Archive for October, 2012
Duck!
We’re excited to share our Cincy adventures (we laughed! I cried! we got something confiscated at the airport!) and we’ve already started our Pinterest challenge project along with having a pretty cool before & after that’s almost done (just have to take pics and write that post for ya) so there’s lots going on in our casa – both duck related and beyond! I say duck related because, well… I snagged this odd little wooden duck for $4 at a thrift store here in Richmond (Diversity Thrift). The date? Oh, about a year ago. Yes dudes, I’m about to get on something after twelve solid months of the “thinking about getting on that” stage (you can read more about my weird little Dude, Get On That Already challenges here). So you can file this under fast and *almost* free (thanks to relying entirely on materials that we already had). Or you can just call it fly. Get it? I quack myself up. Ok, I’m stopping now.
It’s hard to tell the duck’s scale in the pic above, but it’s about 8″ long. Here it is with a whole bunch of craft paint that I had on hand from previous projects like this and this. And see how I used masking tape to make stripes on Mallory (she’s a mallard, right? I hope she is, since I picked her name based on that not-substantiated fact). Anyway, those masking tape stripes were because as soon as I saw her in the thrift store I thought it would be fun to stripe her with a bunch of crazy colors. I know that sounds nutty, but to me it felt sort of Jonathan Adler-ish and happy-go-lucky. I mean if you can’t have fun with your wooden duck decor, where can you have fun?
It’s hard to picture, but I loved the idea of a stripes like this dachshund pillow from here (<– please click that link just to see the name of that site, which made me snort water out of my nose). And this awesome post about actual painted ducks from here definitely fueled the “paint it, paint it, paint it” chant in my head.
I’m not gonna lie. About ten minutes into my project I was staring at this hot mess. And I thought this might be one of those “you know we share the good, the bad, and the ugly… and boy do we have an ugly one for you!” posts. The first coat definitely didn’t have great coverage, so it actually took a few of them for it to look not horrendous (hindsight = 20/20, I totally should have spray primed this guy before taping off the stripes).
But in the end, after I removed the tape and free-handed the unpainted areas with differently colored stripes, I was left with this dapper little duck-friend. She’s adorable and perfect for a nursery/kids room/playroom, but I wanted to photograph her in the kitchen so you could see that she actually can live in adult spaces too. You know, like how this happy rainbow Jonathan Adler pillow could totally look awesome in not-just-a-kids room. At least for color-lovahs like me. But if it’s too much for you, you could just spray paint your own wooden duck a solid hue like glossy white or lime or navy for a fresh spin. You know, because every house needs at least one wooden duck.
I actually like the added flair of the stripes. I think she’s cute with the spiky yellow vase and colorful art on the top shelf. And of course the fact that she’s neck in neck with a pig cutting board in a race towards the stove cracks me up. Who knows where she’ll end up though. Little items like this tend to move all around the house, so she might be on the kitchen mantel next and then end up on the console in the living room.
Goose, there it is.
Ok, I know that one’s a stretch because it’s clearly a duck, but I just had to try. What have you guys been getting on lately? As a side note, I don’t actually suggest getting on a duck. One bit my mom’s hand when we were young so I don’t think they like to be ridden (just to be clear, my mom wasn’t attempting to ride it when the incident occurred).
There’s something in the air…
Nope, not a crisp fall chill. Not falling leaves. Not the smell of apple pie and pumpkin spice. Ok, so maybe those are in the air too, but you know what else is floating around? A certain challenge, that’s what.
So who’s with us? Here’s how to play along. Just pin some inspiration and do your own spin.
Yup, this highly embarrassing collection of our old Halloween photos can only mean one thing: we were into odd things as children it’s high time for a fall Pinterest Challenge (not sponsored by Pinterest or anyone else, just dreamed up by Katie Bower to make us stop pinning and start doing). I’m laughing the most at my wolf costume. Is that schnoz doing it for you, or what? Also, I’m going to totally own that Jersey Shore pic of myself as a “lady gangster” from 1996 (I’m not kidding, it was actually taken in one of those dress-up boardwalk booths at Seaside Heights).
The whole Pinterest Challenge thing started over a year ago when Katie called me to say that she thought we should challenge ourselves to make one thing each season that’s inspired by all the gorgeous stuff that we’ve pinned (and call it… wait for it… The Pinterest Challenge). It’s a welcome slap of stop-pinning-and-start-doing. And we ended up having such a great time with our first Pinterest Challenge last summer, our second one last fall, our third one last winter, and our fourth one this summer (oops, spring got away from us). So slip into your Snuggie, heat up some hot cocoa and fire up those glue guns! It’s time to get this DIY party started.
