Easter is coming.

I was talking to my kids about Easter a week or two ago and their little eyes were getting bigger and bigger as I reminded them about the Easter bunny and all his treats. Also there is the little matter of the dying of the eggs. Kids LOVE that stuff. (moms do, too).

Grace went so far as to declare "Easter might be even. better. Than. CHRISTMAS. MOM!!!!!!" I feel like kindergarten has made her sort of dramatic.

Today I'm busy catching up on client work and long past due emails. But there is an end in sight! We are hopefully taking a road trip to upstate New York tomorrow morning and we'll be gone for a couple of days. On the agenda: reacquainting ourselves with grass and trees, antiquing, a children's museum in Rochester, and lots of together time. No computers bigger than phones allowed. I can't wait and my fingers are crossed that Michael won't get tied up in last minute work (poor guy works too hard - love you, baby).

I've got two posts lined up for Thursday and Friday that you won't want to miss. Lots of really amazing readers' project submissions. If you have any sort of interiors or DIY projects that haven't been featured elsewhere that would be a good fit for LGN, shoot me an email: jenny @jennykomenda.com. I'd love to see what you've been up to.

Alright, back to the old ball and chain. I'm glad I had some left over yellow and pink flowers from the arrangement on my bookshelf. These little blooms and the promise of a mini vacation are keeping me going today.

{P.S. the artwork leaning on my window ledge is from Paper Mojo - posted about it here}

The Best Inexpensive and Heavy Duty Sewing Machine

My mom, who is a really talented seamstress, gave me a Singer HD-110 sewing machine as a Christmas gift about six years ago and truly I can't say enough nice things about it.

She has a gorgeous Pfaff that she uses for making clothes, quilting and embroidery, but my mom says she wishes she had my machine too for heavier duty home projects like pillows and drapes (the HD in the name actually stands for 'heavy duty'). We both love it.

If you want super fancy stitches or a computer screen, this sewing machine is probably not for you. But if you're looking for a work horse - one that will sew through layers and layers of thick fabric and hardly ever break a sweat (or a needle), this steely lady is your gal.

HIGHLY recommend.

Are We Overexposed to Design?

From the comments section of yesterday's post about the DIY Draper chests:

I have a question for you...
I am currently redecorating my living room and dining room. I decided to go with a 70's British bachelor pad inspired look. Sort of a well traveled look with some Kuba cloths and other ethnic textiles for art. Lots of navy and gray.
Then I looked at this Draper project and realized I am still in love with Hollywood Regency. I am not too far into things to make the switch. It's just that things like x-benches, Chiang Mai (love and have been holding onto a piece for a while now), chevron, painted furniture, and so on...seem so done now.
Are we too exposed to design? I love my blogs, especially yours (very honest unabashed flattery), but are we over-exposing ourselves (Keep Calm Carry On)? This is something I have been wondering about for a while now. It seems like once I finally get to taking on a project (making ikat drapes now), it starts to seem cliche.
Do you think we are moving too fast with interiors, or do you think we are moving in the right direction where anything goes. Sort of like fashion, you can still wear your skinny jeans or flares. When you start a new project do you agonize over doing something new, or do you just go with what you love at the time even if the idea has been seen?

House Beautiful

Just two days ago I was brainstorming with my mom an idea for my apartment when I nixed the project we were discussing because I felt like it had already been done on blogs or in magazines. I think we both realized how silly that sounded as soon as I said it. Why wouldn't I do what I really love for my space regardless of whether or not a version has been done before?

I feel like it's especially tricky as a blogger. If I put up a picture of campaign dressers (which I love), I'll usually get one or two anon commenters talking about how campaigners are so over and so boring to them. And here's the tricky part - we look to blogs and magazines for inspiration, for fresh looks, so I can understand in a way why the commenters are annoyed. They're saying - "Yup! Got it. We know campaigners are/were cool. But what's next?"

