Nestling In

We are almost done!

2010-11-15T16:30:00.000-08:00

And I'm so glad because I think if the renovations had gone on for much longer Andrew would have moved into a hotel. He was so over living in a disaster zone! I guess I'm used to it - in my life every home I've ever lived in has been gutted and rehabbed. You see, my parents are addicted to renovations. 9 years ago my Mom came home from work one day and announced - "I found it!". She said she found the perfect house and the best part about it, she convinced my Dad, is that we won't have to do a thing to it - its perfect just as it is. Well after new windows, a new roof, a new kitchen, new bathrooms, and a relandscaped backyard the house is now actually perfect. Lest you think my Mom duped my Dad into buying a house that was far from perfect, this wasn't his first rodeo. My parents have renovated every home they've ever lived in, excluding the home my Dad designed and built himself (kinda just like one big renovation).

I was actually born into a renovation, because shortly after my birth, my parents decided to gut their entire house including the kitchen and bathrooms! I've slept on a concrete floor in a sleeping bag due to the fact that the carpeting wasn't yet installed. And I'm familiar with the many different shades of white as my parents tried and tested every possible one. You would think after painting every home we ever lived in off white they would have arrived on the perfect shade, however each time we ended up examining dozens of paint swatches and once the painter had to repaint an entire room because it just wasn't quite right.

Lest you think I'm being cruel to my wonderful parents, I have to confess that I too am addicted to home renovations. Poor Andrew had no idea what he was in for, but after all new windows, new HVAC, a new bathroom, new kitchen, and 18 different shades of beige he's coming to realize I have a problem. However I think now that the kitchen is nearly complete we are finally done with this house. If I'm anything like my parents though - we'll move again in about 3 years and start it all over again. Poor guy!

I don't want to rob all my readers of the joys of the big reveal, so until everything is completely done in the kitchen I'm going to show just a few tidbits.

The Cabinets after they first went in...

Our new Penninsula

I'm feeling so much more organized and together now that the kitchen is basically functional. All that's left to do is install the pendant lights (FYI we decided on the Celeste) and the backsplash. Once its all done I promise to post complete pics! After this, I'm going to have to come up with some other renovation projects. If you have any ideas let me know.

Cabinets are going in!

2010-11-03T14:16:00.001-07:00

Cannot wait to show you photos, but the cabinets are going in as we speak! They don't have any doors, but I'm already OBSESSED! I'll post some in progress pics later tonight.

The Kitchen Reno Continues

2010-10-31T18:49:00.001-07:00

This weekend was incredibly busy. Our drywall contractor arrived at 8 am Saturday morning to begin drywalling. There was a lot of patching to do due to our electrical changes and we also decided to cover up a window which you can see in the left corner of this image. The window looked out on our back patio which is dark and dreary and nothing nice to look at. Rather than incur the cost to remove the window, we decided to simply cover it with drywall.

Our kitchen before

The Window wall after being covered with drywall

We purchased a vinyl window shade and adhered it to the inside of the window. This way, when you look at the window from the outside it will look like a normal window with the shades drawn. The drywall installers then placed studs within the window frame as well as some insulation, topping it all off with drywall. They did a wonderful job and worked so hard! Our cabinet installer will come on Wednesday to install the cabinets. Slowly, but surely we are making progress!

Andrew and I spent the majority of the weekend picking out paint colors. A long time ago I purchased Benjamin Moore Paint deck which has proved invaluable. There are hundreds of colors to choose from, however I always seem to come back to the Historic Colors as they are classic and gorgeous.

For our living room and hallway we chose: Manchester Tan or Benjamin Moore HC-81. It's a cool light beige.

For our kitchen we chose: Revere Pewter or Benjamin Moore HC-172.

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For our bedroom we chose: Grant Beige or Benjamin Moore HC-83.

Although Benjamin Moore recommends using their paints for their colors, both Home Depot or Lowes can match their colors. Lowes carries Valspar, and our painter friend Trevor recommends their signature paint and primer in one paint, which costs $15 less than a gallon of Benjamin Moore. We painted the kitchen tonight and the paint worked well and covered great.

Hardware

2010-10-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

So my friend Kelli brought up a good point. Its hard to pick a pendant when you don't know the other finishes in the kitchen, most importantly the hardware. So below are pictures of the handles and knobs we picked for the cabinets. Andrew and I are probably going to have to install these ourselves which will be interesting.

G.W. Aldeen

You may not know this about me, but cabinet hardware holds a special place in my heart. Not just because its the "jewelry" of home design, but because my great-grandfather started one of the largest American hardware companies. Its called Amerock, and I've made it a rule to use their hardware exclusively! My Great-Grandfather G.W. Aldeen immigrated to the states directly from Sweden. He possessed a creative and inventive mind and after working at a door and lock company, him and his brother Reuben started their own company. It is believed to be the first company dedicated completely to making cabinet hardware. Amerock was founded in the fall of 1929, just mere months before the great stockmarket crash of '29, however despite in spite of this the company had great success. The company was sold in the '70's and is currently owned by the same parent company that owns Rubbermaid. It's always astounding to me that my Great-Grandfather came to America with only $25 in his pocket and was able to learn English and start an extremely successful company in his lifetime. Should it interest you, you can read more about Amerock here.

Below are pictures of the hardware I chose:

Drawer pulls

Cabinet Knobs

Need your help!

