Momathon Blog

Chic and Cozy Kitchens {Part 1}

At my house, the room where everyone gathers is the kitchen. Comfy banquettes make a cozy place to eat and just hang out. I'm thinking I need to add a built-in seating area to my kitchen too.

Especially during the winter, I camp out in a sunny room. A kitchen table with a window seat is perfect. Add some comfy cushions plus a few throw pillows and you might find me there all day. (Images via  here, here, here.)

A larger kitchen with a long bench seat like the one above is the perfect place to put your feet up and spend Sunday morning with a cup of coffee and the New York Times spread out on the table. (Image via here.)

I don't think I will ever outgrow the attraction to banquette seating. How about you? The bright orange booth above has a retro vibe that reminds me of late nights studying—and talking—with friends at a coffee shop during college. (Images via here and here.)

Which is your favorite? I'll share more Cozy Kitchens in Part 2 coming soon. 

How to Create a Magnetic Chalkboard

 

Because I'm a doodler at heart, I love the decorating idea of adding chalkboard paint to a wall. This DIY idea makes the chalkboard portable, you can move the chalkboard you create around to different walls and different rooms. Easy peasy! I think the project is a fun accent for your child's bedroom or even the kitchen. This do-it-yourself paint project uses a Pottery Barn Kids frame and Benjamin Moore paints.

Magnetic Chalkboard

Supplies

• 18 x 18" piece of sheet metal (Or select any size to be cut to fit your picture frame)
• Household vinegar 
• Paint roller (small size, approx 6")
• Benjamin Moore Fresh Start Primer 
• Benjamin Moore Chalkboard Paint 
• 18" x 18" frame (Pottery Barn Kids frame is used in the video below)

Directions

1) Go to a metal supply shop and have them cut you a 18" x 18" piece of sheet metal—or any size that fits the picture frame you want to use.

2) Remove any grease on piece of sheet metal with ordinary household vinegar. Let the sheet dry.

3) Because sheet metal is a shiny and slick non-porous surface, you need to paint the metal with a primer like Benjamin Moore Fresh Start Primer because it will adhere to non-porous surfaces. 

4) After the primer dries, add a coat of chalkboard paint. Use long smooth strokes with a small paint roller. If you see any "lap lines" at the edges of your strokes of paint be sure to smooth the lines out with the roller.

5) Wait for the paint to dry and then add a second coat of chalkboard paint.

6) Let the painted metal dry thoroughly and then pop it into an 18" x 18" frame. Now it's ready to hang on the wall. 

You can watch a DIY video created by Pottery Barn here: How To: Create a Magnetic Chalkboard with Benjamin Moore Paint and a Pottery Barn Kids frame. 

IMAGES: Top image: Created by me, Chris Olson. 2nd image: Photo of chalkboard from Benjamin Moore paints and Pottery Barn Kids via here.

More chalkboard ideas here:

Painting DIY: How to Make a Chalkboard Wall

Tips for Selecting the Right Dining Room Table for Your Home

Have you outgrown your dining room furniture—or do you just want to update the rooom? Here are four tips to help you find the table that fits your home.

Looking for more decorating ideas, check out more of my Decor crush posts.

Image by Chris Olson featuring the Oslo Table via Crate and Barrel.

 

To download the free printable gift box I designed for my blog readers, click on link.

Painting DIY: How to Make a Chalkboard Wall

 

Benjamin Moore Paints

You can create a fun and functional chalkboard wall in almost any room with durable chalkboard paint that's designed to be erasable and washable. Be inventive! You can paint a small section of the wall to resemble a chalkboard or paint the entire wall for your kids (or you) to draw large murals. With this paint you turn any rectangular area into artistic scribble space. 

Benjamin Moore Paints

 
Helpful hints:

1) How much paint do you need for a specific room or wall? Use the Paint Calculator.

2) Pick the perfect color with a sample-sized can of paint that lets you test drive your favorite colors:

Find the perfect color using the online color samples, then go to the store to verify your choice with paint samples—or you can even order a sample online and have it shipped to you.

For example, look at the paint color samples online at Benjamin Moore. Remember your laptop monitor is not able to show the "true color"—the color you see on your laptop will not look the same as the paint color you will paint with. That's why ordering 16 oz. "sample color" paint cans will let you test out several colors at your home. Each sample paint can covers approximately two 4' X 4' or eight 2' x 2' areas.

Are you ready to paint now? Follow the step-by-step directions for painting a chalkboard wall below.

Decor Crush: Hooked on Celebrity Houses

 

Julia's popular lifestyle blog Hooked on Houses turns 4 years old this week. If you like real estate blogs, this one is for you. Even better, if you like to also glimpse into the homes of celebrities and homes on movie and TV sets, then reading Julia's blog will quickly become one of your favorites.

