It is all about the pillow.

I don't know about you but I have an obsession with pillows.  It seems they can transform a room.  I have been looking for two years for a pillow or pillows to go with one of my sofas.  Yesterday, there it was for 1.99 at Goodwill:)

This was just the case and I washed it first:)  I love the felt.  It was difficult to find the right pillow due to the design on the fabric.  I think this does a great job of complimenting the sofa.  This pillow case is made by Ralph Lauren himself.

These ladies were found at my favorite shop in Gearhart.  I love them!

This just feels simple, elegant and clean. 

These pillows were found at Home Goods.  They totally changed the look of my sofa in this room.

I am sure I will find more pillows that I can show you in the future.  They are fun, and a fairly cheap way to change the look of a room. 

Happy Thursday! 

Again, I am outside and the sun IS SHINING!

Dylan just asked.... "Why is still nice out?"

Dena

Dressing a table.

Good afternoon:)

I am sitting outside writing this and I actually can see that big ball in the sky!  Something fun I like to do is look at Goodwill in their table cloth, shower curtain and curtain section.  I find fun fabric that I use to dress up tables.  Usually I dress up tables in the summer.  I like how you can use the same plates, etc. and get a totally different look.  Forgive the wrinkles I didn't iron first.

This was actually a table cloth.  I think it would be fun outside on a summer evening with twinkling lights strung up above.

This was actually a shower curtain.  I love to use this for my girl's birthday parties:)

This was a curtain.  I think this would be great for a tea party.

This was a piece of fabric.  Obviously this would look much better ironed.  This would be great for an intimate gathering.

This is another piece of fabric I picked up at Goodwill.  This would be great for Easter dinner.



All of these fabrics were no more than $2.99 at Goodwill.  They are easy to wash and you can be creative with your table cloths.  I also like to purchase white twin sheets that can be used for any occasion to make a table look elegant.

I hope you got to feel the warmth of that big ball in the sky:)

Happy Wednesday,

Dena

Saying goodbye

Today I had to say goodbye to my grandma.  The funeral was simple and elegant just as she was.  It is never easy to say goodbye.  Her life was a tribute to being kind, understanding, forgiving, giving, gracious, loving and so much more.  It was wonderful to see and hear how many people she has touched in her 81 years.  Funerals always make me remember the most important things in life, family and relationships with others.  The world and I will miss this woman who spent her life giving to others. 

Dena

Fun with decor.

Good afternoon.

I think all us moms out there sat for just a minute or two this morning and exhaled!  The kiddos went back to school today.  I love having mine home, but wow, are they LOUD.  It was nice to sit and sit and breathe:) 

I love it when I find something for a friend that will go perfect in their home.  Yesterday was one of those days.  My friend Tina has a ski lodge feel to her home.  This is what I found:

Snow Shoes:)  I can't wait to see what she does with these!



Probably the biggest thrill of shopping at thrift stores is you never know what you are going to find.  The question I always ask after I find it is "how did I live without this?:)"

I was asking myself that very question when I saw this wooden game board.  I thought about my family by the fire drinking hot chocolate and playing games with this board.  Even though we never have a fire.  The board seems to have a history of being loved and well used.

Then there is this adorable mini candle holder.  What did I do before I had this?  Isn't it so cute?  I don't know what I am going to do with it, any ideas?  I couldn't not buy it, especially when it was only .99!

This fun thrifty shopping experience only cost 8.99 all together!  What a great day.

I hope you are enjoying your Monday.

Dena:)

I LOVE Goodwill:)

Good morning ladies,

I haven't mentioned for a little bit how much I love Goodwill.  I had a girlfriend day yesterday and we hit the Portland Goodwill's.  We had such a great time.  We found drinking glasses, vases, cool plates and little glass bunnies.  I found this cool plate and new I had to find something to glue under it.  My good friend Anna saved the day with this cool .99 glass candle holder.  I got out my beloved glue gun and went to work.

Here is the final product.  Isn't it great?  I think I probably glued it crooked, but that is what makes it unique right?

Happy Saturday to you all:) 

I think my eyes see the SUN!

Dena

Welcome to my dream, please don't wake me:)

Good evening.  I found myself happily looking through past issues of Coastal Living.  So sit back and enjoy the dream:)

Grab a drink!

Welcome to my house.

What a beautiful day to have a meal on the deck don't you think?

Which bedroom do you want?

Don't you love the head board?

I hope you all don't pick the same one:)

Hmmmmmmmm!  My insides are drooling!

