Featured in "Design Sponge at Home"

I'm so excited! The pergola Gene and I built is featured in the Before and After section of Design Sponge at Home. Here's a blurb from The New York TImes:

"The book, Ms. Bonney’s first, has a smart-looking coral cover that promises to pop on the shelf. Its 400 pages are filled with photos, including nearly 200 pages of Sneak Peeks, in which homes — a number belonging to designers — are annotated with tips on how to replicate the look.

There are also D.I.Y. projects and a collection of “before and after” photos that seek to supply what Ms. Bonney thought was missing from previous design books aimed at her peers...

Chalkboard Cloth Lunch Bag, Blackboard cloth

Due to overwhelming response, I'm looking to fund this project and make it a reality. Take a look at this fun video I made for more details.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/575209219/write-on-lunch-bag

I’ve always loved blackboard paint, so I was thrilled to discover blackboard chalk cloth. Have you heard of it? It’s an easy-to-clean, versatile fabric, and you can use chalk to write on it! So, obviously, I thought it’d be great for a lunch bag for back-to-school (it just makes sense: blackboard, lunch bags, right?) This easy-to-sew bag is a great spot to chalk an important note to your kid, remind them of an upcoming test, let them know what’s for lunch or just tell them how special they are. It easily wipes clean with a damp paper towel. Patent Pending

Here’s how to make it:

WHAT YOU NEED:

• Scissors
• Black-board chalk cloth (I got mine at Bell’occhio)
• Straight pins
• Pinking shears
• Sewing machine
• Velcro sticker
• Chalk

WHAT YOU DO:

Step 1: Cut two 9 1/2 x 13 pieces of black-board chalk cloth:

Step 2: Pin right sides together and sew 3 sides, leaving a short side open. I cut the “open side” with pinking shears (not shown). Make sure to reinforce the corners by backstitching at the beginning and end of the seam:

Step 3: Pull the bag at its sides so a diamond shape is formed on top. Mark 2 inches from point of diamond to middle of diamond and sew across. Reinforce seams:

Step 4: Cut off the corners about 1/4-inch from seam:

Step 5: Turn the bag right side out. For closure, attach one half of a Velcro sticker to the top portion of one side, roll down and attach the other half to the other side:

Step 6: Write a sweet note to your kids!

Step 7: And just wipe away at the end of the day with a damp cloth:

My Birthday Gift to Myself

I usually treat myself to something nice on my birthday...a massage, a facial, a new pair of shoes. This year I went all out...even though the big "50" is next year. Introducing my brand new, Rosa Red, 2012 Fiat 500! LOVE!

Me and my sales rep, Adam.