Decor Mid-Life Crisis

My tastes are changing. I don't know if it's a mid-life crisis thing or just a new chapter of my life, but I am liking certain things for the first time or not liking things I've liked forever.

 

It started around Christmas decorating time. A few years ago I started collecting nutcrackers. Each year, we put them all out on the fireplace hearth. All 80 + of them. That's a lot of nutcrackers. This year, I had no interest in putting ANY nutcrackers out. I wanted to go minimal. So no nutcrackers adorned our hearth. Very few decorations came out anywhere in the house. Less felt like more.

 

Decorating-wise, I have always been a modern furniture kind of girl. I have a red sofa with black accents in my living room. Now I'm all about cottage style. Easy, pastel-y muted color combinations. The more white decor I can find, the better. I'm not sure how I'm going to manage that in my red and black living room.

 

I want to paint everything white and put teapots and flowers everywhere. There's nothing wrong with that, right?

 

 

 

 

 

Valentine Wreath

I was obsessed with white everything this past Christmas. I wanted a white tree, white garland, a white wreath. So I got them, and I used them in my family room. The room looked lovely, not exactly perfect in my mind, but lovely. At least that gives me something to work on for next year.

 

Here's the wreath that I purchased in Michael's for about $8. I added a string of white lights to it for Christmas. It did look lovely up on the wall when it was lit.

 

I decided to extend the life of the white wreath over my mantle for Valentine's Day. I found some cute heart picks in Michael's and thought just a couple on the wreath would do the trick. They cost less than $1 each.

 

 Here's what it looks like now. Simple and sweet . . . and inexpensive.

 

SAG Awards Fashion Wrap Up

I was struggling to come up with top looks at last night's SAG Awards. There was only one dress that wowed me right off the bat. I'm posting the others because they were interesting to me for one reason or another. All in all, it was a disappointing night of fashion.

 

1. Amanda Seyfriend in a navy Zac Posen gown and Lorraine Schwartz necklace was the one no-brainer for me. I enjoyed everything about this look.

 
2. Claire Danes in a black Givenchy dress gave me pause. I love the white detail along the leg, but I'm still not sure about the toga-esque top. It was definitely interesting.

 
3. Nina Dobrev in a bright pink Elie Saab caught my attention not just because of the color but those lace cut-outs in front and back added a bit of interest to an otherwise bland dress.


 
 

6WS

Call Me Cate at Show My Face hosts Six Word Saturday. Want to play along? All that's necessary to participate is to describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words.

 

Warming trend, where are you? Brrrrr!

Friday Finds

MizB at Should Be Reading hosts Friday Finds. What great books did you find online, in the library or at the bookstore? What did you add to your TBR list? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!




"The Good House" by Ann Leary
"The Lost Art of Mixing" by Erica Bauermeister
"Saturday Night Widows" by Becky Aikman
"Sugar Rush" by Donna Kauffman
"Me and Mr. Booker" by Cory Taylor
"The Tell" by Hester Kaplan

Act of Kindness #10

My next door neighbor's daughter is having a baby. She and her husband live in a nearby town and sometimes visit so I do know her. She's a lovely girl. As we are all aware, times are tight lately. Jobs and money can be hard to find. Her husband is currently unemployed, or employed sporadically. I try not to question too many details. I did learn that she was in need of a crib. Just so happens, I was looking to unload our crib since I'm 99.9% sure I'm not going to be having any more babies. I made known that she could use our crib if she didn't mind a few teeth marks along one of the rails. Sweet girl that she was, she only wanted to borrow it. Once her baby is big enough, she says she'll give it back. They came to pick it up last week.

6WS

Call Me Cate at Show My Face hosts Six Word Saturday. Want to play along? All that's necessary to participate is to describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words.

 

Chocolate, friends and wine = great night!

Friday Finds

MizB at Should Be Reading hosts Friday Finds. What great books did you find online, in the library or at the bookstore? What did you add to your TBR list? Share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!




"After the Rain" by Karen White
"Sea Change" by Karen White
"Ten Beach Road" by Wendy Wax
"The Rules of Inheritance" by Claire Bidwell Smith
"Vanity Fare: A Novel of Lattes, Literature and Love" by Megan Caldwell
"The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen" by Syrie James
"Me Before You" by JoJo Moyes
"Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker" by Jennifer Chiaverini
"The Aviator's Wife" by Melanie Benjamin
"Here I Go Again" by Jen Lancaster

Act of Kindness #9

One of my son's friends from school was absent for a couple of days. I texted his mom to see how he was, and she asked if it would be okay if my son brought home her son's homework, and she would pick it up. Of course it was fine and instead of her picking it up, we dropped it off to their house after school. She was pleasantly surprised - and very grateful.

Framed Baby Clothes

I love when my kids get bigger and outgrow their clothes so I can empty out their drawers and closets to make way for some new, better fitting duds. Nothing pleases me more than bagging up those too-small clothes for donation. Until I came upon a personalized onesie for my little one.

This cute little collared shirt was a gift, and I don't think little one ever wore it. Still, I couldn't part with it. And it's not the most common name given to a boy so the chances of finding a new owner are pretty slim. I mentioned my unwillingness to part with this item to a friend of mine, and she suggested framing it. Great idea!!!
 

Golden Globe Fashion Wrap-Up

Oh, what a night! There were so many glittering glamour-pusses on the red carpet, it's hard to choose which looks I loved best. I typically post my top 3 looks, but I think I have a few more than 3 on my list. In no particular order, because I can't seem to make a decision on the best look, here are my choices for best dressed at the 2013 Golden Globe Awards:

1. Jessica Alba in a melon trumpet gown by Oscar de la Renta. This worked all around for me. The color on her skin was gorgeous and the necklace and fluffy clutch completed the look.

2. Hayden Panattiere in a light pink form-fitting gown by Roberto Cavalli. Beautiful, understated and stunning. The clutch is a bit too pink, but everything else is just lovely.

3. Taylor Swift in an eggplant mermaid gown by Donna Karan Atelier. I wasn't crazy about the thin straps on top at first, but it works for someone this young. I find this dress very elegant. 

4. Julianne Moore in a black and white streamlined minimalist gown by Tom Ford. Bravo for the older girls!! I absolutely loved this dress. Minimalist but gorgeous. Her hair and earrings were perfection.

5. Heidi Klum in a white one-shouldered gown by Alexandre Vauthier. I am a fan of the white dress, and this one worked across the board for me. Again, an older girl working it the right way. This had just a touch of bling, which is all you really need.