i heart my gallery shelf

Hello sweet readers. If you're reading this, you deserve a great big cyber-hug, just for checking in! Things have been a little crazy in my house these days. My days consist mostly of holding (and feeding) the baby, while trying to keep my other two kids alive, fed, and moderately happy. There has been little-to-no housework getting done, and certainly no blogging. However, my little boy let me put him down for a while yesterday...ah, the FREEDOM! With my newfound freedom, what do you think I did? Unearth my kitchen counters from clutter? Clean my embarrassingly neglected bedroom? Fold the enormous piles of laundry?

Oh no.

Friend, I did what any self-respecting interior redesigner in my position would do.

I re-decorated.

Ah, the freedom and beauty of those words! Granted, I was running around like a mad woman, muttering "Please don't wake up! Please don't wake up!" the entire time, so someone watching may not have realized I was actually engaging in a relaxing ritual. But oh, the sanity those moments brought me. They were priceless! I spend so much time in one chair in my living room these days - with aforementioned babe - that it's really important for my view from that chair be as serene as possible.

It was nothing drastic - mostly relocating some clutter and re-accessorizing a large shelf and the top of the piano (and, okay, so I dusted a bit too - but that's hardly worth mentioning, 'cause it's not fun) - but it made me feel better. I didn't bother to take a "before" pic because I wasn't even thinking of the blog at the time, so above is an old photo of the shelf from last summer.

And here was the shelf at Christmas time...

And here it is now. And I can't guarantee it will stay this way for long. The biggest change is in how I think about this shelf now. Before, it was just a shelf, and the arrangement of it was really quite static (for me, anyway). It was mainly there to try to make the TV not stick out like a sore thumb.

Now, however, I've decided to make it my gallery shelf. In other words, the display will be constantly rotating...my favorite pics of the kids and my favorite pieces of artwork at a given time. The great thing about just leaning the frames against the wall is that I can change the look on a whim - as opposed to some of my gallery-type arrangements hanging on the wall, where there are a million nails in the wall (therefore a million holes) and I don't want to move the frames for fear of exposing all the holes underneath. It's not quite as minimal of a look as I had before, but I think I'm ready to step it up a bit and display lots of framed things that are beautiful to me (as well as either interesting or sentimental).

I'm laughing because I 've already re-arranged the shelf just since taking this picture (ten minutes ago). Sigh. I love my "new" gallery shelf.

let's keep this one on the down-low, shall we?

So, I feel the need to blog. But in my fog of sleep-deprivation and post-partum hormones, I'm afraid I don't have a lot of helpful wisdom in the home-decorating arena (although I can't wait to be able to jump back into interior redesign this fall). Certainly not in the entertaining arena at the moment, either. So while this dear blog is still technically on haitus, I've quietly started another blog. It was born (ha ha) out of a desire to be able to celebrate, cry, vent, and gab about this crazy thing called motherhood (and those even crazier things called kids). It's an entirely personal blog that has nothing to do with my business - although you'll still find me shopping and decorating there, too - it's just all about kids. I'm calling it Serenity Jane ("seeking sanity in the midst of motherhood's insanity"). Please don't feel obligated to follow me over there, but if you'd like to check it out, I promise I'll be as hospitable as I can in my sweats and uncombed hair! I'll put out the best graham crackers and might even let you have some chocolate milk. (Don't tell my kids though - I hardly ever even let them have chocolate milk!)

Oh - and don't tell my hubby I've started another blog. This will be our little secret, okay? ;-)

the new (tiny) man in my life

here he is... sweet Caleb, born March 20 (first day of spring!)

and he is a delight...here with his biggest sister...

and here with his littler big sister...

he is already adored by all.

