If You Want It, Black Rooster It #7

I'm just home from taking my kidlets to their very last day of school for the year, which always makes me realize how ridiculously fast the time goes.

I know people say it allllll the time, but really, our kids grow way way too fast and the time we have with them when they're little is just the most precious thing there is.

As much as I love seeing how much they change in just one school year...

...seeing such a difference makes me want to just will the gods to freeze them exactly as they are now....and speaking of, I read this article about 5 times last night...it reminded me once again, that our kids deserve the absolute best from us all the time so for me, that means less time doing everything on my never ending to-do list, and more time getting on the floor with them for a game of Angry Birds or My Little Pony...before they get big and have zero interest in doing anything with their mother that is;)

Anyhoo...those kids are definitely what's on my brain this morning- amazed how lucky I am to call them mine.

Moving on...

The redhead had a photo shoot yesterday for most of the day...


{again, seeing this shot made me realize that my big girl is getting really, really big:::::(}

...so with little time in the morning, I delayed my...


...post until today.

So...let's start this one off with this gorgeous little vignette...


...and make it happen Black Rooster styles...







Proof again that you can put together just about ANY space with the glorious help of Black Rooster (and don't forget that all the things on your Made Goods wishlist can also be purchased through the shop...also don't forget that I can help you put together something equally fab with a little e-design action).

And speaking of great spaces, here's a shot of the room that this pretty vignette belongs too...


...quite sure I'll be using that for my master inspiration a la #projectdreamhouse...tres delish.

xo
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M14 Spoilers 6-26

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Happy Wednesday MTG peeps,

As it is Wenesday, here's a link off to a random wiki article for the girl with the same name in the Addams family and a personal note that we think Christina Ricci did a brilliant job at playing this character sent off to summer camp in Addams Family Values.

Anywhoos - let's get along to today's MTG Realm blog post - more Magic: the Gathering news.  This news may or may not be news to you but we're just catching up with some Magic 2014 core set spoilers 'n' previews.

Fist up - RUMORS - unofficial - please only rely upon official previews to the mothersite.  Rumor has it that Darksteel Forge, Millstone and Duress get the tap for reprints in M14.  Here are the card image mock-ups.

 
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Next up - we've known for a while that the buy-a-box promo was to be Ratchet Bomb.  We finally have art for this foil alternate-art promo card.  Expect this puppy to pour the hate on the game table against token builds.


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Finally,  at GP Vegas last weekend, we were treated to this lovely lay out of all the basic lands of Magic: 2014.  The arts are of course beautiful but this does leave us with a slight feeling of dread - why?  With the projections offered of the M14 name and number crunch, there really does not seem like there is room for the regular 'check lands' in the non-basic land slots . . . we'll have to wait just another week to see where this finally goes.

 
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New Hair!!! (and a sneak peek of our master bath)

A couple weeks ago when we were in Phoenix and it was (seriously) 112 degrees, I thought to myself, "Your long hair must go. Like, now."

I have been growing my hair out for a couple years, but I've been bored with it lately. I'm not one to get attached to my hair, and it seems like lots of people are going short lately? I thought it would be a fun change for our big move. Plus, you know, hair grows back usually. No biggie. :)

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I made an appointment at fancy Whittemore House for a cut and color (they are famous for their "hair painting" technique - not a foil in sight there).

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(ha - just now I was like, what is all over my pants here?! #mirrorsmudges)

I love having short hair again. It takes half as long for my hair to dry and to curl it. But it's still long enough to pull up in a bun or a pony. I think it's fun to switch things up every now and then. This was right after my appointment (and after running through the rain to the subway).

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I usually shower at night and wash my hair every two or three days with a volumizing shampoo and conditioner. Out of the shower, I comb in a styling cream in my damp hair. My friends at Pantene sent me their newest product - the Ultimate 10 BB Creme - about a month ago and I've been loving it on both my long hair and my new short cut. It combines ten hair products into one and really does a great job smoothing without weighing down my fine Swedish hair (seriously - check out the reviews).

