Canvas Sketchbooks

For gifts this year, the kids made personalized journals for their teachers.

I picked up a few of these canvas sketchbooks from Blicks. I LOVE them and can't wait to get a few more to play around with. The inside pages are not lined, which I love (though nothing beats graph paper for me!). And the canvas cover can be customized with basically any medium you can come up with - markers, crayons, paints, stamps,  etc. 

We thought about using paint, but Chartpak markers seemed like a fun choice.

I taped off the paper edges to protect against stray marks.

The girls and I talked a little about what they were going to draw, we did a little sketching first and then  I let them do their thing. They drew the outlines first with fine point sharpies.

And then colored in with the Chartpak markers. The markers bled a lot outside the sharpie lines, but it was fine. Who wants a perfectly-in-the-lines coloring job anyway?

Evie made one too and it ended up being a very pretty, dreamy abstract. I think Heather is going to keep it.

The notebooks were such a hit with the teachers. The kids drew stories and pictures of what each teacher will be doing during the summer.

Claire's pre-k teacher, Al, is also a film maker (he is seriously the coolest, nicest teacher). He's making this super hip indie film this summer about a man that leaves his wallet and his phone in his office building late one night and gets locked out. He has to walk all the way home to Brooklyn with empty pockets and he has lots of adventures along the way. I can't wait to see it when Al's finished. Claire drew a picture of him filming on the streets of NYC, and she and Evie "just happen to be walking down the sidewalk" and they get filmed too (Claire's words - that kid!)

Gracie also had a really special teacher this year, Miranda, who we will love forever. It's crazy how involved these lovely people are with our kids and then, bam, one day it's over and they're done. That can be hard to digest for kids, teachers and parents alike.

Miranda is summering in Spain and Morocco, so Grace drew a picture of her teacher taking a cab to the airport (Grace is waving goodbye from our building). And on the back side, Miranda is riding a camel in Morocco by the beach.

I made one for myself and used a blender marker to add in some water marks. Looks sort of like tie dye, right? I like it. The back side (with the bright orangey red, below), is my favorite.

Anyway, I feel like the possibilities are endless with these canvas-bound sketchbooks! I'm going to try some patterns next. Maybe like a Les Touches-esque stylized leopard print? Or a faux bois... or malachite... Tortoise shell...

MSL Radio!

Well, we finally made it to the last day of school for my girls. I'm taking full advantage of this last day and I've packed in all sorts of appointments before we launch into full-blown summer mode tomorrow. First up is a dash down to Brooklyn for a meeting with the contractor at the brownstone to talk about refinishing the floors. (whoop!)

We've been thinking a lot about it (thanks so much for your input by the way), and because of all the stairs in our place and especially because of the very short window of time when the house will be empty, we're probably just going to hire out this project. I'm hoping our guy will say they can do the floors for just some fabric advice and a big plate of fresh cookies, but something tells me it might cost us a smidgen more than that. I might be waiting on my DREAM fridge a bit longer than I hoped.  (but seriously, isn't that fridge perfect?)

Some of you mentioned you have used 50/50 Jacobean and Ebony stain mix on your floors, which is the formula used on these white oak floors (from here). We have red oak though and might need a little more ebony stain in the mix. I'll have to play around with it. I'm also considering going very very light, which might better suit our narrow space. Decisions!

In other news, I'll be joining the fabulously talented Kevin Sharkey on Martha Stewart Living Radio this evening from 5:00-6:00 pm. We'll be talking about all the good stuff. Blogging. Decorating. When to DIY and when to call in a professional (let's see what I'll say after getting the quote for my floors just minutes before the show! ha.).

Call in! Let's chat.  (PS  If you don't have a subscription to Sirius, the folks at Martha have generously offered up a free 30 day subscription here.)

Flokati Rugs

I love the idea of stepping out of bed in the morning onto the softest, furry pile of wool. So I've been thinking a flokati rug would be so cozy and swanky (I vow to never use that word again - it had to be done) in our soon-to-be-dark-walled bedroom.

I've been looking around for a nice flokati (aka one that doesn't shed like C-R-A-Z-Y). But I also want one that won't be a huge investment, since, let's be real, it's a white rug in a house full of kids and maybe a dog. If I didn't have about a million other places to spend our money right now I would be tempted by a real Beni Ourain Moroccan rug, like Jenna's.

Living Etc.

I've had my eye on this flokati for a couple weeks since it has pretty decent reviews and the price was good. As is typical for me though, I let it sit in an open browser tab for about three weeks - until I noticed it was 75% off (still is!). And since I'm a total sucker for marketing gimmicks like that, I just couldn't pass. A little over $100 for the 5x7 seemed like a very fair price for a well-reviewed flokati.

Elle Decor, March 2010

Anyone have this particular rug? Or a flokati in their bedroom? Spill!

PS If you're feeling adventurous, Danika at Gorgeous Shiny Things used a little bit of fabric dye to recreate the Beni look.

Contest Closed: Clorox Wipes $500 Give Away

This post is sponsored by the makers of Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes, the quick and easy way to clean and disinfect your home!

Congrats to Hallie the winner of the $500 give away to Target and the Container Store. Hallie, please email me your info as soon as possible to claim your prize.

Thanks to all that entered!

BHG and Pillows

I got back to New York late Saturday night and playing catch up has been a little crazy. But it was so fun to come home and see this little piece in the July Better Homes and Gardens. They let me share some of my favorite tips for zhushing up a home on a budget. I also had to bribe them with lavish gifts so they would call me the reigning Queen of DIY. ;)

follow me on instagram: @jennykomenda

I'm going to be posting on the BHG Style Spotter blog a couple times this summer. Each post will focus on a room and a very specific way to mix it up a little without breaking the bank. Pillows are one of my great weaknesses and I'm sharing some of my currently available favorites that will instantly update your living room (and a fool-proof method for mixing colors - it's simpler than you think). Go check it out!