Osborne and Little Wallpaper-Fabulous & Divine!

Our favorite line of wallpaper is from Osborne and Little. It's an English company that makes really funky and fun wallpapers. We don't like to use too much of it though, mainly because it's just TOO much. It's best used in a bathroom, an accent wall or a powder room.

Here are some our of our favorite from the new collection--it's fun, it's colorful, it's bright--just what we need in these trying economic times...

Osborne & Little wallpapers come in European rolls, which is the equivalent of our US double roll (11 yards). They are quite pricey (running about $150-300 retail per roll). Here's a good discount source for Osborne and Little wallpapers.

To see more of the collections, go to http://www.osborneandlittle.com/.

Beach Residence, Sullivan Island by Huff + Gooden Architects LLC

Located on a well-populated barrier island, the design breaks away from prevailing beach house typology and finds its clues for development in other ways.

Conceptually, the house created by Sullivan Island by Huff + Gooden Architects LLC consists of three parts: a latticed screen, a cube comprising the living area, and a linear bedroom/core element completing the composition.

The site is located in front of three WW2 bunkers. These sentinels have presided over this former military reservation for decades. The house continues this posture and resides near the edge of the beach providing both a reprieve from and connection to the beach beyond. The house is on axis with the bunkers and completes the formation as viewed from the beach.

Personal residence of Grant Kirkpatrick by KAA Design Group

The LA Times has a photo slideshow of this home in Manhattan Beach, California. The house is the personal residence of Grant Kirkpatrick, who is a principal of KAA Design Group in Los Angeles.

In a Minute

I'm such a mom! You know how when you're in the middle of things and one of your children asks you for something and you automatically reply, "In a minute" (am I the only mom that does this?!?). And then you continue to do the ninety million things you were in the middle of doing. And that minute turns into several minutes....

Well that's my life right now. I WILL give you some ideas for inexpensive gift ideas......in a minute.

Small house in garden by the name of Archteam

I came across a Czech architecture company by the name of Archteam; their “House in the garden” is a small house, which is located on a long, narrow lot and I thought it could be a source of inspiration for narrow lot plan seekers.

The “House in the garden” is a small, two-story family house located about 270 km from Prague, in the quiet town of Kromeriz in southern Moravia. It was placed on a narrow, long lot with existing mature trees, which presented a challenge for the architects.

I love how this wood house is designed to work with the narrow lot and not against it - the long entrance wooden deck pathway leads to the house, its gallery spaces and glass walls.

It seems as if this small house design only enhances the characteristics of its narrow lot, as if it’s an integrated part of the garden and its large trees.

Sharing the Blog Love

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU
for all of your kind and encouraging words!

The fall stuff is in the basement and
the Christmas decorations
are starting to make their appearance.
Your blog love gave me the energy I needed
to jump in and get to work.
Blogging has taught me a very important fact of life:
There are
incredibly good people
in this world!
Especially in the blog world!
I appreciate the goodness
that you so willingly share.

I've had a few requests for
inexpensive Christmas gift ideas.
I have a few to share.
But I thought it might be fun if we ALL
come up with an idea or two.
That way there will be a TON to choose from,
and we'll be able to save a lot of time
and money this year.

So start thinking now and
on Friday I'll share my list with you.
Then you can leave your ideas in the comments.
I won't include Mr. Linky on this.
I know how busy everyone is right now
and I refuse to add one more thing to your list,
like having to make or post something extra.
You could also email me your idea before Friday
at joysofhome@gmail.com

Now, I'm off to unload a few more Christmas boxes.
I promise to share some photos tomorrow.

very modern house or avant garde architecture

New Urbanism tenets, applied to New Towns and other communities, are based on high density development giving over green space to the public good, a central business core with close by residential development, and restrictive covenants governing the styles of architecture prescribed.

In most cases, garages are relegated to rear alleys so as not to crowd the front elevations. Period features are based on regional styles. Some communities allow very modern or avant garde architecture, such as in Prospect, Colorado.

Most are based on traditional Colonial, Mediterranean, Victorian, Low Country, and Classical Revival styles.