In her blog she admits she is obsessed with pop culture, but at heart I can also tell she loves homes of any style. Julia says in  her blog:

"I’m more likely to swoon over a cozy, well-designed cottage than a sprawling, show-offy mansion. For me, looking at houses is a form of entertainment. I think they have personalities, and it’s fun to get to know them, regardless of their size, shape, or style." 

Here are just a few recent posts:

• Reese Witherspoon’s San Francisco Apartment in the Movie “Just Like Heaven”
• Jennifer Aniston’s Sleek New $21 Million House in Bel Air
• Four Pretty Houses on “Pretty Little Liars”
• For Sale: Christina Aguilera’s Pink Closet (and the House That Goes With It!)
• Renée Zellweger Selling Country House in Connecticut“
• Modern Family:” 3 Funny Families and Their 3 Fab Houses
• The “Bewitched” Movie: Nicole Kidman’s Cottage

Photos: Jennifer Aniston's home, Hooked On Houses banner, Christina Aguilera's home featured on Julia's blog.

Decor Crush: Rice Paper Lantern on the show White Collar

 

I believe in love at first sight. Especially while watching TV or a movie.

Let me explain...

Almost everything looks better on TV–especially home decor or cars or clothes. So it is only natural to see something even for just a second on your TV and instantly feel that connection. But where can you find it? Magazines and blogs do a great job of doing the sleuthing for the best in celebrity and pop culture clothing.

Amazing couches, lovely lamps, and impressive bookshelves rarely get ID'd in the media. That's why every Friday I am going to post one TV (or movie) home decor crush on my blog and my new Tumblr blog Decor Crush. Feel free to send me your ideas for identifying an item featured on Decor Crush. And send me suggestions for Decor Crush items. Together we will solve the puzzles. 

 

Friday's Crush:
The lamp in the apartment of the charming criminal mastermind Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) on the show White Collar. I love this rice paper lantern because it is not the typical round shape.

So where can I find it?

 

Follow Decor Crush on Tumblr.

MyDeco.com DIY decorating tools help you design your home

You can shop furniture and homewares at MyDeco.com. But my favorite DIY decor feature are the interactive MyDeco interior design options using these handy tools:

• design a room with realistic 3D
• create a moodboard
• decorate a photo
• clip an image
• create a folder

MyDeco.com uses top retailers including: Zappos, Cath Kidston, Five Stripes, Design Public, Overstock, Ferm Living, Domestications, and many more.

For DIY help on the fly, try the MyDeco iPhone app. You can follow the latest style trends on the MyDeco Blog, or connect with MyDeco on Facebook and Twitter.

The modern and earthy Hemingway Designs kitchen featured in photo above.

Photos: MyDeco.com website images.

(Note: This is a product review. I do not receive compensation from the company for reviewing their product.)

Toilet seat with built-in kid seat makes potty training simpler

 

Potty training is now a bit simpler with the new convertible toilet seat featuring a built-in training seat for toddlers. The two-in-one seats are made by Kohler and Mayfair.

Convertible potty seat features:

• one ring for adults and a separate ring for children
• no need for an additional child's toilet in your bathroom
• eliminates the hassle of removing and cleaning a separate child's seat insert
• helps build your child's confidence and transition to a regular toilet
• mounts just like a regular toilet seat
• looks just like a standard toilet seat when closed

 

Photo above features the Kohler toilet seat.

(Sending a shout out to Lou Manfredini on the TODAY Show for alerting me to the Mayfair seat.)

 

Remember to spring ahead Sunday!

I love the art directors at CB2. Check out their clever reminder to change your clocks for Daylight Saving Time that begins on Sunday, March 14th.

 

Now maybe I should get one of pretty CB2 clocks to help me remember. 

(Photo: cb2.com)

Kids, go ahead and doodle on the walls

The Frames wallpaper in the The Land of Nod collection is perfect for every kid who loves to draw--on the walls or on paper. Made for doodlers and young Picassos, hundreds of blank picture frames in a myriad of shapes and sizes cover the wallpaper. All you need to do is hand your kids (or the grownups) a box of markers. (Frames Wallpaper, $40.00)

Have fun!

(Photo: The Land of Nod)

Create a family photos wall

 

Looking for tips on creating family wall of memories? Whether you are looking for a unified look or an eclectic mix of different frames, the Pottery Barn wall solutions video takes you through the design process step by step. I have already tried out some of their DIY tips for hanging pictures and they really work. I love the photo above. Not sure if I can duplicate this look, but it's worth trying. First I need to find some more family photos and buy new frames too. 

(Photo: Pottery Barn)

DIY: Sew fabric storage baskets

I am fixing up my work/craft room so I was excited to find an easy DIY pattern for making storage baskets by jcaroline creative. I love the Peapod and Flora fabric too. Sewing directions for a small and large basket here.

