Share your Holiday Home

ACK! I am so excited! It’s time to start thinking CHRISTMAS!!!

Yahoo!!

YES, I know…Thanksgiving comes first. I love Thanksgiving as much as the next person…but November 1st really signals the start of the holidays for me. So I get to dream, swoon and plan for them starting today. :)

I am THRILLED to share a fun event some of my beautiful bloggy friends and I have thrown together – I guess you could call it the “progressive dinner” of blogland?:

YIPPEE!!!

It’s a series of linky parties, all holiday-based, all FUN. :) We’ll kick it off with Layla from The Lettered Cottage on Tuesday the 30th for a mantel party. Then Rhoda from Southern Hospitality will host the vignette party on the 2nd. Kate from Centsational Girl will follow with a crafty shindig December 7th. And I’ll finish up with my annual Christmas Tree Party on the 9th.

I know. I know. FUN!! I’m busting at the thought of it. :)

So start thinking about what you may want to link up! You’ve got plenty of time to get ready. :)

Have a great Monday! I’ll be back late tonight with the November Before and After Party.

My Toy Room to Teen Room Transformation!

My children are entering the teen years now. As they grow and change the needs of our home have changed as well. One of the bedrooms over our garage had been a "toy room", filled with plastic Little Tikes Kitchens, Legos and Trains- a place for forts and building castles. My teenage daughter suggested that we re-decorate the "Toy Room" to be more Teen Friendly. I agreed and so (sadly for Mom) we have said to goodbye to Pokemon and American Girl Dolls.

Here is the room Before (actually we have two identical rooms above our garage, they are mirror images of each other and this photo is of other side). Like all decorating projects we had Goals, Restrictions and a Budget. The Goal was a room for for sleepovers, a place to do school projects where they could spread things out (and not be near their parents), and a place to hangout with friends and watch Movies and I-Chat! Our main Restriction was the doorway size. It is only 27 inches wide. And our Budget was $2500.

Here is the room after we ripped up the old carpet. Then we painted the trim BM White Dove and the walls BM Lighthouse Landing. Paint cost $4o. Paint, as always is an immediate improvement!

The kids were allowed to choose everything in the room and I treated them like clients on our shopping trip. We found this great, thick wool rug at HomeGoods for $600. (did I mention how much I love HomeGoods for rugs??) The kids liked the Pottery Barn feel and the blue and brown color scheme. While we were there the kids scouted some great pillows that matched and two small microfiber ottomans. All together we spent $800.

Meanwhile at home, my sister, who LOVES to organize, came over and sorted through all our arts and crafts supplies and organized everything in the old bins which used to hold plastic food and Matchbox cars. Now it is a perfect go to space for all the supplies we need for projects at school.

Thank you, Sandra! Cost - priceless!

We couldn't let go of the blocks, (well I couldn't) so they stayed put and we moved an old bookcase into the walk in closet for extra storage for paper and other supplies.

Dramatic drum roll.... Here is the Before.

And the After! We found this thin couch at Macy's and once we took the feet off it fit through our tiny doorway! The sectional microfiber couch was $1400 and the bar table and leather stools $199. at Overstock.com.

Inspirational artwork was $50 on clearance! Bookcase, side table, and TV we already had!

The total Teen Hangout Room Makeover cost was.....$2489!!

We still had money left over for a Movie and some snacks!! We found some wonderful bargains, stayed with in our budget and came out with a great room! The kids are thrilled and call it their "Hang Out Room" - I call it a success!!

'

Also a heartfelt thank you to the many, many kind readers who sent me get well wishes and prayers. I am truly blessed to have so many friends in blogland. I was beyond touched! xoxo

(all photos Willow Decor and not to be copied without permission)

Pumpkins and Spice...

What a busy Halloween!

For some reason I was taken over by some crazy drive to pull everything out of my Halloween bag of tricks like some kind of superwoman. Not sure where that came from or what I was "possessed" by!

This is what I took on as my way to celebrate:

1. Craft time with the girls in my family:

2. Caramel Apples: using Werther's Originals and Honey Crisp apples...yum!

3. White Chocolate Ghosts for Sophie's Halloween party: (it was supposed to be treat-free, but when her teacher told the class that, Sophie piped up that I already had all the ingredients and would be "disappointed" if I couldn't send them in. Lucky me!

4. Craft time with some of Sophie's friends (too busy to take many photos!):

We made little Halloween trees with paint and glitter!

Annual Pumpkin Carving Party:

We had my spicy chili, rolls, delicious chicken soup and apple crumble pie made by one friend, and this decadent chocolate cake made by another friend:

 And the annual stoop shot, posing with their pumpkins:

 And last but not least, Halloween itself!!

Busy, but happy...

Happy Halloween!!!

Pumpkins and Spice...

What a busy Halloween!

For some reason I was taken over by some crazy drive to pull everything out of my Halloween bag of tricks like some kind of superwoman. Not sure where that came from or what I was "possessed" by!

This is what I took on as my way to celebrate:

1. Craft time with the girls in my family:

2. Caramel Apples: using Werther's Originals and Honey Crisp apples...yum!

3. White Chocolate Ghosts for Sophie's Halloween party: (it was supposed to be treat-free, but when her teacher told the class that, Sophie piped up that I already had all the ingredients and would be "disappointed" if I couldn't send them in. Lucky me!

