I love the idea of hanging a banner in your kitchen window, but I wanted one that I could leave up all year round. So I came up with this “SIMPLIFY” banner because it's always a good reminder. And to make it even better I made it reversible! So anytime I have reason to celebrate anything…birthdays, graduation, good grades or whatever it is you want to celebrate all I have to do is flip it around! No digging through a drawer or box to find it. It's already there and super convenient!
First use your sanding block to smooth all rough edges on all sides of the banner pieces. Then paint them white on both sides and all edges. I did 2 coats where the letter would be showing through.
If you have a Cricut you can cut out your own letters (this is what I did), but you can also buy alphabet stickers at your favorite craft store. Starting with the “celebrate” side, stick your letters on and paint a light coat of white paint over the top of them. This will help prevent bleeding when you paint your next color. That way you will have nice clean lines when you pull up the stickers.
Then paint each banner piece a different color. Here is the list of colors I used:
Tangerine
Bittersweet Orange
Crocus Yellow
Apple Green
Kelly Green
Sea Foam
Tahiti Blue
Seafoam
Navy Blue
The paint colors I used for this side are Sea Foam and Charcoal.
When you flip your banner pieces around to do the other side make sure you do it the right way. The “E” on the end of “CELEBRATE” should become your “S” at the beginning of “SIMPLIFY”.
Now for the “Simplify” side. Put your letters on first and apply a thin coat of white over the top to help create clean lines. Then paint your top color part way down.
Next, tape off the top and again apply a coat of the Sea Foam blue this time over the tape line to again help create a clean line. Then paint Charcoal over the whole top, making sure you don't paint on the sides. Once it's dry you can peel off the letters and the tape.
For the end pieces apply your favorite paper with the wood glue. String the whole thing together and you're done! To help string it together, I used a wide eye needle to pull it through. It makes it much easier!
Now I have a cute banner that stays up all year long and I can just flip it anytime there is a reason to celebrate! I love it!!!
As you know I've done a lot of baby rooms (I have two myself, after all), but playrooms are even more fun to do for pretty obvious reasons. I used Target's new, very wonderful and affordable kids decor line, PillowFort, to furnish and accessorize almost the whole space – so it's a look you can absolutely get if you are into it. The collection is so good you guys, full of easy to mix simple pieces of furniture and a lot of really playful accessories – pillows the shape of ice cream cones, for instance.
The “client” this time was the family of Green Wedding Shoes. Jen and Jayson who have a 3 year old, Sienna, and just gave birth to another daughter, Dakota. Congratulations, Jen. Welcome to the 2-kid club. It's not exactly like the clubs I used to try to sneak into when I was 18, but it's definitely full of excitement and way more A-list.
If you are into the whole design process, seeing the full room, and watching a 3 year old style with me, here you go:
When we first met the room, it looked like this:
Clearly they had just moved in, and were in dire need of everything. But the bones were good, and the space was pretty simple.
They mostly had left over furniture and random little pieces.
The style of the house is contemporary with a lot of industrial vibes, like rustic beams and black railings. This playroom is a transition room – it's a loft at the top of the stairs which leads into both kids bedrooms. Our goal, stylistically, was to make the room feel seamless in the home and yet obviously really girly and playful. And functionally it needed storage, a sitting area for reading/cuddling, and a craft/activity table.
We pulled together a preliminary moodboard to help guide the direction.
More would be added and things would shift, but this was our jumping off point.
With out any further ado, the playroom of my dreams:
So much to chat about. Everything you see in there is from the PillowFort collection, except the wallpaper and the custom daybed (come back tomorrow for full post about that). Like I said, the collection is really good. They nailed the colors (with lots of options) and they designed it so that kids would love it, sure, but that we as parents would want to be around it. Who doesn't want an excuse to own a pillow shaped like a panda head for instance? No one. There is so much more than we could even use in this room, so go check out the full collection before you tackle your kids room (there are even beds and dressers).
Let's talk wallpaper. If you are in the market for some playful and fun wallpaper in a quiet/sophisticated tone, look no further. This is charcoal and white so it works with any color palette, and yes, those are tiny houses. It is designed by Sissy and Marley and it comes in a few color-ways, so check their site to see what else they have (we love all of their wallpaper).
