evolution of a dining room

Ta da! The dining room as it is today:

(I love that you can see E's tiny little flip flops in this photo. Hurray for small evidences of little girls living here.)

But let's back up a bit, shall we? In this post from 2011, I shared that my dining room was boring. "A total snoozefest." Let me refresh your memory (with perhaps a warning to not view this super boring photo while operating heavy machinery). 

I'm happy to report that the dining room is no longer dull and I even dare say that I'm pretty satisfied with the state of things. 

In the fall of 2011 (i.e., right after I wrote that first dining room post), we replaced wine rack/buffet (more on that later) as well as the ugly, vintage-in-a-bad-way chandelier (with a new one from Lowes). I also made window valances out of a tea towel I've had for years. Tip: Cut a tea towel from Anthropologie in half lengthwise to make two valances for small windows. They are larger than typical tea towels. I attached mine with velcro to the exiting Roman shades. The table, chairs and blank walls were dealt with earlier this year as part of "operation: get-stuff-done-before-baby-#2-comes-along."  

The chairs, with which I have a love affair, were on sale at Restoration Hardware. They still have them in fact. And they're still on sale. The dining table is nothing special. It's a no-frills, cheap-o model from IKEA (Bjursta) that I don't love, but I knew that going in so no regrets. The color and price were right and I finally have a table that seats more than six people (ten in fact!). 

For the wall (above), I was inspired by this photo from Pinterest.

(image via Pinterest)

So, I have waaaaay more plates to find and hang, and I'm also considering bead board for underneath our chair rail. (Much more casual look than traditional wainscoting.) The plates and trays are sourced from Target, Ikea, ebay and thrift stores. Tip: When looking for a collection of plates to hang, go with plastic or melamine. This was a brilliant brainstorm on my part so that I could safely hang them with Command strips, which are cheaper than plate hangers and easily changeable for adding to the collection over time.

Originally, I hung a Lack shelf from Ikea along that wall (one of two I was planning). But it ended up not being small-space-friendly and I was forever bonking my head. Before removing it, the shelf housed my favorite housewares--including yellow damask plates (from Anthropologie), teal drinking glasses (Target), white wedding china, and some vintage finds). I moved those over to the bookcases-turned-buffet along the other wall:

Reason numero uno why we went with Billy bookcases (Ikea again) was their shallow depth (11 inches, I think). The dining room exits to the back deck so it needs plenty of space for foot traffic. We also loved the height of the bookcases (i.e., out of Miss E's reach), the addition of tons of storage space (behind doors), and the great price. I considered adding some fun vintage knobs but figured the doors would then just be asking for curious little hands to open them. And in case you're wondering, everything on the left half of the buffet sits on a tray for easy removal during dinner parties (plates on the right side are usually set at the table when we have guests over.)

And just for fun, a photo of one of my favorite details in the room: a set of teal antique salt and pepper shakers, those yellow Anthropolgie plates from my sister, a few thrift store finds, and a print from Sarah Ahearn Bellemare (in fact, my first etsy purchase).

There you have it. Dining room no longer "in progress," and no more decisions about what to hang on the walls. Big sigh of relief.  

hello, again

nope, not a blog post about Neil Diamond (sorry, Mom!). Just a quick post to say "hello, nice to see you." A few people recently have told me I needed a blog with which to share my projects. I typically disagree; the last thing I need is something else with which to waste time. But now I have an etsy shop that needs public relations help, plus I have a lot of crafty + DIY projects on the horizon and an outlet to share them would be nice. Then I remembered that I started a blog in 2009 that I update about once every two years, so ... welcome back!

While you're waiting for some actual new posts, flip through the posts now outdated by at least two years. Fun times!

decisions, decisions

Our dining room is boring. A total snoozefest. Almost two years into ownership of this house and the dining room still has no art on the walls. The only colors (and I use the term loosely) are white, beige and brown. I don't know why I've given the dining room the shaft, but it's finally getting the attention it deserves.

We have a chair rail in the dining room, which is pretty pointless when both the upper and lower sections are painted the same (boring) color. I've decided to paint the lower section a darker version of the beige on the wall.  But the wall with the windows doesn't have a chair rail, and it's a focal point in the house (in fact, the first thing you see when you walk in the front door). So, the question is: Should I paint it the darker color or leave it as is?

Here's a "before" (aka "right now") of the room (this color is also in the living room):

Here's my mockup of the room with paint on the walls (plus curtains I plan to add). This is the version without new paint on the window wall.

And here's the version with new paint:

And for even more comparison, here is what the room looked like when we moved in (with the window wall the same color as the upper half of the other walls, which was also the same color as the living room):

I like how the darker color highlights the white molding. But I also like the idea of not having to paint. Decisions, decisions. What do you think?

Update: And then I went Pinterest browsing this afternoon and found this dining room (that happens to be Keri Russel's).

I'm digging the really light walls with the dark furniture (and I must have those chairs). So perhaps a better option would be to keep the color I have on the bottom of the chair rail and paint above a lighter color. (And, for the record, I really would love to have wood floors like hers that aren't orangey brown and match none of the color palettes in my house.) Hmmm...

first birthday party: crafty goodness

Well, Miss E's party was fun, but it did not go off without a hitch. There was the cramming of all the tables and twenty-four people in our tiny house because of the rain. And then Eleanor, being a toddler, was cranky at nap time, so we had to push back the cupcake-eating until only three people were left to witness it. But that's okay; it wasn't her real first cake-eating anyway (we documented her actual first cake-eating experience during a little photo shoot three weeks before her birthday).  And despite my insecurities, everyone really did have a good time. Plus, the decor turned out just like I had envisioned in my head, and the sweets tasted just a good as they looked.

