We’re baaack!

Not just me, Kase and Colin. We’re back, too. We had a great time in Nantucket. I’ll fill you in later. This is more important. This is news. BIG NEWS.

That’s right. The Always Bloggy Meet Up is back for it’s second year in a row.   And because my pally Shannon knows that my laziness knows no bounds, she agreed to have it here in my backyard- Boston! To quote the always eloquent Heather from Real Housewives of New York, “Holla!”

Now, if y0u missed out last year, then sucks to be you. Seriously. I made some awesome real life friends. Yeah, we just call each other friends now. Not that whole mouthful- “my blog-friend-turned-real-life-friend-and-not-organ-harvester-blogger-stranger-danger.”  Cuz that? That’s just awkward. And I barely even remind them that I was afraid they might harvest my organs. Cuz we’re friends. And friends don’t call friends organ harvesters. It’s just not done.

So I think I’ve made my point that we are not organ harvesters. Or dangerous strangers. We are just people who have too much time on our hands (ha, right), who devote too much energy recreating Pinterest recipes, and who overuse Instagram. And maybe we tweet too much, too. Hard to say though, because I constantly tweet out gems. Gems, people!

In a nutshell? We’re just like you.

Soooo…..wanna meet?

PS- for all you eagle eyed people out there- yes, this is the same day as Kase and my fifth wedding anniversary. Which goes to show, I married well. Also, fifth anniversary is wood. So feel free to bring a wood related pressie. I’ll happily accept stranger danger pressies. I’m gracious like that.

Anchors Aweigh!

We’re getting ready to hit up Nantucket, which means I am scouring my closet for the proper outfits to pack. And nothing says Nantucket like ANCHORS!  I love my anchor necklace layered with my sideways cross that Kase gave me for my birthday. Here is just one of the outfits I’ve packed for our trip, inspired of course, by the nautical goodness that is Nantucket.

Twist Ring/ Twist Bow Ring/ Camp Shirt/ Anchor Necklace/ Cross Necklace/ Sunglasses/ Cutoffs/ Sandals

Besides the Tiffany stackable rope rings (which I love btw, KASE) this outfit is completely affordable, if you don’t already own some of the pieces.  So get your summer on- Anchors Aweigh!

The Look for Less [Kate Spade Necklace Edition]

A couple of weekends back, we were up in Andover and while strolling, I came across the shop Bobbles and Lace.  Have you heard of it? It’s a fantastic cute little boutique type shop. They sell clothes, shoes and most importantly, jewelry!  I spotted this guy and just had to grab it:

Bobbles and Lace Necklace, $35

It comes in all sort of colors, too. Take a look for yourself.

Kind of reminds me of this pretty lady, though I have to say, I like the colors of the Bobbles and Lace version, better!

Kate Spade Frame of Mind Graduated Necklace, $198

The Low-Low Project

Have any of you been watching the show, “The High Low Project”  on HGTV?  I am obsessed.  I love how Sabrina Soto manages to create $40,000 rooms for a fraction of the cost. And of course, she uses tons of stuff from Target, West Elm and Ikea, so I can get down with that!

Around here, I like to call my house, The Low Low Project. I am a firm believer in the idea that if you have a child, there’s no real point in “investment pieces.” Also, I’m just not allowed to have nice stuff. It’s along the same lines as why I don’t gamble. I’m a sore loser. Similarly, if I were to own something expensive and it were ruined, I would kill myself. First, I would kill the person who ruined it. But then, I would kill myself.  And let’s face it: that is not the healthiest of attitudes. So, Ikea it is.

But. BUT. Have you seen this Ikea hack?  Have you?!?

via

 That is a $70 black metal bookcase from Ikea. $70! They spray painted it gold. Geniuses. As you know, I love me some Ikea paired with antique brass spray paint. Hello, lover.

We certainly don’t need anymore bookcases around this joint, but there is something I have always wanted. Something that will make me a real grownup.

A bar.

