Goodbye, New York

Greetings from a cave of moving boxes! We are slowly but surely packing up the brownstone. The truck arrives bright and early tomorrow morning and our flight leaves in the evening. The count down has begun. I'm feeling good.

A couple weeks ago though I was having major, major second thoughts about our move. I thought about all the growing I have done over the past almost decade while we've lived away from all our family. These years have been so good, hard and important to me. Michael, who has always been my rock, reminded me that there are lots of good, hard and important times ahead too. The next day he sent me this quote by Richard Wright. It's one of those good pieces of writing that can be about something very different, but can also speak straight to my heart and feel so very personal. I felt like this when we left Arizona, and I feel like this again as we prepare to return home:

I was leaving the South
To fling myself into the unknown...
I was taking a part of the South
To transplant in alien soil,
To see if it could grow differently,
If it could drink of new and cool rains,
Bend in strange winds,
Respond to the warmth of other suns
And, perhaps, to bloom.

Here's to another season for Jenny Komenda. Thanks, as always, for coming along for the ride. xo

MTG Tumblr Time

~
Happy Friday MTG peeps,

We'll be at OMG! Games here in Barrie tonight with our latest Magic: the Gathering standard brew so look for us there.  Tonight at OMG! Games is also the last Friday that they will be providing a random prize giveaway of a Dragon's Maze booster box at the start of the 3rd round - so may the odds ever be in our, - I mean your favor.

Anywhoos - We did not get around to get to a Tumblr summary in this week's daily posts to MTG Realm so we'll correct that now.   Here's a few posts to our sister site, MTG Realm on Tumblr covering a wide range of miscellany such as M14 spoilers, promos, news, rumors, and funny gamer stuff - let's go.
~

Photoset

June 28, 2013

Magic: the Gathering - Magic 2014 Ultra PRO Line-up
Here’s the Ultra•PRO M14 product offerings - card sleeves, boxes, binders and playmats.  New full-view box design.  If you have a soft spot for a certain red planeswalker, you will approve.

~

Photoset

June 27, 2013

33 notes

Magic: the Gathering - Friday Night Magic Promos
Dimir Charm - August FNM Promo
Original Gatecrash art by Zoltan Boros, FNM Promo art also by Zoltan Boros

Experiment One - September FNM Promo
Original Gatecrash art by Chase Stone, FNM Promo art by Jack Wang

~

Photo

June 28, 2013

Magic: the Gathering -DotP 2014
Quirion Ranger got an art upgrade for Duels of the Planeswalkers 2014!
Original Visions, illustrated by Tom Kyffin
New D14, illlustrated by Allen Williams~

Photo

June 27, 2013

16 notes

Magic: the Gathering - Haz a Sad
… When you go to your LGS to buy a few packs of Modern Masters.

~

Photo

June 27, 2013

123 notes

Magic: the Gathering - WOOD!
Srsly - this must be the most epic MTG storage card box / case combo I’ve seen.  Still tracking down who did this beautiful work but I suspect it may be Geek Chic work. 
~

Photo

June 27, 2013

50 notes

Magic: the Gathering - What’s Your Game?
Very cool MTG format buttons from the brilliant pen of @inkwell_looter (http://inkwelllooter.blogspot.ca)

~

Photo

June 24, 2013

24 notes

Magic: the Gathering - First World Collector Problems
… . Running out of surface area while organizing your MTG foils~ 

Photoset

June 20, 2013

73 notes

 

Magic: the Gathering - Angelic Card Storage
Reddit use krello posted this lovely card case he recently got for his birthday from his wife.  She had created the entire case, including card dividers.  The beautiful art on the front is of course Johannes Voss’ Restoration Angel which was wood-burned into the case front.  The entire project took approximately 2 months in her spare time.

~

Photoset

June 19, 2013

59 notes

 

Magic: the Gathering - Zendikar Gear
Zendikar is a world of adventure and reward for those with the courage to brave its perils - click these links - You’re gonna need the right gear to survive.
• Expedition Map
• Adventuring Gear
• Trailblazer’s Boots
• Explorer’s Scope
• Trusty Machete
• Grappling Hook

Zendikar, setting for the block of the same name, is a plane with powerful sources of mana, which flows differently there. Its landscape is constantly shifting and changing. This process is called The Roil. This makes settlements very scarce and only few outposts of civilization are present. Its riches in mana and other wealth has made it a destination for Planeswalkers to explore and exploit. The promise of this is also enough to lure in various local explorers and adventurers.

