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It's true - we're having a BABY!

2012-01-05T12:04:00.001-05:00

If you missed it - we're having a baby!

How it all started :

We decided we would open the baby-making gates after our birthdays in the end of September. I turned 27 and my husband turned 29 which seemed like a good age to have our first child. We have been together since high school so we felt we knew each other pretty well, had just celebrated our 2^nd wedding anniversary in August, bought a house a year and a half ago and well, the timing just seemed right. We were very lucky to get our wish right away (I’m not a very patient person anyways) and on Halloween got the first inclination that we might be expecting. The line on the test was very faint and I couldn’t focus all day trying to decide whether it in fact was a ‘trick or a treat’ (pun intended, HA). I busted out the ‘it couldn’t be more obvious pregnant or not pregnant digital test’ and on 11.1.11 (which I figured was a perfect start) we found out that indeed we are going to have a baby!

Disclaimer: I fully admit that I kept peeing on sticks until our first doctor's appointment at 7 weeks, just to make sure that our little baby was still in there. Not every day, but definately every 2-3.

The 1st Trimester :

Thankfully I haven’t had the terrible morning sickness that everyone thinks about when you hear ‘pregnant’. I do get quite feisty when I get hungry and if you stand between me and food at this time, watch out. I feel like I eat a lot more often, but get full much faster.

On the other hand, I’ve been sleeping a lot – I think more than I’ve ever slept before. I can and will nap anywhere at any time; I fall asleep during 10 minute car rides or after 5 minutes of sitting on the couch. Seriously, I’ve never felt so drained in my entire life. I at 13 weeks I do feel a tiny bit of my energy coming back and I’m crossing my fingers for that 2^nd trimester energy burst everyone raves about.

I also have a bionic sense of smell right now, I swear I can smell delicous buttery popcorn from a mile away. This has been great for tracking down delicious food when hungry, but all the yucky smells are also greatly magnified. This has unfortunately triggered an impressive gag reflex. Opening a dishwasher full of dirty dishes is my worst nightmare right now, it’s bad, really bad. But I also gag even when I *think* things smell bad even if they don’t. Our dog was spitting up water (no food, completely clear) the other day and I started gagging every time I tried to clean it up. Eventually I just threw a paper towel over it and waited for hubs to get home because I just couldn’t deal –

One Hormonal Rant :

Also, just as a heads up to others when someone tells you they are having a baby DO NOT ask if it was an ‘accident’, or if it was ‘intentional’. For starters, it is really none of your business and to top it off, it doesn’t really matter – we just told you we are having a baby, it’s happening whether it was an ‘accident’ or not. If you are now wondering, this baby was absolutely NOT an accident, we had a plan and just because you weren’t aware of our plan doesn’t mean the plan didn’t exist. Lastly, we have been together for almost 12 years now – if an ‘accident’ was going to happen I’m sure it would’ve happened long before now. Don’t ask if the baby was an accident unless you want raging pregnancy hormones jumping down your throat.

The 'but I didn't think you wanted kids' comment is a close second. Just because I wasn't obviously baby obsessed in your presence and volunteer to hold your kid and change his diapers doesn't mean that we don't want kids. Once again, even if this was true it doesn't matter now because we just told you we are HAVING A BABY. Keep your snarky comments to yourself please.

xo, the pregnant girl

HELLO 2012!

2012-01-04T21:55:00.001-05:00

Everyone has been posting their New Years resolutions lately, most include loosing weight, eating better and excersizing more. While I'm definately trying to eat healthier, this is the first year (in probably my whole life) that my goal has not been to loose weight, and it feels SO good. While I'm not necessarily trying to gain weight, it is likely to be inevitable because....

We are absolutely thrilled and I can't wait to share our journey with you -
I haven't gotten over the 1st trimester exhaustion yet, but I promise to post more details tomorrow.

*And yes, our baby already owns boat shoes....

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T08:04:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween from Maddie

She opted to be a shark, based on her ability to eat anything and everything (including her costume 5 minutes later). I made her costume with 3 pieces of gray felt (4 for $1), some leftover chipboard from a package and gray bias tape ($2.79).
This is her first Halloween and I'm betting she only tries to eat every 2 of 3 kids that rings our doorbell. She LOVES when people come over, even more than she loves eating paper and baseboards.

Happy Birthday & A Gift Request

2011-09-20T04:04:00.000-04:00

It's my birthday today. I'm so very hopeful about what this year will bring (fingers crossed that includes a regularly updated blog). I also have some very exciting things on the horizon that I cannot wait to share (!). I feel so happy and fufilled with my life right now that I wanted to take a minute and ask for a favor for a friend who's life was upturned from her happy a few weeks ago.

The long-time boyfriend of one of my best friends was diagnosed with cancer on a few weeks ago. He went to get his wisdom teeth out and they realized his blood pressure was absurdly high and refused to do the wisdom teeth. So, he went to the ER. They were confused by it since he's young (27) and it was so high. He stayed overnight but was let out with an appointment to follow up with his regular doctor. His doctor received the results that showed he had high levels of the hormone a particular tumor expels. The doctor sent him for an ultrasound, they saw a softball size tumor on his adrenal gland, sent him for a CT scan to confirm mass and then sent him back to the ER. He was admitted, they ran more and more tests, then it was confirmed that the tumor is in fact malignant and has spread to lungs.

It's a malignant Pheochromocytoma tumor, a one in a million chance. It is beyond rare, and unfortunately, that means there isn't a lot known about it. The doctors have removed all of the tumor they could find, however James still has to undergo chemotherapy treatments.

You can read more about the situation here: http://thejamesquigleyfund.org/ and make a donation if you like. I would consider it a birthday gift, a really great birthday gift. If you choose to make a donation, whether it be $1 or $10, shoot me and email at chelsey@fourthandfolded.com with your mailing address and I will personally send you a Thank You note. A real one, on paper (nice paper), through the mail with a stamp and everything :)

Thank You!

Puppy Photos!

2011-02-22T13:09:00.000-05:00

We have photo proof Maddie is the most awesome and snuggly little girl ever....

Go, as fast as you can, to my friend Meredith's blog [http://www.andunlimited.com/] for pictures of Maddie.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T10:09:00.000-05:00

I was on PUP-ternity leave last week and it was awesome. So much bonding time with our little girl. She's growing up fast, and is so smart. She is house-broken already, we put bells on the door and she rings them when she needs to go out. She can 'come' and 'sit' and sometimes 'stay' if she's not too excited. We need to work on her focus level, she gets easily distracted by shiny things (shovels) or anything she can eat.

These were the Valentine's cards she sent out to her puppy pals (and her daddy).

Happy Valentine's Day from Me & Maddie!

PUPternity Leave!

2011-02-04T13:59:00.000-05:00

I’m counting down the hours until I can leave work today. We are picking up Maddie in LESS THAN 24 HOURS and I’m taking PUPternity leave next week. In case you didn’t know that when you take time off work to welcome a furry new family member (and yes I completely made it up and everyone at work thinks I’m crazy). Also, I’m probably going to have separation issues when I have to go back to work, but it’s going to be so nice to be a SAHDM (Stay at home dog mom) for the next 9 days!

The final puppy preparations that have to happen tonight are :
1. Clean-up dining room (still a mess from latest project, ie power tools everywhere).
2. Fix her crate (I built it wrong, we want the door to open the opposite way).
3. Buy her some food! She’s eating ProPlan Puppy, Chicken & Rice formula.
4. Clean out the back of the car and put her crate pad in there for the ride home.
5. Move all our jackets and boots out of the mudroom so she has limited opportunity to destroy things.

Anywho, make sure you add Maddie’s tumblog to your reader – it’s going to be cute puppy picture overload over there for the next few days.

2011 Task List - January Update

2011-02-02T14:13:00.000-05:00

1 Month Down (I can't believe its already February!)
Time to check some things off the 'Master Task List', I didn't get as much done as I had hoped, mostly we've just been shoveling snow.

EXTERIOR : (We really can't do any of this stuff until the spring.)
Paint blue window trim.
Add grilles to windows.
Paint front door black.
Buy & install front door knocker.
Paint side door black.
Install whale door knocker.
Paint shutters black.
Replace house numbers.
Buy & install a new mailbox, or mail slot.
Paint front storm door black.
Build a deck off the family room.
Widen and lengthen the driveway.
Front yard landscaping.
Plant an herb garden.
Rear yard landscaping.
Power-wash & waterseal the fence.
Replace front & side lights.

INTERIOR :
Install box frames under chair rail in dining room.
~~Install crown molding in dining room.~~
~~Paint dining room.~~
Paint road-side Hutch.
Paint Craig’s List furniture.
Paint kitchen cabinets white.
Install new slate countertops.
Install new undermount sink.
Install new tile backsplash.
Build & install cabinets for the butler’s pantry.
Remove old laminate, and install new butcherblock countertop in butler's pantry.
Install crown molding in kitchen and above cabinets.
Remove built-in shelving from guest bedroom.
Paint guest bedroom.
Buy lamps for nightstands in guest bedroom.
Re-upholster Craig’s List chairs.
Remove and replace fish tiles in the shower.
Hang artwork & photos.
Make headboard for guest bed.
~~Buy stools for kitchen island.~~ (I have to exchange them, but I still consider this 'done'.)
Replace contractor grade light fixtures throughout the house. (We've replaced one so far.)
Paint 'goldness' on fireplace insert.
Come up with a more permenant solution for the TV area.
~~Some how separate the dining room from the front entrance.~~ (We made a faux-beam).
~~Hang curtains and shades in the dining room.~~
Hang remaining curtain over window in kitchen.
~~Install crown molding around entryway.~~

Pause for a Photo....

2011-01-31T21:45:00.000-05:00

Can we discuss how cute my niece is?

She's rock'n the side-bow, a girl after my own heart.
And I get to walk down the aisle with her at a wedding this month. That means she's my arm candy and I'm SUPER excited about it.

Giveaway Winner!

2011-01-27T14:34:00.000-05:00

We have a winner! Congratulations to #29 E @ Oh!Apostrophe.

Sorry to everyone else, but if you are still in need of a Valentine's day card they can be purchased from my Etsy shop HERE.

Latest Color Obsession - Newburg Green

2011-01-27T09:57:00.000-05:00

This color needs to go somewhere in our house.
Maybe my office?

I see white rooms everywhere on the internet and love them, but then I see rooms like this and fall in love with color all over again. I'm convinced this is why people have more than one house.
My summer house will be white.

both images from White Blossom

A Valentine's Day Giveaway!

2011-01-26T09:15:00.001-05:00

Fresh off the presses, 2011 Valentine’s Day card by 4th&Folded with coordinating envelope.

The card reads:

*When we first met I had no idea you would mean so much to me*

Perfect for a friend or loved one, this limited edition Valentine's day card is printed on a flat A7 card on 100% Cotton, 110# Crane Lettra. The coordinating envelope comes with a printed liner made up of the word "Love" in many different languages.

TO ENTER:

1. Leave a comment saying who you would give your card to.
2. Follow me on twitter and tweet, “I entered to win a Valentine’s Day card from @fourthandfolded ! http://bit.ly/eoaxSL" ,then come back here and leave me a comment telling me.

A winner will be randomly chosen at 2PM EST tomorrow, January 27th.

And sadly, if you don’t win – the card can be found on my Etsy shop here.

You don't CLEAN, you CLEAN UP.

