Granny Chic

Back in August the girls and I decided to check out the tag sales around town.

 I found this fabulous granny chic afghan for $2.00!

I asked the lady in charge of the tag sale who had made the afghan. She said her grandmother made it. Then she clarified by saying her evil grandmother. I wasn't quite sure how to respond to that! I have a feeling there was some bad blood between those two...

But regardless of whether the woman who made the afghan was evil or not I believe she had some good in her. We all do! As the season has changed to autumn and the weather has turned chilly I am grateful for the grandmother who made this afghan. It brings a smile to my face and we all love to snuggle up and enjoy its granny chicness!

What is Black, White & Striped All Over?

This past Saturday I headed out to my mother's house bright and early for a tag sale. I brought a few goodies to sell, made a couple of dollars, and quickly lost the money I managed to make. JK took $40 for a new DS game. Kenners was invited to go to the mall for dinner and shopping. Need I say more? Easy come, easy go...

Although I wasn't able to hold onto any money, I did bring home a gem of my own.

My mom decided she no longer wanted this cream dresser. I quickly snagged it before she put it out to sell in the tag sale and found a great spot for it in my dining room. It is perfect coupled with my new Missoni Glass Platter and orange wooden finial!

Speaking of Missoni, I also bought a small black & white canister.

I thought it would be great on my bedside table to hold my earrings, watch, rings, bracelets, etc. that I toss off as I climb into bed at night.

A little silver, black, white and gray.

Perfect!

Flipping for Wallpaper

I absolutely adore Jeff Lewis and his design aesthetic. If I could wish upon a star and have Jeff come and re-design my house I think I would die and go to heaven. Flipping Out is one of my favorite shows on Bravo and I love getting a glimpse into Jeff's home. This season I fell in love with the wallpaper hanging in his dining area and work space.

via Houzz

I have never wallpapered before and am a little apprehensive about giving it a try.

Do you wallpaper?

Is it hard?

Would you do it again?

Pumpkins, Bowls and Half Naked Men

After a 3 month or so hiatus from the blog world I am posting once again. It has been a hard decision to make. I have been taking time to simplify my life these past few months. I have cleared my house out like you would not believe. I have edited unnecessary time wasters from my day and have relished this past summer and all of the time I have been able to devote to my family. But my kiddos are all in school now. And I have a little extra time on my hands. And today I felt a little twinge of desire to go and write a post. So here I am....here's to hoping a few of you are still out there to read my crazy ramblings!

After putting JK on the bus at 11:25 AM (half day Kindergarten) I high tailed it to the mall for a little {me} time. Look at the pumpkin I FINALLY scored. I have wanted this little bit of shiny goodness for 3 years now. Each year I sit on my butt a bit too long and decide I must have it after it is no longer available. Not this year! I walked into Pottery Barn this afternoon, saw it sitting on the shelf and snatched it up. (Note: if you go to the PB website you'll see it is NO LONGER AVAILABLE!!!)

Like I mentioned earlier, I am editing my life and my house. This includes decorating. My mantle is going to stay nice and plain this year. I felt like the mercury glass pumpkin made the perfect addition.

Just a touch of fall...

Anthropologie opened at my local mall two weeks ago and I have been anxious to check it out. It is lovely. Absolutely amazing. My big purchase? Two more latte bowls. We all just love them!

My final purchase of the day is for Kenners. She has grown up quite a bit over the summer and has developed an addiction to Hollister. I don't mind indulging her habit with the "50% off redlines" tables...Plus I do so enjoy their half naked men bags! It's a win-win situation!

The little munchkins will be home in just a few short minutes...how the times does fly!

Crossing My Fingers...

...that today will be the day I find THIS!

After checking out 4 other Targets and not having any luck I went online and checked all of the stores in my area. Out of 13 only ONE store says they have it in stock. I'm hoping the website does not lie! So I'll drop JK off at school and head off to Target with my fingers crossed.....

In other news, I am really enjoying the 65-day challenge and am doing well!!! I'm making turkey tacos for dinner tonight (recipe found here)!

UPDATE: My last ditch effort to find the Calypso St. Barth Silver Pouf in a Target store failed. BUT when I got home and went back online to the Target website I saw that they are now available once again when ordered online. Go figure!!

