A year in review

Well, another year has come to an end. It's been a very busy one to say the least!

~In January, we finished signing all our papers, and my dream of finally owning a home was finally made a reality. (It is MY first home, Cory's second.)
~February, brought along some decision making, as we made the design selections for our home.
~March was bittersweet, as I lost my job the week before we left for Mexico.
~In April, I started a very long job search, and still found time to complete my first furniture re-finishing project.
~Mid-May, I finally got a new job.
~We spent all of June packing, and visiting this construction zone to prepare for moving day: June 30th!!!
~July was spent unpacking, and getting used to our new digs, and I didn't blog the whole month!
~In August we made our first large change to the house.
~September was very busy and we had Cory's birthday and our anniversary, while making small progress on our home.
~I acknowledged my slacker tendencies as I turned a year older in October.
~November, was spent looking for Christmas inspiration, and worrying about my ailing family. Cory spent some more time in the hospital, my mom still awaits an angiogram for her increasingly worsening heart, and my dad suffered a mild stroke.
~I finally picked it up a bit and spent December, crafting and creating Christmas decorations, such as these Christmas stockings. I also changed the entire color scheme for my holiday decor into Silver and blue.

So, tonight as I look back on the events of this year, I realize how poorly I documented the events of the past year. How little I actually executed some of the well thought out plans I had.... but you can't change the past, so instead of dwelling of what I could have done, or should have done, I look ahead.

In 2010, I plan:
+ to take more pictures, with my new baby, my Canon Rebel Eos xsi, and actually print the photos. Frame them. Scrap them. Make some of them into full-sized art for our walls!

+ to start a collection of milk glass and assorted white ceramic and pottery pieces, to showcase in our dining room. And fill with cheap flowers to bring a smile to my face every time I see them!

+ to finish all the upholstery projects I have half-started, and find them their place in our home.

+ to plan and start the landscaping, that I am sure will take many, many years to fully develop into the lush beauty I want it to be. But to nurture it, and realize that growing things take time.

+ to spend more times in Goodwill, and at Antique malls, and being a "greener" consumer. It's cheaper, not to mention more fun!

+ to tackle one large craft each month. To amass a wonderful collection of handmade goodies, so I can share them with my friends and family come gift-time!

+ to work on paying down any debt we have, so that I can actually have the sort of funds to accomplish beautiful projects or purchase great pieces for our new home

+ to be a better blogger. Blogging every weekday, and occassionally on weekends. With pictures to accompany those posts.

+ to actually learn to use the camera I received, and the photo editing software that accompanied it, and perhaps use my under-used library card to research html, and design a better, prettier BLOG.

+ to have my first giveaway, now that I have started to amass a wonderful group of regular readers, and commenters, to show you all my thanks!

** there are a ton of more things I wish to accomplish/be/do/make in the new year. But I still have to get ready for my party ;) so I'll leave you all with that for now. This way, I'll actually have stuff to write about come the end of January haha!

So, here's wishing you all a very Happy New Year! Please celebrate responsibly [otherwise your shirt becomes untucked in pictures... like his] :)

Artwork Challenge

Another item I scored this Christmas (thanks Dad!), was this great RIBBA frame from Ikea.

For the last 4 months, I've had this blurry image in my mind of putting a great piece of art inside the stark white frame and it looking AMAZING! So, of course, I put it on my list.....

Now that I have it sitting here in front of me... I'm at a loss. I have absolutely no idea what I want to put inside it. Or, for that matter, where I want to put it. Initially, I thought about replacing the art in the powder room that I hate. But, it would also look sooo great in the master bath, which has NO art currently.....

Any ideas blog world? We're pretty contemporary around here... a mix of neutral classics, with some eclectic, fun accessories. We have ICI's "Antique Sterling" as the wall color throughout (a grey that reads as a gorgeous blue in our place). The floors and cabinets are a very dark, espresso color, and our trim is bright white, and all hardware is brushed nickel.

Let me know if you see any inexpensive art out there that you think I might be interested in!!