2010-10-28T08:34:00.001-07:00

I cannot decide which pendant lights to hang over the penninsula. We are going for a "transitional" look which combines both traditional and contemporary elements. I'm thinking a satin nickel or polished nickel finish would work best. Here are the options I'm currently considering. Give me your vote!

The Kenroy Pendant

The Savoy Pendant

Celeste Pendant

Kitchen Renovation

2010-10-26T16:24:00.000-07:00

Well its begun. The kitchen renovation is finally here! I am so excited to tell you all about it. So in late September my husband and father in law came through again to handle the demolition. The demo went really well and really quickly. However no renovation would be complete without a few snafus and believe me we had our fair share. To tell the whole story I should start from the very beginning.

After working with a general contractor on our Bathroom renovation, Andrew and I decided we could do this renovation on our own by hiring out and managing the sub contractors without a GC. As you will see from our experience thus far, this is not a decision for the weak hearted. It has caused considerable stress and anxiety. However, it is saving us A LOT of money. So here is how it we started the process.

Design our cabinet layout and purchase cabinets - these usually have the longest lead times (5-6 weeks), so this was the first decision that needed to be made. We chose to use Andersonville Kitchen and Bath. They were wonderful to work with, however we shopped around and discovered that Lowe's was offering a some major discounts. I always prefer to work with local vendors and contractors as they are much more likely to have better customer service. I told Andersonville that I wanted to purchase the cabinets through them, however I was hoping they could beat or match Lowes' pricing, and they did! I think this is true for most things in the construction world, always ask for a better deal! 9 times out of 10 you'll get it!

The design for our kitchen is below. Since we decided to eliminate the cabinets over the penninsula (see the before photo above), I chose really, really tall cabinets in the rest of the kitchen (they're 54"!). Not even Andrew will be able to reach the top shelf without a ladder, but it will provide a ton of concealed storage and is perfect for items that aren't used on a regular basis, such as your crock pot or martini glasses.

Next step...
Determine the sub-contractors and obtain pricing:
Electrician - Traian Electrical - Traian is wonderful! He worked on our bathroom, however one little inconvenience is that he already planned a trip to his home country of Romania right when we were planning on starting our project. However I knew he did amazing work for a great price, so I was willing to schedule around his trip. On a side note, Traian had not been home for 7 years - can you believe that? His wife hadn't been back for 30 years! Needless to say he was really sad to come back to the states.
Plumber - Since the plumbing on this project only entails hooking up our kitchen faucet. Andrew and I decided to conquer this task on our own.
Drywall - Morfin Drywall
Flooring - Cornell's Flooring - We decided the cost to replace the tile was about the same as replacing it with wood floors.

We did the demo in late September because our electrician was going to be out of the country until October 14th and we wanted to get the wood flooring and drywall contractor to complete their work prior to our electrician returning. However things didn't quite go according to plan they never do in renovations. Once we completed the demo we realized that there was electrical that needed to be moved before the flooring could be installed. So we lived without a kitchen for 2 weeks until Traian came back to the states.

To make matters even more interesting the cabinets arrived 2 weeks ahead of schedule. So as I sit writing this there are 25 boxes filled with cabinets in our living room, but we have new wood floors and all the electrical work is done. Drywall should be complete in the next two days and cabinets installed before the weekend. Hopefully things will go according to plan, but as you can tell from this post in a renovation things never go according to plan!

Bathroom

2010-06-30T17:40:00.000-07:00

The Bathroom is done! Well almost...

We are pretty particular with all the small details so we are working on getting it perfect, but it's exciting to walk into a beautiful new space every morning.

I only wish our bathroom was bigger so you could get a better sense of the space from the photographs.

Loving the new comfort height toilet from Kohler, however I'm considering replacing the flush handle with a more traditional fixture that correlates with the other finishes. You can buy replacement flush handles at big box stores like Home Depot or Lowes.

Our Vanity Top came out beautifully. As I mentioned in a previous posting, we decided to use the same color marble on the floor and the counter. I hand picked the slab of marble and showed them exactly where to cut to be certain there weren't any imperfections. In fact they actually brought a counter that wasn't cut according to my specifications and there was a large imperfection (think a gigantic birthmark) on the stone. I felt badly, but I told them I couldn't accept this counter and requested a new piece. Thankfully they had another slab at their warehouse and I was able to get a new counter.

I am obsessed with the Container Store - it is seriously my happy place! Thanks to an $85 trip to the container store, our medicine cabinet now looks organized and pretty.

We decided to put a small niche in the shower wall. These are easy to build in between the studs. The only real cost is the extra work for the tiler. Ours cost an extra $75 worth of labor, but I think it's worth it.

I will post in a few days explaining where we purchased everything. You can also look forward to a post on how to choose a general contractor and how to survive a remodel!

Staging!

2010-06-25T10:12:00.000-07:00

Before starting Paper Possibilities, I worked for my Dad's Real Estate Development company- Focus Development. I still have a passion for real estate and occasionally he allows me to furnish and decorate one of his models. Most recently he gave me the opportunity to work on a fabulous unit at his development Courthouse Square.

Courthouse Square is a condominium development located in Wheaton, IL. The development includes new construction condominiums and rowhomes, however the centerpiece is the Historic DuPage County Courthouse which was restored and renovated into 6 luxurious condominiums. The building was built in 1896 when the county seat moved from Naperville to Wheaton. In the 1960's, the county built a Jail/Annex addition to accommodate their growing needs. In the 90's the county moved all of their offices to a complex on the other side of town, and the building was used by National Louis as it's Wheaton campus. My Dad and his partners purchased the property as part of a redevelopment agreement with the city of Wheaton in 2003. They demolished the eyesore of an addition, built the new condominiums, and began restoring the Courthouse. It was a painstaking process to restore the building, however I am so PROUD of the end result. The Courthouse looks beautiful now and is truly a reflection of the city of Wheaton and its history!

