Haircut

So, the fiddle leaf fig tree finally got a hair cut.  My new fiddle leaf fig expert friend, Al, helped me with all my questions about the tree.  We moved it to the far corner of our dining room - not the ideal spot for it...but he is honestly SO big, we don't have a perfect spot for him in this room.  But...this will do :)  I gave him a trim, and are going to hope for the best.

Before - this actually doesn't even do justice to just how big and unruly he was!

The tree also got a new pretty basket - this one is the Basay basket from Crate and Barrel - half the price of the PB look alike.  

And some sheet moss too...this came in a bag instead of getting it fresh b/c I haven't found anywhere that carries the fresh stuff.

All the cuttings are providing my 'fresh' greenery fix.  It may not be fresh flowers, but this will do - and maybe they will root if I am lucky!

I hope the tree likes its new home :)

The indecisive mirror.

We received this stunning mirror from my aunt for Christmas....

The mirror was bigger than I had thought it was, and I wanted to find the perfect spot for it in the house.  First, I thought I was not going to use this in our downstairs bath, so I went ahead and painted three other inexpensive mirrors to arrange on that wall.  But then, I decided that maybe it would be good in the bathroom.  So, I painted the black mirror white, and my patient husband hung it for me. After all that, I wasn't convinced it was in the right spot.

In the meantime, I finally moved the fiddle leaf fig tree from the middle of the room where it served as our Christmas tree, and I realized that the mirror might be a perfect fit for that wall.  HOWEVER, the now white mirror doesn't stand out enough against our gray owl walls. 

SOOOO...I am contemplating gold leafing the mirror.  Have you ever gold leafed?  I silver leafed once when I made this for my brother, and I made quite a mess.  I guess I am in the mood for gold - I am brainstorming another gold project.

I will update you as the craziness continues.

The mirror in the guest bath.  Two mirrors that I adore, but they compete against each other.


In the living room.  I like the location...now I have to figure out the right color for the mirror so that it pops.

Who is truly the indecisive one?  The mirror, or me? :)

This just makes me realize that I sometimes just need to slow down and think through more options before trying to rush to a conclusion.

Fruit Crates

I had been on a fruit crate kick lately.  I had seen some pictures of fruit crates on casters and I thought it would be fun to find a few crates, nail them together and put them on casters to serve as a bookshelf for Paddy.

Oh happy day...while we were at home over Christmas, I made my regular trip to Wise Penny in Wheaton (the awesome thrift store that my mom volunteers at), and I found three crates, already nailed together, ready to go.  The store had been using it as a display case, but they said they would sell it for $8.  DONE.  It wasn't PERFECT, but for the price, it was.  The top one is smaller than the bottom two crates, and the inside of the middle crate was painted white...I wish it was still the natural wood.

My dad and I picked up some casters at Home Depot, and he very kindly put them on for me.  Sean was able to fit this into the car to get it home - hooray!

The shelf:


Casters...


The best part of this project is that Paddy is going for his books so much more often than he did when I had them in big baskets on the floor.

Hmmm...which book should I pick? (this is currently one of my favorite gestures of Paddy's)
this one will be good...

Boston, re-done.

A while back, I posted about our Boston print by our friend, Ari Hauben.  We were excited to get it framed when we moved into our house.  I did have it framed, but it didn't turn out how I had seen it in my mind.

Ari had written us a message at the bottom, so we definitely wanted that to show (through this process I learned that artists always sign prints in pencil...I never knew that!).

The message...
 
However, I wanted a matching white border around the other three sides as well.

I had it framed at the craft store on post, and the manager could not have been more kind or accomodating.  She wanted to make sure I loved it.  I waited a long time (way too long) before bringing it back in.  I tried and tried to live with it, but I just couldn't.  It is that little tick inside me that needs symmetry...I just had to have it.  I got it back recently, and we are smitten.

Before: 


After:

I love how you can still see the 'depth' of the piece even though it is a print, not the original.


There is one small 'love' stencil on the print.  LOVE.  Can you imagine making all these stencils?  Ari made this piece with lots of layers...newspapers, paint, stencils - and probably lots of other things that I am not even aware of.


Thanks again, Ari.  We love it!

High Flying

Loving this vintage metal airplane that my parent's got Paddy for Christmas.  My mom and I found it at an antique store in Cold Spring.  Sean did a great job hanging it - I love how it looks like it is just soaring around the sky...


Paddy is one...menu planning

I am as bad at menu planning as I am at picking out paint.

The menu wasn't finalized until probably 3 days before the party, even though I made a valiant effort to have it done much earlier.

The gathering was from 2-4, so we didn't need to serve a full meal, but being that a lot of cadets were coming, I wanted to have enough substantial food that they would leave feeling full.  So, at the last minute we decided to add some meat to the menu.

