Ho Ho Ho!

{the family tree}

{simple decorations for my room}

{a little tree just for me}

{we went to see the Nutcracker and I got this souvenir}

An example of Kawaii

http://www.supercutekawaii.com/2008/11/new-cuteness-in-the-shop/

I learned a new word!

KAWAII : Japanese culture of cuteness :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuteness_in_Japanese_culture

Happy December!

Happy December everyone! There's snow on the ground in Normal-town!

Things to do - In Bloom

Last week M and I went to a local shop called The Garlic Press and took a class called The Cheese Board and Beyond.

Pictured above is the cheese plate we tasted and learned all about. A little tip I learned from the class: when creating a cheese plate start with the mildest cheese and work your way up to the strongest. An example of a mild cheese: a triple creme from France, and an example of a strong cheese: anything with the word Bleu in it. ;)

Happy Pizza

I know that pizza is bad for you (curses!) but this is so cute! I want to make home made pizzas for my friends and family that look just like this.

Inspiration Wall - A Common Theme

Everywhere I look clever bloggers and designers, from Rachel Ashwell to Martha Stewart, are posting images of their inspiration walls. Depending on what inspires you and keeps your creative juices flowing, there are many interpretations of the inspiration wall.

I started mine in high school and it has been growing ever since. For me it's more of a happy memories wall, but since I've had it for so long, I would never dream of taking it down. I will still be admiring it into my eighties and smiling at all the wonderful memories I have made.

Do you have an inspiration wall?

{a cute and kitschy version}

{Rachwell Ashwell's inspiration wall}

{this one is mine :)}

{beautiful}

{gorgeous}

Farm-centric

Since moving back to the Midwest, I've noticed how corn and farm centric this part of the country is, and I had to share some selects from my farm-centric surroundings:

{corn sculpture at a local art gallery}

{Is it necessary to warn us of a 5 ton vehicle moving 5 miles an hour?}

{post card from our cross country road trip}

{an amazing magazine just for farmers}

{local corn star posing for a pic at the Bloomington, Indiana Corn Fest}

Home Office

A wise woman once said, "Your office is your second home", and another wise woman said, "Your home should rise up to meet you."

Since my first job and my first apartment, I have always believed in both. That's why at the office I love to surround my self with cute and little things that brighten up any work day.

I am coveting these file folders from Jonathan Adler. Thank goodness someone started taking note on where design and office supplies can be happily married.

Happy Monday!

Speaking of Charlie Brown

I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but I'm getting really excited for the most wonderful time of the year.

I saw this Charlie Brown Christmas Tree online at Target.com and I think it is the must have Christmas decoration of the season.

We are kicking off the season this weekend with The Festival of Trees on Friday, a shopping trip in the suburbs on Saturday and the annual Uptown (Downtown) Normal Christmas Open House on Sunday complete with wassail, carriage rides and Santa Claus.

Pictures and updates to come...

It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!

The other night I noticed that one of our pumpkins looks a lot like Charlie Brown.

Cute Overload

For all things cute and also little, cuteoverload.com is the mother load.

Here is one of my favorite blog entries titled "The Rules of Cuteness":

http://cuteoverload.com/tag/the-rules-of-cuteness/

And for a little bit of cute for today... pictured above is my friend's little girl in her Halloween costume! So cute!

A little bit of cute for today

I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween! Hello November!

Happy Halloween Party

Last weekend my friend K. and I went to a Halloween party in the suburbs. Our hosts have a fairly new house that was decked out in the cutest Halloween decor I think I have ever seen. This made me want an adobe all my own that I could fill with classy, not cheap and cheesy, holiday decorations.

Bravo to our hosts for a wonderful soiree, and bravo to the guests for amazing and creative costumes. Some of my favorites, which I'm sharing with you so you can plagiarize them, were Tiger and Ilan Woods, a Chilean miner, Kenny Powers and "Snooki" from Jersey Shore.

My personal favorite was Patrick Bateman from American Psycho, complete with a Huey Lewis CD and a Patrick Bateman business card. Very impressive.

Here are some selects from the event:

"I need to return some videos."

Most adorable Halloween decorations ever. I heard the candelabras are Martha Stewart. ;)

Custom made cupcakes and Halloween cake. The cake was entirely edible and yes, we did eat it. My favorite piece is the spider web table runner below the cake. I want it!!

Birthday Party Weiner Roast

My very good friends threw me a welcome home birthday party at their house. It was complete with good food, great friends, a fire pit, games and a baby Adirondack chair.

Here are few selects from a wonderful day:

Frank Junior is very photogenic.

As well as very friendly. Here he is wearing "Uncle" Kevin's hat.

Just like old times. I love it when you see an old friend and it's as if you never left.

Dawn, aka the best hostess ever, bought the cutest Halloween accouterments.

One of the best parts of having an October birthday, is being able to have a Halloween themed party.

Seasonal Cuteness

An orange bell pepper carved into a pumpkin.

Miniature pumpkins decorate a window sill.

A pumpkin for the backyard.

Festive pasta for the kids, and the kid in me.

A pumpkin spiced scented candle and mini pumpkin for my room.

Pumpkin coasters, a gift from a very good friend. :)

The littlest things

Everything has a place and that includes the littlest things, like a collection of foreign coins and vintage jewelry.

That's why I love my collection of mini plates and bowls. It's a great place to store the littlest of things. :)

Twin Bunnies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtbrLIwKWWA&feature=player_embedded

Happy Fall

You Can Take It With You

I lived in Southern California for 11 years. My dream was (is) to have a little cottage (apartment) by the beach. For 7 of the 11 years I was in California, I lived on the West Side, where the ocean air changes everything about your living situation.

When I moved back to Illinois, I wanted to bring some of that beach feeling home with me:

seashells next to a little bit of inspiration

a picture of the beach that hangs on the wall

seashells in a decorative container

and a collection of small shells in a poi bowl

The Little Things That Make Me Happy

This week I'll be sharing some of the little things I keep around me that make my room, my home, and make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Check back for a few of my favorite (and also little) things.

I want to take this one home. :)

A tisket a tasket a little in a basket

Angry & Cute

Are you threatening me?!

I'll cut you!

I need help with this one

What does he look like he's saying to you?

In Chewbaca voice, "aaaaaaaaaanh"

Cute Pics with Cute Captions

Being little all day long