Treasures in the Making

This afternoon I was checking out craigslist and came across this:

$35/obo.

I'm hoping to turn it into this.

The same person also has this long dresser for sale:

$30/obo.

I'm hoping to turn it into this.

I have an appointment for tomorrow morning and hope to score both pieces for $50 and start the transformation over the weekend! Wish me luck!!

Union Jack

For months (way before the royal wedding hoopla) I have been lusting over these Union Jack pillows from Karen Hilton. Well, after much hemming and hawing I have decided to take the plunge and order one for myself and one for my mom for Mother's Day.

I decided on the Yellow & Hot Pink Union Jack and Crown.

She chose the White and Black Union Jack and Crown.

I just submitted my order and can't wait for these fabulous pillow covers to arrive from across the pond!

Oh, and yes, I will be watching Prince William and Kate tie the knot of Friday...I'm even thinking of throwing a post-royal wedding party on Saturday night!

A Coat of Ash

Welcome to my bedroom!

It's not every day I invite guests into my boudoir...

Please enjoy your tour!

I sprinkled silver and glass throughout the room to help reflect the light and offset the dark wall color.

Reading corner complete with white birch branches.

The view from my reading corner.

Straight on shot of my bed.

I have plans for the wall above the headboard and between the sconces but haven't quite completed the project. Maybe this weekend.

My heart shaped love rock I made last year for a class project.

This little vignette is sitting on top of DK's dresser.

JK was feeling left out while I was snapping photos so he wanted me to capture him hanging upside down on his bed with a smile that looks like a frown! Gotta love that boy!!

Napkin Pillows

The other week I found four super fun cloth napkins while I was shopping at Target. I thought they would be perfect for two new bed pillows.

I think they look great coupled with the coordinating green/white/black pillow (I also purchased from Target for 75% off).

Also, take a little peak at my new wall color, Dark Ash. The color was inspired by the finger painting, "Race Car Track", hanging to the left of my bed. This amazing painting was my Christmas present from my talented little guy, JK.

More bedroom pics to come!

Gray, Black & a Touch of Blue

I received an e-mail the other day asking if I had ever finished my living room makeover from August of last year! Holy cow!! How did I let that slip through the cracks?! Here are some pics I snapped this morning of where my living room stands today!

I'm still waiting for my white owls to arrive for my media table.

I'm still striving to keep it simple and I'm looking into replacing the breakfast table chairs with ghost chairs (as seen here).

But let's be honest...Is any room in our homes ever truly done? I think not!

Just a Napkin or Something More?

A cloth napkin is never just a napkin...

...think of the possibilities...

...especially when they are marked down to $4.98 for four AND I'm in the middle of redoing my bedroom AND hunting for new pillow material!

Hmmmmmm....

Stay tuned!!

A Little Bit of Sun

Here on the East Coast there is no sunshine at the moment.

Just snow.

And ice.

And more snow.

And more ice.

So when I saw this vintage sunburst vortex mirror this past weekend I just had to have it!

I found it in my favorite shop in Mystic, CT. I only manage to get there about once a year. How I miss living there!!

So while it's a bit blah outside I will warm myself inside by gazing into my fun new mirror!

How's your weather?

Does anything in your home make you think warm and sunny thoughts?

My Paperwhite Tale

For several years I have wanted to try my hand at forcing paperwhite bulbs.

They're so pretty and I love the idea of watching something grow in the stark winter days, weeks, months...

I bought a Smith & Hawken kit from Target, followed the directions, crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

And it worked! I was so excited to see those initial, beautiful green shoots! And then when I saw the flower buds I was beside myself!! I started thinking how next year I am going to force gobs of bulbs! I'll be surrounded by living plants all winter long...

...and then I caught a whiff of the paperwhite flower essence. Its fragrance. Its perfume. It stinks....at least to everyone in my family! I was SO disappointed! I thought they were supposed to smell spring-y and wonderful! So here I am loving the look of my paperwhites but resort to plugging my nose when I walk past them.

Do you force bulbs during the winter?

What are your favorites? What other bulbs should I try?