Boxing Day Finds: Christmas Decorations

I have to say I was pretty disappointed with the Christmas decorations that were leftover at many of the stores on Boxing Day. Mind you, the selection in November this year, left little to be desired, so I shouldn't expect it to be better.... but I expected more selection.

Sadly, I purchased very little. Other than Rudy, our new grapevine porch reindeer, I got only a handful of ornaments, a few things for our bathroom and some gift wrap :( I might go back and check other stores around the city this week and see if I have better luck.. or better deals :)

Here's a few of what I DID find:

At $0.98 , this was one of my favorite finds. I love birds, glitter and this gorgeous blue. I wasn't sure about how it would look on the tree, but now that I see it - I am going out tomorrow to buy as many as I can find!

I bought two of these mercury glass birdies and I love them. They were also about $1.00 each, and are possibly my faves! Gonna search for more tomorrow as well.

This box of teal and white balls was the ONLY set of teal ornaments I found that match the rest of the ones I bought back in November. Very sad! $5.00 for the box, so at $1.25 per ornament, I am happy. Hopefully the closer (but much busier) Walmart will have more of the snowflake covered ones I bought....?

My initial color scheme for this year was Blue, silver and white.. but no white ornaments made their way home with me until Boxing day. I liked the assortment, and $5.00 for 12 ornaments made me smile, so it's a start. Here's a close-up of the detail:

Also making the cut were these two finds for my powder room. Both were items I almost bought (a handful of times each) from HomeSense, earlier in December, but couldn't justify the costs.

I really wanted the blue and silver towels on silver holder, but after checking 3 stores, this was the only style left. For $8.00 for the holder and 2 finger-tip towels, I figure I can always silver-leaf or spray paint the holder.

This little soap pump was $6.00- not the cheapest, but too cute to pass up again and risk losing for good. I can't get a good pic of it (cause of the round shape) but it might even find a permanent home!

For now, the ornaments that did not come in boxes are on the tree for another few days, the rest are in bags under the tree awaiting storage. I can't wait to pull it all out again next year!!

So that's a little re-cap of some of my goodies. I'd love to see what you snagged!!

Gorgeous Neutral Home

I picked up this month's copy of Style at Home on boxing day and really liked this home.

I love that they went with really neutral stuff throughout, and really just used the accessories to add a little punch. It would be so easy to change out your style as it changes, and not have to spend a ton.

The bamboo wallpaper really adds impact, but at the same time, really kinda reads as a neutral somehow!

This dining room is so simple and elegant. I would love a fireplace next to the dining table!




My next kitchen will without a doubt be WHITE!!! It will also most definitely have white stools with dark legs and nailhead trim!

This little kitchen nook looks so cozy and warm! A nice contrast to the stark white kitchen. I'd love to snuggle up in one of those gorgeous chairs and enjoy a croissant. Plus, I'm totally wanting that gorgeous chalkboard for my home, despite my freaky dislike of chalk.


One word for this bedroom: GORGEOUS. I absolutely love everything about it.

Talk about a grown-up nursery! This one is incredibly cute, but doesn't scream CHILD! This would take this kid through many years without needing to re-do the whole thing!! Love the bird cage light fixture that the homeowner made herself for less than $100!!

Gift Ettiquette??

I have to say this was one of my best years, gift-wise. Despite the fact that we agreed it would be a "Small" Christmas, I still ended up with a lot of stuff I really wanted. (yay). Typically, my family doesn't do so good... Even though several years back we decided to resort to lists, the gifts have usually been a little off the mark.


As I have gotten older, I have started becoming really detailed in my lists. Even going so far as to list the store, item style or name (if applicable), size and color that I want. It seems to be helping ( as evidenced by this years loot!)



However, once in a while, I still manage to get something completely out of left field. Something that didn't make the list, or something that is totally not my style, sometimes it's BOTH!

That's what happened this year. My dad, the great guy that he is, knew we needed a rug for our currently unfinished basement. I had been asking about an old one stored in his basement for some time now. But he thought it better to go out and buy me a new one. Points for him. Unfortunately, it is not my style at all. It's a very formal kilim-style rug, with a large fringe, and colors that appear no where in my home. He also apparently spent a fair bit on it, and does not want me to use it in the basement, but bought it for my main floor.