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After combing in the Pantene BB creme, I sort of toussel and scrunch up my hair to activate a bit of the natural wave I have. Then I go to bed! When I wake up if it needs it, I might selectively curl parts of my hair for a little more wave and bounce. In the summertime especially, I don't try to get "perfect hair" with loose, smooth curls just-so. The curls will end up falling down and my hair will frizz out about five steps out the door anyway, so why not try for that mussed up look from the get-go?

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I sometimes also use a little bit of the salt water spray in my hair to get that beachy wave and then a little more of the BB creme on my dry hair to smooth out the ends and fly-aways.

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And that's it! It takes about five minutes maybe? A huge deal for this busy mom (in fact these photos were taken right before a big video shoot we had at the brownstone yesterday - excited to share in the next month or two). Plus, my very favorite part of all is how many hair products I've been able to eliminate. Lately I've been using the BB creme, the beach spray and dry shampoo on the days I don't wash my hair - and that's it. You guys, I won't even show you how many hair products I've collected over the years. Such a waste of money and space! I'm getting rid of most all of it when we move. There's not all that much closed storage to speak of in our new master bathroom, so my new hair routine is happily working out for me on all fronts.

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What do you think of my new do? I'm already excited for it to be a little longer (and maybe it will be more healthy now that I'm not ever blow-drying and rarely curling it?). Also, it's fun to be a blond again. :) ALSO! That bathtub is going, stat.

This post brought to you by Pantene Pro-V Ultimate 10 BB Creme. Thanks for supporting LGN's sponsors!

#projectdreamhouse....Range Wars

After posting about my kitchen plans for #projectdreamhouse yesterday, I went to school to pick up my kidlins school only to have a friend of mine let me know that the La Cornue stove I'm after, which PS, is basically the cornerstone of my kitchen design, is WAY more expensive than I had thought.

Total and complete suckage.

I mean just look at the ad for the thing...

It works in modern spaces...






...and more traditional ones...





It belongs in the pseudo French but still modern house of my dreams...


Now I  just need to figure out how in the god's green earth I can make it happen...


::whispers: 

La Cornue peeps...I'd LOVE to work with you;)

Baring some sort of sponsorship windfall, I've got a plan B.

These rather fabulous Lacanche pretties are also Francais...

Sully Black Stove

...and still give me the black and brass I'm after, at more than 1/2 the price.

I'm thinking that if they're good enough for this kitchen greatness...



...they're pretty swell enough for mine too;)

I'd say they're just as luxurious as the La Cornue but a little more understated...


Parfait perhaps.

xo
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M14 Planeswalkers

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Happy Tuesday MTG peeps,

The next Magic: the Gathering core set, Magic  2014 (M14) is due to be released on July 19th with prerelease events taking place the weekend before.  Next week, official previews begin on the mothersite and will last only one week, which really is no big whoop as we've been treated to quite a few M14 spoilers and previews over the last two months which was kicked off with Duels of the Planeswalkers previews in March at PAX East.  Speaking of DotP, MTV Geek posted an article yesterday previewing both the normal and promo cards for M14's Green PW, Garruk.  The Garruk unique black-on-black promo will be showing up at the San Deigo Comic-Con next month.

Anywhoos - we now have four of the five Planeswalkers expected in M14 with only the fiery red pyromancer Chandra skipping roll-call.  Ajani, Jace and Liliana are getting the tap for reprints (from M13) while Chandra and Garruk get new cards.  We're gonna check our play groups's collection right now and order any missing cards from MTG Mint Card Here's the 4.1.1 -
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Ajani, Caller of the Pride, 1ww
Planeswalker - Ajani, Mythic Rare


+1: Put a +1/+1 counter on up to one target creature.


-3: Target creature gains flying and double strike until end of turn.
 

-8: Put X 2/2 white Cat creature tokens onto the battlefield, where X is your life total.

Loyalty: 4
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Jace, Memory Adept, 3uu
Planeswalker - Jace, Mythic Rare
 

+1: Draw a card. Target player puts the top card of his or her library into his or her graveyard.
 

0: Target player puts the top ten cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard.
 

-7: Any number of target players each draw twenty cards.
 

Loyalty: 4
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Liliana of the Dark Realms, 2bb
Planeswalker - Liliana, Mythic Rare
 

+1: Search your library for a Swamp card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
 

-3: Target creature gets +X/+X or -X/-X until end of turn, where X is the number of Swamps you control.
 

