Best of 2009 continued...

...

JULY: Baseball Invitations
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AUGUST: Passport Stamps Art
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SEPTEMBER: Cat Bed from a Suitcase
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OCTOBER: Halloween Creature Survival Kit Invite HalloweenInvite5

NOVEMBER: Sweet Cookie Exchange Invite
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DECEMBER: Buon Natale Party
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One of my favorite things about blogging is that I can look back to what I've been up to at any given point of time. I've never been very good about keeping journals but this is so much better because I have great feedback and encouragement from readers along the way.

So if you are still reading - what did you think of this year? Anything different you'd like to see in 2010? Do you think another post should have been included above?

Best of 2009

Another year over. Can you believe it?

I thought now would be a good time to recap some of the most popular posts from 2009. For anyone who is new to Brooklyn Limestone, consider this the cliff notes version for the year. (You can see 2008's top 10 here.)

JANUARY: Shopping for 'junktiques' in NJ Englishtown_PlateAisle

FEBRUARY: About us.
TimeSquare_KissBehindBouquetinStreet_Big

MARCH: Guestroom Complete
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APRIL: A weekend in London
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MAY: Brooklyn Botanic Gardens
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JUNE: Master Bedroom inching along. FramedBedroomTV4

If you are actually reading all of these posts, thank you. I've likely exhausted your patience. I'll finish up the time warp tomorrow.

A New Year's Giveaway...

Its been a busy year but I didn't want to let another day go by without giving credit where it is due. So a very heartfelt thanks to each of you who have taken time out of your own lives to participate at Brooklyn Limestone. Whether you are a frequent commenter, someone who emails me privately or reads silently, I appreciate it. Blogging has been incredibly motivating to me but only because you've been so encouraging. Thank you for letting me know I'm not just typing to myself.

Bookshelf Underwood Typewriter Black and White

Ok, enough of the sappy stuff. You want to know what the giveaway is, right?

Because this giveaway is my version of a personal thank you, I wanted to give something personal in return. And then I realized something personal is already right under my nose...

My Photographs!

KneelingStatues2CableCarstoLantauStBasils4RussianDollsRoostersUlun Danu Bratan Temple2

The prize:
The winner will be able to choose 3 prints (any size up to 11x14) or 1 large poster print (up to 20x30) from the collection of photos I have for sale.

WonderWheelCloseBrooklynBridgeThruTheViewfinder2Fromthewing3SmoothasGlassKrakow_SaltMineChandelier2Krakow_MonkeyKnockers

How to enter:
1. Comment with which photos you'd select and/or how you would use them.
2. Post about this giveaway on your blog and then leave the link in the comments.
3. Tweet about this giveaway on twitter and then leave your twitter name in the comments.

Enter as often as you like. Please be sure to include a way to get in touch with you in your entry.
EmpireStatetoChryslerBldgViewfinderEmpireStateDialsHippodromeLeopardLustRobinIslandLeperTomb2BWVersaillesSign

I'll announce the winner in January.

Guest post: Kelly's Bungalow Bathroom

This year, I've been very lucky to have had 15 skilled and stylish guests take the time to write up a post for Brooklyn Limestone. So when Kelly of Tearing Up Houses volunteered to share her lovely bathroom redo, I couldn't resist adding one more to the list. Without further ado, I'll let Kelly tell you all about it ...

I first stumbled onto Mrs. Limestones' blog, when I started writing my blog late this summer. It's still one of my favorites!

I love reading about the adventures and surprises her and her husband have experienced while renovating and settling into their (quite beautiful) home in New York. So you can imagine how excited I am to guest post here!

Today, I'm going to share a guest bathroom that I remodeled not too long ago.



When I first bought my 1958 Florida bungalow in 2005, both of the bathrooms were, well, a nightmare, to say the least. The kitschy light fixtures. The pastel pink and aqua blue Grease era tiles. The pint size porcelain toilets and teeny tiny vanities that were crammed into areas so small, that brushing your teeth, showering, and flushing the toilet could easily be accomplished at the same time. Without moving your feet.

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The guest bathroom, in particular, wasn't much more than a glorified shoe box. Every single thing in it had to be replaced right down to the messy plaster walls. Many, many evenings were spent hauling out chalk white rubble. It's amazing how much dust and debris a few walls of tile and plaster can produce.

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When I put it back together, I went for a locally influenced aesthetic; sort of a clean, South Beach bungalow flavor. Plus, thanks to a demolished linen closet in the hallway (which bought quite a few square feet), a bit of reconfiguring, and a complete rebuild of all of the surfaces, there is now enough room to break dance in the bathroom. Or just shower comfortably. Whichever you prefer.

