D Moms

I had lunch at my friend artist, mom, and Chooze Shoes founder Sharon Blumberg’s house earlier this week and left with a serious case of playroom envy, specifically “incredibly awesome art space/playroom envy.” I snapped a pic with my trusty iPhone and asked Sharon to give us a little background on the space. Here’s the 411.

“My husband and I wanted to create a space stocked with many different materials, where our kids are free to be creative. I was inspired by an art center I saw on houzz, and my husband helped me realize the vision for the space. I painted a very inexpensive piece of peg board, and we attached it to the wall. All of the containers and rods were purchased at IKEA. We fill the containers with everything from crayons, markers, and paints, to glue, scraps of random fabrics, and pieces of old toys that can be used for art projects.

I strongly believe that all kids are born creative and their creative minds flourish when they are provided with opportunities to express their imagination. My kids love the space, as my 11-year-old son notes, ‘It’s just awesome because everything we need is right where we can see it.’ The kids like to sit at the table and make giant messes that lead to amazing projects!”

 

Get Sharon’s Awesome Art Space:

• Commercial grade pegboard, $50 at Home Depot
• Tawny Day Lily paint at Benjamin Moore
• Dignitet curtain wire, $13 at IKEA
• Riktig curtain hooks with clips, $3 at IKEA
• Bygel rail, $3 at IKEA
• Bygel containers, $1 each at IKEA
• Harry chairs, $50 each at IKEA

(Tracy’s patio picks: 1. Malm fireplace 2. RS Barcelona Paper Eiffel accent stools 3. Trina Turk pillows 4. Kettal Maia hanging chair 5. Shoji Modern solar-powered lanterns)

Sure it’s drizzly, and cold, and grey…but it won’t be for long. It’s Texas for the love of Pete, it could be 100 degrees next week. Rain be damned, it’s time to start prettying up the patio. Lucky for us Ryan did a little roundup of lovely pieces for eating al fresco earlier today on the D Home blog, and our D Moms design maven Tracy Martin Taylor is here to share her tips, tricks, and finds for creating a comfy and chic outdoor space.

Enjoy!

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By Tracy Martin Taylor

Here in Dallas, we have some clearly defined seasons. There’s football season, State Fair season, and duck-into-the-air-conditioning-and-hide-from-the-sun’s-punishing-rays season. And then there’s my favorite season of all – spring.

When spring fever strikes, and I find myself hungry for fresh air and greenery, I follow my instincts and head for the nearest outdoor space – my patio deck. Even though we’ve been neglecting these spaces for the past few months, it’s now time to celebrate the season in our very own pieces of backyard paradise. If your outdoor haven is in need of some seasonal sprucing, then I have a few recs to make your outside time more fab. After all, it should be party worthy, right?! Grab the littles, clear out the cobwebs, sweep away the old leaves, and pick up a few key pieces that you can put to good use before the Texas summer scares us indoors once again.

Continue reading "On This Rainy Cold Day We’re Dreaming Of Pretty Patios"

Remember the Land of Nod African-inspired storage baskets of my dreams? Well, I was at my friend Brittany’s house recently and she immediately showed me those beauties to the right that she had recently acquired.

They’re just as cool/sturdy/big as the Land of Nod numbers, but they ring in at a mere $20. That’s less than I paid for much lunch today friends. (I spend way too much on lunch…for the record).

She snapped hers up at HomeGoods on MacArthur Blvd. in Irving (the best location according to Brittany, and she knows her stuff).

I feel a road trip to Irving in my future… Just saying.

Much like the lovely Carissa Byers, I am not so much a fan of the clutter. Granted, I don’t posses her steel will when it comes to purging possessions (or acquiring them in the first place for that matter), but I’m trying friends, I am.

In the meantime, my M.O. is to stash everything away in boxes, baskets, and bins (I live for a good box, basket, and bin), and luckily there’s no shortage of stylish, functional ones to chose from. Earlier today I spotted a post on Jenni Kayne’s always awesome blog Rip and Tan featuring several chic neutral specimens that would look fantastic in a den or living room. But for the kiddos’ room, I’m digging these “Charming Baskets” from Land of Nod. A whimsical riff on the African baskets spotted on Jenni’s blog, they’re big, sturdy, and, at $45 and $89 respectively, they won’t break the bank.

I’m in.

We’ve professed our (immense) love for the genius creativity kick-starter Unbored here and here, so it was fun to get a peek inside the Minneapolis home of Elizabeth Foy Larsen (co-author of said genius book) in The New York Times last week.

Even more fun? The interior designer behind Elizabeth’s cozy/chic abode home is none other than our friend and D Moms contributor Janet Gridley. (Remember this killer kids room?)

Janet has some mad skills…just saying.

(All photographs by Ryann Ford for The New York Times. View the full slide show here.)