2011-01-25T09:35:00.000-05:00

First, let me preface this by saying I am 100% appreciative of everything my husband does. He is usually the one to cook dinner and go grocery shopping and I am very grateful to have dinner ready (or almost ready) when I get home from work. If I’m working through dinner, which I usually am, he will bring my dishes out to the kitchen and load them in the dish washer when we are done.

image

So here comes the gripe, he always tells people that he is the one that cleans, and that he is always picking up after me.
But darling, you don’t CLEAN, you CLEAN UP. Yes, you often take my dishes out to the kitchen or put my water glass in the dishwasher, and as much as I love the help, it’s not ‘cleaning’. Cleaning is when you wash the floors, scrub the bathrooms, wipe down the cabinets, clean the inside of the fridge, etc. It involves rubber gloves and chemicals and various scrubbing/washing accouterments, none of which you have ever wielded.

I love you but you don’t clean. You CLEAN-UP.

Anyone else’s husband think he ‘cleans’?

On Childhood Toys....

2011-01-21T14:33:00.000-05:00

Just a few things before the weekend....

A) I loved all your responses to this post. I had Kirsten, who apparently they don't sell anymore. She had a custom made 4-post bed with curtains to protect her from the winter chill in Maine and flannel sheep sheets. One day I took her braids out and then immediately regretted it as she never looked the same. She still resides in Maine with my other childhood BFFs, Edith Amelia (my cabbage patch doll) and oodles of barbies. They are all living it up in my parents attic, just like what was supposed to happen in Toy Story 3. As a little side story, my barbies completely had it made. They had a HUGE barbie mansion with three levels, complete with jacuzzi tub and tennis courts. For transporation they had their choice of a delightful vintage pink Rolls Royce convertable or berry pink 2-door hardtop Jeep, I mean we did live in Maine and the Rolls wasn't that great for off-roading with Ken. Speaking of Ken, I only had one and he had to date ALL the girls, so I guess Ken was really the one that had it made.

B) My girl Maddie started her own blog. You should probably check it out if you haven't already :)

What were your favorite childhood toys? Do you or your parents still have them?

Weekend Shopping Adventures....

2011-01-17T13:04:00.000-05:00

I stayed at work late on Friday because of terrible traffic. (It was either sit at my office, or sit in traffic).

I may have had a mini-online shopping spree.

I ordered these stools.

And only now just realized I ordered the wrong height....so back they will go, *hopefully* it doesn't cost me an arm and a leg to exchange them.

And I also bought this light for the dining room, except with a natural linen shade.

I cannot wait to have something other than builder-grade fixtures in our house. It will be a happy day for sure.

I also went to HomeGoods this weekend to look for bedside lamps for the guest bedroom. I didn't come home emptyhanded (wouldn't know what that felt like) but also didn't come home with lamps. I did find the most amazing and snuggle-y blanket ever. I cannot describe it as anything else...

It's the Northpoint Sapphire Sherpa blanket. It's softer than babies.

My friend K bought a cape...or capelet...we cannot decide. It looks like this:

10 Points if you can name the doll.

My Irrational Fears....

2011-01-17T10:10:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I have a rather wild imagination.

Last night I couldn’t fall asleep because I decided I would have no idea what I would do if the following situation were to occur.
I am babysitting an obese toddler and I HAVE to go grocery shopping, I put him in the cart and his weight causes the cart to topple over immediately snapping his femurs in half. (FYI, I don’t babysit, I don’t know any obese toddlers, and I rarely go to the grocery store). Right now I’m terrified to put any type of baby in a cart. If/when we have kids I will likely have to have my groceries delivered via PeaPod, or fill up the cart with heavy items before I put said baby in to balance out the weight. I’m pretty sure if this were possible it would have happened to someone already, and I would’ve heard about it, and since I haven’t it seems quite impossible, but still logical enough to keep me awake at night.

Other fears perpetually running through my mind are :

- Falling and knocking out all my teeth.

- Laying on my stomach on the floor with my toes curled under me (like I was going to do a push-up) and having someone step on the back of my foot inverting all my toes and having them all break at once.

- Being in a terrible accident where my right hand had to be amputated. Would I use a left-handed mouse? Would I keep the standard mouse so that I wasn’t inept at using other people’s computers, and just move it to the left side? Most importantly, how would I shave my right armpit? What if I wasn’t married? Would I have to hire someone as my armpit shaver? How much would you pay that person? Do I just have one hairy arm-pit all the time?

So many questions, so little time.

I'd like to introduce you to someone....

2011-01-09T21:05:00.000-05:00

I'd like you all to meet our little girl.
Her name isn't 100% confirmed, well, it was until we met her today and realized her mom has the same name we were going to use for her.
#Puppy owner fail.

For now, she is Miss Madison Thayer Brennan, aka "Maddie", and she is three weeks old, born December 16th.

I got oodles of puppy kisses from this tongue.

I think they had just eaten, because she was all yawns.

She's not fat, just 'well fed' :)

I'm thinking she's going to need her own site. What do you think?

www.thedailymadison.com

www.preppypuppy.com

2011 Home Task List

2011-01-03T15:11:00.000-05:00

Here is what you have to look forward to in terms of home improvement on this blog in 2011.

My 2011 Home Task List -

EXTERIOR :

Paint blue window trim.
Add grilles to windows.
Paint front door black.
Buy & install front door knocker.
Paint side door black.
Install whale door knocker.
Paint shutters black.
Replace house numbers.
Buy & install a new mailbox, or mail slot.
Paint front storm door black.
Build a deck off the family room.
Widen and lengthen the driveway.
Front yard landscaping.
Plant an herb garden.
Rear yard landscaping.
Power-wash & waterseal the fence.
Replace front & side lights.
INTERIOR :
Install box frames under chair rail in dining room.
Install crown molding in dining room.
Paint dining room.
Paint road-side Hutch.
Paint Craig’s List furniture.
Paint kitchen cabinets white.
Install new slate countertops.
Install new undermount sink.
Install new tile backsplash.
Build & install cabinets for the butler’s pantry.
Remove old laminate, and install new butcherblock countertop in butler's pantry.
Install crown molding in kitchen and above cabinets.
Remove built-in shelving from guest bedroom.
Paint guest bedroom.
Buy lamps for nightstands in guest bedroom.
Re-upholster Craig’s List chairs.
Remove and replace fish tiles in the shower.
Hang artwork & photos.
Make headboard for guest bed.
Buy stools for kitchen island.
Replace contractor grade light fixtures throughout the house.
Paint 'goldness' on fireplace insert.
Come up with a more permenant solution for the TV area.
Some how separate the dining room from the front entrance.
Hang curtains and shades in the dining room.
Hang remaining curtain over kitchen sink.

It's going to be a good (and busy) year.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T04:00:00.000-05:00

(our white & gold tree this year)

Have a fantastic holiday!

Oh, and my Christmas present to you is that calories don't count on the 24th OR the 25th :)

Christmas comes early at our house....

2010-12-22T20:46:00.000-05:00

I'm not very patient.
The boy and I have already opened our gifts to each other.
AND now I'm going to give you a peek at some of the gifts I ~~got~~ made for other people.
I like to do at least one handmade gift for the girls in the family, they appreciate it much more than boys.
My mom and my grandmother are getting monogrammed linen table runners.

I had to make one for myself too, you know, to make sure they came out okay and that I got the size right :)

My favorite gift to give is this one :

I designed a growth chart for my neice Kendall and had it printed on canvas through Uprinting. I still need to get a ribbon to hang it, but I know my mom has some at home that I can use. Her room has a pink and giraffe theme and I think this is going to look so awesome on her wall! Plus now I'll get an answer when I call and ask "How big is she now?!"

What gift are you most excited to give?

Free Dining Room Chairs....

2010-12-20T10:17:00.000-05:00

Scene : Me on the couch, snuggled in blankets watching Christmas movies.

The phone rings, it’s my mom.

Me : ‘Hi, whats up?’
Mom : ‘Are you still in bed?’
Me : ‘No….but I’m not dressed yet.’
Mom : ‘Okay, well remember those molded plastic chairs you saw at an auction two years ago?’
Me : ‘Yes…..the ones that were sitting in the corner of the room where the hot dogs were’ (I’ve since realized it’s very sad that I map things by their proximity to food)
Mom : ‘Well Mr. X just bought 40 of them for $5, do you want me to go see if I can buy a few for you?’
Me : (Sitting up now) ‘Yes! How many do you think we can get? What colors do they have?’
Mom : ‘There is a yellow and an orange. Do you want me to take a picture? How many do you want? 4?’
Me : ‘Sure, see if you can get 4 orange ones.’
Mom : ‘Okay bye’.
Me : ‘Bye’
Me : ‘WAAIT’

Mom : ‘Yes’.
Me : ‘I want 6, see if you can get 6.’

Well, I got 6 – for $10. I was a little surprised at first since Mr. X paid $5 total for all 40 that he would charge my mom $10 for 6, but she offered him $10 so she could go through the stack and pick out all the best ones (she’s a thinker). BUT THEN, my mom decided to buy an office (not the actual building just all the furniture inside it). [Sidenote: they were at an auction for a furniture manufacturer going out of business that has been based in my hometown for a very very long time]. She bought the whole office because my dad needed more file cabinets? and Mr. X (the same Mr. X who bought the chairs) was eyeing the file cabinets and said that he could use one of those. She said $10 and you can have one – he said ‘Here’s your $10 back’. So I *think* the chairs were technically free!

Short Version : We have chairs for the dining room. Yay! They look very similar to the molded plastic Eames chairs, but I haven’t seen them in person yet to confirm their origins. And the picture my mom sent seems to look exactly like a certain classic and will never go out of style Hermes orange.

Poor lighting cell phone pic from my mom

source

Maybe something like this? (above)

And I'm thinking that the hutch I picked up here, would get painted Farrow & Ball Mouse's Back (like the cabinets in the photo below) with a Hermes orange interior to let all the white china that is inside really pop.

I'm excited to have some type of plan, even if it doesn't pan out -

What do you think?

4th & Folded GIVEAWAY

2010-12-16T12:50:00.000-05:00

There is a giveaway up on the Fourth & Folded blog today.
Click HERE to check it out!

Even if it doesn't tickle your fancy, it would make a great stocking stuffer :)
Sneak peek below -

Good Luck!

DIY : Geometric Rug

2010-12-05T20:03:00.000-05:00

Last weekend when we went home for Thanksgiving we picked up a table for the dining room. Meaning, maybe its time to start pulling that room together........I had been looking online for an inexpensive rug for the room without much luck. I wanted something geometric and fairly neutral; but didn't want to spend a fortune on it since my husband is prone to spilling.

I picked up this $40 rug at Ikea, and got to work laying out a link pattern with 1" blue painters tape.

I'm not going to lie, taping everything off was not a quick process.

After everything was taped off I started painting. I'm not going to say this was a huge success, the paint is pretty uneven in places. I would recommend doing a less contrasting color (if I were doing it again). But o'well. I used Benjamin Moore flat paint, in Weimaraner.

I still need to touch up the edges, so I haven't pulled off the tape there yet.

Is it perfect? Nope.
But for ~$60, its good enough for me, for now :)

Supplies :
1 Ikea Erslev Cotton Rug (5'11" x 8'2") ~$40
2 Rolls 1" Painters Tape (used just a little over one roll) ~$4
1 Quart Paint (only used about half) ~$15

Knock, Knock....

