Current Mood {Living Room Mood Board}

We sold our sectional as it was just too big for our new space and bought a new sofa. I thought it would be fun to gather a few pictures of things I'm currently loving to see how they all look together and get a feel or mood for the room. Here is what I came up with: three different pillows in neutrals and stripes (my favorite! The first pillow does have a blue stripe for a touch of color), a great rug with more blue to tie the colors together, and a pouf/ottoman that I have been eyeing for a long time. I've been wanting to add a little more blue and little more streamlined/modern look but still keep it comfortable and working with our sometimes country/farmhouse style that we like too. I'm really liking the idea of these things for the living room, what do you think?

Have a great Summer week! ~ Rebecca

My Welcome Fall Home 2017

Welcome to my Early Autumn home! We had a very enjoyable Summer around here and I had a hard time letting go. For most of my adult life Fall has been my favorite season. However, having lived most of my life in California and then moving to a place that has what feels like to me Winter nine months out of the year, Summer has become my new favorite. When I started to feel a nip in the air this past week and realized the calendar says this Friday is the first day of Fall, well, I decided to accept the fact that Summer is over. Embracing this, I slowly got out the Fall decorations and put out some simple touches. I'll add Halloween in October, and then replace those with Thanksgiving in November. For now, this is what is looks like around here ~

Come on up on the front porch. I've had this wreath for ages that I bought from Big Lots when I was first married. The faux mums I bought from Family Dollar a couple years ago in a desperate attempt to have something Fall-ish in my pots since I can't get live ones where I live- only once in 6 years did our hardware store carry them. I bought the door mat for our new home this year from Family Dollar and the black pot I just got at Target on clearance for $3! I've been wanting a big black pot for this spot with an outdoor faux plant- still waiting for the plant. But for now the mums will do. We absolutely love our front porch. The kids love to play out here and we like to sit on "Grandma's Bench" and watch the sunset, the trees blow in the wind, and the kids playing.

In my front room/entry I added my handmade fabric pumpins {click for tutorial } from two years ago, an old Target clearance acorn, and some Aspen branches I bought this year from Michael's on sale- 3 stems for $9 and the simple vase was just $3 off the shelf at Walmart. I love the height and drama the stems bring to this space and I love how it's a little more modern and clean look.

Here's the fireplace room- we don't quite know what to call it. Den? Library? Study? Office? I just added an Autumn berry garland I got at Taipan Trading for $5 clearance. Have you ever been into one of those stores? Holy Stuff, Batman. Extra points if you spy our new kitty, Pumpkin. 

Here's our dining slash "gathering" room. I found the sign from Hobby Lobby for a third of the price of a very similar one I wanted from Magnolia Market. I might paint it black, I can't decide. These are my living room shelves from the last house, now a china hutch of sorts. We bought the farmhouse dining table for this house but everything else we already had. Very simple decor in here.

And lastly, come sit and relax in our family room! We bought this console table when we bought the dining table. It's filled with old finds and my harvest blessings pillow { click for tutorial }. 

I hope you enjoyed my simple Fall tour, as we welcome this season into our home. Let the "pumpkin spice everything" time begin!

~Rebecca

A New Chalkboard Story.

At the beginning of this Summer, I was strolling through Hobby Lobby and saw and fell in love with this chalkboard. It was on clearance for $40, 50% off the original $80 price tag. I walked away thinking I would love to have that chalkboard, but $40 was more than I wanted to spend. I kept thinking about it and seriously considered it. Then life got busy and I kind of forgot about it. Then one day on instagram I saw someone post about this same chalkboard and how they had just bought it for about $20. My heart started racing and I knew I had to go to Hobby Lobby first thing in the morning in hopes that they still had them. Not only did they still have them, but my store had them marked down to $16! I was so excited and rushed it to the front counter so fast, the ladies who worked there were laughing with me. Needless to say, I couldn't wait to get my new treasure home and hang it up where my old homemade-beaten down-falling off the wall- one was.
Why do I love my chalkboard so much, you may ask? A chalkboard is like the magazine version of books. I don't have much extra time to sit and read an entire book, but I can find a few minutes here and there to scan a magazine or read one short article at a time. Likewise, I love to art and craft, but I don't often have time to create a masterpiece or do big projects. Although I would love to pull out all my sketching and watercolor supplies more often, it just doesn't happen right now. But I do have a few minutes here and there to try my hand at some old fashioned hand writing or art on the chalkboard. And it's fun to change with the seasons and becomes part of the decor.
So there you have it. The story behind my new chalkboard and the reason why I love it so much. It's probably not a big deal to most people. But it's a little thing that brings me joy :)
~Rebecca

The Friday Four Roundup #11 {Product Review and a Pinterest Fail}

I you haven't already, make sure to check out my Early Fall tour {here}. I say early because in a few weeks we will need to add some Halloween decor, and then my favorite, Thanksgiving!

