Window Shopping - HomeGoods

I thought it might be fun to do a little window shopping this week. So I stopped over at my local HomeGoods and thought you might like to be my virtual shopping date!
I'd really like to get a drink dispenser and while the sign says that they start at $14.99 the ones I really liked, this one that looks like a bee hive and the blueish one in the middle were more in the $30-$40 range so I'm thinking I'll have to wait and see if they make it to the clearance section in the next few months.

I thought that both the sweet tea cups and the colorful mini casserole dishes would make great gifts both are only $7.99.


I'm a big fan of pretty storage and I think all three of these baskets/boxes fit the bill. The cool lime colored metal one is $12.99 and both of the awesome burlap baskets are $14.99

Moving on to the rug section. The two rugs about are big (7.5 ft x 9.5 ft) and only $299. Sadly they don't really work with my style/colors. But if browns and olives are your thing they would be a lovely addition to your room.


Now the light green and yellow rugs are a little bit smaller, but are also more what I'm looking for. Oh and at only $199 for the green and a mere $149 for the yellow it doesn't get much better.

The lamps are another example of item I loved, but have no relation to my personal style. The blue and green pottery was really beautiful in person ($49.99) and in the right room the faux coral would look fantastic ($39.99).

Okay storage centers. The top bookshelf is shallower than others with the same look that I've seen, it would work great for DVDs or CDs (though who owns that many CDs any more). I really, really, really loved the media center, as in I came this close to bringing it home, but it would be for my basement and I'm not really ready to work on that project yet. The self is $299 and the sideboard/media center was marked "as is" for $99.



Now here is where we hit the stuff that is more my cup of tea. The pink chairs, I almost don't want to tell you that they are only $89 because I think I might go back and pick up one (or maybe both). Now the silky pink chair while lovely is at $499 a little to rich for my blood. Well you know I love yellow I don't need to say more and did I say it is only $39.99. And the low bench/ottomans, yes, the yellow and green one would look AMAZING in my bedroom ($119).

HomeGoods is a great place to find bedding. I liked the sixties look of the Style Happy sheets (on clearance for $15). And in another case of cute, but not my style I love the black, white and green Hillcrest bedding set (I didn't make a note of how much the sheets were, but for just the duvet cover it was $39.99 and for the "bed in a bag" it is $79.99).
Here is where my battery died and I wasn't able to get any of the fun stuff in the accessory section. But as it was giving up the ghost I was able to snap one last one of this leather elephant (I actually own a vintage on very much like this), it didn't have a price tag, but the one stuck to the shelf next to it was for $14.99.

Okay friends our little shopping date has come to an end. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! Where should we go next time? Target? Meijer? World Market?

This Week: The Fun Never Ends!

I have been so busy this week I can hardly think and there is sure to be another one coming up. So in the meantime here are a few weekend links to fill your time!

• Do you love Downton Abbey? You do, I know me too! Here is a little bit of info on season 2 via Linda Holmes from NPR (she loves Downton Abbey too!).
• Speaking of Downton Abbey, I bought the show on iTunes, but now I wish I had it on DVD. Is it crazy to own the same thing in different formats? Should I just get myself a DVD copy of Bring It On first because you know I'm never going own a VHS player again?!
• Do you have any book recommendations? I had a great conversation with a few of my friends on Thursday about books we have been reading lately. The only problem is I don't think any books came up that I hadn't already read. So I'm looking for something good to read. Oh and here are my monthly reads, I've finished this months book and LOVED it!
• Are you working on any projects? Here is one that I've just finished up

Okay well that is about all I can muster, I hope you have wonderful weekend full of fun, fun, fun!

How does your garden grow?

In the middle of all my end of summer craziness, I have managed to squeeze in a little time to work on a few projects. One thing I really want to finish by the end of the year is my guest bedroom make over. After the wall painting and the bedding (that is a little more of a slow and steady wins the race kinda project) the next thing I wanted to tackle was the question of what to put on the walls.
A few weeks ago I found this wood plaque at the thrift store and thought I might be able to come up with a fun little project with it.
For starts I gave it a light spraying of paint, I wanted the wood to still "shine" through a little.
Next I went to my big stack o' magazines and ripped out a few pages that had just type on both sides.
I then made two flowers much like I made the felt flowers for my springy wreath only with glue in place of sewing. And finished them off with button centers.
To finish things up I cut out leaves from some pink and gray fabric you will be seeing again and drew a stem using a gold sharpie pen.

So there you have it quick and easy the project only cost about a $1.50 and was finished in the time it took me to watch two episodes of White Collar. I'm rather happy with how it turned out, it kinda reminds me of Victorian shell art.

Yeah me too

I'm still not happy with my ringtone. And by no means have I been picking out paint colors for my living room for the last year and a half, no way I am way more with it than that!

Moving Right Along

All signs are pointing to summer coming to an end. I took this picture of the apple trees in my parents yard, you you see the apples starting to put on their rose-y cheeks for their big debut. I hear that kids are already returning to school. My town had our Heritage Festival this past weekend (I didn't make it down to the park to have an elephant ear for breakfast, but I did go on the home tour and wouldn't you know one of the houses that I put an offer in on during my house hunting days was on the tour. It looked great, but I'm so glad I didn't buy it.), as a kid that always signaled the end of summer for me.

