Favorites at Home

If you didn't catch my home tour over on Sweetie Pie Pumpkin Noodle, go here to check it out.

And now for a few details that make this house a home:

Penguin Classics: I got my degree in English, so books (especially pretty ones!) that I've read have a special place in my heart and on my mantle.
Vintage Bottle Collection: I recently started collecting vintage bottles and hobnail milk glass
Family Portrait: I gave this custom painting to B when he graduated from dental school, so we could remember the time we lived in the city.
The Elephant: B lived in Thailand for a couple years, and the Elephant followed him home.
Hudson's Family Portrait: I asked Hudson to draw our family to adorn our family room wall. If you can't tell, I'm the large, orange figure in the center of the picture. B is pictured in blue, H in green, and baby Charlotte is in hot pink.:)

Things that make our dining room special: 

Food: I love baking, and on the weekends you'll usually find some type of baked treat ready for eating. That is, if you're quick enough. ;)

Bowls: I'm a sucker for colorful dishes. And bowls are so practical; whether it's tomato soup, cold cereal or ice cream, a pretty bowl makes it taste that much better. 

Flowers: My favorite, easy centerpiece. Just a couple stems displayed in mismatched mason jars. Colorful, easy and inexpensive.

I just had to share this sweet little ballerina that sits on Charlotte's dresser. She's the same ballerina that sat on my dresser as a child. Love that I could pass on something to her from my childhood.

Hudson insisted on having a line where he could hang all of his projects. I wasn't crazy about it at first, but I love it. The cute puppets are from a little project set by Alex. His gallery wall is still in progress; but I used these inexpensive frames from Ikea that have plexiglass instead of real glass. That way, shattered glass is the least of my worries when the baseballs are a flyin'.

Thanks for spending some time at home with us today.

Please come visit any time.

Come on In

Come on in and stay a while. 

Take a peek inside my home over at Sweetie Pie Pumpkin Noodle today.

And tomorrow I'll be back with some up-close details of my favorite things around the house.

Outtakes

Just a few funny outtakes from a little brother/sister photo session in the back yard.

Have a great weekend!

On a totally unrelated note: if you're in SF, Beard Papa's strawberry creme puffs are back this week. Look for me. I'll be hovering near the take-out counter.

Placemat Download

To call Hudson a picky eater is a gross understatement. I can fit the entire list of Hudson-approved foods on one side of a business card...plus, he's a gagger. Just utter the phrase, "Please eat one more green bean," and sure enough, in goes the green bean followed promptly by a dramatic gag.

After a dreadful tear- and gag-filled meal, I hatched a plan--turn it into a game. Here's how it works: I printed out pictures of different foods and had him choose one from each food group and put it on the fridge as our "menu." Every time he takes a bite from a particular category, he puts an X in the box. He's eaten celery, carrots, broccoli, cucumbers and spinach this week with no complaining and no gagging. Plus, he's engaged with checking off the boxes, and run off before he's full.

I'm sure the novelty of the "game" will wear off. But it has given me renewed hope. Hope that if I put energy and creativity into it, I can encourage him to eat better without making it a traumatic experience. So I'm giving you my placemat downloads for all the little picky eaters in your life. I printed mine off as a 12x12, took it to Kinkos and had it laminated for three bucks. He uses a dry-erase marker so it's reusable after each meal.

So download your free place mats here:
Eat Your Veggies
Yum Yum
Your Plate Here

Oh, and I do realize that the dairy group is missing...that's the only guaranteed group that he will eat. So if you need me to whip up a different version for your picky eater, just shoot me an email. I'd be happy to customize it for you. It takes a village, you know. :)

Etsy Love

It's been a while since I've shown any etsy love. So here's a quick rundown of my recent hearts.

Flower headband

Every little girl needs a twirl skirt.

Stitched canvas print

Today's supposed to be the hottest day of the year...the kids and I will be poolside to keep cool. 

Have a great day.

