I'm a sucker for a fill-in book!

Call it what you like - a scrapbook, art journal, diary or memory book - I LOVE fill-in books. You know, those wonderfully gifty-type books that prompt you to fill in the pages with notes, reflections, photos, drawings and things you never want to forget. I adore them. They call to me from the bookstore wracks. Really, they do.

I've done so many of them over the years. You probably have too. Like the bridal planner book. And of course, the Baby Book. I've done the fill-in prompted style, calendar style and even turned an ordinary photo book into a memory book.

For my husband's first Father's Day, I made him a scrapbook called, "Why My Daddy is Better Than Your Daddy." Someday this will be Saxon's book.

Years ago my bestie, Rhonda, and I exchanged fill-in books for each other. The one she gave me is called Friends are Flowers that Never Fade. I still cherish it! She stuck in all kinds of photos of us from high school and even a note I wrote to her! We still can't remember what it was I said she should have "tried out for." And "trauma" - why did I write that? Ha! Who knows, but this makes me smile.

(don't judge my big hair in this pic - it was the 80's!)

Recently, my mother-in-law gave me a fill-in book to keep throughout Saxon's school years, called School Years. I really have to get started on it! I love that it has pockets for tucking in their drawings, tests, report cards, etc. So perfect!

And I'm super excited because for the first-time ever, I get to combine my book publicity job with my love of journaling books. This season I am handling the publicity for a new book called, Art Doodle Love: A Journal of Self Discovery (STC Craft | A Melanie Falick Book). 

This beautiful little book provides prompts and inspiration for scribbling, doodling, gluing things inside, documenting events, reflecting on things past and so much more. I love it and can't wait to let the creativity ooze out onto the pages! Check out this video of a user enjoying Art Doodle Love!

And a book I just have to get my hands on is the Annie Sloan Workbook. 

I've seen so many furniture painters using it to keep their "recipes" for custom color mixes. You can use this as a place to keep magazine clippings of decor and items you want to use in your next home renovation ore redesign. There's pockets too for storing fabric snippets, ribbon, etc. I would like to document my furniture paint work in it, by keeping before and after photos, along with paint swatches. Then I could carry this along to client's homes to show them examples. At any rate, I need to hop on down to my local stockist, The Empty Nest, and get myself a copy pronto!

With Valentine's Day around the corner, these little books are such a joy to give and receive. (And in case my Hubby is reading this - so are diamonds!)

Who doesn't LOVE a bargain!!

Its the new year and time to purge. I took a look around my house the other day and thought, "damn, there's a lot of STUFF in here." You know, stuff, that you sort of sit out on a shelf - maybe because it was a gift, or maybe because you found it in a moving box and wondered why you never displayed it. And over time, this stuff accumulates. Before you know it, its like you fed your stuff after midnight and your house if over-run with it! (giving my age away with that retro-movie reference to Gremlins)

So, I decided to get rid of some of it. Kitchen gadgets (can you believe I have 3 blenders), decorative things like pottery and wall-hangings, and even spare furniture that's not serving a purpose. In doing so, I made room for a find I'm so proud of I could squeal!

I found a pair of these cuties at a Ross store! Yes, I said it, a Ross store...the same place where you can find designer duds at a fraction of the price. Yup, they sell furniture too and the price is almost always right!

My chair for $119

I scored two of these petite accent chairs for just $119 each! Look at how lovely they are: tufted backs, piping, casters on turned front legs, and gorgeous linen script fabric.

Now hold your breath, because here comes the amazing part...I found my chairs' cousins on Amazon for $660 each!! (marked down from $825) Heck, these could be switched-at-birth siblings to my two chairs! The noticeable difference, other than the price tag, is the limed oak legs. Theirs are darker than mine.  But seriously - don't they look almost exactly the same?? I'm giddy with the notion that I saved myself over $500 a chair!

Amazon's chair for $600

Sorry to gush, I just had to share this steal of a deal with you guys. I was excited when I left the store, and even more over the moon after this discovery. Who doesn't love to find a super bargain!