Hop Scotch

A few weeks ago I was happily pinning on Pinterest when I came across this rug:

It's from a company called Scandinavian Design Center and you can find it here.  For some reason the idea of being able to play hop scotch inside seems like a lot of fun.  I don't know why.  I'm a big fan of being in the great outdoors. Maybe because it's been so hot here lately.

 Anyway, I immediately thought our bedroom hallway would be a great place for hop scotch but the rug was too wide.  The solution came to me!  I could use Flor tiles to make the board!  It wasn't a big stretch. Our entrance hallway has them.  

The bedroom hallway has been bugging me.  We've had Ikea circles down for three years and now they're dirty.  The circles were always getting caught on riding toys or strollers and never staying in place.  I was thinking about what to put here and the hop scotch board seemed perfect.   

The numbers are made out of white felt.  I debated spray painting them but in the end the option to remove the numbers seemed better. I found a font I liked and I printed out 0-9 as large as possible on an 8.5x11" sheet of paper.  Then I cut the numbers out and used them as molds to trace on the white felt. I traced them flipped over backwards so I didn't need to worry about the marker being visible when I put them down right side up. 


On an educational note, I like the idea of P grabbing the numbers in her hands and playing with them. She can count and knows the values of each number but she can't point them out in a book or elevator.  I think this "hands on" approach wrapped up in a game may help her identify each one.    

This is the before and after of the hallway. It has the perfect atmosphere for a game with all of P's artwork on the walls at the end.  I like all the colors on the floor and I love that we are living this phase of kids to the fullest. When else can you have a hop scotch board in your home?  

Flor Carpet Tiles

My big weekend accomplishment was a little entry hallway redo/touch up/enhancement. We got Flor carpet tiles for the entry a few weeks ago. It should have been an easy process but like every single project in this house it turned into a bigger job. Let me first explain that I loathe the moulding in this house.  Yes! Can you believe moulding in a Mid Century Modern? Who puts curvy traditional looking moulding in a modern house?  Anyway, with that said let me continue. 

My first thought was to have the carpet tiles go right up to the wall on the left.  Problem was the floor board on that wall only ran half way down. A floor board was in the way so what do you think I did?  Yes, I pulled it off! It felt so good but that one board prompted more moulding to come out.  I pulled the panels that framed the closet and bathroom doors.  I also started to pull off the stuff that frames the entry door but quickly realized it was mistake. 15 minutes after starting the carpet tile project I found myself with a bigger project at hand. I was going to have to patch, sand and paint before I could lay the Flor tiles down.  I was also going to have to come up with an explanation to give Dave before he came home.

 

That was two weeks ago. Fortunately, Dave is a patient man with my insanity.  After looking at my initial layout I decided it was best to give the tiles some negative space on both sides.  The moulding didn't actually have to come out. Now that it's all said and done I'm glad I did it.  The entry way looks cleaner, simpler, more Mid Century.  I can breathe.

This weekend I fixed not just what I destroyed but I also repainted a few walls and doors in the house.  The entire entry hallway got a fresh coat of paint as did the other hallway and another prominent wall in the house.  The closet doors in the entry way had never been painted so I gave them a couple coats. And the baseboards had never been painted either so they got a much needed coat of paint.  

I have a theory that after three years a house starts to need upkeep, specially if you have kids.  Even though I do touch ups on our white walls every 3-4 months both hallways were in need of a paint job.  P's room needs to be repainted very soon. It has scuff marks in the areas where she most plays.  Our bedroom could use a couple runs of the roller.  Our guest bathroom needs a paint job DESPERATELY, but that's another story and of course another project!

Oh, I almost forgot! I put up three orange hooks next to our mirror.  I love our small and simple hooks under the mirror. They're perfect for hats, scarfs and P's coats but they aren't very useful for hanging large adult coats.  I found these hooks on this site and love their multi-functionality. You can hang coats and/or place mail on them. 

Hallway Art

I've been cleaning out our office. There are boxes and drawers that have not been touched since we moved in three years ago.  I'm finding little treasures with memories here and there.  


Many years ago when I was single and traveled often, I bought these picture hanging magnet wires in NYC.  I found them in a drawer, still in their packaging.  The farthest wall of our hallway has been empty.  It's been waiting for a great work of art.  At one point I wanted to blow up this picture and put it there.  

I took it in Big Sur. It feels like a photographic version of a Rothko, whose work I love. 


When I found the wires I knew the perfect spot.  P's paintings and drawings are a better art collection than any other photograph or pricey painting (even if I could afford it).  Since she makes so much art they are perfect for having a constant rotation.   


After I hung up the two wires with P's paintings I wanted to add pictures so I hung the third wire in the middle. It might be overkill but somehow the clutter of art and love fills my heart.  Three years ago, when we moved in, I never would have considered a wall like this, let alone two. I have another narrow wall dedicated to her art but it doesn't hold very much. It now holds the large works of art she does. Parents before me were right; parenthood changes every perspective of life, including our taste.

At this point in time....

...this is what our house looks like.  When I photograph our house I make sure it's cleaned up.  Today I decided I'm through with the facade.  The following are pictures of where we are today, how we live with a 2-year old, and commentary of what I'd like to change.


The hallway.

Over the past year I changed the hardware on the closet doors, added the rug and stainless, hooks under the mirror.  I'm currently working on a bench for under the mirror.  I'd like to find cool bins or baskets to hold our shoes.  We would also like to change the front door. Not happy with our current one.  A door sets the tone for the house and this one is not mid-century.  But overall at least its clean and inviting and you get were into the more modern style with the mirror.


The living room.

Our furniture, as I posted before, is a blend of pieces my husband and I had before moving in together.  We lived in a high rise apartment for three years before moving to this house.  We never bought anything new because we've been holding out to redecorate for our new home.  However, our current styling budget is zilch after the house purchase and a new kid all within two month's time.


The two couches are actually a sectional I split up because it fit the space better.  The only new items in this space are the red clock and the play table.  In the next 2-3 years we plan on knocking down the wall behind the TV(the big black box).  I hope the living room will flow better with the dining and kitchen when entertaining. The two rooms on the other side of the wall will be the tv room and play room.  As the kids get older, and even now, I notice they like having a space near us but of their own.  When entertaining it would work better if the living room was more "adult" and the kids had their own open play area. The furniture I'd like for the space it will be is very different from the kind of furniture needed for the space as is, so I continue to wait.


So, here we are in our reality.  Bags, shoes, sweaters a lot of mess in the hallway. Our living room has toys and clean laundry spread around on a daily basis.  We have a training potty in plain view.  I cringe but I know when my kids are off to college I'll look back at these pictures and probably wish for this kind of chaos again.