Simplicity - A Guest Post by Kasey of Lola B's~

For those of you who have never met my dear friend Kasey, you are in for a treat. She is amazingly stylish with a FABULOUS home. And if you don't know already, you will soon find out that she has a hilarious tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. In fact, since I am not funny at all, you may read this post, visit her blog, and never come back. Please come back. Please.

Hello there. I'm the one in the picture above ....you might know me...you might not....

i am a married mother of three kids...

though sometimes i think they aren't really mine..or better yet...

i will pretend that they are not mine...and wait for someone to raise their hand to claim my

children...

but that's never happened...

so here we are....

and i still have three children. Don't get me wrong though...i desperately love my

wee one's..

but a girl's got to admit...

life in my house is not full of cherries...

you end up with a lot of pits sitting around.

hold on....

wait a minute...

i don't even think i introduced myself properly...

and here i am...

totally opening up my can of worms to you...

and you might not even know who i am.

My name is Allison and i live outside of chicago...

grrr....

you got me....my name isn't really Allison...

it's Kasey.....but the truth is...

my parents almost named me allison...

so i have every right to use that name...

sheesh....

once again i am so off track....

but that's me..

and wendy kindly asked me to pop over here and

do a little guest post.

I hope she approves...

otherwise...

well....

i know the first names of her children...and they are definitely

not called #1, #2, #3, and #4 in her house.




The first thing i thought when wendy asked me to be a guest on her lovely blog..is what the heck am i going to chat about...

because wendy is the all knowing..

the all creative...

and she knows how to sew....

with a needle and thread...

yup...

not me...

i don't have an ounce of creativity in me..

let alone...

do i know how to thread a needle..

but..what i can do, is style my home.

that i know.






So, with the holidays right around the corner...i just thought i would share with you some really simple...

ways to freshen up a room with a minimalistic look.

One thing you won't find in my home are the ever popular

red and greens.

nope.

not here.

I love grey...i love cream...

and i love simple.





I also love the idea of simple ways to give a gift....especially if you are like me..

and on a total budget this season.

no wrapping paper in sight.

Use a simple brown kraft box....some twine...and a hand stamped tag to pull it all together.

I actually got these tags from Etsy....and you can find them {here }.






Right now i'm really into a clean natural look in my home....and a good way to bring

the word natural in...is by really bringing it in.

yes....

what you see is a branch....

and i am using it as a curtain rod...

and it hangs on some crown hooks.

You don't have to worry...

i did let my kids play with the stick first...

and once i made sure there were no

bugs or foreign creepy crawly things on it..

i brought it in and

voila...

a totally free curtain rod....

ahem

it made up for the price i paid for the french curtain.










And here is the twine again....

i used it to tie the curtain back....

so easy and once again...

a bargain.

which is my middle name in case you were wondering....

but don't get it confused with

the town in the south of france called

bargein.








It's been a pleasure chatting with you...and letting you see just a few things i've done.




xo




So didn't I tell you she has fabulous style? Thanks for stopping by today, Kasey!!

Coming up this week: A glittery Christmas project

A Christmas family tree

Have a great day~

Full of thanks

This post was supposed to be written last week, in preparation for Thanksgiving, but life throws you curve balls that interfere with plans. And that was precisely the point I was going to make. It's how we deal with those curve balls that matter.

I'm one of those -- an optimist, through and through. :) I can't help it. I think it stems from my teen years, which I've mentioned a bit on this blog. I had enough sad days then, and since then I just can't stand to be sad or depressed. It makes me physically uncomfortable, I hate it so much.

That's not to say I don't deal with the bad things in life -- I do. I realized a long time ago, when things are at the lowest, doing something, anything helps -- it gives you power and control back. So when things go bad, my control is to look at the good.

I was going to write about some trivial things in this post last week. Things like when the sitter cancels on your night out with friends or the hubby, and seeing that as a good turn of events -- looking at it as a chance to spend unexpected time with your children. And how many, many people in this world would do anything to have children to spend time with.

