Goodnight Moon, Hello Martini.

Art

2012-02-20T20:42:00.003-08:00

Pinterest, Etsy, 20x200, and free time at work has introduced me to several artists that I love. Here are two.

Leslie Graff:
I was introduced to Leslie Graff via the wonderful blog, Design Mom by the lovely Gabrielle Blair. From the very first time Leslie Graff's work I was super overcome. I am assuming this comes from being a mother to a son. So imagine how overcome I became at Christmas when I received three of her canvas prints. I literally boo-hooed for like 20 embarrassing minutes. She has several series, Mothering, Domestic Organic and Abstract. Her art is available at several price points. I have even seen her cards framed and matted on Pinterest - voila! cheap art!

This one is my favorite.

Caitlin McGauley:
I first saw Caitlin McGauley's work in Lonny magazine and then on Pinterest. I love the little paintings she does for her (few) blog posts or the more ornate ones of brownstones in NYC and the girly watercolors and really mostly girly themes of most of her work. I recently snagged a Spring 2012 numbered print: Stripes, picked up a frame at IKEA and had a new mat cut at Hobby Lobby. She has done work for Kate Spade and Tory Burch. The ultimate in accessories!

Me. Ha.

Tory Burch

Kate Spade

I cannot handle nostalgia

2012-02-20T18:45:00.000-08:00

But this is a neat website. Watch out, you may get a little weepy.

Love etc.

2011-07-13T19:52:00.000-07:00

You know there will be sad parts but I would like to see it.

At least they are IKEA colors

2011-07-10T07:38:00.000-07:00

Brad scored a Fisher Price McDonald's kid playset at a garage sale this weekend. It's is beyond adorable with its pictures of McDonald's food served in the Earth friendly Styrofoam containers of the 1980's. Along with this $4 haul came some play dishes. The dishes obviously needed to be cleaned so I dumped them in the sink and let them soak in some detergent.

This morning I went to rinse them all off and set them out to dry when the irony hit me that not only am I responsible for washing and drying my own real dishes but now I am washing and drying play dishes. Because I don't have enough going on that I needed to add "washes play dishes" to my repertoire?

It made me chuckle and consider my sanity all at the same time. Now if you will excuse me I have some plastic chicken to prepare.

Laundry

2011-07-10T06:44:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I was home all by myself and was really on a roll with getting chores checked off my list. It was a gorgeous, breezy day outside and obviously I was hitting the sauce as I decided to hang my laundry outside to dry in the sunshine. I should note that I do not have a line from which to hang said laundry but I did have hangers and old rusty plant hooks so, who needs an actual clothesline?

This was around the time I was feeling smug about growing my own herbs so it was only fitting that I also get congratulatory with myself about "using nature as my dryer" and "being green by not using my God-given Maytag." I went outside with an armload of wet shirts and a dozen or so hangers. Once I was outside I needed a clean, flat surface to dump this giant load of freshly washed shirts on so I could start hanging them on hangers. I quickly realized that I was out in nature, where there are no clean, flat surfaces to speak of. So I gathered everything up and moved back in to the dining room. I hung all the wet shirts up on hangers and took them back outside to be dried in the glorious sunshine.

Since I am never outside and we have never made proper use of the plant hooks (by hanging actual plants) I didn't realize there were only like four hooks. Well I had 12 or 13 shirts so... I didn't let this get me down though, after all I was growing my own herbs for godssake. I could hang some shirts in the goddamn sunshine. So, after I ran out of hooks I used the rain gutter. After I finished I admired my work and went inside to research "how to install a clothesline" on the Internet.

A few hours later I went to gather my freshly dried laundry and noticed that a few things were missing. I looked around and didn't see the shirts anywhere on the deck. Perplexed I kept looking (specifically for Yay Cleavage Raygun tshirt) which of course, was on the fucking roof. The delicate breeze (or angry winds) had blown several of my shirts onto the fucking roof and while they were still attached to the hangers, the hangers had now WEDGED themselves into the rain gutter. Naturally I cannot reach this and am now certain that my shirts are covered in nature and roofing tar.

