Call Off the Search Party – I AM Alive ;-)

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APT, Blogging, cats, critical infrastructure, cybe warfare, cyber security, dog, dog and child in bed, guest posts, kid, Pets, product placement, sponsored posts, telecom

Where did the time go and where the heck have I been?!?!?

With my little ones on winter vacation I took some time off  – and my blogging, which I normally do during at night, got interrupted by this debacle:

Every. Single. Night!!!

DIY $1 Nutcracker Ornaments

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beautiful ornaments, Christmas, Christmas tree, DIY ornaments, Dollar Store crafts, Dollar Tree, holidays, how to make nutcracker ornaments, inexpensive nutcrackers, nutcracker, nutcracker ornaments, plaid ribbon, set of nutcrackers, tartan, Xmas

Ornaments can be crazy expensive, but that doesn’t mean you have to settle for a skimpy tree or a tree full of balls; it just means you need to have your eyes open. The Dollar Tree has adorable 8″ nutcrackers for $1 that I have made into ornaments that look gorgeous on my nine foot tree.

And if the stigma of something from a Dollar Store gives you pause, bear in mind, I have ornaments on my tree that are extremely pricey and these blend in seamlessly, and I am very picky!!

How to Make a Baby Sleeping Sign

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baby sleeping sign, diy, diy a sign, diy art, diy kids' art, door knob, door sign, green and brown nursery, how to make a plaque, how to make a sign, name plaque, Nursery, Nursery ideas, wall plaque, wooden plaque

My older brother, the City Mouse, had a baby two months ago and I wanted to give him something that I made (along with some other gifts) because this would not be something in his realm. I decided to make him a “Baby Sleeping” sign for the nursery:

How To Make a Child-Size Table

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birthday party, build, child-size table, children's play table, children's table, craft table, diy, how to make a coffee table, How To Make a Kid's Play Table, how to make a table, kids play table, kids' table, kitchen table, Wood

With two little ones, the need for a child’s table was needed for many reasons, but came in handy for more occasions than I imagined when I made it…

DIY Baby Sleeping Sign

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baby, baby sleeping, baby sleeping sign, children's sign, diy baby sign, DIY baby sleeping sign, door hanger, door plaque, Downtown Manhattan, Financial District, green nursery, green white polka dots, how to make a baby sign, Hurricane Sandy, Mercer Street, Nursery, NYC

My older brother, the City Mouse, and his wife had a baby two months ago, which they yearned for – they had been trying for many, many years …with many, many bumps along the way 😦 So it was truly glorious that this pregnancy went to term. In addition to some presents, I wanted them to have something from me that wasn’t bought or manufactured, so I set out to make a “baby sleeping” sign for the nursery door knob.

This is the front…

Patterned Stained Floors

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border, diamond, diy, family crest, floor inspiration, floor patterns, hardwood, harlequin, how to stain a pattern onto your floors, inlaid, inlaid wood floors, medallion, patterns, Stained Concrete, stained floor, stained floor patterns, wood floor

I think I have a DIY ADD (Do-It-Yourself Attention & Daylight Deficient). There are only so many hours in the week month that I can work on house projects, but my mind is running constantly – and there are SO many projects and rooms that I want to do … with the list growing 😉 (Plus, I’m not one to pull the trigger unless I’ve thoroughly researched the possibilities.)

You may remember the stained harlequin floor from the post I did profiling a designer’s apartment… I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. (The interior shutters from that post went on “THE List” too, but I haven’t been able to shop fabrics.) I thought the stained diamond pattern on the hardwood floors would look wonderful in my kitchen or foyer.

