I Love City Snow.

I was in sunny San Francisco when the first blizzard of the season hit NYC. I love a good snowstorm, so I hoped for another one, and it finally came. It snowed all night, so the first thing I did in the morning was run to my kitchen window to see how many recognizable forms had been transformed into amorphous marshmallows. 

The entire backyard was completely white, and the only movement came from birds fluttering and bouncing comically from flimsy branch to flimsy branch. The sun was doing that crazy thing where it peeks through the clouds and it looks as though Jesus himself is shining a light on Brooklyn. 

With all signs of hazardous weather in the past, I armed myself with  3 cameras (4 if you include my phone) and ventured out into the wintery abyss. I had never seen city snow like this, and I think it made everyone feel like a kid again. Neighbors were chatting and joking while shoveling the sidewalks and stoops. Kids in giant puffy jackets were shoving handfuls of snow into their mouths. And then there were puppies. Oh god, I don't think there's anything I love more than dogs frolicking in the snow. I'm not sure if it's me projecting my joy upon them, but they look SO damn happy. 

I need to stop smiling. My face is starting to hurt. 

The view from my kitchen.

On the roof.

Overheard neighbors chatting.

"After I finish this sidewalk, I have to find a way to dig my car out."

"Oh man that sucks. Which car is yours?"

"Not sure."

I'm so not afraid of you. 

I think it would be fun to make little snow men with fruit faces on your friends' stoops or in really awkward places throughout the city. 

I think I'm becoming a pancake person. 

Fort Greene Park was a wonderland. People of all ages came with their toboggans, trash can lids, cross-country skis, and cafeteria trays to slide down that little hill. 

This is Shoko! He is the protector of Adelphi Street.

My Mom's Home Office.

I woke up this morning and thought, "Seriously Jen? 6 weeks since the last blog post? That's lame." No excuses here. I was just in a weird mood and didn't want to blog. My queue of projects to blog is pretty long, so happy 2011 everyone. Here we go...

Before the holiday I was working on Rachel's house. I was really hoping to have after pictures up before Christmas, but we ordered a few things that were backordered so as soon as those come in, I can take pics. Her place is alllllmost done. Can't wait to finish it up and show you guys.

In the meantime I went back to my parents' house in California for the holiday and worked on their house for a few weeks. Last year I showed you guys the exterior and kitchen, both of which we're super happy with. The house has been "done" for a year and the transformation still amazes me. I think when you put in 132.6% into a home improvement project, you never really tire of the finished product. Sometimes I sit in the living room and stare at the ceiling for quite some time and admire the crown moulding just bc i freakin' love it.

The entire house is furnished and functional, but I had to put some final touches on the rooms before I could release pics into the universe. My current favorite is my Mom's little home office. Unfortunately I don't have befores but it was pretty sad looking. Just take my word for it.  There was an ill-fitting glass table, the short end stump of a sectional sofa, a TV from the 80's, and a really ugly exposed storage area wallpapered in orange and brown tweed. I'm glad to say that ALL of that is long gone, and the room is looking mucho sexy. 

I was always a fan of the wide stripe we used on the Project Runway All Star Challenge, so I opted for the same paint treatment in my mom's office. The colors are Benjamin Moore Wet Concrete and Hazelwood. The gorgeous rug is from Williams Sonoma but has been discontinued. 

The cabinets are from IKEA. I spray painted them gray and embellished them with wood trim. More on how I pimped out those cabinets here. The desk is from Target. I found the chair on craigslist and sprayed it white. 

The sofa and ottoman is from Room and Board. The side table is from TJ Maxx. The pillows are from a home store in Taiwan. 

We finally put a door on that god awful storage nook. I put frosted window film on the glass to cover the clutter. The awesome shoe cabinet is from IKEA. It fills my heart with joy to see things fit that perfectly. The TV console is actually a buffet and is from Target. Again, perfect fit. <3 <3 <3 Oh and raisin colored french doors?!!

The pic on the left is me and ma with my grandmother. She's the real artist of the family. She made the shirt she's wearing as well as almost every article of clothing my mom and her 3 brothers wore in their youth. She's a self-taught everything and a wicked smart lady. 

THIS IS MY MOM! Isn't she fab? As you can see, she is WAY cooler than me. I definitely inherited her attention to detail and bargain shopping skills, but not her super skinny legs or keen fashion sense. I'm pretty sure every year she looks a little bit younger. Love ya, mama!