The Powder Bath

One of the things I am most excited for with the new house is the bathroom situation. Mostly just that there is more than one of them. :) There is a powder bath on the parlor level, and any powder bath to me just begs to be adventurous! Look how sad the bachelors made this bathroom! It's down right desperate for some love and better lighting.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/POWDER1.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/POWDER2.jpg" /></div><br /><span style="text-align: left;">I can't decide about that little sink. It's original I guess and it could be sort of cute with a skirt? Wouldn't something really quirky like this sink (and that mirror!) be amazing?</span><br /><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/bathroom-remodeling-ideas-1_0.jpg" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Elle Decor</span></div><br />For the walls, I would naturally gravitate toward a crazy, loud wallpaper pattern like this one:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/palmerweissgoldpowderroom.jpg" /><br />Palmer Weiss</div><br />With an interesting mirror:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/houzz31623_1000-w422-h634-b0-p0---powder-room.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Houzz</div><br />But the room is tiny (like 3x4) and I don't really feel like papering around mirrors and lights and fixtures with almost every single sheet. I'm thinking I might try a decorative paint treatment.<br /><br />Martha Stewart's Faux Bois kit might be perfect. I've heard it's a really fun project and that the rocker tool is super easy/forgiving. (demo video <a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/look-faux-bois-craft-video-mar-128646" target="_blank">here</a>) But I'll run into a similar problem af having to work around things on the walls.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/FAUXB.jpg" /></div><br />I'm leaning toward hand-stamping the walls with a wood block. I bought this pretty 3x6" floral stamp <a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/product_view/catfluff/3836688/Poppy_Flower_Indian_Wooden_BLock_Printing_Stamp_Floral_design/Craft_Supplies/Stamps/Other" target="_blank">here</a> and I think it's worth trying. It could be a really quick, fun project. The hardest part might be choosing the color combos for the paint!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/woodblockwalls.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Also diggin' that black trim in the corners. It really helps define the walls, right? Otherwise things might get a little dizzying in there with all the small pattern. Very nice.</div></div>

The Powder Bath

One of the things I am most excited for with the new house is the bathroom situation. Mostly just that there is more than one of them. :) Th...

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Canvas Sketchbooks

For gifts this year, the kids made personalized journals for their teachers.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/55DSC_0007.jpg" /></div><br />I picked up a few of <span style="background-color: white;">these </span><a alt="" border="0" height="1" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002YE7CUG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002YE7CUG&linkCode=as2&tag=littgreenote-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002YE7CUG" style="background-color: white; border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1">canvas sketchbooks</a><span style="background-color: white;"> from Blicks. I LOVE them and can't wait to get a few more to play around with. The inside pages are not lined, which I love (though nothing beats graph paper for me!). And the canvas cover can be customized with basically any medium you can come up with - markers, crayons, paints, stamps,  etc. </span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/5DSC_0005.jpg" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/5DSC_0014.jpg" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">We thought about using paint, but Chartpak markers seemed like a fun choice.</div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/5DSC_0058.jpg" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">I taped off the paper edges to protect against stray marks.</span></div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/tape.jpg" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">The girls and I talked a little about what they were going to draw, we did a little sketching first and then  I let them do their thing. They drew the outlines first with fine point sharpies.</span></div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/5DSC_0025.jpg" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">And then colored in with the Chartpak markers. The markers bled a lot outside the sharpie lines, but it was fine. Who wants a perfectly-in-the-lines coloring job anyway?</span></div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/girls.jpg" /></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">Evie made one too and it ended up being a very pretty, dreamy abstract. I think Heather is going to keep it.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/5DSC_0037.jpg" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">The notebooks were such a hit with the teachers. The kids drew stories and pictures of what each teacher will be doing during the summer.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/555DSC_0005.jpg" /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Claire's pre-k teacher, Al, is also a film maker (he is seriously the coolest, nicest teacher). He's making this super hip indie film this summer about a man that leaves his wallet and his phone in his office building late one night and gets locked out. He has to walk all the way home to Brooklyn with empty pockets and he has lots of adventures along the way. I can't wait to see it when Al's finished. Claire drew a picture of him filming on the streets of NYC, and she and Evie "just happen to be walking down the sidewalk" and they get filmed too (Claire's words - that kid!)</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/555DSC_0001.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Gracie also had a really special teacher this year, Miranda, who we will love forever. It's crazy how involved these lovely people are with our kids and then, bam, one day it's over and they're done. That can be hard to digest for kids, teachers and parents alike.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Miranda is summering in Spain and Morocco, so Grace drew a picture of her teacher taking a cab to the airport (Grace is waving goodbye from our building). And on the back side, Miranda is riding a camel in Morocco by the beach.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/GRACE.jpg" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">I made one for myself and used a blender marker to add in some water marks. Looks sort of like tie dye, right? I like it. The back side (with the bright orangey red, below), is my favorite.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/5DSC_0052.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">Anyway, I feel like the possibilities are endless with these canvas-bound sketchbooks! I'm going to try some patterns next. Maybe like a Les Touches-esque stylized leopard print? Or a faux bois... or malachite... Tortoise shell...</div><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/WATERCOLORNB.jpg" /></div>

Canvas Sketchbooks

For gifts this year, the kids made personalized journals for their teachers. I picked up a few of  these  canvas sketchbooks  from Blicks. I...