 

(image: jcaroline creative)

DIY Bean Bag Chair

Kids and adults love to sink into cozy bean bag chairs. My favorites are the ones with interesting fabrics. Now you can create your own comfy place to read a book with the bean bag chair tutorial by Joanna Armour. Check out the tutorial here.

The sewing directions look easy. You only need 3 yards of lining fabric, 3 yards for the outside cover, hook and loop tape, and bean bag pellets. Great photos included to help you complete your project.

image: bean bag chair made by Joanna Armour with michael miller fabrics

You can check out more sewing projects at the Making It Fun blog by Michael Miller Fabrics. Thanks also to the clever editors at the blog Apartment Therapy Ohdeedoh (home design for children) for featuring this sweet sewing project. You can view more cute fabrics for sewing projects at MichaelMillerFabrics.com

Easy DIY Fixes for Worn-Out Floors and More

I love my house, but if you checked out my tired wood floors and kitchen cabinets you might not believe me. This morning when I saw the clever folks at the Today Show tackle restoring worn-out kitchens, I nearly cheered out loud. (Yes, my life is really that boring.) 

Here is the scoop on simple--and cheap--fixes to bring your beloved kitchen back to life:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Victoria Smith @ Sfgirlbybay Offers Decorating Ideas

Where do you start your online day? I love design blogs and one of my faves to read while drinking my tea after breakfast is sfgirlbybay by Victoria Smith. Recently Victoria's bohemian modern decorating ideas were featured in Craftzine.com.

Six Easy Steps to Save 60 Gallons of Water a Day

It has been raining like crazy all month here and it's all too easy to forget about the fact we still need to conserve water.

According to Planet Green here are 6 easy things you can do to save big:

Take a 5-minute shower instead of a 10-minute shower (Savings: 12.5 gallons)

Put a bottle filled with gravel in your toilet tank (Savings: 7.5 gallons)

Turn off the water while brushing teeth and sharing (Savings: 8 gallons)

Filling your dishwasher to max capacity (Savings: 2 gallons)

Mulching your garden (Savings: 25 gallons)

Fix that leaky faucet (Savings: 5 gallons)

TOTAL Water Savings: 60 gallons

Don't forget to talk to your kids about the water saving tips. If you do, your family could save more than 60 gallons today. You can follow PlanetGreen.com on Twitter  

(Thanks for the tips Planet Green.)

Go Green with Ecofont

Events this week celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd. All week Momathon Blog will be focusing on simple ways you can celebrate Earth Day every day.

Go green with a new Swiss-cheese design font.

Use the environmentally friendly Ecofont and you will minimize ink and carbon use. The Dutch company SPRANGQ developed this green font with tiny circular holes in the letters. When you use this font you won't see the holes unless the font is too large. The font is readable because the micro holes are not visible in a smaller size (16pt or smaller). The design of this typeface cuts ink usage by 20%.

It's free. Download Ecofont here.

Momathon Fave: The Crafts Dept Blog

The folks at Martha Stewart have done it again. Another cool online resource for crafters or anyone who enjoys making things. 

The The Crafts Dept. blog is written by Marcie McGoldrick, Editorial Director, Crafts and Holiday at Martha Stewart.

Marcie develops new projects for Martha's magazines, books and show. Her blog is a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse of how crafts are developed for Martha Stewart. Her blog post for April 7th gave tips on throwing a girl's-night-in craft party to make headbands. What fun. 

According to an interview with Marcie on Etsy.com: 

"We thought that a blog would be a great way to share some of the other aspects of the craft department that don’t always make it onto the pages of the magazine — behind the scenes, inspiration, personal work etc. We also thought that it would be a great way to be a more active part of the crafting community as a whole. We are all pretty active as individuals but there is a different dynamic to the department as a group."

Go Green: Is Your House an Energy Hog?

My windows leak. My door has a draft. And many more energy saps are just waiting to be discovered. I know I am due for an "energy audit." I've heard that most homes have the equivalent of a large open window 24/7. That's energy literally going out the window.

Energy auditors can detect where houses are losing energy. These guys come armed with high-tech tools such as a thermographic camera that detects heat loss. The camera can detect if heat is going through your insulation because the insulation is not adequate.

Some leaks we might not feel are easy to find with the naked eye. Did you know spiders are your friends? Spiders like to build webs where there is a draft. Just look for the spider webs and you will find the leaks in your house.

Energy efficiency probably wasn't a major concern when most houses are built. Even newer houses have leaks. Air sealing is a great investment in keeping your house warm. 

For more information on how to improve your home's energy efficiency, check out this NYT video link featuring Tom Zeller Jr., the editor of the Green Inc. blog. In this video Zeller hires specialists from Green Treen Energy to track cown the spots in his house where energy is lost.