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Sunday Kind of Love: 2018 Home Goals

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My 2018 Home GoalsIt’s been awhile since I did a Sunday Kind of Love post on the blog. I think the last time I did one was while I was in France. Things got so busy for me come October and consequently, I couldn’t keep up with doing my weekly Sunday Kind of Love post. Even now I’m writing this a little late so most of you probably won’t see it until Monday morning when you check your inbox.

I wanted to share a quick post about my 2018 home goals. I’m currently doing the January Cure that Apartment Therapy hosts at the start of every new year. I’ve done it for the last six years and I highly recommend joining along. Starting a new year is the perfect time to make a fresh start and getting your home primed for the year ahead. I love doing the January Cure because although trying to get your home organized seems like a giant task, Apartment Therapy has made it easy by breaking it up into small, one-a-day assignments. This makes things more manageable and motivates you to get more done.

I just finished the first week and wanted to share my progress with you. There were four assignments this week and you can catch up on all of them here. Mainly I wanted to talk about Day 2 which was make a list of projects you want to tackle this year. I did a walkthrough of my home and made notes along the way of areas I want to improve. I organized my list by room and created sections for all the important areas.

2018 Home Goals

Livingroom

  • Organize and clean out the credenza
  • Take everything off the shelves and deep clean

Hallway

  • Organize the closet

Kitchen

  • Organize all drawers and cabinets
  • Clean out glassware and things I don’t use
  • Organize closet
  • Organize the china cabinet
  • Wallpaper backsplash

Bathroom

  • Repaint white

Office

  • Purchase smaller desk with storage
  • Add more shelving
  • Organize
  • Possibly wallpaper (Am I allowed to wallpaper every room?)

Bedroom

  • Wallpaper
  • Organize closet
  • Buy new hamper
  • Finish decorating

Finishing the first week of the January Cure has definitely motivated me and helped me prioritize what I need to accomplish for my 2018 home goals. On the first day, I organized one drawer in the kitchen and since I’ve organized one a day. It took me under 10 minutes to organize each one so if you have a few spare minutes, spend it each day tackling something small. It might not seem like a lot at the time but at the end of the week it adds up. As a result, every drawer in my kitchen is clean, neat, and organized now!

I can’t wait to continue the assignments and see what I’ve accomplished by the end of the month even furthermore — the year. It’s not too late for you to join in, and if you do I’d love for you to check back and share your progress in the comments. I will be sharing mine here every Sunday for the whole month. I hope my 2018 home goals will motivate you to get your home in order as well. Cheers everyone and happy cleaning! xo

Christmas Decor Tour

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Christmas Decor TourOver the last few weeks, I’ve posted little snippets of my Holiday decor on Instagram stories. To my surprise, I got a lot of messages asking if I would be posting a Christmas Decor Tour. Sadly I didn’t get to decorate as much as I would have liked but the living room does look pretty glorious and festive. I decided to do a last minute Christmas Decor Tour post of the living room to fulfill some of your requests.

Christmas Decor TourThe first thing I knew I wanted to do was make these DIY Mid-Century Christmas Village Putz Houses from Krys Melo of Melodrama. If you don’t follow her or her blog please run right over there ASAP. Her style, use of color, and home inspire me so much. Plus she lives in Palm Springs which is my dream! I saw these Christmas village houses last year and I said to myself, “one day I’m going to make those”.

Christmas Decor TourChristmas Decor TourChristmas Decor TourChristmas Decor TourA couple Sundays ago Ethan and I made boozy hot chocolate, put Christmas music on, decorated the pink Christmas tree of my dreams, and made the Mid-Century Christmas village. They turned out even better than I imagined and I think I want to make it a holiday tradition to make one every year. I guess if I start running out of space I’ll just have to start gifting them to people! They make the perfect Christmas decor for the mantel. My favorite part was decorating and styling them. I love bottle brush trees so much! At one point Ethan was like, “do you have enough bottle brush trees?”, and the answer is always no, never!

Christmas Decor TourChristmas Decor TourChristmas Decor TourWe decorated so much for the holidays in the house I grew up in and it always got us into the holiday spirit. Since then I’ve haven’t lived in a place with the space to accommodate holiday decorations and honestly, the holidays have never really felt the same. For the first time in my adult life, I have the room for a real sized tree and this made my heart so happy beyond belief. I collected a few ornaments over the years and have been gifted quite a few as well. I’ve been basically hoarding them until the day I could put them on my very own tree. 2017 was my year for this. 2017 has pretty much been my year for a lot of things.

