Archive for September, 2010
Hey Now
Look what’s going on at our house today:
We’ve waited a looong time for this. Details and after pics to come next week. Until then picture us blogging to the bang, clang, staple sound over our heads.
Is it weird that it’s like music to our ears? For other sounds we’re enjoying lately, check this out.
Young Horse Love: Freebie Winner!
Wanna know another amazing animal trick? This is Burger typing right now.
Okay, just kidding. It’s John as usual. You’d know Burger’s not typing because it would look something like this: “ajsaafioi;;;;;;lklkkkk.” Lucky for you this week’s prize isn’t a novel penned by our chihuahua, it’s a colorful painting created by Painting Pony.
And not only is one of you getting a free 16 x 20″ custom painting created by Blitz, Minnow, or Boomer (where you get to select all of the colors to coordinate with your casa), but everyone reading can score a free 5″ x 7″ mini painting with any purchase from the Painting Pony Etsy shop. Just use the code YOUNGHOUSE at checkout.
When we referred to random.org for this week’s random winner’s name (which might be run by a hamster in a wheel, you never know…) we found out the free painting is going to… Melissa H (who’s enamored by just about anything her lab and jack russell do). Congrats! We’re excited that you’ll have a new story to tell at cocktail parties now.
Oh and on Monday we’ve got another prize that’s perfect for anyone looking to green up their nest! Stay tuned…
See our Giveaway FAQs page for more info. Pics from Painting Pony.
Mood Board Making: Orange Spice
Fall is in the air, which is probably what inspired us to toss together this warm and texture-rich dining room mood board:
1. We love this warm, spicy color scheme full of rich chocolate browns, chic oranges, soft olives, and a range of tan and creams tones along with hits of hammered gold. If you’d like to add another hue to the mix, moss or even lime green (like the color of the numbers in the mood board) can also be peppered in with a few accessories. And speaking of green, we’d love to see the walls go a soft khaki olive color (Benjamin Moore’s Dune Grass) like the rectangle of hue behind the number 4 in the board above.
2. One of these sculptural orange lamps on either side of a buffet would add ambiance as well as a shot of interesting color and shape to the whole room- plus they’re on clearance for just $29.
3. This chunky and rich solid wood table from Ikea is a steal at just $399 (it can seat 6-10 people thanks to two extension leaves).
4. This gorgeous hammered gold circle mirror is huge (and on sale!). It will pair beautifully with the crisp hits of orange (gold and clementine look so great together) so we picture it hanging above a buffet with those two orange lamps on either side of it.
5. These textured woven chairs will help to create a nice layered look (as opposed to choosing chunky wood chairs that match the table). Plus we love how the airy and delicate woven chairs play off of the hefty and solid table to create a nice unexpected but balanced effect.
6. These linen runners from World Market remind us of a cozy fall scarf, so we’d love to see the orange one placed down the center of the table to break up all the wood and add a fun dose of color (which will tie into the lamps on the buffet and some plates and glasses that we’ll mention next).
7. Dinner with friends and family members would be fun served on mixed and matched plates and glasses in our color scheme. Like these patterned plates (on clearance for just $1.95) and these Mad Men-ish modern glasses (for $3.95).
8. This olive toned zebra rug (nearly 50% off) is worldly and cool, plus at 8 x 10 it’s easily big enough to be placed under a large table and still allow everyone to pull out their chairs without worrying about the back legs being off the carpet.
9. These cream curtains (on clearance) would add softness and even more texture- or anyone who loves a good DIY project could whip up some homemade curtains from drop cloths sold at Home Depot or Lowe’s to save some serious loot (just google “drop cloth curtain” to find a bunch of online tutorials on the subject).
So there you have it. An orange spice dining room full of texture, shapes, materials, and layered and lovely interest. Anyone out there itching to add a little fall flavor to their dining room? Or use this palette in another room? Along with olive and lime green, do you have other accent colors that you love to see with orange? Navy could be really posh looking too. Oh the possibilities…
Psst- Looking for oodles of mood boards? Search them by color or by room right here.
On The Road Again: A Gorges Wedding Weekend
Occasionally we do get out of the house. And occasionally it’s to more exotic places than Home Depot or Target. So just like our past adventures to Savannah, Florida and our road trip to Dallas we wanted to take you along for our Labor Day weekend trip to Ithaca, NY. The reason for the trip? Sherry’s brother Dan was gettin’ hitched!
Yep, that’s Almost-Doctor-Dan (as many of you know him) marrying his bride Ali during their beautiful lakeside wedding in wine country just outside of Ithaca. The ceremony was touching and fun-filled at the same time (the officiant was their friend and Wedding Bee blogger Mrs. Hermit Crab, fyi). I even got to watch my two girls walk down the aisle together (Sherry actually wore Clara in her carrier, which seemed to be a hit with other wedding-goers). Not too shabby for Clara’s first wedding.
The wedding took place at a picturesque spot called The Fontainebleu Inn, a historic estate that we got to explore a lot of as we hunted for private spots for diaper changes and nursing.
While the weekend was certainly filled with family and wedding-related adventures, we carved out some time of our own to explore the area. And thanks to some tips from readers Amanda, Kirsten, Ashley, Julie, Nicole, and Josh (via Twitter/Facebook) we were able to live like true Ithacans for a couple of days – which we’re pretty sure requires inserting a “gorges” pun periodically into conversation.