After the Addition was removed, before the restoration

After

I worked with my Dad to design the "Courtroom Residence". This condominium is located where the original Courtroom used to be. It features 22' vaulted ceilings, 3 Bedrooms, 3.5 Bathrooms, and 3600 square feet. I chose all of the finishes (i.e. cabinets, counters, backsplash, flooring, etc.) and decorated it with furnishings from Toms-Price. Sidenote - Toms-Price is now having a Floor sample sale and there are some amazing deals to be had!

Living Room

Dining Room

Master Bathroom

I'll be honest the kitchen I designed for this unit is very similar to what I hope my kitchen will eventually look like. I am still loving the look of painted white cabinets and I'm hoping they will never go out of style!

Hope this gives you a lot of inspiration!

Bathroom Demo

2010-05-31T20:23:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official all that remains of our bathroom is a lone, crooked, toilet. The demo was actually relatively painless and by doing it oursleves we saved about $500. We found that demolition quotes were all over the place, some as low as $400 and some as high as $1500. The contractor we ended up choosing quoted the demo at $500, so by doing it ourselves we saved enough money on the budget to splurge on this gorgeous Grohe faucet. Faucets are like jewelry in the bathroom and this one is so glamorous.

Grohe Kensington Series

A couple of tips for the potential DIYer. It was inexpensive for us to complete the demolition because I have access to a painter's van and a dumpster. If you do not have access to these things, then the van/truck will cost you about $60 and to dump the larger items between $100-300, so at that point all that work to save just $200-300 may not be worth it. However, since my Dad runs a construction company we were able to do the demo for the cost of a couple miscellaneous tools at the hardware store and being forever indebted to my father-in-law for doing most of the work. I seriously pretty much watched him and my husband Andrew do everything!

We started the demolition work around 8:30 and finished everything, including clean up, at 3 pm. I thought that was pretty fantastic. The job went so quickly because we were prepared with the right tools. Al, my Father-in-law brought a sawzell or blade saw and a mini jackhammer. The sawzell was used with a diamond blade to cut out the drain in our porcelain coated steel tub. It was a beast getting that out! The mini jackhammer made quick work of the ceramic tile floor. Without these tools it would have been a very late night. Of course we did lots of google work to figure out how best to tackle each project which was pretty helpful to determine which tools we would need. If you don't have access to these tools, they could both be rented at a local hardware store.

Our contractor arrives at 8 am tomorrow. I'll certainly continuing posting about the progress!

Sex and the City - Swoon!

2010-05-30T08:03:00.000-07:00

So first an apology - it's been ages since I've posted and there is so much to report on. Am I forgiven? I promise to be more diligent. The craziness of wedding season is for the most part over so I can now focus on all the major happenings in the condo.

Back on topic now...despite the fact that the movie sequel has gotten pretty terrible reviews, I'm still excited to see, mostly because it's my excuse to throw a party for all my fabulous girlfriends. I've been setting aside fancy hors d'oeuvres recipes for months for just such an event. Sidenote - I have to think triple hard to remember how to spell the word hors d'oeuvres and I usually have to google it to make sure I'm spelling it correctly. The party will certainly be a blast and I'll be sure to pass along any successful recipes here.

But to get everyone excited for the movie and to just enjoy all the fantastic stylings here's a link with images of the interior spaces featured in the new film:

Sex and the City 2 Movie Sets

Carrie and Big's apartment is GORGEOUS! Even though my style might be a bit more boring (I prefer to call it classic) like Charlotte, I wish I could be more fearless like Carrie!

To give you all an update on the condo we are really making progress. We installed a new furnace and a new washer dryer - totally boring renovations, but practical. I promise to take pictures of the new stuff soon. I'm waiting till I can get to the Container Store and splurge on organizational tools so I can make our little laundry closet look perfect!

We are also starting construction on our new bathroom this upcoming Tuesday. Thanks to all of you who helped me decide on a vanity and tile. I think it's going to look amazing! My Father in law came into town yesterday and him and Andrew did all the demolition. I'm sure there would have been quite a lot more frustration and "choice" words exchanged had me and Andrew attempted this on our own. I have a few progress pics that I'll post tomorrow.

So get excited for lots more posts and updates to come! Especially because directly after we complete the bathroom we are moving into the kitchen and I'm so excited for all we have planned there!

Bathroom Reno Question

2010-02-21T17:41:00.000-08:00

So Andrew and I have spent a few of our weekends searching out tile. For those of you in the Chicagoland area, let me provide some recommendations for tile vendors. The four vendors we've visited are:

Lewis Floor and Home
Locations in Chicago and Northbrook (Northbrook is much larger)
They have a great selection and offer "Stock" tile at a great price. The are currently running a promotion offering 20% off all stocked tile and 10% off all non-stocked tile through the end of February.

Terrazzo and Marble Supply
Locations in Wheeling and Chicago (Wheeling is much larger)
Wonderful natural stone resource. I would definitely recommend making the trip to Wheeling to see their amazing collection of stone.

Stone City
Located in Chicago.
Offers a huge selection of all types of tile and has a great showroom for inspiration.

