Hello everyone! I was so happy to hear yesterday that my Christmas Inspiration post was helpful to some of you! Even if you have no plans to decorate for Christmas soon it’s always nice to start getting ideas early. I’ve found that planning ahead is the key to enjoying the busy holiday months! And that thought my friends, is a perfect way to transition us into today’s post. Because I’m tricky like that. ;)
My 2019 HOLIDAY PLANNER is here! Last year I designed a holiday planner to help guide us through Oct/Nov/Dec keeping us on top of things and organized. It’s near impossible to sip hot chocolate by the Christmas tree and enjoy your family when you’ve hit December 15th and still have a stressful to-do list a mile long. That’s not fun for anyone! (I know because I’ve had several years like that!) My Holiday Planner is full of pages that will help you plan ahead and stay organized throughout the holidays.
I spent some time last month thinking about how to say thank you this year to all of you for reading my blog and supporting me and all I do here. Stopping by to read my blog posts, liking my IG/FB posts, leaving kind comments, shopping through my links, sending thoughtful e-mails and DM’s.. none of it goes unnoticed and I am so incredibly grateful for this community. I thought about doing a fun giveaway (and still might!) but the bummer with a giveaway is that I can only really thank a handful of select winners. I decided that the one gift I can give that will really be helpful to each one of you (or as many of you who want it!) is to give you each a copy of my holiday planner. Last year I charged $12 for it and it was so fun creating a product and watching it take off, but this year I just want to give it to each of you for free to say THANK YOU! A huge thank you for your friendship and support. I can’t quite be Oprah and say “You get a car! And you get a car! And you get a car!!!” But I can come close and say “You get a planner! And you get a planner! And you get a planner!!!”
Yeah.. ok. That doesn’t come even a little bit close. Ha! But it was fun trying. ;)
So enjoy this planner at no cost this year and I hope it serves you as well as it has served me! All you need to do to get the full PDF to the planner is to enter your name and e-mail by clicking above. This will get you into my printable library that includes my Holiday Planner along with other great resources to help you stay organized. (And yes.. you could totally sign up and get the free planner and then unsubscribe, but I hope you won’t! I hope the e-mails you’ll get when a new blog post is up are equally as fun and helpful to you.) :)
Here are the planner details so you know what’s included!
This holiday planner is over 30 pages in a printable PDF. The pages are 8.5 x 11.
Included in this planner:
October/November/December monthly calendars (both vertical and horizontal options)
October/November/December to-do lists (I’ll be printing out multiple copies of these!)
Week at a Glance (LOVE this! I laid out exactly what we should be working on each week so that we can fit everything in BEFORE December!)
The Nice List (Organized shopping for your kids)
Shopping by Group Guide (So excited about these pages too! They make shopping for everyone on your list a breeze!)
Holiday Menu Plan (Because we have to cook.. ) ;)
Holiday Baking
Party Planning
Decor Planning (can’t wait!)
Holiday Self Care/Fashion and Beauty
Black Friday/Cyber Monday Shopping Page
It’s a Wonderful Life (make the holidays meaningful!)
Wrapping Up the Holidays
If you’re interested in seeing how I organize my planner you can read more about it in the post below..
I so hope this planner is helpful to you this year! The “week at a glance” (my favorite!) starts today! Obviously not everything I suggest in this planner will apply to you. I have one friend who just used and loved the party planning and baking pages. Another friend last year especially loved and used the calendar pages and to-do lists. A third friend was so excited about the shopping by group guide and the suggestions for ways her family could make the holidays more meaningful. I use it all! :) Take what applies and make this baby work for you!
Thanks again for your friendship and support! Wishing you all the happiest (and most organized!) holiday season yet. :)
Ok.. DON’T HATE ME! I know I know.. it’s so not time for Christmas yet. BUT. It’s coming. :) You all know that every October about half way through the month I share my favorite Christmas decor because by the time I get my home decorated and start sharing pictures some of the fun new items are already sold out. This weekend there are some major Columbus day sales going on so I wanted to get this up quick if you want to shop the sales! Also, even if you wait until the first of December to decorate and don’t buy anything new, it’s fun to get Christmas decorating ideas and start planning ahead. Planning ahead is my favorite! It keeps me slightly sane during some pretty insane months. :) Speaking of planning ahead I have something else fun I’m sharing with you all tomorrow so come back and say hi!
I’ve rounded up all of my Christmas posts from last year that share how I decorated my trees and my home! Click on each link below the pictures to get some inspiration and ideas! Also at the bottom of this post I’ll link to all of my favorite Christmas decor that I’ll be using in my home this year. Some new things were delivered today that I’m so excited about! Oh my word.. does this post make you all as excited as it makes me!? I’m seriously giddy just typing this and thinking about decorating for Christmas this year. TOO much fun. Happy early Christmas prep everyone! I’ll be back to all things pumpkin spice next week. :)
*This post is sponsored by Walmart and affiliate links are used. All opinions and product selections are my own!
Sharing some fun updates I recently made to my entry! The Fall decorating continues and will keep on keepin’ on right up until it’s time to pull out my Christmas trees. All 3,000 of them. Ha. Oh my word.. that thought made me excited! Anyone else? I’m not ready to put away the pumpkins just yet but good things are coming. :)
I wanted to mix it up and try a more casual look in my entry for Fall so I moved the mirrored console table that I usually have here into my bedroom and switched it with this simple wood console table. So fun mixing things up! It made both spaces feel new to me again and totally reminded me of the time I moved my bunk beds to the opposite wall of my bedroom when I was 11 years old. I broke the top bunk attempting to move it and it almost landed on my little sister. My parents were not impressed and we slept on mattresses on the floor for a LONG time before we got new beds. My little sister wasn’t all that impressed either. Ha! So yeah. I’ve been switching furniture around for 30 plus years now. A fun little game I like to play. The only difference is that now I have a strong husband to help me with my switching furniture game so things usually stay in one piece. Although I can’t say that he’s all that impressed with my game either. Crazy family.
