time for change

we (and i mean i) switched the living room around a bit last week.
i used to switch around my furniture all the time in our last homes, but there just aren't as many possibilities here.
my obstacles: the front door, the fireplace, and the entry to the playroom.
this layout fixed most of my problems, but i still have the back of the couch right at the entryway, which i really don't like.
but for now, i like the change, and it as a good distraction for me.
as i'm sure i've said before, when i am really busy, i tend to pile extra things on my plate.
totally unnecessary things, like cleaning my closet, organizing drawers, cleaning/organizing our cupboards.
oh, and rearranging my furniture.

-lindsey

thankful

i am thankful for having these strewn across the floor to stumble on in the middle of the night as i blindly make my way to a little someone needing "nuggles" from mommy.

what are you thankful for?

-linds

a thankful giveaway

i am so thankful to you guys for supporting me, my family, and my business!

what better way to say thanks than with a gift?!
i'm going to give one lucky reader their choice of christmas posy pin sets, just in time for christmas!

these pins are a great alternative to that sequined christmas tree sweater (you know you have one!) and the wooden necklaces with little christmas trees on them.
these say, "merry christmas!", whereas the sweater said,
"MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!"
how cute would one (or 3!) of these pins look on a simple cream sweater?
or on top of a little gift for a friend?
tucked into a scarf?
or on a beanie even?
so cute, i tell ya!

so how do you win?
tell me your best christmas present EVER!
that's it!
i'll choose a winner just after thanksgiving.

-lindsey

posy headbands

in the shop!

-lindsey

our first place

as i was searching through old pictures for who-knows-what,
i stumbled on these pictures.
this was the first house sean and i bought together.

it was a sweet little duplex just a block and a half from the beach.
i was pregnant with gracie in this house.
i used to walk down the street almost daily and take a nap in the sun on the beach (my theory: tan fat looks better than white fat).

so many memories rush back to me.
this place had been mildly cleaned up on the inside by the previous owners/flippers, but the outside was horrendous.

all you saw when you drove up were the garage doors.
the rest was a jungle mess.
an enormous yucca tree on what seemed to be a mountain.
a chain link fence, entangled with bougainvillea, which my husband now refers to as satan's plant (it's very thorny).
mini palm trees along the walkway that had branches sticking out at eye level.
i kicked those things down before i even first walked into the front door.
so this place was a lobor of love for us.
and i do mean labor.
inside we switched out all the fixtures and completely remodeled the bathrooms.
we repainted, refloored, reroofed, added all new windows and doors.
but outside was such a huge transformation.
it went from the scary place on the street to this.

both our dads helped install the privacy fence along the property line.
we built the swagging fence together.
every. single. picket.

we planted those stinking iceberg roses, which never did well while we lived there, but are taller than the fence now!

the planters on the side of the walkway was filled with hydrangeas, which were kind of smothered in the baby's tear that grew all too well.
the birdbath was from one of our many trips to mexico.
ah, those trips to mexico!
sean traded work for a lady that owned a home in a gated community down there, so we had a great free place to stay a few times a year.

we lived in one unit and fixed it up, and rented out the other unit.
then we moved into the other unit and fixed it up.
come to think of it, most of out marriage we've lived in a house that was under construction!

i know it sounds crazy, but i miss it.
i miss it because we probably won't ever do it again.
we could do it because it was just us.
we didn't have kids yet.
we didn't have to take the saw out of the living room or pick up the nails.
we took showers in a plastic lined shower because we didn't finish the tiles yet.
we hosted a christmas party we had no business hosting in such a teeny place.
it was a different time of life, where responsibility then, and responsibility now and 2 very different things.

ok, sorry for getting all nostalgic on you.
thanks for listening ;)

-lindsey

master bedroom redo, part 4

for part 1 of this series, click here.

for part 2 of this series, click here.
for part 3 of this series, click here.

ok, i need to make a decision!

option a

option b

so what do i do?
i ask the opinion of my closest peeps: mom, joy, and nicole.
they know me the best - my tendencies, my design history, my general likes and dislikes.

so you know, the goldish one is stepping waaaay out of my comfort zone.
i like simple, clean in general.
i like white.

so what did they all say about the 2 beddings?
choose the gold one!
so i go for it!

i take it on and off my bed for a week, just living with it.
i can't decide!
i know it's stepping out of my comfort zone, which can be a really good thing.
and it's pretty.

i added this pillow, just wrapped it in fabric to get some ideas.

but...
after a week or so, i just...
i just didn't love it.
and the whole reason i'm doing this is to find something i love.
now, i know i could just walk into anthro and find something that fits that requirement,
but that's not my reality.
i live in the real world.
not in the i-can-walk-into-anthro-and-buy-anything-i-want world.
i'd like to live there, but i don't.

one of the things i like the least about it is the pillow shams with the comforter.
it's too much.

so i figured i could just use white cases and remake the shams into euro shams.
that was better, but i still wasn't crazy about it.

my biggest problem with it is not so much the comforter itself, but everything else in the room that has to go with it.
and by "go with it" i don't mean match, but just look good in the same room.
with such a bold print i couldn't figure out what i'd do for the lampshades.
and i wanted to add a little something to the drapes, but it was starting to look too matchy matchy.
and the chair i bought needs to be recovered, but in what?
what print goes with that bedding without competing with it?

so i get out the white comforter.

and it's pretty.
the "kissing" pleats are just the right amount of texture, with the cute little buttons.

but it's white.
and really safe.
and not stepping out of my comfort zone at all.

and i cannot get the size right!
sounds silly, but i have a queen size bed, and this pic is with a queen size comforter.
look on the side - its too short.
as soon as you stick 2 (or 5) people in there, there would be no coverage on the edge.
i guess i'm picky about that stuff.

and here's the king size one i had to order online (free shipping).
it seems too long, but would be great to actually sleep with, i think.

i'm still unsettled.
if i were to do this one:


i could do some funky throw on the end, or even a quilt.
i'd funk up the curtains a bunch since the bedding is so safe.
and i'd also do some funky lampshades.
and on the chair i could choose any print i want since it wouldn't be competing with anything else.
i'd definitely do something better to the euro shams.
nicole wants me to replace some of the pics in the window above my bed with fabric, so that's a maybe.

but then again...


this one is pretty, too!
darn decision making.

-lindsey

boutique prep

i've got a boutique tonight!

i love the anticipation of boutiques and shows, the excitement of debuting new products and designs, the hustle of pulling it all together.

bad news: the shop will be closed this afternoon until sometime tomorrow.

good news: when i re-open, the shop will be fully stocked with tonight's leftovers.

i have waaaay more products than i'll need for tonight, but i still am feeling the need to squeak out a couple aprons and more posy headbands. gotta get the kids down for naps and get back at it!

****edited to add: just for clarification - this boutique was not the one i'm hosting in my home! so we're still on for the 3rd!****

-linds