Timeless Home Decor

Thanks so much for all of your comments on yesterday's post. Y'all were cracking me up. I'm not even kidding.

I truly hope I didn't offend anyone with my list of what may go out of style in the future. The last thing I want is for people to start looking around their houses and feeling like they need to replace everything because it maybe, might, could go out of style eventually.

PLEASE don't do that. Enjoy what you have. Keep things around that make you happy. I have no doubt that you'll know when there's a new hot trend and we're suddenly all making moss balls out of our birds...or something like that.

Okay, so in summary, y'all feel that the following things likely have a shelf life (by the way, I don't know why I keep saying y'all. I don't say that in real life. Anyway...):

• Tuscan decor
  
• Oil Rubbed Bronze (although I don't think black fixtures will go out of style...hopefully)
  
• Birds
  
• Burlap
  
• Vinyl decals/Wall sayings ("The family that picks hay together stays together"...or something)
  
• Distressing (maybe)
  
• Stenciling Letters or Numbers on Everything (say it ain't so...I really like this trend)
  
• Chalkboards (my fave comment "we'll all wonder what we needed all those chalkboards for"...ha!)

And may I say that I am so grateful that you all disagreed with me about beadboard going out of style. Truly! I've had a fear of committing to it in case it's passe in a few years, so I LOVE that you all feel it's classic. I believe you and I whole heartedly agree with you. Mwah! (I just gave you a big kiss)

Decor with Staying Power

So let's talk about things that have staying power. In my opinion the big items in your house (furniture, flooring, etc) should be like the equivalent of classic wardrobe staples; i.e. a simple black dress, chinos, a white t-shirt and jeans. As trends come and go you can switch out accessories, but the staples always look good.

For instance, remember Top Gun? It came out in 1986, and Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis would still look fashionable today.

Meg Ryan and Anthony Edwards....not so much.

How does that translate into decor? Here are a few ideas:

• Try not to buy furniture "sets". Let your furniture collection grow over time. I've personally broken this rule by having a matching sofa and loveseat...oh, and they're microfiber...but you know....whatever :-).
  
• Neutrals are always timeless. We may eventually get tired of beige walls, but tan, grey, black and white will always be classic.
  
• I'm going to say that pretty much any architectural element is timeless; i.e. wainscoting, moulding, etc. They've been around a very, very, very long time. It's hard to imagine them going anywhere.

What do you think? Do you have anything to add to this list?

Have a great weekend!

You Know We'll Laugh About This Someday

Remember the every so hot combination of mauve, hunter green and brass in the 80's? Oh...and floral wallpaper...lots of floral wallpaper.

Oh, and we can't forget the essential coordinating wallpaper border.

And remember the florescent lighting, bad linoleum and oak cabinets in the 90's?

Well, I've been looking around at this here decade and wondering what we'll look back at and laugh about someday. Here are my predictions:

(PLEASE Keep in mind, I LIKE ALL OF THESE THINGS. Don't be offended if you have them in your home right now...I do too! I'm just looking to the distant future.):

1) The Tuscan Craze

2) Oil Rubbed Bronze: We'll think it's hilarious that we were all in a mad dash to spray paint everything in sight ORB.

3) Birds: I love birds...I really do, but I can just imagine them being the equivalent of harvest colored sunflower patterns in the 1970's.

Photo: Art.com

4) Burlap, Sisal, Jute, etc.: Again, these are a decorating staple for me...but in 10 years we might wonder why on earth we thought it was a good idea to decorate with a potato sack.

5) Beadboard: I HATE to even include this one because of my undying love of the stuff, but I have a fear it will be the dark brown paneling of the future.



What do you think? Do you agree with my list? What do you think we'll look back and laugh about? Let's chat :-).

Thanksgiving Table Decor

A few weeks ago I had grand dreams of writing a post where I showed you my own dining table with several different Thanksgiving table decor ideas. Oh yeah, it was going to be great. "Look at the fancy metallic gourds." "Oh, and see how easily you can made a centerpiece with nothing but twigs, berries and duct tape?".

Uh huh...that didn't happen. Honestly though, what was I thinking? I'm not even hosting Thanksgiving at my house?!

Anyway...my lazyness has now resulted in the ultimate lazy move...I'm now showing you some great Martha Stewart ideas....hee hee. At least I'm honest, right?

Enjoy!

Cheap & Easy Christmas Wreath (Sorry Pottery Barn)

I know...it's too early for Christmas wreath show and tell...but I just can't help it. Imagine your 5 year old jumping up and down and saying "Can we show them our wreath mommy?! Can we...can we?!!" Yep...that's me. I'm just so excited!!!

I admired this wreath at Pottery Barn, but not the $79.00 price tag (I'm pretty sure PB is going to start sending me hate mail...I'm sooo sorry PB...I really do love you.).

