Home Decor

White Farmhouse Kitchen Reveal

October 2, 2021

Back in February 2020 when things were still pretty normal, we started our big kitchen renovation. We completely gutted it and rebuilt the entire thing. By we I mean our contractor. My sister helped me design it (she is an amazing Interior designer if you are local and needing assistance) and I could not be more pleased with how it all turned out. Fast forward to the beginning of April when we were in quarantine, we had a little bit of a set back and didn’t end up finishing the kitchen until about mid-April. Just in time, if you ask me. I don’t think we could have imagined everything that has happened since then. I am so thankful we had a kitchen for most of the stay at home order because it was a struggle the first couple of weeks.

Now we are completely moved back into the kitchen and have it all set up how we want it, so I finally took some photos and will share all the details with you. So firstly, I knew I wanted a white kitchen so that I could change decor often and it present a perfect clean background. I struggled for a while between gold and black fixtures, but I ultimately decided on black because it is more timeless as gold is more of a trendy thing right now. I am in love with how it turned out and I think our light fixtures are my favorite part of the whole kitchen…well, and the island.

Speaking of the island, I basically asked the contractor how big we could go and that’s what we did. We settled on 10 feet and I love having all of that counter space. I also love that the kids can eat at the bar now because it is so easy to clean up. It has been a game changer for us. We added some cabinets under the counter (the barstools are hiding them) for some bonus storage.

The next thing I knew we wanted was a hidden coffee bar (seen on the right side of this photo). We put in sliding cabinet doors on both ends of the kitchen so that we can close them and hide our appliances or leave them open while using them without the doors getting in the way. It has been a wonderful feature and makes the room look so much cleaner having everything hidden.

Here are the (affiliate links and info that I get asked about the most:

Flooring: Hickory stained LVP

Countertops: Quartz

Chandelier

Kitchen Table and bench: Ryan made them for us years ago.

Kitchen Chairs

Bar stools

Pendants over the bar

Target Christmas Decor

October 26, 2020

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Target just released their Christmas decor and it is so good! You guys know how much I love fall, but I also love the holidays. Growing up, my mom always made the holidays so special for us and the season was full of traditions. Ryan and I have created our own traditions with our four children that we look forward to every year, now. One of them is decorating on November 1st. I know this is a “no-no” for some, but the way I look at it is, I do not host Thanksgiving and I like to enjoy the Christmas decor for more that one month (or less than) because it is a lot of work. haha

I rounded up some of my favorites from this year’s Target Christmas decor (above). I love that they included a mixture of modern, traditional and vintage this year.

When do you decorate for Christmas?

Affordable Fall Decor

September 6, 2019

It is officially my favorite time of year! Football has started, PSLs are back and pumpkins are everywhere! I have already started decorating for my favorite season (see IG stories today) but I am so excited to add to it and grab a few of these pieces and PUMPKINS! I went through a couple of my favorite retailers for home decor and linked some really affordable options if you are on a tight budget like I am! I also hit up Hobby Lobby which I can not link to, so check stories for the goodies I grabbed so that you can check your store for the same things if interested. Here are my favorite and affordable fall decor options:

Affordable Fall Decor:

Unique Graduation Gifts with Minted

April 21, 2017

You guys know how much I love Minted’s holiday cards, and art. I have several pieces in our home and love to add to our collection from time to time. I have started (slowly) working on organizing and decorating our office, so it felt right to add a new print in there. Ryan has also need some stationary for work, so I knew exactly who to go to! It all got me thinking that they have really great graduation gifts – from stationary to gorgeous prints that would be perfect for a college dorm room or new home.

Home Sweet Home

December 12, 2016

This weekend was such a blast! We had my family’s annual Christmas party, made some yummy enchiladas (recipe coming later this week) looked at Christmas lights, did a little Christmas shopping and enjoyed some much needed family time at home. We are still in the process of unboxing all of our stuff and I am somewhere between needing a break and wanting to give everything else away. If we have made it 3 weeks without it, surly it can go, right?

Chic Holiday Bathroom and DIY Toilet Paper Decor

November 7, 2016

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #QuiltedHoliday #CollectiveBias

We are moving into our new house over the next couple of weeks. Because I just had our sweet baby boy, we are taking it a little slow and doing a little at a time. One thing I have been looking forward to the most is being able to decorate our own home for the holidays. I missed it so much last year and I have been counting down the days until I could get my hands on this one. Our new home is very light and airy which is much more my style and I am thrilled to finally begin the process of decorating. I figured if we were going to move our Christmas boxes and decorations in, I might as well get started instead of dragging it right back out in a couple of weeks. See? It’s completely logical to decorate early.

S’mores Rice Crisps and an Easy Clean-Up Solution

July 5, 2016

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ScrubDishCloth #CollectiveBias

To me, summer is all about lazy days in the sun and spending lots of time with family and friends. We seem to always have company around or passing through town and it is a good idea (and much less stressful) if we keep our kitchen clean and prepared for guests. That means making it sparkle, decorating for the season and always having some sort of baked treat – like one of my favorites, S’mores Rice Crisps!

