Entry Reveal

The wait is over .. I'm finally revealing our entry makeover!! My hope was to finish much much earlier - things definitely took longer than expected, BUT it was worth it because I'm in love with how it turned out!

Today I'm sharing a few photos and sources, I'll be back next week with a few tutorials and more specifics.

First, here's a few before and afters.

What a difference, right?? 

Our first major decision was to paint the wood. I struggled with it for a few months, but ultimately decided that I didn't want to leave the wall beams wood and since the wall beams intersect with the ceiling beams, the ceiling should be painted as well.. I know that everyone won't agree, but in the end, we have to do what makes us smile :)  

Our next decision was to tear up the tile and lay new tile. I'm obsessed with the herringbone tile!!

Here's a mini tour .. 

The gallery wall was made up of DIY art and Pottery Barn's metal letters

I love the depth and size of the metal letters, the wooden ampersand was made from leftover driftwood

Custom built-ins are on the back wall. 

Hardware is from DLawless here and here , cubby baskets are from Pottery Barn, bench cushion made from Neo Toile, coral from Tonic Living, woven baskets are from Home Goods.

The accent wall was a stencil that we created based on Katie Ridder wallpaper. 

DIY Serena and Lily inspired mirror, here

Wood shelf made from the same wood as our MCM dresser legs, Maryland state keychain from the Duo Studio, Monogram keychain from here.

Eleana Recycled bud vases from Pottery Barn, love the subtle green color! Flowers found at Wegmans, I can't remember the name, but love them! 

The collapsible baskets are Pottery Barn (right is fully opened, and left is half way open). Aren't they neat? Love them!! Chevron Brass Duck coat rack was a DIY project. 

Capri pendant from Kenroy Home. Love that it's simple, but still makes a statement. 

One last before:

and after. 

After planning and working on the space for several months, it's amazing seeing it come together! I LOVE how it turned out!!

Come back next week for a few more specifics on how we put this space together! 

Sources: 

Marble tile // Pottery Barn metal letters // DLawless Cabinet Pulls here and here //Pottery Barn cubby baskets // Tonic Living Neo Toile, coral bench cushion fabric  // woven baskets Home Goods // DIY Serena and Lily inspired mirror, here // Pottery Barn collapsible baskets // Chevron Brass Duck coat rack DIY project // Capri pendant  Kenroy Home // Pottery Barn Eleana Recycled bud vases // Metal tray Marshalls 

*Other sources are DIYed, more info next week! 

Read more »

Tassel Banner for the Office

Last week, I made this simple tassel banner for my office. Tassel banners are typically for parties .. but it's also a perfect, damage free way to add personalty to a rental!

I followed this simple tutorial by Tom Kat Studio - I just used an xacto knife instead of scissors - I found it easiest to quickly get a straight line.

I found the white and mint at Wal-Mart and matte gold and shiny gold at Michaels.

Did you catch my striped pin board tutorial at Infarrantly Creative last week? Make sure to stop by!

p.s. we FINALLY finished our entry over the weekend, I'll be sharing finished pictures very soon!!

Read more »

Home Decor Nordstrom Anniversary Sale + Coupons.com

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend! Today I'm sharing a little more about back to school sweepstakes at Coupons.com. Seasonal sales are the perfect time to take advantage of great deals!

I love finding new resources for affordable home decor - sometimes all a room needs is a new duvet, set of pillows or some art to give it new life! Purchasing at the end of a season or during seasonal sales is the perfect way to get a new look for less.

Coupons.com includes links for existing sales and coupon codes - here are a few of my favorites from the home section of Nordstrom Anniversary sale! 
ikat coverlet // copper candle // wood round mirror // white and gray euro sham // coral leopard pillow // white + navy sawtooth throw

I've never looked at Nordstrom for home decor before, but they have a great selection and it's reasonably priced!!

Don't forget to check out Coupons.com when shopping online, you never know what deals might pop up!

Thanks so much for Coupons.com for sponsoring this post. As always, I only share things that I love and use on a regular basis.

