The Ribbon Touch

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!  We’re headed to my In-Law’s for Thanksgiving where the table will be packed with people that I love. I couldn’t ask for more.

Since we’re not hosting, I won’t be doing any tablescaping.  I’m happy to pass on the baton though as it does take a lot of prep and energy to put together.  My mother in law does a beautiful job.

For those of you who are hosting and looking for a last minute tip,some beautiful ribbon goes a long way, simply tie it in a bow and use as a napkin ring.

 

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.  And as always, thanks so much for reading!

South Congress Hotel

First and foremost, I can’t possibly thank you enough for the kind and thoughtful feedback on the One Room Challenge.  It really made all that stress worth it.  After all these years of blogging, it’s still hard to present my own work so thank you for your kind feedback.

Graham and I snuck away for four days to Austin, Texas with good friends of ours.  It’s an awesome town and the food was nothing short of amazing.  I ate some body part of a pig at every single meal.

One of my favorite spots, from a design perspective, is The South Congress Standard Hotel.  It is way cooler than me.

So much cooler than me, see top spaz out photo for reference on my coolness factor.

If you can truly pull off vintage clothing; if you drop $600 on a locally made artisanal leather cuff; if you have ironic facial hair paired with a manbun, if your day job is less then 20 hours a week and involves macrame, then, you can stay here.

 

One Room Challenge: Reveal Day

We made it to the finish line.  Even though, it was just a walk-in closet, I still managed to get all stressy and obsessive.  BUT – it’s so good to have the kick in the pants needed to get an entire project finished.  And this time, unlike the last two times (seen here and here), I get to live with it!!

As a reminder, I redid my daughter’s walk in closet, which we now call The Clubhouse…

We really do have so much fun in there.

Gracie usually walks straight for her rocking elephant and rides away…

Josie will pull a princess dress out of one of her dress up bags that I had embroidered with the words “Tomfoolery” and “Mischief” – that’s one of my favorite little elements.

And I usually head for the books on the shelf and plop down on the sheepskin rug to read to the girls….

The girls will often stare out the window together, which they love.  I will often stare at the Sister Parish curtains with black pom pom trim and thank my lucky stars that I have a mom and helping friend that know what to do in front of a sewing machine.

Sometimes this closet does mean the business of getting dressed, but into frilly dresses, so it’s not the most serious business in town.

Rarely, I put clothes away but I’m much better at posing while fake putting clothes away than actually putting them away.  I’m much much better at faking it.

This closet door is never shut now.  If, say, my husband shuts it, I’ll follow right behind him and open it right back up.

I have been known to say “Goodnight closet” moments before tucking my daughter into bed and just last night Josie said goodnight to it.

For the record, her future husband is screwed.  He can thank me when Josie is straightfaced talking about the necessity to wallpaper her closet – to which he shall respond, “you can wish upon all the stars in the land, but we’re not papering our closet” and then she’ll think of this star light…

But my girls won’t remember what their closet used to be like because they are 2 and 1.  Perhaps you don’t remember what it looked like either…here is the before.

And after…

With that, we’re off to stare out the window to spy on our neighbor’s dog because apparently we have a thing about dogs.

Grace is especially fond of dogs…

While we’re looking out the window, I highly recommend going to see everyone’s hard work and big reveal on the One Room Challenge at Linda’s blog Calling It Home.

Thanks so much for looking!!

The vast majority of the pics posted today were taken by Tracey Mammolito who is a wonderful photographer and so kind and super easy to work with.  If you live in bay area, you can check her out here.

 

 

Six Week Challenge: Week 5

Wow!  Thank you everyone for the awesome feedback on my girl’s closet so far.  I really loved it and to be honest, I kind of needed it.  If you’ve been following my six week challenge since week one, then you’ll know that I was initially going to have my tried and true wallpaper hanger who I use with all my clients hang the paper.  A family emergency came up for him and so I went with a handyman I pretty much just found off the internet.

Internet handyman, wasn’t the best wallpaper installer that I’ve ever had.  But he did the job and all is lined up.  However, when he was finished, he looked at me and whispered (as if it was behind my back), “I don’t like this.  I don’t like the color pink paint you chose and I don’t like the paper.”  And then he proceeded to advise me to hire him to paint the ceiling blue with clouds on it.  Thanks Internet Handyman, could you sponge paint my walls too?!

For whatever reason, he rattled my confidence and all of you boosted it back up!  Thank you!!

Since then, my girls and I have been playing in what we now call “the clubhouse” and we all love it to bits and pieces.

The closet bar went pink.  There was some great feedback on how to get more economical lucite bars but I later heard they can’t take as much weight and so it felt easier to paint.  And I’m thrilled.

Also, I did some DI-WHYYYYY?.  Okay, maybe not Do It Yourself more like do it with your mom and your friend and have them do most of it but offer lots of cheer along the way.

This Sister Parish fabric is no longer a stack of lovely fabric but actual hanging curtains.

Stay tuned for the reveal next week.

Also, you may have seen this on my Instagram but these ubiquitous Anthropologie hooks were meant for the Best In Show paper.  The cutest totes ever are going on the hooks for dress up clothes.

This wonderful ram went blaaaack (to be read like a ram) because my tutu wearing toddlers are so edgy.

All is wrapping up and I can’t wait to reveal it next week!!

Please go check out the other participants, here.