I went to the garage to get the step stool to get up on the roof to retrieve my ironic shirts. While the shirt was thankfully tar free, it was stiff as a board. Good job sunshine, you motherfucker. I realized my expectations of line (hanger) drying my clothes was from a 1986 Snuggle commercial. And that the commercial was a for a dryer sheet that you put IN A DRYER THAT PLUGS INTO YOUR HOUSE.

I gathered all of my shirts from the rusty plant hooks and the roof and went in, determined not to tell Brad of my ridiculous laundry escapades. Fast forward to about 5pm that evening. Brad gets home from work and is changing into his play clothes the bedroom. I hear him say, "what is all over the backyard?" as he looks out the window. I didn't think"oh it's probably my Banana Republic Shirt Dress" but of course, it was. He goes out to the yard to collect my once smug laundry while Mother Nature has the last laugh. Again.

Sign of the times

2011-06-07T17:35:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I make up stories for Jackson and they are often a blend of other traditional kids stories that I remember off the top of my head. A kid story mashup if you will.

Excerpt from tonight:

I sat there with Sally.
We sat there, we two.
And I said, "How I wish
We had something to do!"

So we tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!

And mama in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

Take that Gregg Michael Gillis.

Back from the dead.

2011-05-26T19:04:00.000-07:00

Mic check one-two, one-two...

So I have been busy pinning shit on Pinterest (which I can never, ever spell), preparing to be on vacation, being on vacation and then unpacking my life to be not on vacation any longer. For that unpacking part, I took an extra day off work when everyone else in the house returned to their normal routine (work, daycare) to get laundry done and do some cleaning, etc. Below is a story about herbs, not any of that stuff.

A few weeks ago, on the opening weekend of one of our farmer's markets, we bought some basil and rosemary plants. Because we are white suburbanites that have a large digital cable subscription that includes extensive food and renovation shows, we thought we would grow our own herbs. Giada can do it, it looks so easy and pretty in her white kitchen with her white sill boxes, overflowing with homegrown herb goodness. So we bought three plants. These plants sat on the counter in their original planters, on a pretty white tray, for about 8 days. I liked the way they looked on the clean kitchen counter, all herb-y and green. Just waiting to be baked with some chicken or tossed on a pizza! Several problems I didn't see coming:

Bugs. We took those sonsofbitches outside every day because the Internet said they needed some ridiculous amount of DIRECT SUNLIGHT EVERY SINGLE DAY. Like 4-6 hours. But then I felt like it was too cold at night (because it was like 40) so I would bring them in. (How did people garden without the Internet?) Enter: bugs.
Real Estate. They looked nice on the clean kitchen counter, but if I am being honest, that was only once, so I could send a pic via Instagram. Our kitchen counter is constantly full of pots and pan drying, 14 sippy cups and their parts, milk - because milk is always everywhere, and Bento lunch box parts. Twice I knocked over the goddamn basil plant while rinsing squashed bananas off the high chair tray and had to pick up dirt. I don't think Giada rinses off high chair trays in her kitchen.
No sun. kept forgetting the sunlight. So I would be in the car, leaving for work and daycare and I would feel GUILT about the plants I left on the counter. We don't have a pretty window sill for these plants to bathe in so I had to take them outside. I had plant guilt and I would get out of the car, go back in the house, get the plants and take them outside to the deck.
Rain and wind. One night I forgot about the plants and the next morning a poor basil plant was smashed on the ground, looking pitiful and sad like no one loved it. I literally ran out to right it and declared that I needed to plant these. Container gardening! I saw it on Pinterest!

So while we were gone, my Mom lovingly planted these three plants in a long hanging planter box! I was excited! My plants would have a home! She set it on the deck. I admired the green plants in the dark, rich dirt, in the pretty terracotta-hued planter. I felt like my plants had a home and soon I would use their generous offerings, thriving on my deck(!) to bake with some chicken or toss on a pizza.

Then yesterday I woke up at 5:45am to the sounds of crazy winds and torrential rains. My plants! They would be battered and presumably DEAD and I hadn't even baked them with some goddamn chicken or tossed it on a fucking pizza. Basically, from a dead sleep, I get up, grab my robe and run to the deck to move my plants (the planter is not yet attached to the deck). I moved them under the roof overhang so they wouldn't be pelted to death and went back, questioning my sanity.