Tile Outlet - Discount tile at a great price.
Located in Chicago.
Offers tile at a discount price - only downside is you cannot hand select your material as you would at the other tile vendors listed. This really makes a difference when choosing natural stone as each stone is different and the variation can cause one tile to look completely different from another. I wouldn't recommend purchasing natural stone from this vendor, unless the variation will not bother you. It is definitely a wonderful resource for porcelain or glass tiles. Their price was $2 cheaper per square foot than Lewis.

We have narrowed it down to the following selections. I know which one I'm leaning towards, but please weigh in with your opinions.Botticcino Fioretti Marble

Vanilla Marble

Since our bathroom is sooooo small, I've decided that the best way to create the illusion of a larger space is to keep the color scheme fairly monochromatic. For this reason, I've decided to repeat the marble from the tile in the vanity countertop.

An interesting note about natural stone vanity tops. Many vendors will sell marble or granite slabs, but are not fabricators. A fabricator is a contractor that cuts the granite or marble slab down to fit your cabinetry. Since this is such a small job, it does not make sense to purchase an entire slab from a vendor only to ship it to a fabricator to be cut down. Therefore we will be buying our marble directly from the fabricator. If we are lucky we may be able to find a remnant piece, which is essentially the "leftovers" from someone else's counters. These pieces are cheaper as they can only be used in small spaces. This does make our job a little trickier as we will have to make sure that the tile and the vanity top match and have the same coloration, however the options we chose are not too unique and should be carried by most fabricators.

My one gripe with the entire natural stone industry is that there really isn't much standardization when it comes to colors and their names. One vendor will call one marble one thing, and another will come up with a completely different name for it. I believe they do this to keep customers from "shopping around", but it can make choosing tile a frustrating process!

The Bathroom renovation is hopefully going to begin at the end of March, but there is a lot of decisions to be made before that! Hopefully we can get moving!

Holiday Entertaining

2009-12-15T14:57:00.000-08:00

Wow it's been way too long! The holidays were crazy and I can't believe it's been so long. I was busy all season with holiday cards, stationary orders, and prepping for the busy wedding season ahead.

By the way if you haven't checked out our new website please do! The address is the same www.paperpossibilities.net however its undergone a total make over! I'm very excited about the new ability our customers will have to order directly online. Although, please don't forget that we aren't limited by the products featured on our website. I love designing custom pieces, so please don't hesitate to ask! Also we will probably be posting the 2010 Wedding Collection in March so keep an eye out for that.

I wanted to share with you some really great recipes that I made over the holidays. My sister and I were in charge of appetizers at Christmas and we went totally overboard. My family is hardcore Swedish and every Christmas we eat the traditional smorgasbord. The only truly delicious item served is swedish meatballs. The rest is pickled jellied cod (it tastes as nasty as it sounds), potato sausage (which looks like brain matter, but can be tasty if cooked properly), and red beans (I'm not a big bean fan of beans). So needless to say appetizers are a crucial part of our Christmas meal, in fact most of us fill up on appetizers before the smorgasbord is served!

I found some great recipes on Real Simple that are incredibly easy and you can make them ahead, which is a perfect solution during the busiest season of the year! To view the full list of recipes (I've just shared some of my favorites) go here.

Prosciutto Crostinis with Lemon Fennel Slaw

Ingredients

24 thin slices baguette (from 1 small loaf)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small fennel bulb—quartered, cored, and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 pound thinly sliced prosciutto

Directions

Heat oven to 375º F. Place the baguette slices on a baking sheet and brush with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Toast until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the fennel, parsley, lemon juice, the remaining tablespoon of oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
Divide the prosciutto evenly among the toasted baguette slices and top with the slaw.

By Kate Merker and Sara Quessenberry, December 2009

Goat Cheese Crisps with Red Pepper Salsa

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
kosher salt and black pepper
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1/2 cup chopped radicchio
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup fresh goat cheese (about 4 ounces), at room temperature
24 thick-cut potato chips (from a 5-ounce bag) I used pita chips instead as I found the potato chips to not be substantial enough. You could also use slices of a baguette toasted.

Directions

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bell pepper, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the vinegar and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the radicchio and parsley.
Gently spread the goat cheese on the potato chips and top with the pepper mixture. Warning: Do not spread the goat cheese on too early as it can cause the chips or baguette to absorb the moisture and the goat cheese texture will crack ruining how pretty these appetizers can look.

By Kate Merker and Sara Quessenberry, December 2009

Bacon Wrapped Dates: Oh my gosh were these a hit. I ate so many I thought I would explode! But they are that amazing combination of salty and sweet, and I'm all for incorporating more bacon into any meal! My friend Kelli made this recipe for my wedding shower and ever since I've been hooked!

1 pkg pitted dates (medjool dates

are the best, but expensive and sometimes hard to find already pitted, I bought sunmaid pre-pitted dates and they were great!)

4-5 oz goat cheese

Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese cut into 1/2" cubes (this is a very expensive cheese and although the bite of the cheese makes a great combo be forewarned you will pay between $10-15 for a small block of this cheese, but I think it's worth it)

thick cut maple bacon 1 package ought to do it...

toothpicks (if you buy the kind with colored tops then you can make all the goat cheese stuffed dates one color toothpick and the parmigiano another - as some people may not like goat cheese - I know, I know they are totally missing out!)

Cut the bacon in half and set aside.

