Wednesday Guest: Life with Boys

About a month ago I asked our dear friend Cate W. Zahl, to guest post on boy's fashion. I am obsessed with her instagram posts, and her boys are always handsomely put together. I know I appreciate a little inspiration when it comes to dressing H.  

Thank you, Cate!!! 

Mel asked me to share a little about what it's been like so far living with two baby boys. I've got a 2 and a half year old (Charlie) and a 5 month old boy (Cabell), both of whom certainly keep me on my toes! For the most part, it's a blast. And I think I'm starting to get the hang of it? Superheros, trucks, tractors, trains, dirt, baseball, cars. These are the pillars in my life at the moment. 


1. On Dressing Boys

So having only ever had a sister, when I had my first baby boy, I had no idea how to dress him. I'm an old fashioned gal, but I wasn't quite sure how that translated with boys, and I found that finding sweet, traditional baby boy clothes was not easy. You had to hunt! What I looked to was Europe and the way they dressed their boys. In my mind, my sons have plenty of time to wear an oxford shirt and tie when they're older. Why put them in miniature man clothes when their 6 months old?

My advice is to keep them in the cute stuff as long as you can, because before long they are going to only want to wear superman shirts and sweatpants. Which is completely a cute look as well! But you've got a short window within which knee socks are ok. I decided to take advantage! And to invest in a few staples that will last. The navy and white striped shirt from Peter Beaton's lasts forever. Charlie and Cabell both live in it. It's a bit pricey, but worth it because the quality is so great.

Monday Guest

Today we are soooo pleased to share a guest post from a dear friend from our days in seminary. Andrea Zimmerman is the wife of a clergyman in Houston, Texas and the mother of three children.  Today she is going to share with us what she has been cooking up in her kitchen.

Living most of my winters in cold, dry climates, I am no stranger to dry, scratchy skin—hands, feet, elbows, lips—you get the idea! I’ve spent a small fortune over the years on various lotions, even prescription lotion, to try to bring relief to winter skin. Nothing really worked—some were watery and useless and others were heavy and greasy. And all had chemicals that I didn’t want. Then, a few years ago I learned how to make balm at home using all-natural ingredients. I had finally found something that worked on my skin! Not only mine, but my husband’s and small children’s sensitive skin as well.  Over the years, I’ve tweaked the recipe and given it out to friends and family. It became quite popular, especially for those in cold climates (though my Houston friends love it too!). 

My family moved to Houston, TX, a little over a year ago for my husband’s career as a clergyman. Now that we are settled, I’ve tried coming up with a job that would give me a creative outlet, adult interaction and income, while meeting the needs of my three young children and husband. (Note: the kids have three full months off school during the summer, three weeks of Christmas break, and way too many sick days. I’m not exactly an employer’s dream!) As I’ve been thinking this through, I’ve continued to make balm for friends, and it occurred to me that I could make this my job. It combines many of my interests and talents (cooking, creativity, business) and I truly enjoy the process as well as bringing joy to people’s skin. So, last week I opened Zimmerman Kitchen on Etsy!

Zimmerman Kitchen Hand & Lip Balm is made of all-natural ingredients found in the kitchen pantry. Our belief is that what is put on the outside of your body should be safe enough for the inside of your body. This is why we use edible ingredients to create a versatile, long lasting, truly luxurious balm for any part of the body. It has a light herbal scent that doesn’t overpower. I like it on my hands, eye area and lips, my husband likes to use it as a hair product, and my kids keep it in their desks at school to use as needed. It comes in especially handy when the kids have chapped, runny noses. My sister-in-law uses it instead of diaper cream on her toddler. My favorite thing about this balm is that we can use it without any reservation about what chemicals we are putting on our bodies—because there aren’t any!

Zimmerman Kitchen Hand & Lip Balm is available on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ZimmermanKitchen

Thank you Andrea!! We are always thrilled to share products that are made well, with care and love. 

Happy Monday!

Mel

Hello Monday!

Hi Everyone! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. We enjoyed watching Super Bowl with friends and I loved the half-time show. Beyonce is fierce! Since, we probably had a little too much of everything last night, I thought we ought to start the week with something fresh! There is nothing more refreshing then a few arrangements to get you through the week. 

HERE is a little UNO, DOS, TRES, on how to arrange a simple arrangement with POP!

UNO

My go-to for simple long-lasting arrangements are green hydrangeas, roses, and tulips. I buy them closed usually so you are able to enjoy them throughout the week. 

DOS

Clean all the stems, removing excess leaves etc.... Then you are ready to arrange. When I approach an arrangement I am hoping a clean and orderly look. 

TRES

I then rubber band my arrangement together and cover the rubber bands with green floral tape. I never like a flower to go to waste, so I added these little arrangements to accompany our roses. 

Happy Monday!!

