What To Do for a Child’s December Birthday Party

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child's party ideas, Children's party, Christmas, Claus, December, December birthday ideas children's invites, December party ideas, handmade invitations, holidays, Horchow, Mrs. Claus, party planning, Santa, The White House Santa, Xmas

If you have a child that is born in December, celebrating with a party can be quite a challenge. Before I had children, one of my friends told me that children’s parties were very “competitive” these days, which at the time struck me as odd and I thought that he may be exaggerating. Nope. He was right … or maybe it’s just here. My children are invited to parties with a guest list of 70 to 150 children (plus parents and siblings ?!?!) with every form of entertainment you can imagine. When did it become a three-ring circus and what ever happened to the sweet, little parties of our youth? Those were great!

None of these large 70-150 children parties have to contend with cold weather either, which keeps them indoors and throws a monkey-wrench in burning off the “exuberance“ that seems to multiply in intensity with each munchkin added. Since I don’t want to spend that kind of money on a children’s party that they A.) may not remember and B.) would have just as good of a time if I put them in a room full of balloons, balls and dogs, I keep the girls’ parties on a smaller scale and just invite their little classmates/close friends.

What better solution to a December birthday than a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus?

A New Rug: Men, Kids, Dogs and Nice Things Don’t Mix

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beige family room, Carpet, dogs, family room, German Shepherd, gray, grey, husband, ideas, kids, nutcrackers, rug, ruined, ruining, transitional, writing on furniture

Good news: after the kids and dogs did all the damage they could to our family room area rug, we got a new one! After I did the post Fifty Shades of Grey, I inspired myself. There are two rooms on our first floor that could use my attention, but our family room really needed a new rug asap! The nice thing about grey is that it is a neutral – the new neutral – and can blend where you wouldn’t think it could.

I actually didn’t buy the rug for this room, but am using it here for now:

Gifts for the Home: (Low-priced Lighting Options I Like)

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aqua, aqua shade, blue, brass, Christmas gifts, chrome, Copper, desk lamp, French lantern, gift ideas, home gift idea, kids room, Kirkland, lamp, lamp shade, lantern, nickel, patina, Peacock lamp, pharmacy lamp, silver

My radar is always on for just about any product you can imagine. That’s why when I received an email asking for some low-priced lighting options, I had a couple of options handy that I think are lovely. And with the holiday season upon us, they also make thoughtful gifts priced at $25, $40 and $50, which is why I thought I would share my picks:

Life-Size Nutcrackers: Yes, Please!

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3 foot nutcracker, 6 foot nutcracker, bargain, Christmas, December, decorating, drum stand, entry, foyer, gold trim, holiday decorating, holidays, home decorating, huge, large nutcrackers, life-size nutcracker, navy uniform, nutcracker, soldier, Winter

I’m not a knickknacky sort of person and I don’t collect things, but…I seem to have acquired several pairs of three foot tall nutcrackers that I use on either side of our fireplaces. Well, imagine my delight when I happened upon some life-sized nutcrackers! And, I was with one (of two) of the worst influences ever – one of my children! Why I even bothered asking the rhetorical question, “Should we get a pair?” was beyond me.

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:

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’s Apartment Filled with DIY Inspiration

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blue and yellow living room, blue living room, diamond pattern stained floors, diy, DIY shutters, gold stick lamp, harlequin pattern, high end design, high end living room, how to add panel molding, interior designer's living room, Kelee Katillac, luxury apartment, Luxury interior design, mirrored furniture, Moulding, panel molding, paneled walls, raw amethyst quartz, upholstered doors, upholstered walls, yellow living room

Interior designer Kelee Katillac and her partner, architectural interior designer Steve Heiffus, recently collaborated on a 1915 apartment that showcased and married their skills. It seemed that the project was a success and both were happy with the result, which is good, because they are more than just partners – they are husband and wife – and they live in this apartment!

I wanted to show you this apartment because it is full of the DIY potential and inspiration. Even if this style is not yours, there are things that Kelee has done that are wildly creative and can be used in different applications.

I could just die over these floors!! This was the first thing that drew me to the apartment; I have been dreaming about doing this stain treatment to a floor (maybe our foyer or our kitchen??) in our house…having never done it before, though, I am slightly nervous about messing up! I’ve never even painted the harlequin pattern before…yikes! So, it may be a long time before I muster the courage, but there is one little entry area that I could try it that if I messed up, I could sand the floors and re-stain them…ugh…

Today’s Tasteful Take on a Historic House

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Barry Dixon, Baton Rouge, courtyard, designer, DIY outdoor drapes, drop cloth, Elway Hall, floor plan, French, historic house, historical renovation, House tour, interior design, interior designer, Italian chandelier, Ivy, library, neoclassical, painters drop clothes, Parsons desk, Target, Thomas O'Brien, toile, traditional, Travertine, Ty Larkins, West Elm

Historical renovation is something I am passionate about because of my love for the architectural features. In my “About Me” section. I referenced almost buying a beautiful, historic house named Elway Hall, but it was just too far away from my office and I would have spent a minimum of 3 hours in the car a day. Two interior designers ended up buying the house that I had to begrudgingly pass on; it seems that interior designers frequently take the challenge of older homes head on without thinking twice.

