Sleep Afloat Houseboats

Earlier this month, Dave and I got away for a night to celebrate his birthday. We had fewer than 24 hours kid-free, so we did what any good suburban couple would do and headed into the big city for the night. Aw, yeah...we drove the whole 25 minutes into Boston.

Because we stayed down on the waterfront, it really felt like we got away, especially as we hung on the deck looking at this pretty view.

Before dinner, we took a nice long harbor walk, and found these fun little houseboats along the way.

I don't know about you, but ever since watching that Seattle RomCom classic from the '90s, I've always fantasized about living on a houseboat. From what I've read, owning a houseboat is not all that it's cracked up to be -- dead fish caught under the boat, bird poop on your deck, etc. -- but still, there's something totally cool about it. Or maybe it's just that Tom Hanks was there.

As I looked closer at this lineup of houseboats, I figured they must have been some sort of floating hotel or something since they all had the same signs on them. Upon a little Googling, I discovered that they are part of the Sleep Afloat fleet -- houseboats for nightly (or longer) rentals in cities up and down the Eastern seaboard, as well as Los Angeles. Started by a houseboat owner who traveled for work and was disappointed by the "cookie cutter" hotel options, Sleep Afloat became the answer to his own conundrum: enjoying the live-afloat life while needing a short-term place to stay.

Docked in Miami Beach, "Living the Dream" which sleeps eight, has two bathrooms, and looks pretty well appointed, seems like a bargain to me at $200 per night.

Vessels from Sleep Afloat's fleet are docked in 11 cities, including a few that we're going to hit on an upcoming family road trip.

I think my houseboat fantasy might just come true, if even for a night (minus Tom).

So -- have any of you ever slept on a houseboat?

Image credits: Boston images by Paige Lewin, "Sleepless in Seattle" houseboat from Seattle PI, "Living the Dream" from Sleep Afloat

Hellebore Harvest

One domestic pursuit I've never been able to wrap my head around is gardening. It's always seemed very complicated to me with its chemistry and logistics. Managing planting and blooming times; planning out a garden to allow for the plants to mature; understanding soil pH; making sure the buggers aren't over- or under-watered, etc. etc. etc. Am I overthinking this?

Maybe so.

Maybe if I planted a whole garden full of these beauties I'd be all set.

According to my emerald-thumbed friends, Hellebores are some of the easiest plants to grow. They're perennials (so they'll come back every year), they like shade, and they bloom from late winter to late spring (in the Northeast), so you get to enjoy them for months on the plant, or clipped and set in a bowl.

Gorgeous, right?

What do you have in your garden? Any easy-to-grow, easy-to-keep-alive plant suggestions for me?

Image and gardening credit: Valerie Schrade

My Five Favorites from IKEA

A few weeks ago I made the long trek down to IKEA to pick up a bookshelf for my younger son's room. He has about 2,763 books and I wanted to poke my eyes out every time I went into his room because it was such a sty. When I was visiting my mom in North Carolina, we went to a pretty little museum shop in Chapel Hill and I fell in love with their display shelves. Turned out that they were from IKEA's BESTA media storage line, so I hightailed it down to my local shop as soon as I returned. I don't know about you, but every time I go to IKEA I'm sort of blown away by how awesome it is. I've been buying IKEA wares for nearly 20 years -- from furnishing my first post-collegiate New York City apartment to replacing my most-loved stock pot just a few months ago. Mid-century-inspired furniture, Swedish holiday accessories, live plants (including fiddle leaf fig plants -- I scored three the last time I was there!), the design-y P.S. line...I love it all. Here are my five favorites right now:

1. BESTA Shelf Unit -  Used as a museum store display, intended to hold living room electronics, purchased for my son's excessive library. I no longer want to poke my eyes out every time I go into his room. 2. SOCKER Vase (set of 2) - got them in the coral and aqua (couldn't resist). 3. RENS Sheepskin - graces the back of my office chair. 4. UPPTACKA Shopping Bag with Wheels - perfect for flea- or farmers-marketing. 5. EIVOR Throw - super cozy, light, and graphic.

What's your favorite IKEA item? Tell me below or on the Mudroom Boston Facebook page. You're a fan, right?

Great Brass Drawer Pulls

Looking for pretty, inexpensive, brass drawer pulls?

Aren't they fabulous?

Find them here.

Furniture image by Paige Lewin. Furniture design by Paige Lewin in collaboration with Bill Jones of Fresh Air Millworks.

10-Minute Styling: Mantel

On the way to a friend's house this morning, I received an urgent text from her. "I have a mantel that needs editing. HELP!"

She was right.

I understand why my friend had a challenging time styling the mantel since it's very shallow and quite long.

The fishing pole, particularly special to her angler husband, wasn't going anywhere.

It's hard to see, but the round vase is a total showstopper. It has these beautiful abstract horses all over it, perfect for my friend who spends a few evenings each week riding, so I knew that needed to stay. Front and center.

I cleared everything off and we went hunting around her house using the vase as a launching point. When we came back and assessed the options, I found that there was nice collection of pottery and wooden objects.

Using the vase as the focal point, I created groupings that followed the line of the pole. I weighted the center, and left the right side of the asymmetrical mantel empty, letting it sort of recede visually.

Not bad for 10 minutes and zero dollars.

Do you have a 10-minute, use-what-you've-got styling that you want to share? Send images to mudroomboston@gmail.com and you might be featured in an upcoming 10-Minute Styling post!