Laundry Room Design Board

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen that we laid new tile in the laundry room this weekend. I am SO excited because I was very over the nasty linoleum and beat up baseboards that were in there. 

I love the tile, we got it from Home Depot for under $3 a square foot. I'm really trying to add more black to the color scheme for our house (just a hint), so I figured tile would be a good way to do that. We are also going to do some sort of planked wall or maybe board and batten in here. I am thinking of painting all of the trim and the wainscotting in Benjamin Moore Wickam Gray and the walls and ceiling in Benjamin Moore Paper Mache. Since we have popcorn ceilings in this house, we plan on putting beadboard on the ceilings in certain rooms, including this one. I can't wait!

As you can see, it is very yucky yellow in here and just...gross. A very depressing place to do a daily chore! We'll also change the lighting, paint the doors, and put in open shelving. I also really want to put some wall hooks on the wall across from the washer and dryer to hang bags and keys since everything tends to get dumped on the dryer right now. (The door to our garage is to the left of the washer and dryer.) Since there isn't much opportunity for fabrics in here, I was thinking of doing what I could and recovering the ironing board with a fun leopard print. I figured I could get away with a girly fabric in here since I spend the most time in here anyways, haha. 

I'm really hoping to get this room done for about $600...which seems like a lot for a small room, but we are replacing the tile, baseboards, and doing the wainscoting and beadboard treatment on the ceiling. We already have the ceiling light and shelving so hopefully we will save a bit of money in the long run :).

What do you think? Are there any specific things I should keep in mind when redoing our laundry room?

Have a great day.

Our Fall Fireplace

Happy fall, everyone! I was very excited to decorate our mantel for fall, even though the fireplace is not really how I want it to look at the moment. I still like how it turned out, though :).

We almost tore the fireplace apart this weekend and began the renovation process, but then we changed our minds and did the laundry room floor instead. (Pictures to come!)

I did paint the inside of the firebox black with some high heat paint. For some reason, it looks like there are little drips on the paint and I have no clue why! I may have to redo a bit of it. 

I bought the wheat this year at Hobby Lobby along with some real pumpkins... that was pretty much it though as far as new purchases go. I got a ton of fake pumpkins last year at Wal-Mart for like 25 cents each. I love after-season sales! I spray painted a few of them gray and white.

So that's our very traditional looking mantel. I cannot wait to get this brick out of here and lighten it up! I think I've figured out exactly what I want to do for the fireplace surround and even made a sketch of it (because I'm so professional like that). We are going to completely cover the brick and the wall above the mantel, and then beef up the mantek by building it out with some thick columns and then painting the whole thing white. I'm thinking of a simple cape cod, cottage-y feel.

Can't wait to share it! I'm excited to see everyone else's fall mantel's, too.

Have a great week. 

Our New DIY Growth Chart (And Some Fall!)

I have wanted to DIY a growth chart for Parker ever since he started walking. About a month ago, I finally got a free afternoon to knock this project out. And I love how it turned out!

I guess this vintage ruler trend was first started by Pottery Barn a few years ago, but all you have to do is Google search "growth ruler" and there are a million and one tutorials on how to make one yourself. Of course I did this after I was done, but oh well. ;) Jenny from Dear Lillie (one of my favorite blogs) makes and sells these and hers are perfection. If you have the money and want something professional, I would buy from her!

This project really wasn't too complicated, it just take a bit of patience. I took some pictures while I was making this and am thinking of posting my own version of this tutorial...who knows, haha.

The main supplies for this project consisted of a plain pine board from Hope Depot, some Danish Oil, a  measuring mark and number template that I made myself, and a Sharpie. Oh and scissors, a pencil, and a ruler. 

We have this in our entry and it is too darn narrow to get a shot of the whole thing from the front. 

I also put out some of my fall decorations! I still want to switch out that botanical print for one a fall-themed one, but I really love how this vignette looks. I will share more details next week, most likely.

The ruler is not completely perfect, although I really tried my best. It only cost us about $8! I LOVE this project.

So, there's that. I hope you all are having a wonderful week. Sorry for my sporadic posts this week and last, I hope to get some free time this weekend to get ahead on posts.

Have a wonderful day!

Christmas Cards Are In The Shop.

