ahhhh....

...wish I was here:

{photo courtesy of Coastal Living. gratefully stolen from A Life's Design}

blog hopping...

...over at The Girl Creative. Join me!

ottoman redo...

So, I didn't take any "between" photos, but here's the story, along with some before's and after's.

She was a $12 yard sale find - which I thought was a ridonckulous price to pay for anything at a yard sale. But I had been looking for a good ottoman, and this one had nice bones {I'm getting kinda tired of the "bones" expression...are you?} Floral chintz with ruffles. Very 80's, but nice. Good frame and casters with wheels:

Now...I made a slipcover for my little ottoman. And this is where I'm missing the "between" pic. It was a plain box-shaped slipcover that looked a lot like this:

It was my first attempt at sewing with piping, and I thought it was pretty cute. BUT! I didn't pre-wash the fabric. And since it was a white slipcover in a house with two messy kids, I had to wash it and it shrank. Like, shrank so much that I ALMOST couldn't get it back onto the ottoman. And it was just an inch or two too short. I couldn't stand it, so I cut the bottom of the slipcover off, bought some coordinating beige canvas fabric and slapped a ruffle on that ottoman! And I like it better than the "between!" Here it is now...

What do you think?

TTFN!

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tv console inspiration...

So, we were in the process of picking out a flat screen tv. I, not being the big tv watcher in the house, was fine with a smaller, less expensive model. While the mister wanted something bigger [read: pricier]. We had saved up a little money and I said this - "either we get the pricier tv, or we take an extravagant vacation for our upcoming 10th anniversary. I don't care either way...you decide." Guess which he picked?

Our old TV had been housed in a nice armoire with lots of storage and doors that could close it off from the world if necessary. Now, we have this giant thing hanging on the wall, and I can't figure out what to do with the rest of the decor. What I DO know is that we need some storage under that tv. I found lots of inspiration on the web and here's what I came up with...

{inspiration #1}

{inspiration #2 - pottery barn}

{inspiration #3}

{inspiration #4}

...and the winner is {from Sausha at Show and Tell}...

...and here's what I'm starting with:

[actual Craigslist listing photo - nice green paint, huh?]

live your life...

stolen gratefully from lavender and lillies

kids...

My kids are growing up so fast. There are so many things that I love about having older kids, but I do miss my babies. I just found out that it's time for my pre-schooler to be registered for kindergarten. I don't know why it came as such a shock, but it did. So I stole this poem from Restyled Home today, because I thought it fitting.

On Children

Kahlil Gibran

Your children are not your children

They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself

They come through you but not from you

And though they are with you yet they belong not to you

You may give them your love but not your thoughts

For they have their own thoughts

You may house their bodies but not their souls

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow

Which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite

And He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far

Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness

For even as He loves the arrow that flies

So He loves also the bow that is stable.

too much tragedy

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."

~ Mother Teresa