Or when the car breaks down and you can't get where you wanted to go -- I rationalize things like that by thinking it was probably best I didn't go. Would you call that fate? I just feel when something like that happens, I wasn't supposed to be in that car, at that time, on that road. I think there's a higher power at work and we often forget that, especially at the annoying times.

I was also going to talk about the more serious circumstances, like when I fell down half a flight of cement stairs a couple weeks ago -- holding my son. It was probably the scariest moment of my life. He hit his head, and I could barely walk afterwards. Within seconds he seemed fine, and after a trip to the ER, we found out he was indeed OK and my ankle (that was triple it's normal size) was only badly sprained.

I felt sorry for myself for about two seconds, and then I was overcome with thankfulness that it was just me that was hurt -- and it was just an ankle. How incredibly fortunate that my son was not hurt worse. The what ifs ran through my head and they were not good. So as I've hobbled around for the past two weeks, I've been reminding myself how thankful I am that that's all it was. I can handle with a sprained ankle any day of the week.

This is the way I deal, and it works for me. But my optimism was tested last week. We got news that my father-in-law was diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer. I simply cannot put into words how I feel. I won't even try. For the first few hours after we found out, I could barely breath. It was like someone was sitting on my chest. Then, there were the tears, and tears. And tears. My heart is breaking for my husband. It's breaking for my stepdaughter, my sister-in-law, my nephews, for me. For my son.

And now, this bad, horrible news, has yet again taught me to see the good. It was confirmed today that his doctors think he has at least six months with us -- maybe even a year. My heart is heavy. I want to cry again and again. But I also can't help to think how fortunate are we to be able to spend this time with him over the next year. To do special things, take pictures, to create new memories.

For our son to get to know his Grandpa even better.

Every year my father-in-law cooks an authentic Mexican fiesta meal for us and our friends, usually in the fall. He obviously hasn't been feeling great, so we skipped it this year. But now, we're going to have the fiesta the week before Christmas. We will gather around him to cook our Mexican feast with him, and it will be something I'm sure none of us will ever forget. (And yes, it is as good as it sounds!)

I just can't focus on the bad. It's against my nature. I have to look to the good, and there will be much good that will come over the next year. I am sure of that.

If I can, I am asking a favor of all of you. I would really appreciate your prayers. For my father-in-law, that he feels as good as possible for as long as possible. And for my husband and his sister, that they feel comfort and peace right now. I really, really appreciate it. I am so thankful for all of you.

** I am reposting this in Live Writer since Blogger wasn’t picking it up for some reason. I apologize for the two posts!

Full of thanks

This post was supposed to be written last week, in preparation for Thanksgiving, but life throws you curve balls that interfere with plans. And that was precisely the point I was going to make. It's how we deal with those curve balls that matter.

I'm one of those -- an optimist, through and through. :) I can't help it. I think it stems from my teen years, which I've mentioned a bit on this blog. I had enough sad days then, and since then I just can't stand to be sad or depressed. It makes me physically uncomfortable, I hate it so much.

That's not to say I don't deal with the bad things in life -- I do. I realized a long time ago, when things are at the lowest, doing something, anything helps -- it gives you power and control back. So when things go bad, my control is to look at the good.

I was going to write about some trivial things in this post last week. Things like when the sitter cancels on your night out with friends or the hubby, and seeing that as a good turn of events -- looking at it as a chance to spend unexpected time with your children. And how many, many people in this world would do anything to have children to spend time with.

Or when the car breaks down and you can't get where you wanted to go -- I rationalize things like that by thinking it was probably best I didn't go. Would you call that fate? I just feel when something like that happens, I wasn't supposed to be in that car, at that time, on that road. I think there's a higher power at work and we often forget that, especially at the annoying times.

I was also going to talk about the more serious circumstances, like when I fell down half a flight of cement stairs a couple weeks ago -- holding my son. It was probably the scariest moment of my life. He hit his head, and I could barely walk afterwards. Within seconds he seemed fine, and after a trip to the ER, we found out he was indeed OK and my ankle (that was triple it's normal size) was only badly sprained.