***

he has a cute, happy little nursery...

complete with artwork by his big sisters...

and some from his mom's favorite Etsy shops too...

but of course, he can't be convinced to use it yet! little stinker. ;-)

*still to come: tons more nursery pics. my drill broke before I was done hanging artwork, so...it pains me to admit...it's still not done! yikes. so this will have to do for now.

movie night

I am so close to showing you pictures of the new nursery...really, I am...but in the meantime, I had a few girlfriends over for a movie night last night and I thought I'd share just a few pics with you. Since my baby's due in less than three weeks, my goal for myself was to have this be as casual and easy as possible. So, I ordered pizzas and had everybody contribute their favorite junk food to the evening. I also held myself back from creating favors and any complicated decor, which turned out to be a good call, because simply trying to get the house clean enough for company just about did me in.


But, because I am who I am, I couldn't help creating invitations and having some sort of theme for decor. I'm sure I spent no more than $15, which was for a couple of tablecloths and paper goods.

I found some black sparkly ting (NO idea how to spell that) in my basement that was left over from another event.


I put the ting in a clear glass vase, anchored with rocks, and borrowed one of my daughter's feather boas from the dress-up clothes - which I then just taped around the vase to create wonderful foofy-ness. (I'm just sure that's a word.)

I found black and white napkins at Ikea which doubled as part of my centerpiece/table runner.

Combined with pink patterned napkins from Home Goods and black and white plates from Target, it created a fun, mismatched (but still coordinated) look.

Since I had one table for food and another for drinks, I found myself in need of a second centerpiece. So, I scrounged around the house and found the bouquet of white and pink flowers my hubby had given me for Valentine's Day. I took it apart and used the hot pink carnations from the bouquet in a vintage water glass for the second table.

I ran out of time and energy to take any pictures of food, but you can picture the scene...your girlfriends from high school...pizza...soda...candy...cookies...and a little Mamma Mia...>sigh<. Pure heaven.

a sweet strawberry party

Hello friends! That is, if anyone out there even remembers this blog. How I have missed blogging and interacting with you all! I am a faithful lurker on my favorite blogs, of course, but I'm constantly finding myself with lots of ideas for the blog - and wishing I had the time or energy to make it happen!

homemade strawberry cupcakes (with toppers from thepaperplayground)

Here's one thing I pulled off recently, however. My daugher's fourth birthday party. She loves strawberries, and decided she wanted a "Strawberry Party". Not a Strawberry Shortcake-character party, mind you - just a Strawberry party. And, of course, how can I resist? I do love having a good theme to work with.



For the first time ever, rather than making my own invitations, I had someone else do it. Primarily because as I was searching Etsy for all things strawberry, I found a set by Etsy seller thepaperplayground that were perfect. I asked myself, "Self, when you're seven months preggo and someone's already created exactly what you're looking for, why recreate the wheel?" Kristen (of thepaperplayground) created this whole suite of hand-stamped invitations, thank-you cards, cupcake toppers, and paper favors (with a sweet message and candy inside), all with my strawberry theme. And she was super-nice and helpful to boot. What more can a girl ask for?




I decided on a palette of red, pink, and lime green. I wanted to make sure to include the lime green so that it didn't look too much like a Valentine's party. That being said, it didn't hurt that her birthday was just a few weeks before V-day - there were so many things in the right colors available for decor, and especially for favors - so it worked out perfectly.




A tiny disclaimer: my husband took every single one of these photos for me (thanks babe!)...however, he had two things working against him: 1) a new camera, on which he is still trying to figure out the best settings, etc. 2) the inability to read my mind. (I was busy running around until the very last minute - wait, running is a slight exageration...waddling is more like it - and didn't have time to give specific instructions as to what I would like to have photographed. So, what you see is what I got.)






We decided on a menu that was entirely strawberry. Peanut butter and strawberry-jelly sandwiches, strawberry lemonade, chocolate-covered strawberries, and strawberry cupcakes. I used a cookie cutter to make heart-shaped sandwiches (and ate the crusts as I went along).