-6: You get an emblem with "Swamps you control have ‘Tap: Add {B}{B}{B}{B} to your mana pool.'"
 

Loyalty: 3
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Chandra, Pyromaster
Planeswalker - Chandra, Mythic Rare


Burn Baby Burn

Disco Inferno

Face Melt, blah, blah, Burn!  
?

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Garruk, Caller of Beasts, 4GG
Planeswalker - Garruk, Mythic Rare
 

+1 Reveal the top five cards of your library. Put all creature cards revealed this way into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
 

-3 You may put a green creature card from your hand onto the battlefield
 

-7 You get an emblem with "Whenever you cast a creature spell, you may search your library for a creature card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle your library."
 

Loyalty: 4 

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The Dream House Diaries #7 - Kitchen Part Deux...Butler's Pantry

Hello friends.

My apologies for the lack of post yesterday...I had an impromptu meeting with my fabulous architect that lasted most of the morning so just ran out of time as it were.

Happily, we made great progress on hammering down the layout of rooms...much of which stemmed from the placement of the house on the lot, windows.

The kitchen design I've come up with also helped sort out where the other rooms would work best...over the last few weeks I've really nailed down a design for this space, which I don't see changing...I'm BEYOND excited about it.

So, for today, I thought we'd do an installment of...


...so I could show you how the plans are coming along.

Here's a peek of the kitchen ditchin in sections...




...and as a wide screen whole...


The basic idea is lots of wall moulding, a kitchen that doesn't scream kitchen, modern black cabinets- lowers only, multiple black doors out to a back deck, lots of marble with a thick profile, some brass, and a wall of windows above one bank of cabinets.

The last point is the only point I'm debating...sort of.

On the wall opposite to the windows, I either want to put upper cabinets with mirror so that they  mimic the windows on the other side OR I want to leave it as open wall and instead, make that cabinet bank shorter and have a door beside opening up to a butler's panty...the later is what I'm leaning towards. I'd love a space that was lined in glass cabinets on two sides that could display all my  pretty stuff...on the bottom, I'd like tons of storage.  In the pantry, the cabinets would go floor to ceiling and would be more traditional looking...the BP would be a horeshoe shape...


...so positioned like the photo on the left with cabinets like on the right...the counter will be black marble and I'd love to use those campaign handles for the lowers. The white marble and black long handles are for the main kitchen.

I'd love to house a coffee station, wine fridge and all my pretty stuff in the pantry so that the kitchen stays relatively unadorned and crisp.

Here's some of the BP inspiration pile I've been pouring over (all from Pinterest)...

1. A pantry that was galley style would be great if I decided to link the kitchen to the dining room, instead of a self-contained room...


2. Love the coffee station...


3 Love the exposed hinges...


4. Though I'll probably stick to white, the idea of lacquered colour is always good...


...and then there's grey- love charcoal with brass...

5.  Quite fond of the style of this one and am thinking of something very similar for the two sides of the horseshoe (only with brass hardware of course) ...


...even like the wood surprisingly (though probably not for me)...


6.  Horseshoes...



7. Another possibility is to have the horseshoe smaller and more open to the rest of the kitchen...


And yet another thought is to do some sort of furniture like storage piece on the wall opposite the stove...in my dream world, I'd have one of those huge antique rounded display cabinets like the ones Anthropologie always uses for their displays....lurv them.

Anyhoo...I still obviously have a few details to hammer out but for now, I'm pretty chuffed with how it's shaping up.... I really adore the kitchen I have now so it's going to be really hard to say goodbye to it...probably why I've been obsessing about the new one so much...really want it to be the jewel of our new house...the center of the action as it were.

I literally can't wait to get started!

In the meantime though, let me direct you over to a post over at Fieldstone Hill...the lovely Darlene asked some of us bloggers/designers to spill the beans on our favourite white paint colours...

Designer Recommended Whites

...lots of beuno colours discussed so hop over there for the goods.

And finally, I'd like to wish my bestest friend in the universe...aka my sister Sara....




 ...a very Happy Birthday!!!

PS, I have the sweetest/most beautiful nieces in the world...love this family to the moon.

xo
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