Top 10 Posts of 2013

As 2013 comes to a close it's fun to look back at what's happened over the year. I thought it'd be fun to share my top posts of this year.

Looking back, I see I was definitely not very consistent in posting and hope to improve on that this year.

Starting with #10:

How to Paint Straight Lines on a Textured Wall

#9: Pottery Barn's Emily  & Merritt Line

#8: A Preteen Hangout Room Reveal

#7-3 (in no particular order) My "A Look Behind the Curtains with..." series

Linda from Calling It Home

 Melaine from My Sweet Savannah

Marianne from Marianne Simon Design

Sherry from Design Indulgence

Jill from Forever Cottage

Thanks again ladies for being apart of this fun series. I hope to add more in 2014.

#2 The 8 can Taco Soup

and #1 My Holiday House tour

A huge thank you to everyone that has visited my blog, written a comment, and followed me this year!

Happy New Year! Cheers!

Ticking Stripe

One of my all time favorite fabrics is ticking stripe. Just love it. I love it in almost any color but my favorite is in blue.

I have blue ticking stripe pillows in my living room and ticking stripe slipcovers on my dining room chairs. I NEVER get sick of this fabric. It reminds me of one of my grandfather's. I was young when he passed along, but my memory of him is him wearing ticking stripe overalls or a hat with ticking stripe. Maybe that's why I like it so much, because it's so familiar. I love how it makes a space feel casual and relaxed.

Here are some great examples of ticking stripe.

You can see sources and more examples on my Pinterest board. {here}

Now you can't imagine how happy I was to see a whole bunch of new stripe goodness in Pottery Barn's new spring line.



Pottery Barn



I am hoping to be redoing our master bedroom soon, and I will be purchasing a few of the above items. So excited!

 

So do you have a love for ticking stripe as well?

 

 







My Holiday Home Details

We here in the Pacific NW, woke up to a fresh new blanket of snow. Yes, we received maybe 1 to 2 inches and school was cancelled and all the local news could report on was the weather.
Those poor reporters who have to stand out there and say "yes, it's still snowing and yes, the roads are a little slick".. for 5 hours! People from back East must roll over with laughter at us. But then again, it's the same when California gets a little rain and they are freaking out. It's all relative I guess.
But anyway, we enjoyed it and now it's slowly going away already. Bummer.

 

Thanks to anyone that came and saw my holiday home tour! I'd like to say thank you to Lisa and Jenny once again for including me in the tour. Such an honor. And to those that left such sweet messages, thank you! It warms my heart.

 

If you didn't see my full tour, click here.

 

I really got carried away with using fresh garland, and wreaths this year.

 

Boxwood wreath from Antique Farm House



Fresh garland from Lowe's put into the dough bowl (from Homegoods) and around my chandelier



some greens tucked around the candles

of course added to the mantels

 

 



garland again splayed on the console table



the tree basket skirt was purchased from Terrain

My favorite purchase this year was this plaid runner from Pottery Barn



And the matching pillows. I loved them because they have a stripe of blue in them and it goes with my blue/white ticking stripe pillows.

 

 

 

And these fun advent bags were my little craft of the season. The idea was not my own. I've seen so many on other blogs and even in home décor catalogs, and I just loved the idea.

I purchased the little bags from Amazon, and got the twine rope, and mini clothes pins from a local craft store.

 

The images were downloaded from Wolves in London. You can get the download free here.

There are many other ways you can decorate the bags, but I thought these were so cute and vintage looking. Once you download them, print them on iron on paper and it's super easy to attach to the bags. I didn't iron mine on super good, and the images were left looking a little more faded which I liked.

 

Thanks again and if you had any other questions on where I got anything, please let me know.

Happy Holidays!!