Hallway Renovation Featured Today on the Barn Light!: a Peek at the Before and After

 There is a nice feature of our hallway renovation on The Barn Light today, which is the style blog for Barn Light Electric, where we sourced the fixtures we used in our renovation.  It is always so nice to take a moment to step back and take a look at where we started, and all of the hard work we've done!  Here are some highlights from the feature, and you can always click over to read the full piece.

We love what our fixtures do for our space, and how they help accentuate the unique character of our converted barn home.  Thanks so much to the folks at Barn Light for getting in touch with me about a feature, and for encouraging me to finally take some photos of the finished hallway before we mess it up!

Oh, and shield your eyes a little, but here is the before image, just for fun.

When we first pulled up the carpet and discovered this green floor I kind of loved it.  But man did I get sick of it, and I sure don't miss it at all!  Sometimes I don't really realize how much my surroundings effect my state of mind, but looking at this old photos make me remember how I think I kind of closed my eyes in the hallway a lot, to pretend it wasn't there.  But since it is the central part of our home, there was really no way to avoid it, and I'm really glad that we have now fixed it up.  It is a relief to the eyes!

Emmett's New Reading Corner

We have been continuing to put together Emmett's new room, and this weekend we finally got to put up the picture ledges for his books in his reading corner. The design concept behind this idea was both aesthetic and practical.  On the practical side, he has trouble putting his books away on a tight bookshelf, squeezing the books between each other and making space can be very frustrating.  So this way I thought it would be a snap for him to be able to pick up his books and put them away. (wishful thinking? quite possibly) Also, I think they look cool, visually striking, and it gets the point across about what the space is for.  It is also a great way to fill up a big wall, and if you are light on big pieces of art, and heavy on books like we are, it is a great way to fill the space.

And I think the fact that Emmett was really excited to help us put his books up on his new shelves is a good sign for their appeal and functionality.

I'm starting to feel really glad that we went with very minimalist and soft colors, like grey, white and a little yellow for our basic design scheme for his room.  As soon as he started adding his own things, like his books, games, puzzles and toys the room is suddenly filled with a fiesta of primary colors.  If we had done the room with wild patterns and paint colors I wouldn't be able to stay in there for more than 30 seconds.  This way it will keep the room feeling a little more calm and restful.  Oh, and in case you are curious, the triangles on the walls are decals from urbanwalls on Etsy. They couldn't have been easier to apply, Emmett even helped, and I love the effect.  And since I used a random pattern I didn't have to worry about lining anything up.

So it's not done yet, we still have to get the right rugs and bedding, lighting and bedside tables.  But he is very psyched about his new room, and I think we'll move him in there next weekend.  Next project: the redesign of Emmett's old room for the new baby!  And I think we'll continue the soft color theme in there as well.  Sometimes there is just something so nice about white. . .

18 Hours in Portsmouth, NH

TH and I escaped to Portsmouth, NH last weekend for a night as a belated birthday trip for me, and just a general change of scene and night off from parenting.  Neither of us had ever been there and we really enjoyed it's salty and artistic atmosphere.  We left Emmett with some friends, and realized it was the first time we had left him and gone away together since he was about 14 months old.  I'm not quite sure how we let that long of a time period elapse.  We were, of course, totally tweaked about it, and almost bailed at the last minute, but I'm really glad we didn't.  And Emmett had a great time on his sleep over, came home full of stories, and told us he wants to do it every night. Phew!

We got there around 3:30 and checked into the Ale House Inn, which is a great little boutique hotel with iPads in every room, a little lobby with fresh fruit and snacks, and very friendly staff who are more than happy to help you find ways to fill up your time in Portsmouth.

The we walked around for a bit, looked at the water, and did some exploring and shopping.  And then we started eating, and managed to hit 3 restaurants in the remaining 15 hours.  First we went to Cava for a few small plates to refresh ourselves after our walking and shopping.

 And then we met up with a friend at the wine bar at the Black Trumpet, and then downstairs for a delicious dinner, where I had the most delicious foie gras I've had in years, which was pan seared and served over a flambeed apple slice and served with a beet and citrus relish.  SO good.

And then home to bed, because after all, we are still exhausted parents, even on our night off :)

It was truly lovely though to get out of our routine, get a chance to actually talk to each other without being interrupted, and just soak in a new atmosphere.  The really is something so rejuvenating about being in a new place, and taking in new sights and smells.  It helped me pull back a little and refocus on the big picture, and take a break from all of the little day to day demands and distractions.  And if 18 hours can do that, just imagine what a long weekend would be like! Maybe next time. . .

Introducing the New Alpine Ring Collection!

Introducing the strikingly modern and geometric Alpine Ring Collection, inspired by the minimalist style and dramatic scenery of the Swiss Alps. 

