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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
Think outside the box to create your own home decor and learn how to make a pillow from a table runner. One of the simplest ways to "springify" your home, besides giving it a fresh cleaning, is to add some fun new spring decor. Even better... make that new decor yourself. If you can cut with scissors and thread a needle... you can handle this super easy DIY project! When I was out shopping for my Easter table, some table runners beckoned me. Goodness, they were cute. One, in particular, caught my eye. It was the sweetest bunny rabbit with a crown of flowers and a cute bow around her neck. … [Read more...]
Do you have 5 minutes? Put together this inexpensive and simple shamrock wreath for St. Patrick's Day in a flash. Extraordinary seasonal home decor shouldn't take a huge chunk of time to create. I don't mind putting a lot of time into projects that will stay up year round, but Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter... for those holidays I believe we should be able to create pretty or fun decor that's eye-catching in a flash for few dollars. That's why I was so excited to make this totally fun, colorful, and very simple shamrock wreath for St. Patrick's Day. It's super … [Read more...]
Sweet and simple ways to decorate a small space living room for Valentine's Day in a French country style. So tell me... do you decorate your home for Valentine's Day? It's something I've usually done in some small way. This year after the Christmas decorations were all put away my living room felt so empty. This year's Christmas tree was so dramatic that once those sparkling lights with the stunning ornaments were gone I just had to do something. Tim isn't a fan of artificial flowers, but I really felt that I needed something of scale that would … [Read more...]
Although I'm often surprised by the top reader favorites for the year. Most of these are some of my personal favorite home decor posts, too. The old adage, "time flies when you're having fun" is so true. 2017 went by in a blink! It was a much better year in so many ways! In spite of a few major disappointments, we have been rejoicing in God's goodness and provision throughout the year and feel so very blessed. The end of the year is a good time to look back and see just how blessed we are. I pour my heart and life into this blog so it's fun to discover the posts you … [Read more...]
Ideas for Making a Warm and Cozy Black and White Buffalo Check Christmas Bedroom. It's Christmas Eve! My favorite night of the whole year! The snow is falling ever so gently outside my window. Yet, my heart is jumping inside with anticipation. My home is squeaky clean and festively decorated. Swedish meatballs are "marinating" in the fridge, there's a pie in the oven, and soon I'll be preparing our overnight French toast for brunch. And best of all, we'll soon be celebrating with hundreds of others at the 11 pm Christmas Eve service at … [Read more...]
Ideas and tips for decorating your apartment or small space with holiday style and charm. It's not the size or construction of your dwelling nor the location that makes it home... what makes a home is the love that lives there, the memories created, and the friends and family who belong. And that, my friend, is the heart behind decorating your small space with style and charm this Christmas. My small space happens to be a tiny apartment which we thought would just be temporary. Yours might be a humble home or a cozy corner in a large house. Whatever and wherever it is, I hope … [Read more...]
Fresh ideas for creating a rustic fall farmhouse vignette that is simple and full of texture and charm. The other day my husband came home from work and after he kissed me as he always does when he comes in the door, he turned and walked towards our little dining nook. I had just finished styling the console table there for fall along with a simple setting for two on our table. I was so happy he noticed the change. But it was his response that totally got me. He said, "That looks like us!" I don't think that he could have said anything that would have warmed my heart … [Read more...]
I wish my mom or dad would have told me this growing up... I wish people who live by this wouldn't keep it so close to the vest... I wish I hadn't lived nearly half a century before I learned this very big life secret... It's never about me. We think that everyone notices us. We think people care how we look. We think that people want our ideas or opinions. We worry and fret and spend endless time being concerned about something that we think the world sees in us. Brett Butler's last words to Scarlett O'Hara in the great classic, Gone with the … [Read more...]
I think we take often take ourselves and our decorating too seriously. We have a budget and a vision in mind and we put our blinders on and focus on getting "that look." Does that sound familiar to you? I can be guilty of that for sure. Because everything I'm doing is "new" these days, I am striving to look at my home decor more purposefully. Maybe in an upcoming post, I will delve further into that mindset, but today... Let's talk about the floor cloth I created for my balcony garden. As you know, I am crazy about my beautiful outdoor space … [Read more...]
There's an old saying, "A bird in hand is worth two in the bush." Though we could discuss that proverb and the pros and cons of risk-taking, when it comes to thrifting and DIYing, that's really true. When you find something you think you can work with, even if you have no idea how you'll DIY it... get it. Who knows if you'll find another one later. One day I hit the local Goodwill shop and found a few items for a change. I have a blogging friend who comes home with all kinds of fabulous finds for next to nothing from her Goodwill store in the Windy City. Here in my … [Read more...]
