A Monster Splash Bash!

Yesterday's post was girly, so today I thought I'd show the makings of my son's Monster Splash Bash to celebrate his second birthday! Here's a sneak peek..

The color scheme is avocado green with shots of fun, festive colors! Here's a look at the tablecloths.

Remember my IKEA favorites post? I've been using these for outdoor summer playdates the past two summers...they'll make another appearance at his party!
I'm turning these sturdy cardboard monsters into something quite original! You'll see soon!

For the past month I've been grabbing fifteen minutes here and there to create these monster straws! I bought monster stickers, stuck them on colorful index cards, cut around the monster shape and applied to the straws with a ribbon and some hot glue. I think the kiddies are going to like these!  

  

My son loves playing with water! I just had to incorporate "water" into his birthday party, hence I came up with the Monster Splash Bash theme! I am going to set up a water station and fill it with toys for the kiddies to play with, as well as inflate a small 6 x 9 pool so the little ones can splash around. All invited are wearing their swimsuits. Here's Daniel's swimsuit from MiniBoden!

I always do mylar balloons for parties. I buy the balloons the day before the party so that it's one less to-do item the day of the celebration. Mylar balloons stay inflated (for what seems to be forever) and the kiddies love taking them home! A little tidbit: I'm not a dollar store shopper, but when it comes to parties I buy all my mylar balloons from the dollar store...so cheap!

And the other details will be shown the end of July after his party...stay tuned! I'm having fun planning his special day and can't wait to share it with you all. Maybe you'll "borrow" some ideas!

A fairy gathering

Last week I read about a fairy gathering book launch on Pretty Pink Tulips blog, www.prettypinktulips.com/2010/06/enchanting-give-away.html. After reading the post and looking at the author, Colleen Mullaney's website http://www.colleenmullaney.com/ I thought it would be fun to go! I could tell from looking over her website that Colleen and I like to entertain in the same fashion, from the decor of a gathering to the special playdates she pulls together. Last Thursday was a  busy day, but I was able to move some appointments around and took my daughter to the darling little gathering!

The greeting as we walked up to Twinkle Toes storefront!

Some photos of the setting!

 Here I am (red hat) with Fairy Parties author, Colleen Mullaney!

Fairy Parties is an adorable book that makes for a nice gift! Colleen has other books that I'll have to check out too. Thank you Pretty Pink Tulips for the introduction to such a talented lady!

Hamptons Happiness

Every Monday this summer I will be sharing with you tidbits about the Hamptons that equate to happiness! This is your personal tour of one of my favorites places on earth. I've mentioned in the past my love of gardening, so seeking out flowers at the local nurseries is always a treat! Wittendales is one of my go-to spots when looking for annuals or perennials...the selection is huge and the flowers are gorgeous and last! 

Have a colorful day!

Outdoor organization

Outdoor organization makes for easy summer living! This is the storage bin off of our deck. In the past we just stowed stuff on the shelves inside. The lack of organization meant that the space was poorly utilized. This past spring I bought containers to really spruce up the area...the results have been great! If my daughter wants to paint we pull out the paint box or if we're doing al fresco dining I pull out the lanterns and place on top of the bin. Notice my little broom, it's there for sweeping off the top of the bin which we use as a buffet serving station for meals outside. Do you have an outdoor space you keep organized? It equals happiness, right?

Enjoy your day! 

Remember this chair?

I first fell in love with this chair at the NYIGF (New York International Gift Fair...trade only show.) I posted about it here http://hamptontoes.blogspot.com/2010/02/new-york-international-gift-fair.html.

Chair by Peddler's Home Design,  http://www.peddlersdesign.com/v2/index.html

Here, I posted about my son's bedroom http://hamptontoes.blogspot.com/2010/01/our-sons-bedroom.html.

 My son will be turning two in August. I've just recently given my cousin the baby chair and ottoman out of his room (not pictured.) My goal for replacing the seating in his room consisted of the following criteria:
(1) Have a modern edge.
(2) Tolerate an almost two year old boy who will start potty training in the near future.
(3) Not heavily upholstered, if at all.
 (4) Be an adult chair (he has kiddie seating in his room and we need seating that is for the long term.)
(5) Does not have to accomodate bedtime reading, as his daybed will become an area for snuggle story time!

