Christmas has reached our house! Of course, Christmas is more than trees, and presents, and pretty lights, but those pretty lights sure make me happy when things are sparkly at night. But I think we can all agree that decorations can sometimes feel overwhelming. I'm not sure if it is because we're on a tight budget or if I would still decorate this way no matter what, but this year I've tried to focus on using a small amount of decorations that make the biggest impact. That means lit garlands, naked Christmas trees, and a lot of white lights.
December 12, 2017
December 1, 2017
Building A Holiday Wreath from Scratch
Christmas is right around the corner and we are decorating our house for the first time! Last year we had just moved in, with no couch, no rugs, and definitely no room for decorations. Now I feel more settled in I busted my Christmas box out of storage. Honestly the older I've gotten the more plain I've become. I used to like snowflakes everywhere, neon Christmas trees, and intense Christmas music blaring every second of the day. Now I find myself more drawn to the natural aspects of the holiday like live, lightly-decorated Christmas trees and handmade wreaths.
November 29, 2017
Ultimate Gift Guide 2017 (140+ Gift Ideas)
Can you believe it's the gift buying season already!? I always struggle with buying gifts for people because I don't believe that is what this holiday is about, but as a natural gift giver love language I love for people to feel special by way of my gifts. This post is a round-up of general gift ideas the people in your life might enjoy, but don't be afraid to branch out and get personal! I always try to get people things that have that special "I really thought about you" touch, but that's not for everyone - and that's where this guide comes in handy.
So no matter what side of the fence you are, here are 140+ ideas for every budget and type of person you know. Things will sell out fast so grab them while they're hot!
So no matter what side of the fence you are, here are 140+ ideas for every budget and type of person you know. Things will sell out fast so grab them while they're hot!
November 27, 2017
How-To: $11 Dyed No-Sew Dropcloth Curtains
Thank you for so much love for our One Room Challenge Office reveal! Even though the ORC is fun to participate in, I can't wait to participate in the January season of the $100 Room Challenge. I took the entire week of Thanksgiving off of blogging to concentrate on getting all the houses ready and spending time with all the family that came down. Over that week we got so many questions on how we dyed the dropcloth curtains - so we wrote down every step!
November 15, 2017
One Room Challenge: Week 7 | The Home Office Reveal
Whew! Keeping this room a secret from Auston for 7 weeks has been hard. If you're new here, this desk was covered in white paint (see Week 4 & 5) and the curtains are dyed drop cloths (see Week 6). This is my second One Room Challenge, last season I did our laundry room which was a finish from the studs project. I love doing the ORC because it gives me a schedule and I always meet new people. This office is really my first time fully decorating a space. In the laundry room I used some cute accessories but it really wasn't designing around an existing space - so tell me how I did!
Week 1: The Befores
Week 2: The Mood Board(s)
Week 3: Salvaging A Fox Hunt Print
Week 4: Restoring an Antique Typewriter Desk Part 1
Week 5: Restoring an Antique Typewriter Desk Part 2
Week 6: Drop Cloth Curtains
November 8, 2017
One Room Challenge: Week 6 | Drop-cloth Curtains
If you follow along with the blog then you know I debate myself in almost every post. It's not intentional, I just really do a lot of thinking before I make a decision. So the debate for this week: what color the curtain rod should be. I finally ended up settling on brass since the chair will be chrome and the bar cart/accessories will be brass and I wanted something structural to tie it all together.
Week 1: The Befores
Week 2: The Mood Board(s)
Week 3: Salvaging A Fox Hunt Print
Week 4: Restoring an Antique Typewriter Desk Part 1
Week 5: Restoring an Antique Typewriter Desk Part 2
Week 1: The Befores
Week 2: The Mood Board(s)
Week 3: Salvaging A Fox Hunt Print
Week 4: Restoring an Antique Typewriter Desk Part 1
Week 5: Restoring an Antique Typewriter Desk Part 2
November 1, 2017
One Room Challenge: Week 5 | Restoring an Antique Typewriter Desk Part 2
I've never been more excited about restoring an old piece of furniture! But to be fair, this is my first time really doing it. If you missed last weeks One Room Challenge, we're taking my old desk that had been painted white and restoring it to it's original wood and hardware. I didn't plan for this guy to take up 2 weeks of posting, but it was a beast!