Mel

Chalk Paint Tutorial

Welcome, Stacy Roseberry, our dear friend in Dallas Texas (also spouse of a clergyman), who recently attempted and succeeded painting furniture using chalk paint. She has an excellent eye for design and is a wonderful mother of two. Thank you for sharing your tutorial with us today!  Here's Stacy's guest post:

Over the years I have inherited many pieces of antique furniture from my family. Some are beautiful the way they are and others don’t quite seem to fit in with the more modern pieces in our home. I really love to find old pieces that blend with the style we already have instead of purchasing something new. 

So, when my husband insisted that he needed more storage for his clothes (if you knew him you would understand why he needs more than half of our master closet including the entire shelf system at the top to store all his shoes) I bought  a beautiful, second-hand French dresser. The dresser had a white and gold speckled finish which just didn’t fit with the other brown furniture in our bedroom. So, I decided to paint it.


Although I have painted many furniture pieces in our house, I didn’t feel like sanding, stripping and priming this piece…not to mention it had a laminate top which wouldn’t hold the paint color. After a tip from my sister-in-law and some researching on the internet, I came across Annie Sloan’s chalk paint.

This isn’t chalk board paint. It is essentially a latex paint with plaster of paris or chalk mixed into the paint creating a thick, super-matte , easy to use furniture paint. The paint has a gritty feel when you brush it on and has an amazing way of lying flat as it dries (in about 20 minutes).  

I started by wiping down the furniture piece with a wet rag and then letting it air dry before applying any paint. I took out all the drawers and removed all the hardware. There is no sanding, priming or anything else to do. Unbelievable! 

I chose duck egg blue chalk paint from the 28 premixed Annie Sloan paint colors. The paint is a little pricey, about $38 per quart but you don’t need much at all to complete a furniture piece. You can mix the colors or even add water to create a light coverage. I did not add anything to my paint because the color and finish was exactly what I wanted. Then, I just started painting with a natural bristle paintbrush. The paint would dry really quickly, so I worked in small sections. I tried to work with the grain of the wood because you can see the brush strokes a little when it dries. Even though this paint is amazing, it is still a hand painted piece.

After one coat, really that is all it takes, you are ready to apply Annie Sloan’s soft wax. I would recommend getting her clear finishing wax because I tried to save money and purchase another wax and it actually stripped the paint finish off my furniture. The wax looks and feels like Crisco. I just used an old t-shirt to apply the wax, but Annie Sloan recommends a round brush. It was a little tough to get into some of the detailed areas but it saved me another $20. Here you can see the slightly darker finish after applying the wax. It seals the paint and makes it much more durable. When the wax dries you can take another clean t-shirt and buff it to wipe off any excess wax.

   Another thing that makes this paint awesome for furniture is its workability. After you paint and clear wax you can sand the edges as well as take the Annie Sloan dark wax and detail the decorative accents on the piece. You brush it into the edges and around any ornamental details then wipe it off to create depth and an aged look. We like things to be more simple with clean lines so we did not age our dresser. The finished piece is gorgeous and I couldn’t be any more pleased with the results. My neighbor liked it so much I took her to get some chalk paint in red and she completed her antique chest by the end of the next day. 

THANK YOU, STACY!!!!

Monday Do's

Summer has finally arrived in NYC, along with 90 degree weather. What to do with your long hairdo?  Last Sunday Nia and her friends were in church, and when all three girls lined up at communion,  I couldn't help but notice their fun summer hairstyles. You notice these things when you are in a historic church without AC, and it is a little on the warm side. 

 Nia and friends have figured out the "chic" summer look that will literally keep you cool.  If you have long locks like me you will definitely love this look!

Stay Cool!!!

Mel

High End Lifestyle Design: An Interview with Jonathan Hansen

Mel and I have long been huge fans of our friend Jonathan Hansen, whose soft spoken kindness and personal sense of style impressed me long before I knew of his admirable and considerable contributions to the world of high end design.  Whether building his own furniture, working with famous interior decorators or for clothing designer Thom Browne, Jonathan's fascination with mixing luxurious and affordable, modern and traditional elements shines through.  He agreed to answer a few questions for us about his designs and inspiration, and we're thrilled!

Jonathan's interest in design began while he was still a little boy;  for his fifth birthday he remembers asking his parents for a new look in his bedroom: wall to wall shag carpet in bright red!  A High School shop class taught him the basics of woodworking and leading him to experiment on his own, making furniture and playing with different finishes to create a variety of antiqued looks.  He even started his own business in college, building and selling his furniture in his spare time from studying (we love that DIY spirit!).  


Closing up shop in order to continue his training, Jonathan next spent two years at the North Bennet Street School in Boston,
which is the oldest trade school in the country and has programs in furniture making, violin making, and jewelry making.  During this apprenticeship style training, Jonathan studied 18th and 19th century pieces from the period when hand skills were at their highest, before machines altered the craft.  These pieces are based on classic principles of architecture, lines and construction-- principles Jonathan applies to all aspects of design.

