meanwhile...

Ok, I've been radio silent while I walk, eat spicy food, do jumping-jacks and pretty much anything else I can think of to get this baby out.  But since she's not budging, I thought I'd go ahead and introduce a new idea I've had.  For the little while, I'm going to use this as a online shopping round up- my fav things at the best prices, keeping in line with the Suburban Style philosophy- that the cutest trends in home, fashion and beauty should still be accessible to a mom in a minivan.  Sales don't last forever, so to avoid missing out- hit the subscribe button or follow me on Bloglovin'.  Enough chatter- here are today's best steals.

Tuscan Storage Coffee Table- I am all about adding storage space, and when it comes in this beautiful rustic elm finish- I love it even more.  $560.95 on Joss&Main

My favorite coats are the ones I buy when it's too late in Spring to wear them- that's because as the weather heats up, the prices come down, and I get super cute fall styles at screaming deals.  I love this "Ganache and Golly" coat with faux fur and velvet trim from Modcloth.  I'd really consider it at full price- $164.99, but on sale for $49.99, how can you go wrong?
 

Brightly colored denim is HUGE for Spring (does that mean the 90's are vintage?!)  but I'm not sure its a look that is going to last more than one season.  I love to buy trendy items like this from a few trusted, less expensive stores.  Old Navy has skinny and flared styles of colored denim, I love this pair of slim flare in "Blue Moon" easy to try at a whopping $25. 







Happy Shopping- let me know your thoughts on the new format!

Chandelier Tree- great idea I can take no credit for...

Yesterday, I came across this picture on pintrest an thought to myself "now that's how you decorate a chandelier"

photo from http://pearls-handcuffs-happyhour.blogspot.com//

I followed the link to Pearls Handcuffs and Happy Hour and checked out this post.  Turns out that this is a super easy DIY project that even I can do... and it cost a whopping  $9.96  thanks to the Michael's holiday blow-out sale I hit yesterday during lunch. 

If you are keeping track, thats:
$2.49 for 1 nine foot garland
$2.99 for the wreath
1.99 for the cranberry garland I dismantled (cheaper than buying individual picks in the floral section)
2.49 for the ribbon (with plenty left over for gift wrapping)

That's actually a savings off the $12 price tag on the original post (already super cheap!) 

And here it is...

Haul out the holly...

My husband just spent the better part of the evening schlepping all our Christmas decoration up the from the garage, and I was greeted with 32 years of holiday.  Hooray!

Although I never part with anything Christmas related, I have created some very specific rules around what goes on display- simply put, it has to be red or gold.  No silver bells and no green- unless its pine scented.  The only exceptions being our actual tree decorations- our tree is like a scrap book and I'd take the memories over the department store perfect tree anytime.

I was looking through the decorations and mulling over the dress your space philosophy.  I've mentioned it before, but I love the idea that thoughtful decor would reflect the same taste as a great outfit.  Well, consider this dressing your space in reverse... and check out these great holiday duds inspired by my fav decorations, and with an eye towards your budget, nothing over $100.

ps... can we have a moments pause for that red handbag from DSW?  $35- really?!  I'll race you to it.

Haul Out The Holly by substyle featuring a disco dress

Oasis crepe dress
$75 - oasis-stores.com

Moon Collection disco dress
$53 - modcloth.com

BKE top
$28 - buckle.com

Cropped jacket
£24 - houseoffraser.co.uk

Jersey pants
£19 - houseoffraser.co.uk

Nine West slip on shoes
$80 - zappos.com

La Regale metallic clutch
$30 - macys.com

Red handbag
$35 - dsw.com

Thomas Paul Flash Sale

Today on Haute Look, New York fashion designer turned furniture visionary Thomas Paul is showing in an invite only flash sale- use this link as your invitation to view.  Great classic lines in big, bold prints and with the most modern color pallets.  This is a great change to embrace the "dress your nest" philosophy.  Here are some of my favs... and what I'd like to wear with them.

Dress your nest by substyle featuring plunging neckline tops

Zimmermann cutout dress
850 AUD - zimmermannstore.com

Mulberry print cocktail dress
$850 - mulberry.com

French Connection cotton dress
£69 - mylabel.co.uk

Missoni plunging neckline top
$552 - theoutnet.com

Flower top
$15 - kohls.com

Hobbs floral jacket
£179 - johnlewis.com

Tory Burch low heel boots
$495 - net-a-porter.com

Hand Scraped Hardwood- SUPER DEAL

I love the look of hand scraped hardwood.  It has this combination of elegance and rusticity, and in a room with good light the detail is amazing.

I was at my brother-in-law's house and they just put in a section of engineered hardwood with a hand scraped finish.  I was drooling over it when he dropped the bomb... it was under $3 per square foot.

WHAT?!

And self installed.  My brother-in-law is very talented, just because he can do it, doesn't mean we can... but he popped a piece out to show me it clicked together.  CLICKED- no nails, no glue... just laid it over the old floor.

It is real wood so doesn't have the spongy feel or fake look of pergo, and sells for $2.98 at Home Depot.