Week 2: The Mood Board(s)
Week 3: Salvaging A Fox Hunt Print
Week 4: Restoring an Antique Typewriter Desk Part 1
October 25, 2017
One Room Challenge: Week 4 | Restoring an Antique Typewriter Desk Part 1
Most important news first, the ORC will be extended this season by one week! Due to all of the natural disasters which have affected many states including largely delayed shipping times, the reveal date will be moved to November 15th for the featured designers and November 16th for the guest participants. It's lifted a weight off my shoulders since this desk restoration is taking longer than expected and will end up being two posts.
While I was in high school my parents got this antique typewriter desk that had been painted white. It has the flap that you would push up and it would bring the typewriter up to use. Thankfully they deconstructed it and just screwed the top flap straight to the desk so I didn't have to. This desk has been siting in the guest room since we moved in where it has served as my vanity/desk. The bad thing about it was it's size. It is bulky and incredibly deep - making in a great middle of the room desk in the office. The white paint had also been worn down and stained from my painting over the years that I could either paint the whole thing again or strip it down to its raw wood. Of course, I took the hard way.
Week 1: The Befores
Week 2: The Mood Board(s)
Week 3: Salvaging A Fox Hunt Print
While I was in high school my parents got this antique typewriter desk that had been painted white. It has the flap that you would push up and it would bring the typewriter up to use. Thankfully they deconstructed it and just screwed the top flap straight to the desk so I didn't have to. This desk has been siting in the guest room since we moved in where it has served as my vanity/desk. The bad thing about it was it's size. It is bulky and incredibly deep - making in a great middle of the room desk in the office. The white paint had also been worn down and stained from my painting over the years that I could either paint the whole thing again or strip it down to its raw wood. Of course, I took the hard way.
Week 1: The Befores
Week 2: The Mood Board(s)
Week 3: Salvaging A Fox Hunt Print
October 24, 2017
An Update on Our DIY Fridge Paint Job
You might remember when we DIY'ed our fridge paint job when we moved in almost a year ago. It only cost $16 and transformed our old almond color into a not so ugle black one. 2 months later, that fridge died and we were on the hunt for another one. Luckily, my parents had just bought a house to renovate and it came with an old almond Whirlpool Mark I, the same model that had died. We spent another $16 on paint and basically we got another fridge for $16. I grabbed the spray paint and gave it the same treatment as the original. Today I wanted to answer all your questions and give you an update on it 10 months later.
October 18, 2017
One Room Challenge: Week 3 | Salvaging a Fox Hunt Print
One Room Challenge land is a very different animal this time around. Last time, we were starting from studs and there was SO much to do every week. Now that we are basically just furnishing a finished room, I feel like there is not that much to share with you guys! Luckily, we were digging around in our attic and I found our post for the week. Enter in this old fox hunt print.
Week 1: The Befores
Week 2: The Mood Board(s)
Week 1: The Befores
Week 2: The Mood Board(s)
October 12, 2017
One Room Challenge: Week 2 | Home Office Mood Board
The second week of the One Room Challenge is all the planning and idea generating hours culminated into one short post. I have been thinking all week about what this room should feel/look like - and there are still a lot of unkowns haha. I'd like to do an accent wall treatment, but none of the walls lend themselves to do one. All of my pins have dark walls, leather chairs, and of course wall treatments. Why can't you just do a wall treatment or paint the walls dark you ask? Among other excuses, the main one is we are most likely going to rent this house out and I would have to repaint any dark colors for renting purposes, but anything can happen in the next 4 weeks so we'll see.
Week 1: Home Office Befores
Studio McGee's photo is giving me so much inspiration in the colors, the way they mix metals, and the simpleness of the desk. We already have the swivel chair pictured in the mood board, and I was a little worried about how a chrome chair would fit into a room. But after studying photos of their offices I'm sure I can pair it with some warm brass pieces.
Week 1: Home Office Befores
Studio McGee's photo is giving me so much inspiration in the colors, the way they mix metals, and the simpleness of the desk. We already have the swivel chair pictured in the mood board, and I was a little worried about how a chrome chair would fit into a room. But after studying photos of their offices I'm sure I can pair it with some warm brass pieces.
October 9, 2017
Quick Closet Refresh & Shoe Storage Option
A functional and efficient closet system can make all the difference in how you feel about and live out of your closet. In February we refreshed the guest bedroom closet, where I keep my clothes, and added a custom shelving unit because it had little function. Almost mirroring that guest closet is the master bedroom closet which Auston uses. When we moved in it was a single rod with one shelf that did not look good but it definitely didn't give a lot of usable space. We installed two rods with brackets and stained some planks to set on top. But where do the shoes go you ask?