I was scrolling through Instagram recently (Instagram being my most recent obsession/time suck) when I came across the snap above of my friend (and Cover Clothing co-founder) Lisa Moore’s playroom. I stopped in my tracks at the killer row of moon prints above her toy storage. I love how, when combined with big colorful square frames, they mange to read at once playful and sophisticated.

Lisa and her husband have an amazing eye and have acquired some rather stellar pieces of art, so I immediately assumed the “moon series” (as it shall henceforth be called) was part of their collection. So imagine my delight when further inspection revealed that “moon series” is actually four sheets of Rodarte for Target gift wrap housed in acrylic IKEA frames.

I did a little sleuthing and discovered that you can still snap up the Rodarte paper on eBay for under $30 and that the IKEA frames will set you back about $8 bucks each, which means (in case you are not a fan of the math) the whole enterprise above can be yours for about $65.

Done and done.

(tracy’s kitchen favorites: 1. montana wood and glass jars 2. chalkboard paint 3. wine cork trivet 4. steel spice rack 5.herb pot/condiment holder 6.chalkboard jars 7. kelly wearstler imperial trellis wallpaper)

Our fearless home beautifier, Tracy Martin Taylor, is here to talk everyone’s favorite room (yep, the kitchen). Turns out making the space stylish and functional isn’t so hard. Herewith her favorite strategies, tips, and resources.

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By Tracy Martin Taylor

Have you ever noticed that no matter what you do, where you put the appetizers, where you set up the bar, when you have a party big or small, everyone crams into the kitchen. You can’t avoid it. Don’t even try. The key is to make the space worthy of hanging out in (i.e. organized/pretty/chic).

Organization in the kitchen is very key. We spend much of our lives there so, just like your office, we might as well make it functional and inspiring. Order is what all of us moms crave right? Here are some of my fave items to keep your kitchen organized behind (and in front of) the scenes.

Continue reading "Tracy Martin Taylor’s Strategies For A Chic (And Organized) Kitchen"

(Tracy’s formula for an outstanding office: 1. Jonathan Adler Dachshund bookends 2. Jonathan Adler lacquer wastebasket 3. CB2 mint filing cabinet 4. CB2 Shuffle Calendar 5. Container Store desktop file)

I’ve previously mentioned by deep and abiding love for the office supply, so I’m pretty excited about having our D Moms Daily design maven, the lovely Tracy Martin Taylor of Eleven 11 Design, here sharing some of her faves this week. That wastebasket and shuffle calendar is calling my name…just sayin’.

Take it away Tracy.

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By Tracy Martin Taylor

I know an office needs to contain things that are actually, well… functional (i.e. paper clips and binders and files and the like), but who says those things have to be boring? When I started a job at a downtown company years back, (I am proud to say) in that mostly gray building, I think I had the only pair of drapes on the windows. Yes, others thought I was crazy (in their boring gray offices), but my reasoning was simple: I can’t work in a place where I’m not inspired. So I challenge you to look around your desk, office, or cube and see if you feel comfortable and fabulous. If not, use some of these ideas to make your space functional and,most of all, yours.

I have only one rule when it comes to office organization (or any organization for that matter): Know thyself. What I mean is, know what you will maintain and don’t try to suddenly become a binder person when you are a file person. Embrace your tendencies and just make them prettier. You will end up with unused tools if you try to change too drastically.

Here are five of my favorite strategies for making your office lovelier:

Continue reading "Office Supplies That Will Actually Make Work Fun (Sort Of)"

(Tracy’s storage faves: 1. 2 Modern magazine rack 2. Kaleido trays 3. IKEA’s Expedit bookcase 4. Plan Toys dollhouse 5. Container Store slant jar 6. Jonathan Adler Hex tray)

After a little holiday hiatus, we’re happy to welcome back our D Moms Daily design guru, the lovely Tracy Martin Taylor of Eleven 11 Design. To kick things off for 2013, she’s tackling one of my very favorite topics — storage. (I love me some storage, friends.) Here’s her take on how to house all the sundry bits and bobs that our kiddos can’t seem to live without. Enjoy!

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By Tracy Martin Taylor

It’s 2013. Do you know where your Legos are? If you are like most of us, the answer is “yes”…because they are everywhere. Never fear! It really is possible to create solutions for the seemingly multiplying pile of toys, without compromising your design taste. I promise.

Let’s get some of the rules out of the way. First, don’t kid (no pun intended) yourself. Think about how your family works and don’t try to ‘over organize’ and create a system you can’t possibly keep up. Second, design the tools to be manageable for your child or else you will still be cleaning up. And let them help you organize. If they are involved in setting up the system, they’re more likely to follow it. Third, use storage that looks good in your house. There’s nothing worse than a fab living room with bins in primary colors right next to your custom fabric sofa. Bottom line, you kids and their toys have joined your life, not the other way around!

Enough with the rules. Here are my fave solutions to organize your child’s hoard:

Continue reading "Barbies And Legos And Hot Wheels, Oh My! Six Stylish Finds To Help Corral Your Kid’s Stuff"