Baby, It's cold outside!

If you happen to be spending your winter somewhere else than chilly, windy, snowy, gray Chicago, I am jealous! This winter has been brutal- a bunch of days with windchill well below zero.... plus it keeps on getting warm (by Chicago winter standards!), all the snow will melt, it will be in the 30's... and then the temp plunges again!

To help the boys survive the cold (and because I am a sucker for them!), I decided to make them coats. Also, I want to sew more - I have a sewing machine, but am not very good at it, so it seemed like good practice!

The end result turned out great... they somehow look simultaneously adorable and hilarious as they walk down the sidewalk all plaid. (I promised J that it was a manly plaid ;) Enjoy the pictures below...

And try to stay warm!
Nicole

Vacation Dreaming

This time of year always seems so slow. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years all seem to come quickly, back-to-back. And then January comes and... nothing. No vacations or holidays for so long! The next holiday at work is in May! MAY! While I know the time will go quickly (how is January almost over?!), it just seems so far away...

You know what would be nice right about now? A gorgeous home on the beach in Florida... and HGTV's Dream Home giveaway this year is offering just that! While the contest started at the beginning of January, I somehow missed it (my mom, sister, and I religiously enter a bunch of times each year.... to no avail, actually... hmm...) until I received an email from Domino about it this morning.

The house is gorgeous (of course!) and just so sunny, bright, and tropical... just what I need on this gray Chicago morning!

You can enter once a day right here up until February 19!
Good Luck!
Nicole

Dream Home images from HGTV

Loving It: Tile Tattoos

	I just came across this adorable Product at 2 Jane... Tile Tattoos! Aside from having an amazingly cute name, what a great idea- a way for renters like us (and those who just don't want to actually have to remodel their kitchen/bathroom!) to temporarily personalize the tile in their home. Love it! Nicole
Via Particular Aesthetic

DIY: Upholstered Headboard (part 1)

We don't have a 'bed' per-se... just a mattress & box spring with a bed frame. Though there was a point last year where we had just a mattress on the floor*, so this is a definite improvement comparitively. Still, I want a real bed. With a headboard. Like an adult. I recently saw this Tate bed at Crate and Barrel & really liked the neutral color & clean lines. Because buying it would be not only expensive, but way too simple, I decided I am going to make my own version.

I have seen enough diy shows on HGTV and TLC to feel like I can make my own upholstered headboard. I found these instructions from BeJane and it seems manageable. I love how the CB one is upholstered around the mattress too... I'll start with the headboard, but I want something like that too. I think I'll just cover wood planks & put around our existing bed frame. Also, I want ours to go all the way to the ground. Mainly because Frank decided that our box spring was way too nice so has torn off the bottom lining** and has been chewing on the wood planks. So I'd like a nice 'barrier' to deter that behavior.

We'll see how this goes... and of course I'll post updates!
Nicole

* Our old bed was the one I bought right out of college... an Ikea-ish platform basic piece. It was fine, but had been through 5 moves when we tried to move it to the other bedroom in our old apartment & it decided it had had enough. It never made it to the other room.

** The boys like to run in circles around & under the bed. One day, Frank seemed stuck & was whining for help. When I looked under the bed, I saw a Frank-shaped bulge hanging from the bottom of the box spring. Apparently he had made a hole & climbed on in... and then got stuck. Poor Frank isn't always the brightest...!

Jonathan Adler at Barnes & Noble

As far as bookstores go, I'm partial to Borders. I just like the look & feel of their stores. I almost never go into Barnes & Noble- partially because I find the feel in there just a bit stuffy, partially because there really aren't any convenient BN's near my home or work.

Still, my Mother-in-Law has a nice one near her house, so went there before the holidays to get her a gift certificate as a stocking stuffer.

I am a sucker for cute 'impulse buys' stores place near the checkouts anyway, but there I spotted the adorable line of Barnes & Noble exclusive Jonathan Adler accesories!

The Words Umbrella especially is so cute... covered with rain-related words like "Cats and Dogs" and "Thunder" in an array of typefaces... I think I need to get one to help brighten rainy days!
Nicole

Happy New Year!

Just returned from our annual New Year's trip to New Buffalo, MI - as always, a fun trip!

Though it may seem strange to leave Chicago for a small Michigan town, we all quickly tired of the bar/party scene in the city... expensive all-you-can drink fete's where you spend all night bumping into strangers, screaming so your friends can hear you, and then can't get a cab home. Not my idea of fun. Plus the State Motto of Michigan is 'Great Lakes, Great Times' - what about that doesn't say fun!?

So every year we rent a vacation home in New Buffalo/ Union Pier and head out of town for a few days with friends. This year there were 8 of us & good times were had by all. The snow started during our New Year's Eve dinner & didn't let up even as we left on the 2nd, but that didn't hamper our plans much... especially since all we had on our schedule was some Wii tennis (I am one of the few people who seems to be as horrible at fake tennis as real tennis... sad...), Cranium Pop 5 (sosososo much fun! If you haven't played, you must!), adult beverages, and football watching (go BLUE! Michigan actually won!).

Plus, the snow allowed us to frolic outside for a bit... I leave you with a trio of Snow Angels - a heck of a way to ring in the New Year!



Happy 2008!
Nicole