Amy Butler at Bed Bath and Beyond?!!!

I'll understand if you read the title of this post and just sprinted away from your computer, jumped in your car and raced to Bed Bath and Beyond. It's ok...I'm not offended. You can read the rest of this post when you get back...with your arms full of Amy Butler goodies.

Honestly, I had no idea that Amy Butler had a new line of bedding and towels at BBB until I was moseying around there the other day and was stopped in my tracks in the towel section...blinking and rubbing my eyes like a crazy person. "It can't be...Amy Butler towels?! What?!" I then caressed them lovingly...and I'm pretty sure frightened a passerby or two whilst in my Amy-Love trance.

Check out these goodies:

Coventry Comforter Set

Coventry Petal Toss Pillow

Orange Bath Towel

Turquoise Bath Towel

Lime Bath Towel

I know Amy Butler's patterns aren't for everyone, but if you're looking for that fun little "pop" in your decor she's your gal.

XO~ AnNicole

New Fall Wreath!

Looky what I found at my favorite local flea-tique store this weekend.



Isn't it cute?! I wish I'd been clever enough to make it myself...but no. However, here's how I think they did make it...


Get yourself one round styrofoam wreath form.




Cover both sides of the wreath form with moss (probably with a glue gun)




Add a whole bunch of faux orange crabapples to the front side.

And Voila! One lovely fall wreath!

Can We Talk Fashion?

I'm breaking my own rules here. I'm usually very strict with myself about not talking about anything on this decorating blog except decorating. But I really want to talk fashion, so can I? Please?

I don't know about you guys, but in my quest to have a beautiful home I've neglected my wardrobe to the point that I occasionally find myself wearing worn out shoes and the same sweater I wore in 1999 (has it really been 10 years?!).

That's not all bad, but c'mon...a girl needs something new every once in a while, right?! So here's a glimpse at some things I'm craving. Oh...and with all things decoration (well...and everything else too) I'm frugal. So, I'm giving more expensive options and less expensive options. Enjoy!

Warm, Comfy Chunky Knit Cardigans

J. Crew - Donegal Shawl Cardigan $148.00 (ouch)

Gap - Chunky Hooded Sweater $78.00 (Still in a little pain)

Old Navy - Long Button-Front Sweater Coat $44.50 (Starting to breathe again)

Skinny Jeans (That you don't have to be super skinny to wear)

Banana Republic - Classic Dark Wash Skinny Jean $90.00 (Sorry, I don't have a link because the website wasn't cooperating today.)

Old Navy - Sweetheart Distressed Skinny Jean (on Sale for $25.00...score!)

Scarves

Banana Republic - Heritage Striped Wrap $44.99 (On sale)

Old Navy - Floral Gauze Scarf $12.50

American Eagle - Menswear Plaid Scarf $9.95 (On sale)

Boots

Anthropologie - Winding Ruffle Boots $258.00 (Ouch - punched in the gut)

Piperlime - Unisa Riri $99.00

Lucky Brand - Angel Tall Boot $199.00

Target - Merona Kallista Riding Boots $29.99 (On sale)

Have a great weekend!

Experiment: Can I Spray Paint My Shower Door Surround?

I can't tell you how many emails and comments I get asking this question....and I haven't responded yet (I feel really guilty about that btw...I'm so sorry), because I simply don't know the answer. Can you do it? Of course! Will it hold up?....I honestly don't know.



So, here's what I will do for you (because I love all of you BFF, suburbanite, squeezies so much), I am going to spray paint my metal shampoo holder thingy that hangs in my shower just to see how well it holds up. I will then report back to you with the results (like the good scientist I am...even though I'm not really a scientist...I just play one in bloggerland).



Why am I painting my hangy thingy instead of my surround?: A) You smarty party pants guessed it....I'm too cheap to take replace it if it ends up being a horrible mistake; and B) If it works on the metal hangy thingy it will work on the surround, right?

The (highly technical, superly scientifical) Methodology?

Step 1: Prime

Step 2: Paint (2 coats)

Step 3: Spray a Clear Coat of Polyurethane

Step 4: Keep Fingers Crossed :)

Stay tuned for the results!

No More Sad Doors!

Hey there - I apologize for being M.I.A. this week. No, the carbon monoxide didn't get me, just millions of work things (Oh that pesky day job) and life things (What do you mean my car needs a new catalytic converter?!). This is where I once again vow to myself to write all of my blog posts the weekend before, so I'm not stuck being postless... and inspirationless...and hopefully not readerless. Anyhoo...enough hand slapping.

Let's talk front doors shall we? I always feel so bad for those little (or big) houses with sad, plain doors. Sometimes I just want to sneak out in the middle of the night and give them a fresh coat of paint and a nice fluffy wreath. You know...like a decorating bandit...with a black mask and a paintbrush in hand :).

For instance look at this sad little house. See the tear? She used to feel so cute and sassy, but now she feels a little frumpy and out of style. Poor thing...

No problem sweetie, the decorating bandit is here. Let's just freshen up your door and shutters with some black paint, remove that outdated awning, and throw in some fun accessories.