This table is bit small for this space and maybe a little too casual, so I doubt it will live here forever, but so fun for a while just for a change! The best part for me about this set up is my new Paneled Wall Mirror from Walmart! It’s large and beautiful and I’ve wanted it for a while now but didn’t have a great spot for it. I finally found a fun spot in my hallway and I might end up hanging it at some point, but for Fall (and maybe Christmas?) I’m trying it in my entry. The squares play off of the square pattern on my floor and I loved styling some fun Fall accessories around it!
A cute white vase and some gold glitter pumpkins.
And I love these lamps! They came as a set (such a great price) and I’m so happy with how tall they are. I found the gold geo object at Walmart too but can’t find it on-line.
Bench got a little Fall touch-up too with my favorite navy plaid pillows and this throw. (Same throw I have on my porch! Perfect color for Fall.)
I used these cute navy plaid pillows in my dining room during the Spring/Summer too. So cute for any season!
This picture made me laugh when I saw it. Oops. That’s the tricky part about photographing mirrors and glass. Hard to not get yourself in the shot!
I put this beautiful, large wicker basket under the table to hold some pillows for added color and to hide the lamp cords! Simple decorating trick. I learned that one when I was 11 years old too. Probably during the time I was grounded for breaking our bunk beds.
I love that when people come to our front door they are greeted by our porch and this entry. All the Fall feels without even going too far into the house! I hope it makes everyone feel warm and welcome. Fall decor has a way of doing that doesn’t it? The best.
Almost as good as my 3,000 Christmas trees. ;)
I rounded up some additional favorite items from Walmart below if you’re looking for fun ideas for Fall or just stylish, affordable basics! Happy decorating. :)
Bringing some cozy Fall vibes your way today! I spruced up our family room a few weeks ago and we’ve been loving the changes.
*affiliate links used
This beautiful Fall print was my inspiration this year. I ended up taking the glass frame off of it (the reflection of our french doors was driving me crazy!) and the colors are so bright and vivid. Just stunning! It reminds me of our time in Virginia and I’m going to be bummed when it’s time to take it down!
You all know that I struggle decorating this fireplace mantle because it’s so big. I found this large ceramic vase and filled it with my favorite faux Fall leaves. Then I just layered some of my cutting boards on the right! I needed something with some height and love the warmth the different shades of wood bring into the room. Fun for a change!
It wouldn’t be Fall without a dough bowl full of pumpkins somewhere right? I turned my fireplace on for these pics and kept checking my pumpkins to make sure they weren’t wilting! Planning on moving this fun display when/if we actually get to use our fireplace this Fall. ;)
This room is making me so happy this year. The warm colors and touches of gold.. isn’t Fall decor comfortable and inviting? It’s my favorite. Until Christmas decor comes around and then that’s my favorite. And Spring in the Spring..
and my husband thinks I’m picky? What does he know.. ;)
Here’s a fun Fall decorating idea.. toss some wheat (I got mine at the craft store) in a glass jar and tie some wooden beads around the top. So simple and perfect for a side table, coffee table, centerpiece, etc.
More pics of this space because I took too many. But you already knew that. :)
I hope you enjoyed my touches of Fall in the family room! This room has been a mess all weekend so these pics are inspiring me to whip things back in shape tomorrow. Does anyone else feel like your home gets turned upside down and shaken around during the weekend? Monday is always a major “put things back together” day for me after the kids go back to school.
Happy October! My front porch is ready for Fall and I’m so excited to share it with you all today!
I decided to mix it up a little this year and create more of a Fall themed porch instead of my usual Halloween look and I’m loving the change!
I couldn’t pass up these beautiful purple and white mums. Aren’t they stunning!? They still have so many blossoms that haven’t opened up yet so I’m excited to watch them grow with even more beautiful flowers. That is if I can keep them alive! Please send all of your mum tips! The last few I bought didn’t last and I clearly watered them too much or not enough or gave them too much sun or not enough sun.. SOS! I’m hoping I can get these to last through Halloween.. that’s not too much to ask is it? Usually when it comes to me and real plants one month is WAY too much to ask.
I stacked a couple of wooden crates on each side of my porch to add some height. Then I just played around with the flowers and pumpkins until I was happy with the arrangement. SO easy.
The wheat was a fun addition this year too! I picked the plants and a few of the pumpkins up at Home Depot this morning and had it put together in no time. My porch is a little deceiving because it’s larger than it looks in pictures. This was so much stuff my car was loaded! But it takes a lot to fill in the sides of my porch.
Sorry kids.. no room for you and your friends today. ;)
I had two rolling crates filled with items and the lady at Home Depot was like “oh are you decorating for an event!?”“Um sure..! A Fall event on my porch. Come on over.” Ha ha.. no doubt she thought I was crazy.
I didn’t end up using the bales of hay. When I’m decorating something I always buy anything I love and might use and then play with things and return items if needed.
My favorite part of this look is the new rug and mat. I wanted a change from my usual black and white stripe rug but I wasn’t quite ready to give up the stripes. (See.. I’m all about change! When it’s safe and small and similar to my tried and true. Ha.) I went on an on-line rug hunt a couple of weeks ago and was so happy when I found this cute tan and white stripe jute rug. It comes in so many fun sizes. Score! I seriously LOVE it for Fall.