The Whole Truth

I appreciate each and every one of you who take the time to read my blog!!!
I especially want to thank those who leave me a comment. You are all so very kind! Your notes are often the only thing that keeps me blogging. I must tell you though, that when I read comments that say you wish you had my energy, or you would like to get as much done as I do, I have to chuckle. The truth is, I have a hard time accomplishing everything on my To-Do list too. For instance, if you walked into my house right now, you would be very, very disappointed. Instead of seeing a home beautifully decorated for Christmas, you would see this:Boxes and bags full of fall decorations waiting to be taken downstairs and properly put away. And there are boxes and boxes full of Christmas decorations waiting to be brought upstairs. In my backyard you would see my son's desk needing the finishing coats of spray paint.

SO THERE YOU HAVE
THE WHOLE TRUTH.

I am NOT a super woman. I do not have boundless amounts of energy. I have NOTHING exciting to post today because I'm busy playing catch-up.
OH, how I *WISH* that sleep was optional!!! I could use that six to seven hours to decorate and clean my home, as well as spend time reading and leaving witty and kind comments on all of your wonderful blogs!

It's an Advent

Advent calendars are always a fun Christmas tradition, but they can be pricey. I thought I'd share a few inexpensive ideas for making your own count down to Christmas. I know that it's already the first day of December, but these ideas are so easy that you can make your own advent calendar today. Keep in mind that I'm showing you the SIMPLE version. You can make these as fancy as you desire.
This idea has been around for several years, but sometimes the old ideas are really the best. All you need is plastic wrap, twenty four items of your choosing, and plenty of ribbon for tying (I used curling ribbon but you can use the real fancy ribbon too). The items can be as simple and inexpensive as using candy kisses or as elaborate and costly as using full size candy, little toys, or tiny tree ornaments. That's the beauty of this idea, you can customize it to your family.
First pull out a long sheet of plastic wrap. It's best to leave it on the roll and cut it after you know how much you need. Lay out the items of your choosing in a line down the middle of the wrap, leaving a little space between each item. When all twenty-four items are laid out, cut off the plastic wrap leaving six to eight inches from the final item. Take one side of the wrap and fold it over the items, (similar to wrapping a burrito). Fold the other side over and roll the entire line of items into a long skinny tube. Cut short lengths of ribbon and tie in between each item. If you want to hang the tube of goodies you can attach it to a small wreath or you can do what I did and tie onto an inexpensive bracelet. If you want the bracelet to look like a wreath, simply cut small strips of plastic wrap or ribbon and tie several onto the bracelet until it's full and fluffy.
Each day cut below the ribbon to reveal that day's goodie.

The dollar store is a great place to find items to make advent calendars.

I picked up this sticker book to use
for the numbers on the advent items.I found these cute little boxes in the wedding section. There are eight to a package which means
you only need three packages.
Fold and fill each little box with a treat.
Attach a number to each box, then set all of the boxes
on a pretty cake plate or in a beautiful bowl. Now you have an advent calendar that doubles
as a simple, elegant Christmas decoration.

These little metal containers can also be found in
the wedding section of the dollar store. You can pop out the clear part of the lid and trace
around it on wrapping or scrapbook paper. Cut out the circle, and pop it back into the lid.
Add the numbers and fill the containers with little treats.
You can add strong magnets to the back of the container, if you want to stick them onto a cookie sheet or the fridge.
Or, simply fill a basket with the metal containers.

HERE'S A ANOTHER GREAT IDEA:

Try making an advent calendar filled with activities instead of candy or treats. Some suggestions include:

Go on a nature walk
Write a letter to Santa
Do a good deed for a neighbor
Read a Christmas story together
Give money to a bell ringer
Go for a ride to see Christmas lights
String popcorn or cherrios & hang outside to feed the birds
Watch a Christmas movie in your pj's
Make an ornament
Deliver canned food to a shelter or food bank
Write and mail a letter to someone you love
Put together a puzzle, or make your own
Go caroling
Bake cookies and secretly deliver them to someone
Have a snowball fight (No snow? Use socks rolled into balls)
Play a board game
Go sledding or another outdoor activity
Make a gingerbread house with graham crackers and frosting
Cut out paper snowflakes
Write and illustrate a Christmas story
Visit a relative or friend
Have a melted chocolate dip party---dip fruit, pretzels, candy canes, etc.
Make thank you cards to be sent after Christmas
Read Luke 2 and act out the nativity