Hey guys, it’s been a while. So, guess what? Taking care of two kids is more than twice as hard as taking care of one. The baby never naps and Ike never slows down. Our living room is littered with more flotsam and jetsam than post Sandy NYC and the housekeeper just left a few hours ago. I am on my seventh load of laundry in three days because they baby won’t stop pooping and puking every time I consume the tiniest bit of hidden dairy products. Meanwhile Ike has been staging swift and furious rebel uprisings that would make Robert E Lee blush.

It’s a good thing (we think) our kids are cute.

Despite my exhaustion, I find time at 4am to buy things. It’s like the consumer center of my brain is on overdrive while everything else has shut down. So here I am, back at the blog doing what I do best: Waffling. Indeciding. Not listening to myself.

I need you to help me choose a rug for the nursery. Remember this?

Cute, but I feel like it needs another layer. Here are my top picks.

Option 1:

Frenchy. Neutral. Love the black border. But is it too stuffy for un petit bebe? And does it clash with American revolutionary drummer boy? You may remember him from Ike’s old nursery. But wait — might he be French, instead? It seems the French flag sports colors suspiciously close to those of America AND they also had revolutions and stuff. Copy cats.

Option 2:

I kind of swore I’d never do another black and white graphic rug after the zebra incident. And in fact the zebra is dying a slow, painful, toddler inflicted death in Karly’s nursery. But this… well, this is insane. And possibly amazing. And also possibly way overwhelming and disparate from the rest of our house. I do like the super neutral colors that would allow me to change up color schemes down the line.

Option 3:

Color commitment issues… I am having a phobic moment about choosing blue, but I like that this rug would probably hide the most dirt. Also, it’s cute for a baby boy and the rough border and abrash give it a handmade feel that would add that special je ne sais quoi to all the graphic elements in the room.

And those are my choices. All wool, all 8x10s, all under $300.

So please… vote. For my rug.

And for president, I guess.

One of my favorite craigslist search terms is “Italy” or “Italian,” because I know a sleek sculptural piece that wields an uber designy flavor will sharpen up any room. The right Stilnovo fixture will take any 18th century palazzo straight into the 21st century, just as the perfect pair of Gio Ponti chairs will offset the stuffiness of a roll arm sofa or super traditional fabrics.

And in the interest of international relations, let me add that I’m not anti France, Germany, Denmark, Eastern Europe, or any of those other furniture making countries. It’s just that craigslisters can’t seem to find many labels except those that broadcast the pedigree of anything 90s Scandinavian orange teak veneer, but somehow the Made in Italy label has the aura of cash flow about it, so that usually merits a mention in ads.

Beware of Copenhagen Imports unless you know who Ettore Sottsass is and enjoy an ironic nod to his sensational but perhaps not so versatile aesthetic… I’m pretty much talking about cheap 80s black lacquer and red leather mushroom sofas. Can these things be awesome? Yes, but you better have a plan for all that swag or things will get ugly fast.

You know what’s not ugly? These rooms. You’re welcome.

[Pinterest]

I’m about to bombard you with a series of roundups, because that’s all I have time for. Hopefully they’re good roundups, rather than roundups of pinecone arrangements and shapeless taupe sweaters. These are special obsessions that I have been carefully manicuring for years. It’s taken me quite a while to cull the what-I-really-love wheat from the what-fashion-dictates-I-should-love chaff, but in my golden years I have finally found what truths I hold to be self evident. And if you can follow all that punctuation/aphorism drama, you get a gold star.

So hot on the heels of my quilt love comes another textile that I want to wrap my naked body in and snuggle up with all night long. Even more. I be talking about antique tapestries, y’all. I’m smitten by the muted tones, intricate details, and sense of gravitas they bring to a room.

That just happened. If you aren’t as excited as I am about this, GET EXCITED.

Robert Couturier is and will always be my decorator boyfriend.

See what I mean about spending the night with some tapestries? They’re giving me the bedroom eyes.

Tiny picture, amazing idea. I would definitely rub my nether regions all over a tapestry upholstered settee.