1. Speaking of fall, not only did I add some touches to my house, I also found some super cure fall wallpaper for my "electronic devices." I just searched "fall wallpaper for iphone" on pinterest. When you see something you like on your phone you can just touch it and some options will come up and click "save image" which will go straight to your photo album on your phone. Then go to settings and update your wallpaper. Note: I could not save the image in my pinterest app, only if I went on pinterest through safari.

2. After doing a ton of research online and on the Ulta website, I discovered this Loreal true match mineral powder foundation got really great reviews. I decided to give it a try especially since I found that it was cheaper in my shade at Target.com than it was anywhere else, even Walmart. I LOVE it. I have tried BareMinerals for several years and also Loreal true match liquid foundation and this is very comparable to BareMinerals, if not better, and at less than half the price! I do need to use translucent powder to control shine over it, but it really gives a natural look and it so easy to use. (I am not paid to say any of this! All opinions in this post are my own!)

3. PINNED AND TRIED: homemade dry shampoo. After I ran out of my Suave dry shampoo, I decided to try this all natural recipe I found online by simply mixing equal parts baking soda and cornstarch. I found this shaker that was exactly like the one the original blogger used for like a buck. Umm, I don't know if it's just me, but it comes out way too much at a time, and pretty much made me look like I was trying to wear a powder wig. I only did it in a few spots that needed it. I rubbed it in like crazy and finally threw it in a ponytail to cover it because I was in a hurry. By the end of the day, the spots were really itchy and there was major powder under my fingernails from scratching. (gross). So I would say this is a Pinterest Fail. (!) Then I went and bought my beloved Suave dry shampoo. Definitely worth the three and a half bucks!

4. Lastly... "YOU'VE got mail. Those are very powerful words." (Name that movie) My awesome Sis in law Karen was so sweet to send me this mag after I told her I was wanting to read it but couldn't find it anywhere in my very small, very rural town. It really brightened my day. Now, go take a few minutes and go mail someone some love. You'll both be glad you did. And that's all for today's public service announcement.

I hope you have a great weekend! ~ Rebecca

The Friday Four Roundup #8 {2014 Fall Fashion Edition} And some deals.

Welcome to the 2014 Fall Fashion Edition of my roundup, I hope you had a great week. Are you ready for fall? I am still in the getting ready stage. I wanted to decorate for fall this week now that Labor day is over. However, it is still beautiful sunny weather so I am soaking up every last bit of summer that I can. We have long winters here so I have learned to truly appreciate warm days. In the meantime, I can dream about my perfect fall wardrobe...

1. BASIC SWEATER. I'm loving the idea of a classic, soft, slightly oversized "slouchy" type white cable knit sweater. This one from H&M is pretty much perfect and I like the longer length in the back. Plus H&M is currently offering free shipping on a purchase of $50 or more through the 7th with code 2541.

2. JEANS. Any sweater would look fabulous paired with a great pair of skinnies. I prefer the dark wash on a pair like this, also from H&M. They have buy one pair get one 50% off right now.

3. ACCESSORIES. The obvious choice would be a scarf in warm autumn tones or perhaps a plaid. I don't like to wear something that keeps my neck warm when I'm already wearing a sweater with a high neck line though, so I think it would be fun to try something a little more unexpected like this necklace from Downeast Basics.

And of course you need a great bag. This one with a fun print is anything but boring and I love the brown for fall. 

4. BOOTS. Leather knee high or ankle are both great options. I've had my eye on this pair for quite some time. Right now Target has 20% off all their boots.

Click to view sources: 1 / 2 / 3 necklace, bag / 4

The Friday Four Roundup {5}

1. We had a great time during our family reunion weekend. I had the chance to go on a hot date with my hubby (thanks, K) to a Brasilian restaurant called Tucano's. My favorite was the bacon wrapped filet minon, and THIS fancy drink, a Rio de Janerio which consists of cream and passion fruit. YUM! I'd never had one before.


2. I'm thinking about getting one of those 3M Command hooks for my front door wreath. The wreath hanger is scratching the paint. I went to their website and they have hooks meant for outdoor use that hold up to 5 pounds. Have you ever used one? I'm wondering how good they work. Anyway, if you are interested, they have a ton of coupons for their products you can print out {here}.