The mat is from this cute Etsy shop. I reached out to Christina and she was so sweet to send it my way! She has so many fun styles of Fall mats to choose from! I looked at a lot of Fall door mats on-line and this style of Hey There Pumpkin was my favorite. :)
I kept our rocking chair area really simple because it’s narrow and my husband loves sitting on these chairs after he runs to cool off. I kept one empty for him and just added a long time favorite pillow and a simple orange throw on the other chair. (Just got the orange throw in the mail and it’s a perfect red/orange color for Fall.. I’m getting one for my entry too!)
Just for fun because I have similar pictures I thought I’d compare this year’s Fall porch to last years. So here’s the left side of my porch NOW..
and THEN.
Right side NOW..
and THEN.
Kind of fun to see the difference isn’t it!? Which look do you prefer?
I’m loving the soft, pretty colors this year, but one thing I like better about last year’s porch is that I have more height with the taller trees and the banner above my door.
I feel like this year’s look needs a wreath on the door! I tried a few wreaths I have but none of them were the right fit. I’d love to have something with dark green leaves and a purple ribbon. Wouldn’t that be pretty!? If you see something like that let me know. If I can’t find one I might have to get crafty. Almost as dangerous for me as keeping real plants alive. ;)
I hope your October is off to a good start! Full of beautiful weather, changing leaves, boots, sweaters, pumpkin everything and healthy mums.
Happy weekend everyone! My home is officially ready to welcome Fall and it feels so cozy! I’m sad that September is already coming to an end. The early Fall and holiday months are my favorite and they always go by way too quickly!
(If you have questions about sources they are all linked at the end of my post!) *affiliate links used
I had so much fun adding some touches of gold to my home this year! I’m a long time lover of all things silver (always will be) but I’m really liking the look of mixed metals lately and gold feels so cozy for Fall doesn’t it!? And candles! I love having candles around my home this time of year when it starts getting dark earlier. These flameless wax candles have a timer so it’s nice to have added light in the kitchen with no effort!
Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice. One of my favorite Fall finds! These dishtowels have a little sparkle to them and are way too cute for drying dishes. Which is why I picked up two for me and extras for friends. :)
I love them almost as much as my gold thankful trivet. This I actually have been using in the kitchen! It’s so beautiful as decor and then perfect to lay flat for hot pans/plates. You know.. for my super complicated Fall meals. Like Ramen Noodles and Taco Soup. (I’d add a wink emoji but that implies that I’m joking and.. I’m not.) Ha.
Every year I think I’ll find a new sign or something else to put over my stove for Fall, but I just can’t quit my Enjoy the Little Things sign. It always feels especially appropriate this time of year. Plus it just goes great with pumpkins. :) The orange pumpkins are from this long time favorite set and the small white pumpkins are real. I shared this fun Eucalyptus garland and wreath earlier (found the matching set at two different stores!) and I love the cozy vibe the greenery brought into the room.
A couple of real pumpkins in the fruit basket! This basket it larger than it looks and so are these pumpkins! I added the eucalyptus swag to cozy up the counter too.
Did you notice the new addition to my kitchen!? I fell so hard for these Hicks Pendants I put in my upstairs hallway that I decided to bring one into the kitchen too! Ahhh! So excited about it. I’m LOVING the navy with my kitchen rugs. It’s sitting a little low and I was going to move it up, but it has to be moved up two links and I feel like that’s too short! So still debating placement, but I’m so in love with this light. Of course now I want to switch out my 4 island pendants to something gold to match better! (I love silver hardware with gold pendants.) And if I switch out all of my pendants.. of course I’m going to need some barstools with a little gold to match them better..
I’m thinking of writing a sequel to the book “If you Give a Mouse a Cookie” titled “If you Give Erin a new Kitchen Pendant.” Ha. ;)
For now.. I’m just enjoying a fun new touch of gold and navy. :)
My olive branches work so well with all of the Eucalyptus I brought in this year and these gold candle holders are beautiful! I can’t wait to use them for holiday table settings this year.
My glass cabinets got a fun update for Fall too! I decided to keep things really simple with our every day Cambria dishes and then I just bought a set of these cute pumpkin salad plates to display. I love the pumpkin plates so much that I’m thinking of picking up 4 more so I can use them in the dining room to entertain too. And how happy is this stack of 3 pumpkins? It’s pretty hard to not have a good day when pumpkins greet you at your kitchen window. :)
I kept our nook table centerpiece really simple because we’re constantly moving it to eat! Just some faux apple branches in a vase sitting on a cutting board. I shopped my house for this one.
My butler pantry shelves were so fun to style this year too. I just used warm woods and whites and golds. Plus another Eucalyptus swag because.. why not? :) I had these shelf lights on the evening right after I finished decorating and Ellie walked into the kitchen and saw it and said “Mom! I LOVE this shelf! Please don’t get tired of it and change it in two days!” Ha! She knows me well. She’s so busy with school and friends and dance that she usually doesn’t comment much about anything else. I was thrilled she noticed and liked the shelf so much.
So just for her I’m going to leave it up for two weeks instead of one. ;)
Some of these items are sold out, but I’ll link everything I can at the bottom of my post! This gold linen pumpkin is beautiful lit up at night with a candle in it! I use one of my timer candles for it.
I really need to take some pictures of the kitchen at night. It’s so beautiful and cozy when the candles are lit and it smells heavenly!
