The Study Lounge

Our home is a 2 story colonial with the bedrooms all on the second floor. One of the bedrooms is pretty small at 9' x 9 1/2'. It has always served as a home office. We had a pretty large desk/wall unit in there that 3 people could easily work at. Instead it was a dumping room with piles of books and supplies on the desk...always a mess. And where did the kids (all 4 of them) end up doing their homework? They would work on the couch, kitchen table, dining room table or their bed! Which meant more backpacks and schoolwork spread all over the house. So, I had an idea to put the small couch from the playroom in the office and relocate the desk....creating a study lounge. They love it!
Come on in!

Since the room is so small I will rotate the photos around the room.  A lounge is not complete without a TV...only for when HW is done:)

I will show you inside the closet in a minute. I think my honey did a great job on the window molding! We may get around to changing the door molding too, but the window was new so we were working from scratch.  One of my favorite vintage folding chairs is a perfect extra seat. Also LOVE the color of the blinds. I will share all resources at the end of this post.

We went with a rustic theme in this room. There are tons of tutorials for plank walls. We used 1/4" plywood ripped into varying widths and lengths and just nailed them up. We did paint the wall behind the planks a much darker grey so any spaces between the boards would not be so visible. I used a combination of stains and paint to achieve the weathered finish.

Planning on a large clock for this blank wall on the right. It's on my long to-do list:)

Not enough room on either side of couch for an end table so we built a small shelf on each side made of pallet wood.

 Perfect for the phone, remote or a drink. And pumpkins too!

I had fun with the gallery wall. A combination of favorite vacation photos, and inspirational words (it is a "study" lounge).  But I also wanted it to be a room the kids could relax in. What's nice about it is that they can come up here, close the door and get their work done without being in the middle of the house during dinner prep and all the rest of the chaos going on downstairs. And for the ones working late at night, we can go to bed and feel better about the kids being upstairs while they finish up their work.

It took a while but we found the perfect picture for over the couch. There was a fine art photographer next to me at a recent art show I participated in. We had a view of this photo the entire weekend and couldn't stop looking at it. The one we saw was about 4ft x 4ft and $3600. We were happy to find a much smaller print of this peaceful shot of a crab farmer in China. My husband made the perfect frame for it and I think it helps to give that relaxed feeling in the study lounge.

I still felt it necessary to have a small desktop for when the kids wanted to work on a computer. The closet was a perfect spot for this and to store all of the supplies needed for getting homework done.

 Shelves above hold baskets of extra supplies and textbooks and study guides. The shelf below the desk holds each of their laptops. Everything has a place...yay!

A charging station is on the left...I never knew these USB outlets existed!

And a custom made shelf/pencil cup holder is perfect for keeping the desktop free of clutter.

This room has been amazing. We finished it just before school began and they've been enjoying it ever since! The couch also opens up to a bed so this room also serves as a guest room. Couldn't do that with the big desk in here before!


Resource list:

Wall and ceiling color: Sherwin Williams Light French Gray

Trim: Benjamin Moore Linen White

Sofa: Ikea

Throw pillows: H&M and Michael's

Gallery wall: Inspirational signs-Hydrangea Home, Industrial Metal number 6-Country Living Fair, Galvanized M-Michael's Craft Store

Photo over couch: John Deng Fine Art Photography

Baskets in closet: Michael's Craft Store

Lighting: Lowes Outdoor lighting department - Portfolio Ellicott Galvanized Outdoor Wall light

Blinds: Home Depot - Home Decorators Collection - Driftwood Flatweave Bamboo Roman Shade

See more of our home improvement projects HERE.

Goodbye Summer

Montauk, Long Island, NY

Sad to see you go...

The kids started school this week and we already had fall - like weather. Which I don't mind too much - because I love fall cooking. This week we made Lentil Vegetable Soup - a quick and easy recipe from Lucinda Scala Quinn - Mad Hungry. Great for busy school nights - and easy for the kids to eat in a thermos on the way to dance, soccer, etc.

photo credit:  Martha Stewart - Mad Hungry Show

Party Time!

