Archive for January, 2011
Fab Freebie: The Bold & The Beautiful
***This giveaway is no longer accepting entries – scroll down to the bottom to see who won!***
We’re always on the lookout for new art these days (lots of empty walls!) so we’re excited to bring you this giveaway from Barcelona-based illustrator Judy Kaufmann. Her bold prints – sometimes colorful, sometimes stark – have a charming combo of simplicity and intricacy. Here are a few of our favs below, but you can of course browse more in her Etsy shop.
- PRIZE: A $50 gift card towards any print from Judy Kaufmann.
- TO ENTER: Comment on this post with the words “I’M BOLD!” and…
- BONUS QUESTION: … tell us about something bold or brave you’ve done. Have you gone skydiving? Did you chop all of your hair off just because you felt like it? Or did you confess your love to an unsuspecting friend?
- GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Wednesday, February 2nd at 8pm EST
- NUMBER OF WINNERS: Two
- PRIZE SHIPS: Anywhere in the world!
- USUAL STUFF: One entry per e-mail address is permitted. The winners will be selected using random.org and announced on Thursday as an update to this post. That’s right, come right back here on Thursday morning for the announcement of our winner. Good luck…
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Random.org has chosen our winners and they are… Melissa (who boldly bought some bright red faux leather fabric for an upcoming project) and Stephanie L (who went whale watching in a tiny boat despite her fear of the ocean). Congrats!
Note: We weren’t paid or perk’d for hosting this giveaway, we just like rewarding our lovely readers! See our Giveaway FAQs page for more info. Pics from Judy Kaufmann.
Surprise!
Despite its original February 4th due date, our big bundle of sectional joy arrived ahead of schedule. Being our first Ikea couch, we were a bit taken aback by how many different boxes Karl came in.
But since we’re no strangers to assembling our Ikea purchases we dove right in…and even made a time lapse video of the longer-than-we-expected process. Watch it below on Vimeo or here on YouTube.
For those who can’t watch the video (maybe you’re being sneaky at work?) here’s the important stuff: the final pictures of Karl in place.
We’re especially enamored with the fabric, which is nice and durable (it’s completely impenetrable to Burger’s claws, which is always the goal). And the dark color is perfect for hiding those spills and drool spots that happen with a dog and a baby around. Plus because the entire sectional is slipcovered (even the arms and the frame) we can always wash it if something crazy happens. Which is definitely a probability in our house.
Karl certainly is a big boy. It took us a couple of hours to adjust to how much more space he took up than our old couch – but it took almost no time for him to win our hearts. He fits the space really well, the dark charcoal color rocks our socks, he’s extremely comfortable, and he makes us want to schedule a huge friends & family movie night (although that might be more fun when we get a larger TV someday).
Speaking of which, Karl’s presence really highlights the need for some other “heftier” items in the room (it’s a huge space, so larger items will make it look a lot more balanced and proportionate) – like a bigger rug, a new media cabinet, and lots of colorful art on the walls. Plus we need to make this space next to the window look more intentional. We plopped the little game table there because of the light that hangs above it, but we’re thinking that zone might be better served as a play / toy storage area for Clara (and future kiddos) down the line.
We also want to add (maybe build?) a long narrow console table to go between the sectional and the wall to host a couple of lamps and act as a spot for drinks, etc. Especially since our current nailhead ottoman & faux sheepskin solution is great looks-wise (light and round ottoman + dark and square sectional = love) but it doesn’t really function beyond feet propping. But with a console table behind the sofa, that’s all it needs to do. Plus it’s baby-head friendly, unlike an angular coffee table. And with all the angles in Karl we were itching for something soft and round anyway.
We also want to try a DIY upgrade to Karl’s legs. Ikea offers sleek metal ones (which take the look to über modern) but we wanna work with the chunky wood ones that came with Karl.
Especially since the fancy pants sofa that we coveted from Room & Board (more on him here) has the exact same legs in a darker finish. And they look surprisingly sleek in that color, as opposed to cheap and birchy like Karl’s (no offense, man):
We’re thinking we might try to stain or paint them darker (maybe even with high gloss spray paint) to help them work better with Karl’s deep charcoal outfit, er slipcover. We considered swapping them out for tapered or round spindle legs, but Karl is a big dude. So we want him to remain as well-supported as possible. Which is why the legs that come with Karl (along with a 10 year warranty) seem like a smart thing to stick with.
Despite our still-growing to-do list, we’re loving our new spot to relax. I’ve got two directions where I can lie down completely (all 6′ of me), Clara’s got a couple of deep corners to be propped up in, and the chaise just happens to be perfectly Sherry sized. Accordingly, she’s been monopolizing it since Karl’s arrival. Good thing I’m not a jealous man.
Burger is basically nutty with options for curling up, jumping around, and perching upon every possible cushion and cranny. Here’s where we discovered him sit-standing yesterday. Yes that’s business in the front, relaxation in the back. What a weirdo.
Apparently it’s a great vantage point to scope out squirrels in the backyard.
