2013 Home Resolutions

Hey, everyone!  I'm super excited to be guest posting for Lauran at The Real Young Housewife of Southern VA today!  Be sure to head over there to see my 2013 Home Resolutions!  And if you've never met Lauran, you're going to love her!  She's a beautiful lady with a great personality and fabulous fashion sense!  Stay and visit a while - you won't be disappointed! :)

I hope the new year has started out wonderfully for all of you!  We have quite a few home projects in various stages of completion, and I can't wait to share them all with you! :)  What about you guys?  Any exciting resolutions to share?

Designer Inspired

 

I love designer fashion, jewelry, home decor, you know name it!  And then there's reality.  I'm a stay-at-home mom with two kids.  We buy diapers and wipes.  We pay for college classes and books.  We have a mortgage and a car payment.  Like most people, we live on a budget.  And, honestly, I don't think I could spend $1,000 on a purse anyway. :)  However, what I love to do is draw inspiration from high-end designers and brands.  When we found out we were expecting, I started browsing Serena and Lily, Restoration Hardware Baby and Child, and Pottery Barns Kids for ideas.  I came across this room from Serena and Lily.

 

 

 

 

I loved the navy and white stripes with the grass green accent color.  I felt like it was a great crisp, clean look that was all-boy. :)  So, I totaled the cost of the bedding for the Serena and Lily room.  Just the bedding - duvet, pillows, sheets, etc.  This price does not include any furniture or decor.  And the grand total for this look was $836.  Gorgeous, but waaay out of our budget! :)

 

 

 

 

And this is a shot of Cole's Serena and Lily inspired nursery.  For the fabric backdrop, I found this rugby stripe shower curtain at Target for $15!  I ordered the letters from an Etsy seller and painted them with Serena and Lily paint in Grass green (Serena and Lily paint sample, $6).  For the pennant banner, I ordered free fabric swatches from Serena and Lily and bought the other fabrics at Hancock for $3.  I ordered the crib sheet from Serena and Lily when they were having a 40% off Nursery event, and the crib skirt was another DIY project ($6).  For the green accent pillow, I covered a pillow I already had with an old cable-knit sweater I didn't wear anymore (FREE)!  So, the grand total for all of Cole's bedding and crib wall decor came to $97! :) 

 

 

 

 

Although I couldn't afford to order all of the items straight from Serena and Lily, I was able to create a similar look for a fraction of the cost.  I'd say our motto around here is design on a dime, but it's actually pretty on a penny! :)

 

Do you guys have any awesome tips for creating high-end looks for less?

Chalk Art

Have you all seen the chalkboard art that seems to be popping up everywhere?  I've been thinking about making a DIY chalkboard menu for our kitchen.  Something like this, maybe?
 

I've recently seen some awesome examples of just how cool chalk art can be.

I mean, how gorgeous is this custom chalkboard art by Dana Tanamachi?  Amazing!  I would love to hire her to do one for us, but I'm guessing she's a little out of our price range.  Oh well, I'll just drool over her work anyway! :)

I found this print on Etsy that I thought was adorable.  You can actually customize it with your own family name and recipe.  And it's only $35 for an 11x14 print.  Not too shabby! :)

And one of my favorite Etsy shops recently came out with this adorable chalkboard invitation.  $15?  I think so! :)

What do you guys think?  Gotta have or leave it in the dust? ;)

Love Me, Love Me

Today marks five years since I married my wonderful hubby!  I am so blessed!  Speaking of love and marriage, I found a few more prints that I'm considering for our master bedroom.  Etsy again! ;)

I absolutely love this print from the Song of Solomon! :)

http://www.etsy.com/listing/82406349/song-of-solomon-in-blue-8x10-print

And these silhouette prints are amazing! :)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/lepapierstudio?section_id=5392835 

 

There are just so many different prints that I love!  Thankfully I have lots of wall space to fill! ;)

 

Jane Austen Typography

If you know me, you know I'm in love with Jane Austen.  Emma, Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility are some of my favorite movies.  Yeah, I'm pretty sure I've seen Emma approximately 100 times. ;)  Anyway, I've been looking for artwork for our bedroom, and thought it would be neat to include some Jane Austen quotes.  So, I hit Etsy!  Shocking, I know. ;)  I found these adorable ones from Uplifting Prints.  They actually have a section just for Jane Austen fans, and the prints range from $20-$30 a piece. 

You can check out all of them here: 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/UUPP?section_id=7795879.

