4 Men 1 Lady

Potty talk.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Hinckley) — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:43:00 +0000

Oh, yes.

We're going there.

Because I'm in love.

With my toilet.

I said my toilet.

Check it...

I realize there are a lot more exciting things going on in blogland then photos of my potty but this toilet has saved me 7 minutes a day...that's 49 minutes a week not having to clean so much (and Kohler isn't even paying me to say that, but I'll take any offers). Here's how.

It's called the Saile by Kohler and it's all one piece

which means no crack at the tank base for that yellow stuff to hide out.

Next, check out the base of the toilet.

What's missing?

Most toilet's look something like this:

I'm certain the person who invented a toilet to look like this never had to clean it.

Nothing wrong with all those pipes, nooks and crannies if a person knows how to properly tinkle.

However, I have not one male but four in my home.

Props to me for having successfully taught them all (except one) how to hit the Cheerio in the water but their aim ain't so good at 3am.

I can wipe this whole thing down in 1 minute flat because of the streamline base!

It also has a quick release seat. You simply flip the two flippy thingies up, give it a good tug and the whole seat comes off in 6 seconds. I take this thing off every morning and clean it.

The seat is also a slow-close seat which means my men can slam the thing down as hard as they want and it takes at least 5 seconds for it to fully close.

The other thing my men think is super cool about the Saile is it has two buttons.

Right for #1 (.8 gallons), left for #2 (1.6 gallons).

Rug conundrums.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Hinckley) — Mon, 21 May 2012 12:19:00 +0000

I've spent WAY too much time online and running from store to store looking for a suitable area rug for our living room. I'm looking for a very specific size large which isn't standard. I also want a plane-jane rug that isn't shaggy (I don't like to see an outline of my footprint when I step on it) and a solid color. Last of all I want it affordable.
Tall order, I know.

So here's what I've narrowed it down to:

1. Crate and Barrel's Baxter rug. Great look and feel but much more than I wanted to spend.

2. Restoration Hardware's Shadow Stripe Rug.
9X12 is the largest size available and I need a slightly bigger size.

3. Stainmaster's "WundaWeve Comfortably Chic"" carpet. This is actually carpet which would have to be special ordered then bound to my specific size. It looks very similar to Restoration Hardware's Rug but I can get it in the exact size I want then bound all for less money and it comes in several great color options.

The thing I like best is I could actually bring the samples home and view them in my space. I was going to go for the cream but once I saw it my home's lighting it was grey all the way.

I also found this other option.
I wasn't going for pattern but the grey in the right upper corner is really tempting me.

Lake Bala by Royal Dutch Carpets.

It's very similar to David Hicks' famous La Florentina pattern that is so popular right now.

Image: Domino.

Image: David Hicks.

I'll keep you posted.

Live on Studio 5.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Hinckley) — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:17:00 +0000

Went on the Studio 5 show again this morning!

AMPLIFI Giveaway winner.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Hinckley) — Mon, 14 May 2012 03:50:00 +0000

Congratulations to #216, Jessica, winner of the AMPLIFI Sprayer!

If you didn't win, no worries!

You can get one for yourself here.

Teacher appreciation.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Hinckley) — Fri, 11 May 2012 12:15:00 +0000

It's teacher appreciation week.

Can't beat a gift certificate to dinner and a soda (well, you probably could beat that).

At any rate, here's to a FANTA-stic teacher!

Download here.

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Hinckley) — Thu, 10 May 2012 18:54:00 +0000

Oh, boy, this door...(head shaking).

I'm normally not so indecisive about color but this door has given me a permanent line between my eyes.

I know, right!?

IT'S A DOOR.

Here's the door's journey...

Bare wood.

Then I tried to mimic the ocean.

Everytime I look at this photo I just love the color.

Unfortunately, it didn't give off the same effect in person.

Then I went for Restoration Hardware's "Slate" color which ended up looking like something

I'd rather not speak of with a green undertone.

Then I picked up some yellow which my husband veto'd.

Out of being gosh, darn sick of having a taped up door for months I slapped on

some left over gray (Metro Gray, Ben Moore) and actually quite like it!

For some reason my camera doesn't read color well in this area of the house.

Looks much better in person.

Now to the outside.

1st: primer.

Next: a coat of black.

The first time I painted the outside it looked horrible.

There were a ton of little bubbles in the paint that dried all over the door.

