Do you ever find yourself not purchasing something for your home because you second-guess yourself or come up with various objections? You are NOT alone!! Disclosure: This post contains affiliate and sponsored links. Scrolling through Instagram and Pinterest, it’s easy to feel like everyone else has it together, but really, they don’t. Most people have the same insecurities about home decor that you do. Why do you think that there are so many home and garden shows on TV and the checkout stands are filled with decorating magazines? Because nearly everyone, even the pros, is … [Read more...]
Inspiration to set a pretty but simple moss green St. Patrick's Day table and thoughts on why I enjoy celebrating this Irish holiday. Do you love to rearrange your furniture with the seasons or on a whim? I have many friends who do that, but that's not my style. I work hard to find a permanent furniture placement and instead of changing up my room arrangements I change up my decor with the seasons. If you've been hanging around here for any time, I'm sure you've noticed my love for seasonal home decor... especially on the … [Read more...]
In case there was ever any doubt, I LOVE fresh evergreens at Christmas. Did you purchase an evergreen wreath or two for your home and now, the week of Christmas it's crunchy? It happens. I wonder how far in advance commercial wreaths are made. Besides that, if you hang your wreath in a place where it receives the warm air currents and do not spray it regularly, it WILL dry out. One of my friends always buys a wreath on Black Friday to use on her coffee table. It looks amazing, but come Christmas it's pretty dry. If that's you... you can make a fresh evergreen wreath … [Read more...]
It's not too early to start making your own natural Christmas tree ornaments. May these fabulous ideas inspire you to get your craft on. My rustic nature-inspired Christmas decorations are my most popular posts. The best part of using the fruits of Mother Nature in your Christmas decor other than the beauty is that it is usually inexpensive. Take some time now to create without the pressure of the season and enjoy the process. We all have good intentions, I don't want you to get caught on Thanksgiving weekend wishing you'd had a bevy of handmade natural … [Read more...]
Welcome to Part 2 in our three-part journey of how to create a home office that's budget-friendly, serves you well, and is uniquely YOU! (You can revisit Part 1 here.) You don't want to waste time and energy getting your space just right. Let my experience save you from the pitfall of a potentially expensive mistake. Thank you to Wayfair for sponsoring this post. The two MOST important things your home office needs… Let's start with the NUMBER ONE THING you need for your workspace. Ahhh. You FINALLY get to focus on your “new” home … [Read more...]
Have you been thinking about turning that junk room or guest room into a home office? Though you may have been forced into the whole “work from home” thing along with many recently, I had been working at home on my little online business for more than eight years. With a laptop computer, we can work almost anywhere. The couch, the bed, the kitchen table, a little corner somewhere in the house, and in the past maybe the coffee shop, would serve as mini offices. Where do you set up and go “to work” when you're at home? After moving to this little apartment, my couch was my office for … [Read more...]
Are your summer containers still looking good, or are they starting to show their age? As long as it's still warm(ish) you want to keep enjoying what you have by making a few little updates so your container plantings on your patio or your entry keep looking GORGEOUS! Here are a few tips to help you fresh what you have beautifully and easily. I have a thing for mums. Garden chrysanthemums to be exact. These perennials which we usually treat as annuals are a fabulous and inexpensive way to paint the stunning colors of fall across my apartment's balcony … [Read more...]
Happy Independence Day to all my fellow Americans! To celebrate, I dressed up a small sideboard in my dining room. You might have seen glimpses of it in the background of the photos where I shared how to set a star-studded 4th of July table. It's funny how I didn't think I had much that was red, white, and blue with which to decorate. Surprisingly I had plenty. The festive red, white, and blue banner was given to me by my blogging pal, Mary Beth from The How to Home. It sets the perfect backdrop to the vignette. If you wonder … [Read more...]
Every home needs to have a connection with the outdoors through the seasons... even if all you have is a small apartment with a tiny patio or balcony. Is your home summer ready? As I prepare my home for summer, one of the first things I love to do is to make my little apartment balcony both an oasis and an extension of my indoor space. No matter how large or small your spaces are, making them ready for summer enjoyment is worth the doing and I'm here to help. Thank you to Wayfair for sponsoring this post. I loved choosing all these lovely items that make my small outdoor space so … [Read more...]
