Brooklyn Limestone

Conquered Closets: Sneak Peek

2012-01-27T09:00:00.001-05:00

So now you've seen my pantry makeover, its time for some truly organized ladies to share their stylish storage secrets. It all starts next week but here is a little peek to tide you over until Monday.

Curious who is stopping by? Here they are:
5 days 5 ways ** Welcome to Heardmont ** Centsational Girl ** Bees Knees Bungalow
** The Mustard Ceiling ** Plain & Fancy Living ** Rambling Renovators **
Kara Paslay Designs ** Wild Ink Press ** Old Town Home ** Neat Method

If you don't already know them well, you should! Go on, start visiting.

Conquered Closet: Pantry Raid!

2012-01-26T09:00:00.002-05:00

Woo-hoo! It's time for my conquered closet series. Starting next week, lot of fabulous bloggers will be dropping in to share their sucesses and solutions to a whole host of storage problems.

Since I asked them to bare all, it was only fair I show you mine.

Exhibit A. My dirty little secret - this messy, disorganized, so bad I buy the same things three times before I realize I have plenty, pantry closet.

It was bad. I've cleaned this out a bunch of times but always ended up with the same disarray in a few short weeks. Something had to be done..

So instead of just stacking everything neatly in there, I devised a bucket method. Like items would go in these plastic bins (found at ikea). Staples got a beautification with matching containers (since I'd be more likely to keep it neat that way). When I need something, I would know where to find it.

So much better! And because I'm fancy like that, I added some sleek labels to the bins and the jars.

I did this more than a month ago (I wanted to test it out before I shared) and it has totally made a huge difference. The pantry is still looking pretty and it has been zero effort to keep up. Yea. Now if I could only do this to my clothes closet.

Stay tuned to tomorrows post for a sneak peek of the storage goodies coming your way next week.

Instant Valentine Love Labels Download

2012-01-25T09:00:00.002-05:00

I don't know why but this year I'm feeling a little more into Valentines Day than usual. I could use a little pink now that the gray days of winter seem to be getting me down. And a sweet surprise, even a tiny one, can be a lot of fun. So with that in mind, I have a little something for you.

I whipped up some simple labels for you that will turn ANYTHING into a romantic valentine. No fuss, no muss. How about that for budget friendly?

See what I mean?

{Download the labels here}

If you put them to use, I'd love to see/hear about it. Email me or leave me a comment with the blog link.

Shop til you Drop!

2012-01-24T20:58:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone, my collection at Joss & Main just went live!

Come on by and check it out. Several items have already sold out! (And if you aren't already a member, skip the wait list by signing up via this link.)

Bucketed

2012-01-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

I really love reading other peoples 30 under 30 lists. I even tried to write my own 35 before 35 list but failed. The world is too big, time is too short. Much like I always seem to think I can accomplish way more in a weekend than I actually can, I figure there was no chance I'd be able to hit all 35 in time. I don't need that kind of pressure :)

So imagine my excitement when I stumbled onto a tumblr site all about making a life bucket list in photos - perfect bucket list. Much more fun, a lot less stress. Want to see mine?

Added bonus is that scrolling through those lists reminds me of some of the cool stuff I have already done so I don't feel quite so old or out of time.

Have you blogged about your bucket list or 30 under 30? How is it going?

Me? A curator? Yah, thats right.

2012-01-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

This is an exciting week! The collection I curated with home decor discount flash sale site, Joss and Main, is going live tomorrow night. Eek! So exciting!

I spent a crazy amount of time pouring through their catalogs to pick my absolute favorite items. Many of them I have in my house already - like the metal stools I have in my kitchen and the ghost chair in my office. Others are very close to items I have like the tufted headboard in my guestroom or lamps in my bedroom. And the rest are pieces I just think are wonderful in their own right. It's full of those special little pieces that revive and renew your home in simple ways. I hope you'll enjoying shopping as much as I enjoyed picking these goodies out.

If you are not already a member, click here to sign up and avoid the wait list. It's absolutely free and the deals really are great.

My collection goes live at 9PM Tuesday night and only goes on for a short time so don't miss it! I hope you'll be there!

Steal this Idea*: Layered Empty Frames

2012-01-20T08:31:00.003-05:00

Its Friday (yippee!) - time for another Steal this Idea* feature - a tiny show of appreciation for a well executed tutorial.

You don't have to be all that perceptive to know that I am kind of a crazed fan of empty frames (see exhibit A and exhibit B) so when I saw this next project on Living with Lindsay, my heart skipped a beat.

I love, love, love it.

Using a mish mash of frames found at Goodwill...

...she made a beautiful, sculptural, conversation piece.

I am kicking myself for walking away from so many cheapo frames at flea markets because I didn't have a use for them.

Check out Living with Lindsay for all the details on this project as well as lots more!

postscript: *When I say steal, I really mean borrow nicely and give proper credit!