So yes, we still need to stain/paint the beams, get/build a sofa table for behind the sectional, get a larger rug, upgrade the media cabinet, remove the fans, add in a few lighting options, and possibly create a little play area for Clara behind the far side of Karl – but we’re happy to take our time and let things evolve instead of rushing into any big purchases we might regret (we have to replenish the ol’ bank account after buying Karl anyway). But I guess I could tackle those fans sometime soon. And Sherry claims to be saving up the energy to take on those beams (she says as she reclines on the chaise and lies motionless, closing her eyes as if to “charge”). Should be interesting…
January Superlatives
Note: This is a retroactive post that I cobbled together in December of 2011 so I could make this page full of monthly recaps for the entire year (our first in our new house!). Yup, I’m just a bit type A. So here’s what we tackled throughout the month of January – high school yearbook style.
Best Deal: Somehow snagging an energy efficient front loading washer and dryer for $638 (not each – total!) thanks to a ton of stacked discounts. And then we took it down another $75 by getting an energy efficiency rebate from our county. Huzzah!
Most Likely To Have A P-Diddy Reference: This post about rearranging our built-ins. It was hard! But so worth it.
Best Looking: Our tall, dark, and handsome built-ins, once we added a few coats of deep teal paint.
Most Ourdoorsy: Our leafy new duvet for the master bedroom. I must admit it looks pretty cute with a pooch and a baby on it…
Most Hilarious: Discovering that we subconsciously take on our biggest most house-disrupting projects every. single. year at the same time: over the holidays. What’s wrong with us?
Most Calming: Ripping out some crowded corner shelves to give our fireplace room to breathe. Oh and there are a bunch of caulking tips in this post for anyone dealing with wall holes.
Most Likely To Do Secret Demo: Me, while John’s watching Clara. I couldn’t stand the granite lip around the sink in the master bedroom, so I made it look a lot less sinky (and more funriture-y) by ripping that baby out and then caulking and painting.
Most Reflective: Hanging a mirror in front of a window to make sense of our bedroom sink (now we can look straight ahead when we brush our teeth instead of craning our necks to see things in the medicine cabinet that used to hang on the wall to the right).
Hardest To Remember: The name of the soft blue-gray-green color that we used to paint our master bedroom.
Most Disturbing: This post about the mirror that used to live on the back of the guest room door (that’s right, it reflected your entire body as you sat on the porcelain throne).
Most Popular: This post about what we were almost named surprised us by being one of the most commented posts of the month.
Most Overdue: A video tour of our new house (finally). If you’re on a smart phone you’ll have to click here to see it.
Most Welcome Additions: Our new energy efficient front loading washer & dryer. And yes, I can actually reach the buttons!
Most Romantic: Painting the mirror above our sink white, which makes for some pretty dreamy contrast in the evening.
Best Supporting Napkin: This gal, who pretty much inspired our entire house palette.
Sweetest: Finally hanging things on the wall in Clara’s nursery. Oh and we included details about how we secured a mirror over her crib so we’d never have to worry about it falling or getting knocked down.
Biggest Fail: This baaaad choice of a shower curtain for the guest room. Oh well, live and learn. And thank goodness for returns.
Biggest Tools: Us, as we detailed all the tools and DIY supplies that we own in this post (yes, we actually laid them all out on the rug and took photos like crazy people).
Most Indecisive: Picking a soft gray wall color for our living room, hallway, and dining room (yup, we painted a bunch of giant swatches – and it worked!).
Most Cloud-Esque: Painting our giant living room and extra wide hallway that carefully selected soft platinum gray color. It was lots of rolling and cutting in – but totally worth it.
Best Discovery: Finding this amazing note hidden in our hall bathroom by the previous owners.
Most Sore: Us, after painting all of the wood trim in our living room white.
Most Likely To Result In A Giant Piece Of Furniture Being Delivered To Our House: This rundown all about hunting for the perfect jumbo-sized sectional.
Most Swatch-Happy: This post about bringing home a ton of fabric samples while searching for the right one for our bedroom curtains.
Weirdest Post I Ever Did Write: This one about some new Target pillows. I’m such a dork.
Most Rambunctious: Burger going cray-zay on our new bed pillows.
Most Domestic: Me and my master bedroom curtain undertaking (ok, so it didn’t actually include sewing, but there was some ironing involved).
Creepiest Inanimate Objects: Our cabinets, especially since they’re always watching us…
Biggest Surprise: Our giant Ikea sectional’s arrival (aka: Karl, since his formal Ikea name is Karlstad). Here we are putting him together on video:
Somebody’s Watching Me
Something about the knobs in our kitchen make us feel like we’re being watched.
Maybe you don’t see it, but after staring at them for the last few weeks, they’re starting to look a little something like this to us:
My favorite is the pirate.
But something’s definitely going to have to be done sooner or later. We feel like we’re living in that crazy Geico commercial – only without the good fortune of a stack of money sitting nearby (with some techno music blaring in the background). Speaking of which, we highly recommend playing the Geico commercial below while looking at the picture above. It really enhances the whole experience.
Now we can’t eat breakfast without singing “Somebody’s watching meeeeeeee.”
