Young House Love

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Father’s Day, Animal Friends, & Cheesy Grins

Work continues on the deck (looks like we’ll have an update for you on Monday barring any unforeseen disasters inspection failures!) so to end this week with a dad-worthy bang, I thought I’d share something that a bunch of you have been requesting: a belated Father’s Day recap (like last year’s) – especially since the day included a few home related activities and presents.

Fathers Day Instagram

The day started off much like any normal Father’s Day might. We went out to one of our favorite brunch spots (deLux) and enjoyed some french toast in their open-air back room (we also enjoyed an impromptu walk beforehand because we accidentally arrived 20 minutes before they opened – oops).

Fathers Day Breakfast

Our day kind of got derailed from there because we found out just the night before that a New York Times photographer was coming by at noon to shoot our kitchen (!!!). Cue the sweaty palms. We’d already been interviewed for the article (about people who use online floor-planning software to guide home renovations) a couple of weeks before, but it literally wasn’t until 10:30pm on Saturday that we heard they needed someone to come over about twelve hours later on Father’s Day to snap the photos. Check out the big cameras he brought…

New York Times Photographer2

The article actually came out last Thursday while we were at Haven. We’ll admit we’re not head-over-heels for how it turned out since we feel like we sound a little anti-architect, which definitely isn’t the case (we even have a close friend who’s an architect!). During the interview they asked Sherry about kitchen designers (not architects) and how they might help, and Sherry said something like “a designer might tell you onyx is in or help you define what you like if you don’t know, which can be really helpful” but somehow a shortened version of that was used as our quote about architects (who do a heckova lot more than talk about onyx, as do kitchen designers!). You can read the article here if you’d like. I guess there’s always a risk that a story may shape up differently than it was originally pitched to you (we heard it was more about the software itself, kind of like this post that we wrote about the pros & cons of certain programs). But at least the photo of us came out ok. No closed eyes or spinach in the teeth. High five.

The photographer was pretty speedy (and extremely nice!), but between getting home quickly to clean up the house for his arrival (both our kitchen and ourselves) and then with him shooting photos until Clara’s nap, we didn’t really get a chance to squeeze in any more Father’s Day activities (since we were also working on blog projects to get ahead before our trip to the Haven Conference and practicing our little presentation). But Sherry, Clara, and Burger did treat me to some nice Father’s Day gifts – like this addition to our kitchen that sports my favorite thing (she got it from Joss & Main). Am I the only dad to get excited about a dishtowel? Perhaps. But put a bird bike on it and I’m sold.

Fathers Day Dishtowel

Knowing that I have a thing for cool art, Sherry also found this fun “Twenty Northern Friends” print that not only is a subtle nod to our Alaskan honeymoon, but also includes lots of geek-y trivia about lesser-known animals.

Poster Screen Shot0

Like, did you know a Snowy Owl can eat close to 2,000 lemmings in a single year? I’d say that’s about 2,000 more lemmings than I’ve eaten in my entire lifetime.

We’re thinking the print will go here in our living room, but we’ve gotta get a frame for it first (fortunately Target sells a size that should fit, so we’ll keep you posted). We think it’ll play nicely off the dark gray beams in there.

Fathers Day Northern Friends

Speaking of keeping you posted, that picture reminded us that we’re guilty of sharing pictures of an unframed print and saying “we need to hang this and share the pics later” and then we hang it but never actually share the pics. So, let’s tie up some of those loose ends, shall we?

Come on into our frame hallway and make yourself comfortable…

Fathers Day Hallway Full

That’s where the map of Maui (which we bought on our Hawaiian vacation back in March) ended up.

HI Map

We were lucky that it fit in a frame that we found at Target (the mat’s opening was pretty much exactly the size of the map – huzzah for standard sizes!). And we actually had this empty spot on our wall since its previous occupant (an old map of Richmond) now lives on our kitchen shelves. Yup, things like frames and pillows definitely get around in our house.

Fathers Day Maui

And speaking of our trip out west, the wooden letterpress print that we got in Portland…

PDX Art

…also ended up in the hallway, just on a different wall. You can see it here on the bottom right:

Fathers Day Portland

I wish I could remember what was there before, but so much got moved around while shooting the book in January that I think it’s been empty for a while. Oh wait, I know – it was the other frame that we moved into the kitchen after the shelves were built since it had some images of food in it (it was actually an old $12 poster from allposters.com that Sherry cut up a few years back for our first kitchen).

