Halloween @ My Mom's House

Anyone who wonders why I turn into a big fat nerd when it comes to decking my halls just has to visit my mom's house. It's a total learned behavior.

 Halloween Tree #1

Halloween Tree #2

Halloween Tree #3

Halloween Tree #4

Halloween Tree #5
(This one is actually a countdown calendar.)

And she has two more trees in the basement! (Oddly enough, I bought her all but one of those trees!)

There is an on-going family debate on this next one. Are they ghosts with pumpkins stuck on their heads or pumpkins in costume? Or do they have toothaches?

These are the decorations from our engagement party.

Last Minute Placecards. Look...if you dare!

We held our annual Halloween dinner for our parents this week. I pondered and pondered what to do for place cards and couldn't come up with anything unique. Well, an hour before everyone arrived, I couldn't find the stash of last year's place cards. I rummaged through my craft closet and whipped these up with what I had laying around. I love them! (I have no idea why I cut out so many bats last year.)

My dinner table was kind of a fail. I mean, it got the job done, but, as always, I was cleaning until the moment that people walked in the door and didn't have time to plan. But, next year, I'm knocking it out of the park.

Tell you what, it's hard to find any orange, non-mum flowers up in this city in this season.

Blogger-Chic Halloween Garland

I certainly loved the cupcake liner garland created by 100 Layer Cake and featured throughout the Bloggersphere:

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But I was partial to this version that I spotted at Indie Wed in January:

 (I apologize, but I can't remember the name of the booth at which I saw it.)

I finally made my own to celebrate Halloween!

I fell in love with Crate & Barrel's graphic Halloween liners early in the season, but didn't nab them when I had the chance. I used mini C&B mini liners, instead. I think it turned out great.

{Source: All bad iPhone photos by me}

Living Room Facelift -- The After Photos

I just launched a huge project at work, so I took some mental health days to celebrate. I busted open the blinds and windows to let all in of the incredible sunshine and warm breezes that Chicago has been enjoying** and caught up on some projects around the house. I know that doesn't sound like much mental health, but all of that sunshine, knocking off the "To Do's," and not being at my desk made me feel like a million bucks, even if I couldn't walk when I was finished.

My first project was the living room wall that I wrote about a few weeks ago.

I *love* the results and we've been getting great feedback from family and friends that have seen it. I can't wait to order our new lamps.

I liked the color so much, that I used it on the breakfast bar.

I got kind of paint-happy and picked up a second gallon of this paint for the dining room wall. Andy nixed it for fear of being too brown and convinced me to stick with the wallpaper plan. I think that we're doing it next month. Hooray!







**I am so torn between celebrating this extended summer and desperately praying for a damn frost to kill all of this pollen that has been knocking me on my a*s since September; however, I am fully aware that it could technically be snowing by now and I don't want to push my luck.

Things Created Too Late to Simplify My Life, v1,002,467

They've done it again.

WTRITO - 2008

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Paper Source - 2010

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Dining Room Wallpaper

Although I said in my previous post that I'm wary of wallpaper, Andy and I are leaning very heavily towards wallpapering our dining room wall. Here are some old photos of what the space looks like now:

Right now, our front runner from the many samples we ordered is Boheme wallpaper from Graham & Browne.

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Since samples are only $2/piece, I ordered a several more to tape up over a larger surface area to see how we like the pattern. Pix to follow.

Living Room Facelift

This is what our living room has looked like since we moved in.

It's a mish-mash of old and new. The tall lamps are old Crate & Barrel lamps (circa approx. 2001), the couch is Hutton by Room & Board, the mirror is an old antique store find that I adore (I think circa approx. 1953. My mom and I paid $250. Can you believe that?), the coffee table is a Lane that Andy's grandma bought from a model home back in the day, and the end-table is an old hand-me-down that I lifted from my parents' basement when I was in college and never returned. 

We've since installed blinds in the living room.

And now it's time to infuse some life into the room. I've been considering wallpaper on the wall behind the couch, but, $40 in wallpaper samples later, I just can't find anything non-girly for Andy and I agree on. And I'm chickening out on wallpaper in general. Instead, I've decided to paint one wall of the living room brown. In my mind it looks like this:

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The wall color is Moroccan Henna (UL130-210 from Behr. 

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The lamps are the "capri bottle lamp" from Jonathan Adler, for which I am waiting to become available here.

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The end tables were purchased on Craig's List a few weeks ago. They're just plain Danish/Mid-century Modern end tables, but they are in excellent shape. (Or they were until I nicked one as  I carried it out of the seller's house.) I'm in TX for work as I write this, so I couldn't include a photo.

I currently have orange throw pillows and the leftover throw pillows from our wedding, which look great.

Now I need some art for the other walls in the room.