The progression of the Turquoise Room – Making it Zebratastic with a rug from Mohawk Home

Photo by Petula Pea PhotographyLast week I showed off my new, bright wall.  While the couch and the wall look amazing in that room, something I may have failed to note is that’s all that’s in that room. And yes, I realize the wall doesn’t count as something “in” the room. Details.

I’m going slowly in the decorating process. Moving to a house 2.5x larger than your previous abode means you have to go in stages to get things done. Also, if you suffer from Shiny Object Syndrome like I do, you may get distracted with other areas, or events, and just live with a painted wall and a couch and call it a decorated room.

When it comes to the Turquoise Room (whose new name is only slightly less strip club sounding than its previous name of “The Chandelier Room”) I have a very exact vision of what I want it to be. I want it to be high(er) design - an adult room.  A room that hosts people over 4 ½ feet tall in style and comfort. I want people to leave my house and comment, “Wow, I loved that room…” Yes, I want to make you jealous of my fabulous, precisely decorated room. And at the rate I’m going, it will be ready to make you green with envy sometime in 2015.

As you may have noticed in the pictures of the new house and the Turquoise Room, we have a large expanse of travertine tile floors. Cold and hard to clean, they are begging for rugs. For the past 5 years I’ve been obsessing over a Zebra rug. In fact when during one of my first visits to this house I fantasized about a beautiful Zebra rug adorning one of the floors of a downstairs room. As if the angels were listening to my pleas (or arguments with Jason over how much I was going to spend on said Zebra rug), a few weeks ago I got an email from a representative from Mohawk Home asking me if I wanted to review a rug. And guess which style was available for review? Seriously, it was kismet.

Soon after, an 8x10 100% nylon Zebra patterned rug called Watamu, showed up at my house.... and I fell ever so deeply in love.

While I was a little nervous that the color (it's actually shades of beiges and browns instead of a traditional black and white) wouldn’t be right, it’s actually perfect. And while I will continue to desperately try to claim this room as one for adults only, the more neutral tones in this rug means the kids can play on it and people can walk across it and I don’t have to worry about staining the bright white parts. And the best part? This rug is totally affordable, with the 8x10 size retailing for under $450 (not to mention it’s on sale right now at Kohl’s for under $250!)

EVEN BETTER THAN THE BEST PART?

I’m giving one away.

One lucky reader will be able to share the love of Zebra print with me with their very own Watamu rug courtesy of Mohawk Home.

Here are the 2 simple steps to enter:

1) Visit www.mohawkhome.com - click on your favorite retailer that sells Mohawk rugs and doormats. Pick one and in the Comments let me know which one you would ask Santa (Or Hanukah Harry) for. Please include a link so we can all oohhh and aaaahhh over your choice.

2) “Like” Mohawk Home on Facebook 

Want a few bonus entries?

If you want to throw your name in the random hat another more time – Tweet this:

@HipMamaB is giving away a @Mohawk_Home Zebra print rug! http://ow.ly/3bFdW Enter before 11/23

And/Or post a link on your Facebook wall to this contest – remember to tag me or the LaLaLa fan page so I know you did it.            

Entries will be accepted through MIDNIGHT PST on 11/23/2010. Winners will be selected via Random.org on 11/24/10.

Good Luck and may your dreams be in Zebra print!

The best fairy tales are the real ones

It was 1981 and I was 6 years old. My mother, who lived in London in her 20's and was always a bit of an anglophile, woke me up at 3 or 4 am. Greeting with a cup of hot chocolate, we sat together in the dark, and watched the making of a real-life princess. 

I have vivid memories of sitting there watching the procession of Lady -soon to be Princess - Diana. In her fabulous white fairy tale gown, her crown and that TRAIN...it was like my princess books come to life. I was enchanted. My mom, who always loved Charles, cried. It's a memory I will have for the rest of my life.

While we all know how that fairy tale ended, we now have a new Princess tale to fantasize about... the little "commoner" girl who meets the dashing prince at school and wins his heart. Now in line to possibly be Queen of England one day. It's the stuff Disney movies are made of. 