Even though this is the busiest time of year for me at work and I'm getting back into the groove with my school year commitments, it seemed like I was looking forward to fall a little bit extra this year. But then I took a quick walk down memory lane and low and behold last august I posted not one, but two post that high lighted my love of fall clothes. Oh and wouldn't you know it last September I made a fall wreath and waxed poetic (not really poetic) about the color of the leaves in Michigan in the good ol' autumn time, in October I even dragged a few little friends out to enjoy the reds, oranges and golds. In fact it looks like every year at about this time my thoughts turn toward my favorite season, o take this as your official warning. I am so over summer and I have fall on my mind, get ready for posts about corduroy skirts, cool nights, odes to maples and oaks, apple themed recipes, orange twinkle lights, felt leaf projects, and at least one more mention of my unending love for Better Than Ezra and their perfect fall song This Time Of Year. Get ready friends, it is going to be awesome!

P.S. I hope you've been humming this song while reading this post!

Testing Testing!

Did you know that next year is the year of the dragon? So when the big brother of a new little fellow asked for a stuffed friend all his own, I took a little break from the bunnies and gave a dragon pattern a whirl. What do you think? Are you going to try and pop a baby out in 2012 so you can have a little dragon all your own? Did I just encourage you to have a baby for the swag? Yes, yes I did!

Its the little things

Okay I've got a confession, my bedroom light fixture has looked like the picture above for the last year and a half. So I finally did something about it last week. In the middle of the night I woke up with a revelation. See I had the wrong idea about fixing the problem.
The original shade was broken when I moved in, I had thinking that I need to just replace the light fixture. Then it dawned on me, or really more like 2 am-ed on me. That I should check out the Kiwanis weekly sale for a replacement shade.
To my delight they not only had a replacement shade, they had a bunch of shades that would work for my light. I picked out this one, because it reminded me of a dandy lion just before you blow and make a wish.
Oh and the best part, it was only $1.50. Gotta love fixing a problem with just a little pocket change! What do you think? Was I crazy to sleep under a light that was literally hanging by a thread (well cord) for over a year? Have you ever thrifted a home improvement item?

This Week: Yeah that happened

I was just the worst little blogger last week wasn't I? Oh well next week is already off to a better start! For today I just have this to offer, a few of my favorite "summertime" songs!

Cry Baby

Look I don't have any excuses I've just been sorta busy this week so I gave myself a little time off at night when I normally write the next day's (or twos) post. Not that it is a big deal to anyone, but here is my little peace offering to you anyway!

This Week: Thank God For Weekends!

I can't tell you how much I was looking forward to this weekend all week. I have a whole host of plans up my sleeve that I can't wait to share the results with you. Are you curious? You will just have to wait and see! Okay on to this weeks round up:

• We are back to reading peeps, check out this month's book!
• Anyone else planning to see this movie, just as soon as they can?
• Are you as into school supplies as me?
• I wish I did more camping so I could justify a collection of these cool plates from Mod Cloth.
• There might be a hint or two in here about some of my weekend plans!
• I've been thinking about using these as the back splash in my kitchen, but are they too much?

Do you have big plans for the weekend? Are you just going to enjoy a few summery days? Whatever you do I hope you have a great one!

Read Something Good:The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pit Society

Well, well it seems that another month as slipped by and it is time to start a new book. This months selection is a recommendation from the lovely Kelsey. As always I would love to chat about any of the books I'm reading this year so let me know if you've read along or if you have one you think I might enjoy.

You've been Schooled (I really wanted to spell it skooled, but I thought that was a little much)

Maybe it is because I was home schooled for most of my education or maybe it is because I'm a bit of paper goods nut, but I just LOVE school supplies. It is my pleasure to teach a class once a week during the school year where there is a need for binders, pencils, note books and folders so I have a good reason to indulge in some school supply lovelyness (yay me!).
This year I am in love with the Greenroom collection from Target (big surprise!). It started with this animal print pencil case. (That I filled with pencils from the same color/pattern family, but didn't take a picture of them.)
Then I moved on to the comp books. I actually got three so I could transfer everything from the yellow legal pad that organized my life.
And I had to get a few folders for all the loose papers that end up shoved in my bag. I really only needed one, but they came in a two pack and I'm sure I can find a use for the extra one.
Last a binder to keep all the lessons in.
The best part of all, they were all just 2 bucks! Are you a grown up that can't get enough of school supplies? Are you like me and can't help but love a fun printed pencil box in great colors?

Inspiration

You guys I'm going to be a super lazy blogger today and just share a bunch of pictures that I am finding inspiring these days. The image about is the inspiration for the up coming living room remaster - it will be a-maze-ing, just you wait.
Um yeah I really have been working on making the guestroom a pink and gray haven for all my dear loved ones, it is just very slow going.
This is sort of backwards inspiration, I already decided to paint my front door bright green and my trim black and then I found this picture to give me motivation.

I've always liked the salon look when it comes to hanging art, I hardly every feel like there is to much stuff on a wall.
Can't you just see painted steps leading up to my attic bedroom?
I really want to do this in my tiny entry, I'm thinking about doing it the faux way though with paint and poly.
Need I say anything!
Is it weird that I really want to make a mini version of my own house? Yes. Oh well I think we already all know that I'm weird. Right? Glad to get that out of the way.
I wish my yard was a smidge bigger, I would so build (okay who am I kidding have built) a little house of any kind back there.
Oh how I long to go fancy camping!
Even better fancy camping and floating down a river, the stuff that dreams are made of people!

I hope you enjoyed your little trip into my browser/mind (what you can't tell me that they aren't the same thing). What is inspiring you these days? I'd love to know.