Next up: A Laundry Story

Eiffel

2011-04-17T18:49:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of the Eiffel Tower that my Mom took on the 100th anniversary of the structure. I just finally blew up the negative and framed it for my home office. Pictures to follow!

Iomoi Giveaway

2011-04-13T10:04:00.000-07:00

Iomoi Giveaway
Love this bag and High Gloss magazine!

Oh this is divine

2011-04-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

This is a divine photograph and makes me want to get on a plane right now.

Photo credit: Street Photography in Paris

I would like this

2011-04-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

"Contessa 2-light Brushed Steel Convertible Pendant | Overstock.com"

For my closet. I wonder if it is too small for my office at home?

Relentlessly Cheerful Art

2011-04-08T10:59:00.000-07:00

These are so strange and I totally love them. I am going to buy a few prints for Jackson's toddler room (when that day comes knocking...)

Here is what the artist's website has to say about this greatness:

"James Hance is a relentlessly cheerful painter with a superb eye for celebrity portraits, a twisted view on TV and movie fuelled contemporary culture, and a passion for Star Wars. What more could you ask for? Don't go looking for deep meaning and conceptual theory in Hance's paintings, it just ain't there, and it doesn't need to be. James is probably one of those people you'd meet at a party who started off the life and soul but ends up taking it too far by dancing on the kitchen table or kicking a football through the window.

Here are some of my favorites:

Oliphant Designs

2011-04-07T13:11:00.000-07:00

I am in love with this necklace from Oliphant Designs.

Ikea Read

2011-04-06T04:58:00.000-07:00

Read this article about IKEA. While it is not meant to be satire, my favorite part is this little bit:

Once inside the store, we are never in a position to see more than a small portion of the stock at any one time, so as first-time visitors we do not initially appreciate that its contents constitute a complete world. That perception of the interconnectedness of all the items – their stylistic consistency – grows slowly as we make our winding way, following the people in front of us. Gradually we feel more comfortable and at home. And at some point – Penn suggests it is typically after about half an hour into what might well be a two or three hour stay – our confidence in the IKEA world reaches a level where we “feel licensed to impulse purchase.”

Penchant for Tiny

2011-04-06T04:49:00.000-07:00

The great thing about Etsy, besides all the gorgeous handmade jewelry I keep buying, is it's easy access to the unusual and cool. This morning I came across these photographs featuring tiny people in big scenes from Erin Tyner. I am currently imagining where they could go in my house.

She has an interesting little interview on Etsy as a featured seller. Read more here.

Here are a few of my favorites:

All images: Erin Tyner Photography

Oh Pottery Barn Teen

2011-04-04T10:21:00.000-07:00

Do you think I could convince Brad to hop up on the top bunk for bed each night?

Storage Facelift

2011-03-01T10:05:00.000-08:00

My bathroom (and the main bathroom for guests, etc.) is small. Nothing too fancy about it. Storage is limited to an over the toilet cabinet and the sink vanity. I had a small cabinet with a shelf and drawer for makeup.

It lasted for a good 6 years till the dog decided that he should also "use the bathroom" for his business and pissed all over it. More than once. Disgusted that my little cabinet now reeked of dog piss - it wouldn't come clean and due to age and piss was now splitting its little particle board legs - I dragged it dramatically down the hall and into the garage for trash. Brad took it to the curb and before morning, someone had taken it. Gross. It was even missing the drawer (my makeup was still in it) and the inside shelf wasn't exactly functioning as a shelf any longer.

Add caption

I woke up Saturday and declared that I was going to find a replacement cabinet. I went to Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Bed, Bath and Beyond and Marshall's. No one had anything I wanted. I wanted height! And a good price! When I am not looking for a cabinet, they are everywhere. When I need one because I have an entire drawer of makeup sitting on my toilet, waiting to be knocked over by a one year old - nope, nothing!

I came home, discouraged that I couldn't give my $100 to anyone. I went online and searched Target - of course - here with the perfect cabinet! But it was $50 more than I was going to spend. I showed Brad and since we were heading to Target anyway we checked it out. Sensing that I would likely pout about my cabinet-less bathroom the rest of the weekend, Brad agreed to getting the cabinet without really any campaigning from me! Ha. While it was more than I wanted to spend, it fits gloriously into my bathroom and it gave me an excuse to edit through my makeup and lotions. Yipee. Here is the end result - iPhone picture style!