NYT

Are we oversaturated with design trends as bloggers and blog readers? Totally. I have hundreds of blogs in my Reader and sometimes I feel like I'm seeing the same thing over and over again. So I'm there with you.

But I also think it's easy to forget that most people in the world don't read design blogs. Most people don't really know about ikat or suzanis or lacquer or lucite the way we all do. It's crazy to think that someone is discovering a Keep Calm poster for the first time today!

A neighbor stopped by my house a few months ago, noticed my ikat skirted console table and said - "I love your decorating style...but what is that funky fabric on your console table? Crazy!"
And then just a few weeks ago I was meeting with a client here in the city, who reads my blog and who is a blogger herself, and she told me how much she loves ikat but feels like she can't have it in her home - like it's too expected now or something.

NYT

Are we decorating for ourselves or for our design-conscious friends (or blog readers)? Every time I feel like some of the sparkle of decorating is wearing off, I realize it's because I'm over-thinking it or worrying too much about what other people will or won't like. Unfortunately I think that comes with the territory as a design blogger. Still, don't let yourself fall into that trap. If one in a thousand visitors thinks your decor is dated because you love your Chiang Mai pillows and the Keep Calm poster, don't sweat it. Guaranteed the other 999 will wonder where you got them.

Maybe it's time we take a collective chill pill about decorating and see it all for what it is and should be - a fun way to express yourself and your style.

What do you say?

PS Have you been watching Portlandia? Shell art is OVER! Seems so appropriate for this post.

PPS All the Miles Redd images above feature ikat chairs, which I love and think I might go ahead and do in my house, even though they have been done before. :)

Happy Valentine's Day

Some things I love today...

1. Ribbon Trim ($2.95/yard)
2. Gold Sconces ($249 ea)
3. Essie Clam Bake ($2.99)
4. Eames Hang-It-All ($52)
5. Russian Textiles Book
6. Oxblood lamp ($69)
7. David Hicks pillow ($88)
8. Pink heels ($168)
9. Silver Hammered side table ($299)
10. Coral Rug (about $150)

I hope you're surrounded by people you love, today especially.
xx

Cards and Chairs

Two quick things:

Firstly, Jordan rocks my world. She delivered a big ol' stack of freshly pressed business cards to me at Alt and it was like Christmas, except Santa was a gorgeous and witty brunette in a cute floral dress.

You can't really tell in these photos, but the edges are a really bright persimmon red. I love them.

Jordan's letterpress business will be going strong while she lives abroad this year. She'll be doing the designs herself and her talented business partner, Alexis, will do the printing. I couldn't be happier with the quality of my cards.

Also, I had help designing my card layout and my new logo (see the JK blind emboss behind my new business name?). My professional site is finally going to launch soon. I'll post more about that later, but I have been so incredibly happy with my designer, Eileen. If you need help with your site, shoot her an email here.

Second item of business:

Craigslist has been so good to me the past few weeks. Check out one of the pairs of chairs I got for almost nothing recently.

PS Want to be the happiest person for an hour or two? Type the word "pair" in your craigslist search box (either the furniture or antiques section) and all kinds of goodness shows up. It's true. Everything is better in pairs.

These are going to be our host chairs for the DR table. They need some work, for sure. But a little paint and fabric will go a long way.

I'm thinking white frames and something in a bold but small-scale pattern for the fabric. Or maybe like acid yellow paint on the frames and solid black Sunbrella for the fabric? Maybe still a fun pattern on the chair backs...

On How to Grow Your Blog...

Alt Summit was amazing. I can say with 100% honesty, it is so, SO worth the investment if you are interested in monetizing your blog or if you just want to be inspired to be a better blogger. Really - for the job opportunities alone. There was major networking happening all over.

Plus! It was SO fun to finally meet almost all of my blogging friends in real life. If you're on the fence about going next January, shoot me an email and I'll do my best to pressure you further! (or I'll send your husband an email to push him over the edge, too)

All images courtesy of the Alt 2011 Flickr stream

Lots of you asked for a recap on my presentation. I know not all of you readers are bloggers, and as I learned from my survey, only 2% of you have blogs that make you money. So, I apologize if the following is not very interesting. Come back tomorrow for a great post about using sheets as curtains! You're in for a treat.