Look at that cool huge sink.

When we are in Maui we drive past a wooden whale sign daily just like the one in the picture.  I always tell Wayne we are going to take it home with us.  That hasn't happened yet:(

The sad thing is I probably couldn't even afford this shed.....

Oh well, it was fun to dream:)

Happy Thursday,

Dena

Just add sparkle.

I am that person who doesn't stop decorating a piece until it has some sparkle.  It is fun adding unexpected items to a decoration.

 This arrangement keeps getting more and more decorated:)  I inherited many chandelier jewelry and I love to put them on everything.  I found the cool turquoise flower at Goodwill.  My good friend Heather gave me the Eiffel Tower ornament.  I love how eclectic this arrangement looks.

 I got the letters from Pottery Barn and they are also supposed to be ornaments... I see a theme here with ornaments:)  Instead of putting candles in the holders I put in some cool shells .  Again, I placed some of my inherited chandelier jewelry on my candle holder.  I LOVE silver glitter!  The star at the top is covered in silver shiny glitter:)

I found that cool crown in the middle at Goodwill.  It makes my candle holder look so regal don't you think?  I also took napkin holders and placed them inside each candle holder.  They have nice beads dangling off.

I hope your day was good.  I got to go get my hair done at my friend Beth's salon in downtown Portland.  I was in the chair for FOUR hours.  She did things to my hair I have never seen or imagined would be done.  My husband knew I was getting my hair done, he just didn't know I was going to a new person in downtown Portland instead of in Bethany, would cost me more money and would make him have to cook dinner.  The good news is that he did notice a difference in the color and he actually liked it better:)  So I was off the hook and forgiven for not planning dinner and for spending more money:)   Whoopsies, I haven't told him it cost more money.... maybe he won't ask:)

Anywho, if you are in need of a new stylist, I have a name:)  Thank you Beth!

Happy Wednesday,

Dena

Welcome to my world.

Yesterday was the day to tackle Sammy's room.  I wish I could blame it all on her... however, I am the one who buys clothes for her.  Oh and did I mention that when we were finished we had 20 cute white baskets with pink checkered liners left?  I think I thought that if I gave her baskets for her stuff it would become organized.  In the end we filled three huge garbage bags with clothes, two huge garbage bags with toys to donate, one huge garbage bag full of garbage and one huge garbage bag full of recycle.  Here is what it looked like during our clean out:

Six hours later:

I couldn't have done this without Alex's help!  Here is to a new day without any organizing:)

Happy Tuesday,

Dena



Thinking Spring

Yesterday marked the first day of spring but for us in Portland, it is just more of the same, cloudy skies and rain:(  Yesterday when I was out and about I found a few things that reminded me of spring.

I know, it looks like a table cloth!  I guess you either love this or hate this!  It seems to be hand made and is reversible:

I think it is wonderful and I can't wait to wear it out of the house:)

Down came the snowman and up went a bunny I found in Sammy's stuffed animal bin. 

Try to look beyond the naked branches and look at the jar with a wire handle.  I cut some flowers from my yard and hung it.  The water looks cloudy and makes me wonder if I should be drinking my tap water.

I also hung a beaded lantern.  Now I have to wait for it to stop raining so I can light a candle:)

I don't know what kind of a flower this is but I like it:)

This is a star of Bethlehem and it flowers for a few weeks.  So pretty:)

I hope you are enjoying your first day of spring break and are eating bon bons while watching your favorite movie:)

Dena

Happy Spring!

The birds are chirping, the mowers are going and I am smiling:)  With a spring in my step I had such fun taking down my snowmen, my snow flakes, my evergreen trees.  In their place are flowers, and more flowers:)

I got this banner off of etsy.  It was fun to take down the winter banner.  Is it wrong that I wish we could fast forward right now and put up the summer banner?

This is my favorite frame found at Goodwill.  Out went the let it snow and in went spring.

On my porch out went the snowmen.

In went something lighter and brighter.

I needed another flower for this vase.  I decided to bring some buds indoors.  This came from my flowering pear tree out front.  Wayne will be happy that it didn't cost a dime:)

While I was cutting off the budding branch I spied some more flowers.. I think it looks so sweet in this little jar.

I changed out my Winter paper for the flower sticker.  I didn't like how it looked.

I fiddled a bit and I like this much better.

I hope you have a wonderful first day of spring.  Now I need to figure out what is going to rest on my old water skis.  The snowman needs to hibernate:)

Dena