Slice dates in half, and open them up. Scoop a small amount of goat cheese or place a cube of parmigiano reggiano into the center of the dates, and close the halves of the dates.

Wrap a half-slice of bacon around the outside of the date. Secure each one with a toothpick.

Arrange in a foil covered baking dish or on a baking sheet with sides to catch any grease.

Cook at 400 for about 5 minutes on each side or until bacon is cooked. You'll definitely have to watch these as they can burn easily.

Carmelized Onion Tarts with Apples

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, sliced
2 red apples (such as Braeburn or Gala), cut into small pieces
kosher salt and black pepper
2 sheets frozen puff pastry (from a 17.3-ounce package), thawed
1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream

Directions

Heat oven to 400º F. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the apples, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until just tender, 2 minutes.
Place each sheet of pastry on a parchment-lined baking sheet and prick all over with a fork. Spread with the crème fraîche, leaving a ½-inch border. Top with the onion mixture and bake until the pastry is crisp and browned, 30 to 35 minutes. Cut into pieces before serving.

By Kate Merker and Sara Quessenberry, December 2009

For New Year's we ended up heading up to a friend's cabin in Holland Michigan. It was an awesome time. I knew that we would be out late New Year's Eve, so I made this breakfast casserole ahead of time to enjoy New Year's Day. I can't say that it's mind blowing, but it's mind blowingly easy to make, tastes great and makes even better left overs.

Ingredients

6 eggs(Sometimes to make this casserole more substantial I double the eggs and the half and half - it makes it more "eggy" and less bready.)
1 cup half and half
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
salt and pepper
Butter to grease pan
1 baguette cut into 1" thick slices
1 pound spicy pork sausage, cooked and drained of fat I like Jimmy Deans HOT pork sausage
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
You can also add veggies such as peppers, onions, or even brocolli

Directions

In a small bowl, beat the eggs until they loosen up. Add the half and half, and green onions. Mix well, highly season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Butter a 12 by 10-inch baking pan. Line the pan with the bread, cutting and rearranging, if needed. Sprinkle the bread with the cooked sausage and cheese. Pour the egg mixture over the entire pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight. (I forgot this once and the eggs didn't get absorbed into the bread, so don't forget this step)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook covered for 25 to 30 minutes or until the egg mixture is set.

Alright well that's enough recipes for one day! We've been working lots on the house, so I have tons to report back on! Stay tuned!

Hostess Gifts

2009-11-10T08:15:00.000-08:00

I promised some gift ideas and I thought I would start hostess gifts. After all it is the season for parties, and traveling and its always thoughtful to bring something for your hostess. If I was really organized I would buy a few of these gifts ahead of time and just constantly have a stash at my house - that way I wouldn't be running out before the party to grab a bottle of wine or flowers.

Hand Embroidered Napkins - $18 for a set of four.

Not only are these napkins beautiful, but they also benefit woman living in the mountain regions of Pakistan. It's always wonderful to do "good" while gift giving!

Alterra Coffee gift set - $18.95 for coffee, hot cocoa, and all natural granola. Based out of Milwaukee - Alterra coffee tastes phenomenal and is perfect for your hostess friend that is a bit of a coffee snob!

Voluspa Candles - $18.00 for an 80 hour burn candle tin.

Voluspa are the best smelling, least expensive luxury candle available. At just $18 for a burn time of 80 hours they are truly a steal! I suggest the Yuze Bubble Bath scent.

French scented bar soaps - $4.99 each

Package up these inexpensive bar soaps in a basket or bag and decorate with a ribbon for a more luxurious feel.

Olive Oil, Vinegar, Salt, and Pepper containers - $6.99 for the set

Wouldn't these look adorable on top of an oven?

Doll measuring cups - $12.00

Totally obsessed with these - they are sooo adorable! And each portion of the nesting doll is an actual measuring cup. How perfect!

The Little Pink Book of Cocktails - $9.95

Sometimes you need a little hard liquor to make it through the holidays! All that stress! Give this book to your hostess and help her relax with some cocktails.

Slate Wine Coasters - $17.29Perfect for protecting your host's furniture and in a neutral gray/black these will certainly go with anyone's decor.

That's it for Hostess gifts, but stay tuned for more gift ideas!

Remodeling our Bathroom

2009-10-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

So we are starting to make progress on the bathroom renovations. Before I start making the smaller selections like tile, paint, lighting, etc - we need to decide if we are going for a more contemporary or traditional design. Whatever we decide to do in the Bathroom obviously needs to be carried over into the Kitchen.

Our building is over 100 years old, so a more traditional look would work well with the historical nature of the building. However we live in the city and modern design just seems more urban. I think both designs will appeal to future buyers when we go to sell in a few years.

So the main piece that will set the design tone of the room is the bathroom vanity. We've narrowed it down to 2 options. Unfortunately our bathroom is tiny, so we only have enough room for a 42" vanity.

First the contemporary option:

What I like about this vanity is its clean lines. However it really doesn't offer much in the way of storage, which could be a problem considering the amount of cosmetics I have and the general lack of storage in our condo.

The Traditional Option: A traditional cabinet vanity.

These are cherry cabinets in a dark wood stain. The door style is very traditional, however I could use a more contemporary door style to make it more transitional.

This gives a bit of an idea of what the vanity would look like. Clearly this option has a lot more storage, however I'm not sure I like the way just one cabinet door looks in the middle, but I do like all those drawers!

Please tell me which one you think we should pick!