I spoke about building a blogging community on a panel with Meg from A Practical Wedding, Danielle from The Jealous Curator and Sarah from Babble. It was such a fun group of ladies. We all have very different blog communities and goals, so it was cool to learn from each other and to be able to speak from unique vantage points.

Sarah, Meg, me, and Danielle

It would take forever to write out everything I talked about in my presentation, but here's an outline (still very long) of what I discussed for building traffic or developing a deeper more meaningful community on your blog. Kindly note that I do not consider myself an expert on building a blogging community. I developed the following ideas from talking with other bloggers, reading your survey responses and also a bit from my own adventures in blogging, which started in late 2007.

1. Preliminary idea: Set goals and maintain the right prospective. What is the end goal for writing a blog? The most traffic possible? A book deal? New friendships? New clients? Build your blog and develop your posts with your end goal in mind. Reevaluate often. "Am I getting closer to or further away from my goal?"

2. Part 1: Capture new readers

a) Most of you found my blog through a blog roll! So great! Let's all share the blog love and keep up blog rolls of our own. If you are intimidated by the sheer number of people who want to be on your blog roll, consider having two - a favorites and a rotating (monthly or quarterly) list of new to you blogs.

b) Make your content buzzworthy so that other bloggers will want to share. What do I mean by buzzworthy?

i) Truly original content (try to post something completely yours at least once a week). Or at least put a really unique spin on the same photos that get recycled on blogs.

ii) Think about common problems (something someone would google to find out) and find solutions to those problems through your blog. "How to paint vintage furniture" or "How to sew pinch pleat drapes" or "How to shop at a flea market" etc.

iii) Start a conversation that other bloggers will want to continue. The two examples I used were Lauren's Design Price Points post and Chelsea's idea to stop complaining.

c) Get posted on a bigger blog. It's hard to get a more golden ticket than that. A HUGE stream of traffic is your big chance. Submit never-before-seen projects to Design*Sponge or Apartment Therapy and see what happens. If they don't bite, choose a big blog with your same aesthetic. Chances are, their readers will love your blog, too. Some words of wisdom though, from a gal who gets dozens of emails about this very thing every day:

i) If you're using comments/tweets to get a blogger's attention, make sure you have an interesting and unique sign-in name. And make your comments funny and sweet. Just be thoughtful.

ii) Try to network offline. Go to blogger parties or conventions. Be friendly and pass out your business card!

iii) Speaking for myself, I would skip the urge to send an email to your favorite blogger just introducing yourself and your blog. Try to only email if you have something specific to share (like a post idea) or a question to ask. Use the blogger's actual name, spelled correctly, and make the email as personal as possible. Don't say:

"To whom it may concern,
Please post about my crocheted baby diaper covers available for sale in my etsy shop. I read your blog from start to finish so you owe me one. I can offer a give away for free shipping to one lucky shopper?
Let me know by noon. Thanks."

Flattery (as long as it is sincere) gets you everywhere. I asked Joanna for a quote on this subject and she said the exact same thing! We also agreed that submissions should be more subtle. Don't ask a blogger outright to post something.

Do say:

"Dear Jenny,
I love your blog. I open up LGN first thing in the morning every day. And I cried when I read the post about Evie's birth! What a touching story.
I just wanted to share a project with you that I recently finished. I thought it would be right up your alley since I know how much you love ikat. Here's a link to my Flickr stream.
Thanks for all the inspiration!
Love,
Kate."

Nice, right? That would probably be my favorite email of the day! Remember that you catch more flies with honey...

