LIFESTYLE Just some tidbits on the non-house related stuff we got goin' on!
Deal of the Day Shopping for Moms and Kids!
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March 13th, 2013 Let the nursery designing begin!
I’m obviously super excited to have an opportunity to redo a room in our house, and with the help of Polyvore I was able to put together a little mood board to show you what we’re thinking right now for the nursery (which is currently a guest room on the second floor)… Floor plan will be coming!
At first I was leaning towards painting the room a light gray, but Tony really wanted to go with a blue (a tad bit excited about having a boy???) so we compromised on Navy which I preferred over anything too bright. The trim and our furniture will be white, which I think will really pop against the dark blue, and I’m adding gray, orange and dark stained wood as accent colors.
Below is a mood board I’m working on which helps me visualize the color pallet.
1: This is the crib I have my eye on. I love the contrast of the white and dark wood. And because I’m super short, I’m limited to “low profile” cribs so that I can actually reach my baby! This one is low enough to the ground that it would work.
2: This is actually our living room rug! It’s a little small for the living room space, so the plan is to use it for the nursery and then replace it with something a little bigger downstairs. It’s nice and soft, so good for lounging and eventual crawling!
3 & 6: Here’s a funny story…. Last spring I bought this “awesome chair” at a yard sale for $15, to later learn it was a baby glider!!! I was so embarrassed to have bought baby furniture long before I was pregnant, that I hid it down in the basement. Well now it’s come in handy, and my plan is to reupholster it with a gray toned Ikat fabric.
4 & 5: We actually bought these two pieces (wardrobe and dresser) at Ikea last weekend. We opted to use a dresser as a changing table (we’ll put the changing pad right on top) since it maximizes storage opportunities, and also works better for my height (or lack their of).
7: I’m keeping an eye out for an orange ottoman to use as a foot rest for the glider. See anything cool lately?
8: And finally I’m hoping to DIY a few fun items to use as storage, with this wooden toy box as inspiration. I can’t wait for yard sale season!
For sources and other item info, click here. So what do you think? Thoughts? Opinions? Come across any baby rooms you just love????
March 8th, 2013 After my little ombre hearts project last weekend, I’ve been all over Pinterest looking for other fun ways to decorate with paper. I love paper crafts because they are relatively easy, you can really customize your work, and best of all – it can be super cheap!
After you’ve found your inspiration, it’s time to pick out your paper – and my best tip is to avoid the scrapbook aisle at your local craft store and instead buy digital paper!
This stuff is allll over Etsy and shouldn’t cost you more than $5 for a whole project. In most cases you get the digital art it as soon as you click pay (great for us inpatient crafters), and you can either print it at home or bring it to your local office supply store (i.e. Staples) and have it printed for pennies!
Wanna get craftin’ and no time for browsing?
Let me help you with a few of my favorite designs!
 
I’ve ordered from this shop before, and they have an incredible collection. Both from Digital Potpourri
Jump on the chevron bandwagon with these pretty prints… From VN Digital Art.
 
I just love this first color combo, and the second has a really nice color selection if you can’t decide on a pallet just yet. Both from Digi Scarp Delights.
Hands down my favorite Ikat pattern/color combo I’ve seen! They also have some great Suzani patterns that I have my eye on….
This whole shop is fabulous. From TD Studio Scraps.
I have a new project in the works that I can’t wait to show you….
Alright – go get your craft on this weekend!!!
March 6th, 2013 As you may have read last week, my dear friend and college roommate Sarah, and her fiancé were the stars of HGTV’s House Hunter’s International last week!
Me and Sarah in August 2011 at our girl Ashleigh’s wedding…
And back where it all began…. Shout out to Sigma Delta Tau’s Delta Deltas!!!
Okay, enough reminiscing. So Sarah and Tom appeared on the show last week (see previous post on back story here).
Did anyone watch???
How freaking adorable are they???
Well after the show aired, Sarah shed some light on the whole experience, and I figured what better use of a home decor blog, right?
So here goes…
J: How did you get to be on the show?