Isn't it funny how something as simple as a chair can have so much criteria that needs to be met? This is why interior design is a process that takes time. Good design is not done overnight. I only considered two options: the Egg chair and with a multi thousand dollar price tag it was only an option in theory. So I went with my other choice, the one I spotted at the NYIGF. Despite it's appearance, it is surprisingly comfortable and fits all the criteria. They arrived this week and I'm thrilled. I put them in my son's room and he immediately grabbed an Elmo book and climbed on one to "read." These chairs will most likely be in his room until he leaves the nest. I'm very pleased with the results.

Have a wonderful weekend! 

   

Very fun textile find!

Going to the Design & Decoration Building affords me the oppotunity to work with an amazing selection of textiles, so generally speaking I'm not one to seek out other avenues for fabrics. A recent visit to IKEA had me standing there in amazement over this fabulous bulldog! I'm nuts about this textile!

What to do with this cutie?

How about a very large floor pillow? The Kelly green bulldog textile is so much fun paired with Kelly green polka dots. The front could be the bulldog and the back the dots. This would "off the chart" (a favorite saying of mine that I get mocked for) made into a teepee! I'd do the "doors" of the teepee with the polka dots and the rest with the bulldog so that you get the entire "picture" of the doggie! What about having it made into a picnic table cover with a vinyl overlay for the kiddies? Or, what about framing (without glass) the dog and putting it into a playroom or kid's bedroom? I'm either doing the playroom idea or the floor pillow with my purchased goods! Priced at $5.99 per yard for the bulldog and $4.99 for the dots, how can one go wrong? It comes in the Kelly green or a navy and white combo. Are you as smitten with this 52" x 60" sized textile as I am? What creation would you make?

A day in the life

I will never tire of walking through the doors of the Design and Decoration Building (open to the trade only) in NYC. It ranks as one of the top aspects of doing my job. From family to friends, I'm always asked what is like at the D & D? The selection of textiles, wallcoverings, lighting, furniture and vignette displays is amazing!

Zoffany

Holly Hunt

Stark

Kravet

Kravet

Lee Jofa

Brunschwig & Fils

Brunschwig & Fils

Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren

See why I leave the building with a smile on my face and inspiration in hand? There is something about all of the showrooms that I love. Enjoy your day!

Hamptons happiness!

It takes one visit to the Hamptons to know why people love flocking to the farthest point of Long Island. The list of reasons for falling in love with this gem of a spot is long. The beauty of nature is boundless, thanks to stringent zoning laws that money can't persuade otherwise.

For the summer months, I'll do a series about happiness in the Hamptons! For my first post, here's a snapshot of one of the many beautiful beaches on the East End. I find happiness in dipping my toes in the Hamptons waters, hence Hamptontoes! This happiness is pure joy, the same kind of happiness and love of a place that I hope each of my clients feel about their home. My greatest inspiration when designing interiors comes from nature. Need a color palette for a room, here it is: the various blues in the sky, the white in the water and the color of the sand.

Throughout the summer, I'll introduce you to stores I fancy, yard and tag sales that give a new definition to "selling your junk", behind the scene glimpes of the riches of the culture and other tidbits that equate to happiness in the Hamptons. I'm not one to follow the celebrity scene...it's not my interest or my style, so the star studded events and sightings won't be a part of the series!  Any other tidbits that you'd like to see me cover? Happy Monday!

Trim enhancement!

I've shown you glimpses of my living room in two prior posts:

http://hamptontoes.blogspot.com/2010/04/worlds-away-console.html and
http://hamptontoes.blogspot.com/2010/03/activity-tables-in-living-rooms.html

Now, I'm ready to show you a touch more...the sofa and side chair from Bloomingdales. They needed a little enhancing, so trim tape from M & J Trimming for $5.98 a yard was the answer. This week I carefully applied the trim tape to the upholstered pieces. It took about one hour to do both pieces. This is something you can do to your retail purchase too!  

The textile glue I used. It worked really well and I'd use it again in a heartbeat. 

The Greek key trim tape. If you do this, you need a heavy trim tape, not ribbon...it's the difference between custom or DIY looking. 

  

   Just showing one before photo, as both the sofa and chair are exactly the same (the color in this photo isn't quite right, but the AFTER images are correct color.)

After images...I'm loving the results!    

  What do you think? Might you give this a try? It's a great way to have a beautiful, customized piece of furniture in your home! Enjoy your weekend.