Happy New Year's and Fun Decorations

I have always loved New Year's Eve. The parties, games, food, spending time with family and friends. This year we'll be laying low, it's not worth it to me to keep Ainsley up, and babysitters are non existent on this fun night. If I were hosting a party I would for sure add these decorations into my theme, from none other than Martha Stewart. I can't say enough about this center piece. I just love the colors together and the pop of silver in it. Have a great New Year's!!

 

Via Martha Stewart

Tuesday's Organizing Tip

 It's always a little sad when Christmas is over, but I have to say I really look forward to all of my January issues from all the magazines I subscribe to. Most of them are about organizing and starting out the new year being organized and ready for the year. I seem to have a boost to organize more in the month of January than any other month.

Better Homes and Garden had these photo albums on their January front cover, and in a featured arcticle with key tags hanging off the side of them. I have 14 similar albums  that I get from Costco. They hold 300 pictures in each one and are the greatest things. I have some for Ainsley, our wedding, our dating years, and I have an inspiration binder filled with pictures from blogs, websites, parade of homes and so on. I love that they are black, and all the same. They don't have a spot on the sides to differentiate each one so I took care of that. I got little key tags from Office Max and glued them on with some green ribbon.

 The tops of my binders have a great spot that I could hot glue gun the fabric to, and then I adhered the tags.

I love that they don't blend into my dark bookshelf anymore and that I can see which one is which without opening each one. 

Happy Holidays!

I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend. We have lots of fun festivities, and traditions happening that I'm excited to share with Ainsley! I'll be back next week!

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Busy, Busy, Busy

Wrapping gifts is a favorite of mine. I usually pick a color theme for each year. Last year I did all lime green, and silver wrapping paper with white, and black ribbon. This year is "use everything up from the past years" year. I have a lot of fun striped wrapping paper from Ikea , and lots of polka dot, and damask that I need to use up. I've also been busy setting up Ainsley's gift. She is going to just die when she sees her kitchen all set up, organized with food, and ready to go. I love seeing the faces of the people that I am giving gifts to, and her face I am most excited about!

Last Minute Details

Christmas is so dang close, and I can't believe it's almost here. There isn't much of a need for more Christmas decorations, but I have found some great pieces that can carry through January. I love decorating with mercury glass through the holidays, and after for about a month or two. You can really dress it up, but also play it down. Here are some inexpensive accessories that can be added now, and left out when all is said and done.

Z Gallerie

 West Elm

 Luna Bazaar

Jayson Home and Garden

Home Decorators

Paper Straws

While doing my holiday baking, I decided I needed more chocolate, so I went to a great local restaurant supply company and found these darling paper straws. They were only $5 and I couldn't help but pick some up in the grey. I just love these and think they would add the perfect touch to any party.

I also think these would make fun neighbor gifts with some izze soda. Kikkerland has some of these straws online to buy. I also found this picture using the grey straws, I just love how they look!

Via Parcel Post

The store also had this twine in at least fifteen different colors. This would be a fun alternative to ribbon when wrapping gifts, especially food.

Perfection

I thought this room was too pretty not to share. This room has great textures, and I love the calm color of the walls with the pop of yellow.  Have a happy weekend!

Houzz

Office Wants

I've been wanting to change things up in my computer area for a while now. Make it a little more inspiring, and more me. Here are a few things that I've had my eye on.

This is one I've had my eye on for months. It's comfortable, and I love that it rolls.

Overstock

I love the idea of this table. The nail heads all around a crocodile skinned table is so fun. I saw the best one at Home Goods for $100. I only wish it had been a tad bit deeper. The picture below is similar to the one I saw, but with a few modifications.

Interior Home Scapes

This fabric would be great over a bulletin board. I tack so many inspirational pictures, due dates and all sorts of things up, that it would be nice to have more color, and pattern.

Fabrics.Com

I can always use more storage. So these pretty little boxes would be perfect.

Container Store

CB2

And lastly, this would be the perfect thing for me. I could stash keys, my phone, or anything. I think this is a fantastic solution.

Design Public

Bloggers Give Back

Bloggers Give Back is a great organization helping out a family in need. Bloggers have donated all kinds of items that will be auctioned off, and the money made from this auction will go to a family. Make sure to check it out, there are some really great things to bid on! Bidding starts tomorrow.

Latest Lonny!

Lonny is always chocked full of inspiring pictures, and this issue did not disappoint. There are some really great holiday ideas in this one. Be sure to check out Lonny Magazine.

I've decided that I need those curtains. I have always loved that pattern and think it's a good use as curtains! 



Ikat

While shopping at T.J. Maxx yesterday, I came across this amazing chair. The lines, the color, and of  course the pattern. I was so contemplating the thought of buying it. Not sure where I would put it, but it's something I won't stop thinking about for a while.

Ikat has been no stranger to the blog world in the past few years.  Almost every store sells something Ikat. These bowls are for sure on my Christmas list. I love the intensity of colors and size of the bowls.

Anthropologie

Target

Urban Outfitters

Madeline Weinrib

Anthropologie

Gingerbread Houses

Ainsley and I have been busy doing Christmas activities. One of them being decorating a gingerbread house. I loved doing this when I was younger, and even well into high school. I would always make the cookie and shape out the house the way I wanted it. Well this year no such luck. I  took Costco's pre-made version. I thought, Ainsley doesn't care one way or another if her mamma made it, and I'm throwing it away the day after Christmas, soooo I went with Costco. I let her do all the decorating, 100%. I'm a tad bit OCD and making it perfect was what I wanted to do, but instead I let her decorate however she wanted. There should have been like twenty more candies on the house but they traveled into a little mouth!

This clearly doesn't hold a candle to the gingerbread houses done by the oh so perfect Martha Stewart, but it was still a blast doing it with her. If you are doing a house this year, seriously check out her designs, there are some very clever ones.

Via Martha Stewart

DIY Art

While cleaning out the closets this past weekend, (because I had no Internet, I didn't think I'd make it, but I somehow survived) I came across lots of wallpaper scraps. When I'm out and about I like to pick some scraps, samples, or old wallpaper books with patterns that I like. They are nicely shoved into a box waiting for something to happen.

I like to wrap gifts with them, at least the ones that I'm not attached to. But other than that they are just there. I love this picture below, especially for the artwork on the wall. Now I'm almost certain that's not just using up the "old scraps from the closet", but that can be my "old scraps" project. I also really like the detail of the black line around each pattern.

Via Nest Interior Design

Another project with "things around the house" is this fun framed paint fan deck. Katie from Bower Power, compiled similar color decks and framed them. Genius!  I think this is such a clever idea, and I love the different variation of colors within one frame. I have a few fan decks tucked away places that would be better put to this use. By the time I want to do all these DIY artworks, I will have no wall space left!

Via Bower Power

The Ornament Wreath

So I know I already posted about finding a wreath for my front door, but I have this bare wall above my sofa that needs something for the holidays. I don't want a shelf or anything like that, little fingers will just destroy it, so  how about another wreath?! When I went to the Art Market yesterday, I saw the famous Eddie Ross ornament wreath.  I had momentarily forgot about it, and decided that was what was going to fill the empty spot on my wall.

I want to make it monochromatic, and I think I will use lime green, with a white bow. After Eddie posted about the wreath he had a contest, where readers sent in their wreaths. I love the all gold one.

I better get to this one now, before Christmas is all over!

Images via Eddie Ross