New Ikea tray!

Trays

2011-03-01T08:26:00.000-08:00

I love these blue and green trays from Twos Company! They are porcelain and an upgrade from my usual melamine tray love!

Based on the number of serving trays I now own, I should probably host more parties.

Shirt Love

2011-02-28T10:51:00.000-08:00

I love this shirt from Gap but it is getting mixed reviews. Also it's sort of pricey.

This is great news.

2011-02-28T10:24:00.000-08:00

I will have a party featuring this.

Tiny groups of sorrows

2011-02-24T13:58:00.000-08:00

Having a very mobile one year old brings all sorts of joys and, when you step on them, sorrows. (Step on the stuff, not the one year old).

Jackson likes to do things like, take all the magnets off the fridge and put them all on the floor in the kitchen. This would be okay if he hadn't done this every six feet from the back of the house to the front in a matter of an hour.

When he was a few months younger, he used to put things back in their containers. I was filled with pride that he was taking after his mother (and not so much his father) with his desire and ability to organize, sort and generally restore order. So, maybe that was a bit much to put on my darling son.

This morning as I was scooping Jackson up to rush out the door, I surveyed the trail of destruction in our (mostly his) wake.

Cheerios squished (from my trouser socked feet) in the kitchen
Cheerios squished from Jackson's constant baby tromping
Cheerios that somehow got carried down the hall and left
A dog that couldn't be bothered to eat any of these goddamn Cheerios
The dog added his two cents by vomiting in our bedroom, then when I yelled, running under the bed, presumably to vom some more
Aforementioned pile of magnets
A set of stacking rings, a milk cup, a kid sized car, 27 remotes and more Cheerios in the living room
Sorting blocks in the hall outside the bathroom
Letter blocks on the floor in the bathroom
The below (post) mentioned outfits and undergarments I discarded due to tears and too many milkshakes
Did I mention Cheerios?

I am just glad Brad gets home before me each day.

Effortless Style

2011-02-24T07:54:00.000-08:00

Some women seem to have effortless style. They pull together outfits that I wouldn't think about leaving the dressing room in, and it works for them. Cowboy boots with tights and a frilly skirt, or a plain tshirt with jeans and a scarf. I hoped that in my 30's I would find my "style" but as I literally cried into my closet this morning I realized I have not yet found what I am searching for. I would love to have the style of Jackie O or Kate Spade. Someone that always looked polished and good in white pants and can wear a wrap dress with the ultimate confidence.

I tried on four outfits this morning: 1) the work pants I wore yesterday 2) a dress I bought at have hated each time I put it on, it makes me look like a Russian nesting doll, even with Spanx, 3) a second dress, that I normally love that I suddenly hated and finally, 4) jeans, a tank top and and a fucking sweater. Technically I shouldn't be wearing jeans to work on a Thursday but as the saying goes, some days you just have to kick the dog.

So what can I do? I can't afford a stylist. I mean where would I find a stylist in the midwest anyway? Ha.

Update: TJ Maxx just sent me this email, as if they sensed my anguish.

This is lovely.

2011-02-17T14:35:00.000-08:00

And makes me want to take a trip abroad. Right now.

EF - Live The Language - Paris from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.

Gotta have this

2011-02-12T13:06:00.000-08:00

I am edgy and sophisticated

And I just happen to have a $50 groupon for this place!
Description:

Actually, 3 separate rings - wear them separately, or together for a more dramatic look! The black enamel and jagged design makes them a bit edgy while the 14kt yellow gold plating keeps them sophisticated.

If you like you should have put a rug on it.

2011-02-11T13:51:00.000-08:00

Imagine cheerios here.

I like these rugs. Mostly in pink. And given that rugs are typically one million dollars, these are pretty reasonable!

Although a couple green ones would look good in the kitchen.

There are some Dwell rugs that I am gaga over too but like their equally awesome counterpart, the Amy Butler rugs, I will never have them!

Plus, I have a constant stream of cheerios, goldfish and milk droplets from far flung sippy cups to spend a fortune on these beautiful rugs. Le sigh.