Minted Art

November 9, 2015

Thank you, Minted for sending me artwork as compensation for this post. All opinions and love for the art are 100% my own.

One thing I have not done a great job on in our home is decorating the walls with artwork. That is very strange because I love art. Just ask my family. I have definitely always been the artist out of the bunch, but I also have a deep appreciation for art. Honestly, that is probably why I have had a hard time picking out pieces for our walls because I am so picky and have a hard time settling for the perfect one. Minted is fairly new to me, but I have heard about them through other bloggers. When they let me pick out a few pieces to decorate my walls, I knew it was time and I was more than excited to jump at the opportunity.

There are a few bare spots in our home that I have had a really hard time decorating. The entryway is the biggest. It has always been sort of blah. That was the first space that came to mind. I chose this Season Change piece because it fits so perfectly into the time of year and this season of our lives. Change. There are so many changes coming and I am nervous, but so excited for them. I love the way this art brightened this empty space and brought it to life.

The second place that really needed something was off of our kitchen and living room. This spot has always been so bare and it bothered me. I saw the gold foil prints and jumped on the Alabama one with this spot in mind. I am kind of in love with it and I think it is my favorite by far. Tomorrow through November 16th, Minted is giving 20%off of all their foil products, so I may have to snag another foil print at this great price!

The third was the Twinkle Twinkle print that I knew was perfect for SR’s nursery. I am a huge fan of fairy tales and nursery rhymes, so when I saw this, I knew I had to have it for her. It is so important to me to instill a love of literature in my children. I like to do that through bedtime stories and decorating their walls with these tales is just the perfect way to incorporate that love in their rooms.

While Minted was new to me, I have a feeling that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. I am already dreaming of the next prints I want to get for our home! I absolutely love their artwork – in particular this Most Wonderful Time print for Christmas and this Lightly Gilded photo for our bedroom. I also have my eyes on their Christmas Cards! Can you believe it is already that time of year?

Which pieces would you choose from Minted’s Art Marketplace?

How To Make a Burlap Wreath

September 3, 2015

Post contains affiliate links.

Last week’s cooler weather really got me in the spirit of fall. Over the weekend, I started decorating for my favorite season and even got a little crafty. I went to Hobby Lobby and grabbed a few supplies and decided to make a new wreath. I know it is technically a little early, but our home is almost ready to welcome the new season! Here is a really simple tutorial on how to make your own burlap wreath:

What You Need:
1 – 18″ wire wreath
60 feet of 5″ wide burlap ribbon or garland (20 yards)
1 – 18 foot spool of 1.5″ wide orange gingham wired accent ribbon (9 yards)
1 – 18 foot spool of 1.5″ wide orange Moroccan wired accent ribbon (9 yards) (or the ribbon of your choice)
– A 6″ Tin Letter
-A pumpkin floral accent
-Hot Glue Gun and glue

Let’s Get Started:

1. Tie the burlap into a knot on the back side of the wire wreath (I did it on one of the middle wires). Repeat with other ribbons.

2. Turn the wreath back around and begin weaving the ribbon through the wired wreath, alternating sides and ribbons. I created about a 4 inch loop (height) but you can make it smaller or larger depending on your preference.

3. Make sure to push the loops tightly together so you don’t have any unwanted gaps.

4. When your spools run out, go ahead and start a new one by tying the end of the ribbon in a knot on the backside of the wired wreath.

5. When you get to the end, tie the ends of your spools to the back of the wired wreath and fluff/arrange the loops to your liking.

6. Tie your letter to the top of the wreath using either twine or leftover ribbon. I chose to use my ribbon.

7. Place your floral pumpkin (or flowers) on your wreath and poke the stem through the wire. Twist it around the wire and then hot glue the back of the pumpkin to the wreath to hold it in place.

8. Hang your wreath and enjoy your newest DIY!

How To Decorate Your Home For Summer

July 23, 2015

My mother is extremely gifted in all things design and decor. She has an eye for it that constantly amazes me. My sister is fortunate to have received this trait as well, but the gene skipped me. I have, however, learned a few tips from watching them over the years on how to decorate, things not to do, etc. One of them is how to change your decor around to make it appropriate for each season without completely redoing your entire home. I recently bought new living room furniture and chose very neutral shades for our chairs, sofa and rug. Our walls are all very neutral – beiges, grays, and my chocolate dining room – so that I can easily change up accent pieces to make my home appropriate for the changing seasons. Here is how I do it:

Add color – I love to add touches of color throughout the home – yellow for summer, red for Christmas, pastels for spring etc.

Change out pillows – I change out my throw pillows on the couch to go with the seasons. I have red pillows for winter and floral pillows for spring and summer. They make a huge difference in the way our living room looks and feels.

Add colorful artwork – I haven’t done a good job of this recently. I LOVE art. I am not talented in this area, but I have a huge appreciation for it. I love architecture as well, but I am very picky about what I want in my house. Because of this, I have almost none. Oi.

Fresh flowers – Adding seasonal flowers to a home will always make a house feel warm and inviting while also adding fragrance and color. Everyone loves flowers! They are a great way to decorate for the changing seasons.

How do you decorate your home for the summer?