Zoffany’s new tapestry print Arden sports unicorns, by golly! Pure as Lancelot and Guinevere, wink wink, nudge nudge.

Zoffany even makes a tapestry inspired wallpaper. You know you want it in your life. Hot sex.

Sure, I may be a smidgen sleep deprived. But I am right about this — tapestries are awesome.

The end.

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Y’alluns are too sweet. Really.

Thanks to you I am using my 30 minutes of quiet baby nap time to bust out a post. My dirty laundry is very jealous, but it’s ok — I can just turn my underwear inside out and get an extra day’s wear out of them.

Don’t laugh. I may not be kidding.

So it’s been a long time since I wrote a post about quilts, therefore I am obviously long overdue. Because what sexier topic could there be than quilting, right? Just thinking about all that calico and rick rack make me hot and bothered…

I mean, have you seen this?

I’m a little obsessed. Like, 5am Etsy trolling obsessed. A giant art quilt may be exactly what I need for this back wall:

I love a good neutral space, but somehow this just isn’t working for me. I think I need to move the mirror, chair, and brass tree somewhere else, rethink the rug situation, and get a pair of matching chairs to flank the credenza.

And then find a giant, colorful but not garish, amazing arty quilt to hang over the credenza.

Same quilt, different setting. Still awesome.

I’ve been looking for some affordable fancy quilts and came up with these:

via

via

via

None of them are quite right, but maybe I could commission a piece for a reasonable price. Looks like a six foot wide quilt could be had for around $250, which is not bad for such a large piece.

Or I could learn to sew.

Yikes.

All I know is the perfect quilt wouldn’t have a ton of white, would be relatively muted and low contrast, and would be free of ticky tacky creepy calico flowery rainbow neon bullshit. I really like the menswear type fabrics shown in the inspiration photos.

Anyone have a good source for cool modern quilts?

Oh, and should I buy those green velvet chairs? I can’t decide if I should hold out for something less modern, or if I should do a custom upholstery job…

Thanks and that is all.

Hi. A lot of people have written me wondering where the hell I went. I’m not dead yet, but lately anything beyond merest survival has eluded my grasp. In any given day juggling a newborn and a three year old leaves me about five spare seconds to rub together, and I’m just wondering if it’s worth it to come back to blogging.

My kids need me. My husband needs me. My laundry piles need me.

But decorating is a disease, you know? I can’t stop fantasizing about kitchen and bathroom renovations, pasting wide swaths of wallpaper over anything that will stand still, and of course… repainting.

Because who would I be if I didn’t redo everything I’ve already done? I live in an experimental lab, and someday soon I hope that people will hire me to experiment on effortlessly redecorate their homes, too.

Also, it appears I am hosting a HUGE Thanksgiving party at our house… PANIC MODE!!!

Really who would I be if I weren’t a complete and utter basketcase? I know a lot of you are concerned about this aspect of my personality, but I kind of get off on pressure.

(Cue Queen and David Bowie)

So I suppose my endless, self indulgent stress is something worth blogging about. Maybe.

Anyway, let’s take a look at what I need to do before the masses arrive for dinner.

#1. Figure out how to seat 20 people. Or at least eight in the dinette area.

Our replacement marble table may or may not arrive in November, so we could be stuck with a rickety piece of vintage pecan shit. Hopefully it won’t collapse under the weight of an 800 pound turkey and enough casseroles to initiate myocardial meltdown. I think we may have to get rid of some furniture…

#2. Renovate entire kitchen.

Yeah, I never got around to painting our hideous cabinets before the baby came. Surprise!

I’d rather just rip everything out anyway. Should I go traditional?

Euro – nouveau?

Or somewhere in between?

Who am I kidding?  I have even less money than time. But just maybe I can figure out a way to paint those god forsaken cabinets.

#3. Redo office/guest bedroom.

This will be the third time I paint that room… don’t tell Ben. Not yet, anyway.

I’m thinking dark sexy green. I’m sure the office/guest room will look EXACTLY like this.

Or this.

Somehow I managed to cobble together a moodboard for this redo (moodboards mean I am for serious). Do you want to see it, or do mood boards just piss you off?

