Loving Different Decorating Styles (And Finding My Own.) Part One

Hi guys!

Hope everyone is enjoying their Halloween Eve. We woke up to a dark morning with lots of rain and fog and without ANY plans (finally) so I treated myself to some hot coffee and a magazine on the couch while the boys watched Daniel Tiger and ate french toast sticks on the living room floor. Sweet and pure goodness, I tell you.

I am one of those decorating fanatics that can't ever seem to settle on a specific style. I mean, I suppose I've settled on a blend of styles but I can't ever just go in one solid direction like so many other talented designers and blogger seem to be able to do.

The truth is, there are SO many decorating styles that I think are truly beautiful and that I really, really admire, even though I don't necessarily mimic them exactly in my own home. I thought I would share a few of my (completely opposite) favorites and talk about the things that draw my eyes and mind to them. I originally started writing this as one big post, but then it got too big, so I am cutting it into parts---two styles/bloggers/designers at a time.

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I must start off with one of my all-time favorite designers--Lauren Liess. I love Lauren. I started reading her blog about five years ago and have watched her grow to superstar status with her earthy, organic, vintage/modern yet still traditional style.

I remember when her first home was in the Christmas issue of BHG a few years ago, I looked through it feeling so proud of her...but then I realized that I don't actually know her in real life so that was actually super creepy. Had to tone that down. ;) I still LOVED that spread though.

I love, love, love her use or natural textures, calm colors, and relaxed fabrics in homes. She mixes things like wooden dough bowls and Lucite tables to an ART and also has a knack for botanic prints and gallery walls. Always good in my book. 

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Let's counter this with probably the most traditional and rustic blog I follow--Dear Lillie. I love Jennifer's upscale vintage farmhouse style and her seasonal decor is always on point. (Seriously...fall and Christmas decor....a tonnnnnn of eye candy.) She tends to use the same tones in most of her rooms (which isn't a bad thing at all) and is very talented at layering vignettes and using fresh greenery and flowers.

I'm fairly sure Jennifer had a paint brush attached to her hand the first year they lived in their current home (we moved into our homes at the same time....she is a much more motivated worker than I am). She is also quite the DIY-er and seems really confident in her style. 

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I'd like to think that my home right now is somewhat a blend of these two styles (except I don't have as much in way of budget so on a lower scale and with a lot less experience ;). I don't even know if they work together but I think it's so interesting to watch my personal style go from one to the other depending on my mood or what inspires me at any given time. I sometimes think it would be much easier to hone in on one style because I get analysis paralysis ALL the time when making decisions for my own home but I can't seem to do it.

Do you pull decor inspiration from completely opposite sources or do you stick with one style when taking in eye candy? My blog feed is basically a huge mis-mash so I'm interested to know if it's just me or not.  Do tell!

Have a Happy Halloween!

Boo Bag How-To and Links

I'm back today with more details on the Boo Bags that I made for Jo-Ann. I was so happy to do a crafting segment on KAMR yesterday, too! Here is the link to the video in case you want to see just how awkward I can be on television. 

I just love these things. They are floating around all over Pinterest, and I found my inspiration for the cone shape here, but I really was able to make it my own--the creative possibilities are endless with these!

Here is a list of supplies you will need. Jo-Ann is actually having 50-70% off ALL of their Halloween and Fall crafts and decor so I was able to make these really inexpensively. 

Supplies:

-12x12 Sheet of scrapbook paper (double-sided or 2 single-sided sheets glued back to back)

-Crinkle shred

-18 Inches of ribbon for handle

-Wired ribbon, faux fur trim, beads, pom pom, foam shapes, or whatever you want to decorate with! This is the creative part!

-Hole punch

-Scissors

-Glue sticks, hot glue, or glue dots

-Candy, toys, homemade treats, and other fillers

-Extra scrapbook paper for your gift tag

-Printable gift tags (link here)

Instructions:

You will twist the 12x12 sheet of scrapbook paper into a large cone and glue. Trim around the edge to make the top a circle. Hole punch either side and tie the ribbon on for the handle. Add trim, ribbon and other decorations. Stuff crinkle shred and your goodies down in the cone. Last, and most importantly, cut out your tag and attach or put in cone. You can mount it on to other decorative paper like I did, too!

I demonstrate all of this in the craft segment, too, if you need a visual reference. ;)

Take these babies to a neighbors house, ring the doorbell (at a decent hour), and RUN! They will open their door to a sweet surprise with instructions to pass it along!

The kids and I will be off to "Boo!" our neighbors this afternoon. Pumpkin carving tonight. We are Halloween-ing it UP.

Don't forget your free printable tags with a Boo-ing poem and instructions, which is right HERE.

Have a wonderful day, friends!

BOO! Your Neighbors With Jo-Ann

Hi guys! Today I get the awesome experience of appearing on KAMR News Channel 4 in Amarillo to share a BOO Bag that I created with the help of Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store.