I of course, smiled and thanked him graciously. However, it's been bugging me since. I really don't think I will use the rug as he intended me to. It is too big for our main floor, and even if it was my style, I didn't want a rug for this floor.

What should I do?

~Should I keep the rug, and use it in the basement (where it is greatly needed), and just shut up about it? Hoping that if he ever sees it, he'll understand?

~ Should I call him and tell him that I really appreciate his kind gesture, but let him know that the rug doesn't really go with the rest of the stuff we currently have? Perhaps suggesting that I would love to go out with him and we could choose one together that would fit a little better?
** note: the possibility of hurting his feelings on this, makes me feel sick**

I know I should just call him, but I don't want to seem like a brat. However, since I know it's a pricey gift, I figure it makes sense for it to at least be spent on something in our style, so we can actually use it.

Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions? Please know I am not being un-greatful!

A seat..... and storage

One of the items on my Wish List this year was a storage bench or ottoman for the front hallway. In the last 2 places we've lived, the stairs opened into the entry way, which meant there was always a place to perch when putting on one's shoes, or tossing a purse, etc.

In this house, the entry is it's own little area, separate from the rest of the house, which I really liked. What I didn't like, was trying to pull on boots while either sitting on the floor, or balancing on one foot, trying not to leave hand prints on the wall or knocking pictures off said walls as I came crashing to the floor.

Better yet, I sometimes sat on the stairs to put my shoes on, and then walked from the middle of the house to the door..... then cursed and dusty footprints later!

We definitely needed something. I started re-upholstering an ottoman last year, but when we moved, some of the materials got buried in the garage. I'm gonna wait for warmer weather before I try and track them down this spring!

Thankfully, my mom was so kind as to grant my wish and got us a cute little chocolate brown leather cube ottoman.

This little guy sure likes it. We were initially worried that it would the new place for him to stretch and scratch his claws... but it's now where he likes to sit (especially when mom is taking pictures of his new perch!).

I'm worried it might actually be a bit too small for the space, but at least I know that if down the road, the blue one gets finished and works better here, this new one will have no problems finding a new use! But this shows it, in scale to the actual wall and area it's in.... I can't really go much bigger.

I'd love to be able to put something under this mirror, but then walking space would be nil!

In the meantime, it's the perfect solution. It's small, unobtrucive, comfortable. Plus, it's small enough for us to bring it in if we need extra seating, or even a little sidetable, when I we are laying on the couch and are too lazy to lean over to the coffee table!

As I mentioned in my last post, I was incredibly blessed this year. In addition to a "real" camera, I got a ton of beautiful things to take pictures of! 95% of the items on my list this year were housewares-related goods, and my family obliged my desire to fill our new home, and treated me to a good portion of the list!! Thanks everyone!!

I also headed out Boxing Day shopping today, with the hopes of snagging some great-priced Christmas decor. Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed with the selection at most stores. It took me all day to find a store with any gift-wrap left! However, of the few items I picked up - I am very happy with my purchases, and think I got great deals.

My absolute favorite purchase of the day, was one that I spotted just a few days before Christmas - this fantastic grapevine reindeer from Walmart . His price tag was $50, a little out of my price range for something for the porch.... I had however mentioned to Cory that if his price tag came down, he'd be coming home with us. So say hello to Rudy:

(excuse the mess on the siding, it's new but I'm not sure from what....)

I was so happy to finally fill this big space on our front porch! I had been thinking of a big wicker chair or something like that, but this is so much better, and much more festive. Yet at the same time, I am really happy it doesn't scream "Christmas!!!!" , like all those tacky blow-up Santa lawn ornaments do! Just a really perfect, simple addition.

The only other adornment we had, other than the wreath were these pretty little trees. Unfortunately, it got too cold too quick for me to rig them up properly and so they sit staggered on the steps, with some gorgeous cords visible... sigh

Thankfully, in the grand scheme of things, everything looks pretty pulled together as a whole! Now if only the builder could get their stuff together, and cover those stair treads, so my porch could actually look finished!

I'll be sharing more of my new stuff over the next week, be sure to check back!