S: We have a very good friend in San Francisco who is English, and he has a good friend who worked for the show in London (the production company is based in London). We had always joked about applying for it when we moved to Tel Aviv but never followed through. He wrote us at the beginning of 2012 and introduced us to his friend. She had put out some feelers looking for people who just moved internationally, and he thought we would be a good fit. When my parents were visiting in February they filmed a short video of the two of us that we submitted and the rest is history…
J: Okay everyone wants to know… Did you get compensated for being on the show?
S: We did get compensated for being on the show but I am not sure I am allowed to tell you how much 
J: Tell me about your experience with working with House Hunters International.
S: The people at the production company, Leopard Films, were awesome to work with! They were very on top of everything, really thorough, and really interested in making sure that everything ran smoothly and turned out well. It was a pleasure working with them. We filmed for 3 full days in Tel Aviv and 1 half day in San Francisco. We were shown 3 apartments by a realtor, all of which had something we were looking for in our new home. On the last day we had to pick one.
S: I have to say the Tel Aviv portion of the show was a little exhausting, but we had an amazing crew who really helped us get through the whole thing. They only film with one camera so every shot needs to be done about 4 times (if you have enough energy during all 4 shoots) so we had to repeat the same thing over and over and over… I did enjoy the overall process and it was fun feeling like a reality TV star for a few days. Now I am just worried about the cheese factor…it’s a pretty cheesy show!
J: If you had the choice to do it all again, would you?
S: As I mentioned earlier, it was pretty exhausting, but we had a lot of fun doing it and we felt like stars, so I wouldn’t mind.
J: Months later….are you happy in the apartment you chose?
S: We are very happy with the apartment. When we looked I did not know much about Tel Aviv but I love the area we live in and if we were to move again we’d stay in the same ‘hood. In my last year and a half in Tel Aviv, I have seen some much nicer apartments so moving doesn’t seem like a bad option to be honest. One of the things I thought I liked about the place we chose (before we chose it) was that it had room to “expand” but we don’t have an elevator and we’re on the 3rd floor so in retrospect there will be no expanding there!
J: What is it like watching yourself on TV?
S: It was so bizarre watching the show. My mom was visiting last week, and we woke up at 5:30am to watch. Tom said he was going to continue sleeping, but 1 minute before it started, I burst into the room and told him I couldn’t do this without him so he woke up and the 3 of us watched together. We thought they did a great job with the editing and we were glad we didn’t come across too cheesy. We had received some great advice from our good friend Rachael (her House Hunters episode aired this summer) and she suggested that we try to agree on everything, not to have one of us come across as too domineering, and to not give in to their antics. I think we did a good job with that.
J: Alright…Any “inside scoop” you can share?
S: When we went to Dr. Shakshuka [restaurant featured in the show], we had already been filming in the heat for about 4 hours. We were all starving and sat down for some shakshuka with the camera just sitting on table beside us. When it came time to shoot again, we had to order and eat another shakshuka… it was delicious the second time around.
We weren’t crazy about our real estate agent, and when we went to see the apartments they made us wait outside sometimes for 30 minutes or so until they had everything set up so they could really get our first impressions. As you saw from the episode, Ari was very disappointed because he really wanted us to like the apartment with the hot tub in the bathroom…I think it suits his lifestyle and needs a little more than it would suit ours.
We did get engaged the day after the filming as they told you during the credits. I knew it was coming soon, but had no clue when, and during the filming I kept thinking, ‘maybe Tom’s going to propose on the show, that would make for a good episode’… But I’m glad he waited until the day after.
J: What other HGTV shows do you watch?
S: Unfortunately in Israel we do not get HGTV, but when I was living in the states I would watch it for inspiration. I like the garden shows specifically, and it’s great as a background channel because there is always something interesting on. I prefer House Hunters International over House Hunters (sorry Rachael Kansas), it’s just way more interesting.
CONGRATS TO SARAH AND TOM ON THEIR ENGAGEMENT!!!!!!!!
LOVE YOU BOTH!!!
March 4th, 2013 Occasionally I get totally suckered in by an ad, and this weekend I succumbed to the new Windex touch Up Cleaner.
See for me, cleaning is like going to the gym… It needs to happen routinely for me to do it, it needs to be convenient, and while I hate doing it, I always feel better once it’s one.