Orchids on the cheap

2009-10-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

The other item that is adding fresh life to my condo these days are my fresh orchids. Turns out one of the largest and most renowned orchid growers in the nation is located right here in Chicagoland! What are the odds - considering that our cloudy and drab winters are certainly not ideal for orchids. Hausermann's Orchids is located in Villa Park (just east of Lombard and west of O'hare) and their greenhouse is open to the public. Their orchids are gorgeous, well cared for, inexpensive, and of course will last a lot longer than plants you purchase at the grocery store. I bought two gorgeous flowering plants for about $15 each (and they weren't even in the sale section!)

I've heard it said the best way to care for orchids is to water them using 3 ice cubes once a week. However when I questioned the professionals at Hausermann's they said that will not allow for proper drainage. One should instead wait until the soil or moss is completely dried out, remove the plant from its pot, take it to the sink, thoroughly water, and allow it to properly drain. Repeat once the soil dries up again. Hausermann's also has a wonderful selection of pottery and planting accessories. They also offer delivery to the entire Chicagoland area as well as ship to many places in the midwest. Of course if you have a green thumb (I most certainly do not) you can continue to care for your orchid after its blooms have faded and it will rebloom. This requires lots of sunlight and minimal watering.

Following are some photos of my new orchids.

Decorations!

2009-10-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

So I have lots of things to share today, first off though I wanted to post pictures of my recently purchased gourds! I didn't get too creative, but I'm happy with how they look in our condo!

Domino Fans Rejoice!

2009-10-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

I just discovered a new mag that will hopefully fill the very deep void left by the cancellation of the interiors magazine Domino. It's strictly an online magazine which of course is sorta a pain for those of us who spend our days in front of a computer, however the first premiere issue is rather splendid and more than 200 pages. I found that if you adjust your zoom it is easier too peruse (to do so select zoom from your view menu and then click on zoom out. Just one zoom out should be enough). One of the editors of this mag was previously with Domino and it shows! Discover more at Lonnymag.com.

Holiday Happiness!

2009-10-13T11:24:00.000-07:00

So we are entering into the magical holiday season and of course my favorite part is the decorating. Over the next few weeks and months I'll be posting lots of holiday decorating ideas as well as gift ideas. I always find I enjoy the holidays more if I get my shopping done early so hopefully some of my gift ideas will work for your friends and family. Also keep an eye out for the Paper Possibilities holiday card line which will be posted very soon - not to mention our personalized stationary makes a great holiday gift!

Currently Fall is upon us and I love decorating for fall and prepping for the long winter ahead. Yesterday Andrew and I headed to Chicago Firewood and purchased some oak logs for our fireplace. They also sell birch logs, which although they are more expensive look so contemporary and modern. If I had my way I would stack them all the way up to the ceiling.

Photo courtesy of West Elm

I'm also looking forward to driving out to Chalet in Wilmette and purchasing some gourds and pumpkins. They have a great collection of the most unique gourds. I'm currently obsessed with white pumpkins - they are gorgeously neutral and urban! Create stark centerpieces, or you can even paint the pumpkins for a more traditional look. Or if you are the fabulous Eddie Ross - love him btw - you'll paint your regular old orange pumpkins with white paint (to get them Martha Stewart Perfect)! Once the house is all gussied up I'll be sure to post some pics!

For additional fall decorating ideas check out Better Homes and Gardens website where they feature 16 beautiful and easy ideas.

FOR SALE

2009-10-09T08:29:00.001-07:00

So, when ordering my console table we ran into a bit of a snafu. The first table delivered was a bit damaged - the shelf was chipped. I didn't realize this until I fully unpacked the table. The company was great and shipped out a new table right away, however much to my surprise they allowed me to keep the damaged table - apparently it's too much of a hassle to ship it back to them. So I now have a damaged table that I'm looking to sell. The shelf is unusable due to where the chipping occurred, however the table looks great without the shelf. The only noticeable difference is there are small holes where the shelf would have been installed. We paid $350 for the table, so I figure $150 is a fair price for it being damaged. If anyone is interested let me know. It's a great table and it would look beautiful in someone's home!

You can see images of the non damaged console table here.

Hills fans?

2009-09-22T13:04:00.001-07:00

Can't say that I was an avid watcher of MTV's "The Hills", or a huge fan of Lauren Conrad. Her original designer line went bust due to the busted economy, however this is good news for those of us that couldn't afford her designer digs in the first place as L.C. has created a fashion line for Kohl's. I really love all the pieces - they are simple and the fit appears to be flattering. The line will be available in stores in November, however I suggest purchasing your pieces online at Kohls.com. Here are a few of my favs.

Only $60 for this dress. Even though I just told Andrew I didn't need a new
dress for an upcoming wedding in October maybe I do after all!

Only $30 for this shirt - I would pair it with her super cute boyfriend jeans.

Antlers and Horns - gross? or awesome?

2009-09-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

(photo Metropolitan Home)

(photo Country Living)

So lately I've been seeing antlers and horns everywhere! Sometimes I think it can be a little much - I definitely will not be putting a antler chandelier in my house anytime soon. But I've noticed that two antlers or two small horns placed on a side table or coffee table looks bohemian and eclectic. I'm not going to pay the $200 plus that some design stores charge, so I found a website that sells authentic buffalo horns and white tailed deer antlers - its called Hide and Fur.

By purchasing my antlers here it would only cost me about $12 - and they would be authentic! Do you think they will smell? That's a major concern for me...

