The Mommy Project

Project: Create a Boldly Simple Piece for Over the Bed

The wall over my bed has been blank ever since I moved in. That would be about seven years ago. The wall real estate required something big and bold but I've never found something I felt was right that wasn't a gazillion dollars. Then a couple months ago, I found a big gold frame in the basement of my father-in-law's house. I remembered a post from Design*Sponge I saw a while back about someone who made vintage framed chalkboards on Etsy. I love chalkboards— I used chalkboard paint on the back of my front door so we can keep to-do lists on it and that remains one of the best ideas EVER as far as I am concerned.

My bedroom is shades of gray and purple with bold hits of white so I decided to spray paint the frame a white satin, paint a piece of plywood with chalkboard paint and then nail it inside. All that was required was a trip to Home Depot to buy and cut the wood and about an hour of time (note: Home Depots within Manhattan will not cut wood). Spray painting takes 10 minutes— 5 minutes for each coat with some waiting time inbetween. Then you just use little nails to nail the board into the frame and VOILA! Ornate framed chalkboard. 

The hardest thing was making the decision of what to write and then figuring out how to write it precisely how I wanted. The thing with the chalkboard paint is once you write on it and erase it (even with water), it's never really as good as new.  That's fine for something that you are going to be using as an actual chalkboard, but if you are going to use it as art as I did, then you really want to write on it only once. I decided to write "sweet dreams..." centered and small so it wouldn't get too cartoony. I practiced a couple of times on the back of my front door and then crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

It's not very complicated as far as DIY projects are concerned but I'm much more interested in great ideas with super easy execution. Otherwise I don't have the skill set and I'll never find the time. Below are the before and after shots as well as some more angles of my bedroom.

Accessories for a Vintage Nursery

 

Vintage nurseries are all about the details. And if you want to correctly pull off the look, you don't need every piece of furniture to be an antique. Truth be told, when it comes to building a nest for your brand new baby, the last thing you want is a crib from twenty years ago that doesn't meet safety regulations. No, the place to really let the vintage-ness sing is in the accessories.  Best to keep those authentic. Try these vintage pieces such as this yellow toy wagon and baby doll from Bellalulu, colored game counters from Hello Darling Vinatage (be sure to keep these out of baby's reach until she gets a little older!), baby rattles from Tinsel and Trinkets, a toy sewing machine from Callooh Callay and an old-school baby scale from Joie De Cleve.

Nursery Trend: Russian Dolls

 

My father went on a business trip to Russia when I was little and brought me back a traditional set of Russian Nesting Dolls. Having now done my own share of business travel, I understand that he most likely picked them up at the airport a second before his flight took off when it suddenly occured to him that upon his return, I would be greeting him with outstretched arms and a big welcoming, "Whaddidyagetme?"  But no matter— I adored them nonetheless. 

Lately I've been noticing a resurgence of the traditional Russian nesting dolls, so I set out to find a few variations on the theme that you most definitely could NOT find at an airport gift shop. 

Clockwise from top left- Traditional Nesting Dolls from The Russian Store, Handmade Fabric Russian Dolls from Funky Olive, Orimato Paper Doll Family from Once Upon a Fold, Ship's Crew by Allistair at Papa Stour

Below- Russian Doll bedding from The Linen Store in London.

 
 

Ann Wood Handmade: Creature Comforts

Trolling the internet for creativity is an interesting thing. Turns out it's not that hard to find people who are capable of really beautiful things once you really start looking. The hard part is realizing just how incredibly untalented and incapable you are of creating something even half as interesting. Ann Wood is one of those artists that stopped my surfing in it's tracks. Her handcrafted birds, boats, insects, and castles are somehow both intricate and simple. And of course, she's got a line of handmade ornery looking owls so she pretty much had me right there. Take a moment to check out her online shop for an opportunity to own one of her one-of-a-kind designs.