Hi everyone! I was hoping to get pictures taken of our fall decorations this past weekend and write up a post for today, but I never got around to it...hopefully that will happen sometime this week. I think the real problem is that the house is so not how I want it at the moment and so I'm having a hard time being content with it...so seasonal decorating is just not as fun. (I know, first world problem...working on it.)

 

In the meantime, I thought I would share a couple of the Christmas cards I've just listed in the shop. That's right....Christmas! It's closer than you think. And I'm perfectly happy about that :)

 

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I can't wait to get mine printed! There are a few other designs in the shop right now if you want to hop on over there, but I am still working away and hope to have the full collection up by the first of October.

 

 

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Happy, happy Monday. :)

 

 



A Wish List for Parker

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Parker has no clue that he has a "Fall Wish List" and will probably be embarrassed one day that he ever did, but since he can't defend himself (insert evil laugh here), I've made a list of a few of my must-haves for Parker this fall. I am super pumped to be moving on to fall and winter clothes. I'm actually not a huge fan of summer clothing, especially for little kids...it's hard to make them look stylish when it's too freakin' hot to wear anything but a t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops. Thank you fall for letting us layer! 

(I must admit--I have just ordered most of these items, and many others that aren't shown on this list, last week during all of the Labor Day hoop-lah...so I guess this is my "pre-Labor Day" wish list...just being honest!)

1. Dressy sweaters. Love this one from H&M. We have gotten him several, as well as a few casual ones from the Gap.

2. The poor kid (in his dad's opinion) now has colored pants... which I love! These will really spruce up all of his outfits for church and general everyday wear. 

3. Parker's fall/winter wardrobe will mostly consist of a bunch of plain, long sleeved tees...I love stripes and raglans! These are from Old Navy.

4. My mom just got him these sneakers. I am a teensy bit obsessed with them. Gap Kids!

5. Every kid needs some shades. When Parker wears sunglasses, we always say "Cooool Dude!" like big nerds. It's fun being that cool though. 

6. Colored khakis! Yep. Got 'em.

7. JCPenney has shocked me with the level of cuteness in their Joe Fresh line. LOVE these shirts and many other items in this collection!

8. P didn't have a denim shirt yet, so of course he needed one ;). Goes great layered or by itself!

I have to say, even if my little man didn't have all of these stylish clothes, he would still be the cutest kid around in my book. Just saying. 

So moms out there, where have you found the best deals for your little ones? 

Have a wonderful weekend. I'm hoping you are not noticing that I am a day late with this post :). I got half-way through Friday before I realized that this post was only half-way written! Thanks for reading.

Dining Room Updates

When we first looked at our house, I fell in love with the huge bay windows in the dining room, but that was pretty much the ONLY thing I liked about this room. The blinds, wallpaper, light fixture, and icky linoleum had to go -- and fast.

You agree? Good. :)

When we moved in, my mother-in-law and I immediately began tearing down the wallpaper and chair rail. I've always heard terrible things about taking down wallpaper, but I thought it was kind of fun. (I'm weird.) The texture underneath the wallpaper didn't match the existing walls, so we had someone come out a add the texture--which was a lot more pricey than I thought it would be, but I was happy to have it done. Bryan laid the new floors, and my family (mostly my dad) painted the dining room in the same color we had in our old house -- Benjamin Moore Camouflage, and the ceiling in Valspar Antique White. I also took down those old blinds as soon as I could, as well. Let there be light, right?  

After ALL of that, we were out of money but still wanted to update a few things to get us through 'Phase One' of the dining room makeover.

First, I needed to do something (free) to this brass light.

In the future, hopefully by the time we renovate the kitchen, I want to completely replace this light with a big dramatic chandelier of some sort. But to get us through for now, I decided to remove the light covers and spray paint the metal part with a basic white that I already had. 

Here is what I ended up with...

I have to say, I really love how it turned out...kind of industrial in  a cheap way, haha. I used some of those round bulbs we already had and (you know, the ones that are used in those dated strip vanity lights--yeah, we have those too), but I like the overall look of them on this light.

For the next project, I really, really, wanted my husband to sand down and re-stain our table. Bryan was nice enough to re-finish the table top about a year and a half ago, but it wasn't sealed properly (sorry B), so it had gradually lost a lot of the color from cleanings. 