So I thought this new counter-style Windex spray was pretty cool, because you don’t need to pull it out or even bend over to use it. Could you get any lazier? The ad says “Just Dab it. Clean it. Done.” and I was intrigued.
I picked it up this weekend, and so far, I like it! Here are my initial thoughts:
PROS:
- Love the quick access feature since you can leave it out on display
- Smells pretty good
- Cleans just like windex so it works on loads of surface types
CONS:
- Only comes in two scents
- The colors are yellow and blue. I could only find the yellow and it’s not the prettiest shade to look at on the counter
SUGGESTIONS::
- Wish the container was more attractive (plain white, perhaps to hide the liquid?)
- Would love if it came with refills, or if you could just refill the bottle with regular windex!
I currently have it sitting in a decorative basket on the back of the toilet, for quick bathroom touch ups. I’ll let you know if it begins to collect dust itself, or if all of the sudden our bathroom stays clean all week!
March 1st, 2013 What do Kim Kardashian, Kate Middleton and Jenny Hopf all have in common?
  
No it’s not incredible fame, fortune…And only two of us have a healthy booty….
Give up?
We’re all having babies in July!!!
I’m so excited to share with you that Tony and I are going to be proud parents to a baby boy at the end of July! I’m currently 4 1/2 months preggo, and have already started way too many Pinterest boards dedicated to his nursery.
Can’t wait to share all of our decor choices (and other fun baby things) with you along the way… and for all those beautiful mamas (and dads) out there, recommendations are always welcome!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
xoxo
Jenny
February 27th, 2013 Last Sunday we were blessed with a lovely mix of snow, sleet and rain for most of the weekend. You know, that weather that makes even those girls with a Brazilian blowout look horrendous? Well on the bright side it meant I got to rock sweatpants and an unattractive yet super comfortable hoodie for 16 straight hours and do crafts all day while Tony played Call of Duty! Fun times at the Hopf Household!
So remember that heart punch I told you about here? Well I put it to good use my friends.
DIY Project: Ombre Heartwork
Tools Needed:
- Punch tool — In the shape of your choice
- Colored paper or card stock — I actually used leftover paint swatch samples from Home Depot!
- Mini foam adhesive dots — Available for under $2 at most craft stores
- Picture frames — Mine were oldies from Ikea
- Scissors — Do you need an explanation?
Instructions:
First put on a trashy TV show or romantic comedy you’ve seen 30 times, and spend about an hour punching through your paper.
Hint: You may want to have a glass of wine handy, as this gets incredibly tedious and your hand will hurt when you’re done. Promise.
Collect all of your punch outs.
Hint: I do NOT recommend storing them the way I did below, but rather sort them by color WHILE you punch.
This will save you a good hour later!
So don’t do this….
Do this!!!
Now draw your canvas size. I used basic card stock (in white) as my canvas, but some frames may come with one you can use.
My frame came with a nice mat, so I used that to form my border.
Then draw out a grid to fit your cut out shapes. Sample grid is below.
I found the grid approach (and eye ball placement) much more manageable than marking with a pencil where every cut out should be.
But if you love math, measuring and all that jazz, feel free to go with the dot approach!
Then start playing around with colors. This is the fun part.
After you have made a decision about the look, use these foam adhesive circle to attach the shape to the paper.
These are fantastic because they give the shape some depth/elevation, and you don’t need to use tape!
Don’t forget to erase the grid!
I found that the spare erasers you get with a mechanical pencil were perfect for this.
Clean Up:
If you have a tackle or bead storage box, try and keep all of the like-colors together.
If not, you can do what I did and tape them down on paper with washi tape, that won’t rip the paper.
Marvel:
I plan to give these to all of my baby mama friends!
I may personalize them by writing the baby’s name on the bottom right heart… but that’s up for debate
Here’s the manly boy version:
And the girly pink version:
Weekend craft project: Dunzo.
February 25th, 2013 HGTV is coming to HFoP!
I am SUPER excited to share with you that my good friend and roommate from college, Sarah, and her adorable fiance are going to be on House Hunters International on Tuesday night!
Yeah, these hotties were pretty much made for TV, right?
