the chair, after.

See the before pictures here.  This chenille is so soft and plush, I stand behind my decision 100%.  I was questioning myself while it was away at the upholsterer for ten days, but it turned out beautifully.  

The tree is in the chair's usual spot, so it is currently displaced to the other side of the living room.  

I used Wahl upholstery in Los Alamitos and I'm happy with their work, except for the fact that they used black zippers.  I assumed they would match my fabric as closely as possible, now I know to be specific with my requests.  They charged $65 for both cushions, we used the old foam.  

So glad that is done.  

advent calendar

I've been wanting to do a fun advent calendar since I read the blog of equally-amazing mom and photographer, Tara Whitney last year. An elf named Bernard visits her house.   Her ideas are clever and fun, and I especially love the snow man poop!  Borrowing that idea for sure, along with some others.

                                                                                                                            Photos by Tara Whitney

I keep thinking there are only two days left to make an advent calendar, but really I can make five at a time instead of 25 at once, and realization is a lot less daunting to me. I love the idea of having cute packages hanging from the mantle all month long, but the truth is December is a crazy-busy month, and the activities really have to be tailored to each day's schedule for us.  So I'm going with one hanging from the mantle each morning.  Something to open and read and look forward to after school.  Between that and moving the elf on the shelf every day, it's all I can handle.
Love this idea of craft paper packages sewn up with string found on Pinterest, via Smile and Wave, originally posted on Peppermint Plum.  Click on the photo below for a quick how-to.

A few ideas:
christmas parade with your BF, Penny!
watch Elf with a big bowl of salty popcorn

walk around naples island and look at the lights
visit el segundo's candy cane lane
go to starbucks for peppermint hot chocolate
belmont shore christmas parade
read the night before christmas
decorate cookies
make gifts for your teachers
make tissue paper snowflakes
deliver christmas cards to neighbors
have breakfast for dinner and eat in your pajamas
go caroling
watch a charley brown christmas
cuddle under a blankie and talk about your favorite christmas memories
write a letter to santa
game night with mom and dad
donate some toys to charity
make some ornaments for the tree
go see the nutcracker
dress up fancy for dinner
snowman poop for breakfast!  (powdered sugar doughnut holes)

visit the rancho

take an unwrapped toy to knott's berry farm

Does your family do an advent calendar?  I'd love to hear about it. 

Here's to counting down December! 

happy thanksgiving.

The day that Apple makes a product that can plug into my brain waves while I'm in the shower (where I have my best creative ideas and compose blogs in my head) or on the freeway (another creative place, earlier this week I missed my exit for work while thinking about a photo idea), I will be prolific blogger.  Until then, it is kinda hit and miss around here. I write in my head everyday, but less and less I am carving out the time to sit and write.

So today while my cranberry ginger chutney is cooling, I am stopping to say hello.  Hope you have a lovely, heart-warming, tummy-filling Thanksgiving.  We are having a small dinner here, and like last year, I am making a turkey breast, because it's easier and enough for us.  I am using this recipe for bacon and herb roasted turkey breast.  But I think I will also be bathing that breast in white wine because, well, why not?

Speaking of bathing breasts, have you seen 2 Broke Girls?  I love Cat Dennings, and have for a while, but good lord that show is like soft porn.  I'm offended on her behalf and yet cannot stop watching.  Neither can the husband.  Every Monday night.

So as to not finish on that note, I just discovered the children's clothing line Pumpkin Patch, and wanted to share.  I love the little Paris collection. We found lots of cute pieces at Nordstrom rack, including the dress Chloe is wearing here.  They are having a big SALE that starts today, so get shopping!

Have a great long weekend, friends!

three fifty.

We found this chair shortly after we bought this house, and I love it.  I don't love the dingy brown checkered fabric though.  It's tired and dirty.  I have been looking for a fun fabric for it since we bought it, something really graphic and bold, bright.  But I can't commit to anything big and bold (and expensive) when all the fabrics that I'm drawn to feel trendy, and I fear they will feel dated within a year.  

I want to play with chevron patterns, and ikats, but the pragmatic part of me can't spend the big money on upholstery.  I will save those patterns for accent pillows, and throws, things that can be changed out easily, and go with something more traditional and staid for the base of this great chair. 

We went to Fabric Barn, one of the great treasures of Long Beach, last weekend to get some craft supplies when I came across upholstery fabric for--you may want to sit down for this--$3.50 a yard.  For those of you not from around here, Fabric Barn has never been known for its fabric, it was a place to buy ribbon, this fabric thing is new.  So to find upholstery fabric there was a surprise, and it was even more surprising that I liked it. I found this soft blue that complemented our decor, and while I tried to walk away from it three times, I just couldn't leave it behind.  Three dollars and fifty cents, and I liked it.  It's way more safe than I wanted to go but it's so practical.  I could throw any patterned pillow on it and it would look great.  

It is also appropriate to the era of the chair.  I ended up getting two yards for $3.50 because there was a sticker in an odd spot so I have a lot of extra fabric.  Now I can buy a yard of some expensive Thomas Paul fabric for accent pillows with all the money I saved.  Yipee!

It should be back in a week and a half to pose for its after photos.  Perhaps while it's gone I'll see about refinishing our brass mail slot.  Yikes that thing is an eye sore.  

rainy day sunday

Sunday morning I saw this on Pinterest via Estelle Pickersgill.  From a blog post by The Art Girl Jackie.

The colors drew me in, and the fact that I had all the supplies on hand sealed the deal.  A t-shirt, a plastic cup, rubber band, rubbing alcohol and sharpies.  I happen to have a rainbow of Sharpies I bought at Costco years ago.  One of those things purchased at Costco that I didn't really need but have used a ton.

Chloe was feeling pretty crafty because the first she wanted to do when she got up was bead something.  So she made that bracelet she's wearing in the photos below.  Then I made french toast from a leftover baguette, and then we attacked this little project.  It was fun and easy, and there was no mess--my favorite kind of craft!

 

blogiversary

I've officially been blogging for one year. Yay! I wanted to commemorate today with a nice giveaway for you, but it's that time of year when yesterday it was October and then things pick up like crazy and then you blink and it's Christmas morning.  Am I the only one who feels that way?  I'm just trying to catch up.  Daily.
Perhaps I can make that giveaway happen anyway, just belatedly.
I have holiday ideas up whazoo, too, so we have to meet back here.

Cheers, friends.  Here's to one year, and to many more!


This weekend I was thinking a lot about this day.  I was wondering if we'd feel rested after "falling back" again--if we'd get up and do something fun, take some pictures.  We didn't.  It was cold and rainy and we stayed in bed.  But I still remember that morning fondly, trying to explain to my then three-year-old the concept of going to the beach without the prospect of getting in the water.  "We are going to get hot chocolate and sit there, it will be fun, I promise."
We should do it again.