Brackets Side

Who knew this Father’s Day recap would include miscellaneous art updates? Oh the twists and turns of blogging. As for Father’s Day, I’m thankful that I got to spend the day with my two favorite girls and my one favorite chihuahua (and a random, but very nice, photographer). How was your Father’s Day? Can you think that far back? I know I had trouble! Anyone have new art to hang? Or old project updates that they have yet to blog about? Why are those little updates so hard to remember to share?

Comments

  2. Gabriella @ Our Life In Action says

    Looks like you guys had so much fun. My list just keeps on growing – we are planning on adding a picture wall to our living room (not sure if that is going to happen before or after the headboard redesign) :-)

    Good luck this weekend – we will keep our fingers crossed that you get a big thumbs up.

    Reply

  3. Amy B. says

    Ooh, am I first (probably not)?! We spent Father’s Day with our families. We had a big gathering at my in-laws with all the dads, and it was so wonderful since we previously lived 1,400 miles away and didn’t get to spend days like this with our families.

    Reply

  5. jessica@fourgenerationsoneroof says

    I am very inspired by your hallway full of frames :) I have a wall that this would look great on. The Northern print is pretty cool also. I love the backsplash in your kitchen, I’m pondering things to do on ours and this might have to be a contender :) Have a great day!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha- isn’t that funny?! No matter how hard I tried to be “on top of” the 4th of July with my early post, we overshot Father’s Day by almost two weeks! Glad we’re not alone! And that butcher block is gorgeous!

      xo,
      s

  8. Jess @ Little House. Big Heart. says

    I love the art that celebrates your travels together! Kevin and I love to travel and always buy two things to remind us of our trips: a cookbook from where ever we are for me and cufflinks for him. :) I love the idea of art though!

    I’m glad you had a great Father’s day!

    Reply

  9. Cara says

    Uh oh. You just reminded me that my husband’s gift is still in the closet. I bought it months ago, but we were in Europe for Fathers Day and.. Well, my plans to have a make up day when we got back were forgotten. Better get on that!

    Reply

  10. Samantha says

    I love, love, love the bike towel! I’ve been eyeing some dish towels in a very similar style on Etsy. Quite a few sellers have them with *bees* on them! :) I just searched for “bee dish towel” I think, and some even offer personalization. Thought you might have fun with those. I know how it is to get excited about dish towels.

    I am also in love with that colorful bike print, too…

    Reply

  12. Jordan says

    very unrelated, but I have a couple of cupcake questions…..Being an avid YHL reader, and all the mention of Ukrop cupcakes, I am dying to try them. Do you know if they ship their cupcakes? also, do you know if they have stores in other states (i live in south carolina)…..thanks, ms. sweet tooth:)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think they’re only in certain parts of Virginia and aren’t sure they ship. Maybe if you google Ukrops bakery there’s a number you can call for more info? They truly are the best!

      xo,
      s

  13. Lauren says

    The picture of your rhino reminded me that I thought of you a few weeks back when I was browsing through Anthropologie. They had a paper mache rhino head hanging on one of the walls and my first thought was “Sherry would love this!” Haha. Maybe I read your blog too much… :)

    Reply

    • Caitlin says

      I have that rhino (my husband got it for me for my birthday 2 years ago and since we moved, it hasn’t found a new home on a wall yet). I LOVE IT and now that we’re talking about it, I think I need to go find a spot and hang it up RIGHT NOW.

  14. Krys72599 says

    A comment about architects: they’re far from perfect. We hired one that came highly recommended around town and she put together three options for us. We were adding a second floor onto a ranch with a basement (the basement walks out at lake level on the lake side and the “front” of the house is the opposite side on the 1st floor). We chose our favorite design, acted as our own general contractor, hired the pros we needed (framing, roofing, siding, plumbing, sheetrocking) and only after it was up and we had walls did we realize we have no linen closet on our new second floor. No closet in the bathroom, no closet near the bathroom, only 2 bedroom closets. If I didn’t want to run up and down to the linen closet on the 1st floor, we had to come up with an alternative. So hubby built 3 freestanding window seats to fit wall-to-wall against the sitting room windows and they are custom built to fit some closed fabric baskets I got from WalMart: voila! Our linen closet!!!
    And next week we’ll be hanging some photos in our upstairs hallway, and then I’ll be pulling together some photos and art for our staircase, and buying/painting frames. Also, next week we’re repainting two “found” wooden stools: I’m trying to decide green or red… the kitchen is going to be redone next year so I’m thinking green, ’cause that will fit in with what I plan to do… but red would really pop! (And I could always repaint, right?!?)