I thought I'd play around with Publisher and see if I could come up with something similar.  This is the Pride and Prejudice print I made:

And here's my Mr. Knightley quote that I personalized with our wedding date. :)  I absolutely love that scene!

Feel free to print the Pride and Prejudice quote if you'd like, and I can always customize the Emma print with your colors and wedding date.  Just let me know if you're interested!  And if you haven't seen these movies, you're missing out! :) 

Do you guys have any other good ideas for master bedroom artwork?

Mirror Mirror

No, this post is not about the movie "Mirror Mirror", although I'm anxiously awaiting its Redbox release. ;)  This is more about my obsession with high-end mirrors and my quest to find them on a budget. :)  I've been in love with this sunburst mirror from Horchow for years now!  I could seriously have one in every room in my house.  The only thing I don't like about it is that it's $294.90 on sale.  Zgallerie has a very similar one for $199, but that's still more than I'm willing to spend.

http://www.horchow.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=cprod9720019&eItemId=cprod9720019&cmCat=search&searchType=MAIN&parentId=&icid=&rte=%252Fsearch.jhtml%253FNo%253D0%2526Ntt%253Dmirrors%2526_requestid%253D11082%2526N%253D0%2526pageSize%253D160

Imagine my surprise and embarassing squeal when I found a similar version at TJ Maxx Homegoods for $59! Since it came home with me three years ago, the only problem I've had is deciding which room to leave it in because I love it in all of them! :)

 

 

And I've already told you about my other amazing sunburst mirror find here:  http://threemenandagirlygirl.blogspot.com/2012/04/deal-of-day.html.

My latest steal is a gorgeous quatrefoil mirror, another one of my all-time favorites.

You can have this beauty for only $475!  On sale, mind you!

http://www.insideavenue.com/p-11503-black-quatrefoil-mirror.aspx

So, needless to say, when I saw this bad boy at Lowe's for $65, I knew I had to have it!  And that was before I noticed that it was on sale for $30!  SCORE!

I love using high-end design as inspiration for my budget makeovers!  And I really love it when I can impress my husband with the awesome bargains I've found! ;)  This find is now hanging above the bed in our master bedroom.  I'm debating whether to paint it white, silver, or yellow.  What do you guys think? :)

Beauty on a Budget

It's not always easy to decorate on a small budget, but it is possible!  Our budget for the entire guest bedroom/nursery makeover was $500, including furniture.  To accomplish this, I used six different tactics. 

1.  Start out by browsing designer rooms to get inspiration and ideas.  Familiarizing yourself with high-end looks will enable you to spot budget look-a-likes.

2.  Reuse as many items as possible from the previous room and the rest of the house. 

3.  Frequently scour thrift stores and consignment shops.

4.  Shop yard sales, Craigslist, Ebay, etc.

5.  Check out home decor discount stores such as T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, etc.

6.  Don't be afraid to use spray paint! ;)

Here's a breakdown of the budget for the guest bedroom side.  We already had the headboard, which was a DIY project from a few years ago, I just recovered it.  The chandelier and navy blanket were also items we already had.  The side tables were handed down from my mom and painted pink. :)

Mirror - Martha Stewart Home for Home Depot

Curtains - Target, 95" for $12.99 a panel

Fabric for headboard - Waverly curtain panel from Lowe's

Pink pillows - Ross

Trellis pillows - Target

Coverlet - T.J. Maxx

Lampshade - Lowe's

Lamp base - Goodwill (spray painted white)

And here's a before and after picture that shows the complete transformation:

All for under $200!  With a little creative thinking, a little DIY craftiness, and a lot of budget brainstorming, it is possible to design on a dime!  Or in our case, a penny! ;)

Sneak Peek

Ok, let me preface this post by saying that we are definitely not done yet!  We still have work to do, but we have made some progress, thank goodness!  We're down to two weeks until my due date, so we don't have much time left! :)  Here's a glimpse of the guest bedroom:

and here's the bookshelf on Cole's side:

Well, that's all for now, folks! ;)  Hopefully there will be more to come soon! :)

Deal of the Day

So, Josh had to go to Home Depot tonight to get something for one of the toilets.  He says, "Why don't we all go? Come on!"  I'm thinking, "Ummm, no thanks, that's ok." ;)  Long story short, we all end up going.  While Josh is browsing the potty aisle, Blake and I head to the tiny decor section.  And, lo and behold, I found a gorgeous gold starbust mirror that would be perfect for the guest bedroom/nursery.  It's from the Martha Stewart Living line for Home Depot, and was only $35!  Score! ;)  Can you guess which mirror is the bargain mirror? :)

1.

