31.3.15

DIY Stained Glass Planter


Work has kept me so busy that I'm often coming home after Rudy's asleep and I've been working on some crafts to wind down before bed.  This one is really easy and quick (except for the drying time) and this technique would also be great to decorate the outside of teacups or coffee mugs.  In fact, for older kids, it could make a great Mother's Day or Father's Day craft.

I wanted a plant in our bathroom, which is soooo close to being ready to paint.  Those of you who read my blog know that I don't have the best luck with plants, but I figured a bathroom fern would be low-maintenance and safe from Barkley and Cheetah.

I picked up a cheap planter from Value Village (Note: None of my precious milk glass was harmed during this craft) and I bought some tissue paper, dishwasher safe Mod Podge and a sponge applicator.  


I cut the tissue into little squares and "painted" on a small area of Mod Podge before placing each square.  I then gently painted over each one like a glaze.  I decided not to totally cover my planter and I let it dry when I was satisfied that I had covered enough.  When it was fully dry, I did one last coat of Mod Podge before letting it dry overnight.


I think it will be a sweet addition to our bathroom and hopefully, I'll keep this little fern alive for a while.  After all, I take care of a human being... How hard can a fern be?

Kitchen Progress


It seems that this time of year, I always take a little vacation from blogging in order to work longer hours.  This year is no exception, but I promise that some late nights of work have left me with dozens of half-finished posts so I'm hoping to be publishing them more regularly for a while.

Corey's been making incredible progress on the kitchen.  He's hustling to finish for a party I'm throwing for some of my clients next month and we're super excited to have such good motivation.  I'm really looking forward to showing my clients and friends the progress we've been making on our new/old house!

Most recently, Corey has added the spacers between cabinets and the hardware as well.  Doesn't that brassy gold just pop against our grey cupboards?  

He still has some drywall to touch up but we're so close to being ready that we ordered our paint today.  I can't wait to show you guys the finished product!

19.3.15

Allow Me To Shed Some Light...


Friends, how do we feel about pot lights?  I've always been on the fence and (probably a symptom of my job) they always remind me of finished basements with beige furniture.  Is anyone with me?

When it was time to think about lighting for the kitchen, I surprised myself by suggesting them to Corey.  You see, he had already installed all these fabulous cabinet and under cabinet lights and I didn't want some awkwardly retro-modern fixture that I rescued from Craigslist to detract from the clean vibe of our kitchen.  

Corey still has some patching to do (from running new electrical) but so far, I think I like them.


... And just to show you that I don't fully worship the god of neutral décor, guess what's back in our dining room!  I'll give you a hint- It solves a pet peeve I've had about the room since the day we moved in and it looked like this:


Give up?  Here it is:


No, it's not the painting.  I wrote about the painting here.  It's the light, which I wrote about here.


Remember when we had it in the condo?  I had loved it and it was one of the few things I actually cared for enough to move to our new/old house.  I remember our buyers had wanted it but I refused to give it up.

I know it's loud and maybe a little tacky but I just love it so much and now that it's up in the dining room (and the old fixture is sitting in a snowbank at the bottom of our driveway) the new/old house feels a teeny bit more like home.

14.3.15

Switching Our Switches


You know how some women get crazy over shoes?  Well, in our house, it's cool home innovations that get us super excited.  And what could a Real Estate Broker and an Electrician like more than beautiful high-tech light switches and outlets?

Corey is ready to start covering outlets (he added so many for all our small appliances) in the kitchen and he asked me if I would prefer plain or "fancy".  I had no idea what a "fancy" outlet might look like so he showed me the Adorne collection by Legrand.



I sort of fell in love and now we're slowly replacing all the switches and receptacles in the house with the "soft tap" switches and modern receptacles.  They had a "touch only" option but I like a tap or a click to tell me that I've actually turned on a light.  Corey makes fun of me because apparently the actual light turning on or off isn't enough for me.  I need that click!

There's also an option to add a little light beneath your switches like a night light.  Here's one in Rudy's room:


The switch plates come in an array of finishes but some are a little too crazy expensive for my beer budget.  Still, we decided to use a fun dark blue switch plate in the bathroom for the outlet beside the thermostat that controls our heated floors.

Now, if only we could get to finishing and painting those walls...


But this is a perfect example of a tiny update making a huge difference.  These upgraded switches already make our home feel more modern and high-tech.  As if we should expect to press one and be greeted by a robot butler.  Damn, I want a robot butler.

1.3.15

Goodnight


This post is dedicated to my friend, V in the UK.  I imagine her to be reading similar poems to her baby girl across the sea...

The other day my mom reminded me of one of my favourite poems from when I was little.  I read it again recently and was struck by the beautiful imagery and the rhythmic, soothing language.  I found a used copy on Amazon and I think I'll start reading it to Rudy before bed.  I'm sharing it here because it's such a favourite.


Wynken, Blynken, and Nod
Eugene Field

 Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
   Sailed off in a wooden shoe,—
Sailed on a river of crystal light
   Into a sea of dew.
“Where are you going, and what do you wish?”
   The old moon asked the three.
“We have come to fish for the herring-fish
   That live in this beautiful sea;
   Nets of silver and gold have we,"
            Said Wynken,
            Blynken,
            And Nod.

The old moon laughed and sang a song,
   As they rocked in the wooden shoe;
And the wind that sped them all night long
   Ruffled the waves of dew;
The little stars were the herring-fish
   That lived in the beautiful sea.
“Now cast your nets wherever you wish,—
   Never afraid are we!”
   So cried the stars to the fishermen three,
            Wynken,
            Blynken,
            And Nod.

All night long their nets they threw
   To the stars in the twinkling foam,—
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe,
   Bringing the fishermen home:
‘Twas all so pretty a sail, it seemed
   As if it could not be;
And some folk thought ‘twas a dream they’d dreamed
   Of sailing that beautiful sea;
   But I shall name you the fishermen three:
            Wynken,
            Blynken,
            And Nod.

Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
   And Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
   Is a wee one’s trundle-bed;
So shut your eyes while Mother sings
   Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
   As you rock in the misty sea
   Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:—
            Wynken,
            Blynken,
            And Nod.

How was your weekend?  Ours was lovely, despite Corey and Rudy both feeling a bit under the weather.  I worked a little but I took both afternoons off so we also got to focus on Rudy a lot.  It was a rare chance to see friends (We had two playdates!) and one of our friends reviewed infant CPR with us so that we can be confident when Rudy starts solid foods in a few months.  

After such a busy weekend, we are totally pooped!  Raising a baby really is a three person job.  

Tonight, we're eating soup and watching a movie before bed.  Rudy's asleep already and the dogs are grumbling at each other over who gets the bigger half of the couch...  Life is good.  Sweet dreams!

Thanks to our friend, Michael Budd for the photo.

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