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Archive for the ‘Art’ Category

On the way to a friend’s house this morning, I received an urgent text from her.

“I have a mantel that needs editing. HELP!”

She was right.

SudMantelBefore

I understand why my friend had a challenging time styling the mantel since it’s very shallow and quite long.

The fishing pole, particularly special to her angler husband, wasn’t going anywhere.

It’s hard to see, but the round vase is a total showstopper. It has these beautiful abstract horses all over it, perfect for my friend who spends a few evenings each week riding, so I knew that needed to stay. Front and center.

HorsesClose

I cleared everything off and we went hunting around her house using the vase as a launching point. When we came back and assessed the options, I found that there was nice collection of pottery and wooden objects.

AnimalsClose

Using the vase as the focal point, I created groupings that followed the line of the pole. I weighted the center, and left the right side of the asymmetrical mantel empty, letting it sort of recede visually.

SudMantelAfter

Not bad for 10 minutes and zero dollars.

SudMantelBeforeandAfter

Do you have a 10-minute, use-what-you’ve-got styling that you want to share? Send images to mudroomboston@gmail.com and you might be featured in an upcoming 10-Minute Styling post!

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As a mother of two who has dedicated nearly my entire professional life to aligning large organizations with causes, I am excited to be a part of Macy’s Shop for a Cause fundraiser supporting the March of Dimes!

Did you know that the March of Dimes was established in 1938 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, inspired by his own battle with polio? In fact, March of Dimes funded research for vaccines developed by Dr. Jonas Salk and Dr. Albert Sabin — the vaccines that ended childhood polio. In 1958, having addressed its primary mission to end the polio epidemic, the March of Dimes shifted its focus toward birth defect prevention. Today, the organization is focused on preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality, as well as advancing maternal and health research. For those of you who have had babies in the last decade or so, you’re probably well aware of both their folic acid and prematurity awareness campaigns, both of which have worked toward healthy, full-term pregnancies for all women.

Now’s your chance to support March of Dimes and get up to 25% off your purchases at Macy’s — all for $5. 

Simply buy a $5 Macy’s saving pass that will provide 25% off on regular, sale & clearance items,  including home items (please note that you will receive 10% off electronics, watches, furniture, mattresses, rugs/floor coverings), and Macy’s will donate 100% of the $5 cost of the savings pass to the March of Dimes to help give more babies a healthy start in life.

So you want to know the details?

From now until August 25: buy passes in-store (good for in-store purchases only)

August 25 only: buy a $5 savings pass online at macys.com (good for online purchases only)

SHOP, SHOP, SHOP on August 25! Use your passes online or in stores (depending on where you bought them). Two stores in Massachusetts will hold Shop for a Cause on Friday, August 24 AND Saturday, August 25 — Boston (450 Washington Street, Boston) and Berkshire (170 Old State Road, Lanesboro). So if you want to get shopping early, you can go on August 24 to either of these two stores, buy a pass, and shop.

Want to see my Shop for a Cause wish list?

Gold is having a moment throughout the house, and I’m LOVING this Marchesa by Lenox hostess set!

The shape, shade, and color of this table lamp from Pacific Coast are perfect.

My husband and I were given a single glass cake stand for our wedding 12 years ago, but I could find many uses for this one from The Cellar collection. Great for displaying baked goods or using as a tiered centerpiece filled with fruit and flowers.

Add texture to your living room with these faux bois vinyl coasters from Chilewich. (psst – they’re a bargain closeout!)

These Sandpiper tidbit plates from Kate Spade would be a great hostess gift, or framed out in shadow boxes and hung on the wall.

On a trip to Atlanta last year, I fell in love with a natural fiber cocktail table, but decided against it because the shape didn’t work with our sectional. This cocktail table is perfect!

With two boys and a mountain biking-husband, I use indoor/outdoor rugs throughout our home. This runner from Couristan is a beauty! (Please note that rugs are excluded from Shop for a Cause online purchasing, but are eligible for the discount in-store!)

Inspired? Purchase your pass, help babies, and get shopping! 

