TDC Top Ten!

Well, here it is folks. The end of another year. I can hardly even believe it. It went by in a blink, didn’t it? I for one am really looking forward to 2010! :) So here is the list, in all it’s glory. This was my first full year of blogging, so I had more to pick from compared to last year’s list. I was going to go in order of comments, lowest to highest, but I’m running out of time today. I

Tell Me I'm Not Alone

Please tell me that I'm not the only one who plans to mail out Christmas cards and then runs out of time. The sad fact is that this has happened for the last two or three years. Did you know that some people take you off their Christmas card mailing list if they haven't heard from you in a while? I realize that many of you keep in touch with old friends using the internet but, to me, emails just can't replace the thrill of receiving a card in the mail from a loved one. This year I intended to mail my Christmas cards early but, with our son's accident and other life events, once again I ran out of time. Yet I was still determined to let old friends know that they're in our thoughts. I decided to mail New Year's cards. There is just one problem. There are no New Year's cards to be found! Hallmark really should consider making a line of cards for procrastinators like me.
I refused to let this stop me. I sketched out the numbers 2010 and cut only the outer edges for my card template. Then I traced and cut the design onto cardstock that was folded in half. Next I printed a little sentiment and glued it inside. Now our friends will know that we still care, even if our thoughts are a bit belated.

Before it gets too late,
I want to wish you, my blog friends,
a wonderful 2010!
May the New Year Bring You Happiness,
Peace, Laughter,
and the Best of Memories.

You Never Know Until You Try

Very few things stay the same in my home. Even if I love the way something looks, I find it exciting to challenge myself to make a few changes, if only to see if I'll love it even more.
After all, you never know until you try right?
This little shelf we built, that hangs above the potty, has looked like this for some time. And these pretty bottles sat in the bathroom window far too long. So I combined them and added a few more bottles from around the house.

Now the little bathroom shelf looks like this. A fresh, new change
for the new year.

Craftalicious

One of my sweet bloggy friends, who has a little old blog called The Lettered Cottage (maybe you’ve heard of her? Hmmm?), asked me today to share a few thrifty tips. I was happy to oblige, and as I was looking through old posts for ideas, I was feeling a little nostalgic about some of the cauuute projects I’ve worked on this year. I will do another recap of the year like I did last December (

Did You See It?

Did you see glimpses of it in my Christmas photos? We've made a few changes in our family room.

Remember my post about The Beast? You were all so kind to remind me that

comfort isn't always about
good looks.

I was even beginning to accept The Beast, perhaps even embrace it. And then one day it happened! Son #2 plopped on the couch (as boys/men tend to do) and we heard an odd sound. The sound, combined with the sight of him sitting a bit lower in the couch, was the tell-tale sign that
it was time to release The Beast.
Yes, it was clear that it was time to replace our couch.
I began my search in thrift stores and the on-line classifieds.
But I discovered that I couldn't find anything that I loved more
and was a better price than The Beauty. We love our "new" couch!
It's smaller scale is a much better fit
and the colors truly compliment the room. Yes, I'm worried that my men will eventually destroy The Beauty.
But it will be worn out in serving my family---
what better way to be worn out, right? After all, my

home is meant to house
loved ones and good memories,
not showroom furniture.

With the addition of thrifted down-filled pillows
and a throw (to cover a small hole),
The Beauty is so comfy! And now I love my family room again, flaws and all.

Packing up Christmas

My second favorite time of the year is fast approaching Squeezies!! I’m so excited cause I get to harass you again soon about THROWING OUT YOUR CRAP!! Hooty hoo!! If you just found this blog over the past few months, you probably don’t know my issues love of organizing and decluttering. I give myself a pass during the holidays. I have to admit, I’m starting to twitch ever so slightly over the

Great expectations

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! It feels like ages since I’ve done a post! I haven’t even been on the computer once since my sicky post Wednesday night. (Thank you all so much by the way!!) It was kind of nice to not be online. But I’m soooo ready to get back!If you are anything like me, you have grand expectations for certain holidays. My biggie used to be New Years Eve. When I was

Merry Christmas

Here is wishing you all a Merry Christmas...

My tree stood with pride..

Santa got us a few gifts...


Last minute shopping.... with Anu's help... stars made my house look all Christmasy...


