Black Point Chic: January 2012

Monday, January 30, 2012

Oh Minted, How I Love Thee

My favorite online stationary store, Minted, is having an awesome contest and because I've been working on my photography portfolio, I'm so psyched to enter. All I have to do is submit 1 or 2 engagement photos to "Become The Face Of Minted" (and hopefully win $200 for the blushing bride).
This is where I need your help. Below are some pictures of an adorable engaged couple, Ashley and Aaron, that I took last summer. Please help me decide which images I should enter.
Do your best to imagine the picture being used for an advertisement or "Save the Date" cards or engagement announcements.

So, what'd you think? Which two are your favorite?
And make sure to check back by the end of the week. I'll be posting the winning pics here and on Minted's facebook wall. Then, you can head on over and "like" the images on their wall (as they plan on taking the amount of "likes" into consideration). Thanks everyone!

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Chalkboard Heaven

I've daydreamed about having a huge chalkboard somewhere in my house for the past two years. Everytime I go into Homegoods, Michaels, (really any homeware store) I'm always on the prowl for a board that is a good size at a good price.

I never had such luck.

In fact, forget about the price, I never even found a chalkboard that was big enough. I didn't want some little board that I'd be squeezing my "To Do" lists on, but rather a gigantic board that allowed me to jot down some notes and still allow my children to draw on.

After stalking Pinterest and looking at a bizillion pictures of DIY painted-on chalkbards, I finally decided it was time to pick a paintbrush and paint me a chalkboard, damnit!

Well, actually, I decided it was time for my husband to pick up the paintbrush...)

I chose a long narrow wall in my front living room, right off of the kitchen. This wall has always been hard to decorate because with all the traffic going in and out of the kitchen, it's hard to put a table or any peice of furniture there. But, when I just hung a little shelf and decorated it with picture frames, the wall looked un-finished.

This wall made me loose sleep.

And this is what it looks like now

Here it is in the making

And this is what is looked like after the first hour we were allowed to write on it LOL

Again, here it is before

And now

I love my new chalkboard. What recent home project has left you feeling smitten?

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Chalkboard Inspiration

I am so happy to say that we officially have a gigantic chalkboard in our house! I've wanted one forever but could never find the right size or look. Finally my husband just decided to paint one on...and I love it. I will post pictures soon...(the drying process is BRUTAL!)
Here are some pictures from Pinterest that inspired us.

On a side note:
The lucky winner of the chevron towels is....comment #2...Alicia!

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:2 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Thanks so much for entering everyone!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

How I Got My Kids to Eat Spinach

You'd never believe it. My kids are eating spinach...and actually loving it! Not that my kids are extremely picky eaters, but it's never easy getting them to eat any type of green vegetable. I've tried a bunch of different methods to trick them into eating and enjoying these veggies; dipping celery and peppers into ranch dressing, sprinkling melted cheese over broccoli (actually Ella does enjoy this), baking zucchini muffins (which is sometimes a winner...depends upon the mood) and adding spinach into a garden salad.
I have started to come to terms with the fact that, unfortunately I'm just not as good as a mother as the mother who watches her children laughing and playing together as they gobble down fresh celery stalks and raw string beans.
And I was okay with it, (well not really, but I was tired of fighting and stressing about it).
Well low and behold, I found a new recipe. And, to be honest, I was actually looking for me. I was determined to find a healthy fruit smoothie that I could substitute my breakfast and lunch with. I came across this blog post and just fell in love. I ran to the food store, picked up the items (omitted some and added others) and made myself a delicious spinach smoothie.

Guess who drank half of mine?

Yes, that's Christopher...a picky 3 year old drinking spinach...SPINACH!
Ella (no pictured) also had her fair share.
I recommend you try this if you have picky eaters like I do.
Here's what I blended:
-about 1-2 cups of frozen banana/strawberry/berry mixture
-about 2 cups frozen spinach
-about 1 cup water
**I had some leftover so I poured the mixture into an ice cube tray to drink later**

SO very happy to be feeling green :)

Friday, January 20, 2012

You Got it Dude

One of the biggest style icons of my time is Ashley Olsen. She always looks so chic; even when she's photographed wearing boyfriend jeans and a plain white tee with her hair pulled back in a low bun.

I love her.

I want to be her.

{I think I may have a slight obsession.}

Wanting to dress like a celebrity is almost near impossible when your salary is less than a quarter of theirs. So, here's how I do it...at least, how I think I do it...