Simple easy tips for transitioning your home from winter-weary to spring-fresh. The trees are leafless and there's still snow on the ground. Yet soon, there will be wildflowers along our paths and a canopy of green overhead. While Mother Nature takes her sweet time transitioning her wardrobe, I'm going to jump ahead and pretend that spring has arrived and transition my inside spaces, making them fresh and happy and welcoming AND walk through the process with you. This post is sponsored by Wayfair. All thoughts and creative ideas are my own. What's the first color … [Read more...]
EASY and almost FREE... Kitchen Cabinet Organizer Ideas It has been said that necessity is the mother of invention. Out of desperation, I created some cute kitchen cabinet organizers for almost free using common items from around the house. Chaos may seem like a strong word to describe my kitchen cabinets. You know the feeling. You're cooking dinner and need one more herb or spice and before you know it, you've pulled out half of the little bottles looking for the RIGHT one! The counter is covered in seasoning containers while you hurry … [Read more...]
The EASY way to make an ice skating centerpiece for your impromptu winter party. Growing up in Michigan, I started ice skating when I was a little girl. There wasn't anything better than the freedom of skating as fast as I could at our local ice arena. And then my dad signed me up for figure skating lessons. JOY! That meant that I could be on the ice nearly every single day! As a mitten state girl, I enjoy winter sports, but between the weather and my schedule and life, I'm not doing them so much anymore. I still LOVE figure … [Read more...]
Avoid the Thanksgiving headaches and plan for a fabulous day with these 5 tips. How to Make Thanksgiving Dinner Easy and Fun TIP 1 ~ Keep it Simple! I can't stress this enough. It's taken me many years and too many melt-downs to realize that I had a tendency to overcomplicate holiday entertaining. Whatever you do well and love to do... that's where you should focus your time. For me... that's setting a pretty table like this one. I'm all about the presentation. Making everything look pretty makes my creative juices run. Slaving in the kitchen... not so much. That means that my … [Read more...]
It's that time of year here in Michigan when the night comes early and we make our homes warm and cozy to fend against those cool stiff breezes bringing in giant dark gray clouds to remind us that winter is coming way too soon. I want to hang on to the best fall has to offer and warm my home with rich textures and accent it with all of autumn's offerings. It's sort of like turning up the heat, even if the furnace hasn't been turned on yet. (Though this year... it went on very early.) Tips for Dressing a Living Room for Fall :: Home Tour It's the time to … [Read more...]
I'm excited to share with you how I wood burned the cutest simple rustic woodland animal Christmas ornaments for my tree. But, first... This the 1st stop on our FOURTH ANNUAL Handmade Christmas Ornaments Blog Hop. Just like each year past, you can expect to be inspired by all kinds of lovely Christmas ornaments created by our extraordinary bloggers. This year, we changed things up... we're doing TWELVE DAYS instead of the usual 31... with ALL of the creativity and inspiration you've come to expect. So... how about we get on with the fun?! Last year I created my … [Read more...]
Bringing the warm simple coziness of Hygge home this Fall to create that wonderful sense of well-being we want and need. “Regardless the destination, all roads lead home.” ― H.L. Balcomb Home is my favorite place to be in the fall. Looking out my window to the changing leaves, admiring my pots of mums and piles of pumpkins, and drinking a mug of hot spiced apple cider next to the fire... that's my idea of Fall coziness. Recently I posed this question on Facebook... What's your favorite thing about Fall? I got all kinds of answers but these … [Read more...]
A glimpse of summer living at its finest and a peek in my summer sanctuary at home. Picture yourself walking down the coastline with the waves lapping at your feet, the sun warming your back, and with every step, the cares of the world melting away. Wasn't it refreshing taking that brief mental break to envision yourself strolling down the shore? Those times on the sandy edges of Lake Michigan are my favorite, especially after indulging in a picnic at on beach. When we've walked as far as we can, we'll go back to our spot on the beach. There we'll settle into our sand … [Read more...]
