I’ve had a productive week! I made good progress on my redesign, and I’m going to work with an illustrator for a couple of elements on the new site. It’s also been a nice time to reflect on all that has happened in 2011. I’ll have a couple of recaps for you when I’m back next week, but first, some fun links to take you through the new year!

• Two sparkly backdrop options: One that takes lots of work (gorgeous!) and one that takes no work (fun!).
• Cute origami wallpaper.
• Are you using Pinterest to its full effect for your blog? (p.s. You can follow me on Pinterest right here.)
• Hey, look! A new island. Our planet is fascinating.
• The fat trap. Why losing weight and keeping it off is really hard.
• A completely adorable home, awwww.

I also write daily for Babble’s Family Style blog. Here’s what I’ve been sharing over there…

• Holly Golightly’s apartment from Breakfast at Tiffany’s is for sale!
• Next year, I resolve to…
• ‘E’ is for Ella.
• And ‘W’ is for Wayne’s World.
• I want to drape these all over the house!
• This was the big hit from Santa here.

• I want to dress like this.
• The Lives They Lived (with Ira Glass).
• Truly subversive cross-stitch.
• Brandon sent this cute video to me the other day, and it’s so adorable I had to share.

I’ve also popped up in a couple of other places this week…

• My advice for living through a renovation during the holidays: give in to the chaos!
• My tips for bringing bold, trendy colors into your home.
• A few items on my wish list.
• My kind of town.

I also write daily for Babble’s Family Style blog. Here’s what I’ve been sharing over there…

• OMG. Iris Apfel has a line of makeup coming out for MAC!
• High/Low: Can you guess which of these faceted mirrors cost sixteen times more than the other?
• The cutest little dresses! (I’m going to have to pick one up for Eleanor — she’s obsessed with the ladybug style.)
• The humble extension cord never looked so good.
• These modern handmade quilts are lovely.