Bring on the cooler temps! We are so ready for cozy evenings at home. :)
Hello everyone! I hope your week is off to a good start! Our air felt a touch cooler this morning taking my kids to school and it made me want to bust out my favorite cardigans. My house is decked for Fall and I’m so excited to share pictures soon! I took way too many (of course) and need some time to sort through them all so I thought we’d chat more about the theatre room while I’m working on them! Theatre room organization to be exact. :) I also wanted to answer the questions I got about this space so I’ll do that at the end of this post!
If you missed my theatre room reveal post that took me WAY too long to finally share (ha) you can catch up here. I shared all of the room sources in that post too if you have any questions about decor!
If you’ve been following along you know that this room was empty when we first built our home and moved in, but we knew that we might want to turn this space into a theatre room someday so we had the wall next to the entrance door plumbed so that we could later add a sink and fridge if we wanted to. I had it plumbed for shiplap too. ;)
I designed these built-ins to hold miscellaneous items I knew we’d want in this space so let’s take a look inside these drawers.. starting with the left side and moving to the right.
We’ve only used the mini fridge for drinks so far! We try to use reusable water bottles in our home as much as possible but when lots of kids are over that gets a little tricky so in the theatre room we keep these water bottles stocked. And Coke Zero for adults.. my drink of choice. That I’m trying to cut back on! I used to be so good at drinking water all day, but this fun stage of having teenagers has caused a lot of leaning on diet drinks. Send help.
Or more Coke Zeros. ;)
Next to the fridge is our micro drawer (that I LOVE and talked about more in this post.) I use the drawer below it to hold paper plates, cups, a few popcorn bowls and popcorn.
Now time to check out the three drawers to the right of the micro drawer. My favorite!
We have everything programed to be on one remote that sits on the counter but of course have 15 extra remotes that control various individual things that no-one but my husband understands how to use. I tossed in a couple of plastic bins I had on hand to hold them along with random video game controls and then put some extra DVD sleeves on the side.
Below that are all of our DVD’s! Remember when I shared my favorite solution for DVD organization and did the happiest dance ever for FINALLY having them contained and organized in a user friendly set up? Such a good day! I designed these drawers to fit them all. I have to say though.. if you are holding on to old DVD’s you aren’t using anymore the best way to organize them is to just get rid of them! Always pass on anything you aren’t using. My kids still use and love our DVD’s. Even with Netflix and all the easy ways to download and watch movies my kids still have so many childhood favorite DVD’s that they pull out from time to time. We use them when friends come over, when we travel, for family movie nights, etc. For us it was worth investing in a good system to hold and organize everything.
The middle drawer holds all of our main DVD’s A-Z.
The bottom drawer holds Xbox games and some DVD series that I kept in their original cases.
This drawer also holds our “special” DVDs. One section for all of our Christmas movies (can you believe it will be time to pull those out before we turn around!?), the kids’ school performances and some Barbie movies my girls grew up with and weren’t ready to stay good-bye to. SO nice having all of this tucked away and easy for the kids to use when friends come over.
Ok.. tall cabinet on the right! I’m a huge fan of hiding ALL of the messy TV compartments so I designed this tall cabinet to do just that! It looks like it has two doors..
But the whole thing actually opens up as one. (I did this in my kitchen in a couple of spots I’ll have to share too.. places where it looks like I have multiple drawers but it’s actually just one tall cabinet. Great way to get the visual/design exactly how you want even when you need a different set up for storage.)
It’s so nice having ALL of the equipment here together! This also holds all of our playroom TV equipment. If you’ve seen that room and wondered where all of the cords and DVD player/X box, etc. live for that room.. it’s also inside of this cabinet.
Ok.. that wraps up the tour of my theatre room built-ins! Why did that quick tour make me so happy? Most likely because it included organization and popcorn. My two greatest loves together in one spot. Plus Coke Zero. But I’m quitting that.
Tomorrow. :)
Here are answers to a few questions some of you had about the theatre room!
Where do people set their drinks/popcorn?
I went back and forth on having a coffee table in this room and someday might add one, but for now.. my kids just use the floor too much! This is where all the kids sleep when we have sleepovers and during movies we always have kids laying on the floor (which is also why a really soft rug was a priority!). But that means there isn’t a great spot to set food and drinks so for now the kids just hold their popcorn bowl or have it on the couch/floor and set their drinks on the counter above the fridge. I really try to not stress about this room. We designed it with kids in mind and I know there will be spills. I bought easy to care for couch fabric and I have kids take their shoes off, but I really want people to feel comfortable and relaxed in this room and not worry about messes or spills.
We have this opening behind our couch where our window pops out (I just snapped this with my phone quick to show you) and I’m on the hunt for a console table that fits this space so that when you’re sitting on the couch you can also set your drink behind you.
What is the size of the room? What is the distance from the couch to the screen?
Our theatre room is 15 1/2 x 23 feet. If you include the pop out for the window which is 2 1/2 feet deep, it’s 18 x 23 feet deep. It is about 12 feet from the couch to the screen.
Can you share details on your black out blind?
It’s a Hunter Douglass black out blind. Most of our window coverings are plantation shutters so when we first moved into our house and had all of those installed we put in this black out blind thinking we would probably end up making this space some sort of TV room. To be honest, I wish we would have just waited on a widow covering for this space because when I was designing the room (and researching theatre rooms more) I was wishing I would have put in a different window covering that we could open and close with a remote control. We could still add that later, but we’d have to cut into the fabric next to our window (where our electricians prepped the wall to make it work) so I doubt we ever will!