See? She's new girl...and all we did was add a little paint and a few accessories. (For info on how to paint a front door click here).

I know a lot of us put off projects like sprucing up a front door because it just feels like too much work and too much money. Just do what you can handle doing...whether that's paint or simply adding a new wreath. Even a little change will make a difference.

And speaking of wreaths, if you're in the market for a new wreath, here are some out there in internet-land that have caught my eye. Enjoy!

Etsy - toinspireyou

Etsy - toinspireyou

Etsy - TheKeepersHouse

Etsy - KnockKnocking (too cute!)


Etsy - SimpleSweetDesign

Target - Fall Faux Berry Wreath

Target - Town Market Wreath

Target - Lavender Fields Square Wreath (I would lose the ribbon)

Have a great weekend!

Do You Have One?

Alright, I'm on my public service message soap box today - please bear with me. After cooking a delicious sunday morning breakfast and getting ready to be uber lazy and watch The Notebook (for the upteenth time) I was jolted off the couch by the beeping of our carbon monoxide detector. We quickly opened windows, turned off the pilot light on the furnace (which is likely leaking carbon monoxide), and the detector stopped beeping.

The worst part? I wouldn't have a carbon monoxide detector if the previous owners hadn't installed one. It's just not something I've ever given much thought to.

Long story short? Carbon monoxide poisoning can be as much of a danger to you and your family as fire. It's odorless and undetectable to humans, only offering vague symptons like headache, nausea, and fatigue. If you don't have a carbon monoxide detector you can purchase one inexpensively. Here are a couple affordable examples:

$25.79 at Target

$19.97 at Walmart

If you do have a carbon monoxide detector (woo hoo for you) make sure you test and replace your batteries regularly.

Okay...public service message delivered :). Have a great Monday!

Giveaway Results

First of all, thanks so much for all of your nice comments about my bedroom. You're all sooo kind. I'm sending each of you a bouquet of roses...symbolically speaking of course...although I really would send you flowers if I could :). I'm really happy with how my room turned out, and I hope it gave some of you a little hope that you can improve a room without a whole lotta money.

Okay, so down to business. Thanks to all of you who entered the giveway. Unfortunately, 144 of you are going to be disappointed with the results. I'm so sorry...I feel your pain.

But, if your name is Karin and you made the 142nd comment you're going to be stoked!!!

True Random Number Generator

Min: 1 Max: 145

Result: 142

Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Karin, I couldn't find an email address for you so please send me an email!!!

Thanks again, and I hope everyone has a great weekend.

XO~ AnNicole

Master Bedroom Reveal

Okay - Now I'm a little nervous to share my new bedroom with you. It's not like super-calafragalistically-fantabulous....but it makes me happy, and that's what counts, right?

My bedroom was the first room I worked on when we moved into the Cottage a little over a year ago. Here's the BEFORE picture (If you like the "BEFORE" better, don't tell me):

BEFORE PICTURE

It was okay....It was fun...I liked it for a while...but then I didn't like it. And because I didn't really like it that much I started to not treat my bedroom as well as I should. Long story short, it became a horrid, cluttered mess that gave me a panic attack every time I walked in there. I desperately wanted a bedroom that could be a sanctuary - a room that would feel completely serene and stress free. You know what I mean?

So I did something I NEVER do. I found an inspiration photo (below) and decided in 1 day that I was going to completely change my bedroom based on that one little photo. And I changed the whole thing over the course of 2 days. Again...a first for this girl.

(This is an inspiration photo...NOT my actual bedroom)

Image: Houzz.com

Enough background for you? Alright...here's my NEW and IMPROVED BEDROOM!

I really do like it. It's so clean...so calming...so stress free.

In case you're curious, the wall color is Behr Paint+Primer in "Silver Tinsel"; the accent pillow on the bed is actually a standard pillow sham from Thomas O'Brien's collection at Target that I "tailored (crudely stitched)" to turn into a lumbar pillow; the mirror above the dresser is from Hobby Lobby (on sale for $40.00); the lampshades are from Target.

I pretty much owned everything else, so in total I spent $130 (including paint) to update my bedroom. Not too bad.

Giveaway!!!!

***This Giveaway is Closed***

I don't know about you guys, but I worked my tail off this weekend. Tune in Wednesday to see the myserious project I did. (Okay...I can't wait to tell you. I redid my bedroom!!! I'm so stinkin' excited I can't even contain myself. Uh hum...so tune in Wedensday for photos. Squeel!).

Today I'm giving you something to squeel about. I'm giving you the opportunity to win a fab vinyl decal from the Etsy shop XpresUrself. I just received the decal below from the shop and I can't wait to put it up on my back door...you know, to greet me when I get home each night.

Look at how adorable the packaging is?!

So, do you want one of these?

Or one of these?

Or how 'bout this?

Or....anything else from the store?!

Just leave a comment by 9:00 p.m. (central time) Thursday evening (9/10) and you'll be entered to win. I'll announce the winner Friday. Good luck!!!