Here was the final menu...

Food:
1.  Artichoke Breads 
2.  Grandma's French Onion dip and chips


3.  Ina's Hummus with tomatoes, feta and black olives sprinkled on top with pita chips
4.  Cheese, Crackers, Apples and Grapes
5.  Caprese with fresh basil

6.  Sausage Cheese Balls (I always just google these before I make them, so I never have a consistently good recipe - does anyone have one that they always use/like??)
7.  Chinese Chicken Skewers with dipping sauces (ginger, sesame and mustard vinaigrette)


Sweets:
1.  Red Velvet Cake Pops  
Once these were made, I covered them with glassine bags and tied them with orange polka dot gingham ribbon)

2.  Brenda's famous carrot cake cupcakes (I made small and regular sized cupcakes for guests at the party and I made Paddy a ginormous cupcake with a silicone mold that I found on eBay.  His cake turned out completely lopsided and weighed about 20 lbs.  Too funny.)

cupcakes...

from a distance it doesn't look quite as bad as it really is...


here is the leaning tower of carrot cake...at least Paddy enjoyed it...


3.  Chocolate covered marshmallows (it took me a while, but I finally found the really giant ones at WalMart.  I used baking chocolate in the disposable plastic containers to make it easy on clean up and then sprinkled with orange/blue sprinkles.  Once they were set, I stuck lollipop sticks in the bottom of them.  I had a large hurricane that I filled with sugar that we stuck the marshmallows in for display.)

4.  Chocolate covered graham crackers (just because I had lots of melting chocolate left)
 
5.  Texas Sheet Cake (recipe from my mom)


Drink:
Orange Sherbert Punch (equal parts orange soda and ginger ale and then add orange sherbert ice cream)


If I had to do it over again...

1.  I would not make hummus...I feel like this is a food that people either like or hate....not too much of it was eaten.
2.  I am SO glad that we decided to make the chicken...almost every skewer was eaten!  We made ~5 lbs of it.
3.  I would try to make the foods as accessible on the table as possible...those that were less accessible were less eaten.

Christmas Cards

I made our Christmas cards this year, and as with other years, I wanted to include a picture, but I wanted a wallet print just because it would fit the best.  I don't know if you have ever priced wallets, but they are so much more expensive than 4x6s!  I have never bought them before for that reason.  However, I found a site, mPix, that had wallets at a good price.  They turned out pretty well...although Sean's head did get cropped a bit, and on the preview, I had ensured that no one was cropped. 

I designed these in PowerPoint (I know, I really need to figure buy/figure out how to use Illustrator one of these days), and then just used double stick tape to place the pictures on the card.

I enjoy making cards...now, if I could just get my printer to cooperate and not have a jam on every other page, or stop wirelessly printing whenever it feels like it, I would save hours and hours of my life and be much happier during the card making process :)

Paddy is one...invitations

Paddy turned one on November 13th (I can't believe it has taken me this long to post this!).  We decided to keep it somewhat simple by having a small gathering with the cadets that we sponsor and a small group of friends.

I sent out some invitations that I made using baker's twine, double sided tape, and scraps of fabric that I had laying around.

I know the banner theme is very played out, but I am still a fan.  I seem to be like that with most trends...probably late to the game and stay in the game longer than I should. :)


Unconventional.

So, due to the super-sized fiddle leaf fig tree, there really wasn't room for a Christmas tree as well.  We are happy with our decision to re-purpose our new tree as our Christmas tree.  I can't believe I agreed to this since I am such a HUGE fan of Christmas trees...especially the biggest, roundest one we can find.  But, it really does make sense for this year.  Paddy doesn't know the difference, and we will be able to enjoy the trees at our parents' houses when we head to IL.  So...next year, I will shove the FLF into the basement if we have to (and if I can keep it alive that long), and get ourselves a tried and true real deal Christmas tree.

We are embracing the unconventional new member of the family.

I am one of those people who loves decorating with the old school ornaments...
Love this beautiful Christopher Radko ornament from our friend, Blair...

Tufting Lovers Anonymous

I seriously seem to have an issue with the following:
1.  Buying chairs that need lots of TLC (this is as nicely as I can say it)
2.  Buying tufted chairs/couches

I found this chair last weekend in Cold Spring at Pop's Barn (where I got my citrine colored lamps earlier this year for $5 each!).

I couldn't stop thinking about the chair as we perused the other antique shops on Main Street.  Everything else that I saw just couldn't erase this chair from my mind.  Sean is such a champ to put up with me.  :)  We sat down at dinner, and I decided to quickly duck out to see if I could make it back to Pop's to get the chair.  I was so thankful it was still there!  Why do I love this chair, my husband may ask...why, because:

1.  It's only $10!
2.  It's tufted!
3.  It has caning and I have been wanting a chair with caning!
4.  It is a barrel chair, and I am a fan.
5.  It is actually sturdy.

