My X's & O's

Happy February!  

Since the calendar has turned I thought it was about time for a little Valentine's Day inspiration.
The mother of all made up holidays, but I'm a good American so I'll buy in.  

Before Christmas even came around the dollar section at Target had already turned to Valentine knickknacks.  I rolled my eyes and thought what a materialistic, hurried society we are 

and then started shoving things into my cart.

Said Target knickknacks included the garland and heart wreath hanging on the front door.   I permanently leave two suction cups hanging on the inside of the storm door and change out the garland for the season or holiday.  I usually pick out garlands that have some metallic element to tie in with the gold on the historic plaque.  In my head I imagine all the neighbors excitedly anticipating which garland is going to come next. 

The doormat is also new, we've lived here for 2.5 years and I just kept the soggy worn doormat left by the previous owners all that time.  This one is nice because it's made of hardwood and raised so moisture won't get trapped underneath {it's from the Smith & Hawken line at Target}.  The greenery is leftover from Christmas, to me it represents winter as a season so it stays long after December has passed.  

The gazelle hooks are wearing hearts, these hearts were used in our wedding, almost 8 years ago now, so I think they're sweet repurposed as seasonal decor.  

A little Valentine cheer in the kitchen, just a peppermint candle grouped with a rosemary plant and my pink mixer makes this corner feel sweet.

The poinsettia from Christmas is still going strong so it has turned into a Valentine's Day poinsettia, it looks cute with the red in the XOXO banner hanging on the window.  

One of the treat jars is filled with Milkbone minis for the girls.  They are laughably small for a 50 pound blue heeler and a 60 pound pit bull, but they were the only size available in the 

pink/red combo.  They prefer their veggie chews, no doubt.  

I'm so glad I got the house dressed up for the big occasion.  Our plans include ordering Thai and  sitting on our new sectional that will hopefully be delivered by 2/14.  

I am going to spice things up though, I have a pants/long sleeved silk leopard PJ set I plan to wear while eating on the couch- meow.  

**This post was not sponsored by any of the brands mentioned**

You Were Always Jealous of that Lamp: Part II

Have you been on the edge of your seat waiting for this post ever since you read "You Were Always Jealous of that Lamp: Part I"?  I know I have and I live here.  

Let's start with the dining room...

I put an ornament garland between the two lamps on the sideboard and the table I left empty because we actually use it a lot, but not to worry the bar cart got big time merry.

I arranged tree clippings with blue snowflakes in a vase and anchored them with blue and orange ornaments to coordinate with the rug {you can see the rug reflected in the mirror in photos below}.  A bowl full of oranges sits on the bottom.  I use one of those oranges every morning to make smoothies and always feel slightly upset that I'm taking away from my Christmas decor.  Luckily I'm resourceful and know where to get more.

I made a swag with tree clippings for the mirror and draped it with live garland.

More tree clippings and ornament garland on top of the built-in hutch 

along with a nativity family on display.  

Let's go into the kitchen- look another ornament garland on top of the pot rack.

I've never really used poinsettias before but this year I decided I loved them,  

probably because Trader Joe's sells them for $2.99 and I'll buy whatever they tell me to buy. 

 Speaking of TJ's, my favorite seasonal discovery this year has been their Coffee Cup Celebration.  It's a 20 pack of K-Cups with 5 different holiday flavors.  Do you want to know what the flavors are?  Ok I'll tell you: Wintry Blend, French Vanilla, Caramel, Gingerbread, and Chocolate Mint. 

It's the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning.  

I have this stovetop potpourri simmering almost non-stop.  

It's a mix of citrus, rosemary, cranberries, cinnamon sticks, and spices.  

I refill the water as needed and freshen up the ingredients about once a week.  

It makes the house smell jolly.  

Moving over to the shelves and eat-in table...another poinsettia and little seasonal touches.

Live wreaths on the windows, one inside and one outside. They both seem equally happy, 

I just mist the indoor one with water every few days.  

Since we don't have a tree big enough to put gifts under I've been 

sprinkling them around the house as decor.  It's quaint. 

I always have a Spode Woodland china plate on display and change up the animal for the season so right now it's a reindeer.  There is also a little nativity set over here- the white ceramic pieces 

next to the baking jars.  

The recessed lights above the shelves are Philips Hue lightbulbs and it creates quite 

a festive atmosphere for the girls while they dine.  

 They're just thrilled about it.  

I was looking for a way to display Christmas cards and decided to start taping them on the window above the sink.  Cards featuring dogs received priority placement, naturally.  

Merry Christmas!

**This post is not sponsored by any of the brands mentioned.**

A Table By The Window

I have a new favorite little nook in the house, it's in the kitchen in front of that window.  I've shown this space before...how it looked when we first moved in. 

