Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

See you sometime next year.

2 Bills 2 Blow - Corner of Main

Hi everybody! I’m Kelly from Corner of Main. I am uber excited to share what I would do with $200 burning a hole in my pocket! At first you may think $200 is a lot of money, but when you are trying to get the biggest bang for your buck it can get a little tricky.
I decided to pick out some décor items for our master bedroom which we recently updated, but are still in the process of adding some final touches. Here is a look at the (kinda empty) room:


I have started to add things here and there, but this corner could really use some help:


If I had about $400 I would ditch those grey chairs and get one pretty leather one (gotta stay focused here…that’s not the task). With $200 I would get rid of one of them, then I would add these beautiful items:

What you see here is:
1. Porter Leaner Mirror from Cost Plus World Market $119
2. Simple frame from Amazon $6.98
3. Vintage Big Poppy Print from Cartolina on Etsy $18
4. Rust Flounce Pillow from Pier 1 $23.96
5. Ivory Popcorn Throw from Pier 1 $31.96
That comes to…(drum roll please)………………………………….$199.90
That leaves me with 10 cents for a gumball.
What do you think? What would you buy (with $200, not ten cents)? If you want to read more about our master bedroom and our 1920's Colonial Home, come visit us at Corner of Main!
Thanks for having me Nikki!!

Christmas Decor 2011

Well, here is my house all decked out for Christmas. This is the tree in our living room. I thought about changing up my colors this year, but really, I still like the red/lime-y green/silver combo that I have had for years. So, I kept is simple and didn't buy anything new. I was just excited to be in a new house to decorate for Christmas. One that didn't require major furniture rearranging to accommodate the tree.

My mom gave us her old tree a few years ago, so we have 2 Christmas trees, lots of room, and a little boy that really wanted colored lights and mis-matched ornaments. Yep, we put up two trees. Sure it was a lot more work, but the boys think it is great and that is really all that matters. My mom was excited when I told her we were doing 2 trees so she went to HL and bought them a whole bunch of "boy" ornaments. Cade has also been coloring all kinds of things and hanging them on "his" tree. Good times. We still need a topper, but I'm holding out for the after Christmas sales.

It was fun to add a little Christmas cheer throughout my kitchen. This is the first time in a long time that I have had enough counter space.

 The Christmas balls landed on the chandelier in my kitchen. They are my fav Christmas decor this year. Oh, and when my mom walked in my house she said,"I like your big balls!" Ha, if you know my mom you know that she doesn't say things like that it. It was quite funny. These Christmas balls continue to make me laugh, but still not as good as last year.

 Breakfast table runner and simple hurricane.

 This is the first Christmas in 12 or 13 years that I haven't had a mantle. I tried the stockings a few places, but they finally landed on the banister. I just hung them with some leftover strips of fabric.

The entry table at the back door.

If you missed my dining room all decked out for Christmas you can see it here.

2 Bills 2 Blow - The Way We Are

Today we have Leah from The Way We Are. If you aren't familiar with her blog you are in for a treat.

Oh wow when Nikki asked me to be a part of this 2 bills 2 blow series, I was really excited! But it kinda just made me want to actually have 2 bills 2 blow!
So if I did have a couple hundred dollars lying around I would probably redo our entry a bit by buying a couple cool vintage posters. Such as these from Etsy...

via

And then I would buy a little side table like this one from Craiglist and paint it to go under the posters. Just to make a cool landing space for all our stuff when we walk in the door.

My inspiration came from this home that I saw in Lonny's latest issue. They have a really cool vintage poster of the movie Darling and I thought it was a great idea to mix that in with other great art.

Thanks for having me Nikki!
Luvs

Dare to - Deck the Halls

This weeks Dare to - Challenge was to  make something new to deck your halls with. I decided to go with a wreath. Actually, I started this wreath over a month ago at a bi-monthly craft group that I attend, and this was the push I needed to finish it. :)

Nice and easy. The only time consuming thing is cutting out all of the felt/fabric circles. I just did it while watching tv. You can go here for more details on how to make the wreath.

Now, if I could just decide on some wreaths for my front doors. They are still bare.

The Christmas Countdown!

You would think that I could have come up with some really cute and crafty advent calendar, BUT I did not. I decided to cut myself some slack.

We are still counting down the days until Christmas, and enjoying it, but we are doing it chalkboard style.

I should also add that my kids think this is great, and really, that is all that matters.

Are you giving yourself permission this Christmas to not do it all and just enjoy yourself? Do tell.


There is still time to help my friend Vicky with fundraising for the 2 girls she is adopting from China. She has purchased an iPad2 to giveaway. $10 = 1 entry, $25 = 3 entries. This is a great opportunity to be a blessing.

2 Bills 2 Blow - Teal and Lime

Hi, I'm Jackie from Teal & Lime. I am so excited Nikki asked me to share what I would buy with $200. I knew right away I would spend it all on our family room. The room has been a little neglected since we moved into this house. The room already has good furniture, even though the yellow chairs below are borrowed from the office when we have company.



I just updated our family gallery wall with our latest family portraits. The colors in the photographs are stunning. We dressed in aqua, red-orange, and olive green. The backdrop was yellow orange fall leaves. I want to draw these colors out and use them in accessories around the room. Here is a preview of the updated family gallery wall, that I have not even shared on my own blog yet.



To infuse the colors into the room and pull the room together, I would sprinkle around my $200 focusing primarily on turquoise, yellow, and red-orange accents. My favorite place to shop accessories is Etsy. Here is what I found for my $200. (Note: To stay under budget I fought the urge to have pillows in pairs and I am kind of liking the resulting eclectic mix.)





1. Hello wood sign from Oh Dier - $42 - I have adored this sign for so long. It is adorable, welcoming, and happy. I must have it.



2. Autumn Red-Orange Lattice Pillow from The Lacey Placey - $14.50 - the perfect shade of red-orange to compliment the teal and add a punch of color on the gray sofa.

3. Teal Chevron pillow from Nena Von - $25 - I really like the oversized chevron print. I already have a smaller scale yellow chevron print in the Eames chair, so this over-scaled version will be a fun contrast.

4. Pair of Architectural Wooden Corbels from Bodie and Boo - $29.99 - love these to serve as book ends for our photo albums.

5. Ornate Yellow Picture Frame from Michelle Lisa's Treasure Chest - $29 - I love yellow. This frame will bring a pop of yellow onto the built ins and tie in with the yellow chevron pillows and the yellow chairs when they are in the room. We already have lots of pictures in the room, so I think I will frame a nice quote like one of these I have been collecting on Pinterest.

6. Coca-Cola Soda Crate from First Comes Love - $40 - I want one of these to sit on the shel to hold the kids library books.

7. Cast Iron Architectural Finial from Pink Pelican Designs - $18 - great decor item to break up the monotony of bowls and vases I currently have going on

Grand Total= $198.50

So at first $200 does not seem like a lot, but with some shopping patience (Nikki gave me a few weeks to pull this together) it is amazing how many great accessories you can pull together for one room. I hope this inspires you to accessorize one of your neglected rooms.

Thanks for having me Nikki. It is the season of giving, so I won't spend money on myself right now, but after the holidays I may just have to blow 2 bills on all this great stuff. When I do I will definitely be back to share.