I thought it was because it was too cold outside and didn't cure right.

So I waited until the temp was above 70 (and months later) and made another attempt.

Still lots of bubbles. Paint store said the paint was bad and gave me another gallon.

(How does paint go bad)?

They even gifted me some complimentary sand paper (weren't those men sweet?).

So I sanded the bubbles down and started over.

Now for a new light fixture...

and a new welcome mat.

This 70's rambler is shaping up one project at a time.

"Come and knock on our door...

We've been waiting for you..."

Life's tough lessons.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Hinckley) — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:43:00 +0000

Being four is tough.

Taking your temper out on a sprinkler pipe
=

(Supervised) paying job.

Consequences *&%$.

AMPLIFI Review and Giveaway.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Hinckley) — Mon, 07 May 2012 03:43:00 +0000

This past week we received the AMPLIFI Hose Powering System in the mail to review.

What is it?

AMPLIFI is a first-of-its-kind hose powering and storage system by Briggs & Stratton. The AMPLIFI powered settings provide 3x the pressure, 4.5x the force and 2x the flow of a regular garden hose. It features an electric motor and pump, a five-setting spray nozzle with Detergent-on-Demand™ capability and an attractive, durable hose storage container. AMPLIFI is an always-ready solution for everyday and spur-of-the moment cleaning and watering tasks with no set-up time.

So I gave it a go.

OK, so I hammed it up a little for the camera but in all honesty I was quite surprised by the amount of punch this little sprayer packed.

First, I tackled the sidewalk cracks and all sorts of gross gunk came out of them.

Next my husband sprayed the neighborhood kids.

Then we watered the jungle of scrub oak in the front yard.

Then my son washed the car.

Then the Mr. sprayed off a whole bunch of other things including the house eaves, the trampoline, the windows, his car, me (then the fun was over).

Learn more here:

Want one?

AMPLIFI is giving away another system (valued at $199.) to one lucky winner.

(Perfect gift for Mother or Father's Day...wink! wink!)

Leave a comment on this post letting me know what you'd use it for.

For additional entries:

1. Like them on Facebook here.

2. Facebook about this giveaway.

3. Tweet about this giveaway.

4. Blog about this giveaway.

Giveaway will close Saturday, May 12th at midnight and winner will be chose via Random.org.

Anonymous commenters, please leave an email address.

My curated event on Joss & Main.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Hinckley) — Fri, 04 May 2012 01:48:00 +0000

A large amount of my blogging time is spent responding to the same question over and over as to where I bought a vase or bed or chair or pillow. Not complaining at all.

Well I'm pleased to announce my curator's event is now live on Joss & Main.

What it exciting about this is you can find many of the items or similar items I have in my own home,
personally picked by yours truly.

So go there now and start shopping!

Here is a sampling of some of the things you'll find...

Happy shopping!

Don't trifle with me!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Hinckley) — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:55:00 +0000

I don't make treats very often (because I end up eating more than my fair share)

but when I do...this is one of my fav's:

Trifles are so easy.

In fact, you can really add anything you like and the result is yum!

Enjoy!

Jesse Miller art piece winner.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Hinckley) — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:54:00 +0000

Congratulations to lucky #7, Jenna, winner of a Jesse Miller art print! (Wow, #7 really is lucky).

Sorry if you didn't win but the good news is you can now go buy a piece of Jesse's work here.

Thanks for entering!

Projector stand to drink cart.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Hinckley) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:13:00 +0000

Bar carts have come back in vogue and they scream "chic".

Kind of odd that I admire them since I don't drink.

Via Everything Fab.

Via House of Turquoise.

Via Habitually Chic.

Last week we hosted my son's first birthday so I thought, why not make my own (non-alcoholic) bar cart using my old audio visual cart that I picked up at a school auction?

(Actually, I have several of these a/v carts that I use for everything from nightstands to end tables all over my house). Admittedly, I have a little problem that when I find something I like I sort of hoard them up.

So here's ONE of the carts that I decided to transform.

Gave it a coat of spray primer in a can.

Then a coat of Rustoleum's bright yellow spray paint.

I found this lovely wrapping paper (another thing I ~~collect~~ hoard) at

World Market that I thought would make a pretty base.

