Top Ten Projects of 2010

                            

In keeping with tradition, I have created a line-up of my favourite projects (decorating or personal) that I tackled in 2010. I didn't do as many hands-on projects this year, which I think is a reflection of the fact that we have been in this house longer than any other home we've had AND my having spent so much of the year in front of my computer...working.

Here is my list:

1.  My $65 bathroom make-over, inspired by the funky wallpaper, above.

 

2. My new "office", Les Nessman style: 

 (above photo, courtesty Matthew Mead)

3. Well, not so much a project, but still something new. My new Ikea chair, which my three cats haven't managed to ruin yet:

 

4. A little Halloween craft: 

 5. My dining area make-over. (Trying to get in touch with my more youthful side ;-)

With my new light from Ikea:

 

6. Decorating Sophie's playhouse for Christmas...why didn't I do this before now?

7. The free $10 light I made for my sister:

8. Christmas snow globes:

9. My Murphy Bed, built by the handyman!!

10. And last but definitely not least, I am so proud of my part in this:

I wrote a large number of the articles, tended the blog, tackled the many letters/emails and questions we received, and had so much fun on the photo shoots I was involved with here and here, and the many other duties that came with my position. Stay tuned to our blog for an exciting announcement (coming soon) about what is coming up next.

Happy New Year, everyone! 

Thank you for following along with my decorating and family adventures in 2010 and I am so grateful for your kind comments, emails and friendship. That is what truly makes blogging a gift.

My Murphy Bed...

I just realized I forgot to share the photos of my new Murphy bed the handyman made for me. With both our families living away, we really needed to eke out some sort of guest room and with no extra space hiding out anywhere, well, a Murphy Bed was our solution. Using the hardware kit from Lee Valley, the handyman loaded up his big a*s truck with wood and started working his handyman magic. I had shown him some photos of beds I liked, but he said he had it "all under control" and with the fancy pieces of moulding I saw poking out of his stash, I figured he just might.

Well, he worked away and before I knew it he was standing in front of me with a paint can and brush, passing off the proverbial handyman baton (he doesn't do paint), and with a sigh and a shuffle, off I went. I painted the outside, but the inside will have to wait. Also, I plan to wallpaper the area behind the bed, just to be all fancy-like. But I was too lazy to do it when I should have. Besides, Christmas shopping was calling to me, and would you rather paint/wallpaper or shop?

So here is the inside of the bed, in the "down-right" position:

 And this is how the bedding stays in place:

 And 2/2 guests report it is comfortable!

Christmas Present

I'm so sorry if I'm totally driving you crazy with our Better Homes & Gardens article but I've been meaning to share the article on here for readers who weren't able to get a copy.  (And, it really was the hi-light of our year; I'm not gonna lie.)  If you click on the pics (photos by Helen Norman), you should be able to see them larger. 

{Stockings by Handmade Pretties on etsy...  I loved the title of the article because "Christmas present" applies to living in the present moment which we really try to do and also to our baby Justin who was born on December 22nd just 3 days before Christmas... Go Joanna! }

{I'm always walking into the house carrying beautiful flowers with my cutie sitting there waiting on the stairs for me;) ;)  .. hee hee I wish.  I've gotten lots of emails/ calls about my bag & boots.  The bag is by UGG and the boots I'm wearing are MUDD... both from a few years ago.}

{You might notice they brought in a new coffee table by Wisteria to replace our lucite one & my cow hide rug wasn't in the shot.  We filled one of my glass lamps with glass ornaments. } 

Here's a photo to compare: 

{A year later at our house means changes...  Obviously I've rearranged the floorplan since then.  (This happens a lot.)  I've also replaced the Arteriors glass table lamp with the Arteriors glass floor lamp.  (It actually took over 4 months to get to me and was once of the first things I ordered for our living room but wasn't here in time for the shoot.)  I've also moved our cow hide into our bedroom and reaplaced it with an antiqued wool rug.}

{I love how beautifully these gifts were wrapped and I love that they were able to use so many of our own things in the shoot.}

{Isn't it funny to read your own quotes???   hahaha  I think I meant that nothing's really set in stone around here, that we're picking thigns up and adding traditions as we go each year.  I took the photo of Dave & Christian making the showman last January during one of the snowstorms before the photo shoot in February.  }

{looooooove this pic...  On the shelves, they brought in some copper to add to my white ware which was so pretty & warm.  Of course now I want some.  We borrowed the ironstone platters & cakestand from my friend Donna at On a Whim Antiques in Lucketts, VA for the shoot. The rest of the pieces are mine and I found the ceiling medallion I propped up on the shelves for only $1 at Goodwill five or so years ago.}

{and they were able to sneak an extra little page in at the end which I love...  Christian had such a blast opening the bulldozer toy over & over.  what a champ.  The food was beautiful and we used a milk glass urn turned upside down with a plate above & below for a makeshift cakestand.}

And here's a close-up of the beautiful table Jessica Thomas did:

She used my silverware & china over my Pottery Barn plates and little polar bear Christmas ornaments for name tags.  - my handwriting on them- yay! ha    The vintage fabric draped over the parsons chairs really added something.  I found it at Goodwill years ago as a set of curtains and it's gotten a lot of use.  I even made a blanket out of some of it for Justin's room. 