On A Serious Note
We recently received this email from a reader and have been thinking about it pretty much ever since. So we thought we’d share it in the hope that Melanie’s story will help others out there who may have gone through the same experience and people like us who probably don’t know a thing about being prepared for something of this magnitude. Here’s a photo that Melanie sent to us. That’s her house.
And here’s her letter:
I’ve been stalking following your blog for just over a year thanks to making an offer on a short sale home in September of 2009. It was our dream and forever home. We spent the first two months washing, priming, and painting every single wall and ceiling. We replaced every hinge, door knob, light fixture, window treatment, and put in beautiful hardwood floors on both main levels and the stairs. You name it, we most likely did it.
Sadly, on Thursday January 6th, just before 6am I woke to the sound of two second story windows shattering followed by bright lights. I peeked into our guest bedroom and flames had just begun to enter, the smoke detectors went off seconds later. My husband, our 2.5 year old son, and I escaped safely with just the clothes on our backs. We had no shoes, socks, coats, or hats in subfreezing temps. Just each other and the love of our neighbors, friends, and families. It was quickly determined to be accidental, but we lost it all including my car. Our 2.5 story 2,000+ square foot home, plus in-law suite burned to the ground very quickly (one estimate was 30-60 minutes). Within hours we also learned of the love from acquaintances and strangers in our community and beyond.
We are very lucky to have each other and our lives- but our home, and all of the hard work and DIY projects we had done were gone so very quickly. We’ve already spent five hours documenting the structure of the house, and now begins the grueling task of itemizing each and every personal belonging. We’ve learned some of the “what would we do differently” as a result of this fire, that I’m hoping you consider for yourselves and might share with your readers:
- Subscribe to an online data backup service (my external back up drive sat right next to my laptop in my office)
- Keep passports in a safe deposit box
- Take pictures of each room initially and update them as improvements are made (storing them somewhere offsite – like Flickr)
- Take pictures and keep hyperlinks of all expensive purchases, including jewelry
- Hire an architect (my dad in our case) or use floorplanner.com to document each floor layout along with precise wall/ceiling measurements, each outlet, light switch, crown molding, other trim, type of flooring, any unique items to structure of property
- Put phones in a consistent place each night
- Get fire ladders for any second floor bedrooms
- Scan each photo and receipt, again keeping them offsite, or on an online data backup service
- Do not be frugal with homeowner’s insurance. Spend the extra $50 per year for the most coverage
Thank you for reading this and passing it along to your readers. -Melanie
Below is actual video of Melanie’s house. We can’t even imagine what she has been through:
We also got an email from a reader named Robin a while back. Her house nearly burned down at 2am on a Saturday morning. She and her family were thankfully able to get out safely and their home should be livable again in about three months. She also shared what she learned, so that we (and all of you) might be able to learn from her experience:
- Toasters aren’t the only appliances that burn. The source of Robin’s fire surprised us: her dishwasher. Her family was in the habit of starting the dishwasher as they headed off to bed – something John and I used to do as well – and it malfunctioned and sparked the fire. She sent us this photo to drive home the point. Along with reminding us to avoid running appliances overnight or when we’re out, Robin taught us that sending in the warranty card on all electronics is a must, since it’s the best way to ensure that you’ll get notified if there’s a defect or a recall.
- Robin also taught us that if your home has hard-wired detectors, be sure to have battery-powered ones as well. That way you have a back-up alarm in case of a power outage (which often happens during a fire). And remember to check the batteries twice a year. People often suggest doing it when you change the clock for daylight savings in the spring and fall as an easy way to remember. If you have children, consider installing a Talking Smoke Alarm in their room. Robin learned that studies show that kids under 17 often don’t respond to a traditional alarm, but they do respond to their parents’ voices. So these talking versions allow you to record a message that could even include instructions or comforting words.
- Robin learned first hand that despite living in her house for over two decades, the panic of a fire makes it easy to lose your bearings and become disoriented – especially if you’ve got smoke to deal with. Which is why she recommends figuring out at least two ways you can get yourself and others out of your house (in case one is blocked) and, if you have a second or third level, make sure at least one doesn’t rely on a stairwell (fire and smoke love traveling up stairs). Then practice your plan until it’s second nature.
Robin’s tip about the talking smoke alarm actually reminded us of a something my sister Emily learned while teaching fire safety to her kids. Emily decided to have a fire drill at home, and after talking through the route, reminding them to stay low, and pointing out that it might be hot and filled with smoke the kids were given the “Ready, set, go-go-go!” Olivia, who was about seven at the time, froze in place and started crying because the scenario was so scary. It was a huge wake up call to all of us because if this was her reaction during a drill, just imagine what she’d do if the house really were dark, hot, and smoky. As scared as Olivia was, Emily was grateful that she had a chance to talk her through it, put in some practice time, and improve her reaction response.
Thanks so much for Melanie and Robin for sharing their stories and their tips with us. We can’t even begin to imagine what it would feel like to be in their shoes, but we’re so glad to hear that their families were unharmed and that everyone from their friends to their community has shown them some serious love and support. And speaking of love, we’re sending out lots of it- along with a huge thanks to both ladies for thoughtfully taking the time to share such an important message.
Fire alarm image found here and escape plan illustration found here.