Christmas Decor TourChristmas Decor TourChristmas Decor TourI decorated the bar cart for my Holiday Hot Cocoa Bar post and slightly tweaked it after moving the Keurig back to the kitchen. I love the Be Merry banner which is from Target. Most of my holiday decor is pretty budget friendly (Target, Michaels, Homegoods, DIY). I just had to invest in the tree which I got from Treetopia. It’s called the Pretty in Pink Tree which couldn’t be more appropriate.

Christmas Decor TourChristmas Decor TourChristmas Decor TourLast year I found this Tom & Jerry punch set at a thrift store for $12. I’m so glad I can finally put it out on display for the holidays. I seriously can’t wait until next year to expand my decor a little more into other rooms of the house. What is your favorite Christmas decoration? Is it something that’s been passed down in your family? Perhaps a special ornament? I’d love to know. I hope my Christmas Decor Tour has brightened your day and puts you in the holiday spirit. Four days till Christmas!

One Room Challenge Final Reveal of The Hallway Refresh

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I am beyond excited to be showing you the One Room Challenge Final Reveal of The Hallway Refresh. Honestly, I almost didn’t survive this 6-week design challenge. After a few breakdowns and some tears, I think I can finally laugh about it. Despite some ups and downs with the light fixture and not getting a product on time, we pulled through and I am SO happy with the final results!

Originally I picked the hallway because the design process had already started in the rest of the rooms of the house. The hallway was neglected and kind of sad and dingy looking. When the One Room Challenge came back around I took it as my chance to force myself to fix up this space. I’m so glad I did because I think it is now my favorite area of the house. Is it weird if I just hang out in the stairwell?

In case you missed any of my previous posts about the One Room Challenge, I put together a few before and after comparisons for quick reference. Taking a look at all the before photos is recommended to fully appreciate the results of the One Room Challenge Final Reveal of the Hallway Refresh.

By far painting, the stairs is the biggest upgrade to this space. When we looked at the apartment the stairs and banister were actually brown, having never been renovated since probably the 1970s. When we moved in the banister was white and the stairs were painted a mustard yellow. This was definitely an improvement but the paint job wasn’t that great. I’m sure they were just rushing to get it done but the sight of it really bothered me. Now the stairs are so colorful and bright. The sun from the skylight reflects off of the stairs and brings a lot more light to the bottom hallway as well. Looking at the staircase instantly puts me in a better mood. How can you not be happy looking at a rainbow of pink?

The other goal of redoing this space was to brighten up the bottom hallway. It is the only area in the whole house with no window, therefore, it is the darkest. I picked a light and airy wallpaper for the accent wall and created a landing area. I bought this bench, this coat rack, and added baskets. Now we can hang coats, put down our bags, and store shoes. I’m really happy with this upgrade because it so much better looking but it is also so much more functional. I’m glad that the light fixture worked out in the end because it was so important to the design. It also gives off so much more light than the old fixture on top of also being way better looking. Thanks for all the support while I figured out how to install it!

The last problem I encountered was the macrame plant hangers did not get delivered on time. This really bothered me because they were the first things I ordered 6 weeks ago. I went back to my original plan of DIYing plant hangers out of twine instead. The stairwell wall gets so much light which is why it was important to incorporate plants here. I love how easy the plant hangers were to make and the contrast of the twine against the white wall. I wish I had stuck with that plan instead of causing myself so much stress. In the end, I’m happy with how this wall came out. There are never enough plants.

I needed art for the top of the stairwell and Ethan made this abstract painting that came out so good! I’m completely in love with it and so happy that we decided to do that last minute.

I could go on and on about how happy I am with the turnout of the One Room Challenge Final Reveal of the Hallway Refresh. I’ve listed all the room sources below as well as links to each week of the One Room Challenge. A huge thank you to the One Room Challenge for letting me be a guest participant, Ethan for putting up with all my craziness and my friend Thaddeus Rombauer (who is an amazing photographer) for helping me photograph the space. Be sure to head over to the Calling it Home website to check out all the other One Room Challenge guest participants room reveals today and also yesterdays One Room Challenge participants reveals.

Thanks for following along on this crazy journey! I hope you enjoyed the way the Hallway Refresh came together. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Wallpaper / Bench / Coat Rack / Light Fixture / Paint / Flower Pots / Baskets / Rug / DIY Plant Hangers

Week 1 / Week 2 / Week 3 / Week 4 / Week 5 / Week 6

 

Thanksgiving Fall Tablescape Ideas

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Every year it always surprises me how quickly it goes from Halloween to Christmas. Even in retail stores, they seem to totally skip over Thanksgiving all together. It makes the time move too fast and I wish it would slow down so we could enjoy each holiday just a little bit longer. Thanks to Kate Aspen I’m showing you some Thanksgiving Fall Tablescape Ideas that are easy, beautiful and sure to impress your holiday guests.

