Happy Halloween Weekend!

Have a weekend full of tricks and treats, my lovelies!

Photo from Shannon Blue Photography

The Winner Is...

Thanks everyone so much for participating! Hopefully we can have more giveaway fun again soon.

Sorry for the delay in posting the winner...bathroom reno chaos + impending layoffs = craziness. Hopefully everything will be in order soon on both fronts.

Bon Weekend!

I'm very much looking forward to this weekend - we are experiencing absolutely perfect sunny and mid-80s weather here in Dallas. If only it were always like this!

On tap:
- Birthday party for my FIL
- Volunteering
- State Fair of Texas
- Picking up paint for our master bath (more soon on the reno that has 1.5 of our 2.5 bathrooms out of commission)
- Making this coat mine - When I saw it the other week, I knew I had to have it for my trip. I think I'll be getting it in black. While I have a perfectly good black peacoat, this one will cover my boo-tay (important when it's cold and windy), is belted (I love me anything belted, and none of my 3 coats are), and it has tiered "ruffles" (I think that's reason enough!) On sale (thanks for the price alert, Wishpot!) and stacked with an additional $30 off coupon, I think I'm going to go for it!

Or should I get camel? Or navy?

(The three coats I already have are black, winter white, and a dark green. I guess the black, camel, and navy could all be considered neutrals, but I know the black will go with everything. Lots of the reviews seem to really favor the navy, so we'll see! I'd love to hear your thoughts!)

Have a great weekend! I hope the weather's beautiful where you are.

Oh, and don't forget to enter my $45 CSN Giveaway...it ends on 10/10/10!

Mag Love

We've all been oohing and aahing over Lonny and Rue magazines lately, and with good reason in the absence of Domino and other favorites.  While I will always love sitting down with a good glossy, I am loving all of the (free!) online mags available right now.  Today I thought I'd share some of my favorite images from other online mags that aren't as getting as much blog love (yet).

  "Created for and by young Southerners, the magazine highlights the best of the Southern lifestyle, while providing readers with enjoyable content that helps improve and enrich their lives."

I like the mix of home decor, recipes, city guides, and "day in the life" coverage...all with a Southern focus! I'm looking forward to the next issue of Southern Flourish; I think it shows a lot of promise.

 I want this giant Connect Four game!

(Can you spot the typo in the green box? It's bothering me.)

 I'm liking the color palette of Beth Keim's Charlotte home

"We have all worked really hard to bring you a magazine that is filled with great ideas, tasty recipes and fun people."

I love Sweet Paul's tagline: chasing the sweet things in life. I think they are definitely on the right track.

 

This photography is delicious. Yum.

Is anyone else craving apple butter right now?

Just me? Okay, more for me then!

Goats! I looove goat cheese! (Oh, and I'm a Capricorn.)

Brought to us by our Canadian friends, Covet Garden is an interiors mag with a twist - they're not styled by decorators! Here's what they have to say about their magazine:

 "There are a lot of magazines and blogs that show cool interiors. But they always leave us feeling that we’re standing behind a rope, looking at the space like it’s a museum diorama. We started Covet Garden because we wanted to see a magazine that made us feel as though we were invited into someone’s home. And then, once they let us in, we started snooping around and got to know them a bit better."

Looks like each (short) issue is all about one home and the people who live in it.  I can't wait to see more!

 Dear Santa, I want a large framed print of a Penguin Books cover. I think I'm on your good list this year, so let's see what you can do.

xo, Laura

I know maps as decor is trendy, but if loving maps is wrong, I don't want to be right. (Especially if they're old school style.)

And now for the pièce de résistance from our friends Down Under, Adore Home! I'm liking that we're getting opposite seasons - since it takes me a long time to implement ideas, it gives me six months in advance!

 I adore everyhing about this office.

Good mix of sweet and chic.

This room of Summer Thornton has been in my favorites for a while, but I don't think I've seen the view of the rest of the room. 

How fun would it be to curl up in this window seat?

  

What are you reading these days?  Anything I should check out?

Girl Crush: Natalie Portman

I think Natalie Portman is so classically beautiful. In 1995 we had the same haircut and for a while I thought I might look like her.  Maybe I need to try that again in 2010, because Natalie is stunning in this photo.

Photo from Marie Claire, found via Pink Preppy Lilly Lover

Trick or Treat!

Maybe it's a little early to start thinking about Halloween, but I wanted to share some things I've come across recently...

These personalized trick or treat bags are only $10 over at Walmart, with $.97 shipping. (Each photo links directly to the product page.) These are my top three picks...I need to send this link over to the parents of the little ones in my life!

I ran into these Halloween piggy banks at Target. (By the way, did anyone see the cute patterned ones they had recently? I totally want one for a future baby (or okay, myself)...I would have already purchased one if I wasn't trying to stop being such a hoarder.)  You can currently see all of them here. I think the Superpig and the Skeleton are my favorites.

See the doctor one on the bottom? We should have bought this years (and years and years) ago to save for medical school!

Love this chalkboard one also - just write your savings goal on the side!

These next two items I found via Tatertots and Jello, a new-to-me treasure trove of awesome ideas.

I think this bottle display is such a great idea and could work for so many things: "baby" for a baby shower (and maybe ones with each guest's first initial for a favor?), "love" for Valentine's Day, etc. You could also always have the "candy" ones on hand and change out the colors based on the holiday.

Instructions found at Random Thoughts of a SUPERMOM!

These etched glass jars could be used for different occasions as well. Start saving your empties!

Instructions found at Let Birds Fly

I don't do any seasonal decorating other than at Christmas, but I like the idea of incorporating small, inexpsensive touches like these last two.  Do you do anything in your home for different seasons and holidays?