Category Archives: Home Decor

Home decor ideas and inspiration for a welcoming and beautiful home.

Random Pretty Things for the Holidays

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I posted this picture yesterday on Instagram and promised the sources and/or links. These are just a few things I have around the house that make me smile when I look at them. Some of them are no longer available, but they can be used as inspiration or be on the hunt for something similar.

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  1. Necklace: from Madewell. Here is a similar one. You can’t go wrong with any of their jewelry!
  2. Chinese Scissors: I found these beauties as an early Christmas gift to myself 🙂 from Amazon
  3. Felt Mistletoe: Mine is from West Elm years ago, but click here is a similar one
  4. Polar Bear: Again this bear is from West Elm a while ago, but Restoration Hardware has some really cute ones this year.
  5. Trees: These are from Target Dollar Spot
  6. Yarn: Again from the Target Dollar Spot. I swing through that section every time I go to Target. You can always find some sort of gem in there!
  7. Brass Pomegranate…Target again folks. There are so many perfect little decorative accessories every season. I heart that store waaaaay too much!
  8. Gold Mini Picture Frame: Paper Source. Who’d a thunk, but they have some really cute accessories for the home and office. And some great gifts!

Autumn Mood Board

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This is my absolute favorite time of the year. I love crisp autumn weather, cozy layers of sweaters and boots, sipping coffee by the fire while under a fuzzy blanket and the anticipation of the holidays. If I could take a snap shot of what makes me happy, this mood board wraps it all in one little present for me. Some of these goodies I already have in my home and some of them I am hoping Santa will bring me 🙂 I hope you enjoy! Below are the links to the items as well as the recipe (one of my faves!) for the pumpkin donuts. Some of the items are no longer available, but the link will direct you to the site they were from for similar items.

  1. Mug
  2. Donut Recipe
  3. Porcelain & Gold Serving Spoons
  4. Wood/Gold 12″ Whisk
  5. White Horse Framed Print 
  6. Round Rough Edge Serve Platter
  7. Brass Candle Sticks
  8. Plaid Blanket
  9. Cable Knit Pillow
  10. Dried Rye Wreath

Easy DIY Abstract Art Paintings: Initials

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So here’s the thing. I love art. I appreciate art and artists for their enormous talent and creativity. However, I have a hard time committing to purchasing “real” art! I admire art and am in constant awe of how artist’s minds can create paintings and sculptures and bring them to life. But for some reason I can never pull the trigger on actually buying art from artists. My husband has bought me several prints from Jenner Ament (she’s amazing!) and I love her work, but the key words here are, “my husband bought”. Truthfully (and somewhat embarrassing) most of my art around the house is from old calendars I have framed or something I have done myself. I have this mentality that I can recreate something myself. I’m a DIYer at heart and so if I see something I like, I usually find a way to create it myself.

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With this in mind, I have been loving all of the black and white abstract art I’ve been seeing lately. I figured with my modest art/painting background, I could come up with something myself (this may be a curse or a blessing. I’m not sure which!). I have wanted to switch out the floral prints in my bedroom (…another old calendar installation) and so I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to dust off my paint brushes and see what I could come up with. I’ve had the supplies all summer, but I’ve been hesitant to start because if I don’t have something intentional to paint, then I could see it becoming a big ol’ mess of paint on the paper and no message behind the reasoning of the strokes. After thinking about it off and on over the summer, I finally got my inspiration! Two of the most inspirational people in my life are my two girls. Why not take their initials and paint them in a abstract way to achieve that “look” I’ve been admiring without it being so literal with a big “V” and “E” on our walls. After a few attempts and versions, I like how they turned out. It didn’t take a ton of time, wasn’t super messy, and it makes me think of my two little angels when I look at my bedroom walls. Easy peasy and something anyone regardless of artist talent (I’m by no means a painter!!!) could tackle.

Mother’s Day Card Free Printable

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IMG_4611Mother’s Day seems early this year and it’s the same week as teacher appreciation week so I’m a little behind the eight ball (what’s new?). But in the knick of time, I whipped this card up for my Mom to pop in the mail today.

As a Mom for seven years now, I always feel like there are those moments when you are dealing with one issue or another with your kids and lightbulbs go off in your head. You realize you did the exact same thing as a kid and how frustrated your mom must have been with you! So to all those Mother’s out there that have put in their time, I say sorry for holding my breath until I was blue. Sorry for arguing with my brother about who has more room in the backseat of the car. Sorry for not going to the bathroom before we left the house. Sorry for waking you up at night just because I thought I heard something. Sorry for throwing up in the grocery store checkout. Sorry for complaining about what’s for dinner. Sorry for my messy room and leaving a trail of stuff where ever I went. Sorry wearing hideous outfits…shall I go on? I could, but it would take all day. To tell your mom sorry, just click here to download your free PDF. Happy Mother’s Day to all you amazing Mom’s out there and thank you!

Mail Organizer Secret!

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For years I have had to stare at our pathetic mail organizer on the counter across the kitchen island where a spend a good portion of my day. I have never liked it no matter if it was clean and organized or messy…which was 99.9% usually the case. I’ve always wanted to get rid of the thing, but I have never been able to find suitable homes for those random bits of mail/coupons/business cards/Netflix mover to return or the odd leftover school picture. So after about nine years of internal mental deliberation, I finally came to peace with my nemesis. It won’t go away. Ever. Even if I put it all in the junk drawer below, those random bits of things will start creeping back on the corner in plane view and mock me in my defeat. Soooo, if you can’t get rid of it, why not make it prettier?

IMG_4489This is a picture of it cleaned up in the new organizer – still way better than it was, but I wasn’t happy.

Once I finally got around to finding a prettier version of what I had and one that contained the chaos better, I felt a lot better about my enemy. BUT, it still looked messy!! Aaagh! Then a light bulb went off in my head. If you can’t clean it, hide it. That’s what under the bed is for and those weirdly shaped under stair closets, right?! So out came my ruler to measure and I got to designing a typographic cheeky phrase that was both fun, clean and measured perfectly to hide my eternal chaos. I have to say, I am far more zen every time I look up from my kitchen sink and see my “neatly organized” mail  😉 It’s still all there, just hidden! What do you think?

Thanksgiving Table Setting Inspiration: DIY Kraft Table Runner

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ThanksgivingTableI got a jump start on my Thanksgiving table setting this afternoon and pulled together all of the bits and pieces I had posted about earlier. I love the softness of the white pumpkins, touches of the gold wishbones and acorns, and then a little depth of color from the figs I pillaged from our sleepy garden. Of course I had to add a few printable items in there too. Gratitude and name cards are all the occasion calls for. Hopefully writing down what we are thankful for ahead of time instead of on the spot, we will be more creative. Of course we are all thankful for loved ones and health – that goes without saying – but cozy slippers and that perfect cup of coffee in the morning are not to be forgotten!

I’m all about an elegant table, but I don’t like things to get too fussy either, so the addition of the kraft table runner with the hand drawn white marker “chargers” finished everything off perfectly. After everyone is seated I will let the kiddos have fun and draw all over the table…the distraction gives us big people a little more time to enjoy the annual feast!