Beautiful doesn’t even do this tablescape justice. I have thoroughly impressed myself! This is the first holiday that I live in a space big enough to entertain in so I’m super excited. For the table, I wanted it to have lots of colors but still be seasonally appropriate. I picked up some bundles of small pumpkins at my local grocery store and painted them with acrylic paint I already had. I wanted to do somewhat of an ombé look for the pumpkins so I did hot pink, light pink, coral, orange, and yellow. Then I accented them with these Kate Aspen gold glitter pumpkin votive holders. They’re so cute and sparkly and look perfect next to the painted pumpkins.

Since a lot of my table accessories were gold I wanted a pop of color for the place settings. I used white and gold-rimmed dinner plates with vintage green and gold-rimmed appetizer plates and white and gold bread plates. The green plates accent the greenery in the centerpiece as well very nicely. I picked up the foliage from a local flower shop and the bundle was only $5. Super affordable and really worthwhile to make a memorable tablescape. Underneath I layered two different table runners to add more color and texture. You can use a tablecloth and runner or even placemats.

I used white napkins with gold polka dots and these really cute Kate Aspen pumpkin napkin rings. Are you sensing a theme here? I also used these super cute gold pumpkin place card holders. Here is where I wish I excelled in cute penmanship. My handwriting has been epically bad my whole life. In college, my drafting professor used to give me special assignments where all I had to do was practice my block lettering inside these elaborate shapes. All that did was train me to only know how to write in architecture handwriting. Years later it’s just morphed into me writing messy in all caps. We can’t be good at everything, can we?

No holiday dinner is complete without some wine. Using something as simple as decorative bottle stoppers like these pumpkin ones make them fit in with your table decor. I always like to have a variety of wine available because everyone has different taste. I’m usually a white wine drinker but having another bottle of red on hand is always good. I absolutely adore these cheers stemless wine glasses. They’re perfect for any occasion.

I’m so happy that I got to share my Thanksgiving Fall Tablescape Ideas with you. It was really easy to put together and styling your table makes a huge impact for entertaining. All of the things included in my Thanksgiving Fall Tablescape Ideas are super affordable as well which is a huge plus! Decorating and hosting can get pricey during the holidays so it’s great to find ways to still get festive on a budget. If you’re still planning your Thanksgiving table make sure you head over to the Kate Aspen website and check out all their party favors and tabletop decor.

I had so much fun styling this table and I can’t wait to host my first Thanksgiving. I’d love to hear whats on your Thanksgiving table. Let me know is the comments below! If you need more inspiration I’ve pinned all of these items plus more inspiration on my Tablescape Board and Thanksgiving Ideas Board on Pinterest. Cheers everyone!

One Room Challenge Week 6 of the Hallway Refresh

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One Room Challenge Week 6 of the Hallway Refresh is going so much better than last week. I’m so happy to be in the home stretch of the challenge and for the stress to be over! Thank God for that extra week or else my Hallway Refresh project would have been a complete flop. Today I’m sharing what’s complete and what needs to be finished before the final reveal shoot on Monday.

The wallpaper came last week and I installed it on Sunday. It came out better than expected and I am completely in love with it. I wanted to go with another tropical/botanical print but was nervous it would clash with the living room wallpaper but it totally doesn’t! It’s neutral enough that it blends between the living room and kitchen. It’s crazy how a simple upgrade can really make an impact and brighten up a space. This is the darkest area of the house and my main goal was to make it feel lighter. I think I’ve accomplished it.

The coat rack was hung on Monday which I thought was going to be the easiest part of finishing that wall but I was wrong. We decided to hang it with anchors but hit a stud while drilling. So, we didn’t need anchors apparently. I’m very happy with how the dark wood and gold stand out on the wallpaper. The chandelier is up and working and an electrician is coming tomorrow to do final repairs. That light has caused me the most stress so I will be happy when that problem is over. If you didn’t read last weeks nightmare post then you can read it here.

The bench is in its forever home. I did really love it in the living room too. I’m on the hunt for something similar to replace it as a coffee table. Loving how it serves as extra storage plus a landing area.