October 4, 2017
One Room Challenge: Week 1 | The Home Office Befores
Even though we just finished our carport reveal for the $100 Room Challenge, I couldn't pass up joining in on our second round of the One Room Challenge. Last May we participated for the first time as a Guest Participant where we completely transformed our laundry room from studs into a functioning space in just 6 weeks. They ask 20 bloggers to participate as the Featured Designers, who post on Wednesdays, and then open the challenge to other blogger to participate as a Guest Participant. You can see all the Guest Participants linked up on Calling It Home's website.
This go around we decided to tackle our "home office" which is just our 3rd bedroom which is functioning as our storage room right now. It houses all the things we don't know where to put. I honestly did not know how long it takes to get "unpacked" and settled in a house. We are going on one year here and we are still bringing stuff back from my parents house. We've already come along way in those 12 months, from painting the walls and tearing up the carpets to refinishing the hardwood floors and improving our hollow core doors.
This go around we decided to tackle our "home office" which is just our 3rd bedroom which is functioning as our storage room right now. It houses all the things we don't know where to put. I honestly did not know how long it takes to get "unpacked" and settled in a house. We are going on one year here and we are still bringing stuff back from my parents house. We've already come along way in those 12 months, from painting the walls and tearing up the carpets to refinishing the hardwood floors and improving our hollow core doors.
September 27, 2017
$100 Room Challenge Week 4 | Carport Reveal
Let me start out by saying, this is my second time participating in the $100 Room Challenge. I also participated in the One Room Challenge last season where we remodeled our laundry room. And while that challenge was a little bit easier in the sense there was no budget, we had to build a space from studs so it was a lot of work. But despite those things, if I had to compare both challenges, the $100 Room Challenge wins hands down for a small community of bloggers who support each other in their work/goals. I didn't feel the love from the ORC like I do from the $100RC. So a big thank you to Erin for creating such an incredible environment, it's truly what this whole thing is about. *end small rant*
Now welcome to the carport reveal! I'll keep it short since I know we're all here for the pictures. In 4 weeks and with $100, we turned our dingey, unattractive carport into a semi pretty, useful place to park the car. Catch up on the previous weeks below to see how I built the planter and installed the can light.
Week 1 | The Carport Before & Plans
Week 2 | A Modern Exterior Light
Week 3 | $10 Planter with Herb Garden
Now welcome to the carport reveal! I'll keep it short since I know we're all here for the pictures. In 4 weeks and with $100, we turned our dingey, unattractive carport into a semi pretty, useful place to park the car. Catch up on the previous weeks below to see how I built the planter and installed the can light.
Week 1 | The Carport Before & Plans
Week 2 | A Modern Exterior Light
Week 3 | $10 Planter with Herb Garden
The before's aren't the worst, but I'm much happier with how it is now.
September 20, 2017
$100 Room Challenge Week 3 | $10 Planter with Herb Garden
Going into this 4 week project I had a rough idea of how I wanted this space to look, but I really had no idea about any of the details. Oh yeah did I mention I'm out of town almost this whole week for a work conference? Didn't think that one through. Anyways, the most perplexing little 4sq. ft. of grass/dirt/weeds was too big to have just an oversized planter but too small to put a mini garden. I came across this tapered wooden planter and knew I could recreate s bigger version. Either a tree or a bush or something would go in there. The actual planter itself only ended up costing me $10.
Week 1 | The Carport Before and Plans
Week 2 | A Modern Exterior Light
Week 1 | The Carport Before and Plans
Week 2 | A Modern Exterior Light
September 13, 2017
$100 Room Challenge Week 2 | Modern Exterior Light
Welcome to the second week of the $100 Room Challenge. You can see all of the carport befores in the Week 1 post. This week I had planned on making the big wooden planter to go in the grassy island, but I got as far as buying the materials before hurricane Irma hit our town. Thankfully we only caught the tail end of it when it was a tropical storm, and we didn't have any major damage. But that did eat up my whole weekend and the power being out got the first two days of the week. So this week, I'll share the one small update we did get to: replacing the old mason jar exterior light with a cheap, modern can light.