4. Craft time with some of Sophie's friends (too busy to take many photos!):

We made little Halloween trees with paint and glitter!

Annual Pumpkin Carving Party:

We had my spicy chili, rolls, delicious chicken soup and apple crumble pie made by one friend, and this decadent chocolate cake made by another friend:

 And the annual stoop shot, posing with their pumpkins:

 And last but not least, Halloween itself!!

Busy, but happy...

Happy Halloween!!!

Mode + inredning = sant

Bilder: Hemtex.se
Idag är det söndagsmys på hög nivå här hemma, stilla och rolig :) !!!

Vi har njutit av höstsolen och den kalla krispiga luften här på Jyllands östkust. Vid lunchtid låg jag och mannen i var sin solstol och fikade medan Ebba var inne och Esther sov. Det var en skön känsla av lugn, vuxentid och 30 min kändes som en hel evighet!

Härliga filtar som passar bra både inne och ute är dessa kabelstickade, ullplädar inspirerade helt från modevärlden. Pläden Ludvika kommer från Hemtex och kostar 399:-

Önskar er en fortsatt mysig söndag eftermiddag!

PS. Du har väl inte glömt att ställa tillbaka klockan?!

Kram Sofie

Sprayfärga glasflaskor ?

Såg ni 'Äntligen hemma' häromdagen med Karin Mannerståls kakfat. Hon byggde kakfat av gammalt loppisporslin genom att klistra prylarna ovanpå varandra och sen sprayade vita med speciell färg för glas. Hur fint som helst och en kul idé. Om man gillar den mer minimalistiska stilen kanske man kunde göra något liknande med flaskor. Har inte testat men det borde gå, jag har satt upp det på min pyssellista, nej skämtar, men blev lite sugen när jag såg den här bilden från Living Etc.

It wouldn't be that though to spray bottles like this. I would like to try it but haven't got the time. Its on my to do list for a day with more time. Take a look at the tv show 'Äntligen hemma' were they do something similar with flea market glass and plates. Image Living Etc.

Redan en klassiker

Bild: Urban Living
Att dekorera stora fönster är kanske inte den enklaste uppgiften...

Just dekoration av stora, höga och breda fönster kräver ting med omtanke. Det vanligaste felet jag ser när jag är ute är allt för stora OCH för många växter. Släpp in ljuset mina vänner.

Har du tröttnat och vill bryta ditt "växtmönster"?

Då är mitt hetaste förslag -en maffig kandelaber. En personlig favorit är Spin från Tom Dixon. 105 cm bred och 55 cm hög. En ny-gammal favorit som jag fått upp ögonen för igen. Hållbar design och redan en klassiker? JA, defenitivt!

Mer information och pris hittar du HÄR.

Bild: Tom Dixon

Autumn in Indiana

Hello there! Hope your Halloween weekend is going beautifully!

A couple of weeks ago, my Sis and I took a day off from the decluttering around here to take in some of the fall beauty around us. It was her last day before heading to her new job and my last day having her around all day. :( Sniff.

I do love being with her – I don’t just use her for manual labor. ;)

I’m so proud to be a born and raised Hoosier, and this time of year I am madly in love with Indiana. It’s quite beautiful. Most think we’re just flat fields – and we do have our fair share. But there’s more than corn in Indiana -- some really gorgeous parts too. :)

My Sis, the Bub and I started our day out by driving through one of our very favorite “drive by” spots – the Meridian Kessler area of Indy. We ooohed and ahhhed over the fantastic houses, and took some hi-I’m-not-crazy-just-obsessed-with-your-house pictures along the way:

We had to be fast and stealth-like so the owners wouldn’t call the cops on the crazy women taking photos. :)

Some were decked out for Halloween, and the Bub would alert us by screaming “STOP!! HALLOWEEN STUFF!!” at the top of his lungs and freak us out every. single. time.:

Some were just plain gorgeous with some simple mums:

 

Some didn’t need much of anything – they were gorgeous all on their own:

     The addresses have been blocked to protect those who live in the gorgeous houses :)…

    

Oh my. Grey siding, white trim, red door? LURVE.

Because it was such an amazing day, we decided to head over to what has quickly become one of my favorite spots in Indianapolis – Holliday Park:

It’s a fantastic park – complete with a nature center, beautiful architecture and gardens, tons of (HUGE) playgrounds and trails that take you through some gorgeous sights, down to the White River:

You can’t help but completely breathe it in. It reminds me of the camping trips we took almost every single weekend throughout the summer and fall growing up. The smell of wet leaves is seriously intoxicating.

No cell phones. No emails. Someday I’m going to take a fold up chair, hike down to the river to sit and just get lost in nothing.

What a great reminder to just STOP MOVING. Look around. Be quiet.

It was a perfect day, spent with two of my very favorite people.

It gets me so bad when I think about how much his Aunt loves him:

It makes my heart melt that our son is so loved by so many other people other than us. He is surrounded. :)

I had some fun with Picnik with this one:

That’s a framer for sure. :)

Hope you have a HAPPY and SAFE Halloween!!

The Before and After Party will go up Monday night!