Heck, while I’m researching, why not see if there are other stain patterns for wood floors that would be nice too because the first and second floors of our house (minus the orangerie) are hardwood. What was out there was a mixed bag of nuts:

Halloween Treats for Your Sweets

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blood, Bond Street, Bond Street Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate skull, classroom parties, diy, DIY Halloween candy, DIY Halloween treats, DIY Halloween worms, edible eyeballs, edible fingers, Halloween, how to make candy, how to make candy worms, pumpkin cake, treats

Halloween parties….I have two children, which means two classroom parties. So what goodies to bring for the little ghouls? I’m not a rookie at this, but I feel a little bit of pressure for some “shock and awe”. Last year, my youngest was in preschool at a Montessori school that didn’t have classroom parties. But now, she’s at her big sister’s school, so I need to bring out the big guns. Here’s what I’ve been looking at:

Guest Post by a DIY Network Host

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art, Chevron, diy, DIY Channel, DIY Network, Fresh Coat, graphite, guest post, host, how to make a stencil, how to paint a pattern on a wall, how to paint furniture, how to trace a pattern, paint, paint ceiling, paint furniture, Painted Ceiling, Pinterest, Shannon Kaye, Stencil, tracing paper, transfer technique, tv host

Recently I received a submission which I thought was compelling enough to share. I love receiving submissions and requests for guest posts, but because I look for unique projects and instructions, this will only be the second guest post I’ve had on my blog! Shannon Kaye, who hosted DIY Network Channel’s “Fresh Coat” and is now launching a series of videos on DIY’s website, contacted me a few weeks ago, submitting her work to my blog. I was actually familiar with her work and had a picture of her chevron painted ceiling in one of my files:

Designer Rooms: A Peach Dining Room and a Tiffany Blue Boudoir

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antique chandeliers, antique sconces, blue bedroom, Blue Room, cool paint colors, coral room, coral room inspiration, designer bedroom, flea market design, high-end bedroom, how to add designer touches, Kelee Katillac, luxury blue bedroom, luxury dining room, neoclassic, panel molding, panel molding inspiration, peach room, sconce, warm paint colors, window treatment ideas

Good news and bad news. Good news is I have a new favorite paint color: a pinkish peach. It is delish. The bad news? I was looking for a cool color! I realized I have a lot of warm colors in our house, so I think I need to change a room or two on our first floor.

But peach…it’s just scrumptious! On Friday, I did a post on part of interior designer Kelee Kadillac’s apartment, but only showed you a portion of her apartment because it was quite a bit to take in. Here is the rest, starting with her yummy dining room:

Orange and pink is a “hot” color combination right now.

White Walls: Sumptuous, Intentional and … (wait for it) … Cozy?!?!

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Furniture, how to decorate a white room, ideas, ideas for white walls, luxurious white living rooms, nordic, paint, room with white walls, walls, white, white living room design, white paint colors

In the comment section of another post, a reader asked about white walls – do I love them or hate them? I actually do not have any white walls in my house, but I do have many neutrals. As I told her, I have been in many houses where it was painfully apparent that it was the builder’s white and the rooms felt cold, undone and uninviting, despite residing there for years… and I’ve been in homes, where the walls were Nordic white and the rooms were sumptuous and downright cozy!

If you want versatility, are renting or just hate painting, white walls offer a blank canvas, but they need to be addressed the right way to be successful. In other words, they need to look deliberate in order to work.

White living rooms bespeak of a certain type of lifestyle: chic, sophisticated, metropolitan … and that of no kids, no dogs and no red wine 😉

DIY Funky, Cool Office Art

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art, canvas, chips, computer, diy, diy decorations, frame, Leonardo Ulian, mixed media, office, parts, spare, wire

Want a crazy-cool piece of art for your office? If you have old, broken computers lying around, you may want to convert them to art as Leonardo Ulian did. You do not need some great artistic ability with a paintbrush, merely an eye  for where to glue pieces on a canvas.

It’s so simple that it’s genius.

Courtney Cox’s Modern Malibu Manse

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étagère, Bourgeois Bohème, Celebrity home, Celebrity homes, Charles Pollock, Christain Liaigre, Courtney Cox, Elle Decor, Haenisch, Hans Wegner, Harland Miller, Hermès, Intérieurs, Kent Williams, Malibu, Massimo, Matt Palmer, Matthew Heller, Michael Kovac, Minotti, Paul McCobb, Rug Company, Trip Haenisch, Vitali

Courtney Cox recently moved from a house that she adored because it was level with a public beach and she couldn’t even go for a walk without pictures being taken. The home, designed by famed architect John Lautner, was “futuristic”, “modern” and, according to Cox, “the most amazing place I’ve ever lived in.” (See bottom for details on the house.) But, the silver-lining in all this is that she got to buy and renovate a new home!

