new rug + action plan for my back door

we are (finally) having our front and back exterior doors painted! i am pretty excited. since this is such a small area, i really don't have a design plan for it---just an idea of what i want...what i like to call an action plan!

door color:
the color choice for the back door was an easy one for me--onyx by benjamin moore.
it is my favorite black--dark but soft, and with a neutral tone to it.
all of the other doors in the house are a slightly softer black called "blackjack", but i want the exterior doors to be just a little bit darker and shinier.

art:
i have a set of these vintage guache paintings that my dad bought in brazil in the 1960's. i think i will hang a grouping of them on the small wall adjacent to the door.

area rug:

since this door leads to our back yard, it sees a fair amount of traffic. i always knew i wanted a rug here---preferably something that was patterned and that brought in a bit of life and color. when i was contacted by medallion rug gallery to review a product for them, i knew i could find something that fit the bill. medallion rugs has a great selection of some of the finest area rugs – antique and contemporary – from iran, pakistan, turkey, india, and china. i was really impressed with the variety in their inventory, and the fact that many of their rugs are handmade.

here is the rug that i chose:

 it is 2' x 2'9", and fits perfectly in front of my door.

 i really love the texture and pattern that it adds to this little area of my house. i am also so impressed with the quality and feel of this little area rug! it is tightly woven, and the colors are so deep and rich.

new hardware:
like the rest of the doors in the house, the back door will get this knob:

(the andover series from schlaage)


everything should be all wrapped up by this weekend! i am excited to show you.



thank you to medallion rug gallery  for collaborating with me on this post!

my post about halloween

halloween always seems to sneak up on me. one minute, school starts, and the next...it's halloween! if you are a mom, then you know how busy this time of year can be--costumes, treats, parties...it all adds up to a lot!

here is my simple halloween door this year:

 i have had the witches brooms forever---i bought them at big lots for $4 about 10 years ago, and it is a miracle that they have lasted through our many moves. they are one of those bulky items that i *almost donate every time we move, but i love them SO much, and i always manage to talk myself into keeping them.
(yep. our exterior door has still not been painted. it's on the short list of things to get done!)


and, in the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" category, i am still using this  this easy and very affordable wreath that i made 5 years ago. i love it because it only looks better the more battered and worn it gets!
you can get the low down of how i made the wreath here.

i love halloween!
i try to make the treat we give away at least a little special.

 this year, i made some cute, simple labels to wrap around Hershey's bars.
(i bought the full size bars at costco---they come in a pack of 24)



if you like these wrappers, feel free to grab them and use them!

these would also be great to bring to a halloween party or to give away to your childs classmates!

here is a peek at some gift bags i gave away a few years ago:

seeing these always makes me happy!


you can also get these wrappers that i made two years ago for an assortment of candy bars:




oh, and take a look at the buddy the elf costume that i whipped up from some thrift store finds and a little fake fur and fabric paint!

we started with a sleeveless green mock turtleneck, a black t-shirt, and a black belt, all from the thrift store.

i cut the collar and cuffs from some fake fur (made templates from paper first) and hot glued them in place, and then embellished the green tunic with some gold fabric paint. the leggings were found on ebay.

i made the hat out of three pieces of felt. (i made a paper template and then traced it)

i never actually sew my kids halloween costumes from scratch, but i am pretty darn good at taking a dress or shirt or whatever from the thrift store and transforming it into a costume!  (it always seems like my kids want to be something that is impossible to BUY...!)
here is a look at some of my kids costumes from the past few years:


vicious gladiator + two goddesses.


medusa, a pirate + cleopatra.

medusa make-up closeup.

mummy bride + gangnam style guy. (sigh. my son changed his costume about 5 times last year. this was what he settled on. the night BEFORE halloween!)

teen wolf.


teen wolf (close-up) talking on the phone and WAAAAAAY too busy to take a picture....
(wish you could get the full effect of the creepy red contact lenses! they were expensive, but made all the difference!)

be sure to check out my HALLOWEEN pinterest board--i have all of the goodies from years past, including some scanned images that are some of the most pinned images from my blog!

PS---i have been having some HUGE issues with my pinterest account. about 5 months ago, there was some glitch that stopped the counter going up on my followers, and would not allow certain people to follow me. i kept waiting for them to resolve the issue, and they finally did! so---if you *thought you were following me, and then for some reason you weren't, that is why! try again--all is finally well!
CLICK HERE to follow me. (again.)

my target sucks

yeah.
that's right.
i said the "S" word.
now---i didn't say TARGET sucks...just the one near my house.
i am at target at least twice a month....sometimes to buy groceries, or a birthday present or clothes. (or whatever any of us go into target to buy before we inevitably end up with a cart full of things we didn't intend to purchase!) while i am there, i always pop over to the "home decor" section to see what nate or threshold has been up to. and usually i see....a sparse selection of the newest offerings, few particleboard bookcases, a dumpy ottoman or two, and a handful of lamps that i swear have been there for 3 years.

last week, i was at a home consultation a good 20 miles form my house, and decided to swing by a target to see if they had any better home stuff. i have been seeing all kinds of cute stuff online, and i wondered if ANY of it was in stores. (cuz it most certainly wasn't in MY target.)
ummm....
i hit the jackpot!
i couldn't believe how much stuff this target carried!
i felt like my target has been cheating on me with other targets in the area! why is all the good stuff going everywhere else?? this target had AISLES of great home decor items! what the??? i mean, take a look:

 i have seen this table online, but it was even prettier in person!

 there was tons of stuff on sale, including these column lamps with lucite bases.

 the contrast stitch on these little ottomans is a nice touch,

 new stuff from nate.

these preserved boxwoods look great ALL year round, but especially festive around the holidays.

 LOVED these frames!
wisteria has some that look very similar, for 2-3 times the price.

 i love the texture that bone inlaid frames give a room.

 is a trend officially over when you see it at places like target?
i still haven't fallen out of love with antlers and deer heads, but this display made me
feel like the trend is a little overdone....

 totally great little set of mirrors!

 and HEY---if you are going to do a "bed in a bag" look, at least start with something like this!
it's graphic without being too much, and the dots will coordinate with any pattern and can easily go masculine or feminine, depending on what it is paired with.

 i have always loved the thomas obrien bedding collections.

 another "seen online but not in person" piece. this little desk is a winner!

 that woven top table would add a lot of texture to any room, and the x base side table is a fabulous mix of texture and style.

 seriously?? my target has like two ottomans in stock. and they are both ugly.

 lovely little tweed chair! it would look so pretty paired with a fun patterned pillow.

 hello floor lamp!
if i didn't already have a lamp that could be your twin, i would have taken you home with me!

 more side table goodness.

 wouldn't these make great hampers?

 tortoise shell mirror.
would look great mixed in with a gallery wall....

 and how fun is this little tray?
makes me think of a certain song that has been playing way too much at my house lately!
(what does the fox say??)

and finally--loved these drink containers.

SO...if the target near your house sucks, like the one near mine---you might want to take a little field trip to the next closest one. you might just hit the jackpot, like it did!

happy shopping!