Small Successes

Dare I say that posting my small successes last week actually motivated me to be more productive in the days following the post?!


Regardless, I am going to pat myself on the back again today as I celebrate a few successes over the past week...


1.  Took down my Valentines Day decor and replaced it with a Spring table vignette that I am in love with!  It's so GREEN and it makes me happy!

2.  I organized something!  Ever since Noah was born, I've had the kids' pictures taken almost every 3 months at a local quickie photography place.  It's fairly inexpensive, which leads to me purchasing WAY TOO MANY photos!  

I put as many of these photographs into scrapbooks as I can, but I still have dozens that never seem to make their way out of the cardboard envelope!  So even after putting scrapbooks together and distributing pictures to family members, I STILL have pictures that I can't bear to throw in the trash (not sure why!).  And all of those unused pictures have been piling up in their cardboard envelopes making me nuts!  


My solution...

Ah!  I feel like I can breath a big sigh of relief!  The pictures are in their proper place.  I will know how old the kids are in each picture because they are filed according to age.  And when I take a picture out of a frame, I have a place for it to go!  

And I got to throw all of these in the trash!

3.  I took the kids to the zoo and had a delightful time.  Really delightful!  

{emily under the blanket at the gorilla exhibit!}

Willow House Wednesday: Weekly Deal Spotlight

I can't resist!


The weekly deals in my eOutlet are too good this week not to share!  So from time to time, when I really like a weekly deal, I will piggyback it to my Willow House Wednesday post. 


And today is one of those days!


Did you know that every room deserves to have a PoP of red?  It's true... even if you don't have any red in your decor, a PoP of red will stand out among any color scheme.  If you don't believe me, try it!  I'm almost certain you will love what a PoP of red will do!  


This small red olive jar has always been one of my favorite things... the perfect PoP of red for any room in your house.  It's so cute... you don't have to do a single thing to it!  It stands on its own... in a bookcase, on a mantel, against a  kitchen backsplash, on a side table, or even on a bathtub!

Here are a few places I've PoPPed this little beauty in my home....

{guest bath}

{kitchen desk area}

{bookcase}

And there have been others... mantel, side table, kitchen counter... I just don't have pictures, but I have three of these jars and they have moved all over the house!


Now, the best part...
It's on special for only $8.96 this week only in the eOutlet!  It's currently labeled "low stock" so hurry before they are gone!


And I can't stop with just that one, because there is another equally fabulous deal this week in this cute little guy...

This Estate Canister is very generous in size and perfect for holding all kinds of things in a kitchen, bathroom, office, dresser...

{bathroom - cotton/qtips}

{office - stamps/address labels}

It would also make a sweet end of the year teacher gift... filled up with some cute cookies and tied with a bow and a handwritten thank you note from your child.  

And for only $10.96, the possibilities are endless!


And just one more (I promise!)...


If you are in the mood for spring... you must get your hands on this gorgeous green Santorini Bowl!

It's on special this week for only $18.96 and that, my friends, is a STEAL!  It is, without a doubt, a great statement piece... especially for Spring!  Stand it upright in a bookcase or on a mantel, use it on your kitchen counter to hold fresh fruit, fill it with moss balls or other seasonal fillers for a lovely center (or off-center!) piece on any table, or...

Yes... I even use mine as a place to hold magazines on my ottoman!


One of my favorite Willow House designers (Miss Melanie Grant) once told me that decorating is really just about taking the things you use everyday and putting them in something that looks nice!  Case in point... magazines and remote controls in great looking containers!


And here is what the bowl looks like on it's own...

So if you want to get your hands on these bargains, click below to shop with me online.  Once in the store, click the eOutlet and then choose "Weekly Deals"... your lovelies will ship directly to you in a few days! 

Happy Wednesday!

Willow House Wednesday: An Off-Centerpiece

I was recently at a party where a guest was agonizing over whether or not she could purchase a large hurricane to use in the center of her dining room table.  She was concerned that when she filled the hurricane, it would be too tall... hitting her chandelier.  When I suggested that she not put her hurricane in the center of her table, but off-center, she looked at me as if I were crazy!


I think her reaction is one that is likely shared by many... the notion that all decor must reside in the center of a table.  They are called CENTERpieces, after all!  But today I'm going to suggest that you shake things up a bit and consider trying an Off-Centerpiece on one of your tables!  Not only do off-centerpieces allow you to use larger, taller items (because they don't interfere with hanging light fixtures), they also keep the view behind your table unobstructed.