Read more »

Friday Five

World Market has an amazing selection of unique affordably priced home decor items .. they also stock everyday items such as unique food and kitchen stuff too!

white marble lazy susan // 13-bulb chandelier // emerald paige chair  // luna sunburst mirror

We recently got a driver and it is ah-mazing, seriously, it makes installing screws SO much easier and faster! It's compact and light weight .. Also, bits are super easy to change, you just push it in and out. We have this one. Put it on your Christmas list! 

The other week, I found this Kate Spade tote at TJ Maxx for $40! You never know what you'll find there, I love the hunt! P.S. shoe recommendation thanks to A Thoughtful Place, unfortunately they are no longer available, but check out Courtney's other recommendations she is spot on .. she said these feel just like slippers, and they do (I'm picky when it comes to flats)!! 

I'm crazy for this hexagon tile floor by Gwen! Would you believe that they were individually laid out by hand!? Amazing!! Please pin from original source, here. Thanks!

West Elm Waldorf Coffee Table - look at those legs!! LOVE!!

Pottery Barn Oh You print - so bright and happy!! 

*Contains affiliate links

--

This is the third weekend in a row that we've been traveling .. a little exhausted, but after this busy weekend, we should have a little time to relax! Hope you have an amazing weekend!! 

Read more »

Sneak Peek #projectentry

Happy Thursday! Make sure to stop by Pottery Barn for a sneak peek of our entry! We've been working hard to finish, and I'm happy to say that we're SO close! Just a few more finishing touches .. I can't wait to share the finished space!

The wood shelf is one of my favorite parts .. it came from the same wood as our custom legs for the MCM dresser.

Maryland keychain from the Duo Studio - love it!!

Make sure to stop by Pottery Barn to see a few more pics and my process for designing the space. Full reveal VERY soon!!

--

Sorry for the slow posting .. after many hiccups we finally got the internet installed and we're getting settled, so things should be back to normal soon!!

Read more »

Easy DIY Cedar Planter

Hey! I'm back! Today I'm sharing how to make a super easy cedar planter - perfect for container gardening!

Here's what you'll need:

- Cedar fence planks: 6' x 5.5" (qty 6) (cedar will weather well, also, make sure NOT to get pressure treated pine, especially if you're growing vegetables as it's treated with chemicals) 

Cut list:

sides: 23" (x6) 23.5" (x6)

bottom: 23" (x4) 

feet: 5.5"x5.5" (x4)

Wood to tie sides together (about 1" wide) ideally cedar. 

- 1" Screws

- Saw (preferably chop saw, we used a jig saw)

- Drill 

First, lay out the bottom (23" sections x 4) secure together with thin board. The tops of the fence planks help with drainage.

**Note: I used pine since I couldn't find thinner cedar and we don't have our table saw. Ideally we would have ripped down the cedar planks into smaller sections. Pine doesn't weather well - down the road, we will most likely replace with cedar. 

Start laying our your sides. (two sides will be 23" and two sides will be 23.5") Cut thin strips, place .5" from the bottom (to account for the base, use a spacer and mark with a pencil) place it about 2" from the top (mine measured 13.5")

Place three screws per side, and secure the boards together. (make sure to take into account the placement of the bottom supports, I had to move mine so they wouldn't hit ..)

Start constructing the box, the 23" sides should be facing each other and the 23.5" should be facing each other.

Attach the base, using screws from the side of the bottom board.

Finally, attach the 5.5" x 5.5" feet on the bottom of the planter with 4 screws (I inset mine about .5")

Load up with your favorite plants and enjoy!

I moved our DIY aluminum plant markers over ..

It was hard to capture the size, but it is HUGE! We wanted something big and deep (hopefully our plants will make it!)

David made one the night before and I made a second one the next day in about an hour, super easy! Total cost for the cedar was about $15, buying planters this size would easily be $100, so DIYing was an easy choice!

