 
I read somewhere once that pink was the color for dressing baby boys in during the 1700′s since it is a muted form of red, which to this day, is thought of as a masculine color. Well, somewhere along the line that whole idea went totally out the window and most men today recoil at the very idea of pink entering into their field of vision at any point during the day. I, however, love love love pink (I almost bought a pale pink wedding gown, but my dear daddy wouldn’t have it) and have found a successful way to incorporate it into the home I share with two males. (Granted, one of them is unable to voice his opinions on any aesthetic choices yet, but maybe he’ll come around by the time he can talk, and I’ll have saved his wife a whole lot of trouble.)
- Introduce the idea casually. Use words like “fuschia” or “sorbet colors”, don’t say the actual word “pink”.
- Bring in items slowly so that the process happens gradually without causing any shock. I started with the wallpaper, but initially convinced him it was more red than anything. Next I bought the pillow and brought in peonies from the yard. That set the tone for the kitchen curtains and tablecloth. Next I put Queen Zozo up all over the kitchen.
- Ask him “What do you think of this new arrangement in the living room?’ Oh, you like it? You know, it’s pink. It’s hot pink.. . . . like hot Barbie pink. . .. and you are ok with that?” You are? Oh good.. . . So. . . what do you think about painting the bathroom a light creamy sort of berry color?. . .
This white lamp on the table is the one from the second hand store , I painted the pair of them white and decided to split them up for now. I hope to find two matching shades later and put them in the dining room flanking my watercolor painting of a giant PINK flower.
I might go for a more artsy print from Amy Butler or Anna Maria Horner with the curtains but in the mean time this pink stuff is fun for the kitchen windows.
My sister-in-law and I found this print in the airport in Denver of all places (during one of the looooong layovers that make you peruse every store 6 times slowwwwwwly just so you don’t have to go sit in a chair for another hour of mindnumbing boredom). I decided this odd little girl had to come home with me and live in my kitchen. She kind of reminds me of Freggie.
 This design idea came about as a result of The Blizzard of 2010. I was trapped at home for several days– nothing was open and there was no way to get anywhere even if the stores were up and running. I had been needing a baby gift for Justus and hadn’t found anything I really liked, so with nothing but time on my hands, I decided to makehim something. I don’t keep much sewing/crafting stuff around, but I do have one small bag of odds and ends to draw from. I also knew Tim had been wanting to get rid of some sweaters, so I had him go through his shelf and pull down what he didn’t need anymore– and Voila! the Baby Owl Sweater was born.
I used a blue crew-neck sweater with a small knit that was too large for Tim and started cutting down the middle of the front.
Then I cut the rest of the sweater down to size.
I wanted the inside seams to be finished looking so I first sewed the edges of the sweater with wrong sides together, flipped that inside out, and sewed with right sides together, creating a finished seam and making sure to leave space at the top as armholes.
Next I needed some finished looking “arms” so I cannibalized one of the original arms of the sweater, cutting off a length that looked about right for a baby’s arm….
….and then cutting that down the center, right in half, to form two “baby arms” out of one “adult arm.”
To get the arms ready to be sewn onto the body of the sweater, I cut their tops off in a half-moon shape so that they would hang from the body at an angle.
Using the same “finished edge” technique as I used to sew the body of the sweater together, I sewed the arm up the middle to create a tube.
I attached the arm tube to the sweater this way.
And here’s a closer look at how to do that.
Then the same thing on the other side.
To finish off the seams running up the center of the sweater, I sewed a piece of ribbon to the edge and turned it under (in other words, the ribbon is now on the inside of the sweater and doesn’t show on the outside.)
To finish the bottom edge, I first machine stitched a hem and then hand-sewed the base for looks.
The rest was the fun part– all the decorative work– making button holes and sewing on leather buttons, machine-stitching around an owl and branch for a whimsical touch, and hand-sewing the owls eyes.
Finished! This sweater was my first attempt and I kept it for Peabody. I made another one out of a yellow sweater of Tim’s (the more professional version) once I’d worked out the kinks in my original design, and that one went to Peabody’s cousin Justus.
meghan, February 9th, 2010
 This is my favorite of the two. Here are some lovely ideas for your Valentine’s cards. I adored her work so much that I got two of these for myself and plan on framing them for my guest bedroom. Visiting her site again, I saw some new works that walls might not be complete without. I’m totally loving the Eiffel Tower and carousel. And how fun is that super hero one?