Today is my daughter's 14th bday. Can't believe it!

Where did the time go?

So, on Saturday night we had 20 girls over for a celebration. 

Thanks to the snow day, we had time to make some fun party pom poms.

Inspired by the ones on this gorgeous blog...

Dreamy Whites

We used a Martha Stewart tutorial except we added a few more layers of tissue than instructed for fuller pom poms. Here is the link to the how-to.

We also used mixed the tissue colors and made little ones for the table.

Some of the girls wore these in their hair to dance the next day.

They just loved them!

The desserts!

We made mini and regular cupcakes in vanilla and chocolate.

But the frosting is what I need to share.

I found this recipe on a cooking forum a while back. 

Fluffy (not too sweet) Amazing Frosting

1 C Whipping Cream

1/4-1/2 C Milk

1/2 package instant pudding mix (4 serving box)

Combine all ingredients in a chilled mixing bowl. Beat with electric mixer until cream is whipped and pudding is dissolved and thick. 

You may need to adjust the amount of milk to get the right consistency. Too thick - add a little more milk. Too thin - add a little more pudding mix. 

I made a chocolate and a vanilla batch and piped the frosting on using a pastry bag. 

Here's what I'm thinking about for some other combos:

Pistachio frosting

Lemon frosting with a fresh blueberry on top

Lime (is there lime pudding mix?) with a fresh raspberry.

Don't they sound delicious?

You can also pipe some right into the cupcake before frosting for a yummy surprise filling!

Holy cow - I just went on the Jello website.

They have banana, COCONUT!, butterscotch, CHEESECAKE!, white chocolate....

I'm in trouble!

So, besides the cute little cupcakes, we also set up the chocolate fountain with fruits, marshmallows, pretzels and graham crackers for dipping.

Always a huge hit!

The Games

Some great fun games for teen parties.

We created a questionnaire for the girls to fill out. 

Twenty questions about the bday girl.

 The top 3 that knew her best got to choose a prize. 

A lot of fun!

Charades including pop songs, movies, etc.

Winning team chooses a prize.

And we were planning on playing Left, Right, Center (a fun dice game). 

We were going to use candy for this one but we ran out of time. 

The greatest story ever told. Someone starts of the story with a couple of sentences on paper. The book goes around the room and each girl adds to the story. The story is read out loud and the end. It's pretty funny what 14 year old girls write about. (mostly Justin Bieber)

The Prize Basket

Assorted lotions and lip gloss from Bath and Body

Nail Polish in funky colors

Hair flower clips

Headbands

Cosmetic bags

Genie twist hair towels

Starbuck's gift cards (this was a hot one)

Maybe you have some more great teen party ideas?

If you do, please share in the comments.

Thanks so much!

This post is participating in the following events. 

Make sure you visit them for some more creative inspiration!

at Twice Remembered

at Cindy's Romantic Home

More Pretty Snow!

Sorry, but I couldn't help myself-I had to create another pretty snow mosaic today. With the sun and the bright blue sky, it made even prettier pics than yesterday. Even Bella is loving the snow.

Now...back to organizing my studio!!

I need to get something done before they all come in to eat ...AGAIN!!

A great way to start the New Year!

Our home has been a little sign factory since New Year's Day.
We just finished the 54 inspirational signs we are donating to the NY Shelter project.
(see here for more info).
It was a great project for the kids to help out. If it wasn't for their help I wouldn't have finished in time. They were amazing and so excited to be a part of this project. Oh, and my husband too. He was my sander, sealer and hanger attacher. He's actually finishing up the last few as I am typing. A special thank you also to Advantage Payroll Services of LI for their monetary donation towards the supplies.

Tomorrow they will be shipped off to the shelter, one for each apartment.

Some inspiring words for the women and children living there that are victims of domestic violence. And in less than 2 weeks, along with 39 other women in business, we will have the chance to meet with some of the women.

To think, this all started as a group of us were talking about getting together to meet one another until Terry Grahl of Enchanted Makeovers came up with the idea of possibly making a difference at a shelter as part of our get together.