According to Elle Decor, before becoming an actress, Courtney Cox wanted to become an architect. Hmm…that sounds familiar (Brad Pitt). Difference being, she actually took college courses in the architecture before pursuing acting. She has been very involved in every home and this project was no different. She held weekly, 3 hour meetings with the architect, Michael Kovac, who was referred by Laura Dern, and her designer (and friend), Trip Haenisch.

The team took this house, which they were not allowed to demolish:

Colorful, Customizable T-Shirts

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Children, Craft, customized, customized clothing, diy, kids clothes, kids' shirts, personalized clothing

Little did I realize when I started blogging just how much it would help me and how fabulous and close this community is. I want to thank everyone for such kind comments on my last post. To take the time – your time – and offer comfort to someone that you have never even met is nothing short of amazing. It means so much to me, but it is taking me a while to address each comment (as I can only address a few at a time before being a complete mess.) But onto something lighter…

Since I had saved my back to school business cards, but was waiting on a selection from my youngest, I received a promo offer from Vistaprint for kids’ t-shirts for $2…I am never going to get out of this website because you get to design your own shirt. I love designing, no matter what it is!

Of course I had to customize it within an inch of its life:

With a Heavy Heart…

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animals, bleeding heart, cancer, cemetary, death, dog, Garden, grieving, how to bury a pet, Jack Russell, loss, nature, pet, rainbow bridge, statuary, statues

It has taken me so long to even touch on this subject – and even so, I have to gloss over it as it just breaks my heart. My sweet little Jack Russell, Lucy, died a few months ago and I still am in such a state of anguish and grief.

She was diagnosed 2 years ago with cancer and given just a few months to live. I told the vet I was desperate for any treatment, so he said we could operate to remove the baseball-sized tumor and extend her life by a month or two.

Artist Kris Kuksi

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A Detailed House, Artist, Artist Kris Kuksi, Chris Weitz, Fred Durst, Golden Compass, Kansas, Kris Kuksi, Mark Parker, mixed media, Nike, Robin Williams, sculpture, Sotheby

Ragmag described Kris Kuksi’s art  as “mind-blowing, macabre, and beautifully grotesque art…[that] will taunt you by the sheer complexity of detail, leaving you even more baffled as you stare for hours at all the figurines that were smacked into coexistence.” An American artist, who grew up in Kansas, Kuksi’s  “Fantastic Realism” genre is intriguing, Baroque in influence, steampunk, hedonistic … and fascinating.

 

How’s that for a door header??

Kid Craft Birdhouse Project

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A Detailed House, Baby bird, Bird, Birdhouse, Birdhouses Feeders and Baths, Craigslist, Decorative Birdhouses, diy, Fledgling, Garden Accessories, Home and Garden, How to make a birdhouse, Kid craft, Loggia, Portico, Shopping

Since my children were gunning for a project and I wanted to finally start on my upstairs hallway project, I went to the craft store to buy large canvas boards. Unfortunately, they don’t carry any large enough (GRRRR!!!!). So….I’m either going to have go to another craft store -or- make my own. But I’ll figure that out later. Although my children were disappointed, they handled it well (i.e. no whining about it), so I suggested we see if there was anything else the store had that may be of interest for a project. They were beyond thrilled when we found these unusual, unpainted birdhouses:

Horse Cents

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A Detailed House, art, Faux deer heads, Mirrored art, Mirrored snake, Penny horse head, Rachel Denny, sculptures

A few months ago, I saw an image but didn’t save it, nor did I burn into my memory who the artist was that created this amazing masterpiece. BIG mistake on my part. Huge! (paraphrased from Julia Roberts from Pretty Woman– haha!) I couldn’t get it out of my mind, but couldn’t track it down.  After I did the post ‘How to Make a Penny Floor’, I was in a state of sheer frenzy. Couple that with my horse-crazy child’s birthday and I made it a mission to find it. I’m so glad I did. Prepare to be blown away:

Gold for How Much???