I felt sorry for myself for about two seconds, and then I was overcome with thankfulness that it was just me that was hurt -- and it was just an ankle. How incredibly fortunate that my son was not hurt worse. The what ifs ran through my head and they were not good. So as I've hobbled around for the past two weeks, I've been reminding myself how thankful I am that that's all it was. I can handle with a sprained ankle any day of the week.

This is the way I deal, and it works for me. But my optimism was tested last week. We got news that my father-in-law was diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer. I simply cannot put this into words how I feel. I won't even try. For the first few hours after we found out, I could barely breath. It was like someone was sitting on my chest. Then, there were the tears, and tears. And tears. My heart is breaking for my husband. It's breaking for my stepdaughter, my sister-in-law, my nephews, for me. For my son.

And now, this bad, horrible news, has yet again taught me to see the good. It was confirmed today that his doctors think he has at least six months with us -- maybe even a year. My heart is heavy. I want to cry again and again. But I also can't help to think how fortunate are we to be able to spend this time with him over the next year. To do special things, take pictures, to create new memories.

For our son to get to know his Grandpa even better.

Every year my father-in-law cooks an authentic Mexican fiesta meal for us and our friends, usually in the fall. He obviously hasn't been feeling great, so we skipped it this year. But now, we're going to have the fiesta the week before Christmas. We will gather around him to cook our Mexican feast with him, and it will be something I'm sure none of us will ever forget. (And yes, it is as good as it sounds!)

I just can't focus on the bad. It's against my nature. I have to look to the good, and there will be much good that will come over the next year. I am sure of that.

If I can, I am asking a favor of all of you. I would really appreciate your prayers. For my father-in-law, that he feels as good as possible for as long as possible. And for my husband and his sister, that they feel comfort and peace right now. I really, really appreciate it. I am so thankful for all of you.

"Happy Holidays"

"Happy Holidays"

After returning from Michael's on Black Friday, with this wonderful metallic paper, I added a little holiday cheer to the kitchen nook wall. Less than $2 and an hour of cutting and taping equals more easy decorating!

(Not the first time I've done this!)

Just a bit more decorating to go. The tree along with a tree skirt project and then I'm done. While I love the little touches of holiday decor throughout the house, I'm starting to get a little bored...wishing I was instead working on a redesign!! I'll be back to that soon!

One funky guest room/play room reveal

Now that my Christmas show is over, (more on that later, it was so fun!) photo shoots of the completed rooms are on the way! How about a guest bedroom/playroom today?

There's a 3rd bedroom upstairs that my son and his friends utilize. Not only is it a spare bedroom, it's also the perfect little getaway at the end of the hallway for all my son's treasures, fit for a young Hawaiian, princess or even Santa.

At the end of the hallway, you're met with a deep cranberry coloured wall, beckoning you inside.

And what a perfect backdrop for this 3d replica vintage sign happily greeting you at the door!

Covered and see through storage bins keep the toys clean and organized...

... in this floor to ceiling storage system. The unit was left in it's natural pine state for added lightness to the room. Galvanized storage holds Nintendo, dress up clothes and super heros. The unit itself diffuses the deep red feature wall, creating the perfect hit of color and interest for an otherwise neutral color scheme. All the storage bins wear felt stick on sliders to protect the genuine hardwood flooring.

On the wall opposite the storage area, is a twin bed, framed up with an old authentic convenience store sign I found in my own local town. For free. :) A random mix of  unmatched pillows (including a couple authentic sandbag covers) flank a wall, bringing out the colours of the room. Simply placing the pillows in a daybed format flips the bed into a sofa of sorts.

The wall beside the daybed holds a colorful mix of musical instruments, ready to toot or strum some happy tunes!

Every hook is different, adding to the eclectic fun.

What better way to display life's proudest moments by finding a couple feet of deep red wall just begging to get into the action!

A glazed empty frame adds just enough importance for this trophy.

