The latest in lighting is now hanging in my dining room...

 I've seen basket lamps for up to 8-hundred dollars on some websites but this one was practically free.

The rattan basket's been sitting in my garage since we moved in five years ago.

 Not sure where or when we first came across it - my mother-in-law may have passed in on to me at some point. Just glad I had it! 

After nabbing a pendant chord kit from Pottery Barn (on sale!), I simply cut a small hole on the bottom of the basket, then my husband installed the pendant fixture in the ceiling, it took about an hour tops. 

Anything looks better with a tray...

Since we moved into our house over five years ago things have piled up along with my growing need to be as organized as Martha Stewart. While I've streamlined most of the house there are still some spots that bug the hell out of me. Like the mountain of magazines and store catalogs stacked up on the ottoman in our family room. While they are neatly contained in a cute Pottery Barn tray I just can't stand the sight of all that paper anymore. So, I grabbed the tray, replaced it with some bling, a silver Nambe platter...

Then I moved the tray into the kitchen. Aha, it fit perfectly on the counter! So, I decided to wrangle a few loose items and turn it into a tea and coffee station...I also threw in some cocoa for Natalia.

Rubbernecking

Ever driven by a store, wondered what was inside, but never felt like stopping the car and pulling over?
I must have cruised by Flora's Feathered Nest for about a year before I finally checked it out. It's in an odd location - plopped down off the side of River Road in Potomac, Maryland (just outside Washington D.C.). Not the kind of road that's littered with strip malls, mostly oversize houses and unlucky deer.  So, like everyone else around here the only time you'll find me on River is when I'm heading to work or picking my daughter up from school. But one day I finally decided to see what Flora's was all about. Turns out, it's the cutest store. Items for the home you don't see at Pottery Barn or other chains.  The kind of place you can spend a paycheck in just minutes.