Red Envelope

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and Mother's day is not very far off either. Sometimes it's hard to find the perfect gift for the loved ones in your life. I recently got a gift from RedEnvelope and I was very impressed.

I got this iphone case, and I love it! They have tons of gifts to choose from and they all come wrapped in pretty red box, which my son has sense taken over as storage for his planes. So if you are stumped and need some ideas, check out all the gifts they have to offer. There are some great Mother's Day gift ideas!  Happy shopping!

Friday's Favorites

1. I love the simplicity and colors of this bathroom.
2. Head on over to Young House Love and check out their Reader Redesign for the week. This little boys bedroom is so fun!

3. How cute are these tiny baby Toms. Little man needs some.
4. This blog post has some great tips for decorating a mantel

5. I love this little fortune cookie necklace.  Husband, if you are reading this, feel free to buy it for me.

6. I love this print. It's always a good reminder.

New Chair in the Living Room

For over a year now we have only had enough seating for 4 people in our living room. We could obviously bring in some chairs or the bench from the dining table if we needed to, but that's not the most comfortable. I've been meaning to get another chair, I just hadn't found something that I loved and that went with the space. Then about a month ago I was at TJ Maxx and saw the perfect chair. We had just gotten back from vacation though, so I was not in the mood to spend anymore money. I have been kicking myself every since, because furniture from there does not last long and I new it was probably gone. So last week I decided to just go take a look again and see if just maybe I was going to get lucky, and sure enough the chair was still there! So this time I did not hesitate and took that baby home with me. 

I love it! It makes the room feel a little more finished and adds one extra seat so it's not as awkward if we have another couple over. The hard part about finding the right chair was the color. I didn't want anything too light for my little guy to destroy and I needed to make sure that the gray was enough of a contrast from my sofa that it didn't look like I was trying to match it exactly.

Now I just need to figure out what to do with that brick fireplace and I will be one happy girl!

Friday Favorites

Oh my goodness where have the last two months gone!  I really had no intention of not blogging for so long, life has just gotten busy and my pregnancy brain is in full force over here. I am 30 weeks today which means I only have 10 weeks to go until baby boy is here! I feel like I have dozens of projects that I am working on right now to get ready for our new bundle of joy. More on all of those later. 

I've decided I really need to get back to blogging. I've been totally out of the blogging world lately and I miss it! I haven't even been keeping up with my favorite blogs on the daily like I used to. I need more inspiration back in my life, so today is the day! I'm going to start a new weekly feature, Friday Favorites, where I will post pictures and links to my favorite things that I came across on Pinterest, blogs, and the interwebs in general for the week. Ready, set, go!

 

1. I love the colors and set up of this adorable twin boy room from Project Junior.

2. These healthy Halloween treats are getting me so excited for Fall!

3. I would love to do something like this in my airplane obsessed little boy's bedroom.

4. I've been on a quinoa kick lately, and this Creamy Caprese Quinoa Bake might be my next recipe to try.

5. How fabulous are these gold polka dot knobs from Urban Outfitters. I need to find a really good reason to buy them.

6. Baby boy needs this adorable cardigan, bow tie combo. Whoever said boys are not fun to shop for was way off!

To see more of what I'm loving be sure to follow me on Pinterest! Happy Weekend!

Living Room Gallery Wall

You guys, I finally took care of the wall behind our TV in the living room. That has been on  my to-do list for way too long. I came home home from a vacation a couple weeks ago and just decided that I couldn't stand the emptiness anymore. I told my husband that all I wanted for Mother's Day was for him to take me to Ikea and get all the frames I wanted, well that and unlimited foot massages. So Mother's Day weekend that's exactly what we did, and it was very exciting. I still need to fill a few of the frames so it's not completely finished, but it's a great start!

I'm the worst at taking before pictures, so you'll have to just imagine what that wall looked like with nothing on it, and the TV stand with nothing but the TV. I'm always just too excited to get things started that I don't think about taking pictures until I'm done. I'll work on that.

Money Saving Monday- DIY Ottomans

Ottomans can be great and functional way to add texture and color to a space.  There are some really pretty ones out there with gorgeous patterns and fabulous colors, the only problem is they can be a little pricey. I so wish I had an unlimited budget so I could buy all the pretties for my house that I want; who doesn't right? For those of us who do have budgets, here are some great DIY ottoman ideas I found that will get you a high end look without the price tag. 

1. Tufted ottoman by Little Green Notebook. She covered an old coffee table with fabric to resemble a $1200 ottoman from Restoration Hardware.

2. You can make one out the most unexpected items. Grace from Design Sponge made this little beauty from a utility bucket. 

3. Another coffee table turned ottoman from the Not So Newly McGees. It's so pretty!

4. This $50 ottoman looks so simple and is super cute for a nursery.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Ok, I have some news. You may have guessed it already due to my lack of posting. For those of you who do not know yet, I'm pregnant with baby number 2!

I'm currently 16 weeks and finally getting some energy back . I have had absolutely no desire or energy to do pretty much anything, especially blogging. The fact that I actually did my hair today and put on a full face of makeup is really saying something. Baby will be here in October and we are so excited!

I have no intention of turning this blog into a pregnancy journal, so for the sake of making sure this picture of my growing tummy is not the only thing in this post, I will leave you with some pretty spaces I have pinned lately (you can follow me on Pinterest here).