We chose this one because the pattern was more of a texture than a big, bold, busy pattern adding to the potential chaos of the room. When choosing wallpaper know that the smaller the pattern, the less busy it is (although ironically a medium size pattern is WAY more busy than a really large pattern – like Charlie's wallpaper). I actually thought this pattern would be bigger than it turned out to be, but I love the scale of it. It's soft and just adds so much texture without nutty-ness.
The Pillow Fort canopy really was the inspiration for the daybed (we are doing a whole post on the custom daybed tomorrow so please come back for full how/why/how much info). Back to the canopy. Have you ever personally met a person who doesn't want to lounge under a canopy? They are a universal hit. It's such a fun, cute place for anybody to read, especially a 3 year old girl named Sienna.
We curated the pillows so that there were enough that were square, rectangular, and sculptural. I love that I just wrote that we “curated sculptural pillows” for a playroom. To be fair that panda head and “Hooray!” are indeed pillows, and pretty great. All of the pillows had our light, fun, bright color palette with enough negative space pillows mixed in so it didn't feel really heavy.
We added the sconce to give them some light over there for reading, without needing any side tables. Remember for kids rooms, the less furniture the better, as they need more room for playing, resting, fort making, etc. This plug-in sconce is perfect (and it comes in white as well).
My “pillow deciding” pose is really one of my best.
Bean Bags. Let's talk about those for a while. In our next house every room possible will have some form of bean bag. These two are extremely comfortable – for kids or grownups. They are low and slouchy, but oh so comfortable, and they love you back. They don't need those pillows, but those two are a couple of my favorites, so we styled with them to show them off.
Those wall bookshelves are a great invention if you need access to some books but don't have room for a piece of furniture. Also if you want to know my favorite book to read to Charlie for the last 2 months I think it would be Dragons Love Tacos (well, that and Frog On A Log).
The beanbags, shelves, and rug come in a few different colors. We have that rug in our family room right now as Elliot's playmat because it's so soft and we all love it. It stays put and is easy for her large noggin to land on. I started noticing that Target is making their rugs with built-in rug pads on the bottom, so they stick and stay on the ground. Genius. Some day, for my 50th birthday I'm going to announce to the world that I will never, ever, ever deal with a rug pad again. Have you ever put a rug under your bed and then realized that it needed a rug pad? That'll ruin your Sunday, I promise.
Lets take a look at the new activity table area:
I love those play tables and chairs, and even tried them in my house but Charlie is still a bit little for them (Sienna is 3 and she's barely tall enough). They don't need pillows, but certainly look cute with them. Those chairs also come in pink, black, and white. They are designed to be really stable and not slip (see those little rubber bits on the bottom?). I had no idea how important it is to have kids furniture be really stable, but it turns out that kids sure aren't.
A playroom isn't complete without a fort or some sort of teepee. Enter this adorable guy:
We layered it full of pillows and hung some string lights (maybe just do this for your, say, photo shoots as they are outdoor glass bulbs…not exactly my most kid friendly move). I love that fun pattern on it – which helped bring in more black/white to that part of the room.
When stringing those lights make sure to sit in the most flattering (yet uncomfortable) position with a pleasant look on your face. Also thanks, Danielle, for making that hair look so pretty.
I don't have a clean shot of the shelving, but we gave them two matching shelves and decked them out with bins for storage. The shelves are really simple, clean, and can work in most homes/styled.
If you are in the market for a teepee know that it takes up a lot of real estate – when fully open they are HUGE. Obviously you wouldn't STUFF it with pillows as we did – but I wanted to show off more product and style it up for the shoot. Just throw in a couple larger floor pillows and that pineapple pillow, obviously, and call it a day.
Lastly we created a little dress-up area with her tuu-tuu collection and wings/tiaras with some simple hooks and that adorable “Girls Rule” sign. I can't wait 'til Elliot gets a tiny bit older and wants to play dress up (if she is into that) because this mama will curate the most amazing vintage girls (and adult) dressup trunk EVER. I can finally look like the crazy bag-lady that rules my insides, all in the name of playing with my daughter.
We pulled off this makeover in 2 days – with a few weeks of planning, obviously.