 This looks like a Paris street scene.
meghan, January 5th, 2010
 Milk glass candles. I also sprinkled some white feathers around them. The Christmas decorations are down and I could almost cry because the house seems so empty. I love seasonal decorations, especially in the winter.
I don’t know if you have ever seen milk glass in the antique stores. Vases, cups, plates and all of it for a dime a dozen. If you should come across some vases, buy them and fill your fireplace mantle with them. You won’t regret it. Put little votives in them and you will have the most lovely wintry mantle ever.
caitlin, December 31st, 2009
 I finally selected this absolutely weird and delightful calendar. I hope Zac doesn't object to its Marie Antoinette girliness. I get excited about buying my new calendar. Probably more excited than is decent and normal, but I do. A fresh, crisp calendar includes most of the things I love: pretty pictures, paper or graphics, orginization and record keeping. And there is excitment is wondering what the pages will be filled with over the new year. . vacation dates will be penciled in, my son’s birth will have a date and time, I might record a planting schedule this spring since I’ll have a yard all my own for the first time, and then there are all the wonderful, normal things you scribble down. Dinner plans, babysitter’s phone numbers, deadlines, reminders. The work and play that make your life, yours.
So here’s to a magical 2010.
 I think September will be my favorite month's picture to look at. I imagine I'll do a lot of baking that month. . .  Love it  It may be a little weird staring at these oddball characters for all of August, but maybe they will grow on me.  The best part is that I will chop this to bits at the end of the year and turn it into cards, and valentines and other fun things. I had never heard of the artist, her name is Gianna Majzler and as far as I can tell this is the only site you’ll find her whimsical work. I think it would be so fun to throw an Alice in Wonderland themed birthday party for Freyja with all of the decortations and things you can buy. Maybe I’ll put it down on the calendar now. . . .
meghan, December 22nd, 2009
 This chalk definitely fulfills my need for color, and on black it's just amazing. I have always loved those kitchen chalkboards, messy though they are, and I finally made one for myself. Heaven only knows what I’ll find to write on it but it sure does look cool. That’s all that really matters, right?
I finished putting on the last coat of paint last night. I’m an impatient person and wanted it on my wall today. Fox was asleep so I quickly drilled holes in the board, slammed a nail in the wall and got it hanging. Unfortunately it is now 11:30 and I’m still in my pajamas. I just hope someone doesn’t knock at the door. They wouldn’t understand. Though I’m still in my bathrobe, I got a lot accomplished.
I really do have to get dressed, though, as you can see from the board I have a children’s craft party here at 1:00. My dining room will soon be filled with small children sprinkling glitter and glue all over the room. What fun!
meghan, December 8th, 2009
 So here are some of the kids' stockings.  I got this one done so Fox would have a stocking for Christmas. Because I don’t knit but wish I did, I have to cheat. I had this lovely throw for the living room that finally got a hole in it. Not wanting to just throw it away, I chopped it up to make a stocking for Fox.
caitlin, December 2nd, 2009
My mother in law had the great idea to make old fashioned silhouettes for Thanksgiving. It was a fun thing to do while the turkey cooked and everyone got pretty creative with the action shots. There’s still time to get this fun project together for your Christmas celebration!
She got the idea from Time Out New York Magazine. You can see the “how to” and follow along with the pictures here.
My mom has an adorable collection of framed silhouettes that her mom had made of the four children in the family. They used to hang in our living room, all lined up and looking adorable.
 The four little Jarretts So I thought I would try to re-create the same sort of thing with photo of Zac, Freyja and myself.
 I took some profile shots of us, got them printed, and then cut them out. Then I traced them onto good, DARK BLACK paper. You need it to look crisp, not like that grey-black construction paper you often find. 
Ta Da! Now I just have to find some cute, matching frames and the perfect nook to hang them all up together.
meghan, November 3rd, 2009
 This little watercolor my sisters brought back for me from Germany ages ago and I finally got it framed. My addiction happens to be framing. I adore getting pictures framed and I think it’s because I love color so much. I stand there with a myriad of mat board choices in front of me. Picking the right one makes even a ho-hum picture look glorious and the wrong colors can make a beautiful picture look drab.