The favors were so fun (and inexpensive!) to put together. I got the baskets at the Dollar Tree - two for a dollar - and almost everything else came from the dollar section at Target. Ohmyword I LOVE the dollar section at Target! They really came through for me on this one. Little Strawberry Shortcake pens and pencils, bracelets, and stamps. I would spend a dollar and get a package of six items (I had six little girls, so that was perfect) and split them between the baskets. They even had tiny grow kits - I'm not kidding - a tiny terra cotta pot with soil and - wait for it - strawberry plant seeds. I threw in a handful of strawberry candies from the dollar store, and the cutest little handmade favors - paper strawberries with a message on the outside and strawberry candy on the inside - also by thepaperplayground, and voila! We also had plenty of extra balloons, so we sent one of those home with each girl as well. I figured that each loaded favor basket cost a total of maybe $3 altogether. I was loving life.

I also provided two crafts for the girls to work on. Target (again) had these little picture frame sets in the dollar section that I bought for the girls to personalize with stickers, glitter, and stick-on jewels. Next, they put together some jewelry. I found these bead kits on after-Christmas clearance at Michael's and the girls made bracelets, necklaces, and key-rings. That ended up being fairly labor-intensive for the mommies, but I think the girls really enjoyed it. (And what wouldn't we do for our kids?!)

I wrapped a clear glass vase in pink tulle ribbon, and put in a bouquet of berries that I think are used mostly for filler - but ya know, they resemble tiny strawberries! So no boring old roses for us - we chose the berries (from Costco, butofcourse) for a charming little detail that probably no one else noticed or appreciated but ourselves. But hey - a good party is all in the details - whether they're noticed or not!

I found these adorable little truffles in the right colors - some even had little strawberries on top - that were actually tiny candles. Supposed to be Valentine's decor, but they worked great for a strawberry party, too.

Candy in jars is always a good standby when you'd like to carry a color theme around a room. Here's the shrine to my daughter - a couple of photos of her, plus candy. Of course!

I made a banner for the mantle, although I'm bummed that I can't show you a close-up (I don't have one). I found these paper doilies at the dollar store - a package of 24 for a dollar! I bought some oval ones and some rectangular ones. They were the perfect size for cutting letters and strawberries out of scrapbook paper, pasting them on the doilies, and then stringing it along the front of the mantel. You can't tell, but I even glittered the strawberries. I don't have a lot of patience for small crafty things these days, so I was pretty proud of myself for that one.

Strawberry Dreams tutu by Etsy seller tiarastutus

And lastly, a most important question. What should the Party Girl wear? After much (enjoyable) browsing again on Etsy, I discovered this amazing Strawberry Dreams Tutu by tiarastutus that I had custom-made in my daughter's size and preferred length. It had plenty of pink tulle, with little bits of green tulle like strawberry leaves and black rhinestones on the skirt to simulate strawberry seeds. It even had a matching hairbow with strawberry on it! Oh my. How could I not buy it?

But the cherry (strawberry?) on top of this whole thing was my daughter's reaction. (She just turned four, mind you.) She was so genuinely grateful and excited about each and every element of the decor and the party that it made it all more than worth it. At one point, when she saw my handmade banner, she said, "Oh, it's so beautiful! I might cry because I'm so happy!" And it was totally genuine and not melodramatic (if you can believe it!). She really was so thankful for everything, that I found myself trying to freeze those moments in my memory forever...while simultaneously praying that she'll never change and will always have that grateful spirit. So, it wasn't easy to pull off in my large and grumpy state, but it was MORE than worth it. Man, I love that kid.

sneak peeks

Happy New Year everyone! Okay, so I realize that January 16 is a little late to finally get around to saying it...but hey...I'm doing everything a little more slowly these days! I am feeling large and grumpy and can't believe I still have another 8 weeks of pregnancy left. The nursery is coming along - slowly but surely - and while I don't have any photos of the actual room to show you yet, I thought I'd give you a sneak peak of some of the components. I'm excited because I think the room will be really fun, bright and cheerful. It's been over four years since I got to plan a nursery, because my second daughter just got integrated into her sister's room, so as you can imagine, I'm having fun thinking and dreaming about this one.

