Found: Liberty of London for Target paper goods

B and I stalked 3 Targets last night and got lucky at one of them in the stationery section. There were binders, file folders and notepads, all in these great floral patterns.

Here's what I got! These will be perfect in helping us organize our much neglected study.

Liberty of London for Target 3 ring binders

Liberty of London for Target ile folders (6 in each packet includes 3 different patterns)

Wishlist Wednesday: Liberty of London for Target

Yet another post about this collection--can you tell I'm excited? There is a lot of positive press about this collection and the popup store in NYC is garnering rave reviews. The official release date is March 14 but there have been sightings online and in some stores. Not to mention the scalpers are out in full force on ebay already. I really hope I'll get to see most of my wishlist in person at the store. I guess I'll be going to Target every day for the next week or so!

More items I'm eyeing

Spring dresses!!


Girl's dress (snagging this one for my niece!)
Clutches
Umbrella and rainboots

Vintage Monday: magazine rack (Before and After)

The other day I spent more than half an hour in wondrous rapture at the Krylon spray paint section at Home Depot. There are so many colors and finishes available and all for just $2.99 a bottle! I tried out the spray paint on a couple of items salvaged from Goodwill and wow I'm hooked! The paint really transformed the pieces and I'm glad to be able to give them a second life in our home.

Magazine rack before:

Magazine rack after:

On display in the living room:

ps: yes I know that there is a great debate about whether it is a magazine rack or a fireplace log holder but for all intents and purposes, it is a magazine rack in my house.

DIY: wooden bird key holder

Here's a project that B and I completed a little while ago. We've been trying to create a little nook in our kitchen to place miscellaneous items like our keys, cell phones, wallet, etc. when we come in through the garage door. After searching around for a key holder, I came upon one on etsy and decided to try to create our own version.

Here's how it went down:

1. B began by cutting out a piece of wood (using leftover scraps from an existing project) and sanded it down to size
   
2. Then we dabbled around in Microsoft Office, printed out the bird and letters, traced the sillouettes onto contact paper, cut them out and arranged them onto the wood
   
3. Using a bright cheery yellow acrylic paint, we brushed on 2-3 coats. After it was dry, we peeled off the contact paper to reveal the letters and birds underneath
4. The whole piece was finished off with a few coats of Krylon spray gloss, which helped to bring out the grain in the wood
5. B then attached the hooks and added two more in the back so we could hang it!

**Please note that I edited out all the squabbling that took place about just how big the birds needed to be and the reasons why B's initial couldn't go first, the doubts I had about whether we should have bought banana yellow instead of sunflower yellow paint, and how it's really not ideal to spray Krylon in an enclosed area...

All in all we had fun working on this little project. We've just about got the little nook all set up so expect pictures of that soon!

Favorite Friday Recipe: Shrimp and Scallop pizza

Once a month or so, B and I schedule "date night", where we take turns planning a date for each other. A night for me might include sushi and watching "The Proposal", a night for B--Mexican or some other cheese laden food. Last friday, B surprised me with all the ingredients for a DIY date night. He remembered a fantastic pizza we shared while on vacation in St Martin at a wonderful little restaurant called Rancho Del Sol. The pizza was fabulous--a thin crust with fresh shrimp and scallops and drowned in some sort of herb oil.

Here's their version:
And ours:

We had french bread and butter to start (in St Martin tradition) and polished it all off with a bottle of Riesling. A perfect recreation of our St Martin meal. Except for the fact that I had to watch "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" afterwards...


The recipe can be found here

Wishlist Wednesday: Target designer collaborations

Hello my name is Sharon and I am a Target addict. I unsuspectingly drive there simply to buy a loaf of bread or a tube of toothpaste and suddenly I need three bags to carry all my stuff out to the car.

Not only does Target do a good job of making it seem like I need all these various items at their store, they have also ingeniously paired up with various designers and roll out their own versions of the brand. Loomstate, Alexander McQueen, Osh Kosh, Dean Harris, and Anna Sui are just some of the designers with Target collaborations.

They've really been stepping up their home collections recently and my wishlist today features first some lovely bedding from Dwell Studio. I absolutely adore the fresh aesthetics that Dwell brings to their patterns. I own two of their duvet sets (from 75% clearance sales) and the quality is great. Here's a top contender from their spring line that I suspect will be coming home with me soon:

Dwell Studio for Target Mandala Coverlet and Shams:
I am thoroughly excited about the next designer collection, Liberty of London which will be in stores March 14. Here are some items that I will definitely be scoping out:

Love this floral collection with features a teapot, serving tray, mugs, and tiered cake plate (to replace my beloved Orla Kiely for Target tiered cake plate, may it rest in peace)



And I love this peacock piggy bank!

Vintage Monday: Catherineholm teapot

I'm so proud to show off my latest vintage goodness--a Valentine's Day present from B! I guess he does read this blog after all. Note to self: remember to post a ton on wishlist wednesdays

Of course I'm crazy about Catherineholm and I love this teapot--it looks great on the stove. I'm so pleased to have this as my first piece (and hopefully not my last!). Thanks honey!

Here it is in the kitchen:


And admiring its own reflection here:


And speaking of Valentine's Day gifts, here was what I got B. A lovely etsy-er, duetletterpress, hand drew a picture of our house and then letterpressed it onto cards. I got some as moving annoucements complete with our names and addresses and she was sweet enough to also do a plain one with a little phrase underneath. I framed it on a floating frame (bought from Michaels with yet another 50% coupon) and we're hunting for the perfect spot to hang it!



And a closeup--look at the great details!