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MSL Radio!

Well, we finally made it to the last day of school for my girls. I'm taking full advantage of this last day and I've packed in all sorts of appointments before we launch into full-blown summer mode tomorrow. First up is a dash down to Brooklyn for a meeting with the contractor at the brownstone to talk about refinishing the floors. <i>(whoop!)</i><br /><br />We've been thinking a lot about it (thanks so much for <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2012/06/frisco-and-floors.html" target="_blank">your input</a> by the way), and because of all the stairs in our place and especially because of the very short window of time when the house will be empty, we're probably just going to hire out this project. <span style="background-color: white;">I'm hoping our guy will say they can do the floors for just some fabric advice and a big plate of fresh cookies, but something tells me it might cost us a smidgen more than that. I might be waiting on </span><a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/248823948132816034/" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">my DREAM fridge</a><span style="background-color: white;"> a bit longer than I hoped.  (but seriously, isn't that fridge perfect?)</span><br /><br />Some of you mentioned you have used 50/50 Jacobean and Ebony stain mix on your floors, which is the formula used on these white oak floors (from <a href="http://www.houzz.com/photos/785909/Clawson-Architects-Projects-traditional-staircase-new-york" target="_blank">here</a>). We have red oak though and might need a little more ebony stain in the mix. I'll have to play around with it. I'm also considering going very very light, which might better suit our narrow space. Decisions!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/STAIN.jpg" /></div><br />In other news, I'll be joining the fabulously talented <a href="http://homedesign.marthastewart.com/author/ksharkey/" target="_blank">Kevin Sharkey</a> on Martha Stewart Living Radio this evening from 5:00-6:00 pm. We'll be talking about all the good stuff. Blogging. Decorating. When to DIY and when to call in a professional (let's see what I'll say after getting the quote for my floors just minutes before the show! ha.). <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/martharadio.jpg" /></div><br />Call in! Let's chat.  <i style="background-color: white;">(PS  If you don't have a subscription to Sirius, the folks at Martha have generously offered up a free 30 day subscription <a href="http://tinyurl.com/64sdo4p" target="_blank">here</a>.)</i><br /><i><br /></i>

MSL Radio!

Well, we finally made it to the last day of school for my girls. I'm taking full advantage of this last day and I've packed in all s...

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Flokati Rugs

I love the idea of stepping out of bed in the morning onto the softest, furry pile of wool. So I've been thinking a flokati rug would be so cozy and swanky (I vow to never use that word again - it had to be done) in our <a href="http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2012/06/black-walls-in-our-bedroom.html" target="_blank">soon-to-be-dark-walled</a> bedroom.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/9787ef629c5075e3ab1b9c0717cdf65b.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/flokatimedium.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>I've been looking around for a nice flokati (aka one that doesn't shed like C-R-A-Z-Y). But I also want one that won't be a huge investment, since, let's be real, it's a white rug in a house full of kids and maybe a dog. If I didn't have about a million other places to spend our money right now I would be tempted by a real Beni Ourain Moroccan rug, like Jenna's.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/96968198196344001_oOZXZXQf_c.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Living Etc.</div><br />I've had my eye on <a href="http://www.rugsusa.com/rugsusa/rugs/rugs-usa-greek-flokati/natural/200FS01-305.html" target="_blank">this flokati</a> for a couple weeks since it has pretty decent reviews and the price was good. As is typical for me though, I let it sit in an open browser tab for about three weeks - until I noticed it was 75% off (still is!). And since I'm a total sucker for marketing gimmicks like that, I just couldn't pass. A little over $100 for the 5x7 seemed like a very fair price for a well-reviewed flokati.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/200FS01.jpg" /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/moroccan-rug-01_rect540-1.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Elle Decor, March 2010</div><br />Anyone have this particular rug? Or a flokati in their bedroom? Spill!<br /><br />PS If you're feeling adventurous, Danika at <a href="http://gorgeousshinythings.blogspot.com/2011/07/make-it-beni-ourain-rug.html" target="_blank">Gorgeous Shiny Things</a> used a little bit of fabric dye to recreate the Beni look.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd246/jkomenda/album%202/2DSCN7130.jpg" /></div>

Flokati Rugs

I love the idea of stepping out of bed in the morning onto the softest, furry pile of wool. So I've been thinking a flokati rug would be...

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Contest Closed: Clorox Wipes $500 Give Away

<script src="http://thirdparty.fmpub.net/placement/489086?fleur_de_sel=[timestamp]" type="text/javascript"></script> <span style="color: #001e57; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;"><i>This post is sponsored by the makers of <a href="http://r1.fmpub.net/?r=http%3A%2F%2Fad.doubleclick.net%2Fclk%3B255138129%3B78530611%3Bg&k4=3836&k5=489086" target="_blank">Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes</a>, the quick and easy way to clean and disinfect your home!</i></span><br /><br />Congrats to <a href="http://theglamlamb.com/" target="_blank">Hallie</a> the winner of the $500 give away to Target and the Container Store. Hallie, please email me your info as soon as possible to claim your prize.<br /><br />Thanks to all that entered!

Contest Closed: Clorox Wipes $500 Give Away

This post is sponsored by the makers of Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes , the quick and easy way to clean and disinfect your home! Congrats to...

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