A Short Christmas Story, As Priceless As They Come

As I run around this holiday season working a crazy amount and trying to do my Christmas shopping I find myself thinking irrational and selfish thoughts like "why do the kids get out Friday before Christmas, Christmas is not till Wednesday?!" or "why do they have the Christmas program during school hours?!" I know what you are thinking…. I would never admit that on a blog!:) Well, I did feel really bad having this thought. After all, my last baby was doing the last preschool church program I would ever see and I had seen lots of them! As I sat down by myself on the pew bench I started to tear up as I watched my littlest "King" file in. Then what happens next is a reaction only appropriate for a mom at her third child's Christmas program. I could not stop laughing through the sweetest little song, the one with all their little hands clutched praying and singing so softly… well except for one kid, that is! 

Little Vinny Stutzman

And what happens next is no task short of a true King surrounded by angels on either side of him… That's right "the roll" 

Then if it weren't enough he placed his treasure right in the angel's veil. 

Third ones a Charm(er)!! The moral of this short Christmas story is that its like some real boot camp style training to get through the early years with kids and much of it is a fog. If that were my first kid up there I probably would have signaled to him to stop picking immediately. But every time he looked at me I couldn't help but smile, wave and give him the thumbs up because this last time around I realize these moments of innocent inappropriateness are numbered and wishing them away is the real tragedy. So enjoy your little inappropriate, irrational and messy little gifts! Merry Christmas!

Cheers!!
{Laura}

A Kid's Lounge for Christmas!

Well I can't guarantee this is all going to fit in the stocking or that my bum is gonna fit down these kiddo's chimney for that matter but I hope very much that my client's kids love the plan for their new 2014 hangout! The kids are between the ages of 4 and 9 so it has to be a growing space since the toys are dwindling and it is becoming more about crafts, games, TV electronics and sleepovers. It is a huge space so it will be organized into several cozy areas but flow as a big open space. Let's get right down to the ideas, shall we?!?

The collage above represents the side of the room where the lounging will take place! The sofa and chaise will come together to form an L shape sectional and the little round gray chairs will square off the area opposite the chaise. Here is a VERY rough sketch to give you an idea. 

We are doing this space on a budget so I'll share some of the great value pieces in the design!! For the TV console we will plan to use either of these two pieces below from IKEA!! The client already has the long doored wall cabinet that I have shown above the TV in my sketch so that will be a great storage area for games and electronics. 

Option #1- BOKSEL from IKEA $190.00

Option #2- HEMNES from IKEA $199.00

For the TV wall I would like to do a dark blue or green and do a collage of pictures and artwork around the TV. Something along these lines as an idea I saw on Grand Design Co Blog

These fun Indie Mat photo mats that Erin blogged about a few months ago would be a perfect pop of pattern and color around the TV! Less expensive and permanent than framed pictures and no holes in the wall! Perfection! 

For the seating we have some Target furniture which was a great value and also can fold down into a flat mattress for sleepovers. The gray ottoman was a Overstock find and it is a storage ottoman so they can put blankets and pillows in there. 

Target Emily Futon fold down sofa- $189.00

Target Emily Chaise- $199.99

Overstock.com Storage Ottoman- $132.00

These little floor chairs are a great value from Meijer! Y'all know how I love Meijer!  This baby is only $83.99

As we know, pillows accessories and a great rug bring in the color and add a lot in terms of style so I scoured Etsy and Target for these inexpensive and fun pillow finds. 

The awesome hanging lamp is an IKEA find and it looks very lounge-esq, don't you agree!?! This is the REGOLIT and is only $49.99

And of course since the kiddos will be lounging as much on the floor as they are on the furniture I wanted to make sure we had a super plush comfy shaggy rug that would pull the space together and add warmth yet still be modern and graphic. This looks a lot like the West Elm one which I have always loved but this one has the long fringe on the ends!!! It is from Overstock so is a great value! This 5x8 rug is only $216.00 Awesome deal!! 

The loft area has very interesting ceiling lines and the ceiling is smooth so I think it would be very cool to do a silvery gray blue up on the ceiling and then to do gold star decals on up there as a starry looking silver and gold look! 

And for the craft and computer/study desk side of the room, below you can see some of the elements I am recommending for this area!!

