My favorite new book!

The new 2011 IKEA catalog is available! You can check it out here - it's funny because a friend and I were saying last night we need to go to IKEA one of these days. And you can also order your own copy.

Here are some lovely items I shall be looking for in my next visit!


Aryd block candle holder - $9.99 - I LOVE LOVE LOVE these, they come in two sizes and could be used in a group as a centerpiece or to flank the ends of a mantel.

Lonsboda candle holder - $3.99 - Oh my goodness, this one comes in my favorite color and I am telling you three of these lovelies are coming home with me. They have a poured candle inside but when that burns off you can certainly re-use the holder for tealights.

Sondrum photo frame - $4.99 for 5x7 - While I have bought many IKEA frames, I have usually decorated them in some way because I find them to be very minimalistic - this little frame, however, changes all that. The frame itself has a beveled edge and there is also a sweet bead detailing, plus it has a mat. This is a great value and yes, several of these will be coming home with me!

Kivsta shade - $25 16x10 - A little pricier than the usual IKEA shade, but this color is just about perfect for our master bedroom. Must see them in person first, though!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Cheap decor

Once upon a time I had time to cross-stitch. Once upon a time I could cross-stitch without the fear or a sweet kitty or a beloved child impaling themselves on my needle. Once upon a time I had my finished cross-stitch framed and hung all around my house.

But now, it's time for my finished work to rest awhile and free up the pretty frames I used back then :D

Last week I went to my favorite paper goods store, Paper Source, and got a few pieces of gift wrap. Yes, gift wrap. This ain't your Hallmark store's gift wrap, that's for sure!

I love that this butterfly print is colorful, but muted. It's not loud and blaring, and hangs by my desk in the space we share with the boys and their toys.


This beauty, in its fancy gold tone frame, is now in my bathroom.


I also found this cooking utensil paper that matched my dining room/kitchen walls pretty well.


How much did I spend on these three new decorative items for my home? A grand total of $12. Of course, had I not had the frames it would have been a lot more, but I decided to reuse something I had, and for a few dollars, I was able to give a whole new look to three corners of my house. I'm very happy with the way they look!

Five dollars later . . .

I decided to pop into Goodwill because I'm looking for a good entryway bench that's less than $100. Didn't find one, but I came upon this beauty - here she is, all decked out with faux fruit on my dining room table. Uber tacky I know, but until I find what I want, what I really, really want (ha) fake mini-apples it is.

I've been looking for glass jars to brighten up the house, but they've all been more than I wanted to pay, so for kicks, let's see what something similar to My Precious would have cost elsewhere.

Crate and Barrel has a similar one for $39.99.

Pottery Barn has quite the selection and the one that is the closest size to mine is also $39.99

This one from Tarjay is a surprising $35 smackaroos. Really, Target? You pay minimum wage and give a putrid 10% employee discount (I should know, I worked there not that long ago!) and you're charging $35 for this?

Even if Target were selling their jars for half the price, I honestly feel I got a great deal. I don't think my little purchase would have been there a day later so I am very glad I decided to pop in today.

Here are a couple of more looks at my pretty one:


I love how much I can display in there!

Fleur de Lis is the flower for moi

Ballard Designs Towels

On the heels of the New Orleans Saints triumph at the SuperBowl, I figured it was a good time to share with you my passion for the design element known as the Fleur de Lis.

Anthropologie Dinnerware

Long held as the symbol of the French monarchy (and some others, but mostly it is representative of the French royals), the Fleur de Lis is a stylized representation of a lily flower, which is what the name means.

My decorating style is best described as "pared down with some ornamentation" - and I like my colors and elements to be strong. As a lover of all things history, I found the Fleur de Lis to fulfill my sensibilities - ornate to be sure, but not overdone, a few strong lines that make up a pleasing design that can be incorporated into many parts of the home.

Target Fleur de Lis wall art

Even before I consciously decided to begin collecting Fleur de Lis items - and no, I don't have a collection to speak of, this is the planning stage here - I had assembled throughout my house a few items that I liked, and it was only recently I realized they all had a Fleur de Lis motif.

Now that I purposely seek them out, I find these beautiful flowers everywhere, from wallpaper to jewelry, from dinnerware to towels. A charming element that transcends centuries - the Fleur de Lis is my favorite motif.

Why I love Tarjay!

I mean, really, any chick with a frugal cell in her body has to love Teh Tarjay. Today I was looking for some Lysol spray and happened upon these sweet frames on clearance. How much were they, you ask?
$1.24 and $2.48.

I also found a nice black frame with three 5x7 openings but for some reason the photo is not loading. ANYhoo, that one will join my husband's side of the office, along with all his other black frames. And it cost me $6.24. Not bad at all.