2010-12-04T08:50:00.000-05:00

To go along with our new black front door, we need a door knocker. The door used to have one, and the previous owners decided to take it with them (along with the vanities in the bathrooms and 90% of the outlet covers - so odd). Anyways, I turned to my standby - Etsy :)

The first one that came up on my search was this :

I guess it serves as a reminder that if the house is a rock'n don't come a knock'n? I'm very weirded out by this.

But in all seriousness -

Option A : Vintage Brass with an area to engrave our last name $25+s/h
This is the most traditional option -

Option B : Vintage Brass Lion (awwww) $28 + s/h
He's cute and he reminds me of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

Option 3 : Solid Brass Pinapple $15 + s/h
This reminds me of college, I went to school in Rhode Island and there were pineapples on 80% of the doors of the older homes in Newport and Providence since pineapples are a symbol of hospitality. According to the legend, it began with New England sea captains, who would spear pineapples on a fence post outside their homes after returning from the Caribbean islands, to let friends know of his safe return from sea. The pineapple was an invitation for them to visit, share his food and drink, and listen to tales of his voyage.

Option 4 : Vintage Brass Whale $68 + s/h (most $$ but he's so cute and comes from Maine)
I'm not sure how I feel about whatever is coming out of his belly; but I kind of love him.....a lot. Although we are not near the water, so it might be odd to have a whale on our door?

Please tell me which is your favorite, because as it stands right now we might end up with 4 door knockers on our door, which is probably overkill.

Our house is getting GRILLZ....

2010-12-03T11:18:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I posted about our house, things are progressing, but I have a problem where I never fully finish something and therefore never take pictures. Examples to include: Island that is still missing hardware, striped stair railing that needs new paint, kitchen that still needs paint on 1 wall, half done molding in the bedroom, half built wreath on the living room floor....
I could go on, I get so excited about new projects and then the old ones just seem 'eh'. This weekend is dedicated to finishing SOME of the projects...and cleaning. I have an overwhelming urge to purge.

Anyways, I know Christmas hasn't even rolled around yet, but I'm already planning out our spring to-do list. I've been LOVING glossy black front doors recently, and really want for my own.
This is the current state of the exterior.

This is what my glossy black front door might look like :
(Plus, we have to buy a cute new knocker since the previous owners TOOK it, and left two holes in the front door - awesome right?)

Okay, clearly I cannot add another color to the exterior scheme, plus EW! baby blue trim needs to GO! (what were they thinking?) and we might as well match the shutters to the door since evergreen and yellow combo isn't really my thing either.

Much better already right?

And maybe a little detail would help the situation. The windows are actually good quality windows, that tilt in for washing (bonus) so we don't want to replace them, but they are boring, and I want to add grillz.

No, not those kind :)

See, more character right?

And while we are at it.....

Lets help out that lawn situation a bit (boy job).

And ideally, there will be some hydrangea bushes in my future.

What do you think?

Minimal investment for increased curb apeal? Or do you like the evergreen/baby blue combo?

*Please excuse my photoshop skills, I really do know how to use the program, but I made these in all of 5 minutes while waiting for something at work :)

Happy Turkey Day!

2010-11-25T08:04:00.001-05:00

Renting Mother Nature....

2010-11-23T19:59:00.000-05:00

Christmas is looming around the corner. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited - in fact my decorations have been brought up from the basement (but not put out yet, I'll wait until after Thanksgiving). BUT I have no idea what to get for people that already have everything.
I think the hubs and I are going to be lame and buy ourselves a new mattress for Christmas - we are so exciting, I know.
I was thinking about getting Rent Mother Nature leases for a few people I have absolutely NO idea what to get.
This is from their site :

Here's How It Works

1 We farm for you: We have a network of farmers, dedicated to sustainable agriculture, who will deliver a share of their absolutely fresh harvest to your gift recipient's door.

2 We send the Lease Document to your gift recipient: The lease is a handsome parchment-like certificate that is beautifully illustrated, embossed with a gold seal, and personalized with the name of your recipient. This is sent at the time the lease is ordered (or at a time of your choosing) along with an illustrated Gift Announcement (which includes your gift message) describing the program you selected. You can also choose to have the Lease sent to you for personal presentation.

3 We keep the 'Lessees' up-to-date with Progress Reports: As the crop is nurtured, informative and entertaining newsletters are sent to your recipients -keeping them up-to-date about the harvest season. As a humorous option we'll even go out and take an action photo of their tree, hive, cow, sheep, or field hard at work and mail it with one of the Reports.

4 We deliver the Harvest: 'Tis the season... The fresh and natural harvests are delivered right to the door. Yields are guaranteed, along with your complete satisfaction. We do all the work and you get all the raves (while helping America's family farms).

What do you think? Would you be excited about getting fresh cheese and supporting local farmers?
What are you buying for people this year?

Illegal Biscuits....

2010-11-18T21:40:00.000-05:00

A number of you lovely readers and followers commented on this tweet the other day :

Apologies for the terrible cell phone photo, but yes - they were delicious. And really really easy. I promised a few people a recipe so here it goes :

I didn't really have a recipe so I'm just going to tell you what I did and let you improve upon that -

1. Buy Pillsbury Grand Buttermilk Biscuits

2. Cut in half, then cut in half again to get 4 'bite-size' pieces per biscuit.

3. Melt some butter, probably like a stick, maybe a little less (I don't know because I didn't make a whole batch).

4. Add in fun stuff. I chose parmesean cheese (to give a nice cheesy crust) and cut up some bacon. We almost always have a bag of cooked bacon in our fridge - is that weird? I hope not. Its kind of my favorite.

5. Bake according to the directions on the package - maybe a little less since they are smaller, I didn't really time them, just took them out when they looked a little brown.

Sorry for the least precise recipe in history, but go make them now.
Now.

Pinterest Obsession....

2010-11-17T16:11:00.000-05:00

I’ve discovered two new things lately.

1. A new (reaffirmed) love for writing with Ultra Fine Tip Sharpies.

2. Pinterest (thanks to Brooke for the invite).

image

How does it work?
You get a little button on your favorites bar (much like the CraigsEasy button, if you did that) and then you can *pin* images and place them onto different boards in your collection. Its super easy.

Why is pinterest so great?
It just is.

I don’t have to save images on my computer anymore, freeing up precious hard drive space – (and you don’t have to worry about a crash).
I can save images anywhere (home or work) and they all go to the same place.
It keeps the source of the image. So if I’m posting an image of a DIY project into my ‘Thing to Make’ board, I can always click on the image when I actually get around to wanting to make said item and get the directions. No more bookmarking tutorials. I would also think this would make a great cookbook…..I may need to start a food board.
You can share with other people and other people can see your collections. I signed up using my twitter account so I’m automatically following the people I follow on twitter who also have a Pinterest account (and you don’t have to ask them to follow you, or request to be their friend or anything :)). You can also follow other people whose collections, or single boards, strike your fancy.

Basically it’s a visual reminder of a million things I like, in one place, that is easy to access and contribute to. It’s a virtual sketchbook and I’m obsessed.

I have 5 invites to give away – who wants one?

We're Expecting!

2010-11-09T15:00:00.000-05:00

We'll folks, it's official -

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If everything goes as planned, a special someone will be born December 19th.

We have narrowed down our shortlist of names and I have one in particular I'm rooting for.

The best part of this pregnancy? No stretching, weight gain, random food cravings or morning sickness here - (okay, well random food cravings are actually part of my everyday existance) - but the absence of all other symptoms is due to the fact that someone else is doing all the baby making for us -

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Four little paws will be scratching up our hardwood floors in no time, and I coudn't be more excited.

A few fun facts about our puppy process :

We will have been waiting for 6 months before we get to take our little guy/gal home. It has felt SO long and we still have a few months to go. Our new arrival will come home with us in February if everything goes as planned. I can't imagine 9/10 months of an actual pregnancy.

It will cost us almost 4 times more money to get puppy, than it would be to have a baby. I know over time, things will swing the other way, but I find it pretty amusing. (I'm comparing the hospital delivery costs after insurance, to our adoption fee.) Crazy right?

CraigsEasy....

2010-11-01T10:13:00.000-04:00

The people behind CraigEasy contacted me a few weeks ago after seeing my post on 6 tips to Mastering Craigslist and I regret to say I didn't have a chance to test it out until now. I had a bit of time this weekend and finally got around to testing it out, and was so excited I finally did! Basically their 'Easy' button translates all the endless Craiglist listings into only titles with images.

It makes scrolling through the endless listings SO much faster. There is no program to install either, simply go to their site CraigsEasy.com and drag the orange 'Easy' button to your tool-bar area. (They have two quick videos you can watch if you aren't sure what I'm talking about.) Visit craigslist as you normally would and search for whatever you like, then hit the easy button on your toolbar and it will translate the site into image like the photo above! If you click on a listing it will bring you to the standard craigslist listing.
So easy!
We may be having Thanksgiving at our house this year, so I'm on the prowl for a decent table and chairs to accomodate our guests!

What do you think? Will you CraigsEasy?

*I was contacted by the people behind CraigsEasy alerting me to their site, I have not received anything for this review.

Last Minute Halloween Prep....

2010-10-31T20:29:00.000-04:00

This will be our first Halloween in the new house. We were forewarned by our neighbors to buy lots of candy, since apparently our neighborhood is a trick-or-treating Mecca. People come from all the surrounding towns to hit our neighborhood due to the close proximity of houses and abundance of sidewalks. We have been slowly stocking up on candy, and while I still need to get some more, that is the least of my concerns. We have been in our house for 5 months now and there is one room that is still entirely empty, the future dining room. As luck would have it, this is the ONLY room that you can see from the front door. I freaked out that our neighbors were going to think we were crazy people with no furniture in their house handing candy out to their kids.

So I pulled together a make-shift dining room, using things we already had in other parts of the house. It works for now at least, although completely out of scale.

I put two large cracks in the plaster wall hanging frames. Awesome.

I also carved ~~pumpkins~~ Funkins. I was really not feeling the cleaning pumpkin guts thing, so I bought fake ones. I don’t think my mom was impressed. I’m not a scary face pumpkin kind of girl, so I just carved our address, (in size 666 font of course).

Happy Halloween!

Bespoke Silhouette Bangles....

2010-10-19T20:57:00.000-04:00

Some people choose to engrave their wedding bands with their wedding date or names - but this is taking that to a whole new level! At Cameo by RUX you can create a custom band with a using the profile of your loved one!
Can you see the profile of the faces?

I'm pretty sure this is the coolest thing since sliced bread.
AND for those of us that already have our wedding rings, they have bespoke bangles!

Now I just need to figure out which anniversary is 'Resin' so I can convince the boy to buy me one!
Images from Cameo by RUX

Handwritten Notes....

2010-10-15T09:09:00.000-04:00

I'm taking a page from one of my favorite bloggers (and people!) Meredith. If you don't follow her over at &Unlimited you are missing out on fabulous photos, a cute dog named Orvis and fun words like 'micnic'.

Once a week she does "Magazine Mondays" ~ this is my version.

My new issue of Martha Stewart Living arrived this week and I was immediately drawn to the section entitled "Worth Doing Well - Thank You Notes".