I was also really tired of the cherry color (which didn't entirely match the pedestal base) and thought that since our new floors were darker, it would be best to lighten the table up completely.

After a lot of bribing with golf and more golf, Bryan sanded down the entire table (in the garage, in the middle of August in Texas for that matter). I got like 15 small projects done while he did this, so I still owe him pretty big. I helped a teensy bit by sanding the table top finely and staining it, but my wonderful husband did pretty much all of the dirty work. :) We used Danish Oil to give it just a bit of natural color, and sealed it with  a poly-acrylic sealer in satin. (We researched sealers a lot and this one seemed the best for the matte look we wanted and has held up perfectly with a toddler and constant cleanings.)

SO. 

Here, again, is what we originally started out with...

And here is our 'For Now' After...

We still have A LOT we want to do in here. Among these are: getting new blinds that are raised to the ceiling (I'm thinking bamboo, of course), new curtains that also go to the ceiling (some sort of subtle pattern), a new chandelier, possibly a new rug (I can't decided what is easier to clean with a kiddo), and I also want to decorate the walls, maybe move our Craigslist buffet in here...etc. 

Bryan did a beautiful job with the table and I am SO obsessed with the look of  it now. He left the existing stain in the crevices of the pedestal, partly because it was too hard to sand, but partly because I really loved the distressed look it gives off. Winner!

So, there is a little before and after for you. Hope you enjoyed it!

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

Recipe: Honey Bun Cake

 

Today I thought I would share one of our family's favorite cakes: The Honey Bun Cake. This is Bryan's all-time favorite cake that his mom always made when he was growing up, and since I recently acquired the recipe and have been making it non-stop, it seemed like a good opportunity to post it on the blog. AND it is super easy! Fail-proof, really.

 

 

Ingredients:

 

-1 box yellow cake mix (I prefer Duncan Hines)

-4 eggs

-1 cup sour cream

-3/4 cup vegetable oil

-3/4 cup brown sugar

-2 1/2 tsp cinnamon

 

Icing:

 

-2 cups powdered sugar

-1 tsp vanilla

-4 tbsp milk

 

Directions:

 

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix the cake mix, eggs, oil, and sour cream until just mixed. (I just said mix a lot, haha.)

3. In a separate smaller bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon.

4. Pour 1/2 of the cake batter into the greased backing dish and spread evenly. With a spoon, sprinkle 1/2 of the brown sugar mixture evenly over the top of the batter in the baking dish.

5. Pour the rest of the cake batter on top of the first two layers, spread evenly, and add the rest of the brown sugar mixture evenly over the top.

6. Bake for 40 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, mix the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk in a medium bowl. Pour evenly over the top of the cake when it is done baking and has cooled for a bit. Enjoy with coffee or milk!

 

 

We eat this in about a day or two. It is addicting!

 

 

Have a wonderful Monday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Etsy Love: September Edition

It's a new month, which means a new edition of my Etsy favorites! I think this is turning into a thing. I like it. I'm actually just really proud of myself for posting regularly....woo-hoo!

Here we go...

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Good grief. Every item in this shop kills me. I want it all! The Faded Nest is full of vintage silverware that is hand stamped with sweet wording of all kinds. I'm so getting this butter knife (or maybe the one that says 'Spread Kindness'...I just can't decide).

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In my quest to plan every minuscule detail of Parker's big boy room before he turns two, I have come across the shop Native Bear and have fallen head over heels in love with her unique art prints, stamps, and towels. This one is so perfect for a little boy!

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Speaking of Mr. P, I've also been hunting for Christmas gifts and stumbled upon this cute shop with some pretty sweet personalized superhero capes! Love it. 

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Etsy always has great totes and handbags, and this one is my favorite right now. It is 100% handmade--even the canvas is hand-printed. And it's on sale :).

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Etsy also has GREAT wreaths, and these two mixed wheat wreaths are natural, layered, and SO completely perfect for fall. LOVE!

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Fun fact of the day: My mom use to make and sell wreaths at craft shows when I was a little kid. I still remember our dining table always being covered in grapevine garlands, hot glue, and silk flowers (The need to create runs deep in my family - you should meet my sisters...I'm probably the least creative, actually.) Anyway, Sandra Bullock bought one of her wreaths! I always thought that was so cool....and I think that's where my obsession with wreaths began. ;)

And this is where I shamelessly plug my own shop, which has a few new prints for fall! 