And, I was also picked as the blogger of the month which was such a nice surprise:

The funniest thing is that I was at an antique store this Fall & almost bought that exact little squirrel nutcracker (old, not new of course)  for Christian.  He was $32 and I didn't buy him- what is wrong with me?- and had regretted it since.  When I saw it on the page I wanted to kick myself! :)

Thank you so much again to the team at Better Homes & Gardens: editor & writer Joanna Linberg, stylist/producer Jessica Thomas, and photographer Helen Norman  & her assistant F.J. Hughes. and all of the in-house people like Shelley Caldwell who put the story together and to field scout Bonnie Broten...  You guys are truly the BEST.  Thank you, thank you. 




ps- I'm really trying to take a break & stay off of the computer this week so you won't see much of me until Monday!! :)

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

*The caged lantern in our entryway is by Minka Lavery...  I have gotten tons of phonecalls & emails about it and I think may have been discontinued.  The wallpaper in our breakfast nook is also discontinued.  Our front door is "maple leaf" by Behr and our kitchen cabinets are "witch hazel" by Behr.  I used the book Leonardo's Notebooks for the sketches in the entry.

Christmas Present

I'm so sorry if I'm totally driving you crazy with our Better Homes & Gardens article but I've been meaning to share the article on here for readers who weren't able to get a copy.  (And, it really was the hi-light of our year; I'm not gonna lie.)  If you click on the pics (photos by Helen Norman), you should be able to see them larger. 

{Stockings by Handmade Pretties on etsy...  I loved the title of the article because "Christmas present" applies to living in the present moment which we really try to do and also to our baby Justin who was born on December 22nd just 3 days before Christmas... Go Joanna! }

{I'm always walking into the house carrying beautiful flowers with my cutie sitting there waiting on the stairs for me;) ;)  .. hee hee I wish.  I've gotten lots of emails/ calls about my bag & boots.  The bag is by UGG and the boots I'm wearing are MUDD... both from a few years ago.}

{You might notice they brought in a new coffee table by Wisteria to replace our lucite one & my cow hide rug wasn't in the shot.  We filled one of my glass lamps with glass ornaments. } 

Here's a photo to compare: 

{A year later at our house means changes...  Obviously I've rearranged the floorplan since then.  (This happens a lot.)  I've also replaced the Arteriors glass table lamp with the Arteriors glass floor lamp.  (It actually took over 4 months to get to me and was once of the first things I ordered for our living room but wasn't here in time for the shoot.)  I've also moved our cow hide into our bedroom and reaplaced it with an antiqued wool rug.}

{I love how beautifully these gifts were wrapped and I love that they were able to use so many of our own things in the shoot.}

{Isn't it funny to read your own quotes???   hahaha  I think I meant that nothing's really set in stone around here, that we're picking thigns up and adding traditions as we go each year.  I took the photo of Dave & Christian making the showman last January during one of the snowstorms before the photo shoot in February.  }

{looooooove this pic...  On the shelves, they brought in some copper to add to my white ware which was so pretty & warm.  Of course now I want some.  We borrowed the ironstone platters & cakestand from my friend Donna at On a Whim Antiques in Lucketts, VA for the shoot. The rest of the pieces are mine and I found the ceiling medallion I propped up on the shelves for only $1 at Goodwill five or so years ago.}

{and they were able to sneak an extra little page in at the end which I love...  Christian had such a blast opening the bulldozer toy over & over.  what a champ.  The food was beautiful and we used a milk glass urn turned upside down with a plate above & below for a makeshift cakestand.}

And here's a close-up of the beautiful table Jessica Thomas did:

She used my silverware & china over my Pottery Barn plates and little polar bear Christmas ornaments for name tags.  - my handwriting on them- yay! ha    The vintage fabric draped over the parsons chairs really added something.  I found it at Goodwill years ago as a set of curtains and it's gotten a lot of use.  I even made a blanket out of some of it for Justin's room. 