    Reply

  15. Molly says

    That sounds like an awesome father’s day… I love that you guys really take the time to celebrate each one of you – plus your gifts are always so thoughtful! I love picking perfect presents for my loved ones and love that you guys seem to as well…

    So sorry about the NYTimes articlae – that should have been straight up exciting instead of slightly stressful and, you know, factually dubious… plus they spelled your name wrong, Sherry?! And they didn’t link to the blog, which I think they should have done considering they linked to other websites mentioned. Harrumph and Grrr. Better luck next time! You guys deserve all the awesome press you can get…

    Good luck with the deck!

    Reply

    • Liz Lindsay says

      If they spelled Sherry wrong, I think they fixed it. But MS.Petersik? You’re married to Mr.Petersik – I would think the New York Times would know that makes you MRS.Petersik! :)

    • Dina says

      What Liz said strikes me as so funny, because I just had a conversation about this topic with my sister the other day. I am married but I always go by “Ms.” professionally, not “Mrs.” I feel very strongly about this – I don’t think I should have to carry a title that signals whether I’m married or not, just like “Mr.” doesn’t tell you whether the person is married. My sister, on the other hand, is a teacher and all her students call her “Mrs.” Regardless, in this case I’m guessing it has to do with the NYT stylebook rules!

  16. Sara says

    Oh, I didn’t think the article sounded too bad. And it is fun to see your kitchen through another photogs eye — it looks different! Did they send you any of the other pics? I think we’d all like to see them!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks! That’s the only pic we got to see! He shot a bunch of versions with me and John, Clara, Burger, etc. It was fun and pretty fast! He turned on all the lights (even the ones under the hood) which was new for us since most photogs turn all the lights off and only shoot in natural light, so that might be why they look so different!

      xo,
      s

  17. Paige @ Little Nostalgia says

    That’s a great print! It’s like a ceramic animal collection right there on the paper.

    I just read the NYT article, and I don’t think you guys sound anti-architect! The way they broke up the quote about onyx and style was weird, but I think they also included a lot of good info about your money-saving and the rule about calling a pro when something is too hard/risky. You guys definitely sounded smart!

    Reply

    • m @ random musings says

      I agree with Sara and Paige. The article sounded like ‘there are all these awesome tools for design, just be aware of pitfalls/limitations’, and your (multiple!) quotes supported that perspective. The only thing I would criticize is that the author failed to clarify the distinction between architecture and interior design. The onyx reference is interior design, structural modifications fall under architecture (imho)

  18. Allyn says

    I can’t believe a photographer came on Father’s Day. Is nothing sacred?! Ha.
    Glad you guys still had a fun day though. Fingers crossed on the inspection.

    Reply

  20. Chelsea says

    For whatever reason, I read “Cheesy Grins” in the blog title as “Cheese and Grits”… my brain must be telling me it’s time for breakfast??

    Reply

  21. Laura says

    I love the bit about the kitchen and I’m sorry your were somewhat mis-interpreted with the architect/kitchen designer part. I know exactly what you are saying!

    Our house was designed by the AMAZING Michaela Mahady and her kitchen layout was perfect. We only made a few tweaks by eliminating upper cabinets because we wanted more windows and open shelving. We did go to a so-called *kitchen designer* but we knew what we wanted for counter tops and cabinets so she pretty much just ordered them for us. Yet she is so proud of this great kitchen she feels that she designed. But like you said…I didn’t need her to tell me what was in.

    I really think your DIY kitchen turned out amazing because you are in touch with real kitchens and heck…you do this for a job now so it should! :)

    You guys are awesome. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

    • Leanna says

      Michaela Mahady is amazing! I just graduated with an architecture degree and love her work. Some people don’t realize how great it is to have a home built by an architect, it’s really worth the price.

  22. Stephanie says

    That is a really cool print! I drove home from New Hampshire (its only 2 hrs; I was away for the weekend) to give my dad his gift and have dinner with my parents.

    Also, I read that article and that really sucks about how he twisted your words, Sherry. :(

    And finally… frame wall… love. I need to find a spot in my place to do a frame wall.

    Reply

  23. LauraC says

    Oh my word! Just on Tuesday (your post on the headboard, with John holding it up with Clara in the living room) I noticed/thought that your wall opposite the rhino head looked bare/lonely/needed some art, and ta-da, and three days later you post on the art you’re gonna hang there (which is great btw). Am I physic or what? Or maybe just great minds think alike? ;-) Happy Friday!

