March 25, 2020

Chaletbound

March 25, 2020/ Meryl

This is not the piece I planned to publish today but, I’m hitting the pause button - to share life here in the Chalet. Let me start by saying as a Cancerian - a July birthday gal the idea of being home - maybe even for weeks was not daunting to me. I’m a homebody. Let’s talk logistics - my husband already works from home with a dedicated office and as a work from home mom - my corner of the livingroom is where I work on client proposals and editing this blog. Our transition to the three of us being home all the time has been smooth.

Spring 2019 I can’t wait for everything to pop this year!

If you follow along on Instagram (and I’m sure you do) then you know the first project tackled was the dreaded pit of our basement. I want to make clear - we have nothing stored in our attic. Therefore, there is a lot of stuff crammed into this petite space. We have 2 sets of french doors that lead to the patio - it could and I hope one day it will be an amazing space with storage, a family room with sheet-rock walls and a bath! (we only have one in the Chalet). Anyway... daydreams aside. I started organizing all our shoes and kept working my way around. I am trying to be ruthless about purging; I will be donating and selling items.

Our school has been closed since Monday March 16th. Our teachers have done an amazing job coordinating worksheets and apps to assist the kiddos with their studies. Liam uses Seesaw and Splashlearn on a daily basis and with the additions of Readworks, StudyIsland, Timestable, Epic and Flipgrid everything is covered. I’m used to working on homework with him so moving into the role of full-time instructor has been fine.

This Martha Washington Sewing Stand has become our Chalet-school keeping all supplies close as hand. I know for many this time has been really tough on your kiddos. As the mother of a creative only child - I’m thrilled he is always able to entertain himself either by producing art, storybooks or with Legos. We have a brand new canvas if Liam wants to make a masterpiece! Of course we are heading outside whenever possible and playing lots of Uno and board games. Pay Day is a favorite!

I keep shelter magazines - some for years - rotating issues by month - it was good to weed through and purge some that no longer speak to me. I actually own every single issue of Domino ever published.

Once I feel the basement is in good shape I’ll move forward with the kitchen project which will include painting and sewing new curtains. I had already organized a bunch of closets prior to being home, another big project is Liam’s bedroom - so many books and toys to review, purge and donate.

We’ve been watching our regular programs Lego Masters, The Masked Singer, Shark Tank and the always entertaining Jim Gaffigan. After checking-in on Instagram I don’t usually watch much besides The Young and the Restless but, through Netflix I’ve watched Abstract: The Art of Design and two series by Monty Don about famous gardens in France and Italy - unfortunately Netflix removed the garden programs Bummer! I watch the CBS Sunday Morning You Tube channel - their pieces are always informative and entertaining.

I’ve been thinking about upcoming events on the calendar - My sister is a member of the Met Museum - our next visit was planned for April 6 - when Liam was to be on spring break. Our April pilgrimage to Jerusalem cancelled. I’m also thinking of dates with friends for meet-ups and dinners - dates with Instagram yet to meet In Real Life friends… I’m thinking about a designer show-house my sister and I never fail to attend - Mansion in May. I think about my son and spring hockey and little league baseball. Friends I know how blessed we are to hunker down in the Chalet and adjust to a new normal and I’m praying so hard this situation passes quickly for the entire world. I mean it has to end and when it does I know I’ll be walking up the grand staircase at the Met again but, when - that’s quite possibly the toughest part - that we have no end date - but friends we soldier on!

We use new hashtags: #shareacupwithimpeccablenest #wineandjunkfoodchallenge Use Zoom to have virtual meet ups, FaceTime more, Call crossing guards to check-in on them. Watch videos provided by museums: Stuck at Home? These 12 Famous Museums Offer Virtual Tours You Can Take on Your Couch (Video) Celebrate Mass on-line, Play a lot of board games, Give ourselves pedicures, Try for more patience, Teach our kiddos how to carry the one of basic math and new words - like Mocktail!

I thought you might enjoy a few posts from the Archives - Click image for link.

Five Days

In The Pink

Presby Garden Visit

NYC

A Study in Scenic Walls

Beautiful Blooms

Terrific Titles

Film Favotires

Til next time.

Stay Safe & Sending Love!

November 20, 2019

Great Big Canvas helps Everyone "Say No To Empty Walls!"