Image credit: all images from macys.com

Complete details about Macy’s Shop for a Cause fundraiser can be found here.

This post (+ my sharing on social media) was inspired by my participation in a compensated program initiated by Women Online/The Mission List to raise awareness about the March of Dimes/Macy’s charitable fundraiser. All commentary, opinions, and fabulous finds are, of course, my own.

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When I first heard about Boston-based artist Leslie Graff from Design Mom, I instantly fell in love with her work. Tuesday night, while at Pivot Boston (an amazing event that brought together women who want to make or have made a change in their careers that bring them more joy/fulfillment/peace of mind/etc.), I squealed a little when I realized she was a panelist (actually it was more of loud WOOT! followed by a burst of clapping). After hearing her speak about the journey to her “pivot,” owning an original Leslie Graff shot to the top of my wish list.

I’m particularly fond of Leslie’s Domestic Series, a collection of paintings that features an unidentified woman (turns out they’re self-portraits) in fabulous heels running her household and raising her children. While the scenes could be straight out of the 50s or 60s, the clothes are just modern and sexy enough that I feel like Leslie has captured today’s working mom and honored her in acrylic.

Learn more about Leslie’s background, see her portfolio, and buy her notecards and prints here.

Image credits: Leslie painting from her blog Smart Mama; “Ironing it out” notecard from the Pivot Boston goodie bag

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I’m off to Vermont this weekend for a family wedding (congratulations Lauren and Justin!)…how about you?  The wedding is in the north country, so I’ll have lots of time to catch up on reading on the way up and back.  It’s been a really long time since I’ve spent hours getting lost in my favorite blogs, so I’m really looking forward to it.

See you soon!

Want to get lost in The Mudroom? Start with my most popular DIY posts:

An easy inspiration board

Making bookshelves pretty

Paint can lighting

Naptime? Makeover!

Image credit: Mary Sarah Holland

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Let them eat cake!

In another life, I was a pastry chef.

Seriously.

I can barely cook an egg, but man, can I bake a good cake.

Ok, so it’s usually from a box, but I make it really pretty when it’s done, just like these…

{aren’t they divine?}

{spring is just around the corner…}

{‘scuse me while I wipe the drool from my chin}

{makes me want to get married all over again}

 

These sweet paintings are the work of Paul Ferney, husband of the lovely Jordan Ferney (whose panel on the fine art of Throwing a Great Party I attended at Alt, and boy-oh-boy does she throw a fabulous fete).  While the original cake paintings have long sold, you can buy the 5×7 prints (printed on an 8×10 sheet with a border) for a mere $25 during The Great Cake Sale.

Don’t miss it, or you’ll have to settle for crumbs.

 

Image credits: all images are the work of superbly talented Paul Ferney

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About this time of year, the stripes start to send signals…

…that spring is coming!

I love a touch of nautical in my wardrobe, but I’ve always been a bit of sucker for it in my home too.  Remember this post?

Last fall, I went to the Brimfield Antique Show with my friend Cheri, and I fell in love with this guy…

Cheri didn’t get my crush on him, and frankly, I couldn’t explain it.  I just knew I had to have him.  It’s not like I come from a family of sea captains, or grew up in Gloucester, or particularly like Salty Dogs, but I loved the idea of looking at his grumpy eyes every day.  So now he lives in my downstairs bathroom, freaking the crap out of people when they walk down the hall.

A touch of nautical?  It makes my captain feel right at home.

Image credits: J.Crew; EmersonMade.; Tea Accessories; Oh Captain, My Captain and his close up taken by Paige Lewin’s iPhone; Dash & Albert; Uncommon Goods; L.L. Bean; Wisteria; Anthropologie

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I know it’s a sin, but I’m just not that religious.  Here’s what I’m coveting for my home this month…how about you?

 

Casually elegant stemware that can serve up milk or mimosas equally well,

 

fishy rugs,

 

simply beautiful turned wood lamps,

 

the Hans Wegner classic,

 

Michael A. Palmer’s view of the world,

 

and perfect flatware for parties, picnics or pasta.

