Wednesday, October 28, 2009

those fairies are clever little critters

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via Ohdeedoh

This is such a great idea for kids ...

When I was little we had a cleaning fairy that would visit while we were gone and if the house was clean, she would leave us treats, and if the house was messy, she would leave of a tiny note telling us that she was disappointed that she couldn't leave us treats, but she would check back soon. That would leave us scurrying around the house cleaning up. We never knew when the cleaning fairy would come, but we always looked forward to her visits.


too late to turn back now

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A South Hamptons bedroom designed by Steven Gambrel. Via this amazing flickr photostream.

The big project is underway. I'm taking a break while the Bug naps, but will try to get back to it this evening. Might take me a while with the kids underfoot.

I'm so excited to see it complete!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

oh how i love thee, homegoods

Today while my son was in school, the little one and I paid a visit to Homegoods. I was hoping to find a lamp for the big boy room. I didn't really go in looking for this style, but I spotted a lamp that is identical to the one I pictured in my last post.

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Score!

I'd like to fill it up with some of those super bouncy balls in various sizes. The only problem with that is that the kids will want to open up the lamp to play with the balls. Hmmm ...

Monday, October 26, 2009

big plans for a big boy

My son is almost three and it is time to transform the nursery into a big boy room. The bed and dresser have been purchased and he started sleeping in said bed a few nights ago. But there is much to do in the decorating department. Here are a handful of images that are providing inspiration for the projects that are underway.

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dining room

We've lived in our house since the spring of 2008 - so a year and a half - and I'd say it's about 70% done. One of the main things that is lacking at this point is the dining room. I'm not thrilled with the paint color I chose last year, and we need a new table and chairs. Right now there is a chandelier hung and pictures and a mirror on the walls, but no table.

This image is via HGTV's Rate My Space. Can I move into this person's house? Here is the dining room:

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TABCAD's dining room on RMS

Rustic yet refined. Love the floors, love the furniture, love the beamed ceiling. The only thing I would ask for is a bigger table. Unfortunately, I don't think this exact style will work for my own home, but perhaps I can adapt some of the elements to make them work for me.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

dream home

Today I discovered some photographs of a beautiful home on Willow Decor by way of Reese & Marie.

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My home looks nothing like this. {Where is the giant train table in the family room?!} But some of the basics are there. I see images of homes like this and I am inspired that I could come somewhat close to this.

What I have:
  • neutral basics
  • white woodwork
  • fairly light walls
What I need:
  • wall decor
  • better organization - so that my mess doesn't overpower the prettiness
  • carefully edited accessories
I go through spurts when I'm obsessed with decorating our home and making it perfect. I spend far too much of my precious free time poring over design magazines and blogs and websites. At times I feel energized and focused and it seems like our house is on the verge of being "done." But then I have spells, like what I'm in now, where I feel very overwhelmed and lost and hopeless. I feel like I have made some decorating mistakes {read: bad purchases} and I am always trying to figure out a way to work around that - I hate the idea that I have wasted money on something that ends up not working in the house and is not returnable.

There is inspiration everywhere you look. And that makes it easy to get overwhelmed. I am going to make a commitment to myself to move forward from this point and go about decorating in a more organized manner. No more regret over past decorating decisions or purchases. I will either live with it and make it work {the white shutters that don't match our woodwork} or put it aside and save it in hopes of using it in my pipe dream ... a to-be-purchased lake house.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

new love

I recently stumbled across a wedding planning blog that made me swoon. I'm far past the wedding planning stage. In fact, I'm coming up on my 6th anniversary! But this blog provides far more than average wedding ideas - I spent an afternoon browsing through links for free font downloads, gorgeous stationery ideas and more. Most of the ideas here can be translated for parties, showers, and holidays. If you are frugal like me, you will love all the freebies that are generously offered up by talented designers.

Check out the fun at iDiY!

Some goodies I picked up ... FOR FREE!!:


circus/carnival fonts (stay tuned for a little project I did with these)


printable invitation set - great for a summery party