Of course it wouldn't lay flat so I had a two pieces of plexi-glass cut at Ace Hardware for under $10. each.
I almost opted to have mirrors cut for a really chic look but since this was a kid's b-day I was afraid of the broken aftermath.

Viola, paper lays flat and is also protected from any accidents or spills.

Plus, I can change out the paper in the future.

Then I loaded it up with all sorts of fun sodas, seltzers, fancy-schmancy waters, juices and treats.

Make mine a double!

BTW, today is the last day to enter our giveaway for a piece by Jesse Miller.

Go here to enter.

Mud pies.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Hinckley) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 06:59:00 +0000

It's been one of those weeks.

Got an email from a VERY cross woman that gave me some serious heartburn.

One of my little men broke a sprinkler and a door AND painted the exterior brick on the house then chased the neighbors cat up a tree (all in a matter of 5 minutes).

Got the bill from this little episode.

Who knew 24 hours in the hospital could cost $5000.00?

Co-pay isn't nearly that much but enough to make us break in to our ramen supply for the next week.

To top it off I have a wicked hang nail that hurts like the dickens.

Oh yes, it's a dirt eating week.

On a more postitive note...

I had the exciting opportunity to curate a collection for Joss and Main.

Event will go live next Thursday, May 3rd.

Last but not least, don't forget to enter our latest giveaway for a piece by Jesse Miller here.

A vacation here would do me good.

I have a secret.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Hinckley) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Monday I featured a giveaway for a Jesse Miller art print (go here to enter).

I have three of them framed in my main bath.

I had a few of you asking where I found the great frames.

I agree, the frames ARE great.

However, I have a secret.

My fantastic frames are actually medicine cabinets disguised as picture frames!

I know! Why didn't I think of that!?

They are from the brilliant minds at www.ConcealedCabinet.com and they were nice enough to send me a couple to review.

The verdict is in...I absolutely love them!

We shrunk the main bath down in order to make more space in other areas of the house and as a result lost tons of storage space.

These are perfect for hiding all our toiletries and no one has any idea because they are disguised as pictures (well, I suppose they know now).

My thinking was that each boy would have their own cabinet however, there was a pipe behind the wall in third space on the right. So I was able to get a frame without a cabinet to keep the look consistent.

I even thing they look great with no picture at all

(that is if you can keep your bathroom clutter looking pretty and organized).
They are very sturdy as well...solid wood from North America.

I just love when style and function come together!

The cabinets come in several sizes, styles and colors.

Check them out here.

Room sneak peak and a giveaway.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Hinckley) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:55:00 +0000

Here's a sneak peak pic of my bathroom wall.

Frames and art pieces just went up and I couldn't be more thrilled with the results.

These paintings were done by Jesse Miller and have special meaning to me for two reasons.

#1 I spent a few years of my college days at BYU-Hawaii on the North Shore of Oahu.

These scenes bring back a lot of very found memories.

#2 My cousin, Jesse Miller, painted these.

Not only is he a very talented artist but is one of those hot surfers and California lifeguards that could be right out of scene from Baywatch. (Weird to call your cousin hot)?

In fact he taught me how to surf

(so, I'm not taking barrels at Pipeline but I can stand up on a board and in my definition that makes me a surfer...wink).

"Jesse has been called the Norman Rockwell of the North Shore, and the Andrew Wyeth of the west coast." He does amazing scenes from of the ocean.

Check out some more of Jesse's work:

So now for the exciting part...

You can own one of Jesse's matted 11X14 print pieces by leaving a comment on this post.

To enter:

1. Go to Jesse's website HERE and shop.

2. Leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite piece.

3. For up to three additional entries, Tweet, Facebook and/or Blog about this giveaway.

Winner will be chosen via Random.org on Monday, April 30th at midnight.

Good luck!

*Only U.S. Entries eligible.*

A walk down memory lane.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Hinckley) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:41:00 +0000

One year ago, "Three Men and a Lady" became "4 Men 1 Lady".

Oh, I still remember that sunny, Tucson day.

Biking in the morning.

Contractions at noon.

9 lb, 10 oz baby at 6:30pm with nothing but a stick to gnaw on for the pain throughout the whole delivery.

Oh yes, the old fashioned way experience.

Minutes later, (slightly air brushed) hair soaked with sweat from the VERY intense delivery.

***Warning, next photo may make you slightly queasy.***

Oh, yea...glamorous, eh!

No one tells you about this lovely side effect.