 

How to Get the Lead Story in The NY Times Weddings Section

Getting into the weddings section of The New York Times is something so coveted that my husband and I didn't even try because I wouldn't have been able to take the rejection.  It would have been like when David Feldman chose Beth Zigelberg over me at the "End of the Summer" dance at Camp Birchwood in '88– my ego never recovered. I've had a couple of friends who have made it however and there are a few things that always stick out as common denominators. Media couples, Ivy League colleges, parents who reign over their own small countries, etc. The most coveted spot in the weddings section however, is the lead vows story.  I always figured that was a spot reserved solely for the offspring of Donald Trump or Bill & Hillary Clinton. So when two friends of mine, Jenny Shalant and Luke Groskin found out they had hit the weddings section jackpot, I decided to talk to them, break down their wedding credentials and understand why they had been chosen. Turns out, you don't need to be a scientist— it's pretty obvious. Here's a guideline if you want to try to pull it off yourself:

1. Come from a media background, have an Ivy League Education or both

Remember what I said before about media couples? Check. Jenny studied journalism at Columbia and Luke studied film at SUNY Purchase. Luke is the staff videographer for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Jenny is the web editor for the WCS as well as all five zoo sites. Notice how I slipped that Ivy thing in there? They say Columbia is the #1 school featured in the weddings section in general. I'm pretty sure the non-profit aspect of the WCS doesn't hurt either.

2. Have a made for TV "how we met" story

Both Luke and Jenny have offices in adjacent buildings tucked behind the Birds of Prey at the Bronx Zoo. They met when they collaborated on a few web projects. Before they started dating, they began lunching together by the guanacos, taking creative excursions to see the new otter pups, and eventually jogging together through the zoo after work. In lieu of flirting, Luke would regularly email Jenny videos he'd made of new animals as they arrived at the park. After they'd explored everything they could together within the zoo, Luke finally asked Jenny to venture outside of it with him on a date.

3. Have a central theme that can weave a story from "how we met" to "where we got married"

In addition to Luke & Jenny working and meeting at the Bronx Zoo, Luke's father is a veterinarian and Jenny's mother wrote a popular children's book about a turtle named Bartleby. Notice how the animal theme is beginning to write itself. Cap that off with them being the first couple to get married at The Prospect Park Zoo and you see where this is going. Which brings me to my next point... 

4. Get married at a quintessential yet out of the box New York City locale

Did I mention that Luke and Jenny were the first couple to get married at the Prospect Park Zoo? Apparently, the PPZ does not usually do weddings, but since they were on staff and well-liked, the events department was happy to oblige them. They dressed up the park with white floral arrangements and coordinated with zookeepers and what not. Why did they have to coordinate with zookeepers? Because...

5. Have a unique wedding detail that would make for a great photo opportunity

The wedding was held in the Prospect Park Zoo's main courtyard, which has the sea lion pool as its centerpiece– so after the ceremony the happy couple led a celebratory sea lion feeding and training demonstration. *CLICK* Other fun details included the chuppah which was set up at the foot of the main staircase that leads down from Flatbush Avenue, just in front of a statue of a lioness with her cubs. After the sea lion feeding/training demonstration, there was a special "wedding enrichment" session for the monkeys and Pallas cats, where they each received wedding-themed gift-wrapped boxes and bags with treats inside. The reception took place in a tent set up adjacent to the sea lion pool, and featured a BBQ menu by Blue Smoke and a DJ who they know from their local neighborhood bar in Astoria.

 

Click here for the full story in The New York Times

Click here to check out some of Luke's adorable animal videos (you know you want to)

Click here to make a donation to the Wildlife Conservation Society

Wendolonia: Lunchbox Eye Candy

When I originally conceived "The Mommy Project" this is EXACTLY what I was talking about. Moms finding any which way to fulfill their creative drive. Wendy Copley may be out of her mind for designing and documenting the daily bento box lunches she prepares for her kids but she is also clearly talented. Her faq page on her website, Wendolonia is hilarious and shows she has a definite sense of humor about her creative venture. And you have to applaud her answer to her most frequently asked question, "Why do you do this?" She says:

"I'm a creative person but I'm also a busy person. I don't always get time every day to scrapbook, sew, write, craft or do any of the other hobbies I love so much. But I have to make my kid a lunch every stinkin' day, so I figure if I'm going to have to do it anyway, I may as well take a little extra time to indulge my creative side and enjoy it."

Amen. Please take the time to go on her site and look around- Wendy's got lots more creative projects beyond her bento boxes and everything is super pretty to look at.
 