Can you share details on the screen/sound system/projector you chose?
This is definitely more of my husband’s area of expertise and he picked all of this out, but this is what I do know..
The receiver is Integra. The projector we chose is a high end Sony. And we use the Savant Smart Home system to control it all. The Savant remote controls everything, but we can also control everything with our cell phones. It’s so easy to use! I can be downstairs and quickly turn everything on for kids heading upstairs.
What did you use for sound insulation?
We added acoustic panels in-between our fabric and walls to enhance the sound. Our fabric installer also installed our acoustic panels and I remember the day he came and talked to me about two different types. He had one that he recommended so I just told him to go with that! Sorry that’s not more help!
Where did you get your drawer hardware?
I matched our theatre room hardware with what I used for a lot of drawers/cabinets throughout our home. All of the drawer/cabinet hardware in my home is from Restoration Hardware and (because I get this question so much) all of my door hardware is from Emtek.
Are the bean bags working?
They are! My kids love using these beanbags and always pull them out when friends are over. I think they are a great option for extra seating for kids.
Did you consider a popcorn machine?
I did! I actually almost bought one to give our kids last year for Christmas when I was working on this room, but then decided to wait and see if we had space for one. The microwave popcorn usually works great, but every once in a while we have a lot of kids over and I wish I had one because it takes longer to pop smaller bags for lots of people. Something we might add in the future! I’ve seen some that are smaller and sit on the the counter which is probably what I would buy if we decide to get one.
What were some of the trials you mentioned when you were working on this room?
Oh my word.. like I said, I could write an entire post on this alone. (I’ll try to keep this semi short!) When I first started this room I got several bids from theatre room contractors who would take over and do the entire project for me. I knew what I wanted design wise, but obviously there is so much complexity in a home theatre room between the electronics, lighting, sound.. I didn’t want to have to manage everything and I knew I didn’t have time to manage everything. But the bids all came back SO high. Crazy high! And I knew I could do it for a lot less so I talked to Chuck (my carpenter and bff who’s now part of the family) and we decided we could do it on our own. I would design it and pay him to do all of the wood work and manage everything else with contacts we both had through building. We started off great with Chuck taking off with my vision and managing everything and then.. Chuck had an accident and fell off of a two story home he was working on and ended up in the hospital in critical condition. Some of you might remember me mentioning this in a post. DEVASTATING. We were worried sick about him and obviously the theatre room came to a screeching halt. We were so grateful to learn he was going to be ok but eventually realized that he couldn’t finish the job so guess who became the new general contractor? Me. With NO theatre room experience, three busy kids to take care of and a my own little blog business I run. Which to my surprise has become more than a full time job in and of itself. ;)
I did the best I could picking up where Chuck left off but there were some communication issues with me thinking he had done things he hadn’t yet. (One example was that we moved the crown molding down to add lighting around the ceiling and I thought he had explained it all to the electricians but he hadn’t so things weren’t wired correctly, etc.) We had a lot of issues with installing the sound system. They got everything hooked up and then we’d turn on the TV and the screen would be off or the voices were off or the sound was off or the remote was turning on the wrong thing. Our installers were good to work with, but we had to have them back SO many times to fix things. It just always took so much time out of my day to deal with that I had to space out appointments so that pushed everything back further. We had issues with the fabric. The first order didn’t come with enough. I went to order more and it was sold out! (Panic set in because I had already bought so much!) Then it came back in stock but was backordered so we had to wait for it. Then when it finally came in I set up a meeting with the fabric installer and the screen installer so that they could get placement right (the fabric was so expensive that I had ordered just enough to sit inside each side of the screen instead of filling the entire wall). I went over measurements with them individually (size of screen and how far the fabric had to come in to be covered).. then they met together to go over meausrements.. Then I called them after they had met just to make sure we were all on the same page with placement. (I communicated it all so well because after building a home I knew this was the type of thing that could get messed up!) And they got it wrong! Even after all of that communication and double checking! Our fabric guy installed the fabric, the screen guy installed the screen and there was a small space between the screen and fabric on the right side. AHHHH. This is the stuff you deal with so much when you’re building or remodeling. In the big scheme of things obviously these are first world problems that you are grateful to have, but they are the frustrating details that make projects always take longer than you think they will. Mistakes like this happen so often when you’re building or remodeling and can cause you time and money and stress. They are the reason some couples don’t survive building a home together!
Anyway.. my fabric guy blamed the screen guy and the screen guy blamed the fabric guy and guess who ended up paying for a whole wall of new fabric. Yours truly. Good times. :) My fabric guy was so sweet to work with and felt so bad that he did give me a discount on installation. There were more little hiccups like this that popped up right and left which is why when I finally got to the fun part of the project (decorating) I was so burned out I didn’t want to find the perfect rug. I just wanted to close the door and forget about the room altogether! (Anyone else know that feeling?)
What are your tips for putting together a room like this?
Hire someone to do it all for you. And if you don’t take my advice and decide to take in on by yourself.. don’t call me for back up. Ha.
Really at the end of the day it all came together and the issues were all things that could be worked out. We are so grateful for this space and I love how it turned out even though it took so much longer to put together than I anticipated. I’m just grateful that Chuck is ok and that I survived being a theatre room general contractor. Something I can say I’ve done but hope to never do again. ;)
Helllllo everyone! Happy Monday! I have so many fun things to catch up on with you all! Sorry in advance if this post seems long. My New Finds and Old Favorites posts are supposed to go up on the weekend but I didn’t have time and because of a couple of crazy weeks I’m behind on everything I want to share with you all in general!
