Blog Love - Recent Discoveries

Hey everyone.  There are those times in life when you are going along, minding your own business when all of a sudden...something comes along that just clicks.  It fits, it works and it's inspirational.  Ok, so maybe that's a little dramatic.  This past weekend, thanks to that amazing little invention called DVR, I was introduced to Mr. Goodwill Hunting.  Some of you may be saying "honey, get with the program.  That's old news."  Others of you may be saying "Mr. who?"  Well, let me introduce you.

This is Mr. Goodwill Hunting and his blog is right here.

photo courtesy of rashoncarraway.com

He is not bashful about his love for thrifting and has found some amazing pieces for decorating his spaces and others too.  Recently, he was on the Nate Berkus show and outfitted a livingroom with all of its major pieces for under $300.  Check out his blog and be inspired!  There is hope to have a great looking space without having to spend an arm and a leg to get it!  Boy, that's great news for this gal's budget.  I'm still exploring his blog but I think his suits are so fun!  Anyway, I couldn't let any more time go by without sharing this fun find with you!

Happy exploring!

Holiday Decorating - Christmas table centerpiece

It's official! The boxes have been brought into the house and ornaments unpacked.  That's when I discovered how dreadfully old and tacky some of my decorations are.  Yikes!  What was I thinking?  I bought most of them when I had my first place right out of college.  I didn't have much money so they did the job.  I was also the only one making the decisions on which ornaments to pick and what look I was going for.  Much has changed since then and now Mr. D has ideas and opinions to add to the mix.  Since we have been together our colour scheme has evolved to include apple green.  I would never have picked that colour myself but I wanted to make sure to honor Mr. D's request so apple green it was.

The time I have for decorating and all of that fun stuff is pretty limited and things just work best during little D's nap time or bedtime.  I started by shopping in my closet picking any container that might hold ornaments or other decorative items.  Here's what I came up with.

Before 

These are the supplies I gathered.  I'm sure I won't use all of them but it's helpful to try different pieces as I go.  The majority of glass containers are the same height so I'll show you a little trick I learned to help add some dimension.

I found little bowls in my cupboard that I turned upside down, covered with white fabric (fabric napkins) and placed the glass containers on top which added dimension to the height.

This year I chose to keep the colour scheme pretty tight so I picked my apple green and silver ornaments.  I tried to add interest by picking different sized ornaments but that was only in the silver coloured ones.  I think I'll work on adding to the apple green collection with some patterned ornaments and also trying to find different sizes.  

I tried to make sure that I did not put containers next to each other that were the same height so the bowls under the napkins came in really handy.  I also tried to make sure I put the green ornaments in spots throughout the arrangement.  That helps the eye to move all around the arrangement without getting stuck in one place.  I also tried to remember to use odd numbers and ended up using three candles, three containers with green ornaments and three containers with silver ornaments.  I would like to add some fake snow to some of the containers but I think I got rid of what I had so I'll need to pick some up.  Until then have some fun shopping in your own closet and decorating your own tables.  

Happy closet shopping!

Closet Shopping - Christmas Decorating

Shopping.  Who doesn't love it?  The anticipation, great sales, finding that perfect item.  I do have some friends who prefer to spend as little time shopping as humanly possible but that's NOT me.  I really enjoy the hunt most of all I think.  Finding that perfect item is a great accomplishment and then to find it on sale or to get a great deal makes the experience over the top.  Looking at the before picture of my living room gave me an idea.  Christmas is fast approaching so any extra funds are going to Christmas gifts and food for various celebrations so I don't have any green stuff to put towards sprucing up my buffet.  But, that's OK because I quickly heard my sister's voice ringing in my ear saying "I love to shop but I love LOVE to shop in my own closet more!"  That gave me an idea.  I am going to go shopping in my closets and see what I can come up with to add a little sparkle and Christmas cheer to that corner of the house.

Things I'm looking for:  glass containers of various heights and sizes, unused ornaments, fake snow, little white lights, lamps and anything else that strikes my fancy (I think I've got a feather boa wreath hanging around somewhere).  

One more thing ... there's no right or wrong way to put things together.  All that matters is that it's pleasing to your eye!  Here's something I came across that inspired me to try a little closet shopping of my own.


currently watching - The Holiday

Before - gathering supplies



After: I couldn't find my fake snow.  I think there is a box of Christmas decorations MIA so I'll have to look and see what I can find.  Also, I think my display needs a little filler but this is all I have so it'll have to work for this year.  I'm going to keep my eyes open for some great looking greenery after Christmas and see if I can get a great deal.  All in all, I love love the effect the decorations have in bringing some sparkle to that little corner.