**If you have an idea/tutorial you would like me to consider for a feature, email me. I'd love to see!

Lovey Dovey: Simple Valentine Ideas

2012-01-19T10:55:00.003-05:00

To be honest, Valentines Day isn't a big day in my household. You might think it's because Mr. L and I have been together for so long but we never did a whole lot for V day. (He does lots of sweet things for me all year long which is way better.)

That said, Im all in favor having a day dedicated to doing something sweet for your loved ones. Despite what some Valentine humbugs might say about it being created by Hallmark to sell more cards, I don't really care about the commercial agenda. Life is filled with enough gray days that an extra red letter day is always okay in my book.

So with that in mind, here are a few things I've seen floating around that I pink puffy heart.

Did you know you could send Junior Mints in the mail? I didn't either until I saw it on Givers Log. Wouldn't this be just the cutest thing to find in your mailbox come Feb 14?

For those making their own sweets for their sweeties, this free download from the sweetest occassion is awesome.

Or surprise your special someone with a heart shape in their morning coffee.

photo via Daily Cups , how to on wikihow

Ok so now its your turn. What little surprises do you have planned?

Any questions?

2012-01-18T08:37:00.003-05:00

Seems like yesterday but it was nearly two years ago that I asked you if you had any questions for me. Much to my shock, there were quite a few so I got to answering about us, the renovation, travel, and other random things. (There is also a short FAQ on the contact page for the basics.)

Not much has changed in my life but I figured it would be a good time to ask if you had any others. Feel free to ask me anything.

And with that in mind, I'd also love to hear any suggestions on what you'd want to see in the future. A specific topic or project you want me to tackle? A general category you would like to see more or less of? Or maybe something I've never covered at all that you think might be blogworthy. Don't be shy - here is your chance to chime in!

edited to add: thanks to a lovely reader ive been told there have been some technical issues adding comments. Im not sure what the issue is but if you are having trouble, i would love to know. just drop me a line.

Until we meet again: India

2012-01-17T09:00:00.001-05:00

I think I've broken the record for most drawn out trip recap but to those that are still following along - this is the last installment. Hope you've enjoyed traveling with me. If you've missed the earlier installments, read all about my first stop in Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.

Our final few days were my favorite - we got to do more exploring in Old Delhi, score some great souvenirs and meet up with transplanted blogger Kay while we feasted at Karims.

For those who have asked, we used Delhi Magic to arrange the whole trip for us and they were EXCELLENT! If you are planning a trip to India, don't even think of using anyone else. Also not to be missed is a Masterji Kee Haveli walking tour - just a few hours with them and we got to experience a whole other side of Delhi. Just a great trip all around. I hope to make it back to India again.

Well said.

2012-01-16T14:23:00.001-05:00

Steal this Idea: Modern DIY Busts

2012-01-13T09:00:00.003-05:00

Its Friday (yippee!) - time for another Steal this Idea* feature - a tiny show of appreciation for a well executed tutorial.

If you know me, you know that I kind of have a thing for busts. No, not that kind! (Get your mind out of the gutter people.) I fall hard for the lovely lady heads that serve so well as accent pieces or jewelry displays.

So when I spotted this DIY bust project from the always amazing Kara Paslay (who I've raved about before here and here), I knew I had to show you.

She started with some scrap wood and some magazine clippings...

...and made a collection of beautiful busts that are just gorgeous!

A nod to the old in a totally new way. Could not love it more. Aside from being great home decor pieces, I think you could throw a really amazing modern victorian party and use these as fabulous centerpieces. Who's with me?

Run over to the Kara Paslay Designs to check out all the details on how you can make your own and have a look around, her site is chock full of other beautiful, budget friendly ideas.

postscript: *When I say steal, I really mean borrow nicely and give proper credit!

**If you have an idea/tutorial you would like me to consider for a feature, email me. I'd love to see!

Won't you be my neighbor?

2012-01-12T11:10:00.004-05:00

Won't you please? Please won't you be...my neighbor.
{anyone who isn't singing the Mr. Rogers theme, please raise your hand.}

I've often thought how awesome it would be to have some real life blogger friends nearby. (I know there are a lot of Brooklyn bloggers but none that I pal around with) Anyone have an extra few million and want to be my neighbor?

Bring on the real estate porn!

This amazing pad is not too far from me. Think of the aMAZing parties we could have. And brunch, we could have brunch! Swoon. We can be bFFs! (blogger friends forever)

Ok, I'm snaping out of dreamland now. Although that sick bathroom is making me double convinced I have to paint the shore bedroom an rich inky blue.

Away we went.

2012-01-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

One of my (many!) shortcomings I'm trying to work on this year is being more organized. So it comes as no surprise to me that I never shared the finished photo book for 2010 that showed up months ago. (In some twisted corner of my mind, I was feeling quite accomplished for having completed the book just 9 months into the year!) Anyway, it arrived and I can now call my annual travel photo book a tradition as I stack it neatly on top of the 2009 edition.

