Paint It What I Tell You

Happy Birthday, Neuman!

Our sweet cat is 12 today.

He’s gentle and furry and smart and very large for a cat at 18.5 pounds. This is where my husband wants me to point out that he is not fat; he is just a big cat. Really, he is. Let’s call him “majestic.”

We made cupcakes in his likeness, because who am I to decline buying 6 kinds of candy in order to make a food creation that looks like a cat. His eyes are different colors (green and brown) because in real life they’re two different colors.

But before we made the cupcakes, I made a watercolor sketch of how I’d construct them. Because I do things like that.

They look pretty good, I think (despite having to forgo pretzel stick whiskers for blue-raspberry sour gummy whiskers…don’t ask).

Happy Birthday, Neuman! We love you very much!

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

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Categories Candy, Personal Musings, Pets

Monday Color Explosion!

20 May

If there’s any day that deserves an explosion of color, it’s Monday.

Don’t you agree?

1.) Pillow 2.) Towel 3.) Dress 4.) Chair 5.) Painting 6.) Tray

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

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Categories Accessories, Art, Fashion, Furniture, Textiles

Five Under $50: Cool Coir Doormats for Spring!

15 May

I am loving these fun, cheap doormats for spring. Especially after all the long hikes we’ve been taking as a family. Hooray for a child who can walk more than 1/4 of a mile, but sigh at the child who thinks it’s fun to jump in muddy puddles and step in the occasional pile of mysterious nature stuff.

Which is your favorite? I really like the understated two-toned mat in #4 – it comes in lots of colorways!

1.) $34 2.)$34 3.) $34 4.) $26 5.) $10 + craft supplies

(Hey – don’t forget to enter my $75 Novica GIVEAWAY – you have until Friday!)

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

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Categories Accessories, Five Under $50!, Outdoor

I’m Just Going To Brag For A Moment Here…

14 May

On the first ever Mother’s Day I had as a mom, my husband set a pretty high bar. We’re not much for giving big gifts to each other, but we do make small, meaningful gestures and get a little crafty when the time calls for craftiness. Naturally, when I was allowed to sleep in until the luxurious-to-a-new-mom hour of 8am or so, I was bowled over with love and laughter to see this sitting in the living room for me:

Don’t worry: that’s infant-safe tape adhering the flower to his hand. At least that’s what my husband told me…

I look at this picture every few weeks and laugh-cry at how sweet my husband and son are.

Now, four years later, we are veterans of all the holidays-you-do-with-a-kid. I don’t expect too much.

But this weekend I was pleasantly surprised when my son crawled into bed with me – at the ever-so-luxurious-to-a-mom-of-a-four-year-old hour of 7 am – told me “Happy Mother’s Day,” handed me my phone, and told me to check my email. I found a link to this, my “card” for the day:

My favorite part is when he throws the mulch at me. True life, you guys.

Sunday was a beautiful day. It’s always nice to spend time to reflect on being thankful for my kid, my own amazing mother, and all the moms who help make your and my life brighter.

(Hey – don’t forget to enter my $75 Novica GIVEAWAY – you have until Friday!)

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

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Categories Holiday, Kids, Personal Musings

MAY GIVEAWAY! Win $75 from Novica!

13 May

Last month, a fair trade home decor and more retailer called Novica approached me and asked that I review their new website on my blog. When I agreed to, they graciously offered a $75 gift certificate to one of my readers! How lucky for you guys!

Novica is a fair-trade online retailer, in a partnership with National Geographic, that supports artisians around the world. They offer lots of unique goodies in the form of home decor, jewelry, art, furniture, and clothing. They even have really neat musical instruments! I really like how they provide biographical information on each of their artists, thereby facilitating a real connection with the products; for fair trade items, that’s really fitting and very neat.

Here are my top five picks for “home” from Novica. Each items is unique and lovely:

1.) Vase 2.) Basket 3.) Table 4.) Mirror 5.) Painting

They offer a wide range of price points, which makes Novica a fun place to shop even for those on a budget. For example, the rattan basket is under $60 while the painting is over $450. I scored this lamp for about $85 (notice it from the sneak-peek last week?):

Interested in some fair trade goodies of your own? Well, here are three super easy ways to enter into the drawing for a $75 gift certificate:

- you can COMMENT on this blog entry

- you can “LIKE” this blog post here on WordPress

- you can “LIKE” or “SHARE” this giveaway post via the JGB Interiors Facebook page

That’s it! But make sure you enter before noon (eastern standard time) on Friday, May 17th.

I’ll announce a winner on Monday the 20th.

Good luck!

(Disclosure: In addition to providing a $75 gift certificate to a random winner, Novica provided the blogger with a $75 gift certificate as well. )

UPDATE: The winner is Sarah (comment #2)! Thanks for all your shares/likes/comments! This was my biggest giveaway yet at over 40 participants! I hope to do another soon!

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

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Categories Accessories, Giveaways!, Green/Sustainable

Rainbow Church Wins the Weekend!

11 May

This is the coolest thing I’ve seen in DC in a while. We spotted it this morning, on the way back from Pentagon City (we took a little detour thanks to the race).

This is the work of painter Alex “Hense” Brewer, an Atlanta-based artist, who was commissioned to paint this vacant church at 700 Delaware Avenue, SW. The building, formerly Friendship Baptist Church, was built in the early 1900s and was designated a historic site about 10 years ago. The painting was done in November of last year.

Here’s another shot of it, courtesy of the artist’s website.