Stationery by 4th&Folded, Photo by &Unlimited

Thank-You notes are such a simple way to show gratitude, and in today's digital age I think they have become more meaningful than ever before. As the article states "How often do you post emails on your fridge or place them in a keepsake box under your bed?" I'll admit I'm guilty of not sending them nearly often enough.

The author, Abigail Libers, suggests a few quick tips to achieving the perfect thank-you ~

1. Timing - In today's age it is entirely appropriate to send a quick email first if the gift arrived in the mail letting the sender know it arrived safe. You should always follow up with a handwritten note in a few days.
If you are anything like me, and sending notes promptly is not always the case, don't start the note with an apology, mention it as a PS. Ex. 'PS. If I had a nickel for every time I thought to send this'

2. Start and End on positive notes, and avoid starting with 'Thank-You' as it shows a lack of imagination. (I'm guilty of this one too!) Be specific, include the occasion it was received for and details of how you plan on using the gift. Its always nice to mention if someone has complimented you on the gift!

3. 'If it came in wrapping paper, you should write a note' - Margaret Shepherd.

My own personal tip, is to have stationery that you love on hand - its much easier to remember to send a note quickly if you don't have to go out searching for the perfect card! On that note, I think I'm going to go design some -

7 things you may not know about me....

2010-10-14T08:39:00.000-04:00

Kristin over at Bien Living graced me with this :

With this award, I am supposed to pass the award on to 5 other bloggers, and list 7 things that you may not know about me-

Tag You're It...
Bijou Lovely
Minted Life
Nodakademic
Life After Lobster
Moments Pass Slow

7 Things
1. If given the opportunity I will eat Nutella straight out of the jar, and it be gone in less than a week.

2. I have ‘practice – sketchbooks’ and real sketchbooks. I’m too nervous to write all my thoughts/ideas down in my ‘actual’ sketchbook. I think this is from years of reading ‘found lost sketchbooks’ type things from long-dead architects. What if I write a stupid note to myself and someone finds it 200 years from now. Perfectionist much?

3. I don’t have a Mac. I always get gasps about this one since I’m a ‘designer’ and all. 2 Reasons a) They didn’t make AutoCAD for Macs until very recently (like within the past few weeks). b) The boy is an engineer, he can fix/take apart/re-build a PC no-problem, but a Mac would be the equivalent of Chinese finger trap for him. I enjoy having my IT staff in-house.

4. When I lived in Italy I didn’t like wine. Tragic, I know, and I think about it every-single-day. Talk about a wasted opportunity. I still drank it of course, but I didn’t appreciate it like I would now. I love wine now.

5. It really bothers me when my toenails are shorter than the end of my toe. I don’t like seeing the nail stop short of where it wants to go, it is trying to protect the top of my toe (which I need because I’m consistently clumsy) and I’m going to let it do its job; much to the chagrin of my pedicurists.

6. I'm loose (and not in the sexual way). I'm very flexible, especially in my arms/shoulders. If my hands are handcuffed behind my back, my shoulders are flexible enough to allow me to rotate them around to the front of my body. I should do a video of this - it's kind of gross.

7. I only wear my hair completely down maybe 30 days a year. It's curly and unruly and I'm lazy.

Reason #7904 I love my husband....

2010-10-13T09:50:00.000-04:00

On a recent trip to Home Depot, while perusing the moulding section, my husband casually suggested maybe we do black moulding instead of white.
I just about melted in his arms right there.

Images from Lonny

it is not me....

2010-10-11T16:13:00.000-04:00

I have google alerts set up to monitor my name/business/etc. The spelling of my first name is not a common way of spelling it, so I don’t get too many un-related hits. There is, however, a plus size model – whose name is exactly the same as mine. Typically she’s a good girl and her photos are pretty. But apparently she’s down on her luck because I got a hit today which included my, ~~her,~~ our? name and a number of graphic keywords from mstrbate dot com (no I didn’t click on the link).

Just in case you were concerned, it is not me.

Do you share your name with anyone?

Happy Early Holidays....

2010-10-10T22:04:00.000-04:00

I had a few spare minutes over the weekend (and by spare I mean, time acquired by procrastinating the finish any of the other projects I had already started), and decided to whip up a few potential Christmas card designs. I'm trying to be really proactive about getting our cards out early this year, since I never got around to sending out 'We've Moved' cards and I want people to know our new address (because getting snail mail is my favorite thing ever).

Design [A] : Bow

Design [B] : Ribbon

I may still make some tweaks to the colors, or completely change it up....only time will tell.
I think we'll probably end up with Option [B] since the boy thinks Option [A] is a little sexist, but then again he wont see or sign them before they go out, and would likely never know.....

Which is your favorite?

Adore Home

2010-10-08T10:32:00.000-04:00

I have to admit that I'm loving all the online magazines as of late.
Have you seen this one yet? Adore Home
It's full of bright pops of color, classic lines and essentially, right up my alley.

image source

How do you feel about online magazines?

Spray Painting Things White....

2010-10-06T08:03:00.000-04:00

I think I’m over this spray-painting everything white trend. I swear I get at least one post/day in my google reader where someone is spraying an inanimate object white.

I’m not over spray painting things (far from it) – but there are so many pretty colors out there; why does everything have to be white?
Even if it looked pretty my husband would call it ‘clutter’, so maybe I’m just jealous?
Are you ON IT or OVER IT?

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Weekend Update : October 1-2

2010-10-04T22:02:00.000-04:00

Weekend Update!
Kitchen:
I picked up more white Ritva curtains at Ikea with a rod on Friday. I added some navy grosgrain to the sides and bottom of the curtains to match the roman shades I made for the windows on the other side of the house (same room). I need to get a sheer panel or some bamboo shades? to put behind the curtains.

You can also see the color I decided to paint the chairs – I love how it pops with the blue wall! Still haven’t repainted the table.

The island doors got more coats of paint and are almost done and ready to go back on the cabinet.

Master Bedroom :
We started installing faux-paneling in the bedroom, we got two walls done – 1 to go! This was more of a challenge than we anticipated since our walls are apparently anything but straight, I guess that’s the territory with an 90+ year old house. I’ll hopefully start painting sometime this week. The color above (which I realized I never posted about) is BM Kendall Gray. We still have to install the crown moulding. All the moulding and area below the chair rail will be painted white.

Random :
In between the thousand trips outside to cut the moulding we left the door open a few times…..and ended up with a squirrel in our house. He was sneaky and fast; we *think* he’s gone.

It was also chilly enough Sunday morning to warrant a fire in the fireplace (our first in the new house) and it was lovely!

How was your weekend?

The Big D-Word....

2010-10-04T11:42:00.000-04:00

One of our friends recently announced that he and his wife are getting a divorce. They are our age 26-28ish but have been married for 6-8 years (don’t remember exactly when) and have 3 kids. We hung out with the two of them fairly recently and they seemed absolutely fine (and I know you can put on a show and pretend everything is fine, but she was sitting on his lap/arms around his neck, etc. – it really didn’t look like a show). We weren’t the only ones who were blindsided, apparently he (the husband) was as well.
Anyways, it got me thinking a few things

1. How can you be blindsided by divorce? I understand if the person is cheating, or leading some secret double life, but that is not the case in this situation. Did they not talk? And if not, wouldn’t you want to try and make an effort – at least for the sake of your three young kids to talk things out before leaving? Do you wake up and decided you do not love the person anymore or realize you do not like the life you created for yourself and decide you want out? Don’t you think that the other person deserves to hear your concerns and try and fix things if they want (which he does) before you just decide it’s over? I honestly just don’t get it.

2. The second thing is that it’s making me feel really old. Are we really at that point where our friends are getting divorced?

I’ve been lucky to be surrounded by happily married couples growing up. My parents, grandparents and almost all my friends parents are still happily married. I do understand that some situations warrant separation, but also think that when you get married and have children you give up some* of your rights to your personal happiness, for the sake of your family.

What are your thoughts on divorce?

*I really mean some, like not being able to go on vacation whenever you like, or choosing to get your child braces instead of those designer shoes you’ve been eyeing.

Power Tool Wish List....

2010-09-30T21:04:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned before, my parents came down a few weekends ago for my birthday and to help us build the island for our kitchen. Within an hour of their arrival our backyard had been transformed into a complete workshop. My dad had let us borrow one of his miter saws previously, but he brought a bigger, better one to use; a table saw; compressor with nail gun (makes finish nailing so much easier); a router with attachments galore and all sorts of other fun (IMO) things to help us get the job done right. I was most jealous of his multi-max and his kreg jig.

He was not surprised to learn that I wanted all of these things and that I had watched many a late-night/early-morning infomercials on power tools.
We would definitely tackle more projects if we had the proper tools on hand. But, we don’t, so we have to schedule our big projects around my parents schedule and whenever they feel like making the 5.5hr drive (each way) to visit me, instead of playing with their new grand-daughter. Anyways, we are slowly trying to build up our tool arsenal.

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So far we have:
Random Orbital Sander
Borrowed Double-Compound sliding miter saw
Circular Saw
Power Drill
Craftsman rotary tool
Levels, Squares, Clamps, Multiple Drill Bits….I’m sure I’m forgetting something.

WANTS:
Kreg-Jig ~ $100
Table-Saw ~$200 - $400
Dremel Multi-Max ~ $100
Plunge Router (I think I can get an attachment to do this with my rotary tool ~$30) ~$100 new
Dremel Trio ~ $100 (I could live without this *for now*)
Finish nailer w/ compressor ~$300 (ouch, I think we’ll use our trusty hammer and nail set for a while)

Admittedly, my list isn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. All my wish-list items are less than the cost of this stool.*
I’m stalking all these power tools on Ebay; unfortunately there aren’t too many good deals to be had there either.

I’m thinking about taking a week off sometime this winter to make the trek to Maine and take (what I’m dubbing) ‘Dad’s Cabinet Building Class’. Building things is really so much easier and more convenient when you have gazillions of tools at your disposal and a space designed specifically for building. It’s no fun having to do projects in stages and clean up after each part because you have guests coming over and are currently using your dining room as a workshop. Although I’m not sure how I would get said cabinets back to Mass. the Volvo could probably handle a few, but I might need some cross bars.**

What home-improvement tools are on your wish list?

*You are seeing my powers of rationalization in progress here.
**Christmas List Hint.

Lamp Redo....

2010-09-29T20:26:00.000-04:00

We've had these two cheap target lamps since we first moved in together. We didn't even pay anything for them; we found them on the side of the road near our apartment. I wasn't really loving them in our new living room but floor lamps are not cheap! (and we needed 2) so we decided to make due for now.

I picked up a can of Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint and went to town....

Big difference in only about 10 minutes....but they still looked like well, cheap target lamps.
These shades that came with the lamps I bought for our bedroom....but I hated them on those lamps and had already bought other shades - these were just sitting in our basement.

They look a little odd when they are illuminated since you can still tell the plastic shade is inside. It's good enough for now though; and much improved for the minimal $5~$6 spray paint cost.

Have you completed any dirt cheap make-overs recently?

Stool decisions....

2010-09-27T12:08:00.000-04:00

Now that our kitchen island/peninsula/bar (I can't figure out what exactly to call it) is almost complete, I have been on the lookout for some stools to accessorize with.
We had some people over this weekend and I can already tell it's going to change the function of our kitchen 10-fold; entertaining is so much easier now!

Anways, back to the stools in question.

Option A : the option my husband requested that I'm not really considering because it doesn't fit ~~our~~ my kitchen vision at all.