I was able to check out his gorgeous furniture close up!

In New York City, he worked with several high profile decorators (including Keith Irvine, Jackie Onassis' decorator!!), creating one of a kind and custom pieces of furniture for their clients' homes.  For one job in Santa Barbara he was asked to design all of the furniture for a whole new home, with everything custom fit for the house.  He designed everything and assembled a network of highly skilled craftsmen from all over the country to execute his designs.


That project in LA started him onto what he is doing now, which is  full time design and product development.  Recently, Jonathan has helped Thom Browne, Ralph Rucci & Aerin Lauder to expand their brands into the home product category.  He loves the process of translating a brand aesthetic from one category (like fashion or beauty) into the home category.  The fun for him is in working with a designer and finding out how their aesthetic can find its expression in furniture, table top and decorative objects. 

A collection of glassware Jonathan recently designed for Baccarat and Thom Browne.

His designs for the collection

A few helpful insights from the expert himself:

- Be patient.  Designing anything is an evolutionary process.  You don't know how it's going to look until you see the prototype for the first time.

- When decorating a room in your home, buy things you love and see how you can work them together.  

-Be sure to mix old and new together.

- Furniture is supposed to be used! It's ok when it looks lived in.

Stay tuned to read about Jonathan's inspiration, and later see the tour of their amazing NYC apartment!

Liza 

CATE W ZAHL

Our dear friend Cate, agreed to share her favorite party tips on a budget.  THANK YOU!  You can find Cate writing for Apartment Therapy.  She has beautiful style, and we have seen her transform small spaces into beautiful homes. 


Recently, I've thrown a number of baby showers. It seems all my friends are having babies! So I've sort of got it down to a science. I've learned what works, what doesn't, what's worth spending money on, and what you can do on the cheap. Here are some of my tips on adding personal details to any shower that are sure to make the event unique, special and beautiful.

1. If you're a mother, raid your kid's closet. Hanging special little newborn gowns on pretty cloth hangers makes for the perfect decoration. In my case, I've got a few linen gowns that were either mine as baby or my husband's whose mother lovingly kept and handed down. They feel vintage and dear hung on a mantel or piece of furniture. I've hung a vintage christening gown on my secretary desk with a light illuminating it. Very dramatic! If you don't have kids, ask you friends who do to bring a few outfits, or you can plan to display your present that you got the expectant mother.

2. Make miniature arrangements instead of having big ones. I happen to have a silver baby cup collection that works perfectly to make small arrangements full of inexpensive flowers, such as miniature aster, spray roses, and babies breath. Spread them about everywhere and it'll feel perfectly babyish!

3. Go for simple food. Everyone loves tea sandwiches, they are always a hit. I buy already prepared egg salad, tuna salad and chicken salad from Whole Foods and make little sandwiches, and call it a day. Adding fresh sea salt and cracked pepper, along with slicing pickles makes them taste homemade. I will fill up glass jars full of candy and maybe do a sweet treat like macaroons. But less is more with the food. One thing that's a must is champagne!

Thanks, Cate, for sharing your fabulous ideas!!

Besos,

Mel

Monday Giveaway!!!

Happy Monday!!! 

a note from our friend Jane and chance to win!!

When Mel and Liza asked me to host a giveaway here on their blog, I jumped at the chance. I am always on their site getting inspired to make my life more beautiful and am so grateful for their attention to budget and taste. 

I am the owner of Plain Jane's Cards (plainjanescards.wordpress.com). I was first drawn to designing stationery because I love sending and receiving mail. There is something so exciting about opening your mailbox and finding a beautiful notecard or letter waiting for you. My motto at Plain Jane's Cards is "Write Happy." If you are happy to write, you will write more often and brighten more mailboxes. Sometimes all it takes is a beautiful card and a great pen- I love Pilot Precise, but pens are personal. I recommend you go to an office supply store near you and test a bunch. But, the stationery is important too. I love seeing personal stationery that matches the personality of its owner.

 I designed stationery for my brothers this past Christmas and picked out different fonts and colors to coordinate with their different aesthetics. So to help you "Write Happy," Plain Jane's Cards is giving away a set of personal stationery (25 printed cards with coordinating envelopes). These are just a few samples of past custom work- the choice is yours when it comes to your stationery.

We will discuss the styles you like and come up with stationery that you adore using any elements- paper, fabric, calligraphy, and font preferences.  

TO ENTER

Simply, visit plainjanescards.wordpress.com, then leave a comment here below sharing who you would "Write Happy" too.  What a  special treat, the winner will be announced on Wednesday, so check back in.

Thanks Jane!!!

Mel & Liza