September 5, 2017
$100 Room Challenge Week 1 | The Carport Befores & Plan
This year is rolling on by, it's September and Christmas is right around the corner. In July, we participated in the $100 Room Challenge where we renovated the master half bath. And we got so much love from it that we decided to participate in another season! If you haven't heard, Erin from Lemons, Lavender, and Laundry started this challenge as a way to encourage people to improve their rooms, even if it's only a little at a time. We post every Wednesday in September and do the big reveal on the last week. You can read more about how she started this challenge on her blog and keep up with it on social media with #100RoomChallenge.
So what room are you renovating this time? Well, I debated HARD on that question. The full bathroom really needed a paint job and some storage options, and it would probably get more clicks than the second option - the carport. But at the end of the day, I want to pick what would make the biggest impact in our home and that means picking the carport.
There is room for one car underneath the original house roof, but when we bought the house it came with a nice, big metal carport, leaving us with 2 nicely covered spots. As you pull up to those spots though, now that's a different and much uglier story.
August 31, 2017
Low Cost, High Quality Oversized Rug Option
The living room is supposed to be the most comfortable and homey room in the house, and a few weeks ago ours was far from it. We had old ugly rugs and carpet remnants to put the sofas on and no where to put the television - it was not pretty or functional. In June, we got the bamboo blinds which put us on the road to making our space better.
If you've ever had leftover carpet, you know that you don't want to waste an inch of it because it is flippin expensive. So when my grandparents replaced they're almost perfect carpet, we grabbed a few scraps to have bound into rugs. Most local carpet places will bind remnants for you by the foot, ours ended up being about $150 for 4 big rugs. While I was picking up the finished rugs, I perused the other carpet remnants they had and OH if I didn't hit the jackpot.
July 26, 2017
$100 Room Challenge Week 4 | Modern Half Bath Reveal
Week 1 | The Half Bath Before
Week 2 | Painting the Tile
Week 3 | Open Shelving & Wall Paint
Labels:
$100 Room Challenge,
4 week renovation,
diy,
makeover,
ourhouse,
reveal,
week 4
July 19, 2017
$100 Rom Challenge Week 3 | Open Shelves & Wall Paint
I've decided that the older you get, the faster time goes by! It is Week 3 of the $100 Room Challenge, and somehow I have been able to squeek by with only spending $16 so far. This week, I was able to get all of the painting done, took out the old medicine cabinet mirror, built/installed the two open shelves above the toilet. Catch up with the past two weeks:
Week 1 | The Half Bath Before
Week 2 | Painting the Tile
Week 1 | The Half Bath Before
Week 2 | Painting the Tile
July 12, 2017
$100 Rom Challenge Week 2 | Painting the Tile
It's the 2nd week of the $100 Room Challenge and my mind can't settle on just one style for our half bathroom. This week I only got to painting the tile since it was my birthday weekend (woot woot!). But painting the tile was a huge improvement. I also took the cheap-o storage thing above the toilet off the wall which made the room seem 10x's bigger.
You can also catch up with the before pictures in Week 1.
You can also catch up with the before pictures in Week 1.
July 5, 2017
$100 Rom Challenge Week 1 | The Half Bath Before
Fun news guys, I'm participating in this season of the $100 Room Challenge! We redid the laundry room for the One Room Challenge this past May and I needed some motivation to get back in the saddle, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Erin from Lemons, Lavender, and Laundry started this challenge as a way to encourage people to improve their rooms, even if it's only a little at a time. We post every Wednesday in July and do the big reveal on the last week. You can read more about how she started this challenge on her blog and keep up with it on social media with #100RoomChallenge.
For this round I chose to do the half bathroom that is between the master and the guest room. It's a fairly small room that is low on my house renovation list, so I thought it could benefit from a low budget, quick makeover.
June 21, 2017
Bamboo Blinds in the Living Room
Hi guys, it's been a while. After our 6 week sprint to finish the Laundry Room, I was DIY-ED OUT. I had to take a break. I started a new job and made plans for what project we would take on next and then a few weeks went by - but hey, that's real life. The living room has been untouched since we moved in. We don't have a tv and haven't had guests yet so it has been a low priority. Thankfully my mom was making room in her basement for new blinds, so she sweetly gifted them to us.
Bamboo blinds have always been my favorite, especially in the lighter color, but never thought I would get them in this house since they are so expensive (blinds are just expensive in general..). Thankfully these beauties came across my path and we put them up last week.
May 11, 2017
One Room Challenge Week 6 | The Laundry Room Reveal!
