good bye holidays. by orange

The husband thought that I would resist taking down the holiday decorations until Feb. 1st due to my love of all things Christmas.  This weekend, the de-christmas-fication of the Nicholson household begun.  All things Christmas holiday, except for the tree, are put away in the closet.  And the tree, well I blame that on not enough time (not sure if that is 100% accurate).  We missed the boy scout tree pick up...so we have to haul it to the dump.  And my in laws started the "you know you're a red neck when"...(your christmas tree is up...still.).  This week, or next weekend - I promise.

For Christmas I recieved a gift card from my in-laws to one of my favorite places - Pier 1.  So, with the holiday stockings down, the holiday pillows put away I thought it is the perfect time to put that gift card to good use.  Check out my findings...

pier 1 pillows that I've been eyeing for some time...on sale!

new piece to put above the fireplace

vase for the mantle - on sale as well!

some fun recycled magazine rubberband-like balls for the center of the dining table

not a new item...but from pier 1 as well, I "re-purposed" it to the fancy/living room area

the final look

retail therapy with a gift card really helped lift my un-holiday spirits

i see red and green. by orange

As my friends can attest to - I love the holidays.  I love holiday music, ugly sweater parties, holiday lights, christmas trees, gift giving and holiday decorations.  And this weekend is the weekend - where it all starts!!  I get to lug out my box of holiday cheer from our closet and start decorating the house.  Even more exciting - we might be investing in a real christmas tree this year.  With two dogs and one of them loving to chew just about anything, we've aired on the safe side in previous years with no tree.  We don't have an exact plan on how to keep the schnood away from the tree, but we plan on figuring it out this year.

 

Even though I already own two boxes full of holiday decorations I love to see what is out there in some of my favorite stores.  Compiled below are the items that caught my eye from Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Pier 1 Imports and Target. 

 

What is your favorite thing about getting ready for the holidays?

 

 

Pottery Barn:

• Twig Reindeer
• Advent Calendar
• Twig Star
• Outdoor Wreath
• Ornament Tree
• Cranberry Vase/Candle Filler
• Star Plates

Pier 1

• Cheer Pillow
• Ornament Stocking Holders
• Red Ornament Garland

Target

• Snowflake Hurricane/Candle Holder
• Berry Candle
• Striped Door Mat

week 1 - fat wallet, skinny closet. by orange

week 1. (the mission)

not as hard as I thought!

possibly because I still got to go shopping, for household items (which is just as fun!). I went to IKEA and was Shocked at all the good stuff they currently have. I think IKEA is a perfect place to visit ~ 2-3 times a year. that way, whenever you go (if you space those trips out) they have a whole new stock of things to look at. in addition to all the new items, I was thrilled at some of their sale items! I've also been spending a decent amount of time at the nearby Pier1. Here are my favorite purchases from these trips:

Andrup Rug - IKEA: $29.99!

9-Clip Window Wall Frame - Pier 1: $28! (we now finally have wedding pictures up in our house!)

the week did get a little rough when I visited the local West Seattle Summerfest. I came across two adorable booths - one with wall paper collages, another with darling jewelry. I guess technically I could buy one of the wall paper collages as it doesn't fit into the "don't go there" categories...but I did not indulge. The earrings that I was so enamored with were these little circle pendant earrings. They had a lime green background with a bright orange dove in the center of the cirle. Beautiful! And made by a local artist - even better. Of the two booths, one has a website, the other is on etsy. Check them out:

Rebekah J. Designs (earrings): http://www.rebekahjdesigns.com/

Lonjina K. Verdugo (collage artwork): http://www.lonjina.com/ or http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7042038

This was the piece of artwork I was pining after at the summerfest:

Circles 2

pillow talk. by orange

For my birthday I received a gift card to Pier 1 - how I love thee. When I recently posted about duvet covers I thought - man, I really want one. Now. Unfortunately my bank account did not agree or randomly grow more cash. How depressing. However, with the gift card, I thought: no duvet $$ - pillows are an answer! And more cash friendly! I'm excited to add some new color to the master bedroom, the couch downstairs, the list could go on. Here are my current pillow lusts (found at Crate & Barrel or Pier 1):