Trophy Time

No, I will not be handing out end of the year superlatives.  But there will be trophies involved.  Ever solve one of those problems that you didn't realize was a problem until you found the solution?  Well I did last week.  My problem: A whole big wall with only a funky orange mirror on it.

My solution?  Well, white ceramic deer head trophies, of course.  Problem solved!

Who needs boring sconces when you can have faux animal heads glaring at your dinner guests.

They are a little quirky and I love them.  They help fill up space on that wall that I didn't even realized needing filling.  Actually this all began because I wanted the "large" deer head at Z Gallerie that was basically life sized and cost $250.  I wanted it so bad yet had no idea where it would fit in my house.  My compromise...2 small deer heads that only ran me $80 total.  And I might add, my office holiday bowling party winnings paid for these suckers.  So they were basically free!

So now I'm over the expensive deer head but now I'm kinda eyeing the $129 giraffe head.  He'd look really cute in my office.  I better start practicing my bowling. 

No actual animals were harmed in this post.

5 Days Until Christmas

Christmas is almost here.  I think I've just about finished all my shopping and I'm definitely looking forward to a few days of R & R with my family and friends.

Hope you have a Merry Christmas! 

Biscuit's Stakeout

Since Biscuit moved in I've grown pretty used to toys being strewn all over my living room.  She's actually the first dog I've had that played with toys.  My other dogs never really showed any interest.

In the last week or so I've noticed that my living room was a lot neater than usual.  Maybe only one or two toys on the ground.  I also noticed she was wandering out of the living room for long periods of time.  Turns out she's started a new playroom in my dining room.

She had nine toys moved up by the front window.  She now sits up there for hours staring at the squirrels in the front yard.  It's become an obsession.  She's normally sitting on the bench but I couldn't catch her in action.

Luckily she's only barked a few times and that was at a cat.  She just likes to spy on the squirrels.  Weirdo. 

More Thieving

I have no shame.  This week is bulk trash week in my neighborhood.  I can't help but scan people's discards when I drive by.  You never know.  I've rescued frames from dumpsters.  My now navy office chair was once just a lonely wooden chair on the curb.  I think of it as recycling.  Upcycling even.  Giving new life to stuff and saving space in our landfills.  Or at least that's how I sleep at night.  I say this because this past weekend I "stole" some curbside trash.  I passed by it a few times before running across the street, dressed in black, around midnight on Saturday.  I also made sure to turn all my porch lights off.  The last thing I need is the neighbors talking about me.

Behold!  Two nightstands that I don't really need...still damp with dew.  But they have such potential that I couldn't let them be destroyed.  They just need a little spray paint!  [Doesn't everything?]

The hardware and gold trim are pretty awesome.  Like I said, I don't need any nightstands in my house but I still might be able to use them.  They could be end tables for my low sectional in the living room.  Or possibly a storage bench at the end of my bed.

I have no idea what color I'm going to paint them.  I could do something really crazy, like Kelly Green.

Or I could just go with a crisp white.

At least this project is a cheap [read: free] form of entertainment for me.  As I mull over my color choices I just pray my neighbors don't come over to borrow any sugar soon. 

Needlepoint Saves Me $158.00

I have already discussed my obsession with Jonathan Adler.  I just love everything he does.  Unfortunately I can't afford 90% of what he does, but such is life.  [sidenote: Barnes & Noble has a line of JA designs especially for their stores and the prices are awesome!  Haven't picked anything up yet, but might after Christmas.]  Anyway...another thing I love in life is the movie Mommie Dearest.  This is in no way to be a reflection on my own childhood.  I just love me some demented Joan Crawford by way of Faye Dunaway.  So I was super excited to see this new pillow in Jonathan Adler's Needlepoint collection.

I love everything about this pillow.  Everything except the price.  $165.00.  No, even I know that's too much for a 9" throw pillow.  That's when I got the brilliant idea to learn to needlepoint and make my own.  I started out in early November after purchasing about $7.00 in supplies (yarn and the grid).

I just sort of freehanded it from what stiches I could see in the photo of the pillow.

I ran out of room for the third hanger but still think I did a pretty good job!  It took about 5 weeks (which may be why the hand stitched pillow is so costly) and I finally finished it last night.

I was going to turn it in to a pillow but now I think I'm going to frame it and hang it in my soon-to-be-redone master closet.  That renovation won't get started until after the new year but in the meantime I'll be starting my next needlepoint project.  This next one will become a pillow eventually.  So, sorry about stealing the JA design but I think of it as a nod of appreciation.  And once I win that lottery, I promise to hit the Jonathan Adler store for a shopping spree.

More Office Spray Paint Action

I finally came to a decision on my office chair and decided to just take it from black to navy.  Not a drastic change but one that matches better.

During this spray painting session I also managed to turn my arms, legs and hair blue.  I need to stop spray painting on windy days but it seems like every weekend is windy.  No worries, after a couple of showers I eventually got all the blue paint off my person.  I also tackled a random little table that has been floating around my house since I moved in.  It doesn't match anything so it never really found a home.

Since gold and navy were the paints of the weekend, I gave this guy a face lift to match my office.

Nothing too exciting but it definitely took this little table from country bumpkin to city slicker, added a little class.  Now I have a place for my drink as I read in my new comfy chair.