The past 6 weeks have been packed with excitement and frustration as we completely gutted and remodeled our outdoor utility room. For those of you who are visiting for the first time, I'm Elizabeth and I write the posts around here. We bought our house less than a year ago and it was a big fixer upper - I mean like we couldn't even move in until 5 months of remodeling. We completely overhauled the inside and re-did the kitchen, but our outdoor utility room was left empty with only the water heater.
This will be my first and almost completely remodeled by myself space, my dad graciously helped me with the plumbing and electrical (because who wants to learn how to do that stuff on 50 year old pipes/wires?) oh, and hanging the cabinets. Not that I wasn't offered help, but I wanted to prove to myself that I was capable of doing it. You can see all the progress week by week, and I still can't believe where we were 6 weeks ago.
Week 1: Laundry Room Before and Plans
Week 2: Plumbing, Prepping Walls, Cabinets, and Mood Board
Week 3: Faux Shiplap & Water Heater Closet
Week 4: Finished Water Heater Closet and Trimmed out the Cabinets
Week 5: Open Shelf, Base Cabinet, & Final Wall Color
We didn't get any before before pictures (since my sweet husband tore everything out on a whim one day), but once we gutted the room I got some pictures of the drywall. I do have a video of it completely gutted that I shared in Week 1, but I'll share it again below. Just imagine 50 year old drywall, old metal bracket shelves covered in rust and grime and spiders - and you'll be where we really started.
6 weeks later, a few hundred dollars, and the entire That 70's Show (yes, all 200 episodes), this is where we are today.
This will be my first and almost completely remodeled by myself space, my dad graciously helped me with the plumbing and electrical (because who wants to learn how to do that stuff on 50 year old pipes/wires?) oh, and hanging the cabinets. Not that I wasn't offered help, but I wanted to prove to myself that I was capable of doing it. You can see all the progress week by week, and I still can't believe where we were 6 weeks ago.
Week 1: Laundry Room Before and Plans
Week 2: Plumbing, Prepping Walls, Cabinets, and Mood Board
Week 3: Faux Shiplap & Water Heater Closet
Week 4: Finished Water Heater Closet and Trimmed out the Cabinets
Week 5: Open Shelf, Base Cabinet, & Final Wall Color
We didn't get any before before pictures (since my sweet husband tore everything out on a whim one day), but once we gutted the room I got some pictures of the drywall. I do have a video of it completely gutted that I shared in Week 1, but I'll share it again below. Just imagine 50 year old drywall, old metal bracket shelves covered in rust and grime and spiders - and you'll be where we really started.
6 weeks later, a few hundred dollars, and the entire That 70's Show (yes, all 200 episodes), this is where we are today.
May 4, 2017
One Room Challenge Week 5 | Open Shelf, Base Cabinet, and Final Wall Color
If you've been following along with the InstaStories this week, you saw the great paint color debate and my unwrapping of the wallpaper that finally got here! Week 5 of the One Room Challenge has come and gone, and we are one step closer to having a functioning laundry room. This week we were able to get the final color on the walls, build the frames for the bottom drawer and open shelf, and paint the Washer and Dryer. Catch up on the previous weeks to see how far we've come, in the reveal next week I'll be sure to have some good befores and side by sides.
Week 1: Laundry Room Before and Plans
Week 2: Plumbing, Prepping Walls, Cabinets, and Mood Board
Week 3: Faux Shiplap & Water Heater Closet
Week 4: Finished Water Heater Closet and Trimmed out the Cabinets
Week 1: Laundry Room Before and Plans
Week 2: Plumbing, Prepping Walls, Cabinets, and Mood Board
Week 3: Faux Shiplap & Water Heater Closet
Week 4: Finished Water Heater Closet and Trimmed out the Cabinets
April 26, 2017
One Room Challenge Week 4 | Finished Water Heater Closet and Trimmed out the Cabinets
The One Room Challenge is back and everyone is making incredible progress. Week 4 has come and gone, and it feels like I keep doing the same thing over and over again. But when I look back at what it looked like last week, it really has come a long way. You can catch up with the previous weeks for a quick refresher.
Week 1: Laundry Room Before and Plans
Week 2: Plumbing, Prepping Walls, Cabinets, and Mood Board
Week 3: Faux Shiplap & Water Heater Closet
This week we were able to build in the cabinets, put in the water heater wall, build the door, trim out the window, caulk and prime everything. It's starting to come together! We don't have a lot of words for you today, but we do have a lot of update pictures.