There we have it – a fun, poppy, adorable, whimsical playroom for this lovely family of (now) four. In our next house I would feel pretty lucky to have a huge playroom for the kids like this to really go nuts in, and not have to worry about how much their mess clutters up our area. But, if you don't, like us, this collection is cute enough for the whole family.
Feel free to copy it and get that look. And DON'T forget to watch the video and check out Jen's perspective over on Green Wedding Shoes.
*Photos by Tessa Neustadt, Video by Scrunch Media, Hair and Makeup by Danielle Walch. This post is part of a larger collaboration with America's (and my) favorite major retailer, Target.
Signs are all the rage is decorating these days. And we are absolutely in love with our new plank signs. Watch our My Craft Channel episode for inspiration on using signs in your home decor.
Take 25% off Plank Signs when you shop online at thewoodconnection.com and use code “signdecor” or in stores and mention My Craft Channel. Valid through June 3, 2016
You've met my new Ukrainian friend, Dr. Ivan Sopushynskyy, as we took short trips here in Pennsylvania to a logging site and to a truss and beam operation. But in March and April, we got serious and really hit the road. The next few posts will hit the highlights of our waypoints.
We headed South to Florida and back in March, and to the great lakes in April. I discovered that as interesting as our Pennsylvania timber industries and forests are, they are in many ways similar to those of western Ukraine where Ivan is from. So, in order to help him get a fuller experience of the diversity of the American forest industries, I knew we had to hit the road. And hit it, we did.
Unfortunately, I can't share my excellent documentary photography and videography from the southern leg with you. Through some type of technical glitch I still don't understand, I somehow lost all my photos and video in the process of transferring them to my laptop computer on the last day of the trip...and didn't realize it until a few days later, when I couldn't find them. Luckily, Ivan took some good stuff at a few key points on the trip, so I'll use his for the southern swing.
We stopped first at our state capitol in Harrisburg, where one can view a level of architecture and building magnificence that will probably never again be equalled. When you take the full tour, you're simply blown away by the level of thought that went into every chamber of the building.
The Chamber of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. The painting is Apotheosis of Pennsylvania, Photo by Ruhrfisch - https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9661672
From Harrisburg we continued south a few miles to the Gettysburg battlefield. I've had the opportunity to tour the site many times, and it gets better every time. Showing the battlefield to Ivan, I realized that as fascinating as our Civil War seems to us, it is only a vague concept in ancient history to non-Americans. And as such, I found it difficult to explain exactly why the war happened in the first place. I'll say this - I saw the battlefield in a very different light this time, as I struggled to explain not "what" happened, but why it happened at all.
Ahhh, the brave Texans of General Hood's Division. Most of them never came back from the Wheatfield or the Devil's Den at the foot of Little Round Top.
For you Texans out there.
As much difficulty as Ivan had grasping our American Civil War, he warmed up considerably to our history at our next stop - Monticello, the home of President Thomas Jefferson. I've shared a tour of this great place before on Go Wood, so I can't add much to that prior account...except to say, that our conversation turned to the real meaning of liberty, and a country's right to exist, with an earnest intensity as Ivan digested the spirit of the great man in light of Ukraine's current struggle to establish it's own place in the world.
We continued to head south through the Virginia mountains, and spent the night in Galax, Viriginia, home to the headquarters and operations of Vaughn-Bassett furniture company. Bright and early the next morning, we met Jim Stout, the director of manufacturing technology for the company, and he led us through the vast maze of the the largest bedroom furniture plant still operating in the United States. There's a great story behind the company, and its persistent struggle to survive, thrive, and provide jobs to the folks of southwestern Virginia (which you can read about in a book detailing that story, Factory Man by Beth Macy.)
From Galax, we headed into the Deep South. Ride on with us in the next post.
Hey Folks, Brady here, and today on the blog Emily has given me full liberty to talk about a very important issue, her morning routine. I kid, but everyone has one: Kesha “brushes her teeth with a bottle of Jack,” Gweneth probably steams her _______ (you know what) before applying edible face cream which saves the environment and baby pandas, and well… then there is mine. It used to be pretty dismal until just a few weeks ago when my rather drab rental bathroom got a major facelift.