*affiliate links used
I blame these three. ;) We are officially back in the swing of things around here and I have to say.. it feels good. Busy! But good. Three different schools meant three different first days which meant three different first day pictures. :) My high schooler was less than thrilled about school starting, my middle schooler was excited to see friends again and my 4th grader was just flying high over his new luggage style backpack. He had a dinosaur backpack he was so excited to use and then we got his school supply list and he had to have large binders for each subject that didn’t fit. Not a happy discovery so mom came to the rescue with a larger spaced themed glow in the dark masterpiece (dinosaur backpack can be used for favorite toys) and all was right in the world again.
On the first day of school I said “Kole! Get up buddy.. you’re starting 4th grade! How do you feel!?” He mumbled “like an iPad that’s on 10%.” Ha. I think we’ve all felt like that a time or two the past few weeks getting back in the swing of things. :)
Kids back in school usually means pumpkin shopping for me! I went on a late night run to Trader Joes and found my first pumpkins of the year. I say first because I always end up making multiple pumpkin runs before the season ends. I shared this pic on IG stories and got so many questions about my purse. It’s this cute TB leather and straw bag and I’ve loved it! Just the right size. Not too bulky but big enough to hold all the things I need on the daily (and 40% off)!
I found mums at Costco and can’t wait to decorate my front porch! I was going to start Saturday but it was so crazy hot we ended up swimming instead. Are temps cooling off in your neck of the woods? I will vicariously live through you all over the next two months.
This is last year’s Happy Halloween porch and I thought I’d share it for my “old favorite” post this week.
Really simple and enough Halloween for me. :) I’d like to do more of a Fall look this year but I’m sure a few weeks before Halloween I’ll have to pull out the sign and spider webs and BOO pumpkin because Kole loves that stuff so much. Be careful about the traditions you start with your kids.. usually you’re over them long before they are. ;)
My black striped rug isn’t in stock anymore but I found lots of fun similar options! Here are my porch sources and other fun thing to spruce up your porch for Fall/Halloween…
Ok.. some recent favorites! I’ve been having so much fun sprucing up my home for Fall this year and have found some fun things I’m using. Remember this beautiful Eucalyptus wreath I shared a few posts back?
I love it so much that I wanted to find more Eucalyptus options to use in my kitchen and I found matching garland AND matching swags! I was so excited because they are from a totally different store – jackpot finding the exact same brand. These are perfect for Fall and I love that they will transition so well into Christmas decorating too. Swags are one of my favorite things to decorate with because they are so versatile. They look good on tables, bookshelves, mantles.. really they can be used in so many different ways.
These faux olive branches are another Fall favorite I’m loving in my kitchen! I have two of the faux olive bundles in this crock. These branches are another beautiful option but cost a little more. Both are on sale and so fun for Fall.
I took this picture in 2015 and still LOVE these faux branches. They are my favorites to pull out and decorate with every single Fall. Now PB has similar faux maple branches that are also just beautiful. 20% off at the moment! YEA.
You really don’t need a lot of branches to make a statement with these either. They are so full that just two make a statement. This image is one of my most popular images on Pinterest. Isn’t that funny!? It gets pinned over and over every Fall. I think it’s the simplicity of it! Sometimes we over complicate decorating. Just toss a couple of branches in a vase, add some mini white pumpkins (always a good thing.. right?) and call it a day. :)
And I could NOT photograph this for the life of me because you can totally see the reflection of my french doors in the glass but this Fall By the Lake image is stunning! (You can see it better on-line.) It reminds me so much of the years we lived in Virginia and brings back memories of the stunning drive I took to teach school every day. I would drive right past Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and the colors every Fall were breathtaking! You can customize the frame and it comes in various sizes with or without a mat.
So beautiful! I snapped this from the side to get rid of as much glare as possible. I ordered it for this console table and put it up as soon as it was delivered. Kenny walked in that evening from work and noticed it immediately and said “oh I love that!” That’s how I knew it was a winner. I’m constantly rearranging things and bringing in new decor and my husband NEVER notices. Well.. I won’t say never. He always seems to notice when his beloved clock is removed from our bookshelf (be careful about the traditions you start with your husband too..) ha. Really though.. I love that he loves it as much as I do!
A favorite coffee table book I’m displaying this season! Patina Farm is so beautiful inside and out and full of inspiration.
And this is an old favorite that I’m sharing again because I picked up a few more for Fall decorating and for gifts for friends’ birthdays and I remembered how much I LOVE this basket! This set of three is one of my favorites but this particular basket takes the cake. :)
In fun fashion news, all of my favorite shoes from the N sale are back in stock! (Kept and love all of these except the snake skin boots! Just couldn’t do it..) ;)
This sweater is a recent favorite I ordered. It has a loose comfortable fit and I love the sleeves. I wore it a few weeks ago when we had a chilly evening but it has been too hot to wear since! These jeans are newish favorites from the N sale but I’m sad to report they are MUCH tighter on me now than they were in July! Hate that. And if it doesn’t look like it in this pic that’s because when I gain weight it mostly all goes to one spot. Thank goodness selfies are frontside. ;)
I know exactly why. My parents came into town for Ad’s play and while they were here we all ate out so much! I was just living it up without a care in the world. Club Avocado rolls? Yes please! Bread with that steak? For sure! Cheesecake for dessert? You bet! Time to celebrate.
All fun and games until the new Paige jeans don’t fit anymore. Ha. :) Needless to say there is some work to be done this month.
