chinoiserie pillow by Thomas Frank was found on my new favorite site Cherry and East. The green tray comes from there too. I know the tray shape and color doesn't sing Far East, but the influence can be found in the lacquer glaze. I think this white ceramic garden stool rounds out this little of collection of accessories nicely. Its crisp white color would be right at home in a modern or traditional setting. It could be used as side table, extra seating, foot rest, or simply as an object d'arte.

Clean and Green

Now that the House is super organized and clean, the challenge will be keeping it that way. With an almost two year underfoot and into EVERYTHING, I also would like to green up my cleaning supplies a bit. Chemical residue throughout the home makes me cringe.

I know you can buy a lot of "green" cleaning products at your local grocery/retail giant, but did you know that you can also buy a wide array of cleaning products and supplies on Etsy? Some of them are packaged so nicely that they could be given as house warming or unique baby shower gifts.

(left to right, top to bottom: carpet deodorizer, all purpose evergreen cleaner, dish rags, unpaper towels, reusable mop pads (fit Swiffer), detergent, window cleaner, laundry sachets - to replace dyer sheets)

Setting the Stage

Its official, our house is on the market! The sign and went up today and the listing is live. This is our first home, so although we have been through the process as buyers, we are new to the selling side of things.

In today’s declining real-estate market you basically have to pull out all of the stops to get your house sold. To get our house ready we spent the last five days (which is why I have been MIA) painting, fixing, cleaning, packing and staging. As a an artist and lover of design, I bristled at the notion of someone coming into my home and telling what I needed to fix, change, or remove. But a staging the house was part of the marketing package offered by our realtor so I agreed to it and set up a time to meet with Holly Chasan of Maison James Interior Design.

Holly came over in the midst of chaos as we were knee deep projects. Despite the craziness she was able to see through it all, and get a good feel for our design sensibility. After walking through the house and taking photos of all of the rooms she went back to her office, and produced a six page list of staging ideas and suggestions.

What I liked about Holly’s list is that she paid attention to what we had, and offered ideas that were budget friendly (if not free) that fit in with our decorating style. Thanks to Holly, we were able to furnish and stage what had previously been an empty room - using furniture and accessories from other rooms and $10 which we spent on a pillow and case.

I have to say, the house has never looked better. Check out the photo's and tour here and be sure to forward the link along to anyone in the market for a house in Richmond, VA.

Dog Days

The other day, my husband announced that we, I, should be nicer to the dog. Its not that we are mean to the dog. We just don't pay as much attention to her as we used to. I imagine that this is the case with many families. Poor pup moves down a notch on the totem poll when a baby arrives. Considering the dramatic progress that Zsi-Zsi has made since Elliot was born I should be praising and rewarding her every move. You see, for the first six months of Elliot's life, Zsi-Zsi wouldn't even be in the same room as him. Now she follows him around, lets him pet her, and never growls or shows aggression when he is in her personal space (i.e. hanging out by her food dish).

So I have made a pledge this summer to be nicer to the dog. Maybe I'll even buy her a little gift. And maybe one of the following Friday Favorites (sorry they are a day late) will inspire you to show some love for your furry friends.

Top to Bottom: Cinnabones Treats, Good Clean Dog Soap, Dog Tag, Dog Bed (condo), Eggplant Dog Toy, Elevated Dog Dish, Dog Collar, Leash Bag.

A Place for Everything

Alas my Porch makeover is a no-go. We are moving North to the DC area and I would rather invest the time into making over our next home. Yes, you heard me correctly, we are moving. For those of you who do not know me personally, my husband has been unemployed for the last 6 months. Like many companies these days, his former employer went out of business. We feel very blessed that his job search only lasted six months and we are looking forward to the adventures that lie ahead.

The past few weeks have been a blur of random house projects in preparation to get our house on the market. I'll be posting before and after pics of some of the rooms we completely redid after buying our home. We put a lot of sweat equity into our house and I will be very sad to leave it. One of the "preperation" projects that I have bravely tackled is organizing and packing up our home office. The amount of paper and stuff we have tucked away in random files is absurd - old college term papers, mountains of receipts, six-year-old dental x-rays. Its hard to decide what to keep and what to toss. That was until I found these fabulous file folders available at Paper Source. Like they say, "A place for everything and everything in its place."

Fourth Follow-up

Our July 4th was perfect! We had a wonderful time celebrating the holiday with family, and I enjoyed spending lots of time with my very creative and crafty niece, Katherine. She and I decorated our golf cart and her bike for the parade - which also included fife and drum players, classic cars, and much to my son's delight - a fire truck. Didn't she do a great job? I think there was only one golf cart that trumped ours... check out those balloons!

Patriotic Papers

As a child, I spent many a 4th of July in Southampton, NY visiting friends of our family. Talk about the quintessential 4th celebration! The holiday always started with the 4th of July parade down main street. To prepare for the parade we dressed in red, white, and blue and decorated our bikes with streamers and paper. After the parade everyone in the neighborhood came together for a big day-long cook out. The night was capped off by fireworks on the beach and ice cold water melon.

Today I am off to Williamsburg, Virginia for the holiday. Tomorrow we'll celebrate by decorating and riding a golf cart in a neighborhood parade, attending a family BBQ, and watching fire works explode over the James River. In addition to spending time with family and friends, I am most looking forward to decorating the golf cart (I promise to post pictures). While surfing Etsy for inspiration I came across many wonderful July 4th inspired paper products, several of which are downloadable templates. Enjoy!

(top to bottom: Freedom Banner, July 4th Invitation, Cupcake Wrappers, Hot Dog Note Cards, Cupcake Flags, Vintage Postcard PDF, Party Favor Kit PDF, and Patriotic PartyPoms)

Mid-century Minis

Today over at Abbey Goes Design Scouting, Abbey blogged about an adorably hip, pint sized replica of the Barcelona chair. I LOVE mid-century modern design and was pleasantly surprised to find several other wonderful kid friendly pieces available in the market place. Top to bottom: Womb Chair, Nelson Ball Clock, Eames Rocking Chair, and Saarien Table.