The show airs at 10:30pm (EST) on your local HGTV network, and here is the episode description:
Test of Love in Tel Aviv, Israel
Tom and Sarah met on a Jewish dating site and after two years together in San Francisco have decided to move to Tel Aviv where Tom will join his family’s business. While Tom will be right back at home, Sarah will be thousands of miles from her family, friends, and native language. They’re looking to rent a two bedroom apartment by the sea while they decide if this move is right for them, but in a city with a high demand for flats, their low budget may be a problem. House Hunters International puts love to the test in Tel Aviv, Israel. Read more here.
Spoiler alert! Although the show “puts their love to the test” don’t worry….this adorable couple makes it through and are getting married this fall!
And what’s even cooler? Yes it gets cooler.
Sarah’s will be doing an interview here on HFoP to tell us first hand about her experience with taping the show. My journalist hat is on….
Can’t wait for Tuesday. Good luck Sarah and Tom! XOXO
February 22nd, 2013 I collect New Uses for Old Things ideas like it’s my job. And I have to say, that I have used a ton of these life savor and cheap techniques with great success over the years… So let’s share, shall we?
Check out my Pinterest board for original sources here.
Use a rubber band to remove a stripped screw. I am the queen of stripping (HA!) so this one will definitely come in handy.
Not too long ago I dropped one of my diamond earrings, and I just knew that if I didn’t find it, Roxy’s slobbery mouth would eventually. Too bad I didn’t know about this tip at the time, as it would have saved me a mini meltdown! Place a pair of pantyhose over your vacuum sucker-thingy….
How freakin adorable and clever is this??? Use buttons to keep those tiny studs together, while looking damn cute.
My sister-in-law taught me this one… I have yet to finish the Parmesan cheese in order to reuse the lid on my mason jars, but when I do.. Oh boy…
And with another snow storm coming this weekend, this one reminds me that sunshine and backyard parties are just around the corner… Keep those bugs out of your drink with cupcake liners!
Have a wonderful weekend everyone, and see you back here next week!
xoxo
Jenny
February 20th, 2013 Just got a new craft tool in the mail yesterday, and I’m preeeeety excited about it!
It’s the Martha Stewart Craft Punch in the heart shape. I got it off Amazon, but you can probably get it at most craft stores.
Basically it makes cutting out shapes (in this case hearts) super easy, so you can do bulk cutting in no time at all! I have a DIY wall art project that I’ve been wanting to try, so this is going to reduce the cutting time (and increase the accuracy) drastically.
But until I get my ass in gear, check out all of the cool things you can do with a puncher!
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I’m planning on doing something that’s a cross between the heart and ombre circle projects.
Stay tuned!!!
February 18th, 2013 Do you have a room or a space in your home that has unofficially become the command center?
You know, that counter/table/chair/basket that seems to collect odds and end from the week? It ironically seems to double as the place you go to first when something is lost, which means it’s helpful if it’s organized.
For us, it’s the kitchen counter by the back door.
God we have a lot of crap. But even though it’s stuff we use everyday and it’s in a convenient location, it is U-G-L-Y and it was time for a cleanup.
I was temporarily storing everything in a tray, so I could move it easily to clean. And the width/length dimensions of the tray were great, but I wanted something that gave me more vertical space to work with. Now the dimensions of most storage units I came across didn’t quite work because they all seemed to cover the light fixture and outlet. That is until I made a trip to The Container Store this week… Oh The Container Store… you are heaven to organized Type A freaks like me!
Last week they were having a sale on office products, so I grabbed me one of these stacking trays:
Source
And a matching drawer:
Source
Note: Both of these are in landscape size!
Right off the bat I was happy with the clean simple look and the size was perfect!
So off I went to filling it up with our crap. This is the most fun part.
All of the sudden our crap didn’t look so crap- like, right? It’s just so much cleaner! And because the pull our drawer adds a whole level of storage space real estate, I was able to fit everything with plenty of space to spare! (I backed the inside of the drawer with decorate paper, to give it’s contents some privacy.)
10 minute project DONE! Let’s see if Tony even notices
So where is your command center, and how do you keep it organized?
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