But totally worth it because this girl was the most amazing Matilda. It was her biggest role yet with so many lines and songs.. so proud. We were due to celebrate! I’m craving bread just thinking about it. ;)
Ok.. I’ve worn this Crepe Wrap Top a few times since I bought it and absolutely love it! (50% off!) It’s really lightweight so perfect to transition to Fall and it comes in red too which would be so fun for the holidays. (I added a satin camisole under it but it looks good without one too.)
This cute Cowelneck sweater is back in stock in 2 colors and I love it so much I’m tempted to pick it up in the Oatmeal too! (Runs big so order one size down.. this is xxs and the sleeves are still long!).
And you guys! This Zella Farrah Hooded Fleece Jacket is 40% off and just $53! Such a good deal.. this is the coziest thing I’ll wear this winter. It comes in pink too and I’m tempted to get one for each of my girls while it’s on sale because if not they’ll be stealing mine!
Ok.. that’s a wrap! I hope I didn’t overload you with all my new finds and old favorites! I’ll be back soon. Lots to share now that I’ve adjusted to our new schedule and routine. :) Enjoy your week!
Ahhh! I did NOT mean to go a week without posting on the blog but it has been crazy getting back in to our new school/after school routine this year. The first couple of weeks are always a little challenging aren’t they? Fun and exciting for the kids but also exhausting and emotional. I’ve also been trying to figure out my new routine with this schedule. I try to batch tasks as much as possible to make the most of my time so I’m tweaking and re-tweaking things to figure out what will work for me. Last week I accomplished a whole lot of tweaking and not much else. Ha. ;) This is our first full week and I have no doubt we’ll all be ready for the weekend once it rolls around!
I shared this Sayan Pendant light fixture soon after I ordered it but I didn’t have it hanging yet and it sold out right after. It’s back in stock again (yea!) and I’m not surprised that it keeps selling out. I LOVE this light fixture. It adds so much texture and is great quality for such a reasonable price. I wanted something casual for this space and am so happy with the vibe it brings into this room!
I also wanted something that would match this Hanging Rattan Chair! Isn’t it fun!? I’ve wanted to put this hanging chair in our playroom for years now.. ever since I first saw it on-line at S&L!
It’s so beautiful and I love that you can pile pillows and blankets on it to look (and feel!) cozy. These are some of my favorite pillows/throws at the moment and I’m having a hard time keeping them in the playroom! They want to be in every room in the house. Especially this Fall. :)
As you can imagine the new chair has been a huge hit with the kids! You can’t tell in the pictures but there is a decent amount of space behind the swing so there is definitely room to have some fun. Not out of control bust the wall fun (as I explained in detail multiple times!), but definitely room for a good back and forth. :) My girls and their friends all hang out in this room and the theatre room when they come over so for teens the chair is a great spot to hang out and chat and laugh.
For Kole? Well.. this is his favorite way to use the swinging chair.
But that doesn’t happen as often as he’d like because this is how his mom prefers that he use the swinging chair. ;) Either way it has quickly become his favorite new spot in the house which makes my day. I knew I loved the chair so I’m thrilled my kids love it just as much!
I had my friend snap this pic when she was over the other day so you could see the size of the chair (I’m 5’3 and 1/2) and it holds up to 300 pounds so safe to say it’s nice and sturdy!
Which is great because kids shouldn’t have all the fun right!? :)
I’m so excited about the new fixture, hanging rattan chair and my two new throws and pillows for this space! Next on my list is to decorate the walls, add accessories and bring in some COLOR. There are a lot of various shades of blue going on and I’m still trying to decide on the best accent color for a room shared by boys and girls. I’ll keep you posted on what’s going on in this space as soon as I figure it out myself!
In the meantime.. you know where you can find me. ;)
This print is my absolute favorite! I love that the planets are balloons. I love the deep blue background and all of the splashes of color. I also love how large it is! (About 26×38 so it fills up a lot of wall space.) Great quality.. easy to hang. It looks so good in his bedroom and is perfect for my space obsessed little buddy. :) I also picked up this wire clothes hamper to hold all of Kole’s swords. We did a major toy clean out before school started and I needed something to hold the favorites he hung on to.
We added this fun Solar Orbit print to his dresser and then this Moon Phases chart to the right side of his wall. He loves the Phases of the Moon chart!
And just because we loved the colors we also added this fun Retro Lightning print to his industrial shelf. We went through all of his books and only kept favorites and then Kole helped me style his shelves. He’s very proud of his trophies and wanted them displayed along with his favorite orange fox bank and his beloved Dog Man books. :)
I couldn’t say no to these fun Science prints because they fit this wall by his window seat so perfectly and I love the way they look! Bonus if they help him remember the difference between a proton and a neutron. ;)
These prints actually work perfect with Kole’s original dark navy bedding, but that comforter is SO hot and heavy (with flannel sheets!) so at the beginning of summer I had already bought an inexpensive comforter and sheets with all things space on it to use in the summer. (This comforter bedding set is very similar!)
I picked up a couple of Burnt Orange Pillows for his window seat to accompany favorite friends. :)
Decorating the few blank spots in his room motivated me to finally put some pictures and art work up on his pinboard. I’ve had this pinboard hanging in his room for years! Every night when I tuck Kole in bed I think “I really need to get some pictures up on that board..” Seriously what’s wrong with me!? I should have done if forever ago. I finally developed some of his favorite pictures and hanging them took all of 10 minutes. Such a small thing but I felt major victory getting that done today! Ha! It’s the little things.
*Top left picture is our family zip lining in Kauai.. the sweetest. :)
I’m thrilled with how his room turned out! Honestly the new Flower Kids line is adorable. So many fun things for girls’ spaces too!
