HomeGoods Hoarding

I am totally guilty of it. I love HomeGoods, so much that I am there on a weekly basis and keep track of when shipment trucks arrive. There is an art to discount shopping, especially at HomeGoods, where they tend to only receive one or two pieces of any particular item. I have scored almost all of the art and accessories in our home (as well as my clients) from HomeGoods. You would be surprised to see how many contemporary and even mid-century modern things they receive. I get such a thrill in finding unique items that are currently for sale at full retail in mass market stores. These lacquered boxes were something I have seen before at HomeGoods but neglected to pick up. This time around I purchased all three sizes, and so far have found a spot for two of them in our upstairs hallway.

The frames are also from HomeGoods ;o)

Modernica Contest

I entered a photo into Modernica's "X Marks the Spot" contest to win a case study planter. We purchased our Nelson lamps from Modernica, and drool over everything they have. If you have a second, "like" our photo on facebook (#3) and comment why you think we should win! To even be considered for the drawing is pretty cool!!

You can check out our photo on Modernica's blog, or on facebook!

 

Moo

We've recently added a little bit of interest to our dining room with a cow hide rug. Sorry to anyone offended by the use of animal products for decorative purposes, but we're being "green" by recycling something that would have otherwise been wasted! I like how it adds a bit of an organic element to the modern and clean lines that we have going. And it feels so good on your feet!

Copy Cat Chic

Copy Cat Chic is a blog that was brought to my attention by Woo, as she knows how I am always out to find a good deal on home furnishings. I have been following it for a while now, and decided to send Reichel (the writer) one of my recent "chic finds". You can view it here:

http://www.copycatchic.com/2012/01/jonathan-adler-enamel-curves-frame.html

I have always wanted to blog more about all of my creative outlets. Whether it be interior design, styling, fashion design, or simply projects around the house. While still incorporating the most important aspect of our lives, the crazy kids! I just haven't found the niche that would make people want to read it and set us aside from all the other blogs out there. It also doesn't help that I am complete idiot when it comes to writing... let's not forget I went to Fashion School! But I think it would be something fun to do, and could possibly be inspirational to readers. So any and all suggestions are welcome!

Christmas 2011

This post is long over-due, but just wanted to share a few photos from our Christmas. We celebrated Christmas morning on the 24th, as Tim had to work on the 25th, and luckily the kids didn't know any different. Then Christmas morning we headed over to Pops and Tutu's to celebrate all over again. Thank you to everyone for all the gifts, gift cards and edibles that we received for Christmas, we are so grateful for everything!!

Santa left magic snow prints again...

Christmas Eve brunch

The gift of the year, and the ONLY thing she wanted...

A little glimpse of what Christmas morning looks like at Pops and Tutu's

Poor Nolan...

Halloween 2011

On Halloween Adella went to school in her costume and the parents were invited back for a party and parade. I think it's worth mentioning that she wore her Annie wig the WHOLE day!! It was so fun to see all the little kids dressed up and proudly parading for their parents. Our neighbors ended up getting a taco stand that night, so that we didn't have to worry about cooking before trick or treating, and I was able to get into character ;o). Luckily, with the help of a sugar high, the kids were able to make it to most of the houses on our street for trick or treating. And Nolan, being that it was his first year of real trick or treating, wanted to eat every piece he was given at that very moment. So it slowed things down a bit.

Getting Festive

October 1st means it's a go for us to start decorating the house for Halloween! Here is a little peak into our seasonal decor.

Our Family Room

Tim and I have been doing a lot of work around the house lately, mostly painting and making a few small improvements where we can. Our problem is that we start with one room, work for a few days, get burnt out, and then move on to another area of the house before finishing what we started. For example; our kitchen cabinets have been painted and hardware replaced, but we have yet to complete all of the finishing touches. A trend throughout the whole house. But we're OK with it. However, we have somewhat finished our family room, where we spend most of our time with the kids. We painted over the "Swiss Coffee" color that was throughout the house, put some hardware on the built-in's and found most of our furnishings. I don't believe a room is ever really "complete", and I try to come up with a neutral palate that can be interchangeable with pops of color in accessories. So here is how it looked before, and how it looks today!

Garden

Our Garden is really starting to thrive. This year we've decided to try a few new things, white corn, celery, eggplant, and pumpkin to name a few. We "practice organic gardening", with a few exceptions. Most of the vegetables that we started from seeds are all organic, but a few of the more mature plants that we purchased (white corn) are not. We make sure to always use organic soil, fertilizers, and pesticides when needed. It's pretty cool to be able to grow your own food, and Adella loves naming off all of the veggies growing, as well as "helping" to water. I say "helping", because it can create more work, but it's probably good for her to do some chores around the house. These photo's were taken from my phone, so the quality could be better, but it gives you an idea of how it is looking today.

Her first pair of Rainbows!

Easter Part Deux

After our own little family Easter celebration at home, we went over to Pops and Tutu's for their annual party. The kids were treated to awesome baskets, and another candy hunt.

A few of these were taken with EmilyWadeAdamses new lens, that I am kind of obsessing over.

Easter Part Uno

"Are we going to see the white bunny or the black one", "the white one", "Oh, cuz the white one don't talk very well".

This holiday was more for Adella, than Nolan. He still doesn't know what the hay is going on. We kept the baskets small, knowing that Tutu would have all sorts of goodies for the kids. But Adella was still shocked when she came down the stairs to find that the Easter Bunny had left her a basket and eggs to find. It was a wet morning, but she loved searching around the backyard for eggs.

All of that candy was gone in a matter of minutes.

Playroom progress

We've been slowly doing a little bit of work on the playroom. Finding time to work on the many projects we have going is difficult. I wish I could find a good "before" picture, but this room was a home office and was used as a server room. There were big holes in the walls and awful over head lighting. We have since filled the holes, fixed the crown molding and painted. We also received a new table and chairs... that match our new kitchen chairs. They are amazing and I will post some fun pictures of the kids in them soon. We still have a lot of work to do, but here is how it looks today.

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Birthday Party

We like to make a big deal about the holiday's, even the Hallmark ones. So to celebrate Valentine's day this year, we invited some of Adella's friends over for a playdate complete with crafts, princesses and lot's of sweets. Adella was a little confused thinking it was another birthday party for her, maybe it was the cupcakes.... Anyway, it was a beautiful day and they all had a blast running around outside amped up on sugar.

The Kitchen

Making progress...