House Beautiful profiled one such designer…

50 Shades of Grey

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50 shades of gray, 50 shades of grey, Dining room, gray, gray bathrooms, gray bedroom, gray bedroom ideas, gray curtains, gray living room, gray living room ideas, gray living room walls, gray office, Gray paint, gray paint colors, Gray room, grey, grey bathroom ideas, grey bathrooms, grey bedroom, Grey paint, Grey room, Living room, mushroom gray, slate gray, slate grey

Although I haven’t read the book, I thought I’d show you my version of 50 shades of grey – 50 shades of grey paint 🙂 Grey rooms can fit into any style: romantic, minimalist, modern, traditional, sophisticated and rustic. Grey, though, can be a tricky hue to get right as it can be tinged with different hues.

There are cool greys, which are mixed with blue, that read more of a more slate-grey, and warm greys, which are mixed with yellow, that read more of a mushroom-grey. From the pictures below, you will see examples of each, which may help you in determining your preference.

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 😉

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:

How to Choose a Paint Color

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blue, bold paint, brown, colors, cream, dark paint, diy, gold, green, how to choose a bedroom color, how to choose a living room color, how to choose a paint color, how to paint, how to pick a paint color, navy, neutral paint colors, paint, painting, painting tips, Renovation, sweat equity, tan, yellow

For some, it may be easy to pull a room together – (and if this is you, this may not be the post for you, except maybe to comment on your thoughts, preferred colors, etc.) – but for others, it can be a real puzzler. There are so many thoughts, rules and philosophies on how to choose paint colors, but forget all that. Here’s what you really need to know:

– Paint should not be the first thing you pick out/pick up. Why? Because it comes in just about every shade imaginable, but your sofa, upholstery, rugs, accessories and artwork do not, so it’s better to start with them and work your way out.

– Pull a color that exists in the room or furnishings already. Looking at this rug:

there are a myriad of colors that could be used on the walls, from cream, yellow, peaches, navy blue, cornflower blue, sage green, burnt sienna, etc.

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.

How to Make Fancy Cornice Boards

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Cornice, Curtain rod, DIY Cornice, diy valance, Do it yourself, do it yourself cornice board, Fancy cornices, make your own cornice, Measurement, Plywood, Shopping, Window covering, window treatment ideas

So overdue with this post, but between my lack of photographic ability, my inability to find my camera (!!!), my little imps requiring my attention, my suspicion that my imps may have had something to do with the loss of the camera and life in general, it has been a difficult post!

If you remember, I created these cornices for my daughter’s room:

It’s an easy do it yourself project that I think anyone can do.

My DIY Carpet Tiles

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Carpet, carpet tiles, diy carpet tiles, DIY kids room, do it yourself carpet tiles, Floor, flooring option, how to make carpet tiles, kids room, Lowes, Wood flooring

If you saw my post Pretty in Pink, you saw the the interior design I did for my daughter’s room, which included architectural details and carpet tiles that I made.

Since our second floor is hardwood, when I started planning the design, I searched for rugs, but I couldn’t find whimsical rugs in the sizes that I needed for her bedroom and sitting room. This turned my search to carpet ties, which yielded two things: my shock at the price ($10-$80 a tile) and dismay at the lack of the appropriate sizes and shades. I thought one of the main benefits of having carpet tiles (for me anyway) was that if they got stained beyond repair, you could pop them out and replace them cost-effectively.

Luxurious Living Rooms

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Blue living rooms, Color, Couch, Crown molding, Crown moulding, Designer living rooms, Furniture, furniture layout, Furniture plan, Gold Living rooms, Green living rooms, Living room, Living room inspiration, mantle, Mantle mirror, Mirror, Neutral living rooms, Pink living rooms, Plaster molding, Plaster moulding, upscale living rooms

Not sticking with any color, just posting pictures that caught my eye for varying reasons, like architectural features, colors, etc.

Barrel ceilings are an architectural detail that are not common, but are gorgeous.

Scale is always something to keep in mind and the mirror above the mantle is over-sized and perfectly proportional for the room. With such a large space, breaking it up into groupings makes it manageable instead of treating it as one.

This also allows the room to be used for multiple uses. I can imagine a roaring fire, one child doing homework at the table (LOVE the check pattern on the chairs), the other practicing the piano and the parents reading on the sofa. A girl can dream, can’t she 😉

The White House

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2012, Barack Obama, Blue Room, Cross Hall, Cross Hall 2012, East Room, East Room 2012, Easter, Egg Roll, Green Room, Green Room 2012, Inside the White House 2012, Kennedy Center, Michelle Obama, Obama, Oval Office 2012, Oval Room 2012, Red Room, Red Room 2012, Senator, State Dining Room, State Dining Room 2012, State Room, The White House 2012, Vermeil Room, Washington DC, What the White House looks like in 2012, White House, White House Easter Egg Roll, Yellow Oval Room

Sometimes it’s hard to appreciate what you have until it is taken away from you.

