My name is Kris, and I am a Tom-aholic...

Everybody now, "Hi Kris". I think it might be therapeutic for me to open up about my obsession with Toms .  My current new pair of "glitters" (seen below) have forced me to share my thoughts.   Now, some of my not-so-open-minded friends seem to shy away from them, using the most common excuse of "they look like those Chinese maryjane shoes I used to wear" or Jen says she feels, "like Michael Jackson" in them. Try them, I say.  They weigh about a fraction of an ounce and they are so comfortable... and it's true...for every pair you buy a pair is donated.  Here are a few of my favorites...

I tried to take pictures to show you...This is how they turned out.  Lord help me...

 A pair for my husband...or teenage son, perhaps?

For my daughter....

or how about my adorable nieces

or maybe a stocking stuffer for me...

I think it may be the logo that I love so much..

Whatever it may be, buy some. You won't be sorry...oh, and they are all under $60!

Put a some Toms  in your back pocket...

Holiday Inspiration to Deck the Halls

It is time to deck the halls and this year and once again we are on a budget which means we turned to our faithful friend Ikea and some plaid inspiration from Country Living...

 and bought this lumbar pillow for $9.99,
It is the perfect amount of red while allowing me to keep all my navy...

add some $6 Ikea pillow covers in red and grey and  for $35 changed the look from this...

to this...

they even had a grey throw for $9

here are some other Christmas touches that were added to the mix, wreaths in unexpected places...

this image from Country Living...

inspired me to put some extra ornaments and candy in glass...

and many of my decorations seem to have a little sparkle...

and I love this idea for Chrismas cards...

Have you started decorating yet?

put some holiday decorating inspiration in your back pocket...

They're Baaacckkk....

Our favorite "trinket bowls" are back at Anthropologie.  This time they're smaller and even cuter in awesome colors.  $8.00 each for the mini ikat bowls. What a perfect little gift...

Jen bought this one...

and Kelly from Fabulous K ( who designed our blog) has it in her entry nook...

we still say put some cute trinket bowls in your back pocket...

Say it isn't so...

The last time I wore stirrup pants I was, like, in 6th grade.  Today I was browsing Gap's website (had a 30% off coupon) and there they were...again.  Hmmmm.  I don't think I can go there...Although they do make sense if you want to keep your pants tucked into your boots nice and snuggly-in order to avoid the swashbuckler "pirate look" as they begin to creep out every time you sit and stand. What do you think??

If they catch on  we could end up looking like this...

Actually, this kind of looks like us.....What's next...banana clips?
Send your thoughts on stirrup pants to in your back pocket...

Gallery Wall

We love how photos truly personalize your space.  They tell people where you have been, who you are and what is important to you. One easy way to display photos is to create a gallery wall...

You can keep the photos all black and white or all color, choose similar frames or an eclectic mix...there are no rules! If you need help where to start there is this tutorial from Roost Home and another great post on this subject from Simply Seleta.
When we remodeled I added a wall to enclose the playroom which created a hallway. I think everyone was a little leary of this plan but I knew right away it would become a gallery wall and a way for guests to get to know us right when they walk in the door. I organized mine chronologically (Jen & Steve getting married, before kids, baby number 1, which of course has the most pictures, baby number 2 and 3 hasn't really made it up there yet...he is 2!:) and made all the photos black and white and bought black frames from JoAnn, Target or Michaels.
I layed them all out on the floor to organize first...

and then lots of measuring and lots of nail holes later...

As I mentioned before it needs to be updated and added to but I love walking by it every day.

Put a gallery wall in your back pocket...

Island Views

Hmmm...  Interesting islands always catch our eye.  Although you an clearly see our T.V. in the family room from our kitchens, this is a great option if you couldn't...

images from deorpad, southern living, coastal living,

put an island view in your back pocket...