notes worth taking

I am a complete and utter list person. What does this quite mean? Weeelll, it means that without a piece of paper and pen in my purse, by my bed, in the kitchen, and every other place in my house, I am a total mess. Plus I love love buying new cute notebooks to store all my lists (lists of things to do, things to buy, things to cook, etc)

Purchasing fun notebooks, calendars, and organizers is truly an exciting activity for me (yes I am that person standing in the "day planners" isle at Staples with four planners in hand deciding if I'll get bored looking at purple everyday, or if the blue bird print will bug me after a month).

Here are some adorably sweet notebooks to get you inspired too!

Robert Le Heros Journals are exceptionally chiq and very well made. I love the elastic strap for extra durability. His patterns are bold but very clean and refreshing. Retail for about $19. www.shopwritersbloc.com

I am a big Etsy Fan. Check out this great planner from Etsy shop Clann04.



Made from a recycled food box, this planner is truly one of a kind! Retails for $7 + shipping. Worth checking out - choose from Milk Duds to DiGiorno, lots of shapes and sizes. Very cute! Prices range from $4-$20! www.etsy.com

Barnes and Noble has to have one of the greatest selections of calendars, organizers, planners, and journals I could wish for! I can easily spend lots of time peeking through all of them. Plus, if you have a membership or a sister with a membership you get a pretty percentage off and maybe you could grab a coffee and book or two on your way out!


I love this planner by Silver Lining. Retails for about $8. Great color palate and very durable! www.bn.com

Happy planner-seeking!

books never looked so good

I know I've expressed my love for Etsy in the past - and here's another great shop I am so excited about - Pillowhappy! Her work is fabulous and so unique. I have my eye on her "Modern Poppy Bookends."


Retails for $22 for a set of two. Would make a great gift! I love that they don't look like your average serious bookends - they really are so chic: etsy.com. Her blue pairs and purple eggplant bookends are worth taking a look at as well. At first I thought they would look fantastic on a clear acrylic shelf - and I'm sure they still would, but then I saw this:

I fully understand that not everyone will appreciate the color coordination in the same way I do, but this "Viktor/Stodis" wall shelf from Ikea (ikea.com) really does work. It retails for about $6 and is the perfect size; length - 29.5" and depth - 11". While the mere thought of going to Ikea with a 16 month old really frightens me, it's worth it for items like this (I'll have to bring lots of snacks). You'll have to bring your bookends with you to mix and match.

Quick Tip: If you go with both colorful bookends and a colorful bookshelf, keep the book-cover colors as neutral as possible - it's much more pleasant on the eye and will enhance the richness of your shelf and bookends. Go with more colorful books if you choose a more neutral shelf.

that's a wrap

If there is one thing I simply cannot stand....well never mind, let me rephrase, amongst the many things I cannot stand, rolls and rolls of unorganized wrapping paper is definitely one of them. And no, I'm not saying that you need to make a whole wrapping room a la Candy Spelling (she has two!) Something neat and organized will do just fine.

Here's a common problem people make: buying oodles and oodles of wrapping paper - One for holidays, birthdays; boy and girl, showers, baby gifts, etc. and ending up with 25 rolls all over the place (I'm actually getting anxious from even thinking of it all!)

And AHHHHH here's a nice little way to get organized, fast!
1. Get rid of all that wrapping paper (yes, I understand you got it on sale, it was a great day - move on, get over it! let your kids trace each other on the white side).

2. Purchase either a large brown paper roll or a white roll, or both (don't get too excited, it's only if you have room). You can actually purchase the paper on huge rolls for about $45 (more or less depending on how much you buy) - but it's worth it! saves on contemplating which pattern to buy, rushing before a party, etc.

3. Now that it's in your house you're done! Okay, here's the EXTREMELY fun part: because your wrapping paper is neutral, you can go to any craft store and buy tons of ribbon varying in colors, materials, and patterns. Not too excited? Check out these cheap ribbons from michaels.com:



Their huge array will keep you in the isle forever! Ribbons retail from about $1.50 +. I love the look of a wide, brightly colored satin ribbon on a brown paper wrapped gift. A neutral Raffia would also look great:


Rafia is a must have around the house - a great way to make a gift look both personable and elegant. Don't forget to neatly store all your ribbon together! Wrapping will never be the same. (well, it will probably be really similar - just a little less unorganized and less annoying to look at).

bookshelves taken to a new level!

I recently came across an article on how to freshen up a room with a crowded bookshelf. The article said to take brown paper and cover each book with it and neatly write the title along the side of the book. This seemed so drab! I am not a fan of a room that looks like it had far too much time spent on it. Things always look so much more chic when they seem as though they were "thrown" together.

Here's a much easier way to make your bookshelves look put together without all the fuss: group them by color! it's actually that easy - and it makes such a difference, especially if it's in a den or a commonly-used room in your home. Check out this one below (from my sis's house):


These Ikea bookshelves (available in white, too!) retail for about $80 and are perfect for bins of toys and books! The grouped books are ever so pleasant on the eyes. And the combination of stacking the books alongside the standing ones give the shelves much more dimension and personality. Love it!