I guess its time to work on the 2011 edition, huh?

Curious whats inside the pages? Flip through the 2010 version, 2009 version or read what I thought about the book's quality here.

Happy Blog-i-versary to me.

2012-01-10T09:00:00.001-05:00

5 years ago this week, I typed up my first Brooklyn Limestone post. It isn't hard to remember how monumental the task of transforming this wreck felt back then - I was always stressed and overwelmed. While I could do with being 5 years younger, I'm definitely happy to have the stress of a gut renovation way behind me. It wasn't until that was over we started traveling again, I had time to be crafty and just getting back to being normal.

In that first year, we boiled the paint off old doorknobs, hacked off vintage tile to reuse on our kitchen backsplash, made a bedroom into a kitchen, a kitchen into an office, redesigned the most disguisting bathroom of all time, scoured the east coast for architectural salvage, picked out countless paint colors, and sneaked a few fake details in the mix.

I would not have guessed how this blog would have changed over the years (I never planned on showing my face or talking about anything other than the renovation) but a giant hug and kiss for any of you who have stuck around since then. This is my happy place. Happy Blog-i-versary to me.

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Man Cave: Coffee Table Conundrum

2012-01-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

So you might be wondering whats going on in the man cave. I was very excited to share the arrival of the new marble topped coffee table with you. I love the movement in the stone and the shiny base. Sadly I never thought to measure the height of the table and I'm left with a big problem. The coffee table is way too low!

The hubs is not happy. It's totally my fault for not measuring the height of the table against the height of the sofa before ordering (Come on CB2. Is there really a market for half sized coffee tables? )

So now I have a problem. I need to make it higher. Casters would help a little but not nearly enough to bring it up to normal height. So what do I do? Help!

Wrapping Up Christmas & a winner!

2012-01-06T09:35:00.003-05:00

Today being Jan 6 (aka Little Christmas), its time to put away this years decorations and get on with real life. As usual, I took almost no photos on Christmas day (I tend to get caught up in the fun and forget to pick up my camera once the guests arrive) but here are a couple of my last minute centerpiece and peppermint crusted cranberry cocktail bar.

And now that the holidays are behind us, what better time to do the Blogger Secret Santa reveal? Tada! Did you guess right? The winner of the guessing game giveaway is: Leigh. Email me to collect your prize.

Big thanks to the wondeful ladies that participated. I hope they had as much fun as I did.
4 men 1 lady ** bryn alexandra ** emily a clark **
house of smiths ** the inspired room ** isabella and max rooms
la dolce vita ** lovely little details ** making it lovely
mustard seed interiors ** pure style home ** save the date 4 cupcakes
ten june ** thrifty decor chick ** you stir me ** young house love

Have a great weekend. I'll be back on Monday with a serious design challenge I can't figure a way to solve - get your thinking caps on.

Organize!

2012-01-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

I have so much to catch up on so forgive me for a little rambling here. I feel like I blinked and the last few months have flown by but its time to get my house in order so naturally, the blog has to follow suit.

My latest post for MyColortopia is up - its all about how to master neutral paint colors. Lots of things I wish I knew a few years ago! I hope you'll come by and leave me a comment. And please add your own tips as well.

To start off the new year on a good foot, I'm going to be hosting an organizing guest series similar to the junk drawer overhaul series from last year. I already have a short list of wonderful bloggers participating but I wouldn't mind a few more. Have you worked some magic on a closet (or closet like space) and want to share your before and afters? Please email me!

Speaking of organizing, a lovely thank you to Uncommon Goods for including me in their Best Design Blog Posts of 2011 list AND having me pick out some of my favorite products for the new year. Come by and see it will you?

As for whats coming up: I still have one more batch of India photos to share along with a giveaway of my favorite souvenir from the trip, a recap of our Marrakech, an update on the progress in the man cave, painting the shore bedroom, some freebie downloads and lots more in store. I hope you'll stick around. For those of you who have some ideas of what you'd like to see more of around here, please do not be shy!

I think that's it for now. Have a great weekend!

Namaste Jaipur

2012-01-04T09:00:00.001-05:00

The crazy holiday season is to blame for my tardiness but I figure I should finish sharing our trip to India that I took back in October. (Sheesh, where does the time go?) If you missed the earlier installments, read all about our first few days in Delhi and our stop in Agra.

So without further ado, here are some snapshots from beautiful Jaipur.

Jaipur was the most colorful and visually striking spots we visited. A beautiful scene and master craftsman seemed to be at work around every corner. This city had centuries of history to share as well but I found the views of everyday life to be its most interesting tourist attraction. Just as I was getting used to darting through traffic and averting the curious stares, it was time to pack up again and head back to Delhi for our final days of the trip. More on that in the next and last India post.