Week 1: Laundry Room Before and Plans
Week 2: Plumbing, Prepping Walls, Cabinets, and Mood Board
Week 3: Faux Shiplap & Water Heater Closet
This week we were able to build in the cabinets, put in the water heater wall, build the door, trim out the window, caulk and prime everything. It's starting to come together! We don't have a lot of words for you today, but we do have a lot of update pictures.
April 19, 2017
One Room Challenge Week 3 | (Faux) Shiplap & Water Heater Closet
I know everyone says this about this challenge, but the time is flying by! It's Week 3 of the One Room Challenge, we've reached the halfway point and I'd say we're about halfway through our to-do list, maybe haha. The hardest part is behind us since this week we've got most of the big construction out of the way and just have to put it all together now.
For Week 3 we were able to build the water heater closet wall, (faux) shiplap the walls, and get started on the paint. If you missed the previous weeks, you can catch up below.
Week 1: Laundry Room Before and Plans
Week 2: Plumbing, Prepping Walls, Cabinets, and Mood Board
For Week 3 we were able to build the water heater closet wall, (faux) shiplap the walls, and get started on the paint. If you missed the previous weeks, you can catch up below.
Week 1: Laundry Room Before and Plans
Week 2: Plumbing, Prepping Walls, Cabinets, and Mood Board
April 18, 2017
Getting Rid of the Ugly Attic String with a 10 Minute DIY
Week 3 of the One Room Challenge has me whipped! I took a break from the heavy remodeling and did a quick DIY that's been bugging me lately to satisfy that instant gratification need. We have an attic and just like everyone else that has one, the only way to open it is with this ugly and gross looking nylon string. I have never liked looking at them for obvious reasons and because we are both so tall, we almost hit it when we walk by! So I stopped by Home Depot and grabbed the supplies I needed for about $6.
April 13, 2017
One Room Challenge Week 2 | Plumbing, Prepping Walls, Cabinets & the Mood Board
I can't believe Week 2 has already come! Week 1 we showed the before pictures and laid out some visual plans. Everyone's plans look awesome and I can't wait to see everyone's progress this week. Week 2 seems like it's one of the most "not fun" weeks because everyone is tearing things down and just starting to put things back together. But this week we were able to get the plumbing done, prep the walls, get the cabinets up, paint the ceiling, and start on the mood board.
We finally got to install these cabinets this week and they look amazing. I've actually rewritten this sentence like 5 times just so I could convey how much I love these cabinets.They are the perfect Shaker and come in a pre-painted white, perfect for a 6 week challenge, eh? On the washer side we put 2 27" shaker cabinets side by side. It was my first time hanging cabinets and my dad helped me make sure I secured them right since I was (and kind of still am) paranoid about them falling off. But after hanging the first one, the other ones were easier. This next week we'll put filler strips on both sides and eventually build them up to the ceiling.
April 6, 2017
One Room Challenge: Week 1 | Laundry Room Before and Plans
Exciting news friends! If you guys have been watching my Insta-Stories, you'll know that this season we are participating in the One Room Challenge as a Guest Participant! I didn't even know about this challenge or what it was until this past season in October. For those of you who don't know the One Room Challenge is literally just that - a challenge to remodel/redo/upgrade one room in your house (or wherever) in 6 weeks. You hear that right, just 6 weeks. Some people take on kitchens, bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, pretty much any space you can think of. They ask 20 bloggers to participate as the Featured Designers, who post on Wednesdays, and then open the challenge to other blogger to participate as a Guest Participant. You can see all the Guest Participants linked up on Calling It Home's website (we're #195!)
It's a simple concept but gives everyone the push they need to start on that space they've been putting off for so long (*cough* our laundry room *cough*). It also connects us all to bloggers that we don't normally follow or don't know about! So this season we are participating, so follow along every Thursday - Welcome to Week 1.
March 6, 2017
Kitchen Favorite: Dutch Oven (and a Siracha Chili Recipe)
Do you have that one piece in your kitchen that just makes cooking ten times easier? For me, it's our Martha Stewart for Macy's Cast Iron Dutch Oven. We actually got two of them for our wedding which weren't even on our registry, but oh am I so glad someone gifted them. It is incredibly durable, it can be used for so many different things, it is easy to clean, AND for only $50
A few weeks ago we had a chili cook-off at my work and I decided to participate even though I had never cooked chili a day in my life. While I was searching through Pinterest for recipes (obviously), I found that there were no spicy chili recipes! So I decided to take a normal chili recipe and throw our favorite hot sauce in it - Sriracha.