Option B : Bertoia Stools

Option C : Emeco Navy Stools

Option D : LEM Piston Stool

Which would you choose? Do you have any other suggestions I should consider?

I don't know how to be NOT busy....

2010-09-24T08:43:00.000-04:00

I don’t know how to be not busy.

If I’m ‘busy’ I don’t have time to do other mundane/less exciting things, like cleaning....or working out.
So I’ve surrounded myself with my work, and my business, and our house; and created thousands (probably) unnecessary projects with which to occupy my time so I can stay busy and avoid those unmentionable tasks without feeling guilty about it.

I can’t sit on the couch and do nothing (unless we are watching a movie, and even then no promises). I am almost always doing more than one thing at a time, not doing so feels unproductive. If I'm watching one of 'my' shows I'm also likely working on designs for clients, stalking other people's blogs, or shopping for anywhere from 1-6 items online. On average I have 8-10 tabs open with different windows....and sometimes two browsers. It's a problem.

I’ve been starting to feel a bit burnt out lately. I want to do more things than I have time. Like read more, plant a garden, fix up our house, learn to cook, blog more regularly and be more physically active. But I know that I’ll just substitute one thing for another and still be busy – as I said before, I don’t know how not to be.

I've tried limiting the amount of clients I take on at a particular time, but then someone will email me, and their project sounds fun and interesting and I squeeze them in. And again, and again.

I think I need that time-travel thing Hermione has.

Do you have a good life-balance? What do you do to make sure you have time for everything you want (and have) to do?

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Birthday Present Sneak Peek....

2010-09-23T08:28:00.000-04:00

Want to see a sneak peek of one of my birthday presents?

Obviously it's not quite done in this photo.....and to be honest it's not quite done in real life :)
It adds SO much usable counter space to our kitchen.
I have step-by-step photos documenting the process and will *hopefully* have a finished product photo soon!

I like to cook?

2010-09-22T12:02:00.000-04:00

Fall is bringing about a previously unknown desire to cook.
Or maybe its because my husband makes really healthy things and when I cook I can add real ingredients. We're talking whole milk and butter here people; people shouldn't have to go without them.
I'm a pretty lazy cook though; one, two pots max - which is probably why I have a strange addiction to making soups right now. Everything in one pot that I don't have to monitor constantly? sign me up.

Good things to come....

2010-09-20T08:31:00.001-04:00

I'm officially the big 2 - 6.
I predict good things to happen this year.

Calories definately don't count on your birthday. And if you ask me, they don't count for anyone who chooses to celebrate with you either :)

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Birthday Wish-List (the male version)....

2010-09-15T08:04:00.000-04:00

The boy's birthday was yesterday - he gave me his birthday wish list at 8:30AM the day OF his birthday. Although this is pretty standard (he does not share information in a timely manner), he's usually quite punctual to actual events, in fact we get to the movie theater 20 minutes early every time.

Anyways, this is one version of a 28 year-old boy's birthday wish-list :

Wusthof Classic 8" Chef knife

32" LED LCD (for the bedroom)

BB GUN (we have a large population of unsavory animals in our backyard which he thinks he can scare away if he had a gun) there is a skunk in particular that keeps digging holes in our yard. I'm pretty sure this is not what he had in mind, but if I had to buy one it would be this :

Magazine rack for the bathroom - (seriously, this is on his list).

Rotary Tiller - he has grand plans to dig up our backyard and replace all the grass. He does not like the grass we have now, he says it makes him sick just to look at it. I'm pretty sure its standard grass.

Landscape Plans for the Backyard -

Obviously I did not get him any of these things, as I do tend to shop BEFORE the actual BIRTHDAY, unlike some people. I feel this is a pretty random list of things. Knives and guns to landscape plans and magazine racks? Who did I marry?

I heart September....

2010-09-14T08:57:00.000-04:00

September is my favorite, and not just because it's my birth month. I love the weather - I love that I can eat hearty soup, wear sweaters and snuggle under blankets - but that I don't have to wear a jacket and when the sun is out it's still warm. I love the way September sounds, at least in the northeast, it is rustle-y; the leaves are turning and they are crunchy and you can hear it everywhere. I love the apple cider and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
But anyways, my birthday is in less than a week - woohoo! I'll be a ripe old 26. I was asked to put together a list of gift suggestions :

Dolce & Gabbana - Light Blue (I love this scent, and I'm out).

50mm Prime Lens

Pretend Wide Angle Lens

A deep tissue massage

Tory Burch Reva Flats

A Classic Burberry Trench (always on my list, will probably never happen)

Some art for our walls, like this Boston Diptych, by StudioKMO

I would love a personalized city print to commemorate our wedding by JHill, like this one Meredith got -

or maybe a Ork Poster of Boston?

and I think these books would look fabulous on our bookshelves, once we get bookshelves that is.

The boy turned 28 this morning - I'll share his birthday list with you later (as I recieved it all of 15 minutes ago) he's a little behind schedule :)

Whats on your wishlist?

....and we have a winner!

2010-09-03T14:18:00.000-04:00

We have a winner for the 6 Mushtache Me! prints.

Comment #24 - which was....... momentspassslow !

Congrats! I hope they provide ample conversation for your new bathroom :)
Just send me an email with your address and I'll get these shipped off to you!

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Mustache Me!

2010-08-30T10:07:00.001-04:00

Hola! I'm back from vacation, rested and relaxed :)
While I was gone my little blog surpassed 50 followers - yay!
In honor of that I've decided to do a little giveaway!

Even though we moved into our house 3 months ago we hardly have anything hanging on the walls yet, sometimes all that blank space gets a little depressing - so I whipped up some 'typography art' to make my office a little warmer, and decided to give away a set to warm someone else's walls as well!

It is a series of 6 open curly brackets (those little keys next to the P on your keyboard) in a variety of fonts to represent mustaches.

Each mustache is affectionately named after it's font namesake.

The giveaway consists of all 6 Mustache Me! 5x7 prints, printed on 100% cotton Crane Lettra {frames not included}. I chose to frame my set but I think they would look equally interesting hung with binder clips-

There are three ways to enter!

1. Comment below with MUSTACHE ME! and where you would hang these.

and/or

2. Follow @fourthandfolded on Twitter (if you’re not already following) and tweet this:
I entered to win 6 MUSTACHE ME! prints on @fourthandfolded’s blog! http://shorl.com/sopyfradryfrahy
…and then come back here and leave another comment with a link to your tweet.

and/or

3. Follow ClassicallyModern Nest (if you're not already following) and leave another comment saying so.

GOOD LUCK! A winner will be chosen Friday, September 3rd.

6 Tips to Mastering CraigsList....

2010-08-11T13:45:00.000-04:00

After my recent craigslist finds this pretty lady asked me to share some of my Craigslist searching tips. At first I really didn’t think I had any, but after giving it a little thought I came up with a few lessons learned for searching techniques.

Some of her questions were:

Q. Do you go on every day?
A. Sometimes, sometimes not. Most likely I’ll go on when I have a few down moments at work and my google reader is empty.

Q. Do you search multiple times a day?
A. Sometimes, sometimes not – it really depends how my day is going. I usually run a few searches just after lunch. I figure people have posted items during their lunch break and often times you MUST be the first one to email/call since the good things go FAST.

Q. Do you search for something in particular?
A. Yes and no. If you search for something really particular you may limit your results. Often people don’t know what they have, or don’t know the correct name for it and will call it something else or just describe it. (see Tip #5 below)

So here we go, 6 Tips to Mastering CraigsList

Tip #1 : Always check the ‘HAS IMAGE’ box.
I think this is pretty self-explanatory. I don’t have time to chase around looking at things, especially since I would never buy 90% of the things on Craigslist. If there is no image it’s a deal killer right off the bat.

Tip #2 : Know that everyone is not as smart as you.
For example – if you are looking for a scretAry desk, you should probably search for secretEry desk as well. Crate and BarELL is another popular one.

Tip #3 : Take into account local vernacular.
People around here (Boston) refer to DRAWERS as DRAW. (We are not talking about a small percentage of the population either – seriously do a Boston search for ‘DRAW’ just for fun). You will see FIVE DRAW, THREE DRAW, CENTER DRAW and the list goes on. (How they think ‘draw’ is even plural I have no idea.)

Tip #4 : Run 2 or 3 searches for the same thing.
I would love to own a letterpress. I’ll often search under “LETTERPRESS” then “LETTER PRESS” and finally “LETTER+PRESS” and usually I’ll throw in a “PRINTING+PRESS” just for fun.

Tip #5 : Understand that not everyone knows what they have.
If I were looking for a mid-century chair I could search under

Mid Century, Mid-Century, MCM, Mid Century Modern and get results. But these people know what they have, and usually they want a lot of $$ for it.

But if you look for Plastic Chair you can find something like this :

I had to zoom out to capture the first image, but if you can read the top of the it says $135 (thats a $105 difference!).

Tip #6 : Do a ‘LIKE’ search.
Again, people don’t always know what they have – but they may know it looks LIKE something from a Pottery Barn catalog, etc. Chances are these items will be much less than their name-brand counterparts but still have the same look.

Anyways, those are my helpful hints.
Do you have any of your own to share?

Mudroom Built-Ins....

2010-08-09T21:08:00.001-04:00

I've already confessed my love for built-ins. And this weekend we tackled our first 'semi-major' DIY built-in project.

Obligatory before shots:

I designed a simple cube shelving unit, made with 1x12's.... (this was before I put in the interior dividers)

We attached it to the wall by resting it on a 1x6 that we had already attached. Then started filling it in with 1x3's and quarter-round to create a 'paneling' look below, added the mini-crown molding for a more integral look and some wooden corbels for a little detail and intrigue.

We (read I) started priming -

And then added a few coats of semi-gloss Benjamin Moore Simply White. This is the view when you enter from the side door.

And now we have an out-of-the-way spot for jackets (we had a coat tree in the corner that I kept running into). With baskets for mittens and other winter necessities above.

I'm not 100% sure of the exact project cost but I'm pretty sure it was under $125. I definitely think we added more than $125 of value to the house - do you agree?

My 2nd Craigslist Buy....

2010-08-03T22:00:00.000-04:00

You saw my first purchase just a few days ago here.
Well, just a few days later I scooped up this:

(1) Solid Oak table (with extension leaf - not shown)
(4) Solid Oak chairs
For a Grand Total of $100.

I'm going to paint both, although - I'm a slightly partial to leaving the table black.
What color would you paint the chairs?
A bright POP of color or black to match the table?

Why Must Fabric be So Expensive?

2010-08-02T13:22:00.001-04:00

I’ve been on a mad search for curtains for the past week.

I found these at Pottery Barn :

..which I love, but do not love the price. We need two sets of them which means 4 panels, which means ~$450 – and that is not in our budget.

So, I decided they would be much cheaper if I sucked it up and made them myself.

Note to future self: When calculating how much fabric is required divide by 3 (3 feet in a yard) and you will not have a mini heart-attack next time.

I did NOT need 30 yards of fabric, I merely needed 10 (4 panels at 2.5 yards ea.). Which made the prices of fabric much more reasonable….rookie mistake.

Then I decided that maybe those curtains would make the room too heavy; too formal and not punchy and fun. I like punchy and fun, and I feel like curtains are a good place to do that. I found and fell in love with this fabric:

High Voltage by Schumacher

And then fell of my chair when I realized it was $90/yard (which would be DOUBLE the pottery barn curtains). I mess up sewing all too often to buy fabric that is $90/yard no matter how perfect I think it may be.
Back to the drawing board I went.