November 20, 2019/ Meryl

Hey Friends I recently installed some new art in the Chalet and I’m super excited to share it with you. Thank you so much to Great Big Canvas for partnering with me and supporting me on Instagram and here on my blog. *All opinions are my own!

Everyone knows how much I love art and filling the walls of the Chalet with all different kinds. This is exactly why my hashtag is #saynotoemptywalls! Over a little more than a year the Livingroom has gone through a transformation - with a new couch, coffee table and rugs. Originally we had a large scale clock on the wall - I tried to find just the right piece of art for this spot; some of you may recall the cow I had for a bit and sure Bessie was fun but, she was not the design aesthetic I wanted to live with permanently.

So - I was beyond thrilled when Great Big Canvas reached out to me with an invitation to partner with them on some wonderful Artwork for the Chalet!

Immediately I started looking at art by Vincent van Gogh - above are a few of the amazing works I thought about.

Ultimately, I settled on Acacia in Flower - I loved how the greens and blues of the canvas would interact with our vintage mid-century lamp and the rugs. Also, its not a work I was familiar with by Vincent van Gogh and I loved finding something different. My son a huge van Gogh fan chose The Starry Night and Self Portrait With Grey Felt Hat for his room.

Both of these works are a 1.25” deep canvas print with a hard sealed finished back and came pre-installed with hanging hardware. It couldn’t have been easier to hang these up and Liam is overjoyed at having real art in his space.

In prepping to hang Acacia in Flower - I touched up the wall paint and reviewed the hanging instructions - the larger canvases are stretched over wood frames and are shipped with mounting hardware and a hanger system for drywall. I utilized the mounting hardware and added picture hanging wire to secure it onto our plaster walls.

It has never been easier to bring museum quality art into your space. These pieces are all Artist-Grade Canvas - Fade-Resistant Archival Inks Patented - Warp-Resistant Construction and Made in the USA.

Just in time to spruce up your home for the holidays or find a unique gift for that special someone. Great Big Canvas is offering my readers and followers a discount. Use the code CHALET to receive 50% off of all products site wide.

Til next time - Happy Shopping!

October 02, 2019

Chaletmomma Turns 2!

October 02, 2019/ Meryl

POP the Prosecco Friends!

I can’t believe year two is in the books! This past year has brought exciting growth. I’m thrilled with where the business is and I’m super stoked about where it’s headed!

When I started Chaletmomma I had an LLC and a dream! I knew I loved all of the following: chatting, my home, design and styling. I’m proud to say this is my 103rd post. This space has always been a little bit about me, a little bit about design with whatever strikes my fancy thrown in for good measure! I was pleased to write about my favorite books and have friends share theirs - now, there’s a permanent link to this article in my sidebar under my Current Read section. I love learning about people and sharing this knowledge with you my readers. - so it was a natural progression to incorporate interviews into the mix. I’ve published six:

I redesigned my logos in 2019 I think Navy with Gold is so very me… it’s basic like a favorite navy tee topped off with a great necklace - everything needs a little touch of something!

This year we got real business cards…. I love ‘em and since I love notebooks…we have those too! Now, I’m always thinking about where else the Logo would look brilliant!

The reason for the cards…for a tool kit, for proposals and invoices - CLIENTS! I have had the best time realizing this dream of helping people feel better about their spaces both living and virtual ones - I’ve assisted clients with their websites as well as retail related queries.

I’ve always said that this space and Chaletmomma is about

Design Blog Brand.

The one aspect of Chaletmomma that continues to blow my mind is the connections… the wonderful friends I’ve made through social media - specifically Instagram. The growth of my brand has been helped exponentially by Instagram but, it’s not about followers for me. Its about connections. It’s about inspiration. I am beyond exited about the creatives I am fortunate enough to “meet”. They are friends be they someone who lovingly comments on my posts daily or simply likes a comment I leave for them. I have found designers and bloggers to follow and in turn collaborate with.

The friendship game is strong on the Gram and I’m a huge fan.

My top three images in 2019.

Thank you to my friends both in and out of design for having their businesses associated with Chaletmomma! Thank you to my advertisers! Thanks to my family. A humongous debt of gratitude to you my readers. I thank you all for being part of the Chaletmomma Family!

Til next time! xoxo