Love!

Fall Fashion At Home

To my husbands delight, football season started yesterday.  The unofficial beginning of Fall.  We were also met with the first cool cloudy day of the season.  It had me thinking about unpacking all the things that cozy-up my house for the cool days of Autumn and Winter.  I love LOVE fall fashion.  I love the deep warm colors and lux fabrics- I could live in sweaters and wool skirts.  This year I am on a mission to bring some of that great fall chic into my home.  Here are a couple of my favorite fall fashion trends reflected in great decorating accessories that you can layer into your own decor.

Hounds-tooth; nothing says chic like a crisp hounds-tooth... I wear it on shoes or in skirts.  I love it on this pillow for it's soft neutral color.  It will look effortless on any sofa or chair

Cashmere; what's not to love?  It's the ultimate luxury in scarves, sweaters, even socks!  I ache for this cashmere throw- it does not fall into my decorate on a budget stance at all... $400 on Overstock (but hey- its $420 at Saks...) There are less costly versions, even faux cashmere for as low as $40- but the cable knit of this throw screams comforts and luxury.

Rich fall colors; I love fall for red lipstick, darker hair color and the gorgeous warm tones of brown and gold.  Check out this amazing color pallet from HGTV.  My walls are actually a similar shade of brown, now I just need to bring in these rust and caramel colored accents.

...here comes the sun burst

Part of my desire to bust out of boring suburbia means buying more furniture from consignment and antique stores.  Honestly, it's more my taste anyhow.  But every once in a while I have to let that go and venture into a "big box store" (I mean Target, not WalMart, a girl has to have standards)

I  have to admit, with the rotating guest designers, and all Target is kinda living up to it's French name "Tar-jay".  One example is a gold sunburst mirror like this one for a cool $89.99

I am still obsessing over blue couches... imagine it with this amazing sofa at Danish Modern L.A.

...or these white leather chairs from Groovy Girls Etsy Store  (someone had the same idea with the sunburst)

Hi Groovy Girl, I noticed someone beat me to these, but have no fear... I'm sure I'll be buying from you in the near future...

Fall Centerpiece

A few weeks ago I found this great wooden platter at a consignment store near our home- $8 and loos great on our table.  Problem is now we have this empty black tray on our table.  I had experimented with placing some fruits in it- apples were pretty, and the first green pears of the year look great (I'm sure some Anjou pears would be really beautiful a little later in the Fall.)  But honestly, if I leave fruit on my table like that, its going to rot.  Suddenly I'll have fruit flies and weird smell in the dining room and I won't know why... yes- that is embarrassing to admit.

Liking the nice round organic shape of the fruit, and not really wanting the nice flying organic accompaniments of the fruit flies, I started looking at decorative balls- there are lots out there... although they can be pricey.  These are beautiful, though the matching bowl isn't really for me

I found some great options while I was at Lamps Plus yesterday buying my new lampshade!  A whopping $2.15 each... and in colors I love with my Southern Spanish influenced runner.  By the way- a tip from my tears at an art gallery- unless you are using pairs of something for impact (lamps, candlesticks etc) decorate with odd numbers- it feels more organic. 

Light it up

If I had to describe my design philosophy, I would probably say contemporary Hollywood regency.  I love the mid-century modern basics with touches of Chinoiserie.  My great-grandma gave me some of her furniture and housewares when we moved her out of her home.  I was in my early 20’s, and needed to furnish an apartment.  She needed a good home for a lifetime’s worth of belongings.  At the time they were just hand-me-downs with emotional attachment, but now I see them as mid-century treasures; a great china cabinet with solid clean lines, a leather ottoman and these fabulous lamps.  This is one half of a pair- the other one is tucked away until I have some tabletop space for it.  My husband thinks my attachment to these is a symptom of pack rat behavior but with new lampshades I think I have converted this into a centerpiece of our living room.

  My favorite part?  Check out how the base lights up- perfect to leave on if we are out for the evening, or a little mood lighting.

Does this make me a wallflower?!

When my daughter was first born, I found my self watching a lot of late night TV.   One of my staples was HGTVs Design Star- and ever since then I always stop when I see it on.  The 2010 Design Star champ, Emily Henderson, has a show called "Secrets From A Stylist."  The principle is that your wardrobe should inspire your decor.  Makes perfect sense, right?  The good news is, I think I've got this down- my home ties right into my wardrobe... the bad news?  They are both kind of boring; neutral color pallet, minimal risk, no surprises.  In this case I am certainly the before:

Not bad.  But not memorable.

Oh to be the after...

Check out that sapphire sofa... if I die and come back as a piece for furniture I want to be that sofa.  Maybe my husband can be the chandelier and we can live happily ever after together.

Okay, here is the plan.  I'm going to return the black sweater I just bought at H&M.  Its cute- kind of a funky sillouette.  It's also the fifth black sweater I own.  Then I am making a resolution to buy two somethings totally unexpected.  One for my home and one for my closet.  Maybe a little inspiration can give me a jump start.