Rue Magazine and Our New Bathroom!

Vanity and faucets: industry west, sconce: regina andrew, Small brass tray: fog linen

This past fall we renovated our bathroom and were so lucky to work with Danny Seo and Rue magazine who covered it in their Spring issue, out now!
Our old bathroom was leaking…raining!…down into our (new) kitchen. A plumber opened a hole in the kitchen ceiling but couldn’t find the source of the leak. After a few years of living with the hole, we finally re-did all the plumbing and took that opportunity to update the bathroom too.
We only have one full bathroom and it is shared by my husband and I and our two sons. It gets a lot of traffic and often someone needs to brush their teeth while another is showering. That dictated the need for two sinks…and the opaque shower door you see next to me in the pic above!

Their Spring issue, out now, is SO gorgeous and features Bobbi Brown’s new home.

Here is our spread! David Engelhardt shot these pretty photos in the mag!

Our new floating vanity is from Industry West and we LOVE it! It is modern and sleek, but has a birch base which warms up the room.
Our old vanity was not only broken down, but there weren’t shelves in the cabinets and the stuff inside was always in a big messy pile. I love that this one has drawers; now we can find everything without digging!

The brass faucets are also from Industry West. And the pink striped hand towel (in the mirror and in photo above) is from Fog Linen.

Also…we love the vanity’s terrazzo counter. I have been a fan of terrazzo since I was a kid playing on the floor in my great aunt’s 1960’s apartment lobby. We chose a large scale terrazzo tile from Ann Sacks for the floor which feels luxurious but also kind of wacky/playful!

Speaking of playful, we like that the space feels clean and modern but wanted to add a little whimsy. We hung a couple of my crafted bugs in one corner, both pink, like the wall color.
By the way, the wall color is Benjamin Moore 2087-70, Elephant Pink, and we love it!

The Trillium brass floral sconce from Regina Andrew is so pretty and also helps to keep the space from being too cold or serious.
We loved the clean lines of the brass-edged medicine cabinet in our old bathroom and looked for a similar one. When we couldn’t find one my husband decided to refurbish the rusty interior of the original and it turned out perfectly, woo hoo!!

Our shower: we used penny tiles from Ann Sacks. As I mentioned, the Elate opaque shower door (opaque doors: surprisingly hard to find!) is from Kohler as is the brass shower hardware.

THIS was our old bathroom. The cracked-on-purpose tile was on all four walls! 😵‍💫 And it was cracked NOT on purpose in many spots.

Here I am in the mag, very happy in our new space! :)
Many thanks to Danny Seo, Rue Magazine, Industry West, Ann Sacks, Regina Andrew, and our contractor, Quentin Kelly of American Threshold!

Bottlecap Beetles for The New York Times for Kids

Bottlecap Beetles for The New York Times for Kids

The New York Times for Kids insect-themed May issue featured my bottle-cap beetles!⁠ 

One of the best things about bugs is that they help get rid of trash. Whether they’re breaking down rotting stuff on the forest floor, helping turn food scraps into compost or showing scientists new ways to recycle plastic, they’re super helpful to humans and the environment. (Read all about this in this in the issue!)

Want to return the favor? Recycle and reuse big stuff, like glass jars and plastic bottles. Then turn the leftover bits — like lids, caps and scraps — into bugs.⁠

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Make Something Useful for Your Sweetheart: Easy Valentine Paperweights!

Make Something Useful for Your Sweetheart: Easy Valentine Paperweights!

I like to give something useful as Valentines, whether they are to my kids’ classmates (when we used to do that…sob!), friends, or family. “Useful” can sometimes be candy but, as there is already a lot of sugar at this time of year, we try to give out candy alternatives. I made these Valentine rock paperweights for The Week Junior, a super easy craft and a sweet keepsake that will remind your loved ones of you all year long!

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The Fun Cardmaking Craft That Will Keep Your Kids Busy for Hours!

The Fun Cardmaking Craft That Will Keep Your Kids Busy for Hours!

When I was a kid I had a handmade greeting card company. My parents were the only customers but I didn't care. I loved the idea of making mini art to share. And the 10 cents I made selling a card! ⁠
I made these cards for The Week Junior and the technique is totally addictive! You know how you can carve white erasers into stamps? This is an easier version of that. Here I was just using super simple shapes to create animals, flowers, balloons, popsicles, and more. Then I added small details (like eyes and bubbles) by stamping with other items like pencil erasers, and cotton swabs.

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The EASIEST Paper Flower Craft and Pretty Spring Holiday Decoration

The EASIEST Paper Flower Craft and Pretty Spring Holiday Decoration

I meant to share this paper cherry blossom craft that I made for The Week Junior us as a possible Lunar New Year decoration and forgot...but there are still a few more days to celebrate...so I hope you'll give it a try I've made a lot of paper flowers and these are, by far, the easiest...made from tissue paper circles, glue, and branches from my yard!

