January 21, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

Target In January

I recently went to Target. As I do. When I want to buy a mindless variety of ~~unnecessary~~ items.

The reason I had gone there was because in my ~~rummaging~~ cleaning, I found 4 gift cards totaling $100 to Target in my drawer. They were given to me over the last few months as my kids would get them as gifts and then order something off of Amazon and pay me with their Target gift cards. I didn’t mind. I knew I would use them. Or lose them. Whichever came first. I decided to get on using them before I forgot.

With the holidays just recently being over and it being the beginning of the year, a lot of us are not spending money. I wanted to show some inexpensive options Target is offering right now, in case you wanted something new, but did not want a high price tag to struggle with.

I didn’t mean to go to the clothing section. Cross my heart. But that is where I ended up. And I saw the best shirt. Seriously. Run. Don’t walk. And go get yourself this shirt. The only sizes left in black at our Target were XS and Large. I bought a Large for myself (fits perfectly) and an XS for my daughter (now you see why they don’t mind paying me with their gift cards).

The shirt is $16.99 and so similar to the more expensive shirts in my wishlist. See here. And here. Plus, you get 5% off if you use their Target Red Debit Card. It also came in the prettiest seafoam green color. But I needed a black shirt. The back has the pretty key-hole.

Does this remind you of anything? How about my Ruffled Hem Pullover? This was less than 1/4 of that price?! I do like my Anthropologie sweater better. The back is more detailed. But this Target sweater was a great price. At $20, this was a nobrainer and my daughter got one, too. I bought the medium in this although I think I could have even gotten a large. It matches my AG Stevies Cords perfectly.

And this awesome poncho pullover is so cool! At $20, it is simple to throw on. It is the easiest black and white stripes. Goes with so much. It covers the bum. Another steal. Another win for Target. By the way, I have no idea what is on my thigh. I had put those pants on for the very first time five minutes prior to this pic.

I did not buy either of these sweaters. Not at Anthropologie. Not at Target. I do not own a French Bulldog, so it wasn’t for me. There was a popback of this sweater at Anthropologie last week and I would have ended up paying the same amount as the Target price. But I didn’t need it. So I didn’t buy it.

I just have to say… Umm. I’m not sayin’ this is a blatant copy of Anthropologie’s sweater. What do you think? Wink. If you missed it at Anthropologie, Target’s copy is $20.

Gnomes!!! Look at these little darlings. I love ’em. I want to marry them. I want to rub their cold little hard bodies all over my cheeks. I want to… Okay. Let’s quit there. $4 a piece (just the 4 crackled versions in the pot). Adorable.

And a big one to greet folks at the door. I only wish they had two more of him.

And a sad, sad little fellow. He looked so forlorn, I had to take him home to cheer him up. He still isn’t happy. I have a feeling he never will be. But he is a pretty color. Blue. Just like his heart.

This awesome crockpot was marked down from $35 to $17.48. How cool is it? I cannot wait to use it!

Have you been to Target lately? Do you always walk away with more than you came for? The buyers there are doing it right!

* Some pictures shown here were taken from Target and Anthropologie’s websites.

January 14, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

My Children’s Self Portraits

For those of you with children (or if you are planning on having children or know someone with kids who likes fun ideas), I wanted to share one of my favorite things in my home. For three years (it has actually been four. We accidentally skipped a year), my daughter has made me a self portrait during Christmas under the guidance of her wonderful art teacher Lisa Owen-Lynch. Both of my kids take private art lessons from her. She is so talented and patient. We are very lucky to have her in our lives. My son takes an hour lesson every other week. And my daughter, once a week (my daughter did my gnome on this blog).

I think it is such a fantastic skill to encourage. I love art. And I love looking around my home and admiring the works my children have done. On to their self portraits:

This was my daughter (age 11), year one.

This was my daughter (age 12), year two.

This was this year’s self portrait at age fourteen. Notice the Anthropologie fox shirt she is sporting. : )

I always get the paintings framed in spectacular large gold or silver frames, because I think the chunkiness of the frame makes the pieces feel all the more special. By the time both of my kids leave for college, I hope to have six-seven self portraits of each child in in my home. I cannot wait to see how they change.

My son started his first self portrait this year with one that he painted for me for Christmas. I plan on making a wall feature with just their self portraits on it when I have enough to cluster them.