My girls crib (more like a farm house).... was complete with the red star..

The kings came early this year...

My new idea for the dining table....

A few candles... a few sparkles... a few crinkles...

a mirror underneath...

and it looked amazing..

A better pic for you to see... What do you think?

Mirror from my earlier post... all dressed up for the day...

Everything together.... looked like this...

Now tell me.... what do you think of my dining table dekor??

Hope my angels.... bring cheer in your lives...

Wish you love, laughter, peace & gratitude

This is my last post for the year....

So... here is wishing you

a Merry Christmas

&

a fabulous year ahead...

See you in 2010!

Happy Holidays

BHG

Wishing you a wonderful holiday and a happy and healthy 2010! Thank you for reading my petite blog. It has been fun and I hope to keep inspiring you so that you can have a home that makes you happy!

Merry Christmas to me!

Uhhhh, NOT. As soon as we pulled out onto the highway to go to our Christmas with my family this evening, the Bub got sick. Three times. I guess I should be grateful it’s the first time that’s happened in more than three years. :) We turned around immediately, got him in the tub and I was feeling more and more iffy with each passing minute. I had felt a little off all afternoon, but at

Reminders of Christmas

Here's a few more

reminders of Christmas
from our home to yours.
The real reminder
that we keep all year.
Wishing you a
Very Merry Christmas!

2 days to Christmas

Everything seems to be sparkling...


But there are no gifts under my tree... (I guess Santa comes only at midnight)...

The girls decorated the tree this year..... so everything red, gold & white is on the tree... randomly... no thought given to the lights or the decor... but looks (rather crowded)... but great!!

A few more decorations will go up today... And the star ofcourse... So promise to post more (better ;-) as well) pics... later...

Wishing you all.... Happy Holidays...

Choo choo tree!

  The very first tree we put up this year was a new one in the Bub’s playroom. The tree itself is old, it’s the one we used to use in the family room. I’ve always wanted a tree just for him, and last year I ended up getting a little three foot tree at a Deals store. It was a total SCORE because it was the only one left and it happened to be the display. I got the whole tree, with about $15 of

Thrifty Decor

You know me well enough to know that some of my "new" Christmas decorations were purchased at the thrift store. Let's play a little show and tell.
See these gigantic faux poinsettia plants? Gorgeous, aren't they? Yep, I found them at the thrift store. They originally came from a very nice boutique. The $99.99 price tag was still on them. I was so excited when I found them and I didn't even have to race to grab them! Why? Because I purchased them in the summer, when few people have Christmas decorations on their mind. I always keep an eye out for holiday decorations, no matter the time of year. A perfect time to stock up on decorations from the thrift store is right after any holiday because people give things away that they don't want to store.
I found this big, beautiful glass vessel a few months ago. It's very similar to ones you would find in the PB catalog. I love it and I didn't want to hide it away when I brought out my decorations. I figured since it was a Christmas color I could make it work. So I added a little tree charm, paired it with a mercury glass finial, and the combination makes me smile. It really doesn't take much to turn something ordinary into a decoration; usually just the addition of a little ribbon trim or a shiny bauble can brighten the ordinary into Christmas extraordinary.
One of my favorite thrift store discoveries this year is this deer. I think that he may be made with real leather, at least he looks like it. I added the wreath to his neck so that he would look like one of Santa's reindeer. I found him in the toy aisle of the thrift store, which is a reminder to look in the unexpected places when you shop. Often times great things can be found in the oddest of places in the thrift store, so it's wise to keep your eyes open.
I added a little thrift store garland to the mix and I have a fancy boutique display for an unbelievably low price.

That's the beauty of thrift store shopping!

It's a Wrap!

By now, hopefully your Christmas shopping is done and all you have to do is wrap. (Unfortunately, I will be doing some last minute shopping tomorrow.) Here are some fun and beautiful ways to present your gifts.


Love these colourful and graphic papers.


Lots of inspiration here. Wallpaper, road maps
and crafting your own using plain white paper
and rubber stamps. Or you could use carved
potatoes dipped in paint like we did as kids!

Isn't this lime green and fuchsia combination yummy?

Very eco friendly - using fabric scraps.

Have your kids create their own or use old calendar paper.

(1,3 - Style at Home; 2 - Chatelaine; 4, 5 - Martha Stewart)