Affordable Holiday Decor + a $600 Mid-Century Sofa

Really fun Babble posts this week--most of them home-decor related. Can you tell I'm in the throes of this myself?

1. Affordable Modern Area Rugs + $1 shipping (yes, even for a heavy rug!)

2. I sat on this sofa last week and love almost everything about it. It's so tough to find such a pretty piece of furniture for the almost unheard of price of $599 (and no, it's not IKEA).

3. Wanting to decorate for the holidays, but not spend a lot of money? Opt for these pretty {and cheap} ornaments --for just 75 cents each, why not?

4. A fabulous Eco-friendly Holiday Hostess Gift - one he/she will use year-round. And those are the best kinds of gifts!

Discounted Nordstrom Rack Gift Card + Fun Discoveries at Babble

The highlight of my Friday? The chance to get a $50 gift card to Nordstrom Rack for $25. And this is open to anyone and everyone for the next 15 hours :) This Groupon-junkie is off to pick hers up right.now. (update: Groupon extended the Nordies deal through the weekend due to technical difficulties yesterday--awesome)

Martha does it again! And I was hoping she would...love her new line of modern quilts at Macys. There are definite Denyse Schmidt undertones, which I do love. Plus, they are on sale right now too.

I've never in my life spotted a cuter backpack for toddlers. I've been swooning over these for years. It would be fun to fill one of these with little trinkets and activities during holiday travel.

This pop up turkey timer is borderline Spencer Gifts, but I can't deny how clever it is. Someone has quite the imagination (and sense of humor!).

Four kids later, this is still my favorite baby bouncer. It's worth every penny and holds up well too.

A Fabulous Tartan Shirtdress on Sale + Holiday Babbling

A handful of links I wrote over at Babble that I think you'll love:

A pan worth investing in based on the "cute factor" alone--not to mention it gives you the excuse to not make homemade rolls this Thanksgiving.

A sweet, simple way to package up Thanksgiving leftovers for your guests + a great ribbon resource for you crafters/wrappers/hair-bow making folks :)

Have you seen the fresh, modern sister company to Lands End called Canvas? I like it a million times more than LE, especially when they have a killer sale and free shipping (like they are right now!).

We take 5 minutes at the beginning of our Thanksgiving meal for this simple tradition. Kids and adults both participate!

Deck out your door with one of these stunning wreaths--most of which could be used year-round as well. Bang for your buck!

Mini Acorn Muffins, Target Gone Wild + other Good Stuff

Mini acorn muffins. Can you imagine anything sweeter at your Thanksgiving meal? Both kids and adults alike will love and appreciate this simple detail.

Target. iPhone. in the same sentence! Details and other great news about the rockin' deals at the Bullseye this month.

Don't you think a gumball themed birthday party would be cute? Hanging gumballs (spherical chinese lanterns), felt pom pom garlands, and these mini gumball machines (as party favors or place cards) would make an adorable party.

If you want inspiration for the holidays (menus, decor, entertaining, gifting, etc.), but don't have time to search blogs hi and low for ideas, then pick up this book-azine. It's a one-stop-shop for all of the above. I love my Halloween edition and can't imagine the Holiday version being anything less than stellar.

This Week's Tips + Deals on Babble

Oh boy, I am really excited about the posts I wrote over at Babble this week!

Remember those Japanese School + Desk Supplies I wrote about? Well, a US source just picked up the adorable apple notepad I featured; and since it's inexpensive, cute and unique, it will make the perfect teacher's gift come the holiday season. Stock up--they are flying out the door!

One of my favorite French children's clothing labels offers shipping to the US and hosts a site in English. Think "Gap" prices combined with Oilily styling. Super cute stuff here folks.

Happy to see all the metal accessories I've used in my home back on the market again. You can bet your bottom dollar they'll be donning the walls of our new place in Seattle. Plus, they are cheaper now than they used to be a few years ago...bonus!

See that cute, little red pea coat above? It's just $20 if you can believe it. Here's where to find it. Also, my son is looking quite dapper these days in his new military-inspired wool coat. I wish I had a grownup version for my Husband.

These have been one of my favorite baby gifts this time around. Where were they when I had my 3 other babies? And this brand is the best for sure.