I don’t post pictures of my children on this blog. I guess this will be the closest I come to it. I wanted to share what I think is such a neat project. And a really cool decoration for the home. If you have an art teacher near you, I highly recommend hiring them and having your child/children make you one (if not many over the years) of these self portraits. It is so interesting to see how your child views themselves and to log the ways they change over the years.

This Christmas, my kids also made one each for my mother. She loved them.

Have you done this? Do you have any other ideas for me on how to create lasting physical mementos of my children? I love a project!

P.S. I shared this on Savvy Southern Style.

And My Romantic Home.

January 3, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

Decorating Christmas

I try. I try to stay ahead of things, but inevitably I fall behind. I meant to take pictures of my home decorated for Christmas and post them weeks ago. You know. Before Christmas. Like all of the other bloggers who can manage to create a post on time.

Rebels.

And I am sure you are done with Christmas. Because…It was over a week ago. Over. Done. I have all ready packed it all away. I am sure you have, too. If you celebrate, that is. If not, then I am doubly sorry for this late post.

Selfishly, this is a lot for me. I always forget how the heck I have arranged things the year before. Now I can have it on record.

And, no, I have not all of a sudden become “on top of it.”

This is what my home looked like up until two days ago.

But let’s pretend for a moment that we did not see that. That packages have not been ripped open. That boxes and trash did not line every space upon my floor. That I didn’t find my dog humping a pile of wrapping paper and subsequently tripped over the hidden table and now have a bruise in the odd shape of a candy cane on my thigh.

These photos were taken before all of that. When I was in blissful ignorance of my houses’s demise. Of Ollie’s freaky new habbit. And my thighs were perfect.

Ha!

Okay, but we are daydreaming here, so that sentence still stands.

Here is what my home looked like not a week before. It never knew what hit it:

Is your home put back together? When do you pack everything away? Do you keep a record of how you decorated? Do you have any candy cane shaped bruises to commemorate the day? Or a dog who likes Christmas a little too much?

* P.S. I shared this on Savvy Southern Style.

December 24, 2013 by gn0mel0ver

My Christmas Wishlist

For Christmas, I like to “ask” for things I would not normally buy myself. Things like a nice bag, a piece of jewelry, or an interesting accessory (such as a magic shawl to ward evil spirits away). It feels more special this way.

Spoiler: I have ordered all of these items for my husband to give me. I guess I was a very, very, very good girl this year. ; ). And everything was purchased on sale. ‘Cause even Santa (which is definitely not me) has a budget.

The Maricopa Wrap from Anthropologie. This also goes by the name of Eye Shawl from Mara Hoffman. I love this wrap more than anything. I could not believe I was able to score it for such a great sale price (half off plus an extra 20% off and free shipping). Alpaca is not cheap. I cannot wait to get it as a present. I have not seen this in person, I had my husband hide it from me when it came. Thanks honey!

Tara Saddle Boots. I feel very sophisticated in these boots. I could not believe their sale price. I had to try them on to make sure the size was right. They are pretty uncomfortable, so I know I will need to get a gel insert for them. They make every outfit seem more romantic and feminine. I love these! Under the tree they go!

The Ankaa Necklace from Anthroplogie. I am not a jewelry girl. What I mean is, I am not a “nice” jewelry girl. I like costume jewelry. Not the real deal. I get bored too quickly. I do not want to spend a ton of money on a piece and feel obligated to wear it all of the time. However, this piece is so nice I cannot wait to wear it. It will go with almost everything in my closet.

For our house, the Handira Blanket is so gorgeous. I LOVE this! I have had it in my wishlist since it first appeared months ago. He bought it in blue for me for almost 75% off. He said it matched my eyes. Or that is what I would imagine he will say when he learns he bought it for me.

Finally, every year, I like to get one new bag. I patiently waited for the Paisley Cutout Satchel to make it to sale. Once it did (75%), I shipped it to our house. I had my husband open the package and inspect the bag for defects. I have not seen this bag in person yet, but I am sure it will be great!

I bought this as a Christmas present for my husband (he knows, because I am horrible at keeping secrets). But, who are we kidding, I have been wanting this for years. I cannot wait to make my grandma’s honey ice cream (with my dad’s honey) in this. This was a deal that could not be beat at Amazon.

What have you asked for this year for the holidays? Are you as ~~bad~~ good as I am and just buy it for yourself?

Gnome Lover

Stumbling through life while still having fun

Our House

Target In January

My Children’s Self Portraits

Decorating Christmas

My Christmas Wishlist