February 28, 2017
Low Cost Closet Storage Shelves
Storage and closet space is a premium in any house, especially in our 50's house. Even though there is a closet in every room, they only had one rod PER closet. It seemed like a waste of space so we did a quick fix when we moved in and put two rows of basic dowel rods with a board on top. Auston uses the closet in our bedroom and I use the guest room's closet since obviously we have no room to share one - and we don't have many guests since our families live in the same town. The two rods are great, but I had intentionally cut my bottom one short so that my dresses could have room to hang. The dresser in my room was filled with t-shirts, workout clothes, and pjs, but I still needed somewhere to store my sweaters and some shoes - enter my first mini construction project.
February 21, 2017
5-Step Modern Farmhouse Wall Hooks
Has anyone else gotten the cold/flu that's been going around? Well this girl, who never gets sick, did. And it is anything but blog writing conducive. But nevertheless, I am on the mend and wanted to share this quick 20 minute project that helped make our room more functional.
I love robes. They're easy to slip on in the mornings or after I take a shower. Since we moved in October (wow, has it really been 4 months already?!), I have been keeping our robes on thumbtacks I stick in the wall. Literal thumb. tacks. They worked great for a while, but I was getting tired of them being difficult to hang things on, oh yeah and they're super ugly. I've been keeping my eye open for pretty hooks, but kept could never make up my mind. I decided to run to the Home Depot to see if they had any, and who would have thunk it, they had the perfect ones. They're a little less modern and more farmhouse than I thought they would turn out, but they still make life better. The project took 20 minutes and only cost $15 - worth it.
February 9, 2017
DIY Amber Shampoo, Conditioner, and Body Wash Bottles
Do you hate all the different colored bottles in your shower? I mean let's be serious, who actually likes all those weird colors and logos lining your tub or shower? If you do, I'm glad you do! But if you're like me, all those bottles get on your nerves. It feels like the least pretty way to keep your shampoos and body wash. On a podcast a while ago, I heard that the first thing Nate Berkus does when he gets new shampoo or conditioner is tear off the labels. I thought - that could solve my problem! But with my luck, the bottles I buy have the labels printed right on to the plastic... Meaning there was no taking them off.
Then I came across this post by on of my favorite bloggers, Almost Makes Perfect. I was like YES! You answer all my minimalistic style needs Molly! So I got all the materials and did the shampoo bottle diy. So here's a quick tutorial on how I did it - it only took $10, 30 mins, and minimal effort. I did 3 bottles for me, and 3 bottles for Auston. The actual bottles are SUPER cheap, like ¢70 a piece! Quick note: make sure the letters you get are vinyl so that they're waterproof!
Then I came across this post by on of my favorite bloggers, Almost Makes Perfect. I was like YES! You answer all my minimalistic style needs Molly! So I got all the materials and did the shampoo bottle diy. So here's a quick tutorial on how I did it - it only took $10, 30 mins, and minimal effort. I did 3 bottles for me, and 3 bottles for Auston. The actual bottles are SUPER cheap, like ¢70 a piece! Quick note: make sure the letters you get are vinyl so that they're waterproof!
February 7, 2017
More Plans for the Kitchen Cabinets
I know you're probably thinking - where the heck has she been? Life just gets busy sometimes friends, especially when you have a full time job (where I am currently going through certifications), a part time job, other side jobs, and then a blog. Which one is my favorite to spend time on? Absolutely this blog. Often times I daydream about it becoming my full time job, a girl can dream right. But anyways, on to more fun things!
Since we installed the one half of our kitchen cabinets, there is this gaping hole between the top of the cabinets and the ceiling. If it were the 70's, we would just stick a filler up there like a soffit, but I just can't make myself cover up perfectly good storage space. So my solution is to build a custom shelves. The only big decision I need to make is the storage above the stove area - the wine bottle shelves. I snapped a quick picture of the space and overlayed it with some outlines. So far, I've narrowed it down to either a criss-cross or straight layout. I found some inspiration pictures that helped me visualize it.
January 23, 2017
Home Bloggers to Follow in 2017
It's that time of the year where we all try to better our lives by getting inspiration from others, at least, that's what I'm doing (ha!). I love following bloggers that inspire me or have the same taste as me because it gets my design juices flowing. Seeing other people conquer big home renovation projects is entertaining! So I thought you might want to know some of my top bloggers, who don't do designing professionally, who I follow so that you can follow them too. To see all the blogs I follow you can go to my Bloglovin page, which by the way, is the easiest way to follow along (shamless plug: you can follow me there too!). A few of these guys I talk about often, like in my One Room Challenge post, and some are new, so be sure to check them all out!
