To Do Cards

One of my favorite things about blogging is getting inspired by other peoples ideas. One of the bloggers that I follow had made some business cards with her logo on one side but instead of leaving the back blank she had used the header "To Do" so now she had adorable mini cards for list making.

I loved the idea, but she is a professional blogger and I'm a housewife so I have no need for business cards. I am however constantly needing to write things down so I had some cards made that have "TO DO" on one side and "NOTES" on the other.

I just love them and I think you will too. If you would like to make some yourself, they are from here, and if you use the code ZASF5922NTQZ you can get 15% off your order. I selected the chubby cards in white, and used pale grey for the text.

As part of my craft room makeover I also ordered a monogrammed acrylic pencil cup and the cards fit perfectly. (I must admit that the fact that my monogram isn't centered is driving me nuts!)

      

2014 - Decorating Plans

There is something quite exciting about a New Year.

I don't really make resolutions, I'm old enough that I've got things figured out, but I always start the new year with an urge to refresh my house. I think it probably because after fall decorations, followed by Christmas decorations my house finally looks like itself again. Everything looks so clean and tidy and it makes me fall in love with it all over again. And then I get inspired to change it!

My husband has been working from home since last February so my biggest priority it to change our study/library into more of an office just for him. I selected a new desk chair and recliner which were delivered just before Christmas. Now I need to cut down on some of the clutter, I'm sure that I can probably get rid of at least a third of our books, and move all of my stuff into my craft room, which is going to double as my office from now on. I also want to change the wall color, am thinking about replacing the artwork and maybe installing a flat screen TV.

My son will be going to High School this year so it's time to refresh his room.  I am inspired by this room and this artwork, so check back in 6 weeks or so to see what I end up doing.

Lastly I want to make my craft room into more of an office since I will no longer be using the study. It doesn't actually need much decorating but I have been shopping for some new desk accessories and need to take the time to reorganize since it now has to accommodate all of my paperwork as well as being a place to scrapbook and wrap gifts.

I created this room out of one of 4 attic spaces on the top floor of my GA home. It is basically two sides of a square in shape, with a desk, built in book case and a large storage closet at the end.

This is what it looks like now:

I'll post pictures once it's finished but here is a sneak peak of a new pencil cup and calendar that I already ordered:

Are you starting the New Year with any decorating plans?

      

Under Glass

There is a fantastic monthly antiques show in Atlanta called Scott's. I love the antiques but it is usually the vendors of new things that are the most inspiring. Last month I almost purchased a beautiful framed dried hydrangea but sadly as soon as the seller started handling it, it began to fall to pieces. Oh well, maybe she will have another one next time. The same vendor also had some framed cotton branches that were just gorgeous but they had already sold out. My friends and I are planning on getting there earlier next month.

I usually try to go there with an open mind but was actually hoping to find some burlap stockings for Christmas at the lake and was very pleased to find four.

I also fell in love with this:

I have a bit of a thing for things under glass, I have a stack of wedgwood plates that I keep under a beautiful cloche that I purchased at Ethan Allen years ago:

You can see my bell tree in the corner, here are some more pictures.

That's all for today, but please don't forget to enter my giveaway.

      

Decorating the Christmas Tree

It was such an exciting thing to get our first Christmas tree. As students there was no way that we had the money to waste on such frivolities, and our first Christmas after graduation was spent apart. He was in America and I was in England, living in London but spending Christmas in Hampshire with my parents. The following Christmas we visited my parents and then the next year we actually owned a one bedroom flat in London and bought our very first Christmas tree. Now we own two homes and have a large collection of Christmas decorations, but I can still remember going to Peter Jones on Sloane Square for our first ornaments.

I put up several trees each year but my absolute favorite tree is a metal one that is just decorated with silver bells and the red garland that I bought for our very first Christmas tree. I have a silver bell for every Christmas since we got married and then a second one for each Christmas since our daughter was born and a third one for each Christmas since our son was born. When they are each ready to have their first Christmas in their own home I plan to give them their ornaments and pass the tradition on. My collection includes any kind of silver bell so some are music boxes, some are sleigh bells, some are sterling, and some are silver plate. But they are all engraved with "Christmas" and the year.

Towle Musical Bell

Wallace Sleigh Bell

Sterling Bell

Holly Ball

As soon as the bell tree is up I'll post a picture on instagram for those of you who want to see it.