Now...what to do with it?


Fiddle Leaf Fig...found.

Remember my quest for a fiddle leaf fig tree?  I have been obsessed, and I never thought I would find one that would fit the bill.  Well, we went to Adams Fairacre Farms last weekend in Newburgh.  This is just one of those feel good places that feeds the soul.

I had spotted a fiddle leaf fig here a long time ago on one of my trips to visit the Crows, before we moved here.  Well, I am pretty sure this is the same tree that I saw then...only she is a LOT bigger now.  For how big she is, she was a total steal.  We actually felt like we better pay for it before someone realized that there was a mistake.  I recently saw some of these in NYC, and they were $150 for a tree that was probably 1/5 the size of this one...and we paid MUCH less than that.

So, we bought her.  Got her home...and my oh my....she is BIG.  Too big for our room, I will be the first to admit it.  But I still love her and need to make her at home.  I think we may give her a trim....we will see.  I am worried to mess with her too much because I want her to stay healthy!

We will keep moving her around until we find the best location for her...I will keep you posted.

Here is the action unfolding...







Pinecones

I have an ample stash of pinecones that Sean and I retrieved about 6 years ago from Fort Benning.  I have such fond memories of hitting the less beaten path and scouring around for the best ones.  We filled up the entire Jimmy (RIP) with these large pinecones.  I have given many away over the years and they are a staple to my Christmas decorating...mostly because:
a.  they are free
b.  they have sentimental meaning to me (and I am such a sap for things like this...no pun intended)
c.  I like them :)

Anyways, in this house, I don't seem to have many places to display things.  Both in Columbus and Boston, I seemed to have many more shelves/nooks, etc.  So...this is probably a good thing for me...hopefully it will encourage me to continue to donate/sell things that I simply don't need. 

Back to the topic...I recently saw a cute idea where someone painted some pine cones white and then strung them across a window on the second level of a bunk bed.  It got me thinking about somehow trying to adapt that idea for our house. 

My mom helped me while she was here (thanks again, Mom!) and we tried to first string them (using baker's twine) across the window, but that just looked silly.  So, I am still not sure that I am in love with this idea, but I love the fact that I can see these sentimental objects!

Bear Mountain

Recently, I have had a thing for Carousel rides.  Okay, I guess it is just since Paddy has been born.  We took him to the one in Central Park, and recently, on his birthday, we took him to the Bear Mountain Carousel.  Bear Mountain is such a great park to visit anyway, and I hope we will continue to take advantage of being so close to it.

The ride only cost $1/person, and Paddy was free - I can't remember what the age cutoff is for a free ride...but you can't beat $1 ticket!!

The beautiful building that houses the carousel...

Love the detail...
We had to get a bear for Paddy to ride on...he loved it.
If you are ever in the Hudson Valley, this is definitely a place to check out...you can rent cottages, go hiking, rent paddle boats, go to their zoo, have a picnic and use the CUTEST grills ever...what more could you want after seeing this owl grill?

Red Hook

Sean learned about this amazingly generous program that some BB owners take part in where they give free rooms to Veteran's on Veteran's Day.  Sean booked us at the Red Hook Inn, about an hour and a half north of here in beautiful upstate NY.  Because my mom came in early, we were able to do our first official getaway without baby.

We arrived in time to grab a drink in Rhinebeck at Terapin, which is a restaurant located in an old church.  Having a yummy cocktail with my husband at a nice restaurant reminded me of our DINK (dual income no kids) days...ahhh, how the times have changed.  It was fun to get out to a somewhat swanky place, even though I felt/looked like I had a long day with an almost one year old :)  We then went to Flatiron Grill for a scrumptious dinner.  The next day we hit up all the local antique and cute gift shops before heading home.  I love trips like this because they always feed my soul and provide lots of unexpected and welcome inspiration...

Since I am such a detail lover, I loved that the B&B always had fresh chocolate chip cookies and hot cocoa in the foyer.  They also had a 24 hour snack station area, which I think is genius.  It can't cost them that much, but little touches like that can go such a long way.  They also had a vast library of DVDs and interesting books.  Nice.

Here is some of the inspiration...

French Fries with Wasabi dipping sauce...need to re-create..


Vermont Cheddar Ale soup with homemade pretzel...need to make those homemade pretzels again, pronto.

Many thanks to the beautiful Red Hook Inn for their incredibly generous Veteran's Day deal...

This antique store was by appointment only, and I was so tempted to try to break in because their merchandise was so cool and even more beautifully displayed.  I had a hard time walking away from this store...


 look at those shovels!  LOVE.