Unfortunately my addiction started while we were still poverty stricken, to be exact, Eric had no job. I found, at an antique store for an absolute steal, an original etching that had monumental potential it just needed a fairy godmother to transform it. I was the one for the job.
I brought the picture back from the frame shop. “Doesn’t it look amazing?” I enthusiastically asked Eric. “How much did that cost?” “Doesn’t it look amazing?” I asked again hoping to avoid the question. It was for us at that time an expensive venture. But to this day I am thankful I got it done. It hangs in a prominent spot right over my fireplace and I love it every time I look at the picture.
 The house is where Martin Luther was born.
I took this photo a week or so ago when Zac noticed it on the way home from work. Lots of people in Seattle are intruiged by the tagger known as Cold Killer. And now I’m wondering. . . . . . why am I feeling sucked in too?
In some minds he is Seattle’s graffiti darling, a favorite with his own band of followers. In other’s opinion he’s the mentally challenged menace who is ruining public property and creating the same eye soar all over the city.
Loved by many, hated by most, the pac man ghost artist is alive and well, and you’ve just got to wonder, “what’s his deal?”
The story, according to a phone interview in 2004 between Seattle’s Stranger and the Cold K himself goes like this: Cold K witnessed a murder while out on the streets somehwere in the Central District. He reported it but he says the cops wouldn’t listen to him. He was so messed up over never knowing what became of the murderer that he just started writting “Cold Killer” and drawing morbid pictures on walls and things all over:
(Above: Flikr photos- follow the links for credits)
“I started out doing skulls and crossbones, anything sort of death-related, and then it became a ghost,” The Cold K told the Stranger.
Certain people laud Cold K and other graffitist as artist, cultivating an urban art expression, all their own. There are the masters, and there are the punks who just scribble their initials on any wall they can get their paws on.
Here’s one of Cold K’s groupie on the subject:
“Sure, there were other taggers painting all over Seattle, but Cold K’s expressionless ghosts were identifiable, noticeable, and varied enough in style that they didn’t become boring. I imagine that if I owned property in the city I wouldn’t be too fond of graffiti artists but, since I don’t, and since I’ve always been a big fan of culture subversion, Cold Killer is my favorite tagger in Seattle.”
But do taggers see themselves as artists, perfecting their “skills” and honing their expressionism?
”I try to make my art look as nice as possible, so people will like it” Cold K said (again Stanger interview), ” but I have some motor damage, and my brain is kind of rotted out from huffing and other drug abuse, so the pieces usually come out super shitty. That is what makes me paint a lot. I think if I practice #?% and my tags aren’t so shitty, people won’t hate it so much.”
After 5 years and counting, the Cold K is still going strong. Or is he? With all his fame, I could only think he had to have some copy cats out there. I did some more research and learned that if the ghost has teeth, it’s not his tag.
So my above photo is of an imposter. I couldn’t belive it! I had to go out and find an original, and armed with my wealth of Cold K information I think I’m up to the challenge.
Taite is our secret weapon, the fifth daughter. We have her hidden away until we need to bring out the big guns.
 Water Falling on Oranges Taite gets these little photography ideas in her head and off she goes, “mom, would it hurt the oranges if I poured hot water on them?” ”No, they’ll probably be fine,” I say; and wonder why does it have to be hot water? Harold Edgerton would be impreseed, I’m sure former M.I.T professor Harold Edgerton
My girlfriend, Chesed, is going to have a little girl and a friend, Emily, and I hosted her shower.
This was the picture I took for invitations, with the party information typed on velum over top and green card stock underneath.
Emily brought over the flowers and we made little place cards of green cardstock and gold embossed birds.
I hate to admit it, but I enlisted Martha Stewart to make these pom-poms. The instructions and tasks were very simple and the end product was actually similar to the photos– a miracle coming from that woman. So with a clean conscience I offer Martha Stewart’s Pom-Poms.
THESE, on the other hand, left me feeling the way most Martha Stewart crafts do: incompetent, betrayed, suicidal. There was definitely something more reminiscent of ”Jabba the Hutt” about them than “baby chick”.
When the ladies arrived, we had a table set up outside where they could decorate spit cloths for baby Lois.
I had stiched up some letter “B”s and other things to monogram the cloths.
Chesed’s grandma shows everyone how to get the job done.
A spit cloth any baby would drool over.
Meanwhile, Emily and I were busy in the kitchen making waffles and plating the food. OK, Emily was busy, and I was taking pictures.
