Our Christmas Photo Tradition

Six years ago I came up with this idea for this silhouette photo in front of the Christmas Tree. I was pregnant with Brynlee Reece and due any day, so it was really special. I continued this tradition every year and now it's something I look forward to so much. We now have Lennon Grey, who just turned one. Last year's photo was of me pregnant with her.

Here is 2012's photo:

And this is now

You can check out the whole series HERE

Merry Christmas!

Pottery Barn Knockoff

It's been a doozy of a month! Welcome to all my new clients, I've enjoyed working with you!
Here's a fun little knockoff! I actually own this Pottery Barn spotlight and it is one of my favorite little lights in my house. It's no longer online but I have seen it in stores, for $79.

Now Target carries a similar one, in 3 different finishes, for only $26.99 ( click here )

Halloween!

A little Day of the Dead/Sugar Skull for this Halloween.

Oh Billy! ( Ikea and World Market newbies in my house )

On this wall was just two floating shelves, and the sofa backed up to it. I was never really satisfied with the look. The proportion was off. So it was time to change it.

I bought 2 Ikea BILLY bookcases, and bought the optional doors. The Bookcases are cheap, but the doors are not. However, I need the polished look of doors here, and since my living room is small, I needed the reflective shine of the doors to make it seem more open.

Styling the shelves was easy, I just shopped my house and added my favorite things. Making sure that proportions were correct. Just keep stepping back, look at the textures and make sure you mix shine/wood/metal/pattern. And layer! Always layer.

These skeleton key plates were found in the dirt in my backyard. Pretty fun. I added some of my grandfather's books and a huge fun lightbulb. Why not.

We needed more seating as well. The problem is, adding chairs did make the room a bit more small. We are going to live with two chairs for a bit and see if we actually NEED both.

These blue beauties are from World Market, they went on sale and I snatched them up.

I usually dont go for armless chairs, but these are actually quite wide, and you can sit criss cross on them ( a requirement in our house ) and they are so soft and comfortable.

As the holidays continue I'm sure I'll be adding decor and moving some around for fun. 

( My hydrangea box will likely be on top of the bookshelves )

FALL ACCENTS! ( on the cheap )

This is absolutely my favorite time of the year! ( I mean, who really does not like fall? ) Which makes it even more fun to decorate for! However, I havent been able to bust out my decorations due to the fact we are on the brink of a major remodel ( more to come on that ) so in the meantime, here are a few inspirations for ya.

And before you go asking where the heck you can find an antique urn and not pay an arm and a leg, I'll let you in on a secret. Go to Home Depot ( or any home improvement big box ) and check out their PLASTIC URN PLANTERS. Most of them already have an aged look so they look like the real thing. Check this out...$11! Boom!

And if you dont love the color, so what! Buy a $3 can of spraypaint or dab some leftover paint from the garage on it to give it the aged look you want.

This can be done for free. The below picture is from my dining room last year. We had some old wood laying around in the garage, that was obviously weathered, and after deciding how big I wanted it, we just cut it and put finishing nails in it. Very very easy.

Joanns and the Dollar Tree are the best places for faux gourds and pumpkins, as well as other fillers for the boxes. Ikea has the cheapest candles! Have fun with it.

Another tip, if you're looking to achieve the above look, with mums inside pumpkins, I suggest you buy the faux pumpkins from Joanns ( always on sale ) so that you can reuse them. Real pumpkins arent cheap and wont last! For about the same price you can get the look without the rot. Remember to mix the faux with the real though!

Easy Porcelain Renewal

I posted about this a couple years ago, but wanted to emphasize how handy this is!

If you have a porcelain kitchen sink, which, most of us do....You likely have this problem often. Gross scratched up, dinged up, dirty looking sink. Even though it's "clean," it's been beat up.

 Gunk and dents build up and makes it look so old.

But this is my solution. It's favorite. I use it for the bathtub too..

Barkeepers Friend Liquid rubbed into the porcelain with a magic eraser ( Buy them from the dollar tree! 2 pack for a buck )

And voila. It's new again. Buffs and cleans!

The Look For Less

It's been a long time since I've done one of these and so here we go! Who would pay $10,000 ( it's actually a few hundy higher with shipping ) for a dining room? Well Neiman Marcus would of course. It's a beautiful room, no doubt! The mixed seating is really what defines this room and the fun lanterns are very complimentary and versatile.

But it's 10 grand.

Here's my lil version, for under $1500

Ikea will provide the Byholma wicker seats, as well as the Hendriksdal parsons chairs.

Christopher Knight Bench is Overstock

Arcadia Trestle Style Table is World Market ( on sale now )

Julie Hawkins Canvas Art is Overstock

and the Antique Copper Lanterns are Overstock!

The accessories on the table are just as easy to find. ( Target/TJMaxx/Marshalls for the try and pitchers )

Not too shabby eh? It can be done!

Target does it again!

The newest Crate and Barrel knockoff comes from Target, of course! They continue to step up their game. Below is the $599 ( WOAH ) beautiful Crate and Barrel Bar Cart.

Target's version ( not exact but for the price, who cares. )

And dont forget to think outside the box on this guy. It's not just for booze. You could put a number of serving items/dishes on it, as well as using it for a nightstand or side table, like below:

Cute lil TJMaxx Lamp

I switched out the big gold lamp that was in the nursery for another project I'm working on, and this lil white lamp on clearance $39. I've been really impressed at their lamp selection lately.

Ikea 2014

Ikea's 2014 Catalog is out. I'll admit, I'm a bit disappointed! It lacks unique pieces in my opinion, and they are doing a lot of repeats. Wah Wah. Another thing? Their prices have creeped up. Settle down Ikea. Settle down.

I did manage to find a few things that I would buy or use in a clients home, but again, you'll notice familiarity in some of those pieces.

Mirror $99

Wardrobe $249 ( decent price )

Dish $4.99

And perhaps my favorite piece, this dresser, but for $299? Come on Ikea.

Rug $129

They also have a new bold green sofa, but with a price tag of $999. Not sure who would pay for a $999 sofa from Ikea...and another wingback for $499. Wowza.

What do you think?

Current Favorite Rugs

I'm a sucker for rugs. It's the first thing I pick out for a clients room. It's soooo important to anchor the room, make a space feel more finished and to bring warmth in. I LOVE picking them out.

So here are a few current faves:

Rugs USA

Overstock

Home Decorators

Overstock

Overstock

Calypso St Barth

I'll note, that this is the closest to chevron as I'll go. I dont decorate with chevron, it was a trend 2 years ago and I wish it'd go away!