I like this wall color...photo from apartment therapy

First off, you'll just have to picture a white crib along with a set of white 1960's furniture that I bought off Craigslist - it is SO very retro and fun. There's one long, low dresser, a taller highboy, and two matching nightstands. I'm using one of them in the living room as an end table, but the rest of the furniture is in the nursery. I got the whole set for $80!

Target bedding

The walls will be turqoise/aqua - not too pale, because with all that white furniture I don't want it to look feminine. Then, this bedding from Target - I waited till after Christmas to buy it and snagged it as soon as it went on CLEARANCE - yes!!

Then, I got this rug at Ikea. It's about 4' x 6' and was on SALE for $19.99. Have I mentioned I LOVE Ikea? I'll be accenting mostly with red (although all colors are welcome!).



This is a great mobile from thewonderlandshop that was one of my Christmas presents (by my request, of course)! I love all the colors, and of course the circles correspond with the dots on the bedding. Love it!

More red to accent with - this one's still on the wishlist - but it's a lovely red retro-inspired lamp from Ikea.

And last but not least, just a couple of pieces of artwork that I'm drooling over for the nursery:

"You Dropped from Heaven" by dazeychic

"Don't burst my bubble" by shelbyhealey

And one more sneak peek...I know I'm on a "blog break" but I won't be able to resist sharing pics with you from my daughter's birthday party coming up. She's turning four and wants a "strawberry party"...so for the first time ever, rather than making my own invitations, I turned to Etsy seller thepaperplayground who created this adorable set of invitations, thank-you's, favors, and cupcake toppers for me! How cute are they?! Can't wait to show you the rest!

"How Sweet" strawberry invitation set from thepaperplayground

Have yourself a SPARKLY little Christmas!

So I'm participating in TWO Holiday Parites in blogland! If you're here from Hooked on Houses, welcome! I'm participating in Julia's Hooked on Holiday House Tours Party! I've also signed up for Kimba's Holiday Open House! Both of these parties have FABULOUS hostesses and lots of eye candy on their tours. Be sure to check them out! Let the party begin!

Anyway, onto the Christmas decor you'll see at my house these days: Above is a close-up of my mantel this year. I LOVE decorating my mantel at my house. It's huge, and flanked by two symmetrical square windows. The mantel itself runs the full length of the living room wall so there's lots of room to put STUFF. And come Christmas-time, I do. I Put Stuff.

Here's the mantel when you step back a bit. The garland is made of curly-willow branches, spray-painted silver, that I had left over from the wedding I designed last winter. I stuck in several SPARKLY picks of berries and leaves, plus some aqua Christmas ornaments. I interspersed my little collection of mercury-glass candleholders and voila! Can you tell I like SPARKLY things? (There's also a little garland made up of small square mirrors that is draped below the mantel that you'll see repeated later on my tree.)

Here's the scene on top of my piano. (You may remember this post where I lamented over the empty space above the piano. Well, as you can see, it's empty no more!) I filled a simple hurricane with a large white pillar candle and ornaments from Target (they look glass, but are only $8.99 for 24! Can't beat that!) Also, my very first snow globe. I'm not a fan of them, but my daughters are, so the day I spotted one that matched my living room, I bought it for them. (I know, I know - it's a sickness. But I want them to match the decor and not be cheesy...what can I say?)

Here's a closeup of the hurricane. These cute little trees I bought at a clearance sale at Pottery Barn after Christmas one year (which, by the way, is my number one tip for affordable Christmas decor - buy it the day after Christmas for the following year!). If you like the look of these little trees, they have similar ones at Target right now - although the bases are red or gold - for only $6 to $9 each. Super cute, simple, and somewhat realistic-looking. Also, you can see the base of the mirror that I bought at a garage-sale this summer - it was only $7 but painted gold - I finally spray-painted it white and now I think it feels somewhat relieved!

Here's the shelf above my TV. You can't tell in this pic, but the three trees are VERY SPARKLY. Crate & Barrel, After-Christmas Sale. (Spotting a theme, anyone?) I backlit the aqua vase with a $6 light from Ikea and I have to admit it looks very cool and dramatic, especially at night. The vase is filled with silver branches and branches with silver and glass berries.