Belated Bon Annee!

2012-01-03T10:26:00.004-05:00

Grammatical goofs and flight delays aside, we had a great time celebrating the end of 2011 in Marrakech, Morocco. I'm back home now enjoying my final day off before its back to work tomorrow.

It was such a great holiday season but I'm way behind on so much. Like sharing the rest of my photos from our trip to India (Jaipur photos in tomorrows post!) and working on a million little projects I have on my to-do list. What about you?

I'm not sure what 2012 has in store for me. I'm feeling a bit anxious about it actually - not sure why - but I do want to wish every one of you an amazing new year. Thank you so much for reading, leaving comments and sending encouraging notes. I put a lot of time into Brooklyn Limestone and your kind words make me feel like I'm contributing something (albeit tiny) positive to world. So thank you again.

If there is something you would like to see more or less of in 2012 around here, please let me know.

And if you have enjoyed what you've seen on the blog, I'd love it if you follow me on facebook and twitter and pinterest and my colortopia for even more.

Favorite Photos of 2011

2011-12-29T09:00:00.001-05:00

I hope you are enjoying these looks back at 2011 (and if you are hating them, I promise this is the last countdown!). Today's list is a very unscientific recap of my favorite photos of the year. Some I've taken on trips, some right here at home.

I definitely feel like Ive become a better photographer this year. Still lots to learn of course but taking lots of photos for Brooklyn Limestone has helped teach me certain techniques and craft a personal style without even realizing it.

Did you have a favorite I missed? Or did you do a similar post on your blog? Please drop me a line or leave a comment - I'd love to see.

2011 in Review

2011-12-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

Gasp! Just five days left before the calendar ticks into 2012. I can hardly believe it. Luckily for me, I have a blog that lets me have a look back on what I kept busy with this year. Since I'm a big fan of year end wrap up posts, I thought it fitting to do a little reflecting with you. What do you say?

The year started in an organizing bang as I kicked off the Junk Drawer Overhaul series along with little group of amazing guests. It only took 3 years but I also managed to finally putting some finishing touches on the parlor bathroom in January.

By February I was spending some free time at our shore place painting the crusty countertops before we took two short trips –the first Costa Rica followed by Barcelona.

In March it was back to the paint brushes to finish off this Worldy Sofa Table I had been working on for a while. Then back to the shore to hang a ginormous gallery wall, install my gorgeous new custom light fixture.

With Spring in the air, I was back home adding a whimsical shade to my little room before we flew to the other side of the world to explore Melbourne, Hamilton Island and Sydney, Australia. And then a last minute trip to gorge myself on waffles in Belgium. Oh yea, I started a new job.

In May, we hosted a Royal Wedding watching party, wondered what to do with my awesome new to me card catalog (still not decided), rode the Cyclone in Coney Island and hacked up some No Sew Grommet Drapes.

Summer was finally here and back we went to the shore to hang drapes and wonder what to do with the sad state of the bedroom. A red and blue party photo shoot I co-styled was finally revealed, I ate a pretty cake, shared one of my favorite spots in NYC.

The dog days of summer were kind of busy. I gave out some inexpert advice on how to plan a trip and take better travel photos before traveling to the Middle East for the first time and experience the beauty of Jordan (1,2) . I finished up the coffee themed invitations and seating chart for a dear friends bridal shower before watching the final NASA shuttle launch with tears in my eyes.

I got my hands dirty with two small DIY projects – a decoupaged glass tray and a key catch all plate before welcoming a new fishy addition to our place. Once my favorite season had arrived, I was overjoyed to share my Halloweens past had been featured in a national magazine, while working on this years festivities including invitations, exterior and the party itself. Also Halloween related, I shared a freebie download, a project on how to make your own dinnerware and a Edgar Allan Poe inspired dinner party theme.

I also managed to squeeze in a few non Halloween activities like my very first trip to Brimfields Antique Market and finishing the little room. Do you think I could go an entire season without a trip? Nope. Off we went to India and had the most amazing time seeing Delhi and Agra (and I haven’t even gotten around to sharing the rest of the trip!). On the house front it was time to go below ground and start to tackle the mystery of the Man Cave. Finally the most wonderful time of the year was upon us which meant lots of little projects like a free naughty or nice gift tags, a DIY gift wrap organizer, a handmade sparkly tree topper and this years merrymints Christmas mail. Phew! What a year! And I left out a ton of stuff. I can go really go on and on if you let me.

Here is to hoping 2012 is as full of as many lovely surprises and adventures as 2011.

Merry Cat-mas.

2011-12-25T09:00:00.001-05:00

No matter how large or small, may all your wishes be filled today. Hoping you are enjoying the the best in Christmas bounty.

No peeking!

2011-12-24T09:00:00.000-05:00