Hola Costa Rica!

Ding ding ding for AliyaP for correctly guessing Costa Rica right off the bat. Impressive. (You didn't leave your email so please contact me for your prize.)

So now you know where I've been, you know what that means - trip recap!

This trip was one of those last minute things that got planned very spontaneously. Costa Rica is quite large and has lots on offer but we were only going for a weekend so we picked a location at random. (More random than intended as I wanted to stay near the volcano area but due to a mix up on my part, I booked a hotel by the same name about 2 hours away.)



It pretty much rained non stop when we were there. It went from drizzle to torrential downpours. That did put a bit of a damper on our fun but there is no question Costa Rica is a beautiful place regardless of weather.



We were there on Valentines weekend so the hotel put this little surprise on the rug.





Sadly this was the only view of the volcano we got on our trip. I was hoping for glowing red flows of lava but I just got a cloudy mountain. Oh well - a reason to return.











I think you can tell the theme of the trip was green. Its a very lush landscape. And despite the wet weather, it was a lot warmer than NYC so that was a nice break from bleak winter we've been having here.

Painted.

I decided to ignore my ick yesterday and just forge ahead with the dresser painting (see this post if you have no clue what Im talking about)



It still needs work so Im nowhere near done but at least I accomplished something yesterday. More to come.

Bugs!

I had planned to have some great posts this week including a couple of trip recaps and the results of the living room dresser paint job. But I have to confess that I haven't done very much. I caught some kind of bug on Monday night and haven't had the energy to do much since. So my apologies for the lack of excitement today.

Until then, here is a photo of a different kind of bug from a recent trip. More to come on that soon.

wet butterfly takes flight

Are you still reading? To add a little energy around here, Ill give a tiny prize to whoever correctly guesses where this photo was taken.

Organizing with the Nest

Woo-hoo. Brooklyn Limestone was mentioned in the most recent issue of The Nest magazine. Several pages are dedicated to lovely organizing photos and tips from bloggers of all kinds. Granted, my tip is kind of obvious and common sensy but still...its in black and white. Adding to that excitment is being in the company of some amazing bloggers who were also quoted including Create Girl, Centsational Girl, So Haute, Apartment 34, Young House Love, Simply Grove, Traci Zeller, MadebyGirl and many more.



This issue is on newstands until Spring so run out and grab your copy asap. Thanks so much to The Nest for including me (and big kudos for featuring bloggers in general).

And if you are an organizing junkie and missed my junk drawer overhaul series, go check it out now.

Flashback: Baby Bird Bridal Shower

Now that blogging is so integral in my daily routine, sometimes its hard to remember that I had a life before I had a blog. I just happened to be going through some 'older' photos and found this baby shower I threw nearly 4 years ago for my closest friend. (If you want to see another baby shower, check out this entertaining flashback post).

The party was a simple brunch held in May of 2007. The colors were black and white and blue with a loose concept of using baby birds as a tie in.

I created a simple invitation with a tiny detail (that turned my house into a giant feather mess) of some furry feathers trim peeking out at the top. That lead to my discovery that feather wreathes are incredibly easy to make.



Followed by some mixed centerpieces of white branches with little birds perched randomly.



It was held in a church hall - something very common in most parts of the country but very unusual here - we usually host showers at restaurants.



The mother-to-be didn't want to do the usual gift opening bits (hooray!) so I had to come up with some other forms of entertainment. So I created a grown up paint by number activity - it seemed to go over well. At least I enjoyed painting them :)



Oh and let's not forget the station for giving advice to the new mom and dad. I wonder how that worked out?



I whipped up a pretty blue punch to serve in place of cocktails.



A light lunch was on offer with a sweet finish of a cookie + milk bar, complete with custom printed bags that had various quotes about family on each.



Before the soiree was over, everyone got to take home a little black and white photo album as a keepsake.



There were a few other details I must have never had a chance to photograph that I wish I could share but I was much more lax in my photo documentation pre blog days.

Hope you've enjoyed the stroll down memory lane.

Mentioned!

There are few things that thrill me more than being featured on one of my long time favorite sites. Especially when that blogger goes out of her way to give Brooklyn Limestone a throughout write up. Im sure every blogger feels the same but its worth mentioning.

So a huge thank you to Kim of Today's Creative Blog for the spotlight. It is such an honor to be included.

Hope you enjoyed the favorite nooks featured this week - giant thanks to Funky Junk Interiors, 6th Street Design School and Little House Blog for letting us in. If you have a favorite nook that is wow worthy, please send it in.

Favorite Nook: Aubrey & Lindsay's Little House

The final Favorite Nook (for now) is from the lovely Aubrey & Lindsay of Little House Blog. Their blog is full of bright home projects just about any home owner can use in one way or another. Their monopoly artwork is one of my favorite blog projects ever.

I was so excited to be asked by Stefanie where my favourite nook is in our house was. I knew right away what I wanted to share. One of my favourite nooks is our daybed/couch in my son, Oscar's room. The nursery is long and narrow, and on one side is an area that is flanked by a wall, and a built in bookcase. Here is what the room looked like when we bought it...
And here is what I turned it into....