But, oh so worth it.

The soft skin, the sweet smell, the precious coo's of a baby.

There's nothing better in the world.

A few months and few pounds later...this babe became an eating, pooping, and spitting up machine.

Those cheeks, love em.

How blessed we are...

to have him in our lives.

Happy birthday my babe.

I could have never imagined the amount of love I feel.

Cutting Edge Stencil Review.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Hinckley) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:11:00 +0000

This house has shaped up to be much different than our last home in AZ.

For starters, almost all the walls are white (by choice).

Now I love me some clean and crisp white walls but this wall just looked naked.
(Yes, there's that blue/green door still covered with tape just waiting for me to pick a color...
that's another post for another day).

I hung up the beautiful canvases of my boys taken by Michelle of Wondertime Photo, which I love and adore, but the wall still needed something more. Color? Pattern?

Perfect timing...Cutting Edge Stencils approached me about reviewing one of their wall stencils.

You may remember I stenciled my AZ bathroom ceiling with their Trellis Stencil a while back with great results.

This go around decided on the Birch Forrest Allover Stencil.

First, I taped off all my edges with Frog Tape's Delicate Surface Tape.

The tape you use is very important!

Because you are moving your stencil over it's own pattern you just painted you must pick a tape that won't remove the freshly painted surface.

My stencil was all curled up so I used my blow dryer to warm the surface so it would lay flat.

Cutting Edge Stencils has this really cool tool called the Clip On Stencil Level and it is a MUST have.

Made it really handy for keeping my stencil level and straight.

Tape the edges of your stencil with Frog Tape Delicate (my recommendation) and roll your stencil with paint. Tip...after you load up your roller with paint, roll off the excess on a paper towel.

This will ensure that your paint isn't bleeding up underneath your stencil.

Paint is a shade by Benjamin Moore called "Half Moon Crest" which was left over from our master bedroom.

"Inch by inch, row by row...I'm gonna make my garden grow."

Before:

After:

I will say, it looks pretty darn good.

I wish my photos did it better justice...Michelle, come back with your camera!

Studio 5 TV Feature.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Hinckley) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:20:00 +0000

This week I had the fun opportunity to go on Studio 5 to discuss how to make the kitchen a "Sweet Escape".

My Eiki!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Hinckley) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 12:49:00 +0000

I am the proud new owner of an Eiki Overhead Projector!

I scored it at a school auction for $5.00.

Oh yes, I got a serious eye roll from the Mr. when I staggered in carrying this thing in both arms.

I realize I'm no Van Gough but I knew my Eiki could help me fake it.

As you may remember, this is my new chalkboard, pantry barn door...

In a house full of four men, we're currently working on manners at the dinner table (a lifetime endeavor I'm sure). So I printed some manners on a transparency and shot them up on the blackboard.

Then I traced the letters on the board.

Manners 101.

Who's rollin's their eye's now my dear?

Oh yes, I will be having some fun with my new/old Eiki.

BTW, I'll be talking about making the kitchen a "Sweet Escape" on Studio 5's show today!

New pantry door installed.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Hinckley) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:24:00 +0000

Our new pantry door just got installed!

(Actually it's been on for a month and I'm just now finding time to take pictures).

The old layout had no pantry at all so it was important to definitely make room for one with the new layout.

Please excuse the un-organization in there...I'm getting around to it.

Jeff Lewis would have a stroke.

I'm loving the barn door set up!

I lugged home this 8 foot track and barn door hardware from a quaint little hardware store called

Silver Star Hardware. They have the cutest little dog running around in there that plays fetch...perfect for keeping curious little boys entertained.

Then I painted a solid core door with chalkboard paint.

The track is pretty nifty.

It uses rubber wheels in the track instead of metal ones so it doesn't

screech every time the door slides back and forth.

Come back tomorrow and I'll show you my latest acquisition and how I used it on the door.

DIY paper chandelier.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Hinckley) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:48:00 +0000

I've had this chandelier catalogued on my wish list for years.

It's called the Zettel'z 5 Chandelier and it retails for $1,220.00.

Not only do I think it's really eye catching but it's functional in more ways that one.
It provides light and is also a perfect place to hang love notes, reminders, kids pictures, photos...
just about anything.

Via Casa Sugar.

I bought this light on Fab.com months ago.