I love the simplicity of this vanity area. It feels so clean and inviting, and those pendants are gorgeous!

Have a great weekend!

Money Saving Monday

It's no secret that floral fabric holds a special place in my heart. It's also no secret that fabrics can be quite pricey, especially if you are looking to buy enough for window treatments or multiple pillows. One little trick I like to use is to find napkins or tablecloths that I can use for pillows and window treatments. It will save you time because they are already cut, hemmed and ready to go!  It can also be a much a cheaper option than buying fabric. Here are some napkins and tablecloths that would make gorgeous window treatments or pillows, and all of them are very inexpensive. 

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Open Shelves in the Kitchen

My parents have been talking about redoing their kitchen, which has got me really excited.  There are so many fabulous possibilities in kitchens. I've been keeping my eyes peeled for ideas to give them when they decide to start the renovation. One trend I am really liking right now is adding open shelves. It is a great way to store and display items you use every day, as long as you can keep it organized, which would be my problem. It also adds an extra place in the kitchen to accessorize and add some of your own personality. Check out the open shelving in these pretties!

Sources {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

I'm still here!

Wow! That was a long, unintended break from the blog world. I just realized today that it has been over a month since my last post.  We've had some exciting things happening around here which has left me with less time and energy to do much, more on all of that to come, I promise. I have also unintentionally put a lot of my home to-do list on hold, but that is soon to change. Hopefully I will have some home updates to share with you all very soon. 

Easter is this Sunday, which means it's time to stock up on Cadburry Cream eggs and Mini Eggs until they are gone until next year. Seriously, it's a good thing they don't make those things year round. It also means that it's time to start decorating those eggs! Decorated Easter eggs can be so pretty! Here are a couple decorating techniques I would love to try out this year.

Sequin Easter Eggs

Mod Podge Glitter Eggs

Golden Marbled Easter Eggs

Brass Love

I, along with everyone else, am totally smitten with Brass right now. I used to hate it and wanted nothing to do with it, but I am now loving the look. I especially love brass hardware when it contrasted against dark gray or black cabinets. So Pretty! I love the way the hardware really pops against the cabinets in this kitchen.

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In case you are in the market for some new kitchen or bathroom hardware, here are few of my faves right now.

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Decorating with Toy Animals

I love to see clever people repurpose old items and make them into something completely different. One thing I will never get tired of seeing is little toy animals reused and made fabulous! Here are some of my favorite toy animal projects. I would love to give some of these a try.

via The Haps

Animal Magnets via Sugar and Cloth

Toy Animal Knob via Design Sponge

Animal Book End via Nesting Place

Elephant Key Hook via Creative Soul Spectrum

Money Saving Monday (or Tuesday)

I don't think I've ever mentioned my love of floral fabric on my blog before. So, today is the day. I love floral fabric, I guess I'm kind of an old lady. I just love all the colors and all the other fabrics that can be mixed with them. I feel like no room in complete without one fabulous floral fabric. Unfortunately, fabrics can be ridiculously expensive. There are, however, quite a few great resources for inexpensive fabrics online. Here are just a few floral beauties you can pick up for under $25 a yard.

1. Printed Linen Drapery Fabric $10/yd. // 2. Wilmington Multi $20/yd. // 3. Charlston Home Avery $15/yd. // 4. Richloom Lucy Eden $22/yd // 5. Floral Fabric $22/yd  6. Covington Savannah Paisley $23/yd

Favorite Furniture Friday

Happy Friday friends! I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's day with those you love. Today I am over at Tiffany Leigh Interior Design talking about my favorite piece of furniture in my home. Tiffany is super cute and incredibly talented so be sure check out her blog!  Have a great weekend!

Valentine's for kids

Even though Valentine's Day is tomorrow, it's not too late to get your last minute craft on with your little ones. Forget about the store bought Valentines, there are so many really cute and somewhat simple Valentine ideas out there. Here are a few of my favorite Valentine ideas for the kids.

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Lavender

I've been slacking in the blog posts lately. Too be honest, I've just  been lazy and haven't felt like pulling out my laptop. It happens. Today lets talk about lavender. I've been seeing this color popping up a lot more lately and it's really starting to grow on me. It such such a pretty and feminine color, but can also be versatile and used as a neutral.

Emily Henderson

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Simple Valentine Decor

I don't normally do much for Valentine's day as far as decorations go. A bowl full of festive candy is really all I need! But this year I decided that I wanted to add just a little something. Yesterday the kiddo and I went out to Michael's and strolled through the isles until I decided what I wanted to make. We came home with all the supplies to make this XOXO plaque, because, let's be honest, you can't have Valentine's day without hugs and kisses.

It was pretty simple to make and didn't take very long at all. Here's how I did it.

You'll need a plaque, some letters, glitter, paint and supplies, a hot glue gun, tacky glue, and ribbon. The plaque was only $2, and the letters were a dollar a piece, so this project was quite easy on the wallet.

Once the paint was dry I turned it over and hot glued the ribbon around the sides. Finally I used some tacky glue and glued my letters in place. And done! So simple. I then placed it next to the roses I got for my birthday. And that, my friends, is the extent of my Valentine's day decorating.