My 1st CraigsList Buy....

2010-07-30T08:04:00.002-04:00

If you follow me on twitter you may have seen this :

"Dear twitter world, I'm going to pick up some furniture I found on craigslist (by myself). Wish me luck in not getting murdered -"

Well, I survived my first craigslist encounter (although I couldn't fit everything in my car, so I have to do a second pick-up on Saturday morning.)

Here is what I got :
2 Clayton Marcus Wingback chairs
4 Hammory Mahogany pieces including : 1 end table w/ drawer, 1 taller table w/ pull outs for drinks on each side, 1 wall table and 1 couch table. All solid wood!

All 6 pieces for a grand total of : $200!!!!!
I was super excited. I got home, all hopped up on my furniture deal find, to someone (who shall remain nameless, but hint hint I live with him) who accused me of "stealing some grandmother's furniture".
Whatever, he's lame.
It's not like I would actually keep the furniture as is -

For the chairs, I plan on reapolstering them with a bright, geometric fabric like these:

And for the tables, I see HIGH HIGH HIGH gloss/laquer in bright colors. Like straight out of a Jonathan Adler catalog bright colors. And replace the hardware as well -

I'm thinking I need some turquoise furniture in my life, ASAP.

What do you think?
Bring Grandma's furniture back?
or
Do they have potential?

IMAGES : 1, 2, 3, 4

The Living Room Progress....

2010-07-29T08:04:00.001-04:00

First up – the Fireplace room - the before shots

I painted:

WALL COLOR : BM Grey Wisp

TRIM COLOR : BM Simply White

And we bought a new couch :

And just yesterday I purchased a rug to start helping anchor things down. I went with this Jill Rosenwald rug because A) I love love loved it after this girl bought it and B) the designer is from Boston.

I’m searching for curtains still (those are leftovers from our apartment), a coffee table (or maybe not if we get our built-in shelves going and can stop using our coffee table as a TV stand), an interesting lamp and small desk.

I also bought one of these for my ‘reading nook’ and am on the hunt for the perfect comfy blanket to casually drape over the side. Unfortunately, it won’t be delivered until October or something like that – and yes; it is a legit brand new Eames chair, not a knock-off (I got a great deal through work).

And sorry for the mess - my life is messy and I made an executive decision not to clean up before I took any of these pictures.

I'm thinking of either some texture-y khaki curtains or maybe some silk silver ones - do you have any good curtain resources?

A New Arrival....

2010-07-27T18:32:00.000-04:00

Long time no posts – sorry.

Everything on the house is taking a little bit longer than I anticipated, due both to lack of time and lack of funds.

4th&Folded has been much busier than I ever expected, which is both good and bad; but mostly good - it just means that things like this get pushed off :)

Anyways - I'm planning a series of posts about our house progress thus far BUT one big thing has happened since I last posted.

It has little hands...

And little (okay, well not so little) feet...

And loves really big yawns...

And to be cuddled by her great grandmother...

And goes by the name of Kendall...

And if you didn't figure it out by now, my brother had his baby!

*All photos by me.

2010-06-24T13:07:00.000-04:00

We issued a DNR* on my car this week. I think it’s just her time, although I must admit I’m not ready to see her go.

Story of my life, that when we actually move out of the city and need 2 cars (it has been less than a month) that my car breaks….bad.

Anyways – this means I need to go car shopping/test driving this weekend and the boy is still out of town for business, which means I have to go ALONE :(

Last time I went shopping alone it was for paint, (2 weeks ago), I was in the midst of painting and therefore did not have my wedding rings on.

Result = FREE PAINT

(Now before you get all judgey-pants, I wasn’t trying to get free paint; in fact I didn’t even realize I was missing my rings until I got back in the car).

So, when I go shopping for cars (where 99% of the dealers are men) should I *forget* to wear my rings and hope for a deal?
Or definitely keep them on so they don’t try to take advantage of a single lady?

Do you get more respect with or without the bling?

*Do not Resuscitate

Fabric Heven....

2010-06-24T08:04:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I died, and went to a little place called Fabric Heaven.
Okay, it's really called Zimmans.
It was totally sketchy to get to, but definately worth it.

They had an amazing selection of designer home decor fabrics at non-designery prices -

Racks upon racks of gorgeousness - (plus there is a full floor of trimmings below and two floors of refinished furniture above).

Some of my fabric favorites below - most were in the $20-$30/yard range

I could've spent SOOO much money here.
I ended up with this (below) for curtains for our bedroom -

And this (below) for my office curtains...

I'm particularly excited about the office curtains; I'm kind of in love with the color.

Do you have any great fabric stores?

We Bought a Couch....

2010-06-23T08:04:00.001-04:00

We bought a new couch this weekend! Saturday to be exact.
Sorry for the crappy phone pic -

It's a smokey navy color. And super comfy.
We can both lie down on it at the same time (but it's not quite wide enough to spoon) and yes we did test that out at the store.
I fell in love and bought it.

And then freaked out.
Debated calling and canceling for like 20 hours.
Decided to drive back to the store on Sunday and sit with her the next day to make sure I made the right decision. Played with all the other colors and fabric options and made two different sales people convince me to keep the couch.

I took more photos when I went back the 2nd time. (More crappy phone pics)

She looks more gray here - which I like.

I can't believe I was so indecisive about a couch. I think its because I wasn't really expecting to buy one - we kind of went shopping on a whim and don't really need a new couch. I got nervous, I didn't know if there was something else out there that I would love more (and could afford) - definitely more nervous buying a couch than I was to get married.

Do you go with your gut instinct on big purchases?
or do you have to review every other option out there to confirm you are making the right one?

Rush Hour and I are not friends....

2010-06-22T08:04:00.000-04:00

Buying a house for us meant moving outside the city where things were slightly less outrageous in price. I was fine with it since it would mean that I didn't have to take public transportation anymore (not a fan of other people sweating on me) but this whole rush hour traffic thing sucks.

While sitting in my car driving home today I realized that I spend $110 and 11.5 hours driving to get to work each week. That is almost $450/month and over 40 hours in driving - that's a whole additional work week!

Oh how I envy those of you who have a short commute; or gasp - work from home.

What is your commute like?

image source

Pillow Love....

2010-06-21T08:04:00.000-04:00

I happened to be browsing Etsy yesterday and came across the shop of WillaSkyeHome and her gorgeous pillows. Her site says she is an interior designer with a passion for chic home decor fabrics -

And chic they are - you know I cannot resist a bold/classic pattern in fun colors :)

Charcoal & Taupe Greek Key

Sky Blue & Ivory Quartrefoil

And Navy Blue Lattice Work are some of my favorites -

Alright, cleaning the drool off my keyboard now.
If you are in the market for pillows (or covers) I would check out her shop -

*all images taken from her Etsy page

Battle of the Brands....Paint Edition

2010-06-18T08:03:00.000-04:00

I’ve been going through an internal struggle of sorts and would like someone to please help me make up my mind.

It’s on paint – not colors; I’m even more indecisive with those, but brand.

I’ve googled paint critiques and reviews more than I care to admit and have found that most people say Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams are worth the few extra $$ over a home depot paint. So here is where the struggle comes in –

Benjamin Moore is more expensive, but closer to my house, people seem to prefer it a little more and I find I like their colors slightly better than Sherwin Williams (although I know anything can be color matched). We’ve used it in a few rooms so far and I love how it goes on.

Sherwin Williams is a little bit cheaper, a little further (not much) from our house and I have not used it before, but my dad has and he says good things.

SO, to further complicate the matter I asked for a A&D discount (Architects&Designers) when I bought paint at Benjamin Moore; they were more than happy to give me the discount and didn’t even ask for proof! However the discount was only a few dollars (this is not me complaining – anything helps) BUT Sherwin Williams offers 20% off.

So, my lovely readers, I come to you –

What is your preferred paint brand?
Would you take the bigger discount or the closer location?

image source

Dad to the Rescue : Upstairs Built-Ins

2010-06-17T08:17:00.000-04:00

Remember this photo?

Those doors that didn't close?
Well, my dad came to the rescue -

Oh yeah - check out that flush-ness (I think I made that word up).
Honestly, I was painting the kitchen while he was upstairs fixing the doors so I can't detail everything that happened, but I know all the doors were off at one point and outside being cut down. He stripped off the 90 years of paint build-up so that the doors could actually lie flush against the wall; and cut off some deformities from warping, etc.

He used my little circular saw:

and a upside down rubbermaid tub as a bench.

He's crafty. If it were me there would be a giant gash (or 7) in the rubbermaid tub from the saw, and we would be out at least 2 doors.

But my dad is nothing if not a perfectionist - he decided to replace all the latches on the doors as well.
They originally had these magnetic ones - they had lost their magnetism due to layers upon layers of paint -

He replaced them with these -

Are they fancy? Nope -
Do they work? Sure do -
Are they inexpensive? Yup -

I lined the shelves with some shelf liner from Home Depot (it's like contact paper, except not sticky, and a little cushiony). I think it was around $7.50/roll and I used 2 rolls.

And put all our ~~random crap~~ belongings into photo boxes to keep it a little more organized.

They still need some touch-ups but I think its a VAST improvement for the $25 we spent.

Mini-Deadlines....

2010-06-16T13:00:00.000-04:00

In life I operate on deadlines. If there is no deadline; it probably won’t get done. This only applies to my personal life though; things that effect me & the boy. If someone else is counting on me I usually try to complete the task ASAP –

This brings me to my internal deadline; yesterday the boy told me he was leaving on Sunday for 2 weeks in Utah. After the first rash of thoughts flew though my head (you are just telling me now?, who is going to take out the trash?, ***, what about the lawn?, what if something happens with the house?, what if my car breaks?, who’s going to cook my food?) and the second round (ah, the bed to myself for two weeks, all the trashy TV I want, no sporting events, ice cream for dinner) I realized that I wanted him to come back to a HOME not just a house. He’s been a little snarky lately about how everything is half-finished, half-unpacked, half-done.

So I’m setting a deadline for 2 weeks from now; to have at least 2 rooms (painted, unpacked and furnished)…and also to clean my side of the bedroom.

This involves -
Sanding/Priming/Painting 2 dressers : one is going in the half-bath downstairs (white) and one is going in our bedroom (black)
Sanding/Priming/Painting 1 bench : for the mudroom (black)
Sewing a Cushion for the mudroom bench
Buying a mirror for the downstairs bath (shopping I’m good at)
Painting the walls and Trim of the Half-Bath
Sewing roman shades (x2) for the Half-Bath (I have no idea how to do this but found pretty fabric)
Paint trim & Wainscoting in the fireplace room (white)

If I get to it – painting the upstairs bathroom and the master bedroom
Also, need to purchase curtains for our bedroom; a table for the boys side of the bed and two lamps (that match)

Unfortunately I think the rooms he wants to be completed first are the kitchen and our bedroom.
O’well – beggars can’t be choosers and he can’t be trusted with a paint-brush, which means things take longer.

Things are going to be busy around here -

Are you motivated? Or do you have to set mini-deadlines for yourself?

No House Projects This Weekend....