    Reply

  24. Justin says

    I just looked at the NY Times article. I like the kitchen pictures you guys have taken better!

    By the way, I don’t know if you remember my comment awhile ago about not liking yellow (but slowly converting after seeing how you guys throw in pops of it here and there). Well, my wife and I took the plunge with our new nursery, and I have to say, I’m loving it.

    I thought you’d like to see how you have inspired us with DIY:

    http://justinandkatie.wordpress.com/2012/06/22/nursery-take-two/

    You guys have really given us the courage to tackle projects like this and save a ton of money. Our next project for the nursery is to rip out the carpet and put in glossy, painted white, wide-planked floors. We live in an old house and think it would be awesome for the space. Can you see it?

    Reply

  26. Lori says

    A friend of mine, who is an architect, posted the article on Facebook and went on a rant about DIYers. I read the article and and thought the whole time “they didn’t do anything structural, why would they use an architect?”.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yes, we really worried it would offend architects! It was more like we were saying certain programs like the ones we used can help you envision something (sketchup does it in 3D!) and you can make sure the dishwasher door won’t hit the fridge door, so it’s great that normal people can check those things now with this new software. It’s definitely not for everyone, but for DIYers who have done a kitchen or two, it’s an awesome resource. But that’s not to say that we don’t love and respect architects!

      xo,
      s

  27. Christi says

    This was a great post, I laughed out loud in my office at least three times! Thanks!

    BTW – does anyone tell you guys you look alike? Brad and I have been together for over 13 years and we get it all of the time so I thought when I saw that picture of you two I just wondered…

    Happy late Father’s Day!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yes, we have gotten that we could be brother and sister. Which is kind of weird but also kind of funny because it means Clara probably looks like both of us if we resemble each other.

      xo,
      s

  28. JC says

    I have been a big fan / reader for quite a long time AND I’m an architect. I didn’t the the article put us in a bad light. But yes, we do a ‘heckova lot more than talk about onyx.’ (So do kitchen designers)

    Happy Belated Father’s Day

    Reply

  29. Callie says

    So cool that you were in the NYT! I think Sherry your quote at the end of the article is a great quote – really good advice for anyone thinking about DIY’ing out there :)

    Reply

  30. Calypso says

    Okay, so my man made a mess of Mother’s Day and I made it a point to make Father’s Day super fantastic so he can understand how to properly execute a holiday. I planned breakfast in bed, but he woke up all early. I made him these egg muffins that were to die for if I do say so myself. Every hour had a special thing going on: 9am: Open gifts. 10am: Bubble Bath 11am: Play video games for an hour without interruption, 12noon: Have a super fabulous lunch. 1pm: Play a family game together on the WII. 2pm: Free time to do whatever he’d like. I hope he feels terribly guilty and I get a proper mother’s day next year.. We will see..

    Reply

  31. shi says

    i completely sympathize with you on feeling misrepresented by The Times! they wrote an article about a happy hour club i started with friends in nyc and it made us all sound like lushes!

    your art posts always inspire me to go to etsy to find cute prints. love that wall o’ art!

    Reply

  32. Sheri says

    I read your blog every day but have never commented! Just wanted to say I just read the NYTimes article and it doesn’t make you sound as bad as you think it does. But I’m sure it’s frustrating that it didn’t turn out as you expected.
    Love your blog!!!!

    Reply

    • Arely Mattson says

      I second that! I also almost never comment, but I read your blog every day since I found you a couple months ago, and I think it doesn’t make you guys look bad at all. Any “negative” statements were made by them, outside of quotations, and even those were very fine, I thought.
      I also have a question about remo, since I’ve been keeping up with your deck, and the article mentioned a lady going to the city with her kitchen remo plans. Does one ALWAYS have to do that? Or is there some guidelines to know what kind of remo needs a permit and what kind doesn’t? Did you get a permit to tear that kitchen wall down? Sorry if this is a stupid question, and thanks in advance if you have time to answer :)

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Not a stupid question at all. Every city and county is different, so it’s best to check with your local office (ours is called “Building Inspection”) to see what requires one and what doesn’t. That how we learned we didn’t need one for our fence (since it’s not over 6ft), didn’t need one for our wall opening (we called the office and explained the project and they said we were okay to proceed without) but that we did need one for the deck.

