giving

This week we are excited to be giving away a $250 gift card on Design Mom. Pop on over and you could win it along with a slew of other gifts.
If you don't already read her blog I think that you will really enjoy it. I had the pleasure of meeting Gabrielle many years ago and she is delightful.

party shoes

I have a thing for shoes that are a bit on the wild side. On a date night or at a party I love to wear fun shoes with one of my classic dresses. And I love being as tall as my husband!


These are my favorites from Top Shop.

How about you? Have you found some party worthy shoes this year?

ikea love

I wanted to share some recent Ikea loves.

These duvet covers with matching pillows were $14 a set and that makes me a much nicer mom when I find magic markers on them.
These are hard melamine storage containers. They are the perfect red and I though for sure that they would crack or melt or something but I have had them for a few months and I am still so in love with them.
I couldn't find either of these on line but they were there a month ago. How about you? What is your favorite cheap find lately?

free shipping

Just in case any of you were wanting to do some shopping today.....

Oh my...

This talented lady is now making
these beautiful stamps. It is the perfect stocking stuffer or hostess gift. You can see more on her blog Oh my deer handmades.

wallpaper

I am in love with these wallpapers from Anthropology.




Do you have a favorite? I can't decide.

zhush

Today only you can shop this beautifully curated shop and get 10% off any order or 20% off all orders over $150. Just use the code: cybermon

These are my personal favorites just in case Santa is reading.

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope that you all had a happy Thanksgiving.

We had a wonderful and relaxing day.
Scott make a very yummy 27 pound turkey.

My daughters did a great job creating a pretty table.

Everyone pitched in and we enjoyed a yummy meal followed by watching Planet Earth.
Later we went to a friends and had delicious deserts. I am looking forward to tomorrow when we will pick out our tree, decorate and eat turkey sandwiches.

vintage christmas book

I love finding inspiration in vintage books.
I found this treasure a few months ago and I am having fun finding inspiration for the store and our house.
This one is made out of upside down cups that become bells. There are so many fun things that I can imagine doing with this shape. It is great for small areas.
This is an idea for decorating a box. Something about it feels very Kate Spade to me.

How about you? Are you getting excited about decorating for the holidays?

last Christmas

Last year at this time I stocked up on vintage ornaments.

How could I resist these in my favorite shade of pink?
I used a hot glue gun to glue the tops of the ornament on and then wired them onto a frame.

These photos don't do it justice. The combination of all of the different colors and textures are so beautiful.
I made this after Christmas so I am excited to use it this year.
I did learn a few things. Next time I would use something flat (the ornaments like to slide to the back of this frame). I also learned that a little mouse was fond of some of the thread covered ornaments.

I am so excited to make some more goodies with my growing stash of ornaments. Does anyone have a glue that they love? Sometimes I get frustrated that my hot glued items pop off.

the zhush

I love Sue's chic yet easy going aesthetic. Her blog is always full of great inspiration and her shop is the perfect place to pick up something special.

Here are some of my favorites...

apron sale

We are offering our polka dot aprons at 50% off this weekend.

I think that they make a great gift paired with a cookbook.

Then again I could be accused of being a hoarder when it comes to vintage cook books.

gluten free

This wheat grinding, bread baking mom just found out that my 10 year old has celiac disease.

I am trying to figure out how to navigate this new territory. I am thankful for my friend Melodie who has already emailed me some of her favorites.

If any of you have any gluten free tips for me don't hold back.

Less is more

When it comes to kids toys I believe that less is more. I like to buy things that encourage imaginative play and creativity. How creative are these stickers that turn egg cartons and boxes into cool toys?

crazy busy day

Lately my days seem to fall into one of two categories: busy or crazy busy. Today was crazy busy. After getting the kids off to school we jumped in the car and drove 2 hours to Chattanooga. My store window had very sad white walls. I taped off stripes every 11 inches, painted the wall pink and took off the tape.
Mission accomplished. If these three had heads you would be able to see how much happier they are.
Wet paintbrush in hand I was able to paint a mirror, (Ikea... thought I was buying white but when I opened it it was natural), cover a bulletin board in fabric, have some lunch and look at all of the new arrivals. We were able to jump in the car and be back in town at 6.

Crazy busy.

toast & laurel

I am starting to get excited about the holidays. Toast and Laurel must share my love of polka dots and stripes.

lilly pulitzer

A very special person celebrates her 80 th birthday today.

As a little girl I remember hiding in the racks of clothing at her warehouse.
As a teenager I worked in her store on Long Island.
As a twenty something I got married and Lilly had my rehearsal dinner at her house. (That day her house was being photographed for a book called Tropical Style:Private Palm Beach. How fun are the table decor that she did?)
I admire Aunt Lilly for so many reasons but if I could only have one of her gifts it would be her ability to make people feel so loved and welcomed in her home.