I painted this leaf like a month ago when I was SO excited to decorate for fall (Bryan made fun of me the whole time). I decided to keep it simple and paired it some subtle watercolor stripes. There are a few other versions in the shop, so be sure to stop by if you want! These are instant downloads and measure at 8x10 so they are super easy to print at home. I will hopefully take a few pictures of how I use these prints in my own home and will share them right here!

SO, what have your favorites on Etsy been lately? I always love to find new shops! 

A Fall Wish List

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Here is a small wish list I've compiled of my absolute favorite "must-haves" for fall...of course we have zillion other things that need to be paid for at the moment (including a visit from the bug guy because I've seen one too many spiders around the house and that is NOT okay), but hopefully I'll get around to seeing a few of these in my closet/house sometime in the next few months...;)

1. Oh, these will come home with me, and probably later this month. Old Navy is usually hit and miss with me, but I saw these red booties in person and fell in love. Cute, comfortable, and they work dressed up or down.

2. I've been debating splurging on nice sunglasses for, well, years now. I definitely wouldn't go this pricey (the ones pictured above are $395), but I've been keeping an eye out for some structured looking shades similar to these....especially with tortoise shell frames!

3. Leather, leather, everywhere! I love it. I've already bought a faux-leather shirt and am debating on getting some leggings...but I know without a doubt that a leather jacket is definitely on the want list. I love love, LOVE this diamond-patterned one from SheInside. 

4. Another big comeback trend that I want to hop on (again) is the distressed jean, and thankfully this time around they are skinny jeans and it's not 2004. More than likely, this will be a DIY project with one of the many pairs of neglected skinnies already hanging in my closet ;).

5. Okay, this hat reminds me of the 80's, and maybe in a bad way, but it's still a fun trend, so why not? That's right: printed baseball caps. All I need is a scrunchie and a can of Aqua Net. (Kidding.) But seriously though...a loose pony, skinny jeans and an oversized sweater...so cute!

6. So, I realize a tea kettle is not in the clothing/fashion category...but the idea of a pretty little kettle to make tea on those cool fall nights has been on my mind for a while!! And the copper is SO perfect. 

What's on your list for the fall? Do we have anything in common?

Have a great day!

A Front Door Makeover for $2.50

I need to start off by saying that this makeover won't be lasting for too long. ;)

We are planning to replace our front door sometime in the next year or two in order to let more natural light into our entryway. I would really love to find a door with a glass insert and paint it a fun color--and of course--add our address number to the front of it like we did at our last house. I loved those vinyl numbers so much!

BUT.

Our current situation was pretty boring, and I knew it would make the wait for a new door that much longer with everything looking so plain. 

See what I mean?

I also really wanted to decorate the patio for all of the holidays that are coming up and a grungy white door with a broken storm door to top if off did not set the best scene for a pretty patio display.

  

With money being pretty tight at the moment, I thought that I would just have to deal with it until we saved up for the new door, but then I got an idea: why not check the glorious money-saving "Oops" paint section at Lowe's? (Don't you just love light bulb moments like that?) I headed to Lowe's and pretty much hit the jackpot with two color options for only $2.50 a quart. That's right! Go to Lowe's, it can be your best friend, too. 

The colors I had to choose from were a navy blue and a basic red. I was of course drawn to the navy (I love my blues!), but ultimately decided against it since our house is painted a dark taupe color (not my fave but it's great to cover up aaaaall of the west Texas dirt) and I have two black flower pots that pretty much live on the front patio... and that kind of clash is no good in my book.

I normally steer clear of reds....but this one... I LOVE.

Yep. LOVE.

It is truly amazing what a little bit of paint can do. 

I used some supplies we already had to patch and freshen up all of the trim with a glossy white paint (I still need to touch up a few spots...), and I also attempted to DIY gold leaf the doorbell (but I kinda hate it in person, so I'm still working on that one ;)).

Before...

After...

My next project on the front patio will most likely be switching out the overhead light...

I'm thinking of a lantern, similar to this...

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I just think it's super classy, which of course makes me happy. My favorite affordable options are from Overstock...

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But I'm really wanting something more substantial, so I will probably keep looking.

Have you ever made a super cheap or even free update that has really changed the look of your home? 

Have a great day!