Archive | Kids RSS feed for this section

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:

Mother's Day 2013

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.

About these ads

DIY Car Valentines!

10 Feb

We just completed our Valentines for Thursday, ahead of schedule!

Car Valentines!

 

I’d love to claim credit for the idea, but I got it from Pinterest. We had an abundance of Hot Wheels cars, both new and very gently (read: never) used, so we were able to put this together very inexpensively. Each clear favor bag contains a card, a lollipop, and a car. My son made paper valentines for his friends on construction paper by diligently coloring, cutting, and applying stickers. It cracked me up that he chose the two police cars for his besties! I was really proud of his giving spirit and his ability to focus…my little guy is growing up so fast. 

I suspect we’ll be making more paper Valentines for neighbors this week. If you’re a neighbor, expect some scribbles under your door for the next few days!

Have a great week!

 

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

DIY Fruit Stand!

14 Jan

While I’ve been relatively better at blogging the past 10 days or so, I’ll admit I’m straying quite a bit here from the actual kind of design I usually do.

So screw it. I’ll continue the trend, and today I’m going to show off a fruit stand that my son and I made this weekend. Check it out in all its crafty majesty…

DIY Fruit Stand

DIY Fruit Stand

DIY Fruit Stand

 

Very much inspired by my former-classmate’s unbelievable craftiness (I bow down to her pineapple), these “fruits” are made from balloons and construction paper. They’re propped up in a boot box that has been “upholstered” in a disposable vinyl tablecloth, and the signs are made of cardboard and pretty straws. Shockingly, it is still in tact after a few hours of use, with only a few strawberries lost.

Hope your weekend was as fun as mine was!

 

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

Alternatives to the Traditional Train Table.

3 Jan

I would venture to guess that if you have a child, particularly a boy, at some point you are going to feel compelled to get a train set. And, similarly to what happens when you give a mouse a cookie, if you get your kid a train set, said kid is going to want a train table to go with it.

train table alternatives

In my house, we had to head that off before it even started for a few reasons.

1.) We live in a great condo that has enough space for our little family, but we don’t feel like it accommodates a train table in a way that allows us to still feel like we are adults with adult things, and 2.) given the previous reason, a ten square foot train table is about ten square feet too many of a stationary toy that has a single purpose. So, our solution was simple. We got a rug that serves virtually the same purpose as a train table PLUS a million others. Ours is no longer available, but this one is similar.

Here are five rugs that will substitute for a train table pretty seamlessly. Of course you are still without the train table storage, but a simple cube ottoman in a coordinating solid color will handle that problem quite well.

train table alternatives

 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

The best part about all of these rugs is that they meet my #1 “must” requirement for rugs in childrens’ rooms: they’re not too expensive. Because in addition to trains and cars, you’re almost guaranteed that someone will take a juice box for a spin on it at one point or another.

Now excuse me while I go play trains…

 

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

A Masterpiece!

18 Nov

Well, not literally. But bear with me…

My son is sweet and a little wild and can be incredibly focused. I had always imagined myself as the mom of a little boy, and then I got him, and he is a wonderful one. But sometimes…just sometimes…I look at his pint-sized lady friends and am envious of one thing: they color. A lot. And well. And for sustained periods of time. They just sit there, quietly, and they color. We don’t do that in my house.

Instead we play trucks. And shoe repair shop. And we dance. And then we get in our “truck” and go to the “shoe repair shop.” Which leads to photos like this, in which I am wearing running shorts but you can’t tell…

 

At least this was the case UNTIL TODAY, when I asked him to draw me a picture of our family. And then he produced this out of nowhere:

 

It’s called “Daddy, Mommy, Me, and Neuman in a swimming pool.” Neuman is our cat. I can safely say that all four of us have never been in a pool together.

I am so proud!

Save this stuff, guys. Not all of it, but some of it. And frame a few of your kids’ art pieces…they’ll be the least expensive thing on your walls, and they’ll make you smile.

 

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

Sneak Peek!

5 Nov

I snapped some photos today at a longtime client’s house, where we’re working on finishing up three kids’ rooms. I’m in love with the little girl’s space, and can’t wait to see the little boys’ rooms completed.

Here are a few sneak peeks:

 

This is a little girl’s room where we used an amazing light fixture as the focal point, and blended just the right shades of pink and green to create a space she loves and her parents can happily live with.