#4. Wallpaper the damn hallway, already.

Oh, how I wish I could afford Zuber.

Or for David Hick to reanimate himself and come visit me.

Or Cole and Son’s Nuvole, which I have been obsessing about 4EVR (I must have ebola, because I can’t believe I just typed that).

I do, however, have three rolls of Neisha Crosland’s Zebra, and if I can ever paste it up it will be RAD.

Can I start a collection plate to save Erin’s brain? Thanks.

#5. Tweak the kid rooms.

They are almost done… just need a few accessories and then I can shoot them.

Or you know, I could start over and make Ike’s room look more like this.

Or this. HOW COOL IS THIS ROOM?!

And the baby’s room should probably look more like this. I must have that bed.

That is all. Basically I am unhappy with everything I’ve “made,” but don’t feel sorry for me (or, more likely, be disgusted by me). Dissatisfaction is just my normative state of being. I’ll be happy when things are perfect.

Ok, maybe you should feel a little bit sorry for me. I am obviously insane.

Also, am I insane for still blogging? This post took me all day to write… and if you haven’t read this post by Jenny then you should, because then you will know I am not alone in the to-blog-or-not-to-blog conundrum. Writing a quality post (which this may or may not be) is a lot of work.

I have so many post ideas about art and fabrics and trends and my house (duh), but my time is very very precious.

Yeah, that is kind of a sad little plea for feedback.

What would you like to read about here?

Ok, gotta clean the baby puke out of my bra and make sure Ike isn’t playing with knives…

Good to proverbially see you guys again. I’ve missed you.

Toodles.

[pictures via my pinterest, because I be tired]

It must look something like this:

Kind of heavenly. Pristine. Not in the least defiled by poop or vomit.

I’m pretty sure I’ll never be able to pull off anywhere near this much white ever again.

And yet… I might be ridiculously happy. I might feel like my heart will burst every time I look at my handsome boys.

I might have the most awesome life ever right now.

I’m working my way back into blogging but it may be slow going for a bit, distracted as I am by googly eyes and tiny toes.

I should probably admit that I am also distracted by constant cleaning of the aforementioned poop and vomit.

Tiny babies aren’t easy, but damn if they aren’t adorable x infinity.

Anyhow, I hope you all have a magical long weekend filled with lake parties, sunburns, and hangovers.

Know that I am with you in spirit.

Happy Labor Day!

Sorry for kind of dropping off the face of the earth for a while, but if you haven’t already figured it out, I had a baby. This post is going to be a bit wordy, so feel free to skip to the pictures if you want. They are pretty cute. Can’t say that I would blame you.

For those of you who enjoy Baby Story on TLC, here’s what happened: Wee Baby X was born on August 3 at 9:24 pm, which is a far more civilized hour than his big brother Ike chose (3am — thanks, bud!). Everything went swimmingly in the labor department, because apparently I shoot babies out like a potato gun. Everything did not go so swimmingly in the naming department, because as we all know I have commitment issues and choosing a name for a person to use his entire life is a little more stressful than choosing drapes (barely). And so Baby X remained nameless until the very last minute…

The minute at 2am when a random doctor woke us up and took our baby to another hospital’s NICU.

Not to be all melodramaculus, but watching a bunch of people wheel my baby away in one of those plexiglass boxes filled with IVs and tubes was possibly the worst moment of my life. And to top it off, they weren’t exactly sure what was wrong but suspected he would need major intestinal surgery.

We decided we better name the baby, and so he became Luke O’Connor Roy.

Now, I had this in mind when we chose his name:

Cool Hand Luke will beat the shit out of any obstacle that stands in his way. Also he can eat 50 eggs. Also also, he is very hot.

Meanwhile, I think Ben had this in mind when we named the baby:

Hmmmmm.

Anyway, to make a long, sleep deprived and tear stained story short, after many crappy tests and poking and prodding my days old baby, they decided he had pyloric stenosis and required laproscopic surgery. By this point we were just glad to know what the problem was. They scheduled surgery immediately and a few days later Luke came home with us.