I knew I could replicate (does that sound better than "blatantly copy"?) this wreath inexpensively.

Enter my faux pine wreath (bought on final clearance at Hobby Lobby last year...it was probably $2).


A whole bunch of ornaments (some I already owned, and some I purchased...for a total of $5).


A few wire ornament hooks to secure the ornaments to the wreath (I wound them around the pine branches).


And voila! My own, lovely, easy, cheap, festive, sparkly...did I mention cheap?...Christmas wreath.

Um...please ignore the leaves on my doormat :).

This post is partying over at Kimba's DIY day. Feel free to head over for more great DIY ideas. We're also partying down at Cindy's party at Cottage Instincts.

Have a great Tuesday!

Giveaway Winner

I'm sorry for the delay in posting the winner of the $20 gift card to Little Ones. That Nyquil I took last night sent me into a coma before I could publish this post.

So, without further adieu, the winner is East Coast Suburbanite (the 40th entry). Congrats!

True Random Number Generator

Min: 1

Max: 61

Result: 40

Powered by RANDOM.ORG

To those of you who didn't win (and I'm so sorry about that), you can still buy that adorable hat or bow or bib for your little one at Little Ones.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I'm off to chug some mint tea...dang cold...

The Look For Less: Pottery Barn Toile Bedroom

I haven't done one of these in a while, so I thought this could be a fun exercise for today. I love the look of this Pottery Barn room.

I love the contrast of the crisp white against the dark chocolate walls, I love the toile bedding, I love the airy curtains framing the bed, and I love the cute little mirror above the bed.

Honestly though, it would be impossible for me to go out and buy everything in this room from Pottery Barn. I'm not picking on PB here, I love them, but I just don't have that kind of dough. So let's look at other ways to create this same look, shall we?

Bedding:

The Pottery Barn Matine Toile Duvet cover is $149.00 for a Queen, and standard shams are $29 each. That's not terrible, but let's look at other options.

The photo below is from Overstock.com. I know this pattern isn't "toile", but it does give the same feel. The best part? It's $39.99 for a queen sized duvet AND 2 shams. Are you liking it better now?

This appears to be the same pattern to me. I found this on Ebay (here's the link). The 3 piece set is listed for $79.99.
Here's another option for you, sew. I know, it's a scary option, but I promise the sewing machine won't bite. And here's some incentive for you; this option gives you the freedom to create exactly what you want for CHEAP!

For example, here are two brown toile fabrics I found on Fabric.com.

P. Kauffman Central Park Toile in Chocolate: On Sale for $10.19/yard

Premier Prints Jamestown Toile Brown/Natural: $6.98/Yard

To make a queen sized duvet cover you'd need about 5 yards of fabric, and a flat sheet (which you may already have). At the fabric prices listed above, you could have your own toile duvet for $35-$50.

Tired of me beating you over the head? It's okay...You don't have to sew if you don't want to. Really, I won't make you...I'm not going to come to your house to check up on you. Just giving you options here :-).

Sheer, Flowy Curtains/Something to Hang them On:

The lovely Pottery Barn curtains surrounding the bed are $25-$30 each.

These curtains at Ikea are $4.99...a PAIR! These curtains are $9.99 each at JC Penney (they come in white).

But what do you hang the curtains on if you don't have a canopy bed? How 'bout a ceiling mounted curtain rod? Like this one from JC Penney's?

Or, you could get super creative like this gal and build a wood frame on the ceiling and staple the curtains on the inside.

I would also scour Craigslist and fleamarkets for canopy beds that you could pick up for cheap.

Finally, Paint:

The paint color used in the Pottery Barn room is Benjamin Moore Kona (AF-165). It is really dark, though, so only go this dark if your room gets a ton of natural light. Also, I wouldn't recommend picking a paint color until you actually have your bedding since you want to make sure the browns match. I know...I'm being ultra helpful here :-).

So Let's Price Things Out:

The Pottery Barn Room: Bedding $207; Sheers (4) $100; Bed $1,299

Our Super Creative Option: Bedding $39-79; Sheers $10-40; Ceiling Mounts for Sheers $20-60

And...that's how I shop. That's how super-tight-income-little-'ol-me can afford to beautify my home. I hope this exercise gives you some hope that you can too.

Giveaway!!!

***This Giveaway is Closed***

I recently discovered the cutest online store, Little Ones. They carry adorable handmade goodies for babies and new moms, like:

Knit Hats for Babies (am I right about the adorable thing?!)

Baby Bows (aww, makes me want a baby girl...)

And Darling Nursing Covers (oh how I wish they had these when I had a little one - instead I had to hide behind my 1990's plaid flannel blanket when I nursed...so00 not cute, and don't get me started on the maternity clothes I wore...1993/1994 were NOT a good years for maternity fashion).