I have opted to use an Off-Centerpiece in my Dining Room.  I liked the idea of using items of large scale on my table, but I didn't like the idea of those large items obstructing the view of my buffet and wall picture behind my table.  The solution:  an off-centerpiece!


In August, I brought the fabulous Lady Jane Bottleneck Vases to be the mainstay of my table vignette.  I love their color.  Love their size.  Love their glass.  Love that you don't need much to fill them.  Love that you can get great height with them.  Just plain love them!


My Off-Centerpiece looked like this:

(notice that you can see the WHOLE buffet/picture in the back - unobstructed}

{don't be afraid to add HEIGHT to your containers...
it will make your space look LARGER!}

And it has continued to change slightly through the seasons...

{i added the cute little drake firefly lanterns to my chandelier...
making the OFF-centerpiece even more desirable}

{a few pumpkins added for fall}

{greenery branches replaced the fall branches & wise men added for christmas}

And here is what it looks like today...

{i couldn't help myself... i broke out a few bunnies!}

{the branches in the large vase were changed to add some spring color}

{again, don't be afraid of HEIGHT... a few TALL branches makes a nice statement}

So don't limit yourself to small, low lying, traditional centerpieces.  Change it up a bit, add some height, and move your vignette to an OFF-CENTER position!  

Bonus Tip:  There are so many great "permanent" floral items you can use for glass containers and vases.  Just be sure to select your permanent's carefully.  Some look real.  Some definitely don't!  Pottery Barn has some suggestion for decorating with faux flowers here.  But for goodness sakes, I can't believe the prices PB charges for a single branch!  Hobby Lobby has equally real-looking permanents (in my opinion) AND you can always get them 50% off!  I tend to gravitate to the last aisle of florals in Hobby Lobby.  On the back side of the last aisle is where I find the best, most natural looking branches.   

Psst... my friend, Monica used the split pea tip from a previous WH Wednesday post!  She made herself a quick, simple and inexpensive candle arrangement and totally flattered me by showing it on her blog!  So for heaven's sake, if you use a tip, please let me know!  I'd love to showcase YOUR pictures here too!

Look Who's...

STANDING!

{little toes gripping the carpet to stand UP}

{never mind the fact that she is eating her brother's croc}

{because a back view is so cute}
{please ignore the rat's nest on the back of her head!}

{so proud of those chubby little legs}

{yea molly!}
{note to self:  keep molly's hair kept before taking pictures!}

Because it's Tutu Cute...

I had to share this video of Emily Kate giving her Daddy tap lessons!  It happened after dinner the other night and it shows her sassy, fancy, sweet personality.  Enjoy!

Small Successes

I am a typical Type A personality.

I always have a long list of "to do" items and my mind never stops.  

I overcommit.

I have high expectations of myself.

I am always busy.

When I check one item off of my "to do" list, two new items replace it.

Consequently, I never feel like I get very much accomplished and I never feel "caught up".  And that makes me feel a tad bit crazy!

So in the spirit of changing my perspective in 2011, vowing to be more positive, I've decided to start focusing on my small successes...  celebrating the things, tiny though they may be, that I actually do accomplish!

So after reading several other mom's share their small successes, I've decided to join in the blog party at Faith & Family and begin forcing myself to take credit for the things I accomplish in  my crazy, busy, never "caught up" life!

1.  I cleaned out my purse and removed approximately 2 pounds from its weight!  Really, if I am ever find myself in a position to play that "what's in your purse game", there is no one who can beat me!

2.  I finally got a monkey off my back that has been weighing me down for months!  I believe in writing thank you notes.  To everyone.  For everything.  It's something I have always taken very seriously.  But because of the aforementioned long "to do" lists and other chaos of my life, the "write Christmas thank you's" line item has remained an unchecked box on my to do list for many months.   I also believe that a late thank you note is better than no thank you note at all!  So this week, I wrote Christmas thank you notes and combined them with Valentine cards (which were also late!).  They are very late, but they are done and I can finally put a check mark in that box - alleluia!  

 3.  I opened the Willow House boxes in my garage, put away my display products, and organized my supplies in the garage.  I even pulled out the Shop Vac and vacuumed the yuck on the steps and around the shelving.  We now have a place to walk without tripping! And I found some fun new treasures hidden inside some of the boxes!

Bonus:  I marked all but 2 items off of this week's mini list!  