And then this happened:

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww. My hormones are working overtime and I want another one already.

(Not going to happen)

We’re all happy and healthy now, and Ike is adjusting to the new situation fairly well… except that he keeps commanding Luke to start walking and talking.

I’m going to take a few more weeks off before returning to the blog, at which time you may find that an alarming number of posts about chocolate cake have replaced decorating decisions

Nursing makes you hungry.

If you’ve sent me an email lately and I haven’t replied, I apologize. But know that I have soaked up each and every one of your well wishes like a virgin pancake soaks up maple syrup.

Hungry.

Love you all and see you soon!

XO,

E

Hi guys — no baby yet, but my mama sense (and my doctor) say evacuation is imminent. I really wanted to bust out mega shoots of the rooms I’ve finished up, but I’m just too tired and uncoordinated. Like, I am physically unable to bend my body into the positions necessary to photograph small spaces.

So instead of trying to make some House Beautiful spreads happen (I wish), I told myself I could shoot just one sneak peek shot of each room. And I did. And now I feel all crampy and I’m racing just to type this before a baby shoots out of my bajingo…

In other words, this is going to be my last post until I show up with a bunch of sappy photos of a newborn baby. Let’s jam.

The front room/playroom is finally finished… mostly. Is anything really ever finished? Anyway, here’s my source list:

Paint color is Benjamin Moore Dark Harbor.

Couch is vintage Danish rosewood and wool boucle. You do remember Alexis, right?

Painting was thrifted long ago in California.

Rug came from Overstock, but the price has gone up since I bought it.

Chinoiserie etageres were purchased from Room Service and custom painted to match the walls by Matt. These were by far my biggest splurge — about $550 for the pair.

Sconces were $2.99 each at a thrift store, but I had to buy harps and scored some ultra fancy shades at TJ Maxx for $15 each.

Bengal Bazaar pillows came from Etsy.

Everything else is vintage thrift.

I was kinda convinced I would have the baby before I could even move a crib into the nursery, but we actually got a lot further on this room than I thought we would. It’s still missing some art and bedding, but it’s 90% there. Source list:

Paint color is Benjamin Moore Frappe.

Chair is vintage Milo Baughman that I had recovered in Togo fabric. This was the big splurge for this room — about $450 total.

Curtains are super cheap Ikea Ritva onto which my sweet MIL spent two nights sewing ribbon trim… LOVE THEM! Four panels cost $65 plus time. Can’t beat that.

Mongolian fur pillow came from the West Elm outlet for $5.

Light fixture came from Ebay.

Vintage Raoul Dufy screenprint came from Room Service for $28. I cut a new mat for it.

Bookshelf is Ikea Expedit.

Sheepskin rug is old news.

Everything else is thrifted.

And last but not least is Ike’s room. I think that I complain every time about how hard it is to shoot rooms in this house, but this room really is tough. I can’t wait to shoot it with proper lights, but not now. Mama is tired. Source list:

Paint color is Benjamin Moore Deep Secret.

The big boy bed was the major splurge here. I got it off craigslist plus I paid Matt to paint it, so about $450 total.

Light fixture and rocker are both vintage and appeared in Ike’s old room.

Rug is vintage and used to live in our old dining room.

Curtains are Ikea Aina.

Bedding is a super cute Ikea seersucker stripe that didn’t photograph well.

Blue velvet pillows are Ikea.

Sheepskin is Ikea.

Leopard pillow is TJ Maxx.

And that’s what I’ve been working on.

I’m not really sure when the baby will come out — I’m not actually due for another week. But I think I need a few days to myself before the main event, so I’m signing off for now.

Please add DC to your google/RSS feed so you’ll know when I’m back with baby pictures and more room reveals. Or you could just come and visit the archives. I used to write some pretty sweet posts before I got knocked up and my brain turned into jello.

It won’t be too long before my triumphant return… pinky swear.

Until then, I’ll miss you guys.

Be awesome.

