Fabric

Bought $150 worth of fabric the other day. EEK! That's a lot of cash for me. Hope I can get all these projects done before Delaney's out of diapers.

Not as in "I need to go buy some more diapers". As in potty trained.

Now that we got that straight, take a looksee. FUN!

The green boucle-looking fabric is going in the basement. Pillows. The color isn't coming across well in the photo. It's not minty, it's more chartreuse-like.

The stripe will go in the living room. Haven't even shown you that room yet. It will be accenting existing pillows. (Fabric is called Epic Tales in Spa by Waverly).

The black and white print is going to slipcover some ottomans in the basement. (Fabric is called Esmee by Waverly.)

The brown geometric is going to be curtains in our master bedroom. About time I got rid of the hankerchiefs. I'm also lovin' the Oriental vibe. (Fabric is Key Ring by 3 Park/Waverly).

Huh. I sure have been on a Waverly kick. Well, they do have pretty fabric.

Better get to work!

Genetic or Learned Disorder?

Mr. RBR jokingly (sort of) calls my mom and me Sanford and Son. You know, the sitcom about a junk dealer and his grown son?

My mom and I looooove junk--when I say junk I don't mean garbage. I mean cool old stuff. And we love decorating too. You could say... it's genetic. Mr. RBR would say it's a genetic disorder.

In fact my mom owns a store--actually two stores--with her sister. The stores are connected. One store is an antique mall. People rent out booths and sell their finds.

The other store--it's ALL my mom and aunt's finds.

There are stores that have fabulous vignettes, where they lay out for the customer exactly how an item can be used. My mom's store isn't like that. You have to DIG for your prize. ha! Don't believe me? Here's some pictures. It's literally stacked to the ceiling with fun, funky, cool, old... stuff.

Good thing this store is in a different city than I live in. I'd be in real trouble if I were closer. The antique mall side has cool stuff too. These two vignettes reminded me of some bloggers I follow.

Red, cozy, a little crafty... Thrifty Decor Chick!

Soft blues, metallics, a bust... Centsational Girl!

What do you think, am I nuts? ha!

Anyway, I do wonder if my mom and my love of all things decor is genetic. Afterall we look alike, sound alike, we enjoy doing many of the same things. We even dressed alike on accident this Thanksgiving. Seriously. Almost identical. EMBARRASSING.

The reason I wonder about this is because of MY family. You see, not all of my children are genetically related to me. And this Christmas one of my sons started holiday decorating with an enthusiasm that really touched my heart.

He made this wreath with his own hands, and then tried it in several locations before finally settling on the back door.

And then he came up with the idea all on his own to hang a single ornament on EVERY SINGLE DOORKNOB in the house.

And then he primped the tree just so. Going back again and again until the ornaments were just where he wanted them. Can you see his little heart bursting with pride over what he created?

Yeah. It's not Clayton, my biological son. It's Zack. Zack was adopted. And from somewhere (his biological parents? me?) my son is starting to find the inspiration to decorate. And he is loving it.

I am too.

Clipboard Change-A-Roo

Hello boring clipboards. Let me introduce you to one of my favorite design philosophies.

Interesting shape (ornate, simple, classic or familiar) + unexpected color = new fun accessory.

Was, a boring clipboard. Now, frames in the boys' room.

A little red spray paint was all I needed to give them some "wow". And to hang them sideways, I used Command strips.

Ah, who am I kidding. Is anyone looking at the clipboards? The boys are too dang cute.

I took these pictures of the boys this fall. We went apple picking at an orchard, and I brought along two children's chairs for a quick photo shoot. They turned out so cute, and I'm so proud of myself because this was my first "real" photo shoot of the boys.

Look at Zack the ham. And he's usually the QUIET one! ha!

Linking to some of these parties.

This project was featured on Simply Jenna, Under the Table and Dreaming and A Little Lovely.

No Matchy-matchy!

Part of what I love about decorating right now is that collected look. A piece from here, another from there. It's what gives a room personality.

Three years ago I was in process of adopting a son and was pregnant with another son, and I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to adopt from a daughter from Korea. I hadn't really even talked to my husband about it yet. Although I had an inkling he'd be open to it.

So there I was. Pregnant. Adopting. And at an auction I saw this baby quilt and I snapped it up.

I paid $35 for this Pottery Barn Kids quilt and matching bumper (there was also a random twin bed skirt thrown in the bag. Who knows why). The people I was with assumed it was for one of my sons. Nope. I was vague in my answer, but I really knew it'd be for my daughter.

And now she's on her way. We don't know when exactly (January?), but we know who she is, we have seen her picture, we know her birthday. It's just so amazing it gives me goosebumps.

Don't give in to those urges (like I did the first time around) to purchase a big "set" of stuff that all, well, matches. It's boring, isn't it? Every single thing with the same motif? Don't be afraid to get one thing from over here, another from over there. Half the stuff in the "set" you probably won't even use anyway and you'll probably save money. And don't be afraid to buy used. That's another big money saver. But don't forget to "shop what you got"! I used this comforter in my one of my son's rooms, on the blue side.

Flip that baby over, and it looks right at home in this girly room.

And how cool is it that my actual kids aren't matchy-matchy either. ha! A Guatemalan, a caucasian, and a Korean. That's why when I saw this artwork at a garage sale last summer I had to snap it up.

It may not "go" with the monster truck theme, but it's what being non matchy-matchy is all about!