Christmas Vacation

Christmas is in full effect at my house.

We put the tree up on Saturday, and I'm embarrassed to tell you the other holiday decorations have been up for a couple weeks.

It all started the weekend I got home from being in Iowa.

I bought a few Christmas things while antiquing and I thought, I'll just keep these out since it's almost time anyway.

Then my brain said to me, maybe I should put up my Santa's since it seems strange to only have a few decorations out.

And Santa's really don't look good without stockings around the fireplace...yada yada yada...vicious cycle...everything's up...Christmas in full effect.

Decorating the tree with the kids is really fun, sort of.

I'm a visual person, I like ornaments spaced just so, I like glass ornaments, I like kids not to touch them, I wish I had velvet roping so I could rope off my tree.

Alas, that's not realistic and kids like to help and it's part of making holiday memories, 

so Hubs tells me.

So I let them put up everything on their own and then I rearrange everything after they've gone to bed that night.

I figure that's their penance for making me put up their homemade preschool ornaments on the tree.

We also watched 'Christmas Vacation' which is a holiday tradition at our house.

Us and every American family.

I realized something while watching this last time.

If I hadn't married Hubs or had kids, I would be just like the yuppie stuck-up neighbor next door to the Griswold's.  

I'd be Margot, aka Elaine from Seinfeld.

I'd judge and watch in horror at the crazy antics of the family who lives next door.

Everything in my house would be white, and clean, and my freezer would never know things like chicken nuggets or frozen waffles.

My pillows would be perfectly karate chopped down the middle and my kitchen cabinets would look just like the ones in 'Sleeping with the Enemy'.

That would be...bad...really terrible.

{via}

Thank You, Mr. President

Love Wins

More must see T shirts here.

Emily Henderson's Curbly Family Makeover

There's nothing quite like 'before and after' pictures.

New paint and a new furniture layout is so transformative in a room,
beautifully done here by Emily Henderson.

This is the home of the Curbly family in Minnesota.

Family Room

 {images via}

Dining Room

Sunroom

Lucky Curbly's.

See more of Emily's pictures and source list here.

Milwaukee for a Weekend

Last month Hubs and I spent a weekend in Milwaukee.

We had a ball roaming the Third Ward and eating whenever we wanted,

which I know doesn't sound like a luxury but for me is since most days I eat when my kids are eating...which translates to never when I want.

We stumbled into an art gallery/antique store called Art Asia that was like falling down a rabbit hole of Asian awesomeness.

We also hit the Milwaukee Art Museum.

This weekend I'm heading to Des Moines to visit the amazing Kiki, whom I've mentioned here.

We shall see what shenanigans we come in to.

Fuck Your Noguchi Coffee Table

This blog is straight up funny.

It's a must see for anyone tired of overly styled or unrealistic designer vignettes.

And though I find myself susceptible to such stylings,
this shit still be funny.

 FRAME CLUSTER FRIDAY

Fuck your frame cluster and bench tableau with a cactus on top.

 Fuck your fireplace full of song lyrics.

Fuck your tiny succulent array that sits atop a series of book stacks.

 Fuck your fun fridge.

 Fuck your wall manifesto.

 Fuck your reclaimed wood wall.

 SUPER COMBO SUNDAY

Fuck your mantle antlers (mantlers), billy buttons, glass bottles, ornate fireplace screen, vintage circus poster, old trunk coffee table and your book stack with a globe on top.

 Fuck your bossy decal.

 Fuck your gym lockers.

 Fuck your life imperative screen print.

SUPER COMBO SUNDAY

Fuck your old cart, non-seasonal wreath, antique toy truck, objects in bell jars, wire sculpture, and your fireplace full of small logs of varying heights, some of which have candles on top.

Thank you for the knowledge Sketch 42.

See more of Fuck Your Noguchi Coffee Table here.

Kelly Wearstler Designs Cameron Diaz's NYC Apartment

I know. I know.

You've seen these photos over and over around the interwebs.

I can't stop myself.

The design of this pad is so unbelievable it makes my eyes bleed with want and desire.

{via Elle Decor}

There's nothing more to say 

other than Kelly Wearstler is a goddess.

Mantels 2

Many people find mantels difficult to style.

I think it's because a fireplace is usually a main focal point in a room.

The more I obsess over interiors the more I understand that balance is key when deciding how to arrange anything.

Good balance can make any room feel thoughtful and well designed.

{via}