We had a leak.

Ugh. We had a leak. A bad one. I knew we had a problem in our kitchen when I FELT the wood floors buckling. Water was coming out from beneath the dishwasher. It was running down the wall in the basement. You see, those floors have a special place in our heart because we installed them ourselves...

So sad.

And even sadder, we were headed out of town the next day. So, the following week we directed all repairs over the phone from Boston.

However, when we got home it wasn't good. The color was wrong and the craftsmanship was terrible. What's up with the floor being three shades darker around the baseboards?!

After a lot of back-and-forth, the flooring guy was fired and the floors were sanded down completely. Two coats of Jacobian stain were applied and here is what they look like now! (Two coats of sealer still need to go on. And we need to put the kitchen back together.)

For the remainder of the week I'll be posting about flooring.

Hopefully, I'll have some "after" pictures by Wednesday.

Back from HERE.

We recently returned from a really nice trip to New England. Jason and I were thrilled to be able to attend my stepsister Ashley's wedding on the North Shore of Massachusetts. It was such a lovely evening.

Here is a pic of the gorgeous bride and groom.

The most "exciting" part of the wedding was when my stepmom realized (as she was walking out the door) that her shoes were BRIGHT white and not cream like her dress. With no time to spare we had to think quick. We dyed her shoes with tea! Here are some pics of my dad doing the handy work.

The shoes turned out perfectly. (In all the chaos I didn't get a picture of Carole with them on.)

Over the wedding weekend we stayed at my dad and stepmom's place. They live in an old carriage house. This is their living room.

I think my stepmom has exquisite taste.

Now we're back and I'm working on several projects. Here is a sneak peek of my client Nancy's house. She lives in Peachtree Hills and her historic home has tons of charm. Here is a "before" shot of her dining room window.

For this window, we're making a roman shade out of the this ikat fabric.

"After" pics coming soon!

Great Transformation!

I am always impressed by people who can create chic design on a budget in a less-than-desirable space. Sherry and John, from Young House Love, are a perfect example of how to do this. Just take a look at their living room!

Before...

After...

The rest of their house is just as amazing as the living room.

Take the tour here.

One Nightstand

Some inspiration for your bedside table...

decorpad

channel4.com

decorpad

Phoebe Howard

via decorpad

Danish Dessert

Carter and Company

Massucco Warner Miller

Wrapped Linen Furniture

I'm really liking linen wrapped furniture. It's a great way to add texture to a room. I think it would be great for a coffee table. It's an Asian technique so many of the pieces available are of that style. However, it also looks great on Parsons-style pieces. Here are a few of my favorites:

Logan Cocktail Table, Furniture Guild

Chinese Cube Coffee Table, Matthews & Parker Ltd.
White Laquer & Linen Wrapped Parsons Table, Assemblage

You can try this technique on your own. "Furniture Restorer to the Stars", Christophe Pourney, offered this tutorial on the Martha Stewart Show.

Tools and Materials

• Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) cut to desired size of tabletop.
• Linen, cut a few inches larger than tabletop on all sides
• Poly-acrylic finish
• Bristle brush
• Old iron
• Scissors
• Razor blade
• Furniture wax
• Felt rag

Linen-Wrapped Table How-To

1. Starch and press linen.

2. Apply poly-acrylic finish to one side of MDF with a bristle brush. While still wet, place MDF finish-side down on linen.

3. Turn MDF linen-side up. Iron dry, permanently adhering fabric to MDF.

4. Cut corners of linen at 45-degree angle; fold and crease fabric to make mitered corners. Apply poly-acrylic finish to edges; press fabric into finish and iron in place. Trim excess fabric with razor blade.

5. Apply topcoat of poly-acrylic finish to entire tabletop.

6. Apply wax with clean cloth; buff with felt to shine. Place tabletop on base.

Resources

Polycrylic finish by Minwax is available on Amazon. Linen is available at fabric stores. All other tools and materials are available at home-improvement stores.

Read more at Marthastewart.com

Soup's On... Pizza Rustica

image courtesy of hauer blog

This recipe is a bit involved but not difficult. And it's definitely worth the time. If you want to take a shortcut, use pre-made pie crust from the refrigerator section of the supermarket. (You might have to piece two crusts together so it's big enough to fit the spring form pan.)

Recipe Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 ounces hot Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 (12-ounce) bunches fresh spinach, stemmed, coarsely chopped (about 12 cups), or 1 (10-ounce) package frozen cut-leaf spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta
• 12 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
• 4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, coarsely chopped
• 4 large egg yolks, beaten to blend
• Pastry Dough, recipe follows
• 1 large egg, beaten to blend

Directions

Position the rack on the bottom of the oven, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the sausages and saute until golden brown, breaking the sausage into pieces, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the same frying pan over medium heat. Add the spinach and cook until the spinach wilts and the juices evaporate, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Squeeze the spinach to drain as much liquid as possible.

Into a large bowl, add egg yolks and beat lightly. Stir in the ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese. Add the sausage, the spinach and prosciutto to the mixture and stir to combine.

Roll out larger piece of dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 17-inch round. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch springform pan. Trim the dough overhang to 1 inch. Spoon the ricotta mixture into the dough-lined pan. Roll out the remaining piece of dough into a 12-inch round. Place the dough over the filling. Pinch the edges of the doughs together to seal, then crimp the dough edges decoratively. Brush the beaten 1 large egg over the entire pastry top. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan over the top. Bake on the bottom shelf until the crust is golden brown, about 1 hour.

Let stand 15 minutes. Release the pan sides and transfer the pizza to a platter. Cut into wedges and serve.

Pastry Dough:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/4 cup cold solid vegetable shortening, cut into pieces

1 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs, beaten to blend

2 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Blend the flour, the butter, the shortening and salt in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Blend in the eggs. With the machine running, add the water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough forms. Gather the dough into a ball. Divide the dough into 2 pieces, with 1 piece twice as large as the second piece. Flatten the dough pieces into disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until the dough is firm enough to roll out, about 30 minutes.

Yield: 2 dough pieces (enough for 1 Pizza Rustica)

New IKEA Catalog!

I love getting the IKEA catalog in the mail. Who doesn't?! I love IKEA and we have been really pleased with our kitchen we purchased from the store. I also think their tableware and glassware collections are unbeatable. The 2011 catalog has some really stand-out items. Here are my top picks:

HOVAS sofa - $499

Additional white slipcovers are only $49!

GREGOR swivel chair - $99.99

SMARTA oven/roasting dish - $14.99

JONSBO BARBI lamp - $59.99

SONDRUM frame - $4.99 (mat included!)

HEMNES 3-drawer dresser - $199

EDLAND 4-poster bed frame - $299

VANVIK bed frame (queen) - $399

Nate Berkus for HSN

I've seen a few items from Nate Burkus' line in passing but I recently took a look through the whole collection. There are some really great pieces. Here are a few of my favorites from HSN.com.

Hexagon Cocktail Ottoman - $399.95

Herringbone Blanket - $39.95

Bamboo-Style Metal Table - $199.95

Braided Gold Decorative Pillow - $34.95

Handcrafted Slipper Chair - $329.90

View the entire collection at HSN.com