Emily had a wonderful recipe for the waffle batter and I loosely followed one of Emeril’s for the breakfast casserole.
Chesed’s mom brought along three generations of baby pictures (Chesed, her mom, and grandma) that we passed around at breakfast to get an idea of what Baby Lois might look like.
For the gift, everyone contributed to a jogging stroller and also brought along their favorite children’s book to start Lois’ library.
For her gift, Chesed’s mom gave her the original copy of her favorite book growing up The Monster at the End of This Book.
 The valley in oil paints
 Purple eggplants copied from a Gourmet magazine photo
I love color and right now the favorite seems to be orange, not just any orange but a wonderful tangerine color. It’s perfect for spring. So perfect in fact that I almost bought some tangerine colored peeps simply for the color. Don’t ask me what I was going to do with them once I got them home, maybe decorate the fireplace with them or something because I sure as heck wasn’t going to eat them.
I’m so drawn to colors and while I’m drooling over tangerine right now, the color I will be most loyal to is purple and all its various shades and hues. I never tire of looking at the color. It’s not surprising then that my most favored paintings are mostly purple.
 At the beginning of last year I was in the depths of depression touring apartment after depressing apartment, all victims of college kids and their famously bad taste. So I sighed with relief when I found this place and realized I wouldn’t have to live in a place reminiscent of a state penitentiary. My guess is that this converted house was built in the early 1900s and the windows at the front entrance are the lovely original diamond leaded glass. It’s right across from the city park and we get a great view of all four seasons from our picture window in the living room.
I benefit from living with a great artist! Those are some of her oil paintings over the sofa.
The kitchen in our apartment is the part of the house that seems to have retained some of the cool features of an older home – funky cabinets and shelves give the room some character.
Most of my meals are eaten standing in this room…
The apartment is small and has a lot of windows so we actually ran out of wall space to display all our pictures! I worked this up and was pretty pleased with it.
There are quite a few strange spaces like this little nook in the kitchen. Thankfully we are all pretty creative and have found good uses for most of them.
 We don't have a headboard so this painting seconds as one.
 - Not much to say, I just like this nook.
 This cabinet is huge. I found it at an antique store on the Eastern Shore. It was over 9ft tall when we bought it but we had to take it down to 9' so that it would fit in the dining room. I still need to re-finish it.  Anywhere I could replace a light with a chandelier, I did.  I love this heavy, gold guilt mirror in my kitchen. I was given it by a friend when they were re-decorating their living room. My house is pretty neutral and spare but I like putting in a little "bling" here and there to catch your eye.  A good kitchen faucet can make all the difference! I wanted substantial-looking one that I could pull out and spray across the room if I wanted to, without it looking tacky.  They're fake but I still have a soft spot for these flowering magnolia branches.  I am rather proud of how organized my closet is. You can't tell from these pictures but it is color-coded as well as arranged by item-type. As Caitlin explained in the trailer to this week’s posts, my house is a work in progress.
When we bought it, our home was a basically a vacant, unlivable space in a transitional part of DC’s historic Capitol Hill neighborhood, a 1910 row-home that had probably been lovely at one time but had lived through rioting and looting of 1968 following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the crack wars of the 1980′s. We moved in right after the stain had dried on our newly re-finished wood floors, brought to life after being buried for years underneath layers of tile, plywood and liquid nails. We gutted the bathrooms, replaced broken tile with marble, hung chandeliers, ripped down the letters declaring our guest room to be “Mikey’s” room, scrubbed, bleached and painted every surface, and cleaned the bugs out of the freezer. For months I was still doing dishes in the bathtub, but eventually it all started to take shape.
I think we are a mild breed of what they call “urban pioneers”, and I was reminded of why I like this life when our African-American neighbor yelled out her second-story window at a man peeing on the side of our house “Ain’t no one gonna disrespect Tim and Erin while I live here!” All this pioneering tends to foster a neighborliness I’ve never experienced anywhere else, and nothing beats the satisfaction of taking a sledgehammer to a rotting Formica counter-top and replacing it with whatever you like.
Our nighborhood has it’s own e-mail listserve, blog site, even a wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H_Street_(Washington,_D.C.) It has also been featured in several articles by the Washington Post highlighting the revitalization of DC:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34449-2004Jun11_2.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/24/AR2008062400483.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/17/AR2007031700699.html
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