The only rule is to do your own personal take on something inspirational that you’ve pinned (and link back to the original creator of the project that inspired you, be it a company like Anthropologie or a personal blog that got your wheels a turning). We especially love to pin things from sites that have “Pin It” buttons at the bottom of their posts since it indicates that they enjoy popping up on Pinterest. The project can be anything: big or small; decor or sewing or cooking related – or beyond! The first time around John and I made a clothespin light fixture for the laundry room, the next time I tackled 38 homemade holiday ornaments, then I faced my sewing demons head-on and somehow made a beanbag-ish pouf for Clara’s reading nook in her closet, and last time I tried my hand at some homemade art.
This time John and I laid in bed brainstorming things that might be fun to tackle. We’re not 100% sure where we’ll end up yet (it’ll probably evolve a bit over the course of the week) but we think it’ll be big (measurements-wise), and something that we can build (but it won’t be too involved, so you guys can build it too – without any fancy tools or saws), 100% moveable (as opposed to fixed on a wall or built-in), and it’ll involve some chalkboard paint (since it’s probably the most Pinterest-tastic material out there, haha). But that’s all I’m sure about yet. And since I like a good link-fest, here are a few projects that are inspiring us:
- Top left: this big arse chalkboard from here
- Top right: this leaning easel board found here from this awesome blog
- Bottom right: this door-chalkboard from here
Oh and you’re probably wondering who else is playing along with me and K-Bo. Well, we thought it would be fun to ask different folks to “guest host” with us each time (both of whom have done something fun in the previous challenge), so we’re thrilled to have:
- Carmel from Our Fifth House (here’s the swanky door project that she took on during our summer challenge)
- Sarah from Ugly Duckling House (here’s the bling-tastic art that she tackled during our summer challenge)
So here’s the part where I extend my arm with a dorky grin and a little bit of pumpkin muffin in my teeth and humbly invite you to join in on the fun by doing your own spin on something you pin! We figured we’d give everyone (and ourselves) the weekend to work on stuff and reconvene next Tuesday morning (the 30th) to share our projects. We’re hoping this’ll turn into the same über fun share-fest that we soaked up for the last few seasons (check out all the amazing linked-up projects here, here, here, and here). So just drop in next Tuesday to see what we’ve done – and to submit links to stuff that you’ve completed so we can all check it out. Maybe we’ll even pin a few things. And so the vicious cycle continues. In the meantime, do you have any ideas what you’ll tackle this time around? Is it food, craft, sewing, painting, or furniture related? Perhaps a wolf costume is on the agenda?
Psst- One more time, for the people in the back: regardless of the fact that I say Pinterest about thirty times, this wasn’t paid or perked by them or anyone else. We’re just eye-candy obsessed gals who are sick of coveting things and downright ready to do them. Well at least one of them…
Fab Freebie: She’s Not Jenny From The Block
*** This giveaway is now closed - see who won below!***
It was fun hearing all of your rap names, guys. That and seeing how many people entered “C.LO” instead of “L.CO.” That does roll of the tongue a bit more easily… Anyways, our random winner is… Rebecca (or should we say “Rebizzle” since that’s her high school nickname, which has stuck around for 15 years). Congrats!
When Sherry and I were looking for some big, bold paintings to add some oomph to a few book photos back in January we turned to a local painter (and friend!) named Lindsay Cowles. And when she arrived at our house to loan us some gorgeous canvasses for our photoshoots, Clara called her J.Lo.
Yup, J.Lo.
We think it was her boots and her dark hair. But Lindsay’s – or should I say L.Co’s – talents lie in a different area than Miss Lopez’s. She creates beautifully colorful abstract paintings that we just love (which are also available as prints, wallpaper and fabric). You’ll have to wait for our book‘s release to see where they ended up, but in the meantime one of you is going to win a whopping $500 gift card for one of her paintings.
- PRIZE: $500 towards any original painting by Lindsay Cowles
- TO ENTER: Comment on this post with the words “L.CO ME!” and tell us…
- BONUS QUESTION: … what would your superstar/celebrity nickname be if you could choose one? Does the J.Lo method work for you? J.Pe isn’t too catchy for me. Or would you opt for another variation? Maybe adopt your middle name as your last name? Or find a rap name? Lil’ Spackler perhaps?
- GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Wednesday, October 24th at 8pm EST or at 10,000 entries (whichever comes first)
- NUMBER OF WINNERS: One
- PRIZE SHIPS: The United States (although we try to wrangle as many international giveaways as possible)
- DISCOUNT: 10% off any in stock original painting with code YOUNGHOUSELOVE2012 (through Oct 29 when purchased direct from Lindsay)
- USUAL STUFF: One entry per e-mail address is permitted. The winner 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 for the announcement of our winner. Good luck…
Note: We aren’t paid or perked for hosting these giveaways, we just do ‘em to thank you awesome folks for stopping in. See our Giveaway FAQ page for more info. Pics courtesy of Lindsay Cowles.