Thanks so much for the kind birthday wishes yesterday! They took my mind off crows feet and liver spots for at least a few minutes, and that is priceless. Today I have the pleasure of sharing my bud Naomi of Design Manifest’s super stupendous renovations of two rooms for a brother/sister tween team. If you haven’t already checked out Naomi’s blog, you need to head on over there and hire her to redo your entire house.

This is why:

Have you ever been more jealous of two tweens? I mean, other than Victoria Justice’s legs, that blue bathroom is pretty much the thing I want most in this world. And the vanity with Swan lake wallpaper is totally the Bieber’s knees.

Go see the rest of the transformation as well as Naomi’s other stellar projects here.

I’m off to find an air conditioned place to do laps. Gotta get this baby out.

Laters!

That title really draws you in, right? Oh the nostalgia. The oozing sentimentality. If you’re scared already, you’re really going to hate the rest of this post. If not, read on brave souls.

So today is my 36th birthday, and — not to put too fine a point on it — that sucks balls. How did I get so old? When Karly and I started this blog four (yes, FOUR) years ago, we were two young(ish) and carefree girls out on the town, boozing our way through shelter mags and thumbing our noses at chintz.

Well, chintz and Ruthie Sommers would like to know who’s laughing now… oh, how times have changed. Acid Wasp is back.

So I may have trolled the DC archives and come up with a “Where Was Erin On Her Birthday Back Then?” compendium of posts from days of old.

Check it.

In a fit of tortured self examination, four years ago I was lusting/questioning my lust for Julian Schnabel’s Gramercy Park Hotel.

So pretty! So full of amazing art!

So unbelievably pretentious. A friend and I made it to NY a year or so ago and checked in at the Gramercy for $50 drinks and terrible service. Blech.

And of course three years ago in July, I had Sweet Baby Ike. Apparently October is a special time for me and the hubs…

There he is, all of one week old. Cute as a button. Can’t believe I’m doing this again…

Luckily kids get older and the job becomes more rewarding, and also there are endless opportunities to redecorate their rooms.

At least that’s my overlong mantra for now.

And this did not happen on my birthday, but it did happen when I had some extra time whilst nursing tiny Ike and watching football movies (creepy baby hormones!), plus it’s still one of my favorite posts ever so you must read it:

I love moodboards, and just figured David Bowie’s labyrinth needed some sprucing up. Nothing special. Maybe I will redecorate the forests of Legend when I feed #2? You never know what might happen around here.

Anyhow, back to my timeline: two years ago we were still on the endless house hunt, perhaps thinking we may have found the one.

Oh it looks pretty, but don’t be fooled. Way out in the middle of nowhere, weird labyrinth of rooms on the ground floor (one of which opened into a real life CAVE), and then there were the worms in the toilets… broken septic line apparently. Eeeeeewwwww!

Have I ever mentioned that Austin real estate is murder?

Kinda like this house:

Oh yes, there is a tree in the middle of the kitchen.

And merely one year ago we were still in our old house and I was busy buying and selling beds.

Goodbye, old bed. I kinda sorta miss you, but you were really too much for me. I think I like the setup in our new house better:

Man, I really still need new lampshades. Can’t believe that craptacular whip stitch has survived as long as it has…

Trite though it may be, I suppose the more things change, the more they stay the same.

And that’s it for Nostalgia Cruise 2012.

Hope you didn’t get too seasick.

Wow… I don’t really know what to say about all your kind comments about our bedroom, except thank you! I was maybe probably a little bowled over by the niceness, and definitely a lot grateful to Naomi for linking me up to her fabulous readers. All the comments truly made my day a little more bearable, by which I mean I was able to waddle upstairs to decide if I really wanted to buy this hot Ebay number for the baby’s nursery:

What with all the extra vim and vigor I had laying around, I then waddled downstairs and plugged that guy into the Olio Moodboard 3000, and this is what came out:

Yes, uber cool vintage fixture just got boughten. And while I was at it, I snagged those vintage sconces for a song:

Oh so cute with the little stars, but maybe a trifle dangereuse for a baby’s room? What if my little dude turns into a climber and impales himself on those pointy edges? Maybe I should hold out for these dumb Ikea PS sconces which I am convinced will never be released in the US?