I decided to swap out that jute rug for something less busy. It was clashing with the wallpaper too much and I just wanted something simple. Luckily I had this faux fur rug in my office that I’m using instead. I put the jute rug in there, so no money was lost. Bonus! I do wish Phil was still here to photobomb my One Room Challenge posts. He loved fuzzy rugs too.

The only big project left to do for the One Room Challenge Week 6 of the Hallway Refresh is the stairs which I will be tackling this weekend. I picked up the paint today and the colors are even better than the swatches. Painting the stairs is going to transform this area into a bright, happy, and colorful place. Is it okay to hang out in the stairwell or is that weird?

I picked up some plants today to put inside the macrame for the stairwell wall. The macrame still hasn’t arrived though. I tracked it and it says “in transit to destination” so fingers crossed they come tomorrow. They will only take a few minutes to hang so I’m not that worried.

The One Room Challenge Week 6 of the Hallway Refresh has been a success and I can’t wait to show you how everything comes together.

One Room Challenge Week 5 Lighting Nightmare

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Do you guys want the good news or the bad news? I pretty much have all bad news so I’m feeling a bit discouraged. One Room Challenge Week 5 is a lighting nightmare among many other nightmares. My cat Phil who made an appearance on the rug last week suddenly became ill and died over the weekend. I’m absolutely devasted, I’ve been crying for four days straight. Dealing with FedEx sent me into full breakdown mode on Monday. They have been impossible to deal with and also it’s been impossible for them to do their job which is to deliver my packages. UGH. There is some good news before I move on to the lighting nightmare — the wallpaper arrived!

I’m going to tackle the wallpaper over the weekend so hopefully, that helps me feel better. Right about now I’m ready to throw in the towel though. Thank GOD they extended the challenge by a week because there is just no way that I would be ready to do a photoshoot for a reveal. I had a friend come by last weekend to help me get the new fixture up but what we found when we took the old fixture down is trouble. The wiring has not been updated in who knows how long and the hole in the ceiling is larger than the canopy of the fixture. I know what you’re thinking, a ceiling medallion, right? WRONG! The wires are hanging out lower than the ceiling so we can’t get the fixture flush. It’s been impossible.

This is the original fixture without the glass bowl over the top. Sorry, I forgot to take that shot.

This is what was underneath the fixture. This possibly couldn’t have gone any worse.

This is the closest we could get the fixture to the ceiling and we ordered a medallion that we thought would cover the difference but it didn’t work. This was not a DIY project. Changing light fixtures is easy when the electric is modern but we have no idea what the hell to do. I made an appointment with an electrician on Saturday afternoon. Fingers crossed he can figure something out.

If we can’t come up with a way to make this fixture work then we’re going to have to put the old fixture back up. That is disappointing to me because I really loved the new fixture and it completely transforms the way the hallway looks. The wallpaper will look great but there isn’t a ton to do with the hallway so losing one of the main focuses of the design plan makes the end result less impactful. I also can’t return the fixture because I put it together and threw away the box. I had no idea that something this awful was going to happen.

I’m sick, my cat died, my car got a flat tire, and this challenge is turning into a failure. Please send all the good vibes my way to help me get through it. If you have any solutions I would LOVE to hear them. Please tell me in the comments below. Hoping for a better tomorrow and a completed Hallway Refresh. xo

 

Entertaining Notes with Chopin Vodka

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Hello everyone! Recently I was an interviewed about entertaining notes with Chopin Vodka. I’m putting my Halloween decorations aside and decking out my bar cart in all pink (that’s not hard) and featuring their limited edition pink bottle to raise awareness for breast cancer. Every October since 2011 Chopin has released the pink bottle and part of the proceeds are donated to breast cancer research. To date, Chopin has donated $70,000 in support of this important cause.

The only thing I love more than drinking is drinking with a cause. I was really happy to team up with Chopin to raise awareness about this matter. Both Chopin and I are committed to realizing a world without breast cancer and we hope you are too. Did you know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month? It’s an annual campaign to increase awareness of the disease. Here are just a few of the ways you can help women in need from the National Breast Cancer Website:

  1. Sign up for this free breast health care guide here
  2. Share your story of how you or a loved one have been affected by breast cancer
  3. Host an in-person or virtual fundraiser
  4. Make a one-time or ongoing donation
  5. Share educational content on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest

Please spread the word and help in any way you can. Head here to read my entertaining notes with Chopin Vodka and to see more photos of my pink bar cart for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. If you or anyone you know has been affected by breast cancer I would love to hear about it in the comments below. The only way we can help each other is by sharing our stories, educating one another, early detection and supporting one another. I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend. Cheers to stopping breast cancer! xo

 

One Room Challenge Week 4 of the Hallway Refresh

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There is not a whole lot to report. Week 4 of the One Room Challenge Hallway Refresh has been pretty slow because I’ve been waiting for the all the items to arrive. I unpacked everything that came last night. As you can see Phil my cat has already claimed the rug.