--

On a personal note: one of the reasons why posting has been slower recently is because we had to move .. again .. (our TN rental). We were renting from a coworker of David's - he was supposed to go to another job, which unexpectedly got cancelled .. and he got transferred back to TN, so we had to move out .. (we built this planter so that we could move our plants with us ..) David's job requires moving, sometimes it's unexpected and sudden ..You may know that we've moved a lot recently .. It's been stressful and draining, but it has had me focus on what really matters .. in the grand scheme of things, moving isn't too bad, it could be A LOT worse. Just wanted to keep you updated on what's going on! :) The advantage of moving? I get new ideas that I can't wait to try, stay tuned for some fun projects!

Read more »

Still here!

Hi friends! Just wanted to pop in and let you know that I'm still here ..

These past few weeks have been full of project stuff and life stuff .. and that continues this week too .. promise to be back in the next few days with updates!

p.s. I took this photo while photographing our entry .. I normally don't take selfies, but decided to make an exception when I was tired of crouching down to get out of the frame :) Also, I missed meeting you all at Haven this year!!!! I'll definitely be there next year!!

Read more »

Hump Day Giveaway | Free Printable + a winner

Today's free printable is inspired by my very wise grandmother. Last week she told me, don't put things off .. if you want to do something, do it now! You never know what tomorrow will bring, so live life to the fullest! This made me think of this quote .. you know all those things you've always wanted to do? You should go do them! 

So BE adventurous, go outside your comfort zone and DO IT!

Download your free 8x10 copy HERE

* For personal use only, resale is not permitted

p.s. the winner of last week's giveaway is .. Lauren T. F.,

congrats!! check your inbox!

--

p.s. Unfortunately I won't be able to go to Haven this year, I will miss seeing you all!!! (next year, promise!) I'm selling my ticket, if you need one, let me know!

Read more »

Tips + Tricks | The Easy Way to Save Money

It's no secret that I love a good deal - I love saving money! It's kinda like a fine tuned sport .. it doesn't happen overnight, it takes research and practice ..

Want to know something that hardly anyone knows about me? When we lived in Knoxville (the first time, right after we got married) I had just finished graduate school, was looking for a job and was looking to keep busy .. so I got into couponing .. like extreme couponing. No, I didn't have an entire basement full of toothpaste, but I did have a small closet devoted to my finds (like cereal for .20 a box, David LOVES cereal!) I loved the rush of finding deals and paying next to nothing .. much like thrifting today!



With my current schedule, I don't have as much time to clip inserts, but I still LOVE saving money.

Here's my tips to save money without devoting half of your week to organizing, researching and clipping inserts. You probably won't find cereal for .20 a box with these tips, but you will save money while not spending tons of time and energy!

1. When shopping online, prior to checking out, search coupon sites, like coupons.com, for codes to save money at checkout. Typically a quick search will save you at least $5.

2. Take advantage of holiday and seasonal promotions. I know it's early to think about back to school sales, but they are already in full swing! Check out Back to School sweepstakes at Coupons.com. 

Here's just an example, visit link above to access the sale. 

3. Download money saving apps - if you have a smart phone, look for apps where you shop most. I love the Joanns app - you can almost always save at least 40% one regular price item, plus than I don't have to remember to grab my printed coupons before leaving home! Also, most craft/fabric stores will take competitor coupons, so it never hurts to ask!

 

4. Know when stores mark down clearance. If you catch Target's clearance on the right day, you can get some amazing deals! These x-leg ottomans were originally $60, on clearance they were marked down to $42, then in about a week or two they were marked down to $18, SOLD. I bought two of each, I'll probably return one set, but I couldn't decide .. I got there Thursday morning, just as they were marking them down. This site says that Target marks down home decor clearance on Tuesday though ..  so it probably just varies from store to store.

5. Finally, load grocery coupons on your store card from the specific grocery store or coupons.com. This is SUPER easy, you just connect your store card and click to load coupons online, scan your card at check out and it automatically links the coupons!

With smart phones and the internet, saving money is super easy, you just have to know where to look! Did I miss any tips? What are your favorite ways to save money?

Don't forget to look at Coupons.com back to school sales prior to checking out online!   

This is a sponsored post for coupons.com, all tips + tricks are ones that I use on a weekly basis!

Read more »