Pretty dope, and I like the Bauhausy shape. I do not like that it takes LED lights. I know that’s not very environmentally conscious of me, but uggggghhhhhh. LED is gross.

So anyway, the nursery is humming along except for a few key details.

#1. My chair still isn’t done.

Maybe today? I need to see it in situ before I make any more $$$ decisions.

#2. I am so on the fence about window treatments.

Invest in spendy roman shades and have my MIL trim them in black? Buy some cheapo Ikea linen curtains and trim them in black or maybe royal blue to fill out the wall space?

Because it feels a little blank in there… maybe it’s the rug?

I kept trying to harness the amazingness of this neutral room:

But for whatever reason I am incapable of that kind of subtle layer action. Wendy Schwartz, you are just better than me.

And that brings me to the next key detail that must be addressed:

#3. The Baby.

Hey sucker, when are you coming out? How about July 31? That would give me the weekend to finish up some things, and it would allow you the glory and majesty of having a birthday during the best month of the year…

(full disclosure: my birthday may or may not be tomorrow)

So that’s what’s going on at my house. Thank you for all your positive feedback! You are solely responsible for powering the feeble engine of late stage pregnancy.

Together, we will make it through the finish line.

Well, you know what I mean…

Yesterday I had dreams of meticulously cataloging our bedroom with my camera. To that end I hid all the extra pillows required to comfort a huge pregnant belly to sleep. I stuffed the cardboard boxes full of maternity clothes into the bathroom (I patently refuse to integrate that disgusting crap into my actual wardrobe). I made up the bed. And then… I was tired. Exhausted, actually. Apparently I only have about 30 good minutes left in a day before I start getting shaky and weird.

But I am a warrior, so I took a few pictures anyway — just not as many (or as mind bendingly awesome) as I had hoped for. But pictures, nonetheless. Let’s do this.

First of all, THANK YOU SANDERS! for enduring sample harvest 2012, in which I set out to try every Benjamin Moore color ever made. I’m actually really happy with Dior Gray. Sometimes it’s purple, sometimes bluish, sometimes just gray. Always soothing and comforting.

So, this is not the ultimate configuration for our tiny bedroom… the rocker will probably get switched out and I need new lampshades and I did not style the space at all.

But you know what? I don’t like a lot of shit cluttering up my space. It makes me nervous. And while I’ve been in a mad rush to acquire big basic pieces before baby arrives, I do believe in slowly collecting only accessories that you really really love. So it will all get there. Someday.

But let’s talk about that ho-tastic bedding. You know, I don’t buy a lot of brand spanking new stuff. I like vintage, thrift, antiques. But I draw the line at undies and bedding. I mean, if you want to get crabs and bedbugs that’s your decision. Me, I like the delicious feeling of unconquered territory when I lay me down to sleep.

That meant new bedding, because my old linens were looking pretty haggard. I’m not sure how I feel about those crazy coral sheets — I did order a new set in “blush,” hoping they might be a little less HEY STRIPPER!. And then there is the giant faux lynx blankie. Practical? Yes. It will hide a multitude of sins, like leaves and maybe even baby vomit.

But maybe I like it better without?

Or with? I’m on the fence. It’s twin size so I could always use it to cover Ike’s new big boy bed or a sofa.

Anyway, that’s what I have going on so far. I didn’t really buy anything except for paint, Ikea linen curtains and bedding, so it wasn’t an exorbitant makeover. I painted the frame around the Pop Chalee print… I think that’s it. Minimal effort sans the endless repainting.

Ok, so maybe not minimal effort.

In case you’re wondering, all the bedding came from Overstock and it was super cheap. I think I got a bedskirt, sheets, new pillows and the fur blanket for $200. Not bad.

What’s bad is that our bed looked like this for five minutes before Ike came in and tore everything up in a mad frenzy of trampoline inspired gymnastics.

And that’s why I can’t have anything extra nice. So this will have to do.

I’m off to cut mats and other unfun stuff.

Hope you enjoyed the tour!

*** UPDATE ***

I forgot to include a before pic…

My eyes!