Below is the layout sketch of the play space, craft table and the computer/desk area. The long wall across from the activity table has a large window so I added some Target panels for privacy and a pop of color. On the two shorter walls I am thinking she could do a chalkboard or chalkboard paint and on the other side she could hang the tension wires for displaying artwork. 

This cool design is more elaborate than what I am thinking but you could run the tension wires and clips across the wall directly mounted to the drywall. This design below was by The Project Girl and is indeed very very cool!  

Target Threshold Fretwork Border window panels only $29.00!! 

This table and four chairs come as a set from is the IKEA and are only $355.00! BJURSTA/ VILMAR table and 4 chairs

For the desk and computer area my client already has a long desk that will go up against the wall and two swivel desk chairs that she purchased from IKEA. Above the desk area I am recommending this very cool and very modern map of the world decal from Etsy shop "Stickershut"! This huge decal is only $55! This is the showstopper and it also has educational purpose, win-win!  I love this and am considering it for my own black and white office!!

For a true detailed map of the world I love the idea of hanging a globe as a light or just as a hanging globe above the desk area, maybe situated in the corner of the wall!? This one was a DIY made from an old illuminated table globe. The details are on Kumo Blog 

So what do you all think of the plan?! It was fun to play Santa for someone else's kids! Oh how I wish I had some elves this time of year!! Erin and I may both do a small holiday home tour post before the big day but then it may just be crickets till after the New Year buzz wears off:)!! Hope you all have a great holiday and now I need to get my rear in gear and shop till I can't see straight! Only two more full weeks, what?!?!

Cheers!!! {Laura}

Kitchen Reveal!

I gave you a sneak peak last Friday of my sister's kitchen remodel. Here again is the "before".

And now the "after"!

The contractors were able remove the old cabinets without destroying the tile backsplash. And luckily, they were able to get more of the same tile for behind the new Thermador stove and vent.

The island was extended from two-person seating to five. A beverage bar was added at the far end of the kitchen that was previously occupied by the large sectional. 

We'll continue to reveal more of the transformation as we decide on rugs and decor, but I think the first stage of this renovation is stunning!

A few of the details:

Cabinets are Kraftmaid Holace from Home Depot. Professionally installed by RJK Construction in Chicago, IL. The cabinet color on the island is Grayloft and the rest of the cabinets, including the beverage bar, are Dove White with Cinder Glaze. 

Kraftmaid Holace Door

Bianco Romano Granite, Home Depot

Pottery Barn Seagrass Backless Barstool

Pottery Barn Bolten Light

Remember this kitchen? . . .

Six months ago (and several bottles of wine), Laura and I convinced our sister, Jamee, and her husband, Mike, to refresh their kitchen and hearth area. Here's a look at where they started. 

It hasn't been easy living without a kitchen.

Or living with contractors!

(Yes, their contractor is also a close friend!)

And here's a sneak peak of her stunning new kitchen. I'll have the full reveal and sources next week!

Deck the Walls. . . The in-laws are coming!

In the midst of the paint revolution going on at my house, I stumbled onto two great decor finds this last week. The first is a quick and easy way to add an artistic gallery wall to your home. In July I had a post  about innovative ways to fill wall space, but now that it's November and the holidays are quickly approaching, you may just need a quick gallery solution before the in-laws show up! Artfully Walls sells pre-made, pre-laid out gallery walls. Basically, a gallery in a box! 

 Artfully Walls

Artfully Walls

Let's face it. There is an art to collage walls and hanging art in an "artistic" way. Artfully Walls does the work for you!

My other wall find is an online wallpaper company called Holden & James. They specialize in designer wallpaper, as well as fabric, pillows and home decor, at a fraction of the suggested retail price. Their pricing structure is wholesale + 25% (with the exception of Madeline Weinrib items). This includes wallpapers like Clarence House Flowering Quince and Kelly Wearstler's Imperial Trellis (two of my favorites). Both of these wallpapers are normally hundreds of dollars per roll. And although the wholesale + price is not inexpensive, it will save you almost half the price. The Flowering Quince is $89/ roll (normally $150+/roll) and the Imperial Trellis is $145/roll (normally $230/roll).

 Holden & James

 Clarence House Flowering Quince

Holden & James

Imperial Trellis by Kelly Wearstler for Schumacher

Happy decking!