We also decorate a real tree in each of our family rooms each year and here are a few tips that I have picked up over the years.

Buy a large, sturdy stand. If your stand is too small or too flimsy your tree will fall over. Last year I bought the swivel tilt stand. It's a load of rubbish. Don't waste your money. Our tree fell over so many times that we threw it away before Christmas.

This is a great stand...

Buy icicle lights on green wire. Several boxes of them. Place your tree in the stand but wait until the next day to put the lights on. This will allow the branches to drop.

If this is your first year decorating for Christmas then take your time picking your theme. You want to pick something that you will love for many years to come and that you can add to over time. I choose silver, crystal and mercury glass as the theme for our main home. Our first Christmas in London I had a budget of about $45 (30 pounds) to spend on ornaments but I chose wisely because we still use them every year. As our children were born I started doing additional trees with their handmade ornaments in each of their rooms. 

For our second home we were in a very different position financially and so I was able to just buy everything I needed at once. I chose a bronze and gold toned theme. I bought boxes and boxes of ornaments, a beautiful chocolate brown tree skirt, two wreathes for the front door and yards and yards of garland for the railing. Add branches, picks etc for the mantles and tables and my town and country minivan was packed to the roof!

Silver, Crystal and Mercury Glass Ornaments

Etched mercury glass ornaments

Mercury Glass Garland

Silver pinecone 

Hand Blown Ornaments

Do you have a Christmas decorating theme or do you collect ornaments to remind you of places that you have visited? Do you buy Christoper Radko ornaments or shop at Target? It doesn't matter what type of decorations you use as long as you and your family love them.

      

Friday 5 Favorite Gadgets

It's been quite a while since I did a favorite gadgets post and I have 5 simply amazing items to share with you.

Macbook Pro 15"

This is the reason that I am blogging again. I used to use our Apple desktop, while the other members of my family all had laptops. A couple of years ago I got an iPad and that was the end of me actually writing a blog. An iPad is fantastic in many ways but as an entertainment tool. I found it too hard to actually compose a post on it, so just ... stopped. Last month I decided to buy myself a laptop, and chose the 15" Macbook Pro. For two reasons, firstly because of the graphics and secondly because as a stay at home housewife I really don't care that its a little more cumbersome, I wanted the bigger screen. It's been a big hit because within two weeks of my getting it, my 16 year old daughter upgraded her 13" macbook pro to the 15" too. She is the editor of her schools yearbook this year and as soon as she saw how much better the graphics were on mine she wanted one too!

Simply Human Trash Can

Nothing dates a house more than not keeping up with technology so if you've been in your home for 5 years on longer then you may want to check out the new trash cans that are on the market. This one by Simply Human is amazing.

Bissell Hard Floor Vacuum

This vacuum actually gets the crumbs that seem to collect at the edge of your baseboards.

Shark Sonic Cleaner

Promises 1,000 scrubs per minute! Say hello to very clean hardwood floors. (But it terrifies poor Milly.)

HP Officejet Pro 8600 wireless printer

We recently upgraded our home printer to this wireless one, and boy are we glad that we did. All four of us have laptops and it just makes life so much easier.

      

5 on Friday - for the Kitchen

1. Noodle Bowl 

We eat a lot of stir fry. It's just such an easy to cook meal, the whole family likes it and I'm always amazed at how many vegetables I can get my kids to eat just by cutting them up into tiny pieces.

The other day I went into Pier 1 and saw this beautiful bowl.

I'll have four, please and thank you.

2. Custom Place Cards

I use place cards whenever we have a formal meal. They're a little different every time because I like to customize them in some way. I just purchased these avery printable stickers which will make my life so much easier because my calligraphy is not that great.  For Thanksgiving this year, I plan on printing names onto these stickers, attaching them to cream colored place cards and using pumpkin place card holders. Simple, elegant and easy.

3. Apple Corer

If you're a fan of baked apples then you need one of these.

4. Vase for your dishwasher tablets

Even though I keep my tablets under the sink I still prefer to keep them in a beautiful container rather than the plastic tub that they came in. I found mine at Pottery Barn.

5. Mini Pie Plate

If you like to make chicken pot pie then try serving it in individual dishes. It just makes a much more elegant presentation than a piece cut from a larger pie. I purchased mine here. 

Do you have a great recommendation for a kitchen item?