~

Thinking About 7 - #10

We haven't done a 7s post in a while and since I have a few things/links I want to direct you to, now's the time as it were.

1. Just in time for Canada Day weekend, Style at Home has a fabulous feature running right now,  showcasing 11 amazing Canuck designers...

...and their most beloved spaces.

This dining room created by Samantha Sacks has me particularly breathless (those doors make me crazypants)...

...and trust me, there's SO many other pretty spaces to peruse.

Click HERE to see the one space each designer is particularly proud of.

2. Speaking of some of my Canadian favourites, if you're looking for statement lighting and decor, you simply must check out Mod Pieces...my friend Lia re-invents vintage lighting to make beauties like these...

...and has also added a brand spanking new line of pillows.

I'm quite obsessed with their graphic goodness...

...and am pretty sure that the b/w ink blot and confetti numbers will have to find a place in the new house.

The extra good news is that for this weekend only, and in celebration of Canada Day, Mod Pieces is offering up 25% off EVERYTHING in the shop...

...so if you're in the market for some gorgeous pillows and lamps, shop away my friends.

3. Still on the Canadian bent, but in a completely different direction, I really want to direct all of you our there to an event being held by an old work friend of my husbands.

A few years back, this friend and his family were given the devastating news that their precious daughter Danielle had cancer of the brain...this diagnosis came a mere two weeks after the birth of their second child Leah.

Thankfully, sweet Danielle is now cancer free!!!

Her family has since set up a foundation and in their own words....

First, thank you for your interest in Danielle's Dream!!

​

Danielle’s Dream Foundation was created to support organizations caring for families fighting pediatric cancer.

On March 17th, 2010 our daughter Danielle was diagnosed with brain cancer. This diagnosis came just two weeks after the birth of our daughter Leah.  As you can imagine, the stress of facing the challenge before us was staggering.

​

Thankfully we had help, and lots of it. Organizations like McMaster Children’s Hospital, The Ronald McDonald of Hamilton, The Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO), Sick Kids Hospital, The Ronald McDonald House of Toronto, Canadian Cancer Society, The Children’s Wish Foundation, Help a Child Smile, Children’s Miracle Network as well as numerous private donors and fundraisers that aided us in immeasurable ways.  We were and are blessed.

​

Now that we are on the other side of our journey, with two healthy children and the world to be thankful for, it is our turn to pay it forward, hence the creation of the foundation.

Within the umbrella of the foundation there will be numerous events in the years to come to support each of the aforementioned groups in their efforts to help others win their fight.

​

We learned that when we focus our energies and efforts, Impossible is Nothing. Please help us make a difference in the world for friends, families, and the futures of our fellow Canadians facing the trials and tribulations of pediatric cancer.

​

All proceeds from our events will go straight to those that need it most, and we will be creating multiple events with specific organizations in mind. We would never think of doing this any differently, nor would we take anything for what we do as we truly love paying forward the support that we received.

​

We thank you for your help making a difference in the world!

So...in an effort to help spread the word about this gorgeous family and their amazing foundation, I'd love to tell you about their current fundraising event.

Two events will be running in July that you can either attend or sponsor...the first is...

...a golf tourney being held at Piper's Heath on July 25th...you can click HERE to sponsor or register this event.

The second is...

...which is being held on July 27th at Otellos in Oakville...you can click HERE to register or sponsor this event.

Though, I'm not one to usually ask for monetary help on this blog, I'm making an exception today because this is such a beautiful family and such an amazing cause...I'd be forever grateful if you could help out.

4. I was so excited when I opened my inbox yesterday to see a note from one of my absolute favourite  wallpaper companies, Porter Teleo.

I've been a humungous jimbo fan of their patterns and am absolutely insisting that I get some of this...

...action in #projectdreamhouse...thinking the big girl's bedroom for either of the first two patterns, and the classic tangled goodness for either the foyer or playroom.

On top of all of this pattern heaven, PT has just released some new wallpapers, inspired by artists  Mark Rothko and Claude Monet respectively...

...and it's all VERY VERY GOOD.