The wallpaper shipped and the shop assured me it would be here on time. It’s coming from overseas so I’m still a little nervous about the timeline. Luckily that email the participants got yesterday was a sigh of relief. They extended the One Room Challenge by a week to compensate for all the disasters that have happened recently. Final reveal will be Thursday, November 16th.

This week I received the rug, chandelier and coat hooks. I also put the bench together that I bought at IKEA last week. Well, Ethan really put the bench together ;). We are currently using it as a coffee table in the living room and I love it. It’s possible that I might buy another. The original plan was to do the DIY Plant Wall but the macrame plant holders haven’t come yet. Hopefully, they will arrive next week so I can get that done. It will be a fairly easy project and I get to take a trip to my favorite place — the plant store!

Once the wallpaper gets here I can install, hang the hooks, and put the bench in its proper home. Next week I’m concentrating on installing the light fixture. I wanted to save the stairs for last but I may have to get that done before the wallpaper depending on when it arrives. Stay tuned to see how the Hallway Refresh unfolds!

The Art of the Bar Cart + Giveaway

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I’ve read many blogs over the years, some of which inspired me to start my own blog. One of those blogs is Ashley Rose Conway’s Craft + Cocktails. Ashley has come out with a new book The Art of the Bar Cart and it is just as inspiring! She collaborated with design director and party planning expert Vanessa Dina to share some really fantastic tips for styling your home bar cart.

The Art of the Bar Cart features 20 different styled bar setups themed around spirits, personal style, and seasonal occasions. The book includes easy tips to re-create each look as well as recipes for the perfect drinks to pair with each bar cart. It is a gorgeously photographed guide for inspiring any reader to make a décor statement, and a drink to serve alongside. Sounds perfect for me, right? So perfect, I want to give you a copy!

I love this book so much because it’s such a good reference for styling tips and recipes. There really is a bar cart for everyone. That rum cart is practically my exact bar cart already! The Art of the Bar Cart shows you how to curate the perfect bar cart, essentials, and the ideal recipe to whip up alongside it. This is the perfect book for home entertaining and it couldn’t come at a more perfect time of the year. Holiday season!

I will definitely be using this book as a resource whenever I’m looking to spruce up my bar cart. I’ve even been using my credenza as a second bar station in my living room too. Do you have a designated bar area in your home? If you don’t its time to get one! Good luck and enter below.

From Art of the Bar Cart by Vanessa Dina, photographs by Antonis Achilleos, Text + Recipes by Ashley Rose Conway (Chronicle Books, 2017)

One Room Challenge Week 3 of the Hallway Refresh

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One Room Challenge Week 3 is upon us and things are speeding along. The Hallway Refresh has progressed a little bit and almost everything has been ordered but I’m still waiting to receive the items. Luckily there isn’t a ton to do once all the items get here (except the stairs and wallpaper). I’m going to update you on some changes I am making to the plan and what I put on order. Plus I picked out the colors for the stairs. Yay!

The bench from Ikea that I originally decided on was unavailable. I found a great substitute that is a little bit more compact and way more stylish.  I actually like it better. Everything happens for a reason, right? The bench is actually a coffee table, but I saw it styled at the foot of a bed and seating for a dining room table as well. It’s going to work great as a landing space for my purse and a home for shoes underneath. A cat will probably enjoy some naps on it as well.

I’m starting with a very soft pink at the top of the stairs and fading it into a dark coral that I will be painting in groups of 3 of each color.  I chose paints by Benjamin Moore in Soft Pink, Creamy Peach, Perky Peach, and Summer Sun Pink. The stairs are going to be so happy to look at, I can’t wait for this to come together!

I had to order the wallpaper in a custom size so I contacted the shop.  Hopefully, I hear back soon so I can place that order. I went ahead and ordered the hook rack, ceiling light, macrame plant hangers, and a rug. Also, I had to change the rug because the size I needed wasn’t available, but I found this one that is 2’3″ x 3’9″ which I think should work perfectly.

We’re in the middle of the One Room Challenge with 3 more weeks to go. I’m looking forward to seeing how it all turns out and finishing another space in my home. Full speed ahead! Check out my One Room Challenge Hallway Refresh board on Pinterest to stay up to date with my ideas and items.