Project: Create a Bathroom Photo Gallery

I've always wanted to have a photo gallery in my apartment but I have limited space and a lot of artwork so there never seemed to be the right place for it. Then one day it occurred to me to put it in the guest bathroom.  Three years and a baby later, I finally made it happen. 

First, I decided to hang a black and white wallpaper as a backdrop for the pictures. Truth be told, I ordered the paper online and thought it was a much smaller pattern. I'm still not convinced that I shouldn't have sent it back and bought another but the wallpaper guy was already scheduled to come so I just went with it. I had an ornate hot pink frame that I had gotten as a gift that I decided to make the centerpiece of the gallery. Then I used my best trick— I went to CVS and purchased a bunch of cheap wood frames in whatever finishes were available and spray painted the whole lot of them with a semi-gloss black finish.  

Then the frames sat around collecting dust until I finally conceded and packed them in a box to be dealt with at a later date. When I got pregnant, the plan was put on hold indefinitely. About nine months later when the baby was down for a nap (at the beginning they can sleep through anything) and I was on maternity leave, I saw my opportunity to start the process of hanging them.  

Hanging a photo gallery is harder than I thought and I quickly realized I wasn't going to be able to wing it. I ended up tracing each of the frames onto a piece of newspaper and then hanging the newspaper exactly where I wanted each photo to go using an art tape that wouldn't leave any residue. With the newspaper as my guide, I could finally hang the actual frames. Fifteen to twenty naps later, the project was complete.

I'm happy with how it turned out and it's always a nice surprise for guests. But I still wish that wallpaper print was smaller. But I'll get over it. Eventually.

 
 

Best of Etsy: Mommy Necklaces

I'm posting this because I would absolutely love any one of these mommy necklaces and I am banking on my husband reading this. (Hi Babe!) The top necklaces are all from Etsy but I also found this super cool mommy necklace (pictured right) from a store in SOHO called Bittersweets. All the Etsy sellers have many variations beyond the necklaces shown above that you can customize with names, dates, initials, and birthstones.

Clockwise from top left- One Life Jewelry, Jeneri Jewelry, ArtWark, Under Her Charm    

Product to Party Inspiration: IZZE All-Natural Soda

Since I started dabbling in event planning, I've been looking at a lot of pictures of weddings, openings, and birthday parties. One thing began to stick out to me- everyone seems to be serving the same drink. That drink is IZZE All-Natural Soda. On the website, the founders say IZZE was born out of the need to create a drink that was a perfect blend between "simple, pure and good." They created all-natural sodas and sparkling juices and founded the Global Education Fund to dedicate part of the profits towards the betterment of children's education. Now that all sounds perfectly lovely. But the reason I think that IZZE is doing so well is that it looks really f**king cool at parties. It comes in a variety of brightly saturated colors so you can select a flavor to match your color scheme, the bottles look awesome backlit, and your bar set-up all of a sudden becomes a full-on drinkable art installation. 

Or it can be used as a really simple detail at say... a one-year-old baby girl's birthday party. Just imagine an artful arrangement of IZZE pink grapefruit bottles next to a platter of strawberry iced cupcakes. Add some pink macaroons and a casual arrangement of pink peonies and you've got something ridiculously art directed yet amazing simple all at once.

 
 
 

Is it too soon for hair accessories?

Truth be told, I have always thought putting a girlie headband on a bald headed baby a bit weird. And if weird is harsh, then I'll change that to a bit Teresa from Housewives of New Jersey. But once your baby girl starts to grow hair long enough to hang dangerously close to her eyes, I think a little baby barrette is just the sweetest thing around. Mazzy's hair hasn't quite made it yet but that doesn't mean I haven't started scouring the internet for options once her hair deems it necessary. I'm particularly loving all the felt varieties. They are not quite as prissy as a ribbon and they come in all sorts of cute shapes from a butterfly to a popsicle stick to a badass pink skull. Of course, I'm pretty sure as soon as I get that thing in Mazzy's hair, she is going to tear it right out and eat it like candy.

Clockwise from top left: green clip from Modern Bean, skull from Flashy Fish, red flower from Georgia Blue, butterfly from Daisy Hill Studio