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A Delicious Project: Mini Chocolate Volcano Cakes for the NY Times for Kids

A Delicious Project: Mini Chocolate Volcano Cakes for the NY Times for Kids

*THIS* Sunday's NY Times (tomorrow!) includes their amazing NY Times for Kids section, featuring the result of one of my more dangerous jobs...styling this chocolate lava volcano cake. Not dangerous as in hot lava🔥, but as in being in a kitchen testing multiple warm chocolate cakes while the kids were at school and the husband is "not eating cake" and the cakes are too handled to give to neighbors and maybe not appropriate for composting (right?) so....what is this food crafter to do but eat too many of them?⁠

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Fun and Easy Valentine Crafts Made From Recycle Bin Items!

Fun and Easy Valentine Crafts Made From Recycle Bin Items!

If you’re here, you probably know that I love to make stuff out of materials found in the recycle bin…and, of those, my absolute favorites are toilet tubes! In fact, I have a whole book of toilet tube crafts called Toilet Tube Treasury! Surprise your Valentine and decorate their room with this toilet tube heart garland from the book! (Or a tube heart necklace, see below!)

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Our Very Favorite Crafty Holiday Project: Cookie Cottages Made with Supermarket Supplies!

Our Very Favorite Crafty Holiday Project: Cookie Cottages Made with Supermarket Supplies!

Sure, gingerbread houses are fun to bake and build, but making these little cottages, constructed from store-bought graham crackers, allows you to skip the baking and get quickly to the fun part: decorating! And (almost) everything you need can be found at the supermarket or in your kitchen. I made these last year for the incredible New York Times For Kids (and somehow never posted it here).

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Creative Gifts for Creative Friends (and Everyone) on Your Holiday List!

Creative Gifts for Creative Friends (and Everyone) on Your Holiday List!

Do you have a few creative and crafty peeps on your gift list? An artist, chef, baker, crafter? Or someone who just likes pretty things? If so, this list is for you! It just so happens that many of these items here are made or sold by friends and family. (But I am only sharing items I truly love!)

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Eco-Friendly (and Cheap!) Gift Ideas for Creative Kids

Eco-Friendly (and Cheap!) Gift Ideas for Creative Kids

When I was a kid, I hoarded bottle caps, doilies, paper bags, and boxes to make dollhouse furniture, cards, and various craft projects. Do you have a kid like this on your holiday gift list? Assembling a craft kit is a great solution if you are stuck for a gift idea. And these kits involve recycled materials which mean that can be cheap…and eco-friendly! The main idea is to gather recycled household materials, pair them with a few basic craft supplies, maybe a craft book, and pack them in a simple tote bag, bin, or box!

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December is Almost Here! Make This Easy, Recycled Tube Advent Calendar Wreath

December is Almost Here! Make This Easy, Recycled Tube Advent Calendar Wreath

It's almost December! Time to set up an advent calendar! ⁠Save a few toilet paper, paper towels, or shipping tubes to create this advent calendar wreath. Fill it with small presents like candies or little toys or little notecards describing “activity” gifts like: “movie night!”, “hot chocolate with candy cane stirrers!” or “evening drive to see holiday lights!”.⁠ As presents are removed you can fill the holes with a small ornament, toy, or piece of candy.⁠

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A Thanksgiving Activity Your Kids Will Love...And it Doubles as a Decoration!

A Thanksgiving Activity Your Kids Will Love...And it Doubles as a Decoration!

Don’t throw out that Halloween candy yet! (Wait, would you actually throw out candy? Me neither!) Keep your kids busy before Thanksgiving making these fruit turkeys out of apples, oranges, and leftover candy! The turkeys also make a cute table decoration (gang a few up on a cakestand and on top of some fall leaves). I made these for The Week Junior and you can download the full instructions on their site here!

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Learn How to Make an Ink Blot Tote Bag! (Our Super Fun Craft for Alt Summit with Joann Fabrics)!

Learn How to Make an Ink Blot Tote Bag! (Our Super Fun Craft for Alt Summit with Joann Fabrics)!

I recently attended Alt Summit, the incredible conference for creative female influencers and entrepreneurs here in NY. It was a glorious day of learning, seeing new and old friends, community….and crafts! My dear friend, Amanda Kingloff, of Project Kid, and I hosted a craft table, as we have done at many Alts. This year, we were lucky to have the support of Joann Fabrics, who provided the perfect paints and totes.

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Weekend Project With Your Kids: Easy Halloween Crafts Made From Recycled Materials

Weekend Project With Your Kids: Easy Halloween Crafts Made From Recycled Materials

As I've said many time, recycled materials like paper towel and toilet paper tubes are some of my favorite materials to make stuff out of. Needless to say, I never throw them out! In fact, my new-ish e-book, Toilet Tube Treasury is all about that! I recently re-made a few of the crafts from this book and painted them black for Halloween, this little black cat!

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