Then we went to a very cool paint and gift shop, Tivoli Mercantile.

They have colored chalkboard paint...cool.  Loved the vintage ornament display.
They also had a great book that Paddy will be getting for Christmas - No No Yes Yes by Leslie Patricelli.  I felt like this was written for a very 'curious' one year old like our Sean Patrick.

Love these flashcards suspended from string...would be fun to make different sayings...

I love scales and when I saw this huge vintage one, I decided that this would be something I would love in a dream house kitchen.
We then went to Rhinebeck where we hit up the cigar shop and a few antique places (overpriced...or, I guess, more appropriately, out of our price range).  We then grabbed some slices of pizza, and then stopped in Grand Cru - a Beer and Cheese shop (genius!) to bring home a mix and match 6 pack of local beer and some stinky Hudson Valley cheese for happy hour before the Toby Keith concert here at West Point....ahhh, what a day.








Lucky Find.

Since we have moved in, I have been wanting to figure out some way to conceal this large, unsightly radiator in our entryway.  It is unfortunately some wasted space, so I have been hoping to stumble across a radiator cover for a VERY cheap price since this is something I won't really be able to use after living here.

In a series of lucky coincidences, my friend Jen grabbed one for me from Habitat for Humanity's REStore in Newburgh.  It was intended to a be a tall radiator cover, but after sitting down and conquering my fear of using my jigsaw (yes, I actually read the directions - and that almost never happens), making a few cuts, and flipping the cover on its side...it is now re-sized to fit our radiator.  I may paint it, but it is fine for now.  It was the the most lucky find, and I am so thankful to Jen for saving my mom, Paddy and I the trip!

The Find...the open end that you see here should have been the bottom, but I figured, I could make this the 'right' side of the cover as it would pretty much bump up against a wall and not be very noticeable. 

 
 Before:


After:


If I am being completely honest, it is just one more place for me to put a bunch of stuff that I probably don't need to have out.  But...this pretty milk glass bowl can catch our keys which always seem to be scattered around, and at least it looks prettier.  I find myself looking at this more than the TV...it has definitely brightened my last few days!

Fill 'er up...

These make me want to paint something green. 

I used to dread the chore of pumping gas.  Now I find that it is an errand that I don't mind just because it means not having to pull Paddy out of his carseat and then fight to get him back in.  I would be so happy to pump my own gas if the pumps were still this cute.

My mom and I saw these in Cold Spring the other day, so I had to stop to get a picture!


Kiddo Chairs

When I went to order these chairs for Paddy's birthday about eight weeks ago, my worst nightmare came true.  I have had these chairs on the brain since I saw them on say YES to hoboken and Oh Happy Day.  And, granted, I love getting six chairs for $20, but since that isn't always feasible, I figured that these would be a splurge, but I was willing to do it.  I finally caved and decided I need to get on to ordering these so that they would arrive in time for the big day.  I looked at the website and it is said the dreaded words, Sorry Temporarily Out of Stock.  I searched and searched, and all the others that I found were at LEAST double the price of these.  BOO.  I emailed Room Service to see if this really meant that they were 'temporarily out of stock' or if they were 'forever' out of stock so that I knew if I needed to give up my dreams.  When I didn't hear back via email, I decided to go old school and pick up the phone and call.

Dreams can come true, ladies and gentleman.  They just got a bunch of chairs in stock!!  Hooray.  They arrived a few days before his birthday, we had an assembly party before the Toby Keith concert, and now Paddy thinks they are his new walkers that he can push all over or his new climbing toy.  NOTE - these are not very heavy chairs...especially not to hold a very tall, climbing one year old.  The cuteness makes up for the light frame, in my opinion.  Up next...hopefully a table to go along with them...my poor dad :)

 
Lesson - don't be afraid to pick up the phone and call!!  The Room Service website is STILL showing they are out of stock :)

Two labs...

We saw the perfect wooden toy for Paddy at The Black Dog store in Newburyport before we left Boston.  I took a picture of it and texted my dad to see if he might be able to recreate it for Paddy.  He hit this one out of the park...

Could this be any cuter?  He even cut out little ears for the lab.  Paddy has been pulling it around, and my heart just sings every time I see him with this new creation from his grandpa.


We can't thank you enough, dad :)  Glory says thanks too...she thinks it is a pretty good looking replica of herself :)

Better...

We went from this...(pre moving in...notice the standard mirror - can you see how they placed two nice big screws in the middle of the top and bottom of the wood frame?  Genius design move.)

To this...(horrible paint color choice, meghan!)

To this...


Now I just need to work on the side wall!  I am still hoping for a collection of unique mirrors painted white...