Interviewing with a local SLC news channel, we talked a little about my new entry.

d) Consider guest posting on a complimentary blog (like, maybe I would post a flower arranging tutorial on a wedding blog). You're capturing like-minded readers.

e) Keep the new readers on your site for a long first stay. Try to link back to old posts often. Put up your most successful posts in your side bar. Add a Link Within widget to the bottom of your posts. Expose the new readers to as much of your blog that first visit as possible so they can get a real vibe for your voice and your style.

f) Other things to consider: Don't get too personal, but also don't be too private. Readers want to know about your life within the context of your blog, no more, no less. Also, post as consistently as possible. I try my best to post Monday through Friday, with posts going live at 5:30 am EST. Also, try hard to avoid spelling and grammatical errors. None of us are perfect, but a little effort goes a long way here.

3. Part 2: Make those readers want to come back!

a) Understand your readers:

i) Who are your readers? What kind of content do they especially love? Or hate? When do they read your blog (morning? night? at the office?)? How did they find your blog? How many posts do they want to read per day?
Do a survey to answer these questions! Thousands of you filled out my survey and it was SO helpful and informative! If you're just wanting basics though, you can find out the demographics of your readership on Alexa. My readers, not surprisingly, are mostly women, between the ages of 28 and 34, with children and with college educations.

b) Read other design blogs with your aesthetic to make sure you're not overlapping on post ideas. There are so so many design blogs these days, I'm finding it's easy to post about the same things, even if you're trying to be original.

c) My husband and I talk about the idea of Blogger Capital a lot. If you think about your blog posting schedule as a bank account, and your posts as deposits and withdrawals, try your hardest to keep a positive balance on the account. For example, a post with 100% original content would be a major deposit. A post about a new sponsor could be a pretty big withdrawal if it wasn't presented right, with no new take away information for your readers.

4. Finally, remember that blogging can sometimes get a little old. Life gets in the way. Or you're simply feeling uninspired. Things that help me more forward:

a) My mantra is 'I can't do it all, but I can do a lot.' I know I say this all of the time, but it makes me feel better every time I get overwhelmed with commitments (which, sadly, is a lot of the time. Don't judge.). And actually, I'm most productive on the days I remind myself of my motto!

b) Focus back on those goals we already talked about. Want to know one of my big goals? I would love to write a big ol' FAT book about decorating a house, from start to finish, top to bottom. Scrapbook style.

c) Celebrate what you've built! Remember when your blog readership consisted of you, your husband and your mom and dad? I sure do. It's amazing how technology is providing a way for us to communicate with so many people every single day.

d) Remember what inspired you originally. I love interiors!! I always will. I still get all giddy when I flip through a new Elle Decor or when I walk in to a thrift store I haven't visited in a while. Get back to basics and post about that common passion you share with your readers.

I Need Your Help!

Hi friends!

2011 has started out with a bang for me. If the past four days are any indication of what the rest of this year will be like, I think the major descriptive words will end up being 'Crazy' and 'Exciting'. How is the first week of the year going for you?

This month, I'm flying to SLC to be a speaker and attendee at Alt Design Summit. I am really excited to meet more blog friends and to get to talk with all of them about blogging communities.

Here's where I could REALLY use your help, dear readers. I would be eternally grateful if each and every one of you could take just a few minutes to answer this survey here about my blog. It's completely anonymous and mostly multiple choice. Pretty please, help a blog sister out?

CLICK HERE TO TAKE SURVEY

Here's to a crazy, exciting and AMAZING year of decorating adventures together! Can't wait to share with you in 2011! Hugs and kisses all around.

Pretty Tree Skirt

My friend Emily tipped me off to this beautifully simple tree skirt from Garnet Hill. Isn't it pretty? I think it would be easy to recreate with some high-quality wool felt and a little time.
The buttons are my favorite. They remind me of my wedding dress.

If you love it like I do and don't have the time to DIY, I would buy soon. The skirt was featured in Real Simple so every time Garnet Hill offers it, they sell out incredibly fast.

Sometimes Cheap is Good

I don't always recommend buying cheap stuff. But, you know, sometimes cute and cheap just hits the spot.