What do you think? Is this totally gross? Or kinda chic?

2 posts in one day?

2009-08-25T11:48:00.000-07:00

Despite having already posted today - I had to post this quote from one of my favorite writers and bloggers - Shauna Niequist, because she mentioned something that really resonated with me.

"David Gergen (Harvard professor, author, former presidential speechwriter, CNN political analyst, all around fascinating person, with, incidentally, fantastic social skills and name recall) said something like this: It’s easy to confuse motion with progress.

Ah. Confusing motion with progress. He was, of course, talking about a president. He wasn’t talking about a mom in Chicago who feels like she spent the last week driving in circles between Baby Gap, Trader Joe’s, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and Costco, over and over. One more gift, one more box of Cheddar Bunnies, one more try at the right outfit.

So maybe today, let’s stop the motion and think about what it would mean to make progress. What can go undone, what it would look like to rest a little, what expectations we’re putting on ourselves that, if we were to let them drop, might just set us free. Let’s learn new solutions to the same old problems."

I guess lately between grocery shopping, working, establishing my company, and all around taking care of life it feels like each day is filled with motion more than progress. When you work in a job that isn't exactly making the world a better place, how do you daily make an effort to grow, to do something kind? What does that look like in the day in day out mundane? The days are going too quickly for me it seems - summer is almost over, and I guess I feel that I haven't spent it as well as I should. As the count down to another pretty freezing Chicago winter begins, I'm thinking I need to have a fresh start.

As a kid, I loooooved the start of a new school year. My favorite part was shopping for school supplies. I would spend the few weeks before school started admiring all my supplies(they were so clean and fresh) and making promises about how this year I was going to get all A's, make new friends, and stay organized. Of course those promises weren't always kept (I stopped getting straight A's in the 3rd grade). But as an adult we miss out on the fresh start of a new school year. We don't get to start over every year. We don't go through the important process of making new goals, reorganizing our lives, and prioritizing our dreams for the upcoming year.

So, while I'm on vacation this next week- I plan on sitting down and working towards a fresh start, talking with my husband about our goals for the new year, and how we can progress and grow rather than just living through the motions of a busy, busy life.

Hurrah for a fully accessorized Console Table

2009-08-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

I've finally finished accessorizing my Console table thanks to some very fun birthday gift certificates and cash - Thanks Jessy, Lorie, Grandmas and Grandpas.

Don't worry because the mirror height became quite the debacle in our house. My husband is 6' 5" and unfortunately this means that we have to hang all the mirrors in our house way higher than I would like. So even though the mirror is still a good 2 inches too high for the height of the table - I compromised (that's what marriage is all about, right? :) I guess it's important that Andrew can see the top of his hair in the mirror.

I also think the two little vases are a bit small for the table. I'm now on the lookout for something better, however I already had these two pieces, so... I also love the painting featured on the table. I purchased this piece over the summer at the Old Town Art Fair. The fair featured some incredible artists, and I was overall really impressed with the quality of work available - not your typically cheesy arts and crafts fair.

I am however OBSESSED with my coral lamp. It's so kitschy and different. Perhaps the coral trend will be over in a year, but I think I will love my lamp forever!

I'll also be posting mine and Andrew's most recent home improvement project this week so keep a look out! I recently added a subscribe tool to my blog - I would suggest adding it to your Firebox Live Bookmarks. You can select the Atom option from the "Subscribe To" tool. It will take you to a new page which will give you the option "Subscribe to this feed using". Select Live Bookmarks and then select your Bookmarks Toolbar. A link to the blog will appear in the toolbar just underneath your search box. You can simply roll your mouse over the button to see if there is a new post. How easy! Please note, you can only use this tool if you use Mozilla Firefox as your web browser.

Messy Condo

2009-08-10T10:40:00.000-07:00

So lately I've been feeling pretty frustrated with my messy house. It seems that each week the mess just builds up until I can't stand it anymore and I do a full clean which usually takes me a few hours. I'm realizing that in order to keep our condo cozy and comfortable and to bring my stress level and guilt down to a normal level, I need to do a minor clean each night. So here are my most troublesome areas and my new goals for conquering them. I'm hopeful that if I put this out into blogworld I will feel more motivated to actually achieve my goals.

Living Room Clutter - I always joke with Andrew that he leaves his "papers" all over the place. He tends to open mail and leave it in different spots all over the living room. While this might be my pet peeve about my husband, I'm also guilty of cluttering up our living room. I have a habit of ripping out the pages of magazines that feature an outfit I want, or inspiration for my stationary and wedding designs, etc. These pages tend to land on our sofa or coffee table instead of my file folders that are supposed to organize them, so I'm also to blame for the "papers" laying around everywhere. I also have the terrible habit of eating my dinner in front of the TV and then leaving my dirty plate to sit there overnight because I'm too lazy to get up and put it in the sink. I know you are probably appalled to discover my vices.

GOAL: My goal is to clean up the living room each night before bed. This means putting any miscellaneous papers in the proper spot and removing any dishes and other clutter. I also promise to clean my coffee table if I ate dinner on it...there's nothing worse than crumbs and rings on glass.

My Bedroom: Because our condo is vintage - we have very small closets. So I have my own closet within my studio (formerly our guest bedroom) and Andrew uses the closet in the Master Bedroom. I have a small daybed in the studio and my clothes tend to pile up on the daybed instead of going in the closet where they belong. This drives my husband crazy, and understandably so because he keeps his closet and our bedroom very neat.