Here's a little slide show of our work in progress.
Thank you Terry, for giving our family the opportunity to help out!

Click HERE for Part 1 of the event.
Click HERE for Part 2 of the event.

Want to make these yourself?

You need:

Unfinished wood plaques

Primer

Base color paint (I used eggshell interior house paint)

Antique Brown Glaze

White paint

Stencils

Stamps

Graphite Paper

Paint Pens

Sandpaper

Foam stencil sponge

Matte Varnish

Hanger

Steps to take:

Sand, prime and base coat wood.

Once dry, apply glaze and wipe off before it dries. I like to leave a little extra around the edges.

Then, I used my background, damask stencil. I centered it and applied a little white paint. Then, I wiped it down because I just wanted a faint design in the background.

Next, using graphite paper, I traced my quote onto the wood with a stylus. I then used a paint pen to fill in the lettering.

For this project, since I was making so many in a short time, I used rubber stamps to add a little element to each sign. I used brown acrylic paint and a foam stencil sponge to pounce a little paint on the stamp and applied to the sign.

After that dried, I lightly sanded the stamped image and my lettering, just because I liked the way it looked.

Finally, we stapled a jute rope on the back to hang and applied a Matte Varnish for protection.

Have fun with these!

Oh, and see more crafty projects at Today's Creative Blog.

Also, visit A Soft Place to Land for more DIY projects!

NYC at Christmas

Our youngest has a birthday right after Christmas. So, this year we thought it would be nice to go into the city for the Radio City Christmas show. She loved it! We go every few years and they really do change the show up so it's different and still amazing each time.

Her favorite part... the 3-d movie clip at the beginning of the show...hmm....we could have saved a bunch of money just going to a 3-d movie!

I just have to share a pic of the gorgeous tree suspended from the ceiling in the lobby of the theatre. It's made from 10,000 Swarosvski Snowflake ornaments. Isn't it gorgeous!

After the show we headed over to Ellen's Stardust Diner on Broadway for lunch. She really enjoyed this place. The waitstaff are all aspiring singers and perform in between serving their customers. They're really very good and they make a big deal when it's your bday.

Of course we had to go see "the tree" at Rockefeller and even though my daughter was not happy about it, I had to visit one of my favorites Anthropologie. 

At the end of the day she said it was the best birthday ever - except for the shopping!

Summer in Northport, LI

An early appointment in Northport Village was a good reason to spend some time there. I love this quaint little village in the summer. 

And so do my kids.  

We enjoyed the boats, the playground, the variety store and of course the candy shop and lunch at Sweet Mamas!

Long Island, NY...The North Fork

Last week I took my mom, brother and his bride-to-be to a cooking class at the Farmhouse Kitchen in Southold. My mom and I have attended Paula's classes before and I thought that this particular class "Entertaining North Fork Style" would be a great fit for them. They are planning a North Fork wedding at the beautiful Macari Vineyard. Our first stop was at the vineyard and I was able to look at some photo books of previous weddings held there. They were gorgeous. There is a great red barn on the property and it will make for some beautiful wedding pics. I can't wait! We sat on the deck with a bottle of wine and brainstormed about some centerpiece ideas. I'm so excited for them! They are still looking for a caterer, so if you know of any out in that area, please let me know.

After Macari, we had a few minutes before our class was to begin so I had to stop in at the Whiteflower Farmhouse. I have been dying to see this shop after finding their website and blog. Such a beautiful store, I bought one of their teacup candles for each of us and it smells amazing! This store inspired my sister-in-law to think about using gray and robin's egg blue as the colors for her wedding.

So we finally made it to the cooking class which was held by the pool. It's so relaxing at Paula's. For us it's like being on another planet. You sit, relax, listen and watch Paula cook up some amazing foods and the best part of course it tasting it all. During this class she demonstrated and we tasted: Grilled Fruit Salsa on Grilled Brochetta, Summer Sippers, Grilled Corn, North Fork Baked Stuffed Clams, Grilled Clams, Mini Pesto Burgers with Red Pepper Mayo, Watermelon Salad, Grilled Romaine Salad with Blueberries and Feta(who would've thought? This was amazing), and dessert was Grilled Pound Cake with Nutella, Grilled Peaches and Toasted Coconut. I wish I took pics of all of this great food but we ate it too fast!