This PEACE sign is also SPARKLY, though you can't tell here. Only $7.50 at the new Real Deals store here in Oregon City. (For you locals, it's on Washington just down from Home Depot. Love their Christmas decor!)

And here's the tree. So, every year I use my SPARKLY and clear and white ornaments, and add a different accent color. So far I've done silver + purple, silver + red, silver + green & blue, silver + red & aqua, and now this year....what happened? It was supposed to be retro-inspired, with silver (of course) plus aqua, lime green, pink, and orange. Crazy, huh? The problem is, I can't find my lime green ornaments (yes, I really do have some!). AND, I'm wishing I had done pale pink rather than the hot pink, because that hot pink is sort of grating on my nerves a little, but the other day my daughter said (in a somewhat breathless, dramatic voice) "THANK YOU for doing that bright pink on the tree, Mommy!" So at that point, there was no turning back. My daughter loves the pink, as bright as it is, therefore, it stays. You know how it is. (When you see her playroom decor, you'll understand!)

There's a story with this tree-topper, too. Every year we've used a silver and SPARKLY star that lights up. Well, this year, it didn't light up. Last year it didn't light up either, and my husband spent a ridiculous amount of time (bless his heart) painstakingly taking it apart and making it work again. This year, I just don't think he could bring himself to do it again. I didn't blame him. So, after looking at a dark star on top of the tree for a few days, I just couldn't take it. I pulled some of these silver and SPARKLY picks out of the branches of the tree and wired them to the top of the tree. Then, I added this SPARKLY turquoise ribbon and voila! It was budget-friendly, because I already owned all the components to make it. And it's fun cause it's just something a little different.

Some closeups of the SPARKLY-ness. (Is that a word?)

Yummy.

We have picture frame ornaments on the tree from the year we were married, and from each of our children's first Christmases. I'm going to start buying a frame for every year, whether it's a kid's first Christmas or not. They're much easier to find these days and very inexpensive! It's fun to dig out the ornaments and relive the memories from the photos. You can also see a little bit more of that mirrored garland - which I love - that is on both the fireplace and the tree.

Here's one of the two silver SPARKLY trees that we have in front of our two little windows over the mantel. This is the view at dusk.

And here it is during the day. I think these were a JoAnn's purchase a few years back; they often put their Christmas decor down to 70% off (often even before Christmas!) and that's when I scored these pre-lit beauties for about $10 each. They have glass-beaded branches. I love them.

Okay, moving on to the kitchen now. In case you are dying for a glimpse of traditional red and green, never fear! It's here. In the kitchen. Actually, I recently painted the walls a soft green, so I am using some of my red Christmas decorations in here. It's a more casual feel - a little less SPARKLY - but no less festive. Above is a silver wreath with a red ribbon. I like the fruits on it - goes perfectly with the kitchen. (They aren't really this bright - the flash made them look almost flourescent.)

I hung red star ornaments with fishing line over the window above the sink. I love the simplicity of this look.

Here's my easy-peasy centerpiece for the kitchen table. A Christmas plate, red candle, and more simple red ball ornaments. I tried a few other centerpieces, but the girls couldn't see each other over them, so I made it smaller and shorter. Now they're happy.

And speaking of the girls, here they are! My little elves, who love helping me put up Christmas decorations. The ones I'll let them touch, that is. ;-)

And last, but not least: the pink foil tree, complete with pink lights, in the orange/pink/lime green playroom. This tree is all girl (as if you couldn't tell!) and is being slowly decorated with one tiny ornament a day from our little advent calendar. By Christmas Day it will have the full cast and characters from the Nativity on it.

Phew! If you stuck with me all the way to the end of this long post, bravo! I guess my posts are more about quality than quantity, these days. :-) I am missing blogging but have managed to fill my time with many, many other things. It feels good to be getting caught up, but I do miss my Nesting Instincts blog and business. You can bet I'll be checking in more between now and March, when the baby's due.

Have yourself a SPARKLY and Merry Little Christmas!! xoxo.