great pillow source

i hope everyone had a wonderful christmas!

ours was nice and relaxing...so relaxing that i took not just ONE but TWO naps!

who does that?? who can take TWO naps and still go to bed at 10:30? 

(besides really old people, babies + cats?)

i guess i needed the sleep...

i promised myself that i would take  a break from the computer this week,

but with pinterest beckoning, and the kids being totally entertained with their

new ds and wii games, i just couldn't resist.

as i was clicking around, i found some pretty great pillows at home decorators that

i wanted to share. etsy is usually my source for great looking, affordable pillows, 

but i just might be swayed into using home decorators more if they keep a great selection like

this stocked:

hand hooked crown "king" pillow

branches pillow

fairborn pillow

hooked butterfly pillow

dixie pillow in light green

floral frenzy pillow in pink multi

hooked floral pillow

numeric pillow

saratoga pillow

burlap number 85 pillow

garrick pillow

circuit pillow

adelle pillow

allendale pillow

braden pillow

wheeling pillow

geomatriex pillow

button pillow-set of 2

butterflies pillow 

bess pillow

i love that most of these pillows have some texture to them...embroidery, hand hooked, buttons.....

and most all come with a polyfil insert. (which can be swapped out for a feather/down insert later)

go here to check out the rest of their pillows! they have a huge selection!

all is calm

all is bright...

merry christmas friends!
:)

last minute wrapping ideas

i know, i know.
this post would have been a LOT more helpful last week. or two weeks ago.
unfortunately, i am not one of those people that has everything ready for every holiday weeks and weeks in advance. (and if you are one of those people, and you need something to keep you busy today, come over to my house and i will put you to work!)

as i was wrapping a few gifts yesterday, i thought i would take a few pictures to
share some inexpensive and easy last minute ideas for wrapping all of those christmas gifts.

these are the gifts that my kiddos gave to their friends. they are king size candy bars that i wrapped with pages from a coloring book. the twine is from ikea. i used my cricut to cut out the tags and the letters, but if you don't have one, you can just trace an existing tag, and use a marker to write the initial.

 
this is another really inexpensive way to wrap a gift...
again, if you want a nice, crisp letter and you don't have a cricut (or other cutting machine) you can print the letters you need on your printer and cut them out.

this is a great way to wrap a gift without using a lot of ribbon.

and finally, who doesn't have a bunch of buttons lurking somewhere in their house?
just stack three buttons to make a snowman. alternate the top button to make him look like he has eyes.
this look would be especially fun if the buttons were different colors.

happy wrapping!

jc penny nightstand review

i finally picked up the nightstands that i gave myself for christmas.

i have to say, that i am really impressed. they arrived pretty quickly at my local jc penny, but it took me a few days to coordinate a good pick up time with husband.
they were packaged very well...all corners, sides and base were surrounded by styrofoam, and the boxes they came in were really heavy-duty.
(as you can see, the wall behind the nightstand is currently painted navy blue...something that i intend to paint over in the near future...)


the size and shape are exactly what i have been searching for! they are well made and i definitely feel like i scored a major deal.  the drawers are well constructed and glide easily on their tracks, and the piece is heavy and feels sturdy and durable.
i am a happy camper.

i just checked, and sadly, they are no longer available. however, the matching dresser is available for an incredible $276!
i did receive a few comments and emails from others saying that they ordered the nightstands as all, so i am thrilled that a few of you were able to get this great deal as well.
after all, christmas is about sharing , right?
:)

sounds of the season

when it comes to holiday music, i think that people's playlists vary as much as their tastebuds.
some people LOVE more contemporary, upbeat christmas songs (which i don't mind at all), while others prefer instrumental versions ( which i also like). i think it also depends a lot on what you grew up listening to. it's hard to think of christmas without those songs and artists that you grew up hearing. my husbands family (love you guys!) think i am weird because i don't LOVE elvis at christmas...it's not that i DON'T like elvis singing christmas tunes, it's just that...ok, i don't like elvis singing christmas tunes. is that so wrong?

here is what makes up the recipe for my perfect holiday playlist:

a big ol', hefty, heaping scoop of:

(oh, how i LOVE me some johnny mathis at christmastime! 
if i could only listen to one artist, it would be my johnny!)

a hearty dollop of:

(i am a child of the 70's/80's. what can i say?)

and:

(the best renditions of "tennessee christmas" and "breath of heaven" ever.")

a dash of:

(how can you resist THIS guy?)

and this:

classic. perfection.

a sprinkling of:

(a new fave.)

and a smidgeon of:

trying at all cost to avoid:

(yuck. i would rather listen to will farrell's version of his singing...
everytime i hear his voice, i feel like i am in 
the pococnos... about to get into a heart shaped tub... in 1978.)

and:

(blech. who's idea was it for this guy to record a christmas album??
 people who hate christmas, that's who.)


and, of course, stuff like this:

(really??)

what artist/songs are MUSTS on your holiday playlists?
any that you loathe?
what can't you live without?

do tell....

weekend visit to the grand america

this weekend, my family and i enjoyed a great brunch at the little america hotel in downtown salt lake.

after our meal, we walked next door to the grand america hotel and walked through the lobby and it's other public spaces. the grand america is a really beautiful hotel....definitely the most impressive in all of salt lake city, and arguably the most posh.

i really liked the fresh floral arrangements and flocked trees in the lobby.

the mix of roses, evergreens, and flocked greenery was just gorgeous.

the trees had an elegant whimsical appeal to them, and i thought the pinks and teals and silvers

were really pretty.

 the life size gingerbread house...made of over 400 pounds of gingerbread, 200 pounds of icing and nearly 20,000 pieces of candy. it was amazing!

 a view to the courtyard.

 another tree...filled with handblown glass ornaments in an array of FUN colors! these

almost looked like bubbles....so pretty!

 by far, our favorite "find" was joujou....one of the most amazing toy stores i have ever seen.

 the window displays were all incredible. this one had a whirling wheel made from erector sets.

everywhere you looked in this store, there were interesting things to look at and touch.

in the area behind the cash registers was a metal tree, filled with little "fairy nooks".

 

and don't even get me started on this candy...tower-THING. it was SO adorable. the ground in front if it lights up and plays music when you stand on it.

i loved the free-form "pages" sculpture in the book corner.

loved this frame too...wouldn't this be and easy diy project??

theses pillows, from ferm living were super cute.

i couldn't help snapping a picture of these cute little critters...made from recycled newspaper! 

if it wasn't the week before christmas, i am sure that we would have caved and bought each of our kids something fun, but we walked out of the store empty-handed. however, it was SUCH a fun, inviting and stimulating place to be, and i am sure i will be back sometime. it's the prefect place to find a unique gift for a child of any age.

if you are ever in salt lake city be sure and check it out, as well as the weekend brunch at the little america!