Life ¤ Love ¤ Laughter ¤ Linds

There are some fabulous home & decor stores out there with even more fabulous websites with extra, extra fabulous catalogue rooms and crazy ridiculous price tags!  Pier 1, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn... and one of my favourites, Ballard Designs.  Besides the inspiration I find in magazines, Pinterest, and through some talented bloggers I follow,  I could spend hours drooling over browsing the websites of these non-budget-friendly outlets while looking for ideas for our home... all the while hoping I can pull off a similar look without breaking the bank.   That little voice inside my head is always niggling away with thoughts like "I wonder if I could do that for cheaper..." or "That would be easy to do myself..." This is our current dining nook.  For our living space, we have one big open concept room off the deck (which we use as our main entrance).  The room includes our living/tv room and eat-in kitchen, both of which need some serious upda...

I'm not sure I've ever tried (or successfully managed) a chain store knockoff before.   A few weeks ago, the boys and I were in Pier1.  (I think that trip gave me a heart condition - do NOT EVER - never, ever even - bring two rambunctious monkeys into a store filled with pretty expensive things.)   I have never said, "Stop touching."  "Look with your eyes!"  "Don't run."  so many times in one short span of time. I  love Pier1, but for a mama on a budget who isn't quite sure how she wants to decorate her house, it can still be a bit pricey.   They have some fabulous items though - their decor, art, dishes, and accessories make me swoon a little when I meander through their greatness.   I even love their little tchotskys and giftables - which is what inspired this knockoff. I love to read.  I've said it before, I'll say it again.  This is just a fact of who I am.  As much as I like books, I loooooove pretty bookmarks.  S...

...don't exist.  At least not in my reality. See their halos gleaming brightly in this picture? What?  You don't see them?  Oh right... that's because they don't have any halos... because despite their innocent faces, they can really be quite devious.   Side note:  this photo was taken early yesterday morning (7:30ish - that's early for someone who slept in til almost 8 am all summer long.)  I took it before driving them to school.   Note Justin's grimace.  He's not upset about school, he's angry I'm taking his photo.  This was the best of the bunch.   Lately, he's developed this strange aversion to the camera.  Unfortunate, for despite his less-than-angelic behaviour, he really is quite cute. Back to that behaviour, then...   All summer long, they woke at the crack of stupid.  Seriously.  They could stay up late and still be awake between 6:30 and 7 am, full of energy and smiles.  I mean, who does that w...