Yup. I want decanters and highballs and all that crap. I want to basically live in an episode of Mad Men, so this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

We’ll start with the Ikea Vittsjo laptop table. It’s a mere $39, people. I mean, how can you *not* hack it for that price? Which we will do by taking our tried and true Krylon spray paint in Gold Leaf and spraying that sucker down to resemble a gold leafed console table. And then top it all off with some accessories and we’ve got a bar. Place it under our Ikea Grundtal mirror which we also spray painted and we’ve got an insta-bar. Sweet!

Now, I just need to turn Kase into an alcoholic so he understands how badly we *need* this.

Brass Monkey, er, Mirror

So I’ve been on the hunt to incorporate more metals and textures throughout the house. I love how layered it can make a room look, and how the lived in look it can create for a home.

I love the look of antiqued gold, and after purchasing some starburst mirrors for the living room, I decided that I needed to weave in the color throughout the house if I could. But let me tell you something. It’s very hard to find clean lines paired with a gold leaf at a good price. Especially when it comes to mirrors.

I’ve always loved the Ikea Grundtal mirror– it’s a round stainless steel mirror you can find in the bathroom section. Yup. The bathroom section. It’s bare bones, minimalist chic. And more importantly, it’s cheap. $39 to be exact.

The important thing is it has the clean lines and shape I was looking for. The only issue was it was steel. Nothing a little spray paint can’t fix.

This is the before:

I started by taping off the mirror, underneath the lip of the frame (this is important, because there is plenty of space between the lip of the frame and mirror).

Then I took newspaper and continued to tape off the mirror to protect it from the spray paint.

After lightly sanding the stainless steel with a fine grit paper (you can also use a steel wool pad, like a brillo pad), we primed the frame using Zinsser primer.

And then of course, it was time to spray paint- I used two small cans of Krylon Short Cuts in Gold.

Et Voila!

I decided to dress up the table a bit, since we are beginning to see the dining room as more than just a pass through now. Strange.

And I’ve got another idea up my sleeve for this space.  More tomorrow!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

As we plan the remainder of our summer, it dawned on me that August is just around the corner. And that I might want to get started planning Colin’s birthday party. Last year, I think I started planning in early May, which means I am already behind. 😉

Last year, we packed a whole lot into one day. That was a rookie mistake. I seemed to forget that my sweet one year old would need a nap at one point. But with family in from out of town, I tried to make the day as seamless and convenient as possible. Which is how this happened:

Woopsie daisy. You live. You learn.

So this year’s birthday will be all about the despot. After his nap, that is. Colin’s a sweet kid. He loves lots of stuff. Elmo, Cookie Monster, baths, singing, trucks, cars, construction sites. He’s a well rounded young man with various interests, let’s say. But nothing, oh nothing, can beat out cars, trains and planes. If my little dude is having a “moment” all we have to do is drive by the nearest construction site or pull out his matchbox cars for him to quickly move on. As I write this, he is playing with his new ride on buggy, and squealing with glee. Bottom line: if it’s got wheels, it’s got his attention. So while I scoured Pinterest for months and was inspired by Sesame Street and dinosaur parties, I knew they weren’t quite right.

So I decided to work backwards. I decided to start with the invitation first. What I really wanted was something like this, which didn’t have to tie in a theme anyway.

via

Isn’t that great? So I got on Etsy, and clicked and clicked and clicked. And then I remembered Minted.com from looking for personalized Christmas Cards. Which we never ordered. Or sent out. Whoops.

But here was a perfect opportunity. As I perused Minted.com for some invitation ideas, I spotted this:

Yup, it’s a save the date card. But the beauty of Minted is everything is customizable. And the best part is it’s two sided, so the front has all the party information, while the back has a sweet picture of Colin and a list of his likes, favorite words, and dis-likes. Just to keep all those non-blog stalkers up to date. Seriously. My own family doesn’t read my blog all the time. Some at all. Rude. Anyway, you’re welcome, family.

But the real reason I chose this card? Uh duh. Planes, Trains and Automobiles? Not to mention, the color scheme is pretty awesome. And thus, a birthday party was born.

The moral of the story? Pinterest and Etsy are great. But sometimes you gotta think outside the box to really get just what you want. It’s easy to get caught up in theme parties, but remember, there is always a good chance your kid won’t even make it to the cake cutting.