5.  Speaking of Porter Teleo, I spied this shot on Pinterest this morning...

...and am so inspired by how their wallpaper was used to disguise a TV...the application has turned an ugly boob toob into a gorgeous work of art...love, love, love.

I actually found lots to adore this morning on our favourite picture banking site.

Also inspired by the idea of...

A dining room that can double as a library and work room...

...metal shelving in the kitchen...

...massive conservatories....

...black Nero marble...

...and aside from literally EVERYTHING Kelly Wearstler does, this idea of a wall of antique mirror...

{all images via my Pinterest boards}

6.  I've added a few more furniture pieces to my #projectdreamhouse wish list.

This Bernhardt dining table from 219 is DIVINE...

...and would look smashing with some modern chairs around it...thinking numbers like these would be gorge in combination...

I'm also majorly lusting after these stools for the kitchen...

Apparently I have a thing for black leather when it's combined with brass.

7. This post is already WAAAAY too long so I'm going to sign off for now and wish you all here in Canada, a very happy long holiday weekend...

{via}

To everyone else, happy normal weekend;)

I'll see you all back here on Tuesday the 2nd.

xo 

Valley House Tour: The Mud Room

At the end of the hallway past the kitchen pantry, is a bright, open storage space that we've been calling the mud room.

Right now there is no interior door access to the garage (you have to walk out this door here and about the three steps outside to the right is the exterior door to the garage - another one of those head scratchers in this house!)

(More after the jump)...

Eventually (probably when we redo the kitchen in a year or so) we'd like to reconfigure the pantry-kitchen-mudroom area and the access spaces to the garage and to the play room, which is above the garage.

But for the next while, I have plans to make this space work as our mudroom, where the girls will keep most of their shoes, their backpacks and coats (I guess more like light sweaters at Christmas time?? This will be an adjustment!).

It works out nicely for the three nooks to belong to each one of my girls. We're going to take off the folding doors here and either do hooks and open shelving or replace the doors with something that operates a little smoother. (and pinches little fingers less!)

On the other side of the room are more closets with shelving, and I think I'll use this space as craft storage for the girls (we'll probably put a little table next to the window here for projects) and party supplies. Since our pantry is pretty small, I'm sure I'll have some kitchen overflow going into the closet on the left, as well.

More brick floors to be painted! :)

I need to look into why the closets have that ledge on top, but it looks like its to account for the ductwork. I need to think about a solution there. Maybe just taking down the plant portion above the door here would be good enough for now?

And then there's the spiral staircase in the corner that goes up to the playroom. My kids were seriously so stoked about this staircase (I would have been too when I was young - I loved anything that felt like a hide away or a secret space), but I have to admit that I'm stressing a little bit about having this in the house.

It's the only interior stairwell to the playroom and guest room area, so it will be used a lot - like all day, every day. It's actually not all that cumbersome to climb as an adult, but I worry about kids getting hurt. I have a couple of ideas for making it a little more safe, but this will be one of the changes to the house when we do the kitchen overhaul. I think I'll probably put some flush backing on each step for now, so no little legs can slip through.

Also, I have a really long vintage kilim runner that I'm thinking of cutting up and using on the treads here. Wouldn't that look so cool!? I'd consider painting the stairs themselves a fun color but they were recently powder coated by the previous owners in an oil-rubbed bronze finish, so the condition is great. And it might be tricky to get a smooth enough finish here without spraying. It looks black most of the time anyway, which might look best with the bold colors of the rug I want to use.

Speaking of unsafe, here is the top of the staircase. I was freaking out when we walked through the first time. I was like, how is this okay to leave this huge gap in the floor?! Where is the railing!

I was planning on having to fix it ourselves before moving in (or asking the sellers to do it), but then they mentioned that the railing was hanging out in the back yard. It had not been reinstalled yet after they did the powder coating.

I felt like an idiot because I had totally thought to myself 'what a weird little half fence to put around a tree!' Duh.

This shot shows you that back porch area that we're planning to use to expand the kitchen into eventually. We'll probably also close in this back portion so that there is interior access to the garage (that brown door on the right) and a full size set of interior stairs to the guest area and play room. Right now that area at the top of those brown stairs is a back porch on the playroom that I feel like we won't miss too much.

This is all so far down the road though. I'm glad we'll get to live in the house for a while (during all the seasons) so we can see what parts of the home work for us and which we could do without.