happy living Design

wallpaper by amy butler

at Graham & Brown

Have a look.

a nice vessel

or plant pot as Ikea calls them. BLADET plant pot with saucer by Ikea ($8.99)

Useful for containing all sorts of things.  I could use these all over the house.

As seen on Bethenny Getting Married? in the kitchen.  Did I just publicly admit to watching that show??

pillows by Tempur-Pedic

Have I ever told you how much I love sleeping?  When sleep is good it can be totally restorative.  When it's not it can be a nightmare.  I rarely suffer from insomnia.  I used to be more likely to wake up with a headache or a crooked neck.  We got a great mattress a few years ago, some really soft cotton sheets and a lightweight down blanket.  They all seem to help in creating that good night's rest. 

Finding the right combination of things I think is key to a good nights rest and your pillow is like the cherry on the sundae if you have the right one.   

A little background: I was in a car accident over 6 years where I was hit from behind by a guy going 35-40 mph and suffered a 'mild' case of whiplash and a sprained neck and it's never been the same.  The accident coupled with the fact that I spend too much time sitting down at a computer makes my neck a bit finicky and if I sleep too long with my neck in an incorrect position I get headaches.

My pillow is VERY important to me and I got a lovely offer to try out two Tempur-Pedic pillows right after I had just spoken with my chiropractor who had recommended I try one out.  For the last several weeks I have been using Tempur-Pedic's The NeckPillow and the boy has been using The ComfortPillow.

 

The NeckPillow's shape helps to support the neck and keep it in the proper position (spine alignment is important here!) while sleeping.  I can't really say one bad thing about the pillow.  It's comfortable and the Tempur-Pedic foam, which has been tested and proven to be the highest quality foam out there, does not make me hot when I sleep. 

 

The boy is a bit less picky about his pillows, but he was really pleased with The ComfortPillow.  It is made out of the same material as The NeckPillow but is not as firm and is in the shape of a traditional pillow.

Both pillow are made out of the same pressure-relieving foam that their mattresses are.  I have slept in a Tempur-Pedic mattress once and that foam does what they say it does (supports, comforms to your body) and is very comfortable.  Both pillows came with a soft, removable and washable cotton (75%) and polyester (25%) cover.  When you first take them out of the box they do have a smell, but it is in no way an offensive one and slowly goes away. 

Go here to read all about the Tempur-Pedic stats.

Go here to buy.

Just a little programming note: This is the first time I have ever reviewed products that I been given gratuitously.  Up until now I have always turned them down for a number of reasons.  I felt fairly confident this time though that I would be able to truthfully give this product a thumbs up and a recommendation based on what I had heard from various sources and am glad my instincts were right.

If it's time for a new pillow at your house, I would definitely check these out first!

Traditional Home : $20k bedroom makeover

Nathan wrote to let us know that the Traditional Home Bedroom Sweepstakes is now underway and ends June 21.  It is free to enter and everyone is allowed to visit the site everyday and enter again and again.  The winner will be announced around July 2 and will receive a professionally designed bedroom plan plus furniture, flooring, mattress set and bedding from vendors Darryl Carter Design, Thomasville, Scandia Down, Armstrong Floors and Vera Wang by Serta (who knew Vera Wang was in the mattress business?!).  You can enter here.

 

Thanks, Nathan!

It's funny.  I just spend half the weekend sorting, purging and moving stuff around to get our bedroom ready for it's $20 makeover.  We could use this!

I am thankful...

...that you keep coming back.  It has been 13 days since I last posted.  I have been a bit under the weather lately.  So thanks for hanging in there with me and 'hello' to some of the new people who have stopped by in mini absence.

I never officially posted about the spending hiatus wrap-up.  I feel like I am in spending hiatus 'lite' mode.  I have purchased a few things but nothing that could be considered a clear-cut non-essential.  So much gray area there!  We have a couple of circumstances that have come up since the official end of TSH so TSH 'lite' will probably continue for the foreseeable future and I feel ok with it.  Maybe TSH 'lite' isn't really a spending hiatus at all.  Maybe it's my new perspective.

I did some spring cleaning of my closet over the past couple of weeks and have a few things that I might list on ebay.  I will let you know when they are up.  We have an SUV load of stuff to go to the Salvation Army.  And probably more that should! 

Our bedroom has been without trim (baseboard and door casing) for over a year.  So we are gearing up to finish the overhaul of that room in late spring.  I finally picked colors too.

I really enjoyed reading each of your comments about spring cleaning.  So many good ideas and thoughts.  I plan to go back and read them again!

myperfectcolor : the blog

I have mentioned Myperfectcolor before when I was looking for that perfect Martha Stewart green that my friend used in her kitchen.  They are a New Jersery based retailer that matches colors from every paint company and can even make colors that are discontinued like that perfect green.

They have been blogging since January and I am enjoying their posts.  God knows we have a lot of painting to do around here and I need all the help I can get.  There's a fun one titled How to paint and save your marriage in three easy steps....  What I love most about Myperfectcolor are their 16 oz. sample cans.  All this, and now they are offering free shipping on orders over $50!  Yes, you can get all your paint samples and full size cans of paint delivered right to your door.

shop : read

Check them out and happy painting!

beautiful things :: Saffron Marigold

You must see these beautiful hand-crafted and block printed bedspreads, duvet covers, curtains and more over at Saffron Marigold.  I love the sari-inspired prints and the bright colors.

So pretty and so affordable.  Their 26" x 26" cushion covers are $20!  Saffron Marigold also supports Fair Trade.  I received the most lovely email from Anisha about how Saffron Marigold came to be and just had to tell you about it. 

looking for :: bedside table lamps

I was inspired by this lamp (via housemartin)...

and really love these hand blow glass lamps from Ochre...

but found these which are more in my budget range.

Amber glass table lamp for $93.99

White glass table lamp for $53.99

I really like finding comparable items for much less money, don't you? 

hable construction at Garnet Hill

I have an ongoing love affair with hable construction and now they have teamed up with Garnet Hill on an entire bedding collection.  Right now it is not in the budget for me since we have lots of upcoming projects at the house but I am thinking of adding a couple of pillow cases to satiate my appetite.  :)

 

pic from Garnet Hill

mini moderns

I don't post that much about kids and kid stuff, but I have an expecting bff and am absorbing lots of fun sites and links.  Keith from Absolute Zero Degrees emailed me back in the fall about mini moderns.  Today I just noticed some new to me wallpapers that I love.  On a personal note, my first bedroom in my parents house was yellow and had an accent wallpapered wall.  When my brother was born (I was 4 at the time) I moved to another room.  Can you believe I still remember the wallpaper in that yellow room.  I am sure I can dig up a picture of it.  It had yellow, orange and green colored pull toys on it.  So I think something graphic in a baby or child's room can have a great impact on their memory and understanding of colors and shapes.

The architect geek in me is partial to the "Do you live in a Town" wallpaper.  That milk chocolate would go amazing with so many other colors.  I also think all of the wallpapers above are timeless and could be used in a baby's room all the way up to a teenager's room.  What do you think?  Also, don't miss the other mini modern stuff like the cute plates and bowls.