Kind of serendipitous that I just hung it up AND it came up for sale again just a couple of days ago (a rarity to find something come up for sale twice on Fab.com).

I decided to try and re-create the look on my own using some wire and clips.

I picked up this whole spool of wire at Home Depot for just a few bucks.

Then I cut several pieces the same length.

I threaded them through the cage of the fixture making a hook with some wire-cutter-plier thingies.

Once all the wires were attached I could gauge how long I wanted my wires and gave the spider looking thing a hair cut. At this step I also bent the wire and shaped each piece.

I found these Fotoclips at a consignment store for $1.00 per box!

They can also be found on Amazon here.

Next, I printed a whole bunch of inspiring quotes in several different fonts and attached them to my clips.

I first tried vellum paper but it melted in my printer and jammed it up so I ended up just using plain old printing paper.

The great thing about this is I can switch them out anytime with almost anything I want to display...

scribbled notes, pictures, photos, etc.

When all said and done it looks like this. I think I'll probably add a few more wires and notes.

If anything, we'll never be for lack of conversation at the dinner table.

Easter.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Hinckley) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 20:40:00 +0000

It's amazing what kids will do...

at 6:00 in the morning...

just for a little chocolate covered goodness.

I'm sure the only time a little boy would be caught alive skipping through the tulips carrying a cute yellow basket.

Living room rug options.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Hinckley) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:03:00 +0000

I've been looking for a large rug for my living room.

Jute and sisal rugs are all the rage.

They provide a natural fiber floor covering all while providing a lot of texture.

I have a couple of jute floor mats at my door entries from World Market.

I absolutely love the look but they are a bit rough on crawling baby knees.

Doing an entire living room probably isn't the best kid friendly option.

I have also been considering Flor's "Coming Along" carpet squares in tan.

They look like a natural fiber but they're made of nylon which means much softer under foot.

Then I came across this loop carpet at Home Depot.

It's by Martha Stewart called Hillwood.

It also looks like a natural fiber but it's nylon and SUPER soft to the touch.

I only need 12 ft by 9 ft but it only comes in 15ft so I'd have to buy much more than I need which means CHA-CHING! I'd also have to pay to have the edges bound which can run anywhere from $1.-$2. per linear foot. Ugh.

Any suggestions?

Treasure hunting.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Hinckley) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:55:00 +0000

Since moving in to our new/old house we've found that about 10% of our furniture actually fits.

So as I slowly sell those pieces I'm looking to replace them.

I've been out and about searching for some new end tables and a large area rug.

Here are some other things that side tracked me:

Overstock has an outlet that sells slightly damaged pieces

(although I hunted and couldn't find a mark on most anything).

(8900 S. 1300 E. in Sandy).

Everything is 50% off the price listed on the tag.

50% off $182.00 is $91.00 (for two chairs) which is $45.50 per chair. Not bad.

Then I ran in to these cute little tables which I'm contemplating for my guest room.

The price was certainly right. $42. with 50% off is $21.00 (for two tables) which means $10.50 per table!

Then on to HomeGoods.

I found several occasional tables I could have gone home with.

This chest of drawers was all busted up but I love the nail head detail.

I would have omitted the nail head from the drawer faces...feels a bit too busy.

I feel a diy project coming on!

(BTW, several of you have asked if I would ship my furniture. I'm not ignoring you. Honestly, trying to go figure out shipping costs feels like a big chore. Anyone who has an Etsy store have any good tips for calculating, shipping, insuring pieces)?

Quite a scare.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle Hinckley) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 20:32:00 +0000

Yesterday my 4 year old woke up with excruciating pain in his leg and hip.
It was painful enough that he couldn't even bend his leg to sit up.

On the way out door I kept my distance so not to add to the hysteria.

We couldn't figure it out since he had been bouncing around right before he went to bed the night before.

At the hospital we learned nothing was broken but quite a bit of fluid had accumulated in his hip causing the pain called Transient Synovitis. Apparently it's quite common with 3% of kids having an episode between the ages of 3-6 yrs old. The cause is unknown.

They put him under then took a gigantic needle that drained the fluid from his hip.

An overnight stay at the hospital, video games, slushies, Spider Man cartoons..."this hospital is not so bad."

24 hours later my little man is back home. He's walking like a grandpa but on the road to recovery.

You're never so grateful for your children's health and good hospitals until you have a health scare.