This is the first pass, and of course, I am open to any and all ideas you’ve got. Like, any locals know of a great cake shop? Or where I can rent a navy bounce house? 😉 Let the recommendations fly! Pun totally intended.

(PS! Minted.com did not pay me at all. Quite the opposite in fact. Sadsies.)

I smell pretty (products)

I discovered this Mrs. Meyers Lavender bar soap a few weeks ago and I have fallen in love. We are already on our second bar. It smells so darn good. We have it in our master bath, and the smell lingers and wafts through the rest of the floor. Love that. I plan to slowly accumulate all the lavender products I can get my grubby (and lovely smelling) hands on.

1.2.3.4.

Scenes from our weekend.

What a great weekend. We stayed close to home and stayed busy!

Torrential downpour on our way to see the Bloggess do a reading and signing at Brookline Booksellers on Friday evening

(Colin laughed at all the right parts)

Lookout Farm

Best. Ceviche. Ever. 

Sunday night ride with Dad.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend, too! Whadya do??

Black and White and Red All Over. Or Pink Here and There. Whatever.

Back when I was mocking up new rooms for Colin and still using his crib as a jumping off point, I created a couple of modern and bold nursery mood boards. I wasn’t planning on sharing them since I would not be implementing them myself and really, I just created them for fun, but then a couple of people asked me online if I would share some other ideas.  Working off of the Olin Rug from Crate and Barrel which I still love, I took it a step further and decided to create a modern, graphic nursery that while pretty bold, can be gender neutral:

Rug/ NYC Print/ Crib/ Stool/ Poster/ Bookcase/ Glider/ Pillow/ Throw

I love that Ikea footstool- it’s a perfect way to incorporate the whole cowhide trend that seems to be a hit right now.  And I still love that ABC print, which is from Ikea as well- I loved it when I was pregnant with Colin. So graphic. And hey, when they get to be Colin’s age now, that’s just a little less time you have to sing the ABC song. Ad nauseum.

An important note: pretty much everything can be sourced at IKEA. Which for all you soon to be new parents out there? Is a good thing. Trust you me. Diapers and formula will bankrupt you soon enough. Keep it affordable where you can.

Now, while I love black and red as a graphic combination, for those of you with little ladies on the way, I went ahead and mocked up another option, using the grey Olin rug with some sweet girly accents:

Rug/ Crib/ Pillow/Throw/ Picasso Dog Print/ Bookcase/ Glider/ Stool/ Audrey Print/ DIY Poms

God, I love that Audrey print. LOVE IT. I need to have a little girl. Or decorate someone else’s little girl’s room. Any takers???? Call me. No, seriously. I’ll work for free.

To recap, I used a  lot of the same elements in each room, a mix of items from affordable places like IKEA, West Elm and Crate and Barrel (but mostly, IKEA), because, let’s face it: This could merely be the first in a long line of bedroom re-do’s for your kiddo. If you’re anything like me.

Actually, each of these rooms can easily be transitioned from a nursery as you kid grows. In fact, I would love that pink room myself. I would. Unfortunately, I am married. And my husband keeps talking about this word “compromise.” Blah blah blah.

So what do you think? Would you ever go for a bold nursery?

There once was a girl who went to Nantucket.

Dudes. It’s happening. My lifelong dream of renting a house on Nantucket Island is happening!  My son and husband will wear Nantucket Reds and I will wear white jeans and a shirt with the collar popped. And insist on people calling me Bunny. Don’t tell me not to. It’s happening.

We decided kind of last minute to rent a house on Nantucket for the end of June. That’s the house above. Please don’t stalk me on vacation. Or do. But at least buy me dinner.

Oh man. I’m stoked. My favorite kind of vacation is one where there is not a ton to do, a lot of awesome places to eat, a town to walk around and a deck to relax on.

So here’s where you come in. Where do we go? What do we see? What to do? Most importantly, where should we eat and what do I shove down my gullet morning noon and night?

We’re renting some bikes. I assume we don’t need to rent a car, but would you suggest one? Also, for those of you with toddlers, do you recommend a bike seat or one of those bike wagon things where they lounge in a tent? And what is the weight requirement? Could we rent one for me?