 

 

…and this is more of a staging area right now for a bunch of little boy items. Not quite ready yet, but it’s coming together. I do love the rug!

 

I haven’t taken portfolio pictures in long time, so there are many more to come in the next few months because I’m really overdue with documenting my projects. I’m super grateful for all of my clients – I love them all – and I can’t thank them enough for allowing me to document our projects.

…If you’re interested in working together on one, I’m now booking for 2013!

 

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.

24 Oct

This post is actually about interiors…so bear with me.

Really. It is. You’ll see…

 

Sometimes I try to be a supermom and selectively arrange my son’s books on a shelf to highlight the season. Just like a librarian. This means I choose a few for display that have themes which reflect the current holiday or time of year. Now, that’s pumpkins and Halloween. But my favorite time to do this is when it gets really cold and I can put The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats on his special shelf. You must know this book, right?

 

 

 

Any parent knows reading to your child can be amazing and calming and often times fun; but with a bad book, it’s torture. This book is one of the ones that is always a joy to read, partially because the story is simple (and short!) and flowing, and also because the illustrations are just gorgeous. I am particularly fond of cut paper, collage-type illustrations in childrens’ books, and this one is no exception.

I love the patchy, boldly colored collages that make snow look anything but ordinary and white. It almost glows. And the composition reminds me very much of the photographs of Matthias Heiderich, whom I wrote about a few years ago; I wonder if he knows the book?

 

 

The one page that I always stop and marvel at is at is the one with the little boy sitting on his bed looking out the window. Why? Because I LOVE THE WALLPAPER. And by that I mean so many things beyond superficially liking the wallpaper: I like the way it looks, I like how it reminds me of something my grandparents may have had, and I like the sense of coziness and home and warmth it conveys. I feel like I’ve been in that room (and through reading, I have…many many times). It’s the kind of experience that I love to help create or re-create for my clients; a space that feels like home, that you never want to stop looking at. If I could find a wallpaper like it, I would buy it instantly. But I can’t find it!

 

 

Farrow and Ball’s Vermicelli Papers come sort of close…but aren’t quite right.

 

 

Guess I’ll have to keep searching…

 

P.S. – it feels GREAT to write a thoughtful blog post for the first time in, oh, about two months!

 

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

 

Balloon Countdown Calendar!

27 Aug

This weekend we made a balloon countdown calendar for my son, to count down the days until preschool begins. I can’t fully take the credit for this idea, because I saw it somewhere before I made it. But I don’t recall where…so…you saw it here first!

 

It’s very simple to make:

Step 1: Blow up some balloons.

Step 2: String them up.

Step 3: Write numbers on them.

(Optional Step: Clear the area of all people who are sensitive to balloon pops, such as my husband. And my cat.)

Step 4: Pop the balloons as necessary.

 

And you’re done!

 

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

 

Land of Nod Steals…for Adults!

11 Jul

Luxury is wonderful. But sometimes, a deal is even better. This simple fact is one of the reasons that I love love LOVE to peruse child-centric designs from time to time: there is always a deal to be found. Provided of course, that your adult-taste is whimsical, colorful, fun, and youthful. On that note, these new Land of Nod products do not disappoint. Here are five picks that would fit in many grown-up spaces beautifully, and for a fraction of the cost of what you’d pay at an “adult” store! Enjoy the whimsy…and the unexpected savings!

1.) Little Twigs Wall Mirror, $219; 2.) Licorice Rope Rainbow Pendant, $149; 3.) Magnificent Metal Letters, $34 each; 4.) Aquarium Gravel Rug, $299 and up; 5.) Camp Throw Pillows, $29 and up

 

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

Rainbow School in Paris!

2 Jul

If this super neat building doesn’t motivate your kid to go to school, I don’t know what will!

 

This vibrant, colorful, and amazingly fun Kindergarten in Paris is the Ecole Maternelle Pajol; the concept and design was executed by architects at Palatre and Leclere, a Parisian architecture firm.  Originally built in the 1940s, the building has been adapted to embody a contemporary aesthetic while retaining the original structure. From the wall hooks to the bathroom stalls to the interactive floors, it’s just perfection for any 5-year-old. Don’t you love it?


 

Check it out some more over at Cool Hunter.

 

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

← Older Entries

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 75 other followers