1. Chris Loves Julia
One of my favorite blogging couples, ChrisLovesJulia embodies my favorite home style all while being one of the funniest bloggers I follow. They have a very modern with hints of traditional taste which shines through in their most recent project, the guest room. They also have a podcast that I love listening to every other Monday because Chris and Preston's dry humor reminds me of my witty husband.
1. Chris Loves Julia
One of my favorite blogging couples, ChrisLovesJulia embodies my favorite home style all while being one of the funniest bloggers I follow. They have a very modern with hints of traditional taste which shines through in their most recent project, the guest room. They also have a podcast that I love listening to every other Monday because Chris and Preston's dry humor reminds me of my witty husband.
January 18, 2017
Guest Room/Closet Mood Board
We've already had our first guests stay in the guest room over the holidays! Although the room wasn't in perfect shape, it was cozy and sleepable. But now that we're less busy and have gotten through the Christmas budget (right?!), I can finally get around to decorating it. This room is sort of odd because it functions as the guest and my closet. The house so far is very neutral grey, black, and whites, so I wanted this room to have a bit of color in it. Earth tones immediately came into my mind and I knew this is somewhere I could incorporate a color palette I've been loving: forest green, warm browns, and dusty pink. I'm thinking cabin meets mid-century modern.
January 16, 2017
Our Kitchen as of January 2017
If you've been following along for a while, you will remember we finished our biggest renovation so far, the kitchen, back in October and shared it in our kitchen reveal post. There you can see all the cringe worthy before pictures along with links to all the products we used. In our Projects for 2017 post, we mentioned that one of our goals is to actually tile that backsplash. Why didn't we do it before we moved in when everything was still in construction and dirty you ask? Well, that's what happens when you get impatient. And we definitely were.
For Christmas we got a few things for the kitchen including these acacia salad bowls, this smoked amber and balsam candle, this white utensil crock (only $10!!), this glass whistling kettle, and a blue and white vase (from CK Morgan and Co., similar one). The acacia salad bowls are so pretty but also have many benefits when using them! Like cast iron, the wood is seasoned over time and needs to be oiled after use. The wood keeps its season and gives the salad a more flavorful taste. This Overstock article gives some great tips on seasoning and cleaning your wood bowls.
January 11, 2017
Frosting the Bathroom Windows for $15
Have you ever hopped out of your shower just to stare straight right at another person outside of the window? Well, we haven't either, but with our bathroom sharing a window with the car port, it was only a matter of time. Something had to be done to give us some privacy. I knew I didn't want a shade or anything fabric in there since we like really hot steamy showers, and blinds look a little tacky in this bathroom.
I mean you can clearly see in the picture below how easy it would be to catch someone at the wrong time and make things awkward. Don't get me wrong, I am so grateful that there is a window because it brings some much needed light into this dark tiled bathroom, we just had to skew the visibility. Then I came across this post from YoungHouseLove, outlining how they used frosted window film to solve their same issue.
I mean you can clearly see in the picture below how easy it would be to catch someone at the wrong time and make things awkward. Don't get me wrong, I am so grateful that there is a window because it brings some much needed light into this dark tiled bathroom, we just had to skew the visibility. Then I came across this post from YoungHouseLove, outlining how they used frosted window film to solve their same issue.
January 9, 2017
6 Projects We Want to Get Done in 2017
Welcome back! Over the holidays I really wanted to focus on relaxing and spending time with my family, so we haven't had a post in a few weeks. But we're back and today we're dishing about the projects we want to crank out in 2017. One thing to know about us is that we're not big on making New Years resolutions. I can't speak for Auston, but I think that if you really want to change something about yourself or your habits, you can start today. you don't have to wait until New Years, until the Spring, or tomorrow to start your on your goals. That being said, we do have some things we want to get accomplished in the coming year! We know there will be a million other things we will probably get to, but here are the big ones.
1. Finish the kitchen.
2016 saw our big kitchen reveal and it still looks awesome. Before it is actually closer to finished, we still have to tile the backsplash and make the storage space above the new cabinets. I also have to move some things around in the cabinets to make more sense.
1. Finish the kitchen.
2016 saw our big kitchen reveal and it still looks awesome. Before it is actually closer to finished, we still have to tile the backsplash and make the storage space above the new cabinets. I also have to move some things around in the cabinets to make more sense.