Now, I must go and unearth my preppiest clothes. And find some adult male Nantucket Reds. Vineyard Vines, here I come!

Fun Find for Colin’s Room

While things are not progressing on the big boy room front, (and if we are honest, we seem to be regressing altogether on the sleep front), I did come across a fun Etsy find when looking for VW bus inspired decor. You’ll remember, my mood board looked like this:

What can I say? My son is not so unique as I’d like to believe. Turns out, the kid loves cars. And trucks. And anything with wheels. And while loving cars does not make my son unique, I can create a special room for him with things that are one of a kind.

I came across this amazing shop on Etsy- StarlingInk.  The owner takes vintage hubcaps and creates one of a kind clocks with them. When I spotted this guy, I couldn’t put it in my cart fast enough. Cherry Red? VW logo? Yes please. I believe you were made for Colin’s room. Now, get in my basket. And get in the mail. And get in my grubby little hands.

There are some other fun colors too. I am taken with the avocado green, I must admit.

And here are some others that caught my eye:

And I have to say, I was torn between a VW and this Chevy clock. I love the scuffs and scrapes. Ahh, I’m having buyer’s remorse. Must scroll back up top to banish second thoughts!

So if you’re like me and working on a car theme, which is NOT to be confused with a Cars theme, then this might be up your alley. Just thought I’d share!

Scenes from our [Holy Christmas] weekend.

The weekend was a complete blast. I had such a great time hanging out with my friends and despite the fact that the weather didn’t cooperate for us to take full advantage of the grounds (600 acres!!), we were still able to drink enough to last most groups a week or two. And isn’t that what getting together with friends is all about?

The Castle, or “Mystery Manor”

The Castle was insane. There were 14 of us altogether and we all had comfortable accommodations. I especially loved the suits of armor placed here and there, it leant the castle much needed authenticity. If there are no suits of armor, you can’t call yourself a castle. In my opinion.

The first night, Kase and I were in charge of dinner and served up a taco bar. I got these handy burger baskets, similar to these, at Target. I lined them each with some parchment paper and they were perfect for holding tacos. Easy clean up, too, so if you are ever hosting a large group, it’s a solution that’s a bit cuter than your standard paper plate.  I’ve never cooked for 14 people without it involving a crock pot, but luckily my friends all helped to chip in. We ate together in the dining room and then headed outside to enjoy the evening. And some alcohol.

The next morning, we ate a delicious breakfast together and then got our craft on. The First Annual Crusader Games required team attire, after all. Then it was time for the games: Balloon Toss, Marshmallow Hat Catch, Beer Can Relay, and Barrel Roll. Unfortunately, I don’t have pics of the barrel roll, but just imagine a bunch of  competitive and drunk people barrel rolling down a huge hill in the pouring rain, chugging a beer and then running back up the hill and tagging their partner to complete the relay. There’s video, but it may be blackmail material if any of us decides to run for president one day.

First Annual Crusader Games. May the odds be ever in your favor. (My team lost)

We relaxed before getting ready for Murder Mystery. Let me tell you something about my friends. They’re mine, and you can’t have them. For reals, I didn’t even need to bring props, because they all brought it. BROUGHT IT. Over the top. I loved it.

Welcome to Mystery Manor!

Not to ruin the surprise or anything, but the chauffeur did it. With a gun. In the parlor.

There was a moment where I was shoved and called a whore by my “sister” because my character was apparently impregnated by the chauffeur (who at that point, was not fingered as the murderer). This came as a surprise to me, because my character description told me nothing of the sort. But I played along since maybe I didn’t have the same information someone else did. Then we found out that Kase just thought he heard me say to someone else that I was pregnant and started telling people, all willy nilly like. And that started off a whole series of events that weren’t actually part of the script. Nor were they relevant to the murder. It may have thrown some people off the trail. Four people still solved the murder though. I think the alcohol made us smarter. It definitely made us bad actors.

It was really such a great weekend, and I’m reminded of the wonderful friends I am lucky to have. Can’t wait for next year.