Congrats to Prince William and Kate! SO CAN'T WAIT for that wedding! I may need to have a sleepover with my mom that night.

RE-POST: Sugar Me Timbers - Sugaring Hair Removal at The Encinitas Spa

I'm reposting this entry because of a special, one day deal to The Encinitas Spa today... see below for details..

According to ancient lore, sugaring, as a form of hair removal, became popular thousands of years ago in ancient Arabia. During a time when hygiene was harder to maintain, women in North and East Africa found it easier if they were hair-free from the neck down. Of course, the styles and varying levels of body hair have changed throughout the years, from hairy armpits in the 1960's to Holly Madison's aptly quoted "fur bikini's" of the 1970s and 1980's, you can tell the time period of a woman by the way she wears not only the hair on her head. 

A few week's ago I had the opportunity to try out and adorable little local day-spa, The Encinitas Spa. Nestled close to my ALL TIME favorite Mexican restaurant, El Callejon on South Coast Hwy 101 and Encinitas Blvd, Suzanne taught me all about the benefits of sugaring hair removal over what is now the "traditional" waxing. 

With her brand new day-spa, Suzanne plans for the spa to specialize in, and become known for, sugaring. So, what's the hype? Well, according to the all knowing internets, sugaring has the following benefits:

• Pulls with the hair's natural growth which means it will hurt less than traditional waxing techniques.
• Can remove shorter hairs so you'll be smoother longer.
• Longer lasting, means fewer visits.
• Pulling with natural growth also means fewer to no ingrown hairs. 
• After service skin has no bumps with mild to no redness.

Now, I won't tell you that it doesn't hurt. It's hair removal via yanking out small hairs on a sensitive area, it will hurt, but honey, BEAUTY IS PAIN. Get over it. And if you have sensitive skin, it does treat your skin much better than waxing. 

So, here is the deal. Buy With Me is doing a special with Encinitas Spa - $25 for this normally priced $65 treatment {sorry this deal is no longer}. Plus Encinitas Spa offers an interesting monthly $39 monthly Brazilian Membership, which really helps you to maintain whatever "hair style" you chose. Or if a facial is what you need, the Buy with Me deal is also offering an $85 facial for just $45!

Go forth! Venture! Try something new! And if needed, you can always treat yourself to a house margarita at El Callejon post-sugar.

Update on Monday, November 15, 2010 at 8:14AM by HipMamaB

One of my favorite local spas is offering another great deal. If you missed the Buy With Me deal, you can still get a fantastic price to try out "sugaring" for yourself. Today (Monday 11/15/10) you can get a sugaring treatment at The Encinitas Spa for just $25 through The Daily Save. 

You're In The Jungle Baby...

Yesterday we took the kids to see Megamind. For a 3 year old Zoe can sit quietly through most movies, but she's still too little to be able to hold her bladder through a whole movie. Of course, the big fight scene during the climax of the movie is when she she turns to me and screams "I NEEDS to POTTY NOW!"  As we were rushing back into the theatre from our little "break," the hero and the villain are battling it out on the big screen to the sounds of one of my all time favorite songs, "Welcome To The Jungle."

Uh... wait a moment??

"Welcome To The Jungle"? You mean the song about drugs and hard city living? You mean from the 1987 Guns 'n Roses album Appetite for Destruction, where the original album art was banned because it was a robot alien raping a girl? You mean the song whose B-side on the single was "Mr. Brownstone," the song about heroin addiction?

Yup. And it's in a kid's movie.

I am in no way uptight about or overprotective of my kids' sensitive ears. That is very much evidenced by the fact that my children listen to Katy Perry. But I will say that I was slightly taken aback by this song. To me, GnR and Appetite for Destruction represented my first break from parental approved music. That first album (yes, I had the LP) that my mom made a disapproving face at, the first time I was yelled at to "turn that noise down." "Welcome to the Jungle" was the first toe into my pool of adolescent discord. This was a song that made our mothers cringe and grandmothers cry! And now my 6 year old song is walking around asking "You know where you are??? You're in the jungle baby!" This song that I once hailed as the theme song of bad-ass rock is now appropriate for a cartoon movie.