Growing up right outside of Washington DC, I went to the museums, monuments and the Kennedy Center. And then there’s the White House. I’ve been inside many times times, but the holidays were absolutely THE best time to visit. During December, it was like a fantasy with garlands, trees and gigantic gingerbread houses.

The second best time to go was in April for the White House Easter Egg Roll. I wanted my children to have the same experience that I did and to take them Egg Roll this year, but now, thanks in part to the Salahis crashing the White House, you have to submit applications through your Congressman and jump through other hurdles. You can’t enter the White House with a purse (you will be turned away) and can’t park anywhere near it. Times have changed.

The Egg Roll kicked off the idea in my head of a “virtual tour” because the architectural details, which I love studying most of all, and the design are something that you just don’t get to see every day.

Cross Hall, which looks downright regal.

Look at that stair runner with the graceful curve.

Celebrity Style: Jennifer Lopez

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American Idol, Art Deco, Arts, Bedroom, Celebrity homes, Dining room, Easter, Easter Bunny, foyer, Hollywood, Inspiration, interior design, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Lopez's home, kitchen, Marc Anthony, Michelle Workman, Past, Pastel rooms, Staircase

Happy Easter Everyone!! For obvious reasons, I’m keeping this brief, but wanted to give you some pastel eye candy of your own!

Following up on the last post, Celebrity Living Rooms, I wanted to show the rest of Jennifer Lopez’s home and the work of interior designer Michelle Workman.

The home is layered with pastel rooms in shades of blue, pink and peach with lots of texture, reflective surfaces (have I mentioned before how I LOVE those?), velvet, silks, leather, dark wood, and furniture with clean lines, giving the Art Deco style a distinct “old Hollywood” look.

So, sit back, sip your coffee and nibble on a chocolate bunny (or three – no judgement here!) and enjoy the pictures:

Celebrity Living Rooms

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Aerin Lauder, Alexandra Wentworth, Ben Stiller, Bridgehampton, Caio Fonseca, Calvin Klein, Calvin Klein Home, Candace Bushnell, Celebrity living rooms, Christine Taylor, Cindy Crawford, DC, Donatella Versace, East Hamptons, Estée Lauder, Estée Lauder cosmetics, Fleetwood Mac, Francisco Costa, Furniture, George Stephanopoulos, Hilary Swank, Ikea, interior design, James Rosenquist, Jasper Johns, Jennifer Lopez, John Mayer, Jonathan Adler, Lindsey Buckingham, Living room, Living rooms, Luxury interior design, Malibu, Manhattan, Mark Zeff, Ralph Lauren, Rande Gerber, Rob Morrow, Sarah Jessica Parker, Versace Home Collection, Washington DC

Call me nosy, but I love to see how celebrities live. The fashion is great, but I want to know how they live and what’s their style. They obviously have their choice of designers. What designer wouldn’t do it pro bono just for the PR.

Let’s peek in on their style….and be prepared to be surprised (or at least I was)!

How appropriate to my previous post! This is (was?) the living room of Jennifer Lopez when she was married to Mark Anthony. I’m not going to research who got the house, because it doesn’t affect my admiration of it! A pale whisper of a blue on the walls and understated elegance!

Feeling Blue with a Design Dilemma?

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Adam Levine, Adam Levine house, Blue drapes, Blue living rooms, Blue sofa, Couch, Hanging drapes, interior design, Living room, Living room inspiration, Maroon 5, Picture molding, Teal sofas

I love formal living rooms, but I think they must be an inviting and comfortable space, otherwise it’s a waste. I also subscribe to the belief of full access and my children sit, play and use our living room – I’ve been called crazy more then once because of this! We have silk and velvet sofas and antiques, but I have taught them from a young age not to jump on the sofas, take their shoes off if they want to lie down on them and to take any toys they bring in, out.

Now, my dogs? That’s another story! I let them on the furniture in the rest of my house, but not in there, although at least once a week, I walk in on one of them lounging on a sofa. They do not like to put their tushies on the floor…spoiled puppies!

That’s why when a reader asked me to help her with her living room design and needed some design inspiration, I was more than happy to help. There’s a skew towards blue since that was the color she was dealing with. I hope you enjoy:

Taking the shade of color from the furniture and putting it on the wall and drapes (which are hung my favorite way – high!) With this, a cream rug or carpet is the perfect foil. Note the classic stacked crystal orb lamp, which complements the crystal of the chandelier.

Sophisticated Rooms in Black and White

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chandelier, Dining room, entry, foyer, Furniture, high end design, Home & Garden, interior design, Light, light fixture, luxury interiors, Textile

I have been pondering so much lately – the outside of my house because of the nice weather, but also a few rooms in my house, which led me to look for some inspiration. Spring always brings on new projects for me – I just get the itch!!

I think dark and light rooms are very smart looking when done right. I also like them infused with a “pop” of another color to prevent them from looking to sterile or serious. Here are some pictures that I have found interesting for one reason or another (but some could use a 3rd color) :

My floors have gotten a little worn, which I like because it gives credence to the house being old, but I do like dark and glossy!