Never underestimate the usefulness of a fancy curtain bracket for a mini shelf system.

A true spare bedroom/playroom just wouldn't be complete without a special nook for whom you choose to morph into for the day!

Staged for the Christmas open house, even snacks were abundant for hungry musicians at play.

The twin sized daybed was a thrift store find in very rough condition. A little reno work adding some board and batten treatment on one end and a simple coat of white paint for the base cleaned it up well. The incredibly deep drawers (entire width of bed!)  were coated with black for an interesting contrast.

While the signboard indeed sets the tone for the room, the collection of pillows and red wall actually came first!

Luckily, in the previous room where the sign lived, the faded orange letters were repainted in the same deep red wall tone, then glazed over with the taupe wall color. A nice big denim pillow tones down the reds and anchors the room with just enough varying interest.

The end result is a casual and fun space that holds a young visitor's attention for many hours!

_______________________

Paint colors - Cloverdale Paint, Canada

red - 43057

taupe - bamboo beach

Storage system and all bins - Ikea

Other decor items

- thrift store finds, sandbags from the hardware store, sign from local gas station bone yard, toys ranging from baby to current so all little visitors have something to play with. :)

~ This post is linked to ~

Thrifty Thursday #45

A Christmas mantel, au naturale

I’m so glad you all loved the mantel inspiration photos! I was so inspired by the natural looks and all the “fluff” – I think it worked for our mantel as well. I spent much of today messing around and having fun with it. I’m so pleased with the final result, I hope you love it too!

I started with natural looking pics of greenery from Big Lots – I used three at $3 each. I just laid one on each end of the mantel, one in the middle, flattening them out as much as possible:

Then, I took the magnolias and all of the glammy (word?) stuff out of the greenery I had used last year (see previous post), then just folded it in half, and it ended up being exactly the length I needed. I laid it right on top of the greenery above.

Because I really loved the look of the long pine needles, I used more garland from Big Lots, for $9, and cut it up into a bunch of pieces, just sticking it here and there in the greenery. Then I cut up some sparkly branches and stuffed them in too:

The BL garland had the huge pinecones in it, but I added a few more of my own as well.

I took my clearance WalMart lanterns from our deck and repurposed them to work on the mantel. I was so pleased with how it turned out…

I was still craving a little somethin’ though – some color! I just can’t do completely natural – it’s against my nature. ;) So I cut up some red beady stuff I had and stuffed it in here and there, and then hung my dollar store stars from each piece of ironwork:

I took some of the beady thingamabobs and sprinkled them on the pinecones in the lanterns:

 

Which was super easy to do, because the blasted things were flying off everywhere anyway. Argh.

The result? Lurve:

I found this little reindeer at HomeGoods and I seriously could not resist him. Adorable. He picks up the red touches in the mantel perfectly:

         

Hang in there – I took a crazy amount of pictures…

   

    

I used dollar store candleholders in the lanterns, and made them a bit taller by putting them on top of blocks of wood. I wanted to put faux snow in the lanterns, but they only open in the front, so it was next to impossible to get the snow in there. (Believe me, I tried.) So I just used my fluffy snow stuff instead:

Because the greenery is so full (sigh), I propped up the lanterns and the tree with books and boxes so they wouldn’t disappear. You can’t even see them when you look at the mantel:

Do you luuuuurve it? Huh? Do ya??

I hope so! I do. I had so much fun with this! One more mantel to go, and I hope to have that up this week. It’s MUCH simpler though. :)

The winner of Pampering Beki’s necklace giveaway is Melissa Howard from Melissa and Cas – please email me and I’ll get you in touch with Beki! I still haven’t heard from Kat at Measuring my life in love who was the winner of the vinyl giveaway – Kat, give me a holler! Enjoy ladies!

P.S. Did anyone watch the Behind the Magic Disney special on HGTV tonight? OMG – it was fantastic. (Popcorn as big as my head! Sixty-five foot trees people!) Check out a rerun if you get a chance! Spectacular!!