3. If you ever had leftover chocolate frosting you should put it on a graham cracker with some peanut butter. I did this the other day and my husband was like, what are you doing and why have I never seen this before? Cause it's super yum. Try it.

4. I'm kind of sad Summer is coming to an end (10 days till school!) but also ready for fall. I made this summer banner out of cardstock and washi tape a few months ago but never shared it so thought I should before it gets packed up next month.

Have a wonderful weekend. I have my sister in law and 5 nieces and nephews coming to visit, woot! Love the summer cousin bonding time!
~Rebecca

The Friday Four Roundup {3}

1. My daughter took a cooking class at the art festival this week. My favorite day was when she brought us homemade strawberry jam that she made. Super YUM!

2. I had lots of fun teaching these kids popsicle stick and pipe cleaner art. On Wednesday, we started off by making our own bubble wands and blowing bubbles with a solution recipe I found {here}. (Worked great, don't think I will ever buy bubble solution again! It costs pennies and is so simple).

3. Are you familiar with H&M? It is a European clothing store, I'm assuming that is found at most malls across America now. Did you know H&M sells {homegoods}? I didn't either until I saw someone else pin one of their products on Pinterest. I was like "Whaaaaaaat? How did I not know this?" And their prices are very affordable. Their home products are only online and right now through August 10th they have free shipping with the code: 1991.

4. Speaking of H&M home goods, here is a sneak peak of what I will be sharing with you soon of how I spiced up some of their cushion covers I bought for my sofas. (They were only six bucks. For heavy cotton canvas zippered pillow covers. SIX BUCKS people!) Anyway, stay tuned to find out what I did to make them even better.

Tonight we will be watching my daughters perform and also checking out all the art projects at the open house from this week's art festival. Have a great weekend!

~Rebecca

The Friday Four Roundup {2}

I can't believe it's Friday already and then we will be heading into the last week of July! Here are a couple things I've been enjoying this week:

1. My husband and I are cracking down on our carb, dairy, and sugar consumption. Every dinner this week has had very little or no carbs. I have already tried several new recipes, including tonight I made these two-ingredient pancakes; just eggs and bananas, they were amazing! I couldn't believe we were eating pancakes with NO flour! The recipe I followed is found {here}.

2. Speaking of food, one of my favorite stores for kitchen supplies, Williams-Sonoma is having 75% of all their clearance plus free shipping. You know what that means? Good deals on their Summer stuff AND everyone's getting ready to bring out the FALL stuff, my favorite! {yay!} I am in desperate need of some new kitchen towels and have been debating about getting a pack of their signature stripe ones, in the summer "clearance" colors, of course. I know they are pretty good quality. Anyone have experience with them?

3. I am enjoying using this little candle I picked up at Target last month. It is a light summer scent, not too strong and very lovely. You can see their entire line of Illume candles {here}.

4. And lastly, we are getting ready to do two days of Pioneer Days out here. Parades, rodeos, races, food, and lots of fun. This will actually be my first time attending here so I am excited to see what's on the schedule!

Have a fabulous weekend!

~Rebecca

May Teacher & Volunteer Appreciation Idea {end of school year gift}

This month's teacher appreciation also included a year end gift for all the parent volunteers. I needed something cheap and easy for mass production (38 staff members and 50 volunteers). Did you know that Walmart sells 6 packs of full sized candy bars for less than $4??? Super awesome, super easy, super cheap. I typed up a tag in a word document, hole punched, cut, tied, done.

Done till next school year, that is!!!

A few living room updates

After being inspired by my visit to Pottery Barn (see last post), I was itching to switch things around on the ledge and see if I could make it look like what I saw in the store. Now yes, I realize my home is not a store showroom, nor do I want it to look or feel like it is, but I have had such a heck of a time trying to figure out how to decorate this space! So after taking some pictures I was interested in taking on this design challenge. The neat thing about this "project" was it cost no money, I simple rearranged everything that was up there and added my big chalkboard to ground the grouping and define the space a little. All I did was look at the pictures I took and tried to recreate what I saw- and I learned a few things! Every grouping started with the tallest things in the middle and moving out toward the smallest things on the ends. 

So here is the BEFORE:

And the AFTER:

What do you think? Does it look like "too much stuff" bunched together, or does it look ok? I am getting used to it...

Also this Spring, I was able to save up some "odd-job/side-job" money and give my living room a little make-over. It was super fun and I love the way it turned out. 