2.

3.

1.  Global Views Sunburst Mirror, $372.50

2.  Martha Stewart Living Sunburst Mirror, $35

3.  Modern Hollywood Regency Sunburst Ray Mirror by Kathy Kuo Home, $299

Home Depot...who knew? ;)  Maybe we'll hit Lowes tomorrow! :)

It's Easy as 1-2-3!

I know quite a few people who are terrified when it comes to decorating.  They view decorating a home as an extremely difficult, painful, and almost impossible task.  And while some people will never be as comfortable with decorating as others, I have good news!  If you can pick out an outfit, you can decorate a room! :)  And some of you are probably thinking, "Well, that's a problem...because I can't pick out an outfit either!"  Yes you can!  Don't be so hard on yourself! :)  It's easy peasy! ;)

Step One:  Think about the colors of your favorite outfit...I know we all have at least one!  For instance, one of my favorite spring outfits is navy, white, coral, and beige.

Step Two:  Identify patterns from your outfit to use as inspiration.  For example, stripes, polka dots, toile, damask, paisley, chevron, floral, etc.

Step Three:  Translate your favorite outfit into ideas for decorating a room. 

And here's a great example of how to turn a favorite outfit into inspiration for creating a gorgeous room!

Outfit: http://www.polyvore.com/navy_coral/set?id=44752297,

Bedroom: http://galleryeight.blogspot.com/2011/02/colour-by-room-navy-blue-coral-too.html

Now go raid your closets and get inspired! :)

Personal Decorating Style

We've been in our first home for almost three years now, and during that time, I feel like my personal tastes and decorating style have changed quite a bit.  If I were to redecorate right now, every room would probably look completely different.  And in addition to my changing tastes, I promise I think I have multiple personalities when it comes to decorating! ;)  I love so many different looks, styles, colors, etc.  For example, I think all of these living rooms pictured below are amazing, and there's quite a range of styles and colors going on! :) 

http://www.bhg.com/rooms/living-room/makeovers/living-room-decorating-ideas/

http://dressingroomsinteriors.blogspot.com/

http://simplenest.net/splashes-of-color-chocolate-brown/

http://caitlinwilsondesign.blogspot.com/

http://caitlinwilsondesign.blogspot.com/

http://chiclittlehouse.blogspot.com/2011/06/few-changes.html

Now, there are definitely some styles, trends, and looks that I just don't like.  And then there are others that I look at and say, "I like that, but I'm not sure I would ever want to do it in my own home."  Can you relate?  For some reason, it's much easier for me to help other people with their homes than it is to make decisions about mine! :)  Decorating a home can seem daunting, and identifying your personal design style is a great place to start!  I've always said that my personal style is transitional, but I thought it would be interesting to see what my results on a style quiz would be.  So, according to HGTV.com, my personal style is "Classic Casual, AKA Transitional. A mix of contemporary and traditional. Usually updated, graceful, enduring."  Interested to see what your personal decorating style is?  Take the quiz at: http://my.hgtv.com/style-finder/stylefinder.esi?qid=1&returl=null. 

Tuesday's Featured Space

I am seriously drooling over this gorgeous kitchen designed by Caitlin Wilson!  I love everything about it!  Absolute perfection!  

Check out more of her amazing work on her website at:

http://www.caitlinwilsoninteriordesign.com/index2.php#/home/

or her blog: http://caitlinwilsondesign.blogspot.com/.

Breaking Free

Yesterday I put together this collage for my facebook page.  Notice a theme? :) 

As you can tell, I like blues, browns, and neutrals.  Maybe a little too much! ;)  And although some may say the "brown and blue" fad has passed, I still love the color scheme.  Always have, probably always will. :)  However, I am determined to break free from my addiction as I decorate Cole's nursery! ;)  I just keep looking at pictures of great navy spaces to bolster my courage, like this one from Rikshaw Design:  http://rikshawdesign.blogspot.com/2011/06/rikshaw-navy-nursery.html

I think I can, I think I can! ;)

Spring Home Decor

Playing outside.  Long walks.  Ice cream.  Flowers.  Sunshine.  Spring is here, and I'm loving it!  Besides spring cleaning, this beautiful season makes me want to add some color and life to our home!  Here are some wonderful, inspiring home decor finds for spring! :)

All of these items can be found at http://www.etsy.com/.  HAPPY SPRING!!