 A couple of years ago I made a trip to Zermat, Switzerland to watch a dear friend get married in the snowy mountains.  The incredibly dramatic natural scenery has really stuck with me, as well as the mid-century modern inspired decor and furniture of that amazing mountain village.  Recently the inspiration struck me to make a collection of jewelry that reflects that aesthetic.  The rings are the first to arrive, but there will be bracelets and necklaces soon to come.

These rings would make a great gift for the nature lover in your life, and I think they look really great stacked or worn together.  Possibly that nature lover is you. . .  All of these new beauties have just been listed in the online shop, and you can click here to head on over there and check out some additional images.

October Dawn

Vermont - 10.16.2013 - 6:30am

2013 Weston Craft Show

The 2013 Weston Craft Show starts this Friday, in Weston, VT! This was one of my favorite shows last year, and I am really looking forward to it.  It is on Columbus Day Weekend, and the entire Weston Playhouse is taken over by artisans, with booths full of gorgeous handmade goods tucked into every nook and cranny of this historic building.  It is a manageable size, so it is easy to see everything, and there is a little cafe right downstairs, so if you need a little break and some refreshment you don't have to go far.  Also the building is surrounded by gorgeous views of quintessential Vermont landscapes and foliage.

Here is a little sneak peek of some of what I'll be bringing with me this weekend!

And if for some reason you aren't in the general Southern Vermont area (I mean, where else is there to be, really?) but are still hoping to get your Rebecca Haas Jewelry fix, most of this work is available in my online shop.  And did you know you can order almost anything in oxidized silver, like the earrings in the photo above?  Just mention it when you check out for no additional charge.  I personally love how it pairs with a brighter finish, like the gold fill ear wires in this image.

I hope to see some of you this weekend in Weston, but if not, I hope you have a lovely holiday weekend, whatever you choose to do with it!

No Rush Weekends: A Mini-Manifesto

I'm trying to institute a new household policy around here, and it's called "No Rush Weekends." And even when the whole household can't follow it, I try to follow it on my own as much as I can.  Now that Emmett goes to school five days a week we are trying to be more like normal 9-5 families, and just work on the week days and do family and personal things on the weekends.  For years TH and I have been fitting in work in whatever tiny slivers of time we can manage to scrape together, be it nap time, school time, weekends, whenever we can slip away and cross one more thing off the never ending list of work tasks.  It is kind of the trap of being self employed, and the down-side of setting your own hours.  It is very hard not to take work home with you, especially when your studio is attached to your house.

But now I am trying to set some boundaries for myself, which is, of course, a hard thing to do.  But I finally realized that no one was in charge of my schedule except me.  And I am trying to be more disciplined during my work week so that I can relax with less guilt on the weekends.  Seems so obvious now, when I write it down.  But I hardly ever sit down and read a book, or a magazine, take a walk with a friend, lie in the autumn sun, enjoy the outdoors, or do any of those wonderful things about living in the country.

And a lot of this process is also letting myself, and all of us, off the hook for many of the things we all feel pressured to spend our time doing, like active involved parenting, and house cleaning, and all of those sorts of productive activities. If Emmett wants to wake up on Saturday and watch a movie? Fine.  If he wants to go outside and sit in the dirty driveway in his underpants, that's fine by me too.  If he immediately wants me to play trucks, or read him a really long factual book about construction equipment?  Mmmm, maybe in an hour or so.  We all need a little time for independent play.  Am I sitting and leafing through a magazine, or catching up on my blog reading in the middle of a shitstorm of a mess?  Very probably.  Sounds kind of selfish I guess, but it is pretty wonderful to just sit and breathe, without always working my way down a list of tasks, or running out the door to a playdate or the children's museum.  And yes, eventually the laundry and the vacuuming need to be done.  But not clogging up the weekend with work stress makes those tasks a little less onerous as well.  And sometimes this means that an order goes out a day later than I had hoped.  And for now, I guess I'm ok with that.

And of course one of the most amazing things about this is that we actually get to do things together as a family, all three of us, instead of one parent working while the other takes care of Emmett.  Now we can do outings, or not outings, all together, and get some nice calm quiet time together, and have time to enjoy each other.  If we never take the time do that, what on earth are we working so hard for the rest of the time?

And of course this won't always work.  Craft shows are always on weekends, for one thing.  And this system will only cause less stress if it is a flexible system.  But I am trying to take that extra step to ask myself "Is this something that can wait until Monday?" before I break up my weekend zen.  And of course I mostly really enjoy my work, so it is a slippery slope. But it is still work, and this is the proverbial "stop and smell the roses."  I'm just getting to it now at age 35, but I'm glad I'm finally here.  Here's hoping I stay here!