2010-06-11T09:13:00.000-04:00

No playing with the house this weekend – we are headed up to Maine for our first wedding of the season. It’s a BIG one, we are talking 230+ and should be a pretty fun time (minus the driving to get there). We called dibbs on being driven home by the pregnant girl after the reception, so bring on the libations.

The boy was offered BOX seats to Saturday night's Red Sox game and had to turn them down because of the wedding. I feel terrible since he doesn't really know the couple, I told him he didn't have to come with me and that he could go to the game and take his brother, but he said he would go to the wedding with me. I melted - he's such a good hubby.

I have a feeling this will be the largest wedding I’ll probably ever attend –
Which do you prefer? Large weddings or intimate gatherings?
or would you be at the Sox game? :)

Are you Afraid of the Dark?

2010-06-10T22:28:00.001-04:00

Last time I left you with this pretty blue wall :)

Before we primed; we taped, patched existing holes and sanded.
I didn't tape this room, the boy did - we ended up with duct tape instead of painters tape (we were actually using frog tape) in some places (NOT RECOMMENDED).
I guess this pretty much solidifies the fact that we are from Maine and will try to duct tape anything.

Then the boy also decided to vacuum the walls in lieu of wiping them down pre-paint.
In case you haven't seen walls being vacuumed before it looks like this and is highly hilarious.

Coat #1 after the primer left a little something to be desired -

We have a few accidents 1.5" away from the crease (where the tape ended)....whoops!
I've decided taping is over-rated. I'm way better at free-handing edges.

But in the end I got my navy blue wall :)

And it matches our LeCrueset -

There was a lot of talk about how it would make the room feel smaller, but I think having only one wall actually creates the illusion that the wall is further away than it really is making the room feel larger. I have some plans for either a large white floating shelf or a series of white art pieces.

And maybe some crown molding to cover up those 'accidents'....

What do you think? Are you afraid of dark colors on your walls?

The specific color is Benjamin Moore Symphony Blue - with a deep base primer underneath.

Well...it's definately blue -

2010-06-09T08:47:00.000-04:00

Guess what we did this weekend?
You should've seen the look on my mom's face.

Don't worry - it's just the primer :)

A House Tour....

2010-06-08T08:04:00.000-04:00

Do you want a little house tour?
I thought you did -
*Please excuse the terrible picture quality, I was too lazy to adjust them :)

Lets start from the outside and work our way in -

If you come in the front door, the kitchen is to your left, the living room (which they used as a dining room) to your right.

I didn't like the feeling of walking directly into the dining room so we are currently using this as the tv room (the tv is against the wall on the left of the image).

It's also got a second connection to the kitchen. The fridge is right behind that light switch - so convenient for snacks.

The other side of the tv-room/dining room has the access to the mud room and downstairs bathroom.

There is a huge window in the mudroom-

and stone floors :

This leads into the downstairs bath (1/2)

The previous owners took the mirrors/vanity cabinets -

If we come back through the tv-room we move into the kitchen.

And through the kitchen you can see the family room and doors to the backyard:

Lets step outside for a second -
We have a tall fence and shed :) Although you can't see it all, the backyard is a decent size (for our area) and behind the fence there is a ~~swamp~~ pond. The lawn needs a lot of work - that is a boy job.

Okay, lets go back inside.

And head upstairs -

At the top of the stairs, to the left is the master bedroom, to the right is the upstairs bath and bedroom #2/office and straight ahead is what we are calling bedroom #3/guestroom.
The Master: (to get these three pictures I stood in the door and rotated from left to right)

Our bed will be located between the windows on this wall.

Next up, the bath -

It's SMALL.

Again, they took the vanity -

And there are random fish tiles in the shower -

Right beside the bathroom is the 2nd bedroom and what I'm going to be using as my office -

The floors need work in here -

On the way to the final bedroom there are built-in storage cabinets on either side of the hall. Although right now they don't really shut (also need work).

And thats it!
Well, half of the basement is finished - but it's boring down there (and filled with stuff)....we'll save that for another day.

Moving Sucks....

2010-06-07T08:04:00.001-04:00

So far, having a house has been a little surreal.

It was bittersweet to say goodbye to our apartment.

After we closed, we went over to the new house and cleaned; then came back to our apartment and finished packing in preparation for Moving Day 1.

Moving Day 1 was not fun. The boy was up at like 6 ready to go and started moving stuff down to the porch (not conducive to sleeping for me), so I got up to help (at like 7). I’m not lying when I say there was blood, sweat and tears before 9 AM. Our apartment was on the second floor accessed via a winding staircase, and up another flight of stairs off the street. So that’s 2 flights + winding stairs + AM crankiness + heavy furniture = grumpiness.

Tip of the day – hire movers. I’m literally covered in bruises (I look like a speckled egg, although most of it is hidden by clothes); I walked like a 90 year old woman for 2 days and 1 of my toes looks like it’s going to fall off.

After another million trips all our stuff was in the new house. And even though we’ve been there for a week now it’s all pretty much right where it got dropped off the truck. Putting everything away seems like such a daunting task. I mostly miss our butler’s pantry and built-in china cabinet from the old apartment.

I still tiptoe around a little bit thinking I need to be quiet so as not to disturb our downstairs neighbor.

I’ve also realized that we are definitely a 2 TV family. We currently only have one hooked up right now and it’s painful. PAINFUL.

Excited to do laundry....

2010-06-04T14:28:00.000-04:00

So excited to go home and do laundry today* –

*yes, you read that correctly

Our new washer and dryer were delivered this morning!

As of right now they are just sitting in our unfinished basement, but hopefully someday they can live in a cute little laundry nook.

These are similar to what we purchased, expect we got white. They are Samsung, because they had good reviews and were on sale :)

I feel rediculous about how excited I am right now. Who gets excited about new appliances, esp. a washer and dryer? Remember that scene from Mona Lisa Smile when Betty shows Joan her new washer and dryer - thats all I can think of right now. I feel so domestic/housewifey -

I'm off to dream of all the I can buy with my quarters now.

Did you get overly excited to have your own washer and dryer?

Apartment Tour....

2010-06-03T20:34:00.000-04:00

Before we 'officially' move into the new house; lets do a tour of our old apartment. I loved our apartment. We lived there for 3 years, it was the first place we lived together, it was where we lived when we got engaged, and where we lived when we got married.

As much as I love our house I will miss our apartment.
I will miss all the built-ins, the molding everywhere, the hardwood floors and the massive amounts of light.

The Butler's Pantry -

And the China Cabinet -

I loved the molding, and the floors and the LIGHT!

I don’t miss our powder blue bathroom.

Yes, that is a blue and white marbled seashell sink - classy :)

Oh yes, and those are octagon tiles with BLUE grout.

The Linen Closet

The Kitchen

The Dining Room -

The Living Room -

Oh apartment, I will miss you.

Do you still think about any of your old apartments?

Today we will become first time home owners....

2010-05-27T08:04:00.001-04:00

We are closing today!!!!! (I already deleted like 7 exclamation points, that's how excited I am).
I've got my signing hand ready, champagne chilling*, and the address to the closest Benjamin Moore location** programmed into the GPS.
It's going to be a long, exhausting but exhilarating weekend.

*We are closing at 9 AM, mimosas are completely appropriate right?
**1.74 miles away, get ready to be my BFF Mr. Paint Guy

Packing is Not Fun...

2010-05-24T09:46:00.000-04:00

What we (me and my mom) did this weekend:

A rundown of my week:

Monday : Work/Copious Amounts of Laundry to Clean /Answer Emails & Send Proofs for Approval

Tuesday : Work/Pack Copious Amounts of Laundry that should be Clean /Answer Emails & Send Proofs for Approval/take 16 million bags of trash and other things we didn’t want to move down to the street to be picked up Wed. AM by the garbage guy (he is going to HATE us)*

Wednesday : Work/Pack any and all remaining items (food, bathroom supplies, work clothes)/ Pack Car with Cleaning Supplies and 1st round of essentials for the New House / Answer Emails & Send Proofs for Approval

Thursday : Walk-through at 7:30 AM/Closing at 9 /(insert relaxing lunch here)/Clean EVERYTHING/Pin-Up Paint Chips for initial reaction and to be able to monitor throughout the day/1-2 Rounds of Loading-Moving-Unloading with our cars *still sleeping at apartment* BUT we are officially Homeowners at this point!!

Friday : pick up U-Haul @ 8AM, rally friends to help with the heavy lifting /load large items (beds/couch/chairs/dressers/desk/shelving units/grill/outdoor furniture) and any other boxes that fit**/Load other cars and SUV’s with additional boxes, repeat as necessary/Cross-fingers we are done….sleep at new house hopefully on a bed.

Saturday : (Yay for friends with trucks) : More Boxes to Move / Clean apartment and do one final walk-through to make sure we got everything / Collapse in Exhaustion with a Margarita in Hand.

Sunday : Sleep / Retail Therapy (washer-dryer combo and paint) / Paint and Relax / Unpack the essentials (we probably won’t unpack everything until we get everything painted)

Monday : *yay* for Monday holiday’s / Keep painting and start planning projects for the new HOUSE!

Posting will be light due to lack of internet and upside-downness of my life.

*We are donating a ton of stuff too – don’t worry.
**I will NOT be driving the truck.

If the outside isn't Navy, the inside will be....

2010-05-21T08:04:00.000-04:00

Since I probably wont be able to convince the boy that our house needs to be navy blue; I'm pushing for some accent walls in the kitchen. Not the whole kitchen, I think that would be overwhelming - just a few 'special' walls. With lots of white to offset it -

I'm a little scared it will make the room feel smaller, but hopefully it wont be too bad since the is quite a bit of light, the cabinets will be all white and we aren't painting all the walls. What do you think?

Do you have any dark paint colors in your house?

Source: 1, 2

A Silvery Blue Oasis....

2010-05-20T08:04:00.000-04:00

I'm thinking I really want a silvery blue gray bedroom oasis.
Classy but comfy.
And I'm kind of dying for these chairs. Although I probably wouldn't put them in our bedroom.

We already have this duvet cover: (from BB&B Hotel Collection), 620 thread count = amazing.

Which will be offset by our black bed - (which I bought a long time ago but we haven't been able to use yet - I'm so excited we will finally have a BED, not just a mattress and box spring!) It's like we are grown-ups .... or something :)

What color is your bedroom?

source

A mudroom love affair....

2010-05-19T08:04:00.000-04:00

We have a mudroom; although its not nearly as large as these:

I'm also loving the black door.

I predict more built-ins in our future (albeit on a much smaller scale) ;)

Source: 1, 2

Painting hardwood floors?

2010-05-18T08:04:00.000-04:00

Typically I'm all about natural hardwood floors and cringe at the thought of painting them.
But this makes me completely reconsider.

It also makes me want to paint the inside of our cabinets.
Would you ever paint your hardwood floors?

source

Monday AM Office Inspiration....

2010-05-17T08:04:00.000-04:00

A little office inspiration for your Monday morning :

Things I am loving:

Built in bookcases
Vibrant colors
Office that is still a bedroom
In-laid cork board
Roman shades......I see a roman shade DIY project in the near future.

What would be in your ideal office?

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A Cozy Kitchen Nook....

2010-05-14T10:00:00.000-04:00

Loving this breakfast nook - it's so cozy feeling.
And the built-in bench? Yes please!

Note to self : Plant Hydrangea Bushes

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GREIGE is the new pink....