A BOO Bag is a wonderful way to suprise your neighbors with some sweet treats and gifts before Halloween. It is like a "ding dong ditch" which makes it fun for kiddos all around.

This gift is meant to be paid forward from neighbor to neighbor the week of Halloween. I included sweet little tags explaining the idea and how to pass it along that you can attach to your BOO Bag when you give it away. I think it's such a sweet and inexpensive way to show some Halloween love and will be back tomorrow with a free BOO tag printable and instructions.


Adios! Also....new house deets coming soon!

Hey, So I Think We're Moving

Hi, guys. So I guess I shouldn't say "think" because as of right now, we are planning to move! Just to a new house, not to a different town. Hold on to your hats!

I know, I know, I talked a big game about all the renovations we were going to do to this house. But can I tell you a secret? This house, while there are things that I love about it, has never sat well with me.

And you know, what? I just read the above paragraph and am a little sad and feel a little hypocritical because I do love parts of this house. I do love many of our memories in this house. I LOVE our neighborhood and our neighbors, I love that we can walk to preschool, I love that the grocery store and our favorite pizza place are right across the street.

But. But renovations are hard. They are hard when you are staying at home with two babies and when you are staying at home and trying to run a business (or two) with two babies. They are hard on your budget, and when your husband is your handy man and your wife is your designer and you stare at a project day in and day out that you are both too tired to finish, they can be hard on your marriage. Add that all up and you have one big happy meltdown a few times month year. :)

Seriously though, Bryan and I have talked and talked and talked (the renovation summary of 2015: talking) and weighed every option and budget and potential life route and we keep coming to the same conclusion: maybe a house renovation isn't in our best interest right now.

Sometimes I wish SO much that I could just get over it. That I didn't care about how things look. That we could just pick any old house and move in and hang pictures and be done. Like, I have actually prayed that quite a bit in the past. But... that's actually kind of sad because I think that making things beautiful, that making a home, that....decorating, even if I'm still learning... is a gift that God has given me. That sounds silly. Interior design and home-building are such materialistic, first-world things. I fully realize that. And I have no clue why I have this drive in me but I do and I'm just hoping that God uses it at some point.

Please note: my key words in all of this are right now. Renovations aren't in the cards for us right now, but in the future...sure! Hopefully. We dream all the time. We talk about things we could do, businesses we could start. You know, go all Chip and JoJo, minus the superstardom. ;) Bryan has been fiddling with the idea of getting into contracting and I (no surprise) would love to get into interior design one day....but right now, we just want to focus on these fleeting moments with the precious little boys without feeling stressed and tired and like we never get a break and are throwing all our money at a house that will never be done.

Kudos to anyone who can juggle all of the above and be at peace and have tons of time... but we are not those people...right now.

So where does this leave us?

Well, for starters we are planning to build. We talked about trying to build on our own--buying a lot, contracting everything out ourselves, doing the floorplans and all that jazz, but again, we know that would be a huge time investment and we really have no clue what we are doing so we have decided to wait on that. We have plan. Who knows if it will work. For now, we are going to use a local builder who does some fabulous houses and really allows so much customization. I am super excited. We actually have already picked out a lot and a floorplan and are just waiting around on pricing before we sign the contract.

I'm also feeling a bit of mixed emotions, too, to be perfectly honest. Some days I stop myself and think...."You know, let's just stay here. This house is good. This house is plenty. There are so many more important things." But then I keep dreaming and thinking about our future plans and land myself back on the new-build. Also, this new house is more expensive than what we have now....and as much as we've talked through the numbers and as doable as it looks on paper I still stress because I'm a paranoid budgeter. Also, my little booth....not such a little expense, I'm quickly learning! I can see it starting to pay off, but being the obsessive planner that I am, it is hard to forecast where all of that will go. I'm really hoping it will be to great places! I have so enjoyed the experience so far. And also....I just like our current neighborhood. Our new house will essentially be in a cotton field. I mean, in the next five years it will be in a really nice neighborhood with a huge park....the elementary school is only a block away and they just started building a grocery store across the street, but still. I just have a hard time with change.

Really, I'm just a whiner on either end. :) I'm fairly sure that's how most moving situations go, though. They are all a little bittersweet, all a little scary, and all full of possibility.

So there's me!

I would really appreciate prayers on this. I am usually a strict "I don't pray about materialistic things because God is probably just rolling his eyes at me", but I do believe that He  does care about every decision we make, even when it's something as luxurious as buying a new home. I know he wants me to be a peace....and I know he has been opening some HUGE doors to get us to this point. I just want to make sure this is the specific direction He wants us to go in. (I'm one of those people who are all...."Seriously God, I need like a really obvious sign.")


This was nice. I like blogging like this and never really do it anymore. Gold star for you if you made it through this post!