Going for the Gold

As of last weekend I have a new favorite spray paint.  Gold!  I picked up gold a few weeks ago to perk up some old iron pieces I have laying around the house and finally got around to using it this past weekend.  I went through my normal routine of starting with a couple of objects and then once I saw the results I kept walking back in the house to find more things I could paint gold.

I started with some mason jars and eventually added an old railroad nail and a candle stick.

These pieces are going to be part of my office.  The gold looks great with the navy and orange.  Eventually they will help with styling my bookshelf in the room.  For now, I just look and them and smile and then slowly scan the house for more things I can grace with my Rust-Oleum Midas Touch.

Target + Neiman Marcus

Yes, I was lined up at 7:30 am on Saturday for the much awaited Target & Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection to debut.  I would rank in below the great Missoni release mostly because it was a higher price point overall and the collection did not have a lot of decor items. But this does not mean I didn't buy anything.  I managed to get a Thom Browne blazer and a Marc Jacobs clutch and then my favorite purchase was the Tracy Reese dessert plates.

I liked them so much I bought 2 sets.  I don't actually plan on serving dessert on them though.  I think they are going to look fabulous on the wall in my guest room.  I want to hang them above the headboard (which doesn't actually exist yet).

I really think they are going to look great.  I need to buy some plate hangers and I potentially need to find a larger plate for the center of my planned hangings. 

 

I'm imagining a diamond shaped layout with the ninth larger plate being at the center of my 8 dessert plates.  I wish they had more decorative items in the collection, but at the rate things were priced it is probably best that they didn't.

Outdoor Decor

Last Sunday I finally got motivated to put up my outdoor Christmas decorations.  The lights are actually pretty simple since I snap them all into clips from the comfort of my living room couch.

After that is done it only takes about 30 minutes to throw them up on the house, and most of that time is spend moving the ladder.  I love how it perfect spaces the lights and makes them all level.

Next I grab my large ornaments that I picked up on clearance at Target last year.

I envisioned hanging them from my live oak but once I started executing that plan, the result was pretty underwhelming.

Dwarfed Ornaments on a huge tre

Plan B was to hang them on my front porch.  I already had a few cup hooks installed from the previous owner so I just added four more.

I love my festive porch now!  Later that night I lit it all up.  Aside from some spacing issues that were in my light strand it looked pretty good.  The only bad thing is the color.  They are bright white and everyone else on the block has the yellow-white lights.  Somehow I did not get the memo.  It makes my house look a little more neon than Christmas should be.  I think I'll try to score new lights at this year's after Christmas sales.

I may also add more lights this weekend.  It's looking a little dull now that I'm looking at the photo.  On a more exciting note, I'm able to control my lights via my iPhone!  My alarm company gave me an outlet that you can plug lights into and remotely control from the phone app.  I just plugged my lights into it and voila! The lights are plugged into my garage socket so I don't have to worry about the outdoor elements.  My favorite trick is turning them on from my driveway when I get home from work each day.  It's the little things in life that entertain me.

Unboxing Christmas

My Thanksgiving leftovers were barely cold and I was already up in the attic pulling down Christmas decorations.

I was excited to see all the stuff I bought after Christmas last year at the bargain sales.  I had forgotten about everything.  First order of business was to relocate poor Biscuit's house.  I had to stick her in the corner so I could put the tree up.

She didn't seem to mind, in fact I think she likes being tucked back in the corner even better.  She also did really well as I decorated the tree and didn't seem to interested in it.  Hopefully that means no doggie destruction.  I phased out most of my red ornaments and now my tree is a softer pink, blue and green.

Last year I bought blue and silver garland for the mantle for some sort of steal after Christmas.  It was a little short for my mantle but I spiced it up by hanging my felt trees off it.  I think I snagged those on sale 3 for a quarter.  Not bad.

 

I am going to keep my dining room table centerpiece pretty simple.  I really like the new runner I got for Thanksgiving so I'm keeping that on and just adding a little tree.

My other little trees are still a work in progress.  I have a few on my makeshift entry console and then one in my front window.

The decorations have definitely gotten me in a festive mood!  I've even scored a few Christmas presents already.  No, nothing is wrapped yet.  That would be pushing it.

Stitched Placecards

Something about the cooler weather always makes me want to do needle crafts.  So strange, I know.  Every winter I pick up the crochet needle or start knitting.  I'm currently working on a needlepoint but when I ran across these patterns on Martha Stewart's website, I picked up my cross stitching supplies.

I didn't really have a plan when I started.  I just started mixing and matching the heads and bodies to create my family, or at least the ones I would be hosting for Thanksgiving.  My winter needle craft habit is evident by the fact that I had all these supplies in my possession. 

At first I thought I might put these in frames but then I wanted to add a take home treat element to the placecard.  Mason Jars!  Aren't they always the answer? 

I filled then with colorful M&M's...a family favorite, added a little stuffing behind each cross stitch and then created my lid.

A little corny, they added a fun little element to the table.  Hopefully I offended no family members with my rudimentary renderings. 

Not a bad little project and it only set me back about $10 for jars and M&M's....both of which I got to keep the leftovers.  Score!