CRAZY cheap ikat bedding for folding up at the foot of the bed

Strangely cute bedding from Wal-mart? Perfect for kids rooms.

I went to IKEA a couple of days ago to pick up some curtains for a client. I spotted the Trollsta side table in yellow and liked it.

I like this new gray dresser too. Cool legs.

I'm considering these floral shades for the girls' next room, to layer under drapes.

Don't Billy's look so much better flanked by these sliver shelves and with the lighting? (anything looks better next to Evelyn though, imho)

What have you seen around lately that's cheap and good?

Been Busy

I have been in Arizona for my Grandmother's funeral. It's been a special time for me - hearing lovely stories about her life and celebrating the gracious woman she was.

This last week was spent helping my mom put out some of Grandma's things she inherited, like a few pieces of silver brought over on the boat from Sweden, hung here in a shadow box.

We also hung a few pieces of china from different sides of the family.

I like the way they look together, especially in the mirror, which is the view from the entry.

As much as I love a good DIY project, I think there's nothing like incorporating family heirlooms or pieces with special meaning into home decor. I smiled and thought of Grandma each time I sat down at the dining table this week and got a glimpse of the plates or silverware.

PS Evelyn inherited my grandmother's eyes. Even better than china.

We're Home

A few days at the beach and some family time cures everything. Life is good again.

Conquering the inbox and the laundry today. Zoo field trip tomorrow am. Client meeting in the pm. Thanks for your patience while I get back into the swing.

Out of the Office

My parents, siblings and their spouses and children are all here in Delaware for the week. My parents rented a beautiful beach house and we are busy soaking up the sun, eating crab and building sand castles with the kiddies. It's seriously heaven.

my very favorite print available now on 20x200 from photographer Christian Chaize. So tempted by this one.

I'm taking some time off to enjoy my family, but please come back next week for some fun room reveals and exciting new projects!

xx
jenny

Favorite Glasses

I'm beat. I had some errands and drop-offs to do in NYC at the last minute, so the girls and I had a whirlwind trip there and back yesterday. Productive, but not exactly fun. My poor kids have been in the car this year more than I'd like to admit. They are good sports.

One highlight of the trip was getting to stop into CB2 to replenish my collection of Marta glasses.

These 18 oz glasses are wide enough to hold lots of ice, but don't seem ridiculous. And the delicate, thin glass is so pretty! I like my flatware hefty and my glassware light as a feather.

Blogger Flea Market - Would You Come??

I think we've found an apartment. It's pretty awesome, but the reality of city living hit me as we toured the new place last weekend. I wish I was as lucky as Kelly Wearstler, to have a 10,000 sq ft storage room for all my favorite finds...

via NY Times

I've been planning on doing a yard sale here in Delaware, but recently Michael came up with the great idea of a big community sale in a nearby bigger city - where bloggers and readers alike could come together to buy and/or sell their furniture, home items, or anything else home decor related (for all you Etsy sellers out there). I know that I will have at least one moving truck full of furniture to unload.

If I coordinated a large flea market type set-up in July, would you come? Where would you be willing to drive to? (please vote below or leave a comment)

What city should the flea market be held in?

• New York City (suburb)
• Philadelphia
• Washington D.C.

View Results
Create a Blog Poll

If you're interested in selling, especially, I'd love to get an email from you. I need to start organizing pretty soon if I'm going to make this happen.

It would be SO amazing to get to meet some of you lovely readers!

At The Gap

These jeans have been making the blog rounds recently, but I just need to throw in my own "Amen" to the greatness that is the Always Skinny Mid-Rise Jean. I am so happy with how they are getting me through the 'in between sizes/postpartum phase'.

Also, these are really comfortable (great support for flats) and the leather is nice for the price. Who can complain about a Repetto knock-off for less than $40? They do run large, so be sure to buy a full size down.

What are your favorite Apps?