Tonight we turned on Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief to watch with Lucas. While the plot may be pushing a bit with Lucas, he loves Greek mythology and movies like this. During one of the scenes featuring the three teenage stars of the movie driving down the street, AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" blared in the background. Unfazed by it at all, Lucas turns to Jason and comments, "This song sure is in a lot of movies."

Now I'm left wondering, are we raising a generation of children that can't be shocked? Of which no word, no song, no movie will ever offend or appall them? Or should, as parents, we just be very scared about what they will find to horrify us in the future?

Amazon Kindle PR Nightmare...Ploy or Crisis Communication?

My girl Mary over at Mama Mary Show wrote an interesting post on her thoughts of the Amazon Kindle pedophile situation a post that posed the question: was this a PR ploy set up by Amazon to get them in the news and have their name mentioned over and over right before the Holiday gift buying season?

Since my Facebook status update prompted Mary's post, I thought I would give my 2 cents - from a PR perspective. 

While this status update from the other night was very tongue-in-cheek, crisis communication is exhausting, difficult and often a no-win situation. Yes, there is the old PR saying that good or bad, all attention is attention - but from a brand standpoint, I can't see a company ever wanting to be associated with illegal, racist or sexist news. 

Let's take the recent Target PR-debacle. Upon the request of some head-honcho, the company made a campaign donation to candidate who has roots not only in anti-LGBT motives, but was associated with people who propagate hate-filled and threatening messages. While the Target PR people JUMPED and acted and apologized, swearing it was a stupid oversight, they have now lost the reputation as being a generally good, clean, non-sleazy company. And while the "boycott" of this mega-store will die down (because let's face it, we all need paper towels and Method cleaning supplies), from now on there will always be a microscope on them. People are watching Target closer than ever, waiting for them to mess up again. 

Target's LGBT situation = BAD PR.

Last year a "beta tester" for the iPhone 4 just happened to leave his test model at a bar. A bar where a write for Gizmodo just happened to be having a beer. And while both parties swear that this was a true mistake, even going so far as involving legal teams, this got people talking about the iPhone 4. The media attention that followed was all excitement-based, making people wonder and leaving them guessing about this anticipated next-generation phone. And even though the Apple PR team was freaking out and working 24/7 over it, this attention generated was better than any press release.

Apple iPhone 4 debacle = GREAT PR

And what about BP and the oil spill in the Gulf? I'm sure the majority of Americans had no idea BP owned that rig, or how much oil they supply or who their CEO is...but now we do! So it goes without saying...

BP = HORRIBLE Disastrous PR

Back to the Amazon situation, this is more than a "free speech" issue... this particular book, The Pedophile’s Guide to Love & Pleasure: A Child-Lover’s Code of Conduct, actually describes how to engage in illegal activities and hurt, molest and abuse children. By having this book available for download, Amazon is promoting illegal activities. They have not only garnered the attention of outraged parents, but also the U.S. Justice Department. And regarding the author, Phillip R. Greaves, who writes abut the "idea" is that pedophiles are a misunderstood sexual minority who "love" children and compares the plight of pedophiles to the plight of Jews in World War II...you don't think this guy now has an FBI case-file 3ft deep?

This can NEVER result in good PR.

No matter what they do moving forward, people will always associate Amazon with pedophila. The legalities of the situation are going to take years and millions of dollars to get out of. There is a very good chance that Amazon will face Federal criminal charges for publishing and distributing child pornography. And in the end, the Amazon brand will always be tarnished by this issue.

Public Relations needs to support and protect the brand at all cost. Crisis communications is all about damage control and making sure the bad press leads eventually leads to good press. If this was a case of Amazon leaking a book before its release date, or putting a naked picture up somewhere, those are things a brand can recover from. Being thought of as a company that makes money off products that teach people how to break the law and hurt children will haunt them forever. 

What do you think?