My past two weeks have been beyond hectic, and I’m having major blog-neglect-anxiety. So many things to post, so little time!

I’ve been so busy I haven’t wrapped any presents, I haven’t even been able to buy a Christmas tree. I’m going away this weekend, so I’m not sure 2009 will be Christmas tree year at all, which is a major bummer because I’ve been snatching up some cute vintage inspired ornaments and scouring for ShinyBrites to add to my collection. I’ve been thinking to cut down on the stress levels, I might take a cue from these inspiring pictures and display my collection in some bowls and vases around my apartment:

via Apartment Therapy, HGTV, and Country Living

I’m so excited, my cousin just gave birth to her first child, a baby boy named Samuel. And also exciting, I just finished a baby quilt for her… and don’t act surprised, I went with yellow and grey.

I’m jealous of the baby though, I want to keep it for myself. At least I have some fabric leftover, because I’m obsessed with the grey faux bois Joel Dewberry fabric:

My sister and I are freaks, and after Thanksgiving dinner last week, we went to Michael’s to take advantage of their 40% off pre-Black Friday deal (our cousin and aunt came too — at least the crafting freak flag is hereditary).

(Side note: you really don’t want to know what kind of people go to a craft store at 9:00 on Thanksgiving night, it’s a scary breed).

When the two of us get together, it’s usually crafting pandemonium. We’ve been emailing back and forth about the great ideas on P.S. I Made This, and decided we had to make her animal print tote.

A blank canvas tote… a few stencils… some metallic sharpies… and several hours of permanent marker fumes…

And poof! Animal print tote!

I’m debating whether or not to monogram mine like my sister did, check it out here.

And now the real holidays begin, Happy Black Friday! Kate Spade has been getting me in the holiday spirit with all of the Christmas present bow-inspired pieces. Happy shopping today!

I spent my lazy Sunday afternoon organizing my closet, getting rid of things, storing summer clothes, and grouping things by like color and style. Being the organizational dork that I am, it was quite the relaxing experience. What’s nice about a clean, organized closet is that you get to take inventory of what you have and often start to notice trends, like for example, I own enough little black dresses to get me through weeks of work without ever having to repeat.

Another trend I noticed? I’m not allowed to buy any more animal print… anything.  If three is a collection, what qualifies as an obsession? I think I’m there; this doesn’t even include my animal print purses or sweaters.

My design crush on Thom Filicia, if this is even possible, just grew a little bigger. He did a Designer Visions showhouse for House Beautiful and was asked to base his design on a movie. Well, as the astrological design stars aligned, Thom picked The Big Chill – which just happens to be one of my favorite movies of all time!

Thom Filicia Big Chill Bedroom for HB

And I’m not just excited because of our shared interests, the showhouse wasn’t so shabby either. I’m jumping over backwards for the master bedroom; its totally glamorous. Major props for the mismatched night stands, it adds interest but the matching table heights and reading lamps gives it a cohesive look.

 

It’s snowing in Boston today. Oh and also, it’s October 18th. How does that happen?

What would be really nice on this snowy October Sunday is a crackling fire. Unfortunately, my fireplace is only decorative. So some decorative fireplace eye candy will have to keep me warm instead!

domino_fireplace

cottage living fireplacedomino_fireplace2

Images via Domino, Cottage Living, Domino

Getting back to the grind after a long weekend wasn’t too bad today, and I think it was partially more manageable because I had such a fun weekend. I saw my sister, went hiking and leaf-peeping with my boyfriend and had a day of Fall fun with my girlfriends. We spent the day at the SOWA Open Market, browsing the flea market and taking in the sights and scents of Fall.

I can’t believe I’ve lived here for six years and never once went to this market before; it was a great browsing adventure and I even scored a few finds: a vintage Reiner record — I love the colors and text — to frame for my wall, and some fun eggplant beads.

IMG_1312I was eyeing these vintage suitcases, but unfortunately they weren’t for sale… the woman manning the booth used them to transport the jewelry she was selling.

IMG_1293The best part of the market was eyeing all of the gorgeously displayed and richly colored produce at the farm booths:

IMG_1301IMG_1299IMG_1300IMG_1298IMG_1297The weather, the smells, the clothes… everything fell into place for one of those quintessential Autumn weekends, even our cocktails were Fall colors!

IMG_1305

Country Living Flutes

It’s time to celebrate, this is my 100th post! Just eight short months ago I started DomestiKatedLife and let me tell you, it’s getting more fun with each click of the ‘publish’ button. So I thought for the big 100 I’d share some eChampagne and decorate with tissue pom-poms. I adore the Martha Stewart pom-pom kits and love the ways that people have incorporated them for parties and sometimes even in their every-day decor… afterall, we should be festive every chance we get!

martha stewart pom pom

before and after - ashley’s pallet daybed designsponge

Mia's Birthday Party 10.18.08 by star+flower flickr

Images via Country Living, Martha Stewart, DesignSponge, and Star+Flower Flickr stream

I’ve finally had some time to really delve into the Ikea 2010 catalog, after it sat, staring me in the face on my coffee table for the past two weeks, begging for attention. While the selection of new products didn’t turn on any light bulbs over my head, I was impressed by the styling. Several of the room spreads were a big departure from their usual stark-sweedish-modern aesthetic, and seemed to be pulling inspiration from designers and shelter mags. I played a little game of memory and matched up a few of my favorite pictures from the catalog with similar counterparts…

ikea room 1

This Ikea room is a ringer for the masculine library featured below (via this is glamorous), as well the eclectic mix featured in a Domino spread.

via this is glamourous - carter smiths home

Domino room2

And in a brighter, more playfully styled room, this Ikea room seems to draw in the inspiration of  Nick Olson and Miles Redd (both from features in Domino).

ikea room 3

Nick Olsen Domino

Miles Redd Domino

 
 
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