Top 2: Ornaments

You should know that I LOVE Christmas ornaments. (So I linked up with The Undomestic Momma to share!) Our tree is covered in ornaments--probably 20 dozen, and I secretly wanted to use more. When I married, Husby came with about 14 dozen beautiful glass ornaments. (He wasn't using these; they were stored by his mom for his future wife. Score!)

We really don't have a specific theme for our Christmas tree unless "Super Cute" can be a theme. I love any ornament with red on it. Polka dots, glitter and ribbon are also big drawing points for ornaments. But I'm not picky...We have cute little angels and giraffes and homemade felt ornaments and dainty ornaments from Prague made out of blown-out egg shells. Please don't sense that the theme is "Tacky." I promise; it isn't. Somehow, it all works. Perhaps it's that the enormity of the ornaments.

I scored this ornament as a gift exchange last night. Being uber-competitive, I hated that I was the last to choose. But since I was new to the group, I quitely sat, waiting my turn. I was so excited when I opened this cute give. It's meets the criteria for the cutest of the cute: big, red and green, with ribbons. And since I was last in the gift exchange, no one could steal it from me. Yea!

I bought this ornament last year and thought it very fitting to adorn our first Christmas tree. Again, it meets the cute criteria: big, colorful, and a green ribbon.



What about you? Do you have favorites? Are all your ornaments part of a theme? I'd love to know (and steal ideas!). You can see a few other of our ornaments here.

Recovery

On Thursday, I went under the knife. I had my wisdom teeth removed. I know, I'm like 13 years late in having this procedure done. So this weekend has been days on end of recovery (read: hydrocodone-induced naps). I don't feel like I should complain; I mean, it's not childbirth. But I think mouth pain could be some of the worst pain ever. My sweet Husby has taken excellent care of me. Although last night he said he misses me. Evidently, I'm not uber-fun when on drugs. My mom came over yesterday and stocked our fridge full of soups (broccoli cheese, white chili, and butternut squash) and parfaits and such. And my mother-in-law made a delivery of corn chowder, banana pudding and Christmas magazines. Do I have a great team or what?!

In the time I've had to recoup, I've enjoyed redecorating rooms (inside my head). If you've been reading long, you know that I've struggled to come up with my style. You know--country, modern, traditional. And I still don't know 100%, but I do know that I'd like not to get tired of anything too quickly. I found this picture in Country Living magazine a few months ago, and I loved it immediately:

I don't love everything about it, but I do love the headboard, the white bedding with pops of color and the stencil on the wall. I decided that it would be a great starter for a bedroom (since we have white bedding, which I love). I've contemplated having a headboard custom made into a similar shape, since this carved headboard would be way out of our price range. And THEN, guess what I found from Ballard Designs? You won't even believe it!

It's almost the exact headboard (minus a few decorative birds). And it's more in our price range than a custom-made headboard. Then I've daydreamed about fabrics. My main problem with fabrics (bedding, included) is their permanency; I like to change things out. Pretty often. BUT if it's inexpensive, then I wouldn't feel as bad about doing a little change-out. I do like these from fabric.com:

So other than decorating rooms in my head, I haven't done just a whole lot. Husby did convince me to play xbox with him; then wanted to know if I preferred XMen or Justice League. Is there even a difference? I'd like to share that my skills still haven't developed past Super Nintendo.

Loving Lucite

I've fallen for lucite. I must admit, it took me quite a while to warm up to it. I mean, who uses PLASTIC in their home?! But as my taste has become a tad more modern, I think I'll need to be careful not to overdo it!

This weekend, I attended a graduation party. The mom is an interior designer who is now my design idol. I plan on calling her soon to see if I can come take pictures of her house. (I'm serious.) I fell in LOVE with her lucite dining room table. The shape was so traditional, but the material made it a little funky. She paired it with "real" chairs. I just couldn't get enough. Did I mention that she used light blue gingham dining room curtains? Talk about cute! She also used a lucite end table in a sitting room that has a pinkish couch with green lattice throw pillows. I'm guessing it's "her" room as the only girl in a house of boys.

Here are a few super duper cute lucite items. (At least super duper cute to me!)

This trunk could be so cute in a living room. Perhaps as a coffee table with a couple of stacks of coffee table books? I want it.

Doesn't this room look inviting? I have to think the lucite chair helps. It doesn't break up the room like a normal chair might. This picture confirms my love of using light blue in a house. Did I mention my new decorating idol's dining room is painted light blue? Love.

Have I mentioned my love for light blue? What about that I'm looking for more modern chairs for our living room that what we currently have? Anyone know about my obsession for my sweet miniature dachshund? Did you know I love lucite? Could one picture be any more perfect? Can you see the side of the round lucite end table? Umm. Yes, please.I do love this coffee table. CB2 has their version of this table. I think it might be a must.And my final love for the day: this super great lucite tray. I feel that this is a possible DIY. A simple acrylic tray with some wrapping paper and a little shellac? I think it can be done. Unless I can find this for a GREAT price. It would look great on a non-lucite coffee table.

I'm off to drool over these pictures. And try to work at least one into our budget!

I Think I Have a Problem

This is my 100th post! I started this post last week and wanted it to be super great and maybe include a giveaway, but that's not going to happen. Though I'd love to do a giveaway, I have major issues making decisions. Just ask Husby. I have to talk through everything and every option with him. I know he loves it. After all, he really does care what I order for dinner when we're out. Ha! So, I couldn't decide on what I should giveaway. And what if people don't really want it? That's a bust. So, I'm going for the typical, bland post. Welcome to my blog!

Can I tell you how much I love etsy? Umm, maybe too much. I've known about it for a couple of years and love to just browse through the pretty things. But last week...last week I actually bought things! (SEE, IT TOOK TWO YEARS TO BUY SOMETHING. TWO YEARS!) I bought things that I saw on other blogs and things that I've wanted and things that I love. It's all artwork, and I can't wait to use it!

Some of the purchases will be stashed away until we have a nursery. (Not preggers, no need to ask.) But some will go up ASAP. And by that, I mean, as soon as I can find cheap enough frames. Since they're a little bigger than the typical 50% off Hobby Lobby frames, I'll have to wait for the poster frames to go on sale. It really excites me to have some art in our house.

Said purchases include:

Don't you love them?! I do! I have so many more pieces that I'm dying to have at some point. Here are some etsy sellers that are my favorites; choosing one piece from each will be tricky: Studio Mela, John W Golden, and Dutch Door Press.

Happy May!