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Who likes cinnamon toast? Me, that’s who. Also Mini. And yes, this could be filed under “UMM. . . DUH” since they do sell ready made cinnamon sugar on the spice aisle. But I’m all for making things a little bit more economically sound Twherever possible, and the markup on ready made cinnamon sugar is kind of exorbitant, particularly if you like to really pile that shiznit up on the bread like I do. his way, you can mix up a giant vat of cinnamon sugar and have it at the ready each morning that Mini answers “yeah” to my query of, “Do you want some synonym toast?”
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I swear to god I am not copying Dooce or writing to Dooce, and yet now people are going to think I am, because today she wrote a post about how she has all these old stacks of magazines, but I already had these pictures taken and uploaded, I only had to write the copy! I swear! I swear! I am not an identity vampire! I am not Tyra Banks to her Oprah. Stop looking at me like that.
Anyway, eyes back to me and the original point of this post: organizing your decorating magazines. In the last few months, a bunch of decorating magazines have gone out of business, so perhaps the days of stacks of magazines cluttering up my house are a thing of the past anyway, but here’s the idea I had to organize all my decorating tips and cull my magazine stacks: Every time I see a picture or an idea in a magazine I like and think I might want to incorporate into our home some day, I rip out the page in the magazine and put it in this Decorating Idea Book binder I have.
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Inside, everything is arranged according to room in the house, general tips/how-tos and color palettes, and even holiday ideas! For example, here are the pages from Domino that inspired Mini’s nursery decor.
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Now, whenever I need an idea for a new room makeover, everything is in one area, and I can throw away my magazines instead of just leaving them around to collect dust. Try it, you’ll love it!
No, this is not what my house looks right now. We are going to our relatives’ house for Christmas this year, and since Mini is so young I figured he wouldn’t miss the decorations at home. But since it’s the holiday season, I figured I might as well show what I did last year. Last year was my first real adult Christmas. When it was just me and Mr. Right-Click, we didn’t bother with the tree. But last year we had Mini, so we decided to go all out. I have always been a little wary of Christmas decorations because–let’s face it–it’s hard to do them up right without being tacky. I mean, if you’re going for tacky, then that’s awesome, because it’s hard to go wrong. But if you want to look nice, well, it’s hard.
So I called in the professionals, sort of. I did my research, and found some good ideas in magazines. In O at Home last year were several different “looks” for Christmas decorating, including this one which is kind of a modern take on the Vctorian Christmas. I should note that it wasn’t Oprah coming up with these ideas. If it had been, it’s highly unlikely I would have liked them, since I like modernist stuff and HAVE YOU SEEN THE AMOUNT OF FLORAL THAT WOMAN HAS IN HER MANSION?! Gah.
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So, the tree is most notable for its consistency in colors. I liked the fact that they took neutrals (black and white, and green because of the tree, of course) and mixed them with only one color (pink, but if Mr. Right-Click asks, it’s “red,” because that’s what he calls it and there’s no need to call attention to the fact that it’s actually pink). I also splurged and bought about 8 of these special ornaments (in “red” aka pink) from The Artful Home last year:
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The other key concept I got from this article was to look at your presents as part of the decor. Which, yeah, duh! Why didn’t I think of that? So I wrapped everything in black, white, “red” (aka pink) or some combination thereof. It made a huge difference in how the house looked.
I did not get around to making a christmas car display like this one, but I saved the picture so that I can in the coming years. The board is made from an insulation panel (?!) covered in dupioni silk. I also got several of the black beaded garlands because I thought they were so cool.
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Here’s O at Home‘s suggestions for decorating the door. I searched and searched for a giant clear glass ornament to no avail.
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Here’s what my version looked like.
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I tell you what, nothing says Christmas like glue gun and ribbon! And lots of “red”!
Just Like The Number Where 2+2=Six. A blog about life in the family Six, party of four.
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ONLINE DATING CHRONICLES
Sure, I eventually met my husband, Mr. Right-Click, through online dating. But not before I had dated nearly one hundred of Los Angeles' least suitable bachelors. Laugh along in my Online Dating Chronicles.
SPY ON ME
Looking for something to read? Wondering what I'm reading? Perhaps it's time to start Spying On My Google Reader to find out about the coolest stuff I've read lately on the internet.
MUCKRAKING
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LISTS
You know, you slave away at blog posts day after day, you try to write fiction, you try to provide interesting social commentary, but at the end of the day, they come for the lists. Check out List Mondays to see what all the hullabaloo is about, because I sure as hell cannot explain it.
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LOS ANGELES
Los Angeles is where I was born and raised. I always thought I'd leave, but for some reason I never did. Sometimes, I like it here. Other times, I'm not so sure. But good or bad, it has made me who I am.
Sometimes I take the melodrama of my life and twist and turn it until it looks almost charming. I do this because I want you to like me:
Cigarettes & Green Felt: This is about the time I figured out that adults were mostly full of shit.
Assburger: It's not just a disorder on the autism spectrum: it's also one of your relatives!
On Truth: Sometimes somebody will say something and it hurts your feelings. And then you will write a story about it and your aunt will call it "phenomenal." Everyone else will try to pretend like it never happened.
The Sheer And Unmitigated Power of Bob Mould: Sometimes you spend your formative years obsessed by an unrequited teenage crush, and then one day you realize that person is now an orthopedic surgeon who lives in your neighborhood. It kinda sucks when that happens.
Ben From Madera: For one Halloween, Ben dressed up like a bee, like that kid in the Blind Melon video. That's how I will always remember him.
Mr. Right-Click
He is my best friend, even if he uses a PC. And the fact that sometimes he will pretend to be a "Pancake Pirate" is only part of the reason. Arrrr!
Mini
His cutie-pie percentile group is off the charts.
Spinning
If you think this is just about exercise, then you have underestimated how wildly inappropriate people can be when they undergo physical pain in a group setting.
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