"You can't put that out there-they'll use them as pitching targets!" my husband said, eyeing the new coasters made of ceramic, glass and all things small boys would delight in using as play items. "Let's give it a shot. It's a good lesson in boundaries and Mama wants a little something to prettify this room," I countered.
The obsession to spruce up our coffee table hit hard and fast one rainy day as I sat in my cubicle, the grayness of the afternoon leaving me uninspired to write. So, as any smart gal does, I hit Target to add a little color to life (ok, and pick up Swedish Fish) in the form of affordable house decor.
Needing a bit of direction, I visited one of the design sites that never fails me and found a helpful
video by Emily. Her advice was good - fill the table with simple things you love with clean lines - and the plan was easy to execute. For weeks I'd been eyeing a gold tray at Target and contemplating where it could live in our home. Couple that with a small jar of very real looking florals I already had, a decorative candle with a delicious smell and these fun coasters and I was nearly set:
The choice of coffee table books was trickier. I had done the test when hosting a small party several weeks before and plopped out any ol' large literature we had around the house. And lo and behold, guests did spend some time relaxing and taking a gander at their pics. With some surfing online, I got a few ideas in my head, then hit B&N to find covers and words that spoke to my heart or would be interesting to those that visited our home. We ended up with "Humans of New York," a design one for Moms that want to embrace their children, "The Beauty of Different," and an Anthro catalog.
The end product looked like this:
A nice change from it's neutral plainness that had been the center of our family room. And the boys? The temptation hits every once in awhile to run a train through or want to use the coasters as bases, but it's quickly subdued with a distraction, bribe or reminder that these are "Mommy's things."
And Mommy? Likes these small things. Sometimes, they make a big difference.
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