Our Home. My Canvas.
After the giant turkey platter and roasting pans and chalkboard chargers have been washed and stored away for another year … After the pumpkins have been cut and diced and sliced and mashed and baked into pies … and eaten. After the dryer vent pumpkins are stored away in the basement with the other seasonal decorations … and old bank statements … and … [Read more...]
When I come downstairs in the morning and my husband hasn’t turn on the Christmas tree lights, I know that's when he's over it …Today he's over it.I realize many of you might be as well … so please bear with me for one last holiday related post. I was holding out for the snow that never came before taking shots of my neighbor’s holiday homes. But my window of opportunity is quickly closing, so here goes …I’ll start with my next … [Read more...]
I’m the youngest of four, all born-and-bred in New Jersey … all in the very same red house my parents bought not long after marrying …… and in the Jersey metropolitan area did we all remain after high school and college and (for my sisters and brother) marriage and kids …… and then my parents sold that red house. And relocated full-time to the land down South where so many from up North retire to …… and it seemed that once those … [Read more...]
Welcome to our holiday home in the city … My next door neighbor's tree is a show stopper! I'm glad I get to glean a bit of the glory ... Outside we keep it pretty simple … greens with red bows. Though there was nothing simple about putting them up. At the end of the day I looked like a crazy woman with needles and twigs sticking out of my hair … … [Read more...]
… why are your branches leaning?Every year it seems like our Christmas tree tilts. Either our house is crooked … or Mike and the kids – who are in charge of picking out the tree -- just can’t see straight.Oh well, it doesn’t really matter. In the end it looks pretty. Even if this year it has an extra Dr. Seuss-esq curve at the top.We don’t do a different ‘theme tree’ each year. A theme that involves red bows and baby’s … [Read more...]
What woman's' heart doesn’t skip a beat at the sight of that Tiffany blue box wrapped with a simple white ribbon?Though she may be a tad disappointed to discover nothing more than fluff inside of this robin's egg blue box …Present pillows were inspired more than a decade ago by a Pottery Barn catalog. The present pillows weren’t for sale, just a prop. Which frustrated me to no end. So I decided to make some of my own. Back then, jewel … [Read more...]
I’ve been busy decorating which always includes lots of cleaning. This year it also included a bit of creative furniture rearrangement since my craigslist dresser and desk were still living in the family room. So today's blog project needed to be quick, cheap and easy … and it doesn’t get much cheaper or easier than this holiday picture card wreath …The inspiration came from a recent Target circular. Yeah, most people covet actual … [Read more...]
I was concerned that my plan to join in on the blogland holiday mantel link parties would be thwarted by the mere fact that I don't have a mantel. Hard to believe that our 100+ year old house was built in Chicago sans fireplace. I’m pretty sure it was either removed at some point – probably by the same braniac who thought outdoor paint on original woodwork was a good idea – or it’s hidden behind a wall somewhere.My options: start … [Read more...]
In an ideal world, I would host every holiday gathering …To me, it seemed like my childhood home was the place to be on Thanksgiving and Christmas and Easter and the Fourth of July … and every other holiday imaginable. My mother always made it look effortless. Seamless. A Pinch of This. A Punch of That. Seriously. She was never a slave to a recipe card. But today we’re in the real world of the quickly diminishing year of 2011. The world … [Read more...]
I was at it again this week. Hit the dollar store to pick up some holiday decorations …I’m driven by the overwhelming number of holiday-themed blog link parties coming up next month. For those who know me, I can’t say no to a good party.Problem is, I have a basement filled with bins and bins of holiday decorations. I don’t need more. Must. Stop. Shopping.What I need to do is stay far, far away from Home Goods and Target during the … [Read more...]
Hi there! My name is Linda and I’m a Jersey-born-and-bred Midwestern transplant who lives in Chicago with my husband and two children. We've lived in our home since 1995 and over the years our style has changed and evolved. I wouldn't call my home a work-in-progress -- more like a rework-in-progress as I refresh and remodel things around here ... one room at a time.