2010-05-13T09:29:00.000-04:00

If I had to pick another color I'm currently obsessed with (besides Navy) it would be greige. Greige is what happens when grey and beige get together and make babies. And they are quite lovely babies if I may say so myself.

It all started many manicures ago, when I fell for OPI's You Don't Know Jacques -

It's not beige, but its warm like beige.

Ralph Lauren, Forde Abbey

It's not grey, but it's chic like grey.
Okay, well this one is grey, but I still love it.

Sherwin-Williams's, Requisite Gray

Sherwin-Williams's, Mega Greige

Behr, Squirrel

How do you feel about greige? Have you found any particular greys/greiges that you love?

source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

My Obsession with Navy Continues....

2010-05-12T08:13:00.000-04:00

I'm kind of dying to paint our house Navy Blue.
Those of you who saw our wedding probably aren't surprised given my obsession with the color Navy.
Don't tell the boy yet - I'm not sure he'll be on board, but generally things this serious need to be carefully approached so he thinks it was his idea :)

What color is your house? What color would you paint it if you had a choice?

image sources

A Summer Love...

2010-05-11T14:09:00.000-04:00

Kind of completely in love with these.

They remind me of picking strawberries with my mom.

And would make a fabulous housewarming gift (hint hint).

From Jayson Home & Garden ($20-$38)

Moving Help (the easy kind)

2010-05-10T08:56:00.000-04:00

Things have been crazy lately! #1 time suck = thinking about paint colors and online furniture shopping for the new house. I started packing this weekend and have way more boxes than I thought I would considering how much I actually packed (not a lot). I also disassembled the dining room table, took down all our artwork/pictures and spackled the walls where there were nail holes. SO the walls were completely bare, the rug was rolled up and there were tons of boxes in the dining room and it took the boy 5 minutes to notice. I'm pretty sure a blind person would have noticed sooner - he never ceases to amaze me.

Anyways, in preparation for our big move I worked on some 'We've Moved' announcements -

Which one would you choose? Or which one would you rather receive?

(please don't stalk the people at the above address, it's not ours :) )

I have a new Love...

2010-04-30T12:42:00.000-04:00

I have a new love.
Her name is Grace.
She is a 7 week old Lab/Weimaraner mix.

She was recently rescued from a kill shelter in NY and is looking for her forever home.
I'm dying to go get her.
DYING.

Please comment below to convince my husband we have to go get her ASAP.

My Week in Bullet Points....

2010-04-29T10:43:00.000-04:00

1. I hurt my knee a week ago. It popped while I was trying to finagle myself into my seat on the plane flying back from Philly. Edited version: I rotated my body {and 60lbs of luggage trying to squeeze by unmoving person in the aisle seat trying to get into my window seat with both carry-ons since I board Zone 4 (Steerage) and all overhead compartment space was full} and my knee did not rotate. There was a loud pop, a burning feeling and some tears welling up in my eyes. I refuse to admit that my knee is busted – I feel that it should heal on its own. However, it’s been a week now and it’s still not right. If my body cannot repair itself I fear this means I’m getting old….and that’s just not going to happen – therefore, I will tell you I’m fine and please don’t call me out on my limp.

2. I cleaned my desk at work. My desk is ALWAYS covered with drawings, samples, etc. and although I really DO know where everything is under there (the outward appearance may be deceiving) I did not know these were under there.

Yes, 10 knives – which would have been 11, but I used one yesterday. I’m not sure why I’ve been secretly hoarding these. Apparently by the time lunch rolls around I’m too hungry to bother cutting my food. I also found 4 sharpies.

3. I’ve been dreaming about curtains. And paint. And built-ins (per normal).

4. We have 28 days until we move. I’m dreading packing. I’ve made friends with the janitorial/maintenance staff and they have been loading me up with boxes. They don’t speak English all that well and I’m pretty sure they are quite concerned about me. I get excited about these boxes like addicts get excited about crack. Besides the clear delight on my face my eyes get large and I’m all “OOH can I get it right now? Do you have any more? How big is it? Is it like really big? When do you think you will have more?”….if I was an addict these are what I would consider standard questions for my dealer.

5. A special lady gave me 4 cupcakes on Monday. I did not bring them home to share with my husband; I’m probably a terrible wife but you must understand they looked delicious and I did not want to give any of them up. Yes, I’m definitely a terrible wife…but at least I’m a fat and happy terrible wife. Besides, he has his RedSox ice cream in the freezer and gives me the evil eyes whenever I venture toward it. I’m doing him a favor by sparing him my ‘don’t you touch that’ eyes.

Speaking of cupcakes, I’m starving.

I've Mastered Week 1 of the C25K....

2010-04-28T08:25:00.000-04:00

I’ve totally mastered week 1 of the C25K. I’m pretty sure I’ve done it like 8 times now. I somehow rarely get around to week 2, and almost never venture into the practically unchartered territory of week 3. But week 1, I’ve got that down. Maybe I’ll start up again soon, since I’m sitting here thinking about how I want to unbutton my pants* to regain circulation to the lower half of my body.
The problem that I have is that my power of rationalization greatly exceeds my desire to be skinny. In the name of full disclosure I should mention that I am writing this while eating a red velvet cupcake….for breakfast…at 8 in the morning. I figure the frosting is cream cheese anyways (it’s basically like a bagel, except probably with less carbs) and there are nuts on top – which are full of protein. I mean, my body should be thanking me for the additional vitamins it got from eatting the cupcake and not just a bagel.
I’m way too good at tricking myself.

*I’m at the office, so I won’t.

Soccer in the house?

2010-04-22T08:04:00.000-04:00

If my husband had his druthers we would be purchasing this as a carpet for our new home.

I think it comes complete with medium size dents in the wall between chair and end-table which he would have 'cleverly' used as goal posts.

Fortunately he has little to no say.

Image: 1

A Mini-Eat-In Kitchen with Storage....

2010-04-21T09:04:00.000-04:00

Our future kitchen is rather skinny and long (10'x18') with cabinets down one entire side. We are thinking we want to split up the space to create a small area for an eat-in-kitchen and a more defined kitchen area. This weekend I found the perfect table for our mini-eat-in.

The Pottery Barn Shayne Table: currently on sale for $499 (table only)

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What I love most is the storage underneath (one can always use more storage), and the fact that the two leaves drop down so we can typically keep it small when its just the two of us, then extend it when we have company.

I want to find the table in a store first before we buy it, I'm a little nervous that there wont be anyplace to put your legs (due to the storage underneath), but then again - we hardly ever eat at the table anyways.

Obviously I did a google search for consumer reviews, and in doing so I found this: $540 for the set

and this: $349 for the set

I'm quite sure it's the exact same table.....for way cheaper. Although the reviews suggest that you get what you pay for and the cheaper tables are made of much cheaper materials.

But I also found THIS:

Knock-off-wood (which is rapidly becoming one of my favorite sites now that we have a home to furnish) has plans for the table! I can totally build this, and use strong, durable materials that I know will last - which means I'll only have to buy the chairs! The only part I'm a little nervous about is getting the drop to look right - may have to call in the experts on that one.

Window Seating and Secret Storage

2010-04-20T09:40:00.000-04:00

Yes, me again - with the built-ins....but this time I want a built in window seat with storage to either side.

traditional family room design by seattle architect Sullivan Conard Architects

And super stealth storage underneath....

traditional family room design by new york general contractor S.A.N Design Group, Inc.

The other option would be drawers underneath....

family room design

traditional family room design by other metros interior designer Veranda Estate Homes

But drawers seem much more complicated to build, no?

Whats your vote? Stealth storage underneath or visible drawers?

The Family Room....I Love Built-Ins

2010-04-18T08:04:00.000-04:00

This weekend was filled with loads of home inspiration searches, and I'm beginning to think I should have called this blog 'The Built-In Blog' because apparently I am OBSESSED with built-ins.

I want to install some type of storage to either side of the fireplace in our 'family room'. The big question here, is can we somehow integrate the TV into this room?

Option a) over the fireplace -

traditional family room design by toronto interior designer c3d design

Option b) next to the fireplace (but it wouldn't be centered in the room)

traditional family room design by boston architect Frank Shirley Architects

I love that the TV can be concealed - but our TV is rather large (47" right now and the boy thinks its too small) and I'm not sure how exactly it would lay out in cabinetry yet.

contemporary family room design by san francisco architect Mahoney Architects and Interiors

traditional family room design by seattle architect Sullivan Conard Architects

Yes, I'm quite sure I dream in built-ins.

Car Recs?

2010-04-15T21:39:00.000-04:00

The upside of moving away from the city is that I no longer have to take public transportation. The downside of moving away from the city is that I no longer can take public transportation. Which means...I need a new car.
I'm thinking I want some type of small to mid-size SUV or cross-over. Ideally this:

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The Volvo XC60 - I come from a devout Volvo family, but I don't think it would be the wisest choice for two new homeowners.
The challenge is I will be driving a lot, so I want something with decent gas mileage - but also want space (esp. for the puppy). We don't have a truck or anything to haul things with and we plan on becoming Home Depot regulars so it will come in handy for those runs. Plus, I just like being up high.

SO, please tell me, what do you drive? Do you like it? What is your dream car?

. classically modern . NEST

It's true - we're having a BABY!

HELLO 2012!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Birthday & A Gift Request

Puppy Photos!

Happy Valentine's Day!

PUPternity Leave!

2011 Task List - January Update

Pause for a Photo....

Giveaway Winner!

Latest Color Obsession - Newburg Green

A Valentine's Day Giveaway!

You don't CLEAN, you CLEAN UP.

On Childhood Toys....

Weekend Shopping Adventures....

My Irrational Fears....

I'd like to introduce you to someone....

2011 Home Task List

Merry Christmas!

Christmas comes early at our house....

Free Dining Room Chairs....

4th & Folded GIVEAWAY

DIY : Geometric Rug

Knock, Knock....

Our house is getting GRILLZ....

Happy Turkey Day!

Renting Mother Nature....

Here's How It Works

Illegal Biscuits....

Pinterest Obsession....

We're Expecting!

CraigsEasy....

Last Minute Halloween Prep....

Bespoke Silhouette Bangles....

Handwritten Notes....

7 things you may not know about me....

Reason #7904 I love my husband....

it is not me....

Happy *Early* Holidays....

Adore Home

Spray Painting Things White....

Weekend Update : October 1-2

The Big D-Word....

Power Tool Wish List....

Lamp Redo....

Stool decisions....

I don't know how to be NOT busy....

Birthday Present Sneak Peek....

I like to cook?

Good things to come....

Birthday Wish-List (the male version)....

I heart September....

....and we have a winner!

Mustache Me!

6 Tips to Mastering CraigsList....

Mudroom Built-Ins....

My 2nd Craigslist Buy....

Why Must Fabric be So Expensive?

My 1st CraigsList Buy....

The Living Room Progress....

A New Arrival....

Fabric Heven....

We Bought a Couch....

Rush Hour and I are not friends....

Pillow Love....

Battle of the Brands....Paint Edition

Dad to the Rescue : Upstairs Built-Ins

Mini-Deadlines....

No House Projects This Weekend....

Are you Afraid of the Dark?

Well...it's definately blue -

A House Tour....

Moving Sucks....

Excited to do laundry....

Apartment Tour....

Today we will become first time home owners....

Packing is Not Fun...

If the outside isn't Navy, the inside will be....

A Silvery Blue Oasis....

Happy Early Holidays....