New curtains from TJ Maxx and I sewed new pillow covers from a Target Threshold shower curtain I got on ebay. The fabric has all the colors I wanted in the room- green, blue, yellows, browns, and cute birds too :) The curtains are white with a gray/taupe trellis type design and cool metal grommets on top. Everything was just TOO brown before and it needed some color and style - a breath of fresh air. (Sorry the picture lighting w/ my phone is tricky...)

This was my BIG purchase! I had been wanting a new recliner chair for our living room for quite some time. Don't get me wrong, I still love my old chair but it was truly falling apart and looking quite dingy - it was getting embarrassing! We took it upstairs so I can still enjoy it out of public view :) But when I walked into TJ Maxx one day I was on a mission to find a new chair. My husband was doubtful but I went straight to them and lo behold there it was! Actually, I was looking at another chair but it was quite uncomfortable and did not recline. My husband said "How about this one?" It is a Lane brand which I love and it was pretty comfortable, but it didn't look like it reclined either. Then my husband looked at the tag and said "Well this tag is for a recliner, but you get the idea." Then while I was sitting in it, he said, "Wait a minute!" And pulled out the footrest and sure enough, it was a recliner! I was like "Shut up!" And he was like "No way!" And we were like "Sold!" It was quite exciting :) It was right within my budget and when I got home and googled it, I found out we got it for half the retail price! Sweet! It is called a Lane Fritz High Leg Recliner, and not sure what fabric, in case you are interested. I also bought this pillow while at TJ Maxx to bring in the grays/taupes and blue.

And here I have my fun Spring blocks (tutorial here) with new hurricanes I scored at Target on clearance for $5 a piece, my coffee filter wreath (tutorial here), and a cute metal key my sis -in- law gave my for Christmas. The mirror was from Walmart.

So that's my updates for now! Hope you enjoyed, have a great weekend!

Spring 2013 Inspiration: A Roundup of my latest

I don't know about you, but I am more than ready to say goodbye to the SNOW we've been having and say hello to the SUN and warmer weather. Here is a roundup of some of the things that have sparked my interests this Spring. Take a minute and enjoy looking at these pretties.

(They are all on my pinterest boards so if you want to see where they came from, please go there :) )

This week I was browsing for new sheets and I got an email from Pottery Barn for a % off all purchases so I decided to check out what they had to offer. I went to the clearance section and found a set of 2 Plaza(much needed)king pillowcases in sandalwood for $7.99! That's like Ikea prices for much better quality. They come in the mail next week!

I love the picture of this home exterior and thought what a good idea to add the pergolas on each side of the portico to add interest and character instead of doing a more pricey front-porch add-on. We could totally do this to our house since it has the same front design. (With some magical extra funds, of course!)

I absolutely fell in love with this bedroom. I'd like a little more personality in artwork, but everything else seems perfect. It even inspired me to spruce up and clean up my room yesterday and make it look clean and simple like this.

I found this skirt at Downeast Basics on the clearance rack with an extra 20% off. It looks really cute with a jean jacket and some yellow ballet flats:)

Love this super easy handmade card, could easily make with paper scraps.

More eye candy from Pottery Barn - so pretty. I like the idea of adding a soft blue to the Master bedroom color palette, but I also love my all- white bed :)

Super cute. Need I say more, other than I need to get started on some hair accessories for baby girl?

I've been really itching to get out my watercolors and do a few small projects before baby comes. Lots of inspiration found for birds, and a few other things I've been wanting to do.

I scored this set of washi-tape from Pick your Plum for cheap and have lots of ideas of what to do with it! Already decorated my daughter's magnet board with a border of washi tape, wondering if I should put some on the walls for fun? Also going to make a no-sew triangle bunting for the nursery. This stuff is so versatile.

Well there's my quick Spring Roundup. What has inspired you this season?Have a great weekend!

Kate Spade - Affordable! Home Collection at Bed Bath and Beyond

When I came across this today, it was just too cute not to share! Kate Spade at Bed Bath and Beyond? What?! Why am I just now finding this out! Check out my favorite picks:

Crown Point Picture Frames

Larabee Dot Bath Towels

Spring Street Duvet Cover

Candy Shop Bath Towels

Larabee Road Platinum Tidbit Plates

Larabee Dot Crystal Cylinder Vase

Cypress Point Dinnerware

Now, if they just had some fabulous shoes and bags I could use that 20% coupon on... :)

To view the entire collection go here.