So, down to the nitty gritty Giveaway details. Little Ones has agreed to give a $20 Little Ones gift card (!) to one of you. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below...no hoops to jump through...just leave a comment. And, if you were hoping for a little hoop jumping you can be entered again if you do some sort of link on your blog to this giveaway and then come back and let me know you did that.

I'll randomly select the winner (it's waaaay too hard to choose on merit...I always want to give one to you, and you, and you, and you). I'll announce the winner on Friday. Good luck!

P.S. Make sure I can reach you somehow if you're the winner.

I Found the Coolest (Inexpensive) Store on Earth

How many of you have been to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore before? Good for you - you'll totally know what I'm talking about in this post then. And those of you who haven't....OH MY GOSH! I am so excited to share this with you (Okay, let me compose myself here).

Uh hum...okay...I decided to stop by my local ReStore over the weekend...for the first time. It.was.so.cool. It's filled wall to wall with old doors (!), and old tile (!), and old shutters (!), and old light fixtures (!)...OH the spray painting possibilities!

For example (I apologize for these truly horrible photos. They would have been much better had I remembered to bring my real life camera, and not been forced to use my cell phone camera...which I couldn't figure out how to unzoom).

Imagine this chandelier painted ORB, or Black, or Red!

See all the shutters? Oh...wouldn't they be so wonderful painted robins egg blue, or...well...I'm sure there are other great colors too.

The best part about the ReStore is that it's not only chalk full of cool stuff, but the proceeds go towards building homes for people in need. And...you can buy what you want, and also DONATE what you don't need anymore. Okay, I'm going to cry like Oprah now. Great shopping for a great cause. What could be better?

To find your local ReStore, click on this link.

Have a great Monday!

What Are You Thankful For?

I gave Christmas the spotlight Monday, so I thought I ought to give Thanksgiving its due time today. I like Thanksgiving. It's not as sexy as Christmas, what with all those sparkly decorations and so forth, but it does have great food (my son once asked if I was going to cook a "big chicken" for Thanksgiving...he meant "turkey"...oh, I miss those days).

Anyway, what I really love about Thanksgiving is that it's an entire holiday dedicated to remembering and acknowledging all of the things we're thankful for. I'm a big believer in always counting your blessings, but Thanksgiving provides a unique kick in the pants to give some thought to all of those things you're grateful for. Here are a few things on my list (I apologize for the sappyness of this post):

1) My Son: He's, hands down, the greatest blessing I've received in my entire 33 years. And he does his own laundry.

2) My Parents: They're always there for me. Always. Even though they're 1200 miles away.

3) Our Home: I'm grateful for the safe haven it is for us, and the decorating playground it is for me.

4) Friends/My Adopted Oklahoma Family: Those of you living away from "home" know what I mean. There's nothing like a friend who will watch your dog, share carpool duties, rescue you when your car breaks down, and laugh with you when it's all over.

(Um, I'm a tad chubby in this photo...but I think it was taken 2 months post divorce (and in the midst of my Oreo obsession). Oh, I'm grateful for weight loss...)

5) Choclate, flea markets, thrift stores, TJ Maxx, paint...oh yes, paint!, the internet to teach me how to fix a toilet, fabric sales, homemade lattes, good tv, the best poodle in the world, hot showers, diet pepsi, Mexican food, pedicures, micro fleece...and good music...and the fact that there are people out there who can sing better than I can.

6) Finally, I'm thankful for YOU. Honestly...I'm not sucking up to the crowd here. I am truly, humbly, deeply grateful for all of you and the joy you bring into my life.

What are you thankful for? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I would challenge you to write out your own list.

Have a great weekend!

I'm Really Smart...Uh, Except When I'm Not

So, I'm a fairly intelligent girl...most of the time. I'm moderately handy around the house. I can use a drill, I've changed light fixtures, and I've painted...a.lot. So shouldn't it occur to a somewhat intelligent girl who knows her way around painting a bathroom that...um, I don't know...using the toilet TANK as a step stool to reach that really high ceiling is a bad idea?!

Nope...didn't even think about it. I just stood there, perched awkwardly on the toilet tank, wet paint brush extended, stretching like a yoga goddess to reach that impossible corner between the wall and the ceiling. And as I heard the gentle sound of water trickling, I thought (as the blonde I was meant to be) "Boy, that toilet sure is loud from up here."

Ha! Yes, Ms. AnNicole it is loud...that's because water's leaking onto your floor! Yep, my weight on the toilet tank broke the seal beneath the toilet. Hee, hee...oops?

So now this fairly intelligent, moderately handy girl is going to learn how to replace a wax toilet seal. Good times....

I'll be sure to let you know how it turns out!