Thanksgiving 2012

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I love that the kids get the whole week off now. It really lets us enjoy time together as a family which is what I am always most thankful for when it comes down to it. We hosted at our house this year but outsourced most of the cooking so I got to focus  my (minimal) efforts on making things pretty.

Our hydrangea turned this deep red color just in time for Thanksgiving. Perfect!

My daughter made the painting for the mantel. (It reads "Happy Thanksgiving Everyone" and that's a turkey painted in the middle.)

We also set up a craft table in the kitchen to keep the kids - and grandpa - occupied during cocktail hour. I used branches I found in the park to create our "Thankfulness Tree" and the kids added tags throughout the week noting things that they are thankful for.

And yet another idea I stole from the Internet, we made apple turkeys using toothpicks and candy. Unfortunately I forgot to snap photos of our finished products. You'll have to use your imagination for that.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Robyn Mizrach McClelland

I was just reading the current issue of Matchbook and was impressed with the style of Robyn Mizrach McClelland. And she isn't even a decorator! She's a writer with wonderful, interesting taste. I'm smitten.

(All images via November 2012 issue of Matchbook Magazine)

Isn't it all so gorgeous? Feminine and luxe with plenty of personality and quirk. Hats off to you, Robyn!

Litographs

I just discovered a very cool art source. Litographs makes prints using the text of classic books and reverses out an image representing that book. Take a look-see:

Moby Dick

Peter Pan

Wizard of Oz

Alice in Wonderland

Aren't they cool? I think they would make an amazing gallery wall in a child's room.

Litographs also has more adult fare that could work alone or as an addition to a mixed media gallery wall.

Walden

And they also come in black and white.

Ulysses

AND, for every print purchased a book is donated to a community in need. So you get to do a good deed while decorating your walls. All images from the Litographs site. Go check it out.

Modern White Kitchen

I'm working with a client who has very modern tastes. Lots of white, black, and grey with glossy finishes. It's a more pop-art modern though, with hits of red or other bright colors, art deco influences, a white baby grand piano - and absolutely no wood tones, which are a fixture of most modern settings these days to bring in warmth.

She is renovating the whole place with grey concrete floors downstairs, a new metal and concrete stairway - you get the idea. We're trying to plan out the kitchen and I have been pulling inspiration photos for her. Take a look:

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This is going to be fun! You can follow me on Pinterest to see more photos.

Shower For Baby B

My mom and I recently made a baby shower for a good friend of the family. This is a departure from interiors but still feels like it falls in the general decorating category so I hope you enjoy my foray into event planning. It was fun to work with my mom on this project and we both were really happy with the result - as was the mama-to-be and our guests. We went with with a book theme since this was a first baby (so the family did not already have a baby book library established from any previous kids) and the couple had chosen not to find out the gender of the baby until birth so we wanted to keep it non-specific in terms of gender. Of course, I started by looking for inspiration on Pinterest. And then we got to work implementing our vision. What do you think?

The baby's last name will start with "B" so we went with Baby B. 

I made the ABC letters using color copies of pages from The Cat in the Hat,
Where the Wild Things Are, and Curious George. 

We had the amazing Freeport Bakery create the cake inspired by the cover of Runaway Bunny. 

Update: Baby B has since been born and is a healthy little boy. Welcome to the world!

Rustic Table, Modern Chairs

I have long loved the look of a rustic dining table with modern chairs. The juxtaposition is just right - the rustic table keeps the chairs from seeming too cold and hard while the chairs freshen the space and keep the table from feeling too heavy and farmhouse. My good friend Laura just purchased a rustic table and is in the market for chairs. She and her husband moved from a loft to a craftsman-style house so this mix seems perfect for them. Let's see if all these photos I've pinned can convince her to go this route, shall we?

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Don't Mind The Gap

Oops! I totally dropped the ball with the blog. I got distracted by life, projects, and, well, these guys:

But I'm back and planning to post more regularly. Stick with me!