Having an iPhone makes my crazy life a little more manageable. I'm photographing, emailing, buying, mapping, blogging and tweeting on the run.

It is fun to read articles about the best apps, and I liked this one from House Beautiful about the best apps for a decorator. Here are some of their picks:

Ben Color Capture is a free app that matches a color in an image or one of your own photos to a Benjamin Moore paint color. It can show you the whole paint strip or even give you some complimentary colors.

ColorChange uses your photo to "paint" the walls, floors, ceiling, or trim any color you can imagine. ($2.99)


House Plant 411 is an encyclopedia of plants with dozens of care instructions, tips, and remedies. You can even email a photo of your plant for a private response. I have the most serious black thumb, so this one is definitely on my list. ($4.99)

iHandy Carpenter is a level, a touch-sensitive protractor and a ruler. Perfect for plotting gallery walls or measuring a fabric repeat on the go. ($1.99)


You know about Pandora, I'm sure. It's awesome and makes a long day of running errands in the car fun for me and the girls. (Free)


Do you use mint.com for your financial tracking? We do and we love it. It is really helpful and seriously, an amazing tool for keeping tabs on all your accounts. The app is free.


RedLaser is like your own personal price checker. Don't you hate it when you find something at Target (where it almost always happens for me) and the price sign is no where in sight? You can use your phone to scan the bar code and get the price! It also tells you the price of the same item at other stores! So cool, right? ($1.99)
CraigsPro+ is really amazing. Easy to use and includes a picture previewer. LOVE this one - the eBay app? Not so much. ($0.99)
What are your favorite apps?

Easter

I really love Easter. Today I am making silk tie-dyed eggs with my kids.

image via this etsy seller

Tomorrow and Sunday, I'll be listening to my church's General Conference on the internet.

If you're interested in what I believe, here's a short and sweet video. I know I don't talk a lot about religion here, but, besides my family, it's the most important part of my life. It's what makes me happy.

I hope your Easter weekend is wonderful!

love,
jenny

Just a Few More Thoughts

1. I want this pantry, from the geniuses behind emersonmade.

2. Shannon, who writes the great blog, Project Shannon, and who won the monogrammed hand towel give away, sent me this photo of her new hand towels from LGN sponsor A Slice of Life.

Didn't these turn out so pretty?

3. Remember Sheila? Thanks to those of you who voted for her! We would love for you to vote again, if you have a minute.

This is Sheila's adorable kitchen. Can you spot the topiaries? Yeah, they're real. And no, we didn't drop $110 each on them at a fancy nursery.

$24 at Home Depot!! With the pot! no jokin.

4. Also from Sheila, she is reluctantly parting with a set of four perfectly-perfect vintage bamboo chairs. If you live near Philly, and you want them, email me your best offer for the set.

5. I'm happily using these jadite/milk glass lamps in a new nursery design. And you'll never guess where they're from. H-to-the-Goods.

They reminded me of the Martha milk glass lighting collection that costs a gajillion dollars.

6. Working on a post all about shelf styling that will hopefully inspire a client with a bedroom full of gorgeous new built-ins. This noteworthy image happened to be on my desktop. So very lovely.

via Desire to Inspire

7. For that same client, we're using these RH rods for hanging gorgeous silk curtains. These are definitely my favorite curtain rods right now. Big finials can be so fussy. This hardware looks crazy expensive, but lucky you, in reality it's only mildly expensive because the set is on sale.

8. On to a different type of hardware, I died and went to heaven when Joanna posted these wedding rings from the Brooklyn shop St. Kilda. Yes, a thousand times.

9. This bathroom makes me so happy. I want a clawfoot shower stall, please. Baths sort of gross me out anyway.

via House of Turquoise.

10. Lastly, it's the weekend already.

Today will be full of errands for me. Little lassies will be in toe. Tomorrow, I'll be shipping about 50 boxes of fabric to some of you! I'll also be contemplating this vintage dresser from Craigslist and how it may or may not be perfect in my bedroom. What say you?