 

Image credits: Hartland Stemware, Simon Pearce; Fish Design Rug, Landry & Arcari, White Turned Table Lamp, Hudson; ch24 Wishbone Chair, Hive Modern; Boat House by Michael A. Palmer, Van Ward Gallery; Seaborne Flatware, Anthropologie

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Weekend Plans

So, what are you up to this weekend?

Among the many things on my list — including a project that’s hopefully worthy enough to end up here and going out for a very belated holiday celebration with a gaggle of girlfriends I haven’t seen in months — I’m heading to the book launch of friend, mom and artist Abigail Patner Glassenberg.  I met Abby just after she landed her book deal, so it’s pretty exciting to celebrate her success now that she’s published!

If you missed my previous piece on Abby, you can read all about her here.  A teacher-turned-artist, Abby found her bliss at the sewing machine creating soft sculpture animals.  Her new book, The Artful Bird, celebrates her amazing flying creatures and helps us non-artists learn how to make our very own.  If you’re in the Boston area and want to see her amazing sculptures up close, visit Essentia in Wellesley from 3-5 p.m. on Saturday.  Hope to see you there!

Image credits: Abigail Patner Glassenberg

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In case you hadn’t heard, Phil predicted an early spring.

Yeah, right. {she says, staring at three feet of snow outside her bedroom window}   

Anyway, Phil isn’t the only good thing coming out of the great state of Pennsylvania these days.  On a recent trip to the land of Etsy, one of my pals showed me a piece she picked up for her living room.  She had been staring at a giant empty space above her fireplace for a couple of years and finally knew she had to do something about it when her six-year old son took note .

“We need some color in here, Mom.  It’s totally boring.”

So she searched Etsythe place to find fantastic, one-of-a-kind art pieces (among other handmade delights).  She wanted something whimsical and colorful and LARGE…all for a good price.

And she found it.

Whimsical, colorful, large and an amazing value…Bucks County Frames totally delivers. 

I love this one…makes me want to get on my Gary Fisher, pronto.

And this one? It conjures Vermont in July, watching the parade go down Bristol’s Main Street. 

I’m so ready for the beach.

 

I’ve never been a huge fan of fine art photography for my home, although I think it’s a perfect fit for plenty of others. 

It’s nice to know that my mind can always be changed.  {Thanks for introducing me  to Bucks County Frames, Michelle!}

Image credit: all images the work of Carl Christensen, Bucks County Frames and can be found here.  Also, click each image above to find it in the shop.  Support independent artists!

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When Weston was a little older than a year, Monkey arrived.  It was love at first sight, really.  Maybe more for me than Wes at first, but the second I saw that little monkey-shaped bundle of love staring at me from the basket in the toy store I knew we needed to bring him home. 

Weston and Monkey soon became inseparable, and I started to get concerned about what would happen if Monkey got lost (crazy first-time mother stuff, clearly).  So one monkey soon grew to be a family of monkeys (two full-size replacements and two little ones for travel — I told you, crazy), complete with Daddy Monkey, Mommy Monkey, Teacher/Babysitter Monkey and the babies. 

Nearly six years later, The Monkeys still hang out with us, lined up and tucked in at the foot of Weston’s bed.  But Daddy Monkey, Weston’s favorite, is starting to look like the babies have kept him up at night and his job is stressing him out.  I know the day will come when we pack up The Monkeys and send them to the attic, but it sure would be cool to memorialize them while they’re still in decent shape. 

Enter Hippopota.

A super-cool company that memorializes your kiddo’s lovey (or any loved object, really) in a totally modern way, Hippopota owner Christian Jaillite photographs the subject, capturing the essence of it and nothing else.  Just contact him to make arrangements, send him your object (to be returned, of course), and in 2-3 weeks you can have a masterpiece of your child’s favorite pal that’s hip enough to hang in your dining room.

Photo credits: Monkey in his better days, Paige Lewin; “Hippo,” Christian Jaillite, Hippopota; prices start at $500 with 10% of all profits donated to the World Food Program

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