After the class ended, we drove down to the end of Paula's street. There is a little private beach there and I took a couple of pics of the views (that's my brother's fiancee in one of them). Right across the water is the South Fork of Long Island where you will find the Hamptons. Also very beautiful, but the North is my favorite! I just had to pull over to take a pic of that gorgeous field of sunflowers we spotted on our way home from a perfect day....

If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend this experience. Paula and her husband also own a vineyard - Croteaux Vineyard - which is also on the property of their home complete with an adorable tasting barn shown in the photos below.

Clicking on the highlighted text above will take you to the mentioned sites.

Click HERE for previous post about the Farmhouse Kitchen experience.

Wanna meet our new baby?

First meeting off the transport.

Her name is Bella. We picked her up this week! And we're just loving her.

A Fun Week!

Our kids were off from school this week for Winter break. Who gets a break? It's been a fun one. We started off with my birthday earlier this week. My husband gave me the day off from laundry and kitchen duty. He even made me a special dinner. My daughter made these really good cupcakes for dessert. She loves to bake. They were so good I have to share the recipe.

This recipe is from Kitchen Aid - Great Baking and More

Cappuccino Fudge Cupcakes

1/2 C (1 stick) butter, softened

1 1/2 C sugar

3 eggs

3/4 C milk

1 T plus 2 teaspoons instant espresso or coffee granules

1 3/4 C all purpose flour

1 1/2 t baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Coffee cream (recipe follows)

Fudge Sauce (recipe follows)

Place butter in mixing bowl. Attach bowl and flat beater to mixer. Turn to Speed 6 and gradually add sugar, beating about 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Turn to Speed 4 and add eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Stop and scrape bowl. Dissolve instant espresso in milk. Set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Turn to Stir Speed and add a third of the flour mixture alternately with half of the milk mixture, mixing 15 seconds after each addition.

Spoon batter into 8 greased and floured custard cups (we filled 12 muffin cups). Place cups on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Remove from custard cups and cool on wire rack. Top with Coffee Cream and serve with Fudge Sauce.

Coffee Cream

1 1/2 C heavy cream

1/4 C sugar

1 1/2 t instant espresso or coffee granules

Combine cream, sugar, and espresso in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and wire whip to mixer. Turn to Speed 8 and whip cream until stiff.

Fudge Sauce

4 squares (1 ounce each) semi-sweet chocolate

1/2 C whipping cream

1/2 t ground cinnamon

Place chocolate, cream, and cinnamon in small saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat until chocolate is melted and mixture is combined. Enjoy!

We've been trying to do something with the kids each day (of course working around their social calender). Yesterday we saw Mall Cop. One of those silly but funny movies. Today with the weather so mild and around 50 degrees. We took a ride to the beach and walked to the Fire Island lighthouse. It's about 1/2 mile to the lighthouse. We then climbed 192 steps to get to the very top. I didn't think I would make it! Here are some pics I took along the way. It was so nice to see the deer so close up. They are not startled by people at all!

Goodbye Summer

I am sad to see the end of summer and thought I would share some pics of this weekend at a beautiful beach in Westhampton. It's a great drive at the end of Dune Rd. We haven't been there in years and I couldn't believe the size and beauty of these beach homes lining both sides of the road all waterfront and went on as far as you can see. I tried to get some pics as we were leaving but it was already getting dark. We were having so much fun with the kids, we didn't want to leave the beach! Enjoy the pics!

My honey and the kids playing frisbee. You can see the homes in the background. It's funny - from this angle it looks like they're all attached. But they are pretty close together.

This is basically the size of most of the homes we saw.

This one looked so pretty all lit up. Next time I'll get some pics in the daylight!

The sunset was beautiful - look at the color of that sky.