The VERY best part about this bedroom?
Is my sweet space loving “sun” who it belongs to. :)
*This post is sponsored by Walmart and affiliate links are used. All opinions and product selections are my own!
I’m so excited to share a simple master bathroom update with you all today! Soon after we moved into our home (almost 6 years ago.. can’t believe it has been that long!) I bought these mint green bathroom rugs for our master bathroom. I took this picture a couple of years but today at this moment, my once fuzzy, soft rugs are really starting to show some wear and tear. I knew I wanted some new bathroom rugs and have been hunting for the perfect solution for a while now. I’ve been looking for three things:
1 – I wanted something neutral this time around. I love coral and mint, but these two colors combined in our master bathroom always felt a little too Easter eggish to me. Ha. :)
2 – I wanted a round rug. This bathroom has a lot of square/rectangle straight lines. From the tub molding to the marble floor to the mirrors.. I knew a round rug would soften this space.
3 – I wanted something large. I love the look of my marble floor, but if I was building again I would put in tile or marble in a small pattern. Just being honest.. these marble floors show everything. Water spots! I mean.. what bathroom doesn’t get water on the floor!? I wanted a large rug to cover and protect as much of the floor as possible.
It’s a little different for this space and that’s part of what I love about it. Isn’t the floral and swirl pattern pretty!? And the natural shade of this particular rug is perfection. Did I mention it was on sale for just 79 bucks! It comes in a larger size too. (This is the 5′)
I especially love how well it ties in with all of my neutral bathtub shelf decor I’ve had for years.
Such simple changes and suddenly this bathroom feels all grown up! No more bunny ears included. ;)
I showed my friend this rug when she was over and we were chatting one day and she fell in love with it too! She is just getting settled in a new to her home so I picked up my new rug and we took it over to her house to try it out..
Ahhh! So good right!? We both fell in love with this rug all over again in her entry. Perfection! Needless to say we are now rug twins for life. :)
You know the movie “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants?” (My husband’s all time favorite movie to make fun of with all sorts of sarcasm.) This rug reminds me of that movie. Just like a good pair of pants that magically fit every body type, this rug looks good in every home.. in every space.
Try it in yours.. you’ll see.
Kenny.. if you’re reading, this post is dedicated to you and your all time favorite movie.
;)
Below I’ve linked other favorites from Walmart! Honestly.. I’m so impressed with their recent Home Decor items. So many fun, affordable options! What’s your favorite?
Hello friends. It has been a strange week at our house! Addison started school Tuesday but my other two don’t start until next week so I’m “sort of kind of” trying to get back in a routine for one daughter and still having late night swim parties for the other. So tired from staying up late and getting up early! It has also been tech week for a play Ad is in (she’s playing Matilda in the play Matilda this weekend!) so I’ve driven an insane amount getting her to rehearsals and back in traffic – her practices have been close, but the theatre she’s performing in is over an hour away. My house is a mess because I started taking down summer stuff and pulling out Fall AND on a whim yesterday I decided Kole’s entire room needed to be de-cluttered and started pulling it apart (I added some cute stuff to his walls I’ll be sharing soon!). My parents are coming from Utah to see the play so I’ve got a few hours tomorrow to “sort of kind of” get things put back together around here. Should be a party. That’s what’s going on at our house.. what has your week been like? :)
Thank you so much btw for all of your kind comments and e-mails about our theatre room! I love it when I hear from so many of you.. it always makes my day. :) A follow up post is coming but I’m short on time tonight so let’s quickly talk Fall Wreaths!
Nothing says “Fall” like a fun wreath and I recently bought 2 that I’m so excited about! This Eucalyptus wreath might be one of my all time favorites. It’s so beautiful and I’m loving it over my stove! It instantly added so much warmth to my kitchen. It also gave me a good excuse to cook less this month. ;) All joking aside, Fall is the only time of the year I “sort of kind of” enjoy cooking. It’s so fun to have something warm in the oven or crock pot when it starts to get cooler outside!
The Eucalyptus wreath I just bought is really similar to the Eucalyptus Berry and Pine Wreath I bought last year for Christmas. (You can see I still have the ribbon on mine because I’m going to hang two of them in my dining room again in December!)
I love this wreath too and it’s back in stock! It’s a little larger and fuller than my new wreath and has more going on with the berries and pine. The pine gives it more of a Christmas feel to me but this wreath I just bought works for Fall or Christmas.
K is this making anyone else excited for the holidays? Just me? I can live with that. :)
This is the other Fall wreath I bought. So beautiful.. I LOVE the warm reds and yellows this time of year. I always decorate with traditional Fall colors because we don’t get to see enough of them in San Diego. If I could invent a Palm tree that changed colors and dropped its leaves I’d be all over it and my yard would be full of them.
Clearly I like to hang my wreaths in the most practical places I can find. Ha.
Fall in the mudroom a few years ago! Love this time of year.
I rounded up 9 gorgeous wreaths – looked at SO many and these are my favorites! I have to apologize though.. there are two wreaths that popped up last week at $89 and now they are $99! (WHAT!?) So technically my 9 under 90 is really 9 under 100. Oops! Sorry about that! Maybe we should call this wreath collage “9 under 90 sort of kind of.” ;)
So many fun looks to add a splash of Fall to our homes. Which one is your favorite? #3 is my top pick this year! Ok.. off to bed. Busy cleaning day tomorrow. ;) Happy Friday!
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Today I’m excited to share my second playroom update with you all! (You can see 