And, I was also picked as the blogger of the month which was such a nice surprise:

The funniest thing is that I was at an antique store this Fall & almost bought that exact little squirrel nutcracker (old, not new of course)  for Christian.  He was $32 and I didn't buy him- what is wrong with me?- and had regretted it since.  When I saw it on the page I wanted to kick myself! :)

Thank you so much again to the team at Better Homes & Gardens: editor & writer Joanna Linberg, stylist/producer Jessica Thomas, and photographer Helen Norman  & her assistant F.J. Hughes. and all of the in-house people like Shelley Caldwell who put the story together and to field scout Bonnie Broten...  You guys are truly the BEST.  Thank you, thank you. 




ps- I'm really trying to take a break & stay off of the computer this week so you won't see much of me until Monday!! :)

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

*The caged lantern in our entryway is by Minka Lavery...  I have gotten tons of phonecalls & emails about it and I think may have been discontinued.  The wallpaper in our breakfast nook is also discontinued.  Our front door is "maple leaf" by Behr and our kitchen cabinets are "witch hazel" by Behr.  I used the book Leonardo's Notebooks for the sketches in the entry.

Christmas Wishes...

 

 Okay. This is supposed to be our Christmas card. Except Shutterfly failed to deliver (on time, as promised) so I won't be sending any out until AFTER Christmas. : (

Regardless, I think I have pretty great kids to pose for this photo. And it wasn't even my idea. This year, their father came up with the idea and I was SURE they would revolt. But, they know it is pretty much all I ask of them at Christmastime, so I am still amazed that this one goes down in history as the easiest Christmas card shoot of them all.

Go figure... 

Our holiday table:

Oh, and I know you have all probably heard me bemoan my camera and the lacklustre quality of the photos it produces. Well, this year the handyman gave me such a surprise! We, who normally don't exchange much in the way of presents, actually surprised each other. I made a photo book for him commemorating his Ironman achievement and he gave me this sweet beauty:

So, after many hours trying to figure out how the heck it works, I should be able to shoot some better quality images for this old blog.

Just remember, I'm a slow learner, so don't expect too much too soon!!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. 

And for your listening pleasure. This one gives me chills:

Christmastime's a Comin'...

Christmas is nigh...

And I am as ready as I will ever be. Because, really, all of the little things we do are just extras, right? We don't have to attend every party we are invited to, bake at least five things, get gifts for everyone whose paths we might cross during the week of Christmas, or wrap gifts that look like masterpieces, do we?

I don't know if it is because my children were off for a full week before Christmas or if it's because I choose carefully that which I do to celebrate, but I find Christmas just getting easier somehow. And please don't hate me for saying that...it has just been about choosing what is worth doing and discarding the rest.

Basically, I choose not to try new, complicated (albeit impressive) recipes. I rely on everyday favourites, those which others have shared with me, or those which I know won't see me slaving over a stove for hours. This year, the only thing I baked was a batch of tiny chocolate cupcakes that were supposed to have a ganache-type icing...except I messed it up somehow. (Have I ever told you how much I hate baking?)
So what did I do? I simply dipped the cupcakes in the too-runny icing and sprinkled crushed candy canes on top. Who cares? I have better things to do (basically anything is better than baking!)

(our invitation: sparkling cider with personalized invitation labels found here)

As for our Christmas eve fare, which we share with our closest friends, I stuck with the old adage (but with a twist!): Something old, something new, something borrowed...comfort food!

The old: our annual offering, seafood chowder - chock full of lobster, scallops, salmon, clams and cream.

Something new: meat pies, made from my mum's recipe. easy, hearty, nothing fancy, but delicious all the same.

Something Borrowed: a recipe I haven't made in years, but shared with me by my good friend, Elizabeth, back when the boys were small. Chicken lasagna, made with hollandaise sauce, asparagus tips, mushrooms, and Mozarella cheese. Yum!

Comfort food: good, old-fashioned macaroni and cheese, from Tasha Tudor's cookbook. I am not a cheese lover, but the handyman loves it so this is his specialty (he doesn't put a crumb topping on his).

We (I) also make homemade egg rolls, which get gobbled up by the boys in no time. I rarely deep fry anything, so the good old "chip pan" is resurrected for this recipe. (Here is a great photo tutorial on making your own: Egg Rolls

As for today's celebration, friends will gather, we will eat and "make merry", head off to a candlelight service at our church, and arrive home in time to see Santa drive up and down our street atop a vintage fire-truck. If I remember, I will hide a pickle in our tree (which our eldest ALWAYS finds, which causes big fights), and go to bed too late only to awaken before everyone in anticipation of the kids opening their gifts. Does anyone else do that? I always tiptoe out before everyone else to turn on the tree lights, the Christmas music, and get the video camera ready. I leave our outdoor lights on all night so that Santa can find us and I marvel that no one else does the same! As soon as we begin opening gifts, Jack, our funniest cat, finds a box to curl up in and Ollie, the youngest, will be put out that his spot beneath the tree is no longer available. Other than cooking dinner (which of course is no small feat!), my biggest plans are to have a bubble bath and read a book I have been saving just for this occasion. We wear our comfiest clothes and go nowhere until Boxing Day.

Because aside from the shopping, Christmas can be made simpler. Maybe our family makes it too simple, but to us, it just feels right. 

I wish you and yours a wonderful Christmas. I hope it is all you wish it to be and that contentment alights in your soul.

Merry Christmas!!!