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So that's the story of my 1950s pastel horror that I tore apart and redesigned for more square footage. Quite a change, no? If I had more time (during the middle of demo, a couple signed a lease on the home, so everything was rush, rush until completion!) I would have done a few things differently, but overall I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. (But, really, could it have gotten much worse?)

Thanks for taking a peek!

Oh and, if you watch the DIY Network’s show Bathtastic, keep your eyes peeled for my little ugly duckling Tinkle Town. She’ll be debuting her new look in March!

TIPS
-If you are replacing the lighting and/or drywall, make sure to install products specifically designed for moisture resistance.
-Shop for materials in person to get an idea of quality and then compare prices online. Or, many times you can negotiate additional discounts by simply talking to a store manager. I put majority of my budget into the marble flooring and quality subway tiles, and then was very careful with the rest of my purchases. The vanity was a great find on Ebay, but I had to assemble it myself.


MATERIALS
Marble on the floors from Floor + Decor in Pompano Beach.
Subway tile on the walls from Floor + Decor in Pompano Beach.
Linens from The Horchow Collection, www.Horchow.com.
Vessel sink with European hardware from Ebay.
Toilet from American Standard.
Bathtub from American Standard.
Shelving from Pottery Barn, www.PotteryBarn.com.
Painted solid wood mirror from Home Depot.
Frames and baskets from Target, www.Target.com.
Drywall is Durock from Lowe's.
Recessed lighting is Halo Lensed Shower Trim from Lowe's.


Thanks so much to Kelly. If you want to see more about her, visit her blog, Tearing Up Houses. And if you missed my previous guest bloggers, please give these a look as well.

Christmas Magic

Merry Christmas from our home to yours...

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Christmas Mail 2009

Can you believe Christmas is just 2 days away? Where did 2009 go? For that matter where did this entire decade go? I hope I'm not the only one who feels like the impending doom of year 2000 was yesterday.

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If you remember last week's post, I don't send out traditional Christmas cards. I send out a little surprise packages instead - each year is something different. This year I used my new screenprinting machine, the Yudu, to make up tea towels.

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This was the first time with the Yudu so I was worried but it all worked out pretty well. I'll share more about the whole thing in another post. (If you can't wait to hear more, check out Erin Bassetts blog for a lot more info than I will ever have.)

This project was pretty time consuming so thankfully, Mr. Limestone lent a hand. After we had we print and heat set each one, the package had to come together. I printed little cards to tie around each towel. Out came the supplies.

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The tags read: Enclosed is a gift, especially made, wishing you joy in the new decade. Dry, wipe or clean, its uses are plenty. May your messes be few and your blessings be many.

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Each towel got rolled up, tied with a red and white striped ribbon and inserted into a mailing tube.

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Here is one in situ on my oven. I hope everyone got a kick out of them.

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For those that can't read it in the photo, the towel reads: The {insert our last name} wish you a clean start, unblemished luck, pure love and happy messes in 2010.

Time to start thinking about what to send next year!

Rock the Vote! The Homies.

Apartment Therapy has just opened this years home design blog award process.



The competition is just too incredibly fierce (and fabulous and talented) to have any hope of placing. But I'd love your nomination just the same.


Click here to nominate Brooklyn Limestone.

3 Clever Creative Christmas Ideas

After our Buon Natale party, I've just left all the decorations up and called it a day. But just because I'm not doing much in the creativity department this year, doesn't mean Im not admiring some great ideas found on other blogs.

First up the amazing and stylish, Ish & Chi.




I don't know about you but I find it challenging to create modern Christmas displays. Well Vivian has nailed it. See for yourself. You know how much I love to hang things from the ceiling but this arrangement of muted silver balls just takes my breath away. Perfection.

Another hang from the ceiling gem comes from the ever clever Vintage Junky.


She revives the old school days snowflakes into a thing of beauty. She even posted an easy to follow how-to for her readers. A craft that doesn't require any special materials is a thing of beauty!

On a much smaller scale but no less adorable are the pinecone elves crafted by GreatFull Day.

Sure, it was a martha idea but I always find it much more inspiring when I see a fab version made by a real person rather than a team of professionals. Don't you? I think Im going to have to make these as gift tags next year if I can remember to pick up some pine cones.

I could have easily made this post 100 pages long with all the fabulous holiday decor ideas I see in the blogosphere every single day. These three are a just the ones that stuck in my head.

How about you - have you seen some fabulous holiday decor ideas out there? Please share them with a comment.

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