Boys Room Updates

Well, after having an awesome Patriotic room, the boys were getting a little tired of the same things on their walls because they kept pulling down all the decals, curtains and flag- literally all 3 were on the ground at the same point of time after being pulled down numerous times before and I decided it was time for a change.  

Master Bedroom Reveal (For Now)

Well, there are still quite a few things I plan on doing in here- mostly adding the bedside lamps to the wall and then decorating those tables and tying it all together.  But, for now I thought I would share what I have done.

Living Room Redo- Board and Batten DIY

So for my birthday this year I requested a little spruce up of the living room/kitchen where I spend most of my time and where there are some things we have been wanting to change and add since we have been living here.  We did board and batten in the living room then decided to use the leftover pieces and get some more to do the bathrooms while we were at it.  It made such a huge difference and after doing that I changed out a few accessories and felt like I had a whole new house!  I also touched up the white paint in my whole house (baseboards, cabinets, dresser, etc) so that made a huge difference too.  I was able to complete the whole house revamp for under $700- here is the breakdown:

Easiest Blackout Curtains for $15!

After having 3 kids and Allie starting school early in the morning my kids bedtime became VERY important to me!  Haha!  Allie and I used to stay up til 1am sometimes when my husband was working full time AND in school full time just so we could see him.  After Macsen came along bedtime was still pretty late- around 9/10pm.  It makes me laugh to say that my kids are now rarely out of their beds later than 8 and I usually get them in their beds at 7!  It is AWESOME and keeps me sane, but when the sun starts hanging around later it created a little bit of a problem- that is, until I made their black out curtains.

5 Inexpensive Ways to Redecorate

Some of you may have seen my Instagram pic a few months ago about my room redo.  If you didn't, as you can see I didn't make many changes but it sure felt good to rearrange and make things feel new again!

I decided to share a few of the things that I like to do when I am sick of my home decor and need a change.

My Halloween Decor - For Now

I actually decorated for Halloween this year!!!  I am really excited about it too- it was WAY more fun that I thought it could be and I'm a little addicted now.  I am not big on holiday decorating (except Christmas of course) so I am working on that and its becoming something that I (and the kids) look forward to.  I really only spent a day on this- including the shopping I did.  I stopped by Target and the Dollar Tree then came home and spent a couple hours putting everything together.  Next year it will be even easier since I'll be keeping all the print outs in their frames and on their bottles...as you can see:

My mom helped me make this pretty hydrangea wreath that I use from Spring until Christmas...very versatile.  I added this sign I got at Target on clearance one year for under a dollar.

Pretty Spaces

Patriotic Boy Room

When I found out we were going to be able to get into a house and Macsen would get his own room I immediately started planning how I wanted to do an "all-boy" room.  I loved so many that I had seen and was probably the most excited to do his room than any other room in the house!  You can see some of the ideas I had here.

When I told my mom what kind of theme I was going for she said she had the perfect thing for me. This antique American flag was my great-grandpa's who served as a chauffeur to generals in WWI.  How cool is that?  Even though it is a little overpowering in this little room, I still love it and love what it stands for and that it belonged to an ancestor.

Crazy About Kitchens

What is it about kitchens that I can't get enough of?  Really, when I see a pretty kitchen (even when the style is different than mine) It just makes me giddy!

Easy-peasy Pillows for $1

I really hope that I made this easy to understand, but I may have made it just more complicated...I guess I'll find out from you guys soon enough :)

The way these only cost me $1 was because I just used fabric I already had for the backing and covered pillow forms I also already had and just needed a little face-lift.

I bought clearanced fabric samples from JoAnne's- which were beautiful, designer, and high-quality but only came in a square big enough for a pillow.  You can't beat $1 though!

Living Room Remix

If you like change like I do, you get bored of your home every six months, pretty much on the dot.  Since moving wasn't in the cards this time, I decided to mix things up a little bit.  There are so many little easy and cheap things you can do to change things up in your home.

First of all: Declutter

Getting rid of odds and ends that you don't really need (or don't need out where everyone can see) makes SUCH a huge difference in the way your place looks.

Accent Pillows

They are so easy to change and inexpensive if you buy fabric on sale or clearance.  I took all my mismatched pillows and made 4 faux leather covers for them.  I LOVE them!

Picture Collages/Big Statement Pictures

You can tell I'm a photographer when you walk in my house because I hang photos EVERYWHERE.  They are inexpensive when you buy frames secondhand and get your pics printed online.  I actually really like this online company when they have deals going.  Just don't print at Costco or Walmart, unless you don't care how they look I guess.  It is fun to be able to change them with the seasons.

Accent Lighting

I actually just bought these paper lanterns secondhand for 50 cents each and strung white Christmas lights through them.  You can find all sorts of cool lamps in secondhand stores or yard sales.

There are still things I need to work on in this room...but for now I am happy with the changes.

What are some things you do to mix things up in your homes?

This will be posted HERE

Keri Russell I Want Your House

via: Elle Decor

Dream House: Living Area

I love big, open floor plans.  I would love to have the kitchen open to the living area with only a bar separating the two.  I don't even care if I have a dining room or a front room.  Just a big open living area from the entry.

My style combines Rustic Revival, Nantucket Style, and Cottage Chic so materials used would be wood, woven rope, canvas and linen, rustic metals, vintage leather, and of course lots of wicker.

 via Design Style Amy D Morris

I am a huge fan of white fabrics; especially couches and chairs.

But I also love leather (my new favorite is camel-colored like the above ottoman)

via Metropolitan Home-Darryl Carter

via Architectural Digest- Sheryl Crow's Home

Architectural Digest

Camilla at Home

Love the colors in this room; not so much the modern pieces:

via Coco & Kelley

Elle Decor

via lil blue deer

Also, I love big clocks...wouldn't mind having a few in my future dream home :)

...And I would like a little office nook in the main living area.  Here are a couple examples:

via decorpad

My Dream Home

Lately I have been thinking a lot about the future.  Where will we end up settling down?  What kind of house will we finally buy?  We still have 5 years of school ahead of us, but sometimes it is fun to plan some of these things; even though I know I can't plan that far ahead in the future.  

For the location:

Of course I love Seattle and would love to be by my family.

Although, I would also love to live in Oregon 

(preferably close enough to go to the coast every so often)

If the great northwest isn't where we end up I would also be in heaven in Florida.

While we were there last Fall we drove through a couple cities that we really liked.

 For the style:

The last two years of blogging has opened my eyes to the many styles of interiors there are.  As of recent I have been drawn to the Rustic Revival style.  I took this quiz to see what it was called and read more about it.  Go take it yourself!

First off, the layout:

I love ramblers (since they tend to have more light) and I would love something with big windows 

(preferably south-facing.)

I shared this pic a while ago on my blog already, but it really does portray my style to a tee.  The dark rustic wood, white fabrics, big windows, lots of natural light, and wicker.

I love the contrast of dark wood and white; and an open kitchen is a must.

I am also a huge fan of interesting ceilings and crown molding.  Along with big, tall doors...

 ...and windows.

I would love to have a fireplace (preferably white)

And, a spot for a desk out in the main living area that doesn't look out of place.

I love big, open rooms, and this includes the bathrooms.

Again, the contrast and marble will always be my counter-top of choice :)

Stay tuned for the rest of my dream home...