GOAL: Put away clothes after wearing them. Dirty clothes go in the laundry closet and clean clothes get put away. Sounds so easy right?

Kitchen: I really LOOOOVE to cook, however I'm a notoriously messy cook. Somehow flour and olive oil and crumbs make their way into every crevice in my kitchen. I also find that after happily working to cook a wonderful dinner, I fall into a coma and suddenly lose all motivation to clean my kitchen and wash the dishes. I really don't have it so bad as my husband and I have pretty equally divided the chores (he does everything I hate doing aka laundry, emptying the garbage, swiffering, and emptying the dishwasher...I cook, do deep cleaning aka scrubbing bathtubs and toilets, and wash the dishes) So I really don't have much of an excuse.

GOAL: Leave my kitchen clean with the sink sparkling each night - this includes the nasty task of emptying the drain of all its gunk (I especially hate this task and cannot wait until I have a disposal). I think I will be a happier person if I come home from work to a clean kitchen.

I think these are reasonable goals and I'm looking forward to establishing a routine. If I can stick to it, I'll hopefully replace my bad habits with good ones!

Marinade

2009-07-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

Just tried this delicious marinade given to me by my cousin Heidi:

1 1/2 c. oil

3/4 c. soy sauce

1/4 c. worcestershire sauce

1/2 c. red wine vinegar

1/3 c. lemon juice

1 T coarsely ground pepper

2 T. dry mustard

2 1/4 t. salt

1 1/2 t. parsley

2 cloves garlic, minced

I used the marinade with pork tenderloin. I ended up cooking it in the oven, but I prefer pork tenderloin cooked on the grill. If you are like me and tend to overcook your tenderloin, you should put aside some of the marinade to drizzle as a sauce over the pork once it's cooked - it will prevent the tenderloin from tasting too dry. My cousin said she also enjoys using this marinade with salmon.

Bathroom Renovations!

2009-07-20T14:12:00.000-07:00

I have wonderful news - Andrew and I have decided to tackle our bathroom renovation. I am ecstatic that the renovations I've been plotting and planning ever since we moved in are now going to become a reality!

There is one small inconvenience...the bathroom we will be renovating is the only bathroom we've got. I have no idea how we will shower and manage without a working toilet while the reno is in progress. Perhaps my neighbs Chase and Jessy will allow me to occasionally borrow their bathrooms. haha!

I'm in the process of selecting our finishes (limestone, travertine, or porcelain?), and obtaining quotes from plumbers, tile layers, and general contractors. I'll certainly keep everyone posted of the progress!

Here is a picture of our bathroom as it looks now.Here are some pictures that are currently inspiring me:

Found it - Bought It!

2009-07-14T10:16:00.001-07:00

So I ended up finding another console table and liked it so well I bought it - Happy Birthday to me!

I found it on accent-furniture-direct.com. It should be here in 2 weeks and I can't wait. I have just the right mirror to go above the table so it will just be a matter of accessorizing with a lamp, basket, and books. I'll be sure to post pictures of the table once it's in place.

Console Table

2009-06-30T12:58:00.000-07:00

I am on the hunt for the perfect console table for our front hallway. I would really love something with storage (drawers, cabinets, etc), because our front hall closet is not large enough to hold our gloves, mittens, and scarves. I have discovered a few options, but I can't decide between them.

Norwich Console Table:

I'm pretty certain this table is a cheaper imitation of the Pottery Barn Rhys Console - do we think that it's worth it to spend the extra and get "Pottery Barn" quality?

Angela Console Table:Plaxon Console Table:

Although this table doesn't have the storage I was looking for - it looks like something straight from Baker or Barbara Barry - which makes me loooove it! And at just over $300 - it's the least expensive of all the tables I like.

Freesen Console Table:

The thing I don't like about this table is that the drawers - although they appear to be 4 drawers - they are actually just 2 meant to look like 4. I think that's a bit tacky, but maybe it won't appear cheap in person. Every reviewer says that it looks more expensive than it is...

Weigh in with your favorites please!

Fantastically Easy Beef Stroganoff

2009-06-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

My new favorite blog - Meal Planning Mommies features weekly easy recipe ideas. Now I'm definitely not a Mommy (or going to be one soon), however I am a fan of anything that make dinner easier. I recently tried their recipe for beef strogonoff made in a crock pot. It was fantastic - and Andrew (my husband) liked it despite the fact that he doesn't like mushrooms. The recipe follows:

Here is what you need:
2 tbsp. flour, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 tsp pepper, 2 lb. boneless beef round steak (I used pre-chopped beef tips), 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1/2 cup water, 1 envelope dried onion soup mix, 1/2 cup sour cream, 9 oz jar (can or fresh) mushrooms (I opted not to include these due to Andrew's dislike for them).

Step 1: combine 2 tbsp. flour, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder and 1/2 tsp. pepper in slow cooker

Step 2: Cut meat into 1 1/2 x 1 inch strips (or cubed like mine) and toss in flour mixture until well coated.

Step 3: Add mushroom soup, 1/2 cup water, and soup mix. Stir until well blended.

Step 4: Cover, cook on High 3-3/12 hours or Low 6-7 hours

Step 5: Stir in mushrooms, 1/2 cup sour cream.

Let the sour cream cook in the stroganoff about 10-15 minutes or until heated through

Step 6: Cook your noodles. I chose to eat our stroganoff over noodles, but it would be just as good over rice, bread or potatoes.

Try it and tell me what you think!