Oscar's daybed/couch in his nursery

This little nook is where we have a daybed that acts as a couch. A single bed fit perfectly when we turned it sideways. And, by adding huge pillows, it now acts as a couch. It is where Oscar (8 months old) and I curl up and sink in for some comfy reading time. I have fallen asleep amongst those huge pillows, and I've also tossed all the pillows to the floor, and curled up under the white quilt. This little bed, tucked in between a wall and a bookshelf, is cozy because you are surrounded by walls. You feel like you're being hugged.

Mr. Bun Bun from my Mom is always with us

Seeing it all done, it seems obvious that a bed would go here. But coming to the final look wasn't so easy and actually was a little stressful. For the longest time we had a bed pushed up against the wall and it looked sad and cold. I couldn't figure out how to fill the white wall of nothing behind it.

The bed sat empty for the longest time as I debated what to do.

It dawned on me that what we should really do is a upholstered headboard. It added colour, a great design element, and best of all --- it made the bed extra cozy! So, I did a simple DIY headboard. I picked a gorgeous stripe fabric that I loved for its preppiness. Not too cutesy, so it would also grow with Oscar as he became a toddler.


I had a seamstress sew the pillow covers for the 24" pillows.

The headboard fabric was the starting off point but the pillows are what make it cozy and comfy. I put a number of 24" pillows on either side, to fill up the bed and make it more seating like. The throw pillows are integral to the nook - you need the right amount. Too many, and you have no where left to sit. Too little and you can't lean back and get comfy. Three on each side is the perfect number for us. My favourite ones are the light blue velvet with the piping...I had to pay extra for the detail of the piping, but the seamstress highly recommended with velvet to have piping...ad I agree.


The bookshelf on one side of the bed

On one side of the nook is a wall of bookshelves that were already there but we fixed up. They are filled with books, and the Ikea baskets are filled with clothes he's outgrown, or little trinkets to save. One thing I would love to add is a skirt to hide the Ikea bed that the mattress is on, but other things have become more of a priority. Maybe one day! :)


Oscar and I playing on the daybed

I hope you enjoyed our little nook and perhaps feel inspired for your own ! ;)
xo Lindsay

For more information, visit these links: DIY Headboard Project, Before & After Nursery, Our Bunting Flag project

Favorite Nook: 6th Street Design School

Another favorite nook from another fabulously stylish blogger. If you are a home design addict like me, you already know Kirsten of 6th Street Design School. But you might not know the very favorite spot in her home. Her adorable son's is a clue of how she outfitted this subtley themed nursery.

My very favorite nook in my house is my son Jett's room. This room was completely a work of love. I wanted it to be playful, colorful and have a feel of adventure.

The fabric is Dotscape Major by Dwell. I bought mine from Fabric.com. I had Erin from Plush Studio sew them up for me with a good lining to keep Jett's room a little darker. She did a fantastic job! The roman shade is from Downeast Home and is originally from Pottery Barn.

This great pillow is a nod to the adventure feel I wanted Jett's room to have. It's designed by Thomas Paul and I bought it at CSN. They carry a great selection of Thomas Paul pillows.

I saw this cute display done at Antrhoplogie with a strand of paper airplanes. I had my husband fold a whole bunch of them and I strung them together. They go from one wall to the other right over the crib and changing table.

The crib is from Wal-Mart and the bedding I had made by this Etsy seller. She did an excellent job and it turned out exactly how I wanted.

The only thing I would change about this room is to make it bigger so I could put more stuff in it!

I love this nook in my home because it reminds me what is most important in my life.

My son is the best thing in the whole world and he deserves a special room of his very own.

Favorite Nook: Funky Junk Interiors

Kicking off the return of the Favorite Nook series is Donna of Funky Junk Interiors. She takes upcycling to whole new levels in her home. If you have somehow missed her blog, make time to read up and see all of her amazing creative projects.

How thrilling is it being on Brookyn Limestone! Thanks for having me over Stefanie!

My most favorite nook of all is my funky eclectic blog area.

I'm a true blue junker, so when I found the saw horses, old ladder and palette boards, they were perfect for the desk.

The wall unit is simply pine components you purchase from Ikea. Painted, glazed, and framed out with zig zag palette board supports, the unit takes on a custom look. And is the perfect place to stash all my favorite things of course. :)

Quite simply, I love all the elements. The vintage pieces speak to me, while serving important office functions.

And rustic elements reside everywhere you look. I made no effort to cover up the fact that the desk was framed with a ladder. I love the additional exposed layers.

The top of the desk makes me smile every day. :) No two boards are alike which is what makes them extra special. We're all diverse in our own way, aren't we?

Just for fun bolt elements were added for some rustic desk jewelry. Screw a hole, plunk them in.

And the palette boards were lettered up in a random fashion to simulate reclaimed sign pieces.

What's not to love, when you surround yourself with all the things you love?

There is one other reason I REALLY love this space.

Pride has alot to do with this area. I built it. From the ground up.



I have the sunshine all around me. Pets nearby. My son next to me. The location is central. I honestly can't think of one thing I'd change!

Oh right. Yes. There is one thing. Doing away with that conservative off center chandy with half the bulbs untwisted. (whoops) Definitely. I'll get right on that...

My favorite nook.

Where passion takes over and time stands still.