As you can see on the left in the before pic, it wasn't great, but it did have some majorly great aspects that I loved and allowed me to look past the disgustingly dirty floors, the unusually low sink, and the small size of the room. The vintage basketweave tile, the cast iron tub, and the tall ceilings all meant it had major potential to go from 2012 Kylie Jenner to 2016 Kylie Jenner, for those of you that might not fully get that reference call me as we have a lot to catch up on.
Let's start with the major fixes. The toilet and sink. These may seem like HUGE projects but are relatively easy and can make a big difference in your space. 5 years ago if you wanted an affordable toilet or sink, you had very few options and got the look of a budget toilet or sink. But, nowadays there are some very good looking toilets and sinks that are definitely rental and pocket-book friendly (and don't worry we have a huge roundup of those coming very soon).
For those of you that are renters, I would definitely check with your landlord before you go in and start ripping things apart and replacing hard finishes in your place. But if they are open to it and it is something that you want to do then I would definitely recommend swapping them out. There are just some things that 20 thorough cleanings of clorox can't wash away on a 15-year-old toilet and sink. Needless to say, my new toilet, new sink, and faucet make me so much happier than those sad dated ones that lived in there previously.
As the apartment is vintage, I wanted to find something that would echo the charm and character of the place so I ended up going with this toilet, this sink, and this faucet which I could not be more happy with. They both work so well together and, even just having those three new pieces in the space, made a world of difference.
I also added a new brass shelf above the toilet to fill that huge empty space, as well as a new towel ring because well…. the one on the left just wasn't working for me and all of those pretty new pieces that were going to live next to it.
We all know that good light is important in a bathroom, and as I only have one small window and previously a one-light-flush-mount, it was time to upgrade to something more useful and more pleasant to look at. I went with this chandelier which I love. I had it made to come down 28″ inches from the ceiling, which you would think would make the space feel smaller but in fact having that depth to the light extends your eye line up to the tall ceilings. It also hides your wrinkles, diminishes hair loss, and makes your muscles look bigger. (I swear).
Now that we have talked about what I did to some of the hard surfaces in the space (light, sink, faucet, toilet, shelf), let's talk about how you can bring some life into a rather bland bathroom with some very quick and easy fixes. I am no professional stylist, nor will I claim to be, but there are a few things to help your space feel more lived in, more you, and more comfortable.
Scent: This one is big in a bathroom (DUH… cue potty humor jokes). This candle has been my go-to for a long time both in and out of the bathroom. The scent is amazing (Gramercy Park Hotel actually uses it for all their products and burns it in all public spaces) and it doesn't burn too fast like other candles. Basically, if you have a clean surface to create an area for a candle and a few matches, then you should do it. You and your guests will appreciate it.
Mirror: Depending on your bathroom this is one of the easiest and most impactful fixes. My bathroom previously had a built in medicine cabinet with layers and layers of paint on it. I knew that I couldn't rip out the medicine cabinet so instead I just popped the mirrored door off by the hinges which left me with a flat surface which allowed me to mount this brass beauty from Restoration Hardware on top of the old medicine cabinet recess.
Be Your Own Guest: Trust me when I say I don't live a life of luxurious bubble baths and champagne toasts everyday. But that doesn't mean you can't fantasize about it and create your own little bathroom oasis. My bathroom is SMALL and when I say small, I really do mean small. It is about 5'x5′, so I didn't have room for a cute curio cabinet with bath salts and all my “lotions and potions”, as my dad likes to call them. But I was able to add a little side table stump, a small bud vase, and a sponge and face cloth (for all those days that I use a face cloth and sponge)… who am I kidding, throw that shit off of there and bring in a bottle of wine, while you have the Kardashians on your laptop which is cantilevered on your toilet. Isn't that what all good side tables and toilets are for?
Make it Personal: No matter where the space may be in your house/apartment, if you just fill it with pretty things, it will just be a room filled with pretty things. Always bring in something to really make it your own. Mine happen to be a few polaroids of some of my best friends and family I have tucked into the edges of my mirror – and they're doing a damn good job of getting my butt to the gym every morning. Just a bunch of skinny minis and my little sister, sporting a full six-pack only a few months after popping a baby out. If that isn't motivation to do some planks every day I don't know what is.
All in all, I could not be more happy with my little bathroom oasis, what do you think? If you are ready to create the look yourself, head on down below where I have pulled together a get the look with everything I used.