The invitations beckoned our guests to join us as we celebrated our "sweet" little girl turning one year old. I designed the simple invites and had them printed as 4"x6" photos at shutterfly and then rounded the corners with my corner punch (the invitations are hiding somewhere, so this digital version will have to do for a photo).

As you know, the centerpiece of the party was the desserts table in honor of our sweet little girl. I used the sweet theme and number 1 design throughout the party's various elements.

 

Yummy lemon cheescake bars + tags I designed. (The vintage scale usually decorates the top of my fridge.)

 

 

Absolutely beautiful cake made by my friend Tiffany of Flying Buttercream Cakes (I made the tiny bunting) and inspired by this cake. Tiffany actually made the cake for the aforementioned cake-eating photo shoot that awesome photographer Marissa Bowers did (one photo is displayed on our mantel, below). The cake was too beautiful and delicious to go to waste, so I froze it to use for the party. 

 

I also made a no-sew fabric banner (the "Happy Birthday" is above the sweets table) to accompany Marissa's cake-eating photo of Miss E. These days, the Eleanor part of the banner hangs in Miss E's room. I also love that the total cost for the banner was $2.75 (and as the hubby said, way cuter than any plastic banner you could buy for $2.75). I had most of the fabric in my stash (one quarter-yard I purchased from Hobby Lobby on clearance for $.75), bought a spool of ribbon, and used scrapbooking letters I had on hand. 

I don't love this photo, but I have to share one of my favorite things from the party: the banner I made from Eleanor's monthly photos (seen here). What fun to see the changes from month-to-month, deciding whether or not she always looked like Eleanor from the beginning (she did in fact), and determining which month she started to turn into the E we know today (nine months). This is where I kept the favors (bags of candy for the adults and dollar-store toys for the kids) with labels that read (You're a sweet "1").

 

And that wraps up all the prettiness from our little girl's big day. To finish, here are photos of the sweet guest of honor:

~Kristin

first birthday party: inspiration

My sweet Miss E turned one in June, and in the months leading up to that milestone I poured over loads of inspiration photos to help me plan my big event (thank you, Pinterest).

The starting point for Miss E's party was this dress:



My mom and I walked the mall the afternoon before I went into labor. At Janie and Jack, we saw the most adorable dress I've ever seen. Since Miss E's gender was unknown at the time, we left empty handed. But Mom and Dad stopped off at the mall to buy the dress on their way home from the hospital after meeting baby E.

I had initially envisioned an ice cream social or vintage soda shoppe party, but I wanted the food to be easy and make-ahead, and to be able to set all the food out and not worry about it. So I went with the theme "sweet" (for my sweet little girl) and planned a pretty dessert table as the centerpiece. That's when I discovered the joys of pinning. Here are some of my favorite party table inspirations (images via referenced links):

Gorgeous first birthday party by Lovely Little Parties (photographed by Melanie Mauer, via Amy Atlas Events' blog, Sweet Designs). I love everything about this party, down to every last sweet detail.

 

Love the pale blue hues, pom poms and banner on this table by Style Me Gorgeous. 

 

Love the pretty details and color palette on this table created by Amy of Our Daily Obsessions, via Amy Atlas Events' blog. (Also love the baking theme of the party; saving that for a future Miss E birthday!)

Bright and cheery candy buffet found on The Party Dress. Love the layers and bunting.

~Kristin

etsy key chain mini-roundup

I'm in the market for a new key chain. Considering that my current key chains are my Kroger and expired LA Fitness cards, this really should go at the top of my list of purchases.

I tend to hold onto key chains for a while (see note above about my LA Fitness key chain being expired). Prior to that, my key chain was a $3 Old Navy miniature blue shoe a friend gave me ten years ago and had reached way past the point of nasty.

And, so, I present a very brief roundup of etsy key chains:


Practical, but cute fabric key fob from MomNMiaQuilts. Might be a good idea since I am always holding key + Miss E + a million other things. Plus, it's a great price.


Could this printed metal key chain from riskybeads be more perfect? I heart it so much. And it's durable, which is good idea considering how long I employ key chains. It also comes in necklace form, which I'm also hearting.



And then there is the simple, pretty and appropo map key chain from designsbytaylor2u. A bit pricey for a key chain, but I do love the concept.

Which one would you choose?

enjoying the lazy days of summer

I hate the heat. And crowds. So during the past ten years or so (since I left school and summer no longer equaled vacation) I've not been a big fan of June, July and August.

Since the arrival of sweet Miss E, though, I am enjoying a whole host of things through her eyes, summer included. Rather than rushing through the 90-degree days and looking forward to fall (my favorite season), I'm trying to sit back and enjoy my lazy, warm days of summer with Eleanor.

Currently the two of us are enjoying:

• Hot afternoons in the pool with E's daddy.
• Early morning walks through the quiet neighborhood.
• Play dates and Sundays in the park.
• The freedom and exhilaration and swinging beside by daughter.
• Ice cream and cold beer (not together)
• Yummy, healthy dinners cooked by my hubby on the grill.
• Freedom from the usually responsibilities.

Thank you, summer.