IKEA crush

Can't help it. I still love IKEA. My friend's husband describes it as a place where you buy a lot of crap you don't need, but I am still seduced. IKEA stuff that looks so cool in the store vignettes can also look instantly crappy when you get it home. I love how they push the design envelope though. I love the cheap & cheerfulness of it all, crap or not.

I also love home books. (can you see where this is going?). Big pictures of real rooms. Styled to show the personalities of the people who live there, not as designer show cases.

Last week at IKEA, I stumbled upon this book and it just jumped into the cart. The paper's thick, the illustrations rock and the rooms show just how real people (Swedish ones, of course) add just enough IKEA crap (and I say that with absolute love) to make it all work.

Busier than a One- Armed Paper Hanger

My husband knows the one sure way to kick me in to high gear is to invite guests over. Well, we have eight friends coming for a long weekend in just two weeks. Needless to say, I'm in overdrive.

Last week, I painted a dresser that has been in Jack's room with paint samples on it for over two years. I bought it in college from a used furniture store to furnish my bedroom junior year. It's not a thing of beauty, but it's nice and narrow and has served me well, especially through the apartment years.

Unfortunately, in my flurry, I missed the before shot, but trust me, it was tired. Also, still not sure of the hardware, but haven't found anything better. Even anthro's selection of pulls was paltry (and pricey). Still need 8 small ones though for the top drawers.

I"m also deep into a hall painting project. The ugly bulletin board came down, walls scrubbed and BM Dill Pickle has gone up. Now to frame all those pictures...

Oh, there's more. I've also cleaned the cottage, and scattered various new IKEA goods around. To be continued.

Making More of the Holidays by Making Less of Them

I like to think I'm getting a bit better about finding the balance in celebrating the holidays and overwhelming myself with plans to create "perfect" holidays, that everyone will forever remember fondly and appreciate long into their adulthoods.  I've learned it's easiest to decorate with natural things like pumpkins and leaves and acorns and supplement those with a few easy projects the kids make.  This year, we made some ghosts from muslin, white cotton, tulle, stuffing and acrylic paints.  Easy to put up, and easy to store. 

You can see a little painted pumpkin in the window. That was a pre-school painting of Max's that I laminated years ago.  You could go crazy with all the scary stuff at Party City (some of which is really disturbing) and my older boys would love it.  But, it's so much waste, and plastic and things to store.  I just have a hard time getting psyched about it. It's a balance between finding fun stuff the kids like and finding decor I can live with (and put-up, take-down and store in a reasonable time).  I also like things that live until Thanksgiving.  Like our leaf-wreath with a crow on it.  I just take down the crow after Halloween.

Poor Max was sick on Halloween.  I brought him to school for his party and then he was back home on the couch to nap again before trick-or-treating.  Here's the children's book:  The True Story of the Ghoul Who Missed Halloween.  He actually didn't miss it, but he certainly limped through.

Now on to Thanksgiving.  I'm hosting this year.  So much for balance.