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Fourteen Months Old (August’s Monthly Photo)



August turned fourteen months old yesterday, on Easter Sunday. This is the first time I’ve not done a monthly photo on the proper date since I started the project with Eleanor, nearly three years ago. August has been sick since Thursday with a high fever, and that combined with the holiday meant that I completely forgot to pay attention to what the date was. He was pretty miserable yesterday though, so even had I remembered, it probably wouldn’t have been the best day for a photo shoot anyway. He’s much better today, despite the dramatic pose.

I’ll be taking a photo of August sitting in the Eames rocker and wearing his pin each month until he’s two years old. I also took monthly photos of his older sister, Eleanor, until she turned two.

August’s Previous Photos
The First YearThirteen Months OldView All

Eleanor

My sister snapped that picture of us at the zoo.

“I do it!”

Pretty soon she will be doing it, all by herself. She’s really excited about being a big girl. It’s a big deal. She’ll turn three at the end of this month.

We managed to find time for a quick trip to the craft store yesterday before dinner. New pipe cleaners, new paint, some beads, a wooden birdhouse, clay, and jewelry findings. Eleanor was beside herself. (Me, too.)

She painted the birdhouse this morning. All by herself.

An Easter Table With a Neon Twist

Today’s post is by a new contributor to Making it Lovely, Andrea Howe. I met and roomed with her at Camp Mighty last year, and I know you’re going to adore her as much as I do.

Yesterday, we saw my take on an Easter table. Andrea has been celebrating neon for the past week over on her style blog, For the Love of…, and today she’s sharing some crafty ideas for bringing a little neon to the table for the holiday.

I’ve loved neon for as long as I can remember, and am thrilled to see it make a resurgence, in a very updated and modern way. While neon may be most used in the style world, I wanted to add a touch of it to the home, and so created an Easter table setting infused with subtle touches of neon.  I like neon best in small doses and when displayed back to neutrals, so set against the rich wood of a farmhouse dining table the bright colors pop, yet the overall feel isn’t overpowering.

I began by focusing on using things I already owned as key parts of the table setting. These include pieces from my milk glass collection that belonged to my Grandmother, a couple of plain white Easter bunnies, simple white napkins and placemats, and my never-ending supply of mason jars.

I began by spray painting mason jars first in a coat of primer, then with a couple of coats of neon and plain white spray paint. I wrapped some neon and white twine around each jar, held in place with a spot of hot glue. I also added a coat of spray paint to some adorable little ceramic bunnies I had found at Michael’s. The ceramic absorbed the spray paint beautifully.

I took fabric paint and plain white napkins, and simply added polka dots in a random pattern using a round sponge brush available at any craft store. The trick to working with neon is to just focus on 2-3 colors at a time. Anymore and it starts to look a bit dated.

The last thing I did was add a few eggs, first brushed with neon paint. Once dry, the eggs were coated with standard craft glue, then dusted with Martha Stewart neon glitter. Placed in a hobnop candy dish, for me it’s the perfect blend of vintage modern.

By using a mix of pieces I already own and love, and creating some easy and inexpensive DIY’s, I’m thrilled with the results of my modern neon table setting for Easter.

The Dining Room, Set for Easter

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As I mentioned, I spent the weekend painting the ceiling in the dining room. I had intended to do so years ago, but I’d never gotten around to it until now. I chose a dark color to bring the ceiling down a bit, and the effect contrasts nicely with the living room’s higher ceiling and lighter paint color. It’s a trick that Frank Lloyd Wright used a lot; I just borrowed it.

Everything in Chicago is greening up and Easter is almost here, so I set the table with a nod to spring. Corals and pinks, plus the requisite eggs, chicks, and bunnies.

The sequined animals were from west elm, several Christmases ago (they were part of a line to benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital). The dishes and bowls were also from west elm, the napkins and silverware from Crate & Barrel (from nearly eight years ago when Brandon and I got married), the glasses from CB2, and the runner by Chilewich. It reminded me of eggs. And speaking of eggs, the egg cups are vintage melamine.

I usually stick to white for dinnerware, and I still do like it as a foundation, but those coral bowls are so cheery.

Cute place settings, colorful dinnerware, and a little fresh paint. The dining room is feeling good, and all set for spring. Have you done anything to freshen up your dining room lately too?

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My Weekend

It looked a little bit like this:

And a lot like this:

(All of which I enjoyed, very much.)

How was your weekend?

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