Renegade Favorites

I know it's been nearly a month since my blissful, child-free romp through Renegade SF, but I just ran across my stash of business cards and goodies I picked up at the fair. Here's a few of my new favorite shops and just some darn clever stuff:

How cute are these Hello Hanna place mats? I think they'd be perfect for entertaining little hands at a restaurant.

Love this all-purpose congratulations card from Sycamore Street Press.

I fell head over heels for everything from Old Tom Foolery.

Their motto, "Unsappy, uncrappy greetings and more" says it all.

The spectacular terrariums from Chandra Abel were gorgeous. I only wish I had the confidence to buy one. I have terrible luck with houseplants. It'd be a shame to kill something so beautiful. So I'll do the right thing and just admire them from a distance.

 I picked up this Berkley Illustration magnet, as a shout-out to my nemesis, the neighborhood raccoon.

There's so many more I'd like to share, but charlotte's currently scattering fake flower petals across the floor. I'd better intervene before she ingests one. :)

Paperless Post

I'm interrupting my radio silence this week to introduce you to Paperless Post. Being that I make invitations for a living, I don't send all that many digital invitations. But I may have to make an exception to that rule. All I have to say is: step aside, Evite. It was too hard to pick my favorites, so I limited myself strictly to the fall category. Check it out:

Definitely the greatest thing I've seen all week. They're still in beta mode, so you'll feel extra-cool being one of the first with the inside scoop. Sign up free here.

Now get out there and have a fun weekend!

I heart Boden

While at my folks' house, I stumbled across a Boden catalog. Charlotte's got a couple of Mini Boden pieces, but I've never looked at their adult line. I was pleasantly surprised at how cute and affordable everything is. Plus, it totally fits my lifestyle. (i.e., chasing rogue soccer balls while smeared with slobbery Ritz cracker crumbs).

And if you have a sec, try their outfit maker. I've been "styling" hypothetical outfits for myself for an embarrassingly long time this morning.

Wedding Details

Just a few of the details from my brother's wedding. I'll go more in depth on how I made those fun poufs a bit later. But my focus for today: catching up the laundry and stocking up the fridge...call me crazy, but clean undies and non-moldy bread took priority over blogging this morning.

Just Popping In

Just popping in to say hi. Here's a little look at what I'm working on right now--a few details for my little brother's wedding. I'll be back soon-ish with some fun tutorials and other stuff I've been working on.
xo

Lampshade Makeover

My brother made a sweet lamp for me for Christmas, and I've been meaning to buy a lampshade for ages now. My dear husband stepped in and did it for me when he couldn't stand my procrastination any longer. Only problem: he chose the one lampshade that looked like it had been run over by a shopping cart (or two). Naturally, he unwrapped it and put it on the lamp and threw away the receipt before I pointed out the damage. I didn't dare return it with no receipt, no wrapping, and no proof that I didn't crumple it, so I decided to give it a facelift instead.

Lampshade covering tutorials are a dime a dozen these days, so I'll be brief.

Gather your supplies: 

• Paint Brush
• Fabric glue (I used Mod Podge)
• Fabric (yardage depends on the size of the lampshade)
• Ribbon or any other trim you desire
• Hot glue gun & glue sticks
• Trusty assistant
• Toenail scissors

Begin by painting the fabric glue right on the lampshade. This is where that trusty assistant comes in handy. Four-year-olds are really liberal with glue coverage, so let them go nuts.

After the shade is sufficiently glued, wrap the fabric around the shade, pulling the fabric as tight as possible, and smoothing out any air bubbles/wrinkles.

Let the glue dry.

After it's dry, trim the fabric flush with the edge of the lampshade. 

Then get out your ribbon/trim. Working in three inch sections, hot glue it to the top and bottom of the shade to cover the raw edge of the fabric. 

After the ribbon is on, trim any little fabric bits that stick out with your toenail scissors. 

And voila! You've got a snappy new lampshade.