Wordplay aside, Ithaca was a scenic spot with lots of opportunities for sightseeing and photo taking (too bad we managed to forget the good camera at home). For example, here’s Ithaca Falls – which actually cascades right through the center of town:
We also checked out Cornell Plantations (both Dan & Ali met at Cornell where he was getting his undergrad, and he’s now getting his PHD at Columbia and they’re living it up in NYC like Sherry and I once did). The plantations were a HUGE area filled with gardens, lakes, walking paths, and an arboretum. Sherry’s biggest takeaway from that trip was actually these chunky stone steps that were spotted frequently (and sat upon occasionally). Makes us want to do some landscaping!
But beyond beautiful greenery, one of the things that impressed us most about Ithaca was its green-ness. Perhaps its because its residents are blessed with such a stunning natural setting that they seemed to work extra hard at being eco. We lost count of the number of places we spotted with compost receptacles right alongside the standard trash and recycling bins – like this one at Collegetown Bagels. And nearly every cup and plastic utensil that we used was recycled and even compostable.
And their Farmer’s Market kind puts Richmond’s to shame. Once we managed to find a parking spot, we loved how there was not only fresh local food to buy (or eat on the spot) but tons of housewares, clothing, and art too.
We particularly loved the style of these graphic clothes and handmade pillows. We left empty handed though because we arrived devoid of any cash (which was probably a good thing since our car was packed with baby stuff anyway).
And thanks to the tips sent by our readers, we also were able to check out a lot of stores with waste-not mentality, like Home Green Home – which even carried those beer and soda bottle tumblers I tried to make (for $8 a pop, by the way). Sigh.
There was also an architectural salvage spot called Significant Elements that carried your usual collection of old windows, doors, and plumbing fixtures along with some more interesting finds that we loved:
We also ventured into a thrift store called Mimi’s Attic that focused on just household items, including some upcycled furniture like these brightly colored pieces that would provide a fun Domino-ish pop of color.
Right next to Mimi’s Attic was a second-hand baby store called Mama Goose. It was filled with gently used clothing, books, games, and any other kind of baby gear you could think of. We even walked out with some of the Charlie’s Soap that many of our varsity cloth diapering readers had recommended for washing Clara’s dipes. So far we’re loving it by the way.
Ithaca actually had a lot of great places for kid-related shopping. At the Ithaca Commons walking mall (where we found Home Green Home) there was also a place called Jillian’s Drawers. They introduced us to the novel concept of buying gently used cloth diapers (they looked like new) and renting baby carriers so you can figure out which is best for you before buying one (which definitely can save money and storage space since you’re guaranteed to end up with something you and your wee one like). Genius.
There was also an awesome toy store called Alphabet Soup that we thoroughly enjoyed (even though Clara slept through it- figures). I couldn’t decide which I liked most: the bright recycled-wood dinosaur toy or the chunky modern alphabet blocks.
But then I spotted the Plan Toys Green Dollhouse and suddenly had a clear winner in my mind. We already own a few Plan Toys because they’re green and fun, so we were totally entertained by the thought of someday getting this dollhouse for Clara. Yes, it actually has a recycling station and solar panels.
So that wraps up our little trip to Ithaca. Thanks again to the folks who offered up suggestions for what to see and do (we also loved our dinner at the Moosewood Restaurant and the Hot Truck subs that we snagged before the wedding). We’d love to go back to Ithaca someday when Clara’s a bit older and we can take her on some of those “gorges” waterfall hikes. Ok, I think I’m done with the gorgeous/gorges puns for now.
Have any of you guys traveled to (or lived in) Ithaca and have other must-see, must-do, or must-eat items to add to the mix for a future trip by us or someone reading? Or do you have other Ithaca-like cities that you’d suggest we check out?
Reader Redesign: Screen Gems
Caitlin’s project had our attention as soon as we read “purchased for $1.14″ and “found on the side of the road.” And that was before we even saw the pictures of her shabby-chic DIY jewelry station makeover. Check out her letter below:
I’ve been a long time follower (heck, my morning routine involves a cup of coffee and your blog) so I thought I’d drop in and share one of our latest projects. The old window screen was purchased from a local Habitat for Humanity ReStore for only $1.14 and I found this nightstand on the side of the road. So needless to say this was an incredibly inexpensive makeover.
I sanded the nightstand down before painting it white. Then, after a little mishap with a candle, I recovered the top with some left over fabric to not only disguise the big blue stain, but to coordinate it with our bedroom as well. For the window screen, I left the chippy paint and leaned it against the wall as a fun earring holder.
For the more bulky, or less frequently worn, jewelry pieces, I used some mirrors to organize them inside the nightstand. With the help of a few flowers and a little ceramic bowl to catch any loose jewelry when I’m in a hurry, I made myself a nearly free jewelry box!
I can’t help but think how fun this would be for someone in an apartment to help dress up a wall or corner! You can read more about the project on my blog. – Caitlin at That House on the Corner
Caitlin’s totally right that this would be a perfect little project for anyone, especially if you’re in an apartment or dorm. And we love how the fabric top to the nightstand brings out the vintage feel of the whole project – even if it was just a happy accident. Awesome work and thanks for sharing! What do you guys think? Will you be whipping up a window screen jewelry display spot for your space? Or using small mirrors in a drawer to corral your bling?
Psst- Don’t forget to hop over to BabyCenter for this week’s post. It’s all about our latest trip to Ikea and all the kid-focused stuff that’s inspiring us these days. You know we love window shopping… and we actually have an adult-friendly Ikea roundup scheduled for next week here on YHL so stay tuned for that.