Decorated for fall.

 Decorated for Christmas. 

But now I feel like it's reached its personal best.

Do you recognize the table and chairs?  They were a stand-in for the dining room before we got our new table and chairs.

I love this English barley-twist set, it's been in Matt's family for years.  Just like the console in our entryway, it's more traditional than I would usually go for and that's part of the reason I love it.  It looks almost identical to this one.

*House of Cards spoiler {only if you haven't finished Season 2}
    Speaking of traditional every time I watch HOC I have a decorating identity crisis where I rethink everything I thought I loved and just want to go straight up federal.  And I'm really missing the Underwood's townhouse in Season 3.
    I like how they've done The White House, but it doesn't speak to me the way their brownstone did. I don't pause near as much this season to look at design details the way I did in seasons 1 & 2.  But we've also practiced a shocking amount of restraint and have only watched 5 episodes so maybe there's something more to come.

Anyway, after our real dining table came we pushed the leaves in on this one making it 34.5" and it wedges nicely in front of the window {do you see the snow outside, the coziness is almost too much}. This is the perfect perch for coffee, lunch, wine, and just for people to gather in the kitchen.

It's also a fun place to style vignettes, and really what could be more exciting? like the one above for Valentine's Day.

Or this one for Matt's birthday.

I added a mini West Elm mercury glass lamp to the kitchen shelves, you know, to really drive home the cafe vibe.

The view into the kitchen from the dining room.

Another update in the kitchen is this Persian rug.  It used to be in the living room but considering the living room needs a 10'x14' rug and this one is 3'x5' it just looked kind of silly.

I know putting nicer rugs in kitchens has been a growing trend for a while and I'm all about it.  I have to say unloading the dishwasher while standing on a Persian just feels luxe.  Gone are the misguided days of utility mats.

Probably most importantly it gives the girls somewhere soft to lay in the kitchen. They're always under my feet anyway so might as well make them comfortable.

Between adding seating in here and putting the rug down I think the kitchen is sitting pretty until it's time for the redo.

But, I mean, those cabinets.  Something has got to be done.  

{P.S. My little sister made a music video and it's the best thing} 

Recent Wares

The big stuff is exciting, but sometimes it's nice to look around at the smaller things that make home what it is.  There are some recent acquisitions around here that are making me smile, and while we're in need of rugs and a sideboard and armchairs and dressers, etc. etc. I find myself wanting to stop and inventory the little happys.

This marble trio from West Elm has me swooning over this corner of the kitchen.  That big slab is for rolling out dough, but now I'm dreaming of what marble countertops would like in place of the current stainless steel.  A dream that will have to live in my mind for now...and on Pinterest boards. 

I don't love the look of paper towels out on the counter, but function over form on this one so I set out to find the prettiest holder I could. 

I think the petite boxwood wreath hanging on the kitchen window is so charming, it's simple and fresh.  Perfect for going into spring. 

In the photo below, do you see those sponges peeking out?

I know sponges are an odd thing to hone in on, but the natural colors are so nice, much better than the neon ones I used to have.  The devil is in the details. 

This sweet boxer figurine, I recently pulled him out of a keepsake box. He belonged to my beloved Grandma who passed away when I was 13 years old.  I give her credit for my love, and by that I mean obsession, with dogs.  She had a boxer growing up so this was extra special to her.  It's a good reminder for my minimalist tendencies that not all tchotchkes are bad, a few could really mean a lot to someone one day. 

My new Kate Spade purse.  I've been searching for a new bag for months and finally got this one last week. I'm not one to have a purse collection, I have one bag that I carry day in and day out until it just can't go anymore. My old one was a tan Coach leather bag I carried for 3+ years and it was really looking long in the tooth.  I love this new bag, I think it's so classic and more importantly it layers in  nicely with the wall and the frames. 

I figure since this is where I'll hang it, it needs to look good on display.  Maybe that's why the search took an inordinate amount of time. 

This antique bench Matt found on Etsy.  It's mission style and is such a neat piece.  I like to imagine Frank Lloyd Wright would approve.  Its final landing spot is slated for the study, but it's hanging out in the living room for now. 

The girls seem particularly interested in it and I'm not really sure why.  

Must have years of good smells. 

That's actually pretty gross. 

But how cute does Birdie look when she yawns? 

And finally, a toy basket.  As I've mentioned before, Birdie was used for breeding before we adopted her and she has strong mothering instincts.  She would always carry "babies" around the house and I could tell it frazzled her a bit to not have a holding pen for them.

Now she walks by throughout the day and picks a baby up or drops a baby off, but she always knows where to find them.  We've taken to calling her "Mother Bird." 

Shep buries Nylabones beneath the babies in an effort to hide them from her recently adopted sister who came from a rough background. We're so proud.