      -John

  34. Eve says

    Oh, also – meant to add that in the sweet picture of John & Clara, I’m so coveting the restaurant’s artwork with the menu/prices hidden in it!

    Reply

  35. Melissa Brogan says

    The onyx quote in the NYT is a little weird. Fortunately for regular readers, we know neither of you are that dismissive of architects and designers, but I can see how people who aren’t familiar with the blog could interpret it that way. Speaking of new art to hang, I’m bummed that I seem to have misplaced a small print that I’d ordered. I’d been looking forward to hanging it! Love seeing the new artwork you’ve been putting up, though.

    Reply

  37. Michelle O says

    My girls and I gave my husband a framed print / graphic map of Disney World from jennasuedesign.com. She has some neat stuff and it combined our love for all things Disney and my husbands love of maps. (Plus there was an empty spot on the wall in the bedroom that needed a little something :)

    Reply

  38. Jennifer says

    Is that a narwhal on the poster (top left)??

    True story – I was about to say something about that being funny since they were made-up, mentioned it to a friend just now, and I found out they were real animals….
    thought they were like unicorns….

    am I the only one?

    Reply

  39. sara says

    I have to say that I think his extra little comment on onyx at the end of the paragraph felt a little snide, but I feel like it reflects more on the author than you. Also interesting that the author chose that point to focus on given that later another couple says they regret using so much marble in their home. To me, it felt like a dig that, “well if they’d had an architect or designer, they would have been told that they were using too much marble.” Anyway, I think you guys come off fine- the author seems like a douchebag. haha.

    Reply

  40. RLR says

    We were camping across father’s day weekend and the following week. My husband had gotten some camping gear a bit early (a cast iron camp Dutch oven and a few other camp cooking accessories) but I still wanted him to have something special for the actual day. So, I made sure to pack the father’s day card that our daughter made. We didn’t wear our watches the whole week, nor did we have any service for our mobile phones, so it slipped everyone’s mind on Sunday! Instead, we all celebrated on Monday :)

    Reply

  41. Amanda says

    Oh I love that “Let’s go anywhere” print!! Do you remember where it is from? My fiance and I are developing a serious map addiction!

    Reply

  42. Julie says

    Um speaking of Father’s Day – I know I’m like 6 months late to this game – but during some interneting last night I found this site and nearly spit out my drink in shock. Check out #4 Stay at Home Dad where John & Clara are featured. Odd that my reaction is “I know that guy” even though really I’m just a blog reader who never even comments. But somehow I still feel like we’re friends.

    Reply

  43. Meg says

    I see what you mean on the article, not fair. I also think they are missing the point that some renovations don’t required a licensed architect’s stamp and that’s another reason people are saving money by designing themselves.

    Reply

  44. Heather says

    Awww, I’m sorry they misrepresented you guys :( Fortunately we all know you better! ;)
    Just wondering… does it drive Sherry nuts that they referred to her as “Ms. Petersik?” I can’t stand it when that happens and I’d rather that people would just use Miss or Mrs. to refer to people when possible (the author obviously knows she’s married!). Maybe I’m just impossibly old-fashioned :)

    Reply

  45. Beth in DC says

    I seem to remember John falling for a large bike poster that was part of a store display (GAP, maybe) and actually arranging to get a copy…. Is that in your house somewhere, or did I dream this?

    Reply

  47. Katelin says

    Hey Ms. Petrisik :)

    Loved the photo that the NY times shot, but thought it was a little weird that they put your ages in?? Maybe that’s just me…

    Its so cool to be featured, and I hope you guys got a copy of the newspaper that day!

    Reply

  48. Tricia says

    Sounds like a great father’s day! But where did you get the bicycle print in the hallway? That is great!!!

    Reply

  49. Bethany says

    dudes, read the article and thought I would send ya my funny media story. So, when I was in college I did beauty pageants (I know, right!?!) to help pay for school. Anyway, one year I competed for “miss chicago” in the miss america system and won. The judges were clearly sipping absinthe or something. Anyway, one of my cool-not-really-celebrity things I got to do was a promo for a hotel chain’s new “heavenly bath”. Got coverage in the Chicago tribune which proceeded to 1. spelled my name completely wrong and 2. asked why miss chicago would be spending her time in her bathing suit in a westin hotel bath anyway. Ahhhh, good memories!

    The good news about the article is that anyone who follows your blog knows and loves ya! Happy thoughts!

    Reply

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