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A Detailed House, art, Best gold paint, Do it yourself, Gold finish, Hallway, Home Depot, Krylon, Krylon gold paint, Lowe, Lowes, paint, Rust-Oleum, Rustoleum, Shiny gold paint, Walmart

When doing a post, I usually do a lot of research and work on multiple projects at one time, which is why it takes me so darn long to do one measly post! I also like to ponder my projects (I can’t tell you how many mistakes I would have made if I hadn’t thought about some of these for a long time!) and try out materials to make sure I’ve thought of everything possible.

In my research, I found a great bargain that I wanted you all to know about:  Krylon spray paint, which I think is wonderful for achieving a gold finish (in terms of paint), is available at Walmart for $3.67 for 12 ounces! Wha-wha-what??? I couldn’t believe it! Currently, Krylon isn’t carried at Home Depot; they sell Rustoleum, which sells for (if I remember correctly) $8/for 8 ounces, and I’m not sure if Lowes carries it.

I sprayed a (white primed) scrap piece of wood for you all to see and took some pictures:

Taken outside in full sunlight, it looks like a very bright gold.

Mid-Century Make Over in Georgetown

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Ann Sacks, Black and white tile design, black and white walls, blue and yellow bedroom, blue dining room, blue living room, Conservatory, custom built library, Farrow & Ball, gold ceiling, greek key, green sunroom, Hillary Thomas, huge orb chandelier, huge orb crystal chandelier, Jeff Lincoln, Kendall Wilkinson, La Murrina, library inspiration, lucite bar stools, lucite chairs, lucite dining table, mid century chairs, mid century wallpaper, Mid-century design, modern white kitchen, Montgomery 1, nailhead, red chandelier, red sofa, round crystal chandelier, silver ceiling, Solarium

Georgetown, DC has many historic homes, but this townhouse, recently profiled in House Beautiful and designed by Hillary Thomas and Jeff Lincoln, was built in the 1960s. Since it was in my neck of the woods, I was very interested in the home. While some rooms I found a little “busy” for my personal taste, the home had some ravishing rooms as well.

I thought you might enjoy looking at it as well…

For a small foyer, having a table with an open design is smart…and I love it! Plus, with black and white pieces, you can switch them where ever you want throughout your house – and in the case of this table, even outside. I have several pieces like this that I switch from room to room.

Art Installation in Georgetown

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Andy Cao, Cambridge MA, Chicken wire, Dumbarton Oaks, Garden, Georgetown, Harvard, Harvard Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, Installation art, Massachusetts, Stephen Jerrome, Swarovski, Xavier Perrot

In Georgetown, far away from Cambridge, Massachusetts, there is an institute of Harvard University called Dumbarton Oaks that is dedicated to promoting Byzantine, Garden and Landscape, and Pre-Columbian studies through fellowships, internships, meetings, and exhibitions.

When one thinks of Harvard, chicken wire and Swarovski crystals are the last things that comes to  mind. Enter Andy Cao (Loeb Fellow at Harvard Graduate School of Design in 2010-11) and Xavier Perrot and their incredible creativity. They set up an art installation that is simple in execution, but nothing short of pure genius.

See for yourself:

Like a low storm cloud about to burst…

Adorable DIY Ideas for Kids’ Rooms

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Armoire, Baseball, children room decor, childrens room decoration, crafts, Craigslist, diy decorations, diy home improvement, DIY kid, DIY kids room, Do it yourself, Flat panel display, Home Depot, kid art, kid room, light fixture, Lowes, paint

While I work on my posts for how to make the carpet tiles and cornice boards, I thought I would dig into my files and show you some adorable, simple and inexpensive projects that I thought worthy of saving for future consideration.

Before flat screen TVs, many tried to hide their TVs in armoires. Now, those that bought flat screen TVs are trying to get rid of them!

I searched Craigslist while doing this post, just to see, and there were hundreds of armoires, many of them for free! Try to imagine them with a coat of paint, molding added to the top, different door knobs, added shelves, etc.

Here’s why:

Finding one this wide would require patience, but what child wouldn’t love a little nook like this?

Children adore hiding spots, so another option for an armoire, if you can find one with full length doors, is remove the back and place it in front of a door, so it’s a “secret” entrance, whether to a closet or a room.