And I'm choosing to ignore the fact that this Blog Party actually takes place on Thursday's and I'm posting on Friday night... I will not mention my lack of success in getting my success post posted on time!  As I said, I've never caught up!


You can check out other mom's small successes at Faith & Family Live!  

Willow House Wednesday (Piggy Back)

I want to piggy back onto my previous Willow House Wednesday post today to let you know about a really great deal!  


I cleaned out my garage this afternoon and came across some unopened products.  One of them was a stainless steel skillet that I ordered from the outlet some time ago (my garage was such a disaster from Christmas, I had no clue what was in there!).  Anyway, I opened it up tonight and was incredibly impressed by the quality of this product.  It's top notch!


I took a peek at this week's "Weekly Deals" in the eOutlet today and was happy to find that three more pieces of this stainless steel cookware is on weekly special... for 70% off the original price!  This is truly a bargain... I don't know where else you could find this kind of quality cookware for these low prices!  So if you are a cook or could use some new cookware, this is the place and the time to go for it!


Now... I truly don't know anything about cookware, but my brother does!  He was somehow blessed with that domestic kitchen gene that I am missing and he even made his career in restaurant management!  So when my mom asked for a new saucepan for Christmas, I put him on that task.  He bought her a 2 quart stainless steel pan from Williams Sonoma and it was $150!  When I gasped at the price, he simply told me that stainless steel was the best there was and that is the only thing he would buy!


Anyway, the 2 quart saucepan and lid is on special for $26.96 (original price of $89.96)!

And the 3 quart saucepan and lid is on special for only $34.96 (original price of $116.96)!

These deals will expire on Sunday night, so if you are interested, you need to hurry!  There are some additional pieces to the cookware in the eOutlet too (stock pans, frying pans, etc.).  You can shop in my eOutlet by clicking here!

Honestly, with all of the food postings I've been doing recently, one might think I actually know how to cook!

Don't be fooled.... I tried to make chocolate chip muffins from a box mix tonight and screwed them up!  Seriously, I did!

Maybe this fancy new cookware will somehow magically turn me into a better cook?!

Willow House Wednesday: Sprucing Up for Spring!

The time between Christmas and the official start of Spring (i.e. no more snow or cold yucky days!) is a tough decorating time for me.  I never know when it is too early to start putting up Easter and Spring decor and consequently, my hearth room mantel had nothing but a few empty hurricanes and vases on it for the past few months... the remnants from my Christmas mantlescape.

Ugly!


I finally had enough of it and so I started looking around the house for ways to spruce it up for Spring without making it look too Easter-like!


Here is what I came up with... for now!

The hurricanes were filled up with three of my favorite fillers... reindeer moss, split peas, and "permanent" artichokes.

If you do not have any reindeer moss on hand in your home, may I suggest that you get some as quickly as possible?!  It is a decorating must - have!  You can get it in the dried naturals section of Hobby Lobby or Michaels.  It comes in several shades of green and is great for adding color and texture to any container.  I. love. it!


Another great filler for hurricanes is beans.  Yes, beans!  You can use many different kinds of beans... coffee beans, kidney beans, and my favorite for spring - split peas!  You really can't find a more inexpensive and easy filler for your hurricane!  Plop and drop a candle in the middle of the lovely green peas and you have a very fresh looking display for spring-ish!


I just got the new Amira Candlesticks and I love them! They come in a set of three (the blue one is not shown on the mantel) and are the perfect blend of rustic and classy.  I love the pop of color they give to a mantel, side table or bookcase.  I added a few creamy candles to the candlesticks and called it good.

And this guy on the end... this is the set of French Wire Plant Holders that were one of my best selling items from the Fall.  I turned the large holder upside down and sat the smaller one on top to create a topiary of sorts.  I plopped and dropped a "permanent" little plant inside the top planter and stuck a permanent artichoke in the middle to tie it to the artichokes inside the hurricanes.  Easy and a great little piece of color and height at the end of the mantel!

Finally, I love these little Avery birdhouses.  I'm still not 100% sure I like them where they are, but I thought they looked like Spring-ish so I added them in.  I love that they have the ability to hold a picture or a place card too.  I think I will replace the ribbon with some twine and add in a few burlap accents somewhere too.

So here is the left side...

And the right side...

I hope you enjoyed these few simple ideas for getting through this odd decorating time.  I don't know about you, but I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of full-blown, lovely spring!