Decorating, DIY

Sneak Peek at Walmart’s new MoDRN line

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Hey guys! We are busy getting settled into our new house and lemme tell ya…things are a bit crazy atm. My big kids are back in school and between their new schedules, unpacking alllll the boxes, and starting some exciting new projects, things are BUSY around these parts. But before we lost our minds, (jk…kinda) packed up our house, only to move a couple streets over, I had the pleasure of testing out and styling a few of the new and exciting pieces that are fresh from Walmart‘s new line, MoDRN. Stylish beautiful home decor and at affordable prices??? Sounds good to me!

The new MoDRN line is so good, guys. Think earthy materials, raw finishes, and simple shapes…yes yes and yes. This dresser is a part of the new MoDRN Naturals line and I am IN LOVE! It is so sturdy and feels very well-made. Also, the detail on the legs add a nice touch, don’t ya think. The shade of wood is perfect and light and shows off the wood grain for some added texture. The size is also great and could work in a number of different spaces around the house…think kid room for gathering all the toys, or maybe in the living room for storing all of your extra home decor items. I can’t be the only one who stashes extra decor all over the house, right?! Also, peep that cute teal throw! That’s also part of the new line and it’s soooo soft and cozy.

Ok. Next up, is this mirror. I love this mirror. It has a metallic frame with rounded corners for an industrial/modern look that I cannot get enough of. I love to decorate with mirrors because not only are they beautiful, but they are particularly useful, especially in an entryway, above a bathroom vanity, or for bouncing light around above your mantel. They add a lot of visual interest to a space and this one does not disappoint.

And lastly, I had some fun with this copper floor lamp. Copper is a metal that I don’t use very much, but I love the warmth of it. The clean-lines are inspired by Danish design, which celebrates function ahead of form. The lamp has the cutest marble base and the neck adjusts to a variety of positions…great for reading. Something to note: the lamp came with its own edison bulb and that is one detail that I appreciate very much. I have bought lamps before only to find that I didn’t have an extra light bulb in the house. Not a huge deal…but still annoying.

Fun fact; if you zoom in on this last pic, then you might spy the reflection of yours truly while I was taking this photo. But seriously, I am loving this new line and I think you guys will love it too! You can check it out here or you can find them on Instagram @MoDRNliving or try searching the hashtag #liveMoDRN

That’s all for now! Wish me luck on all the unpacking!

Decorating, DIY, Home Improvement, one room challenge

One Room Challenge – Rustic Modern Office Space – Week Two

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Hi guys! It’s week two already, and things are happening over here! Last week, I let you in on my exciting plans to completely revamp my husbands shack of an office as part of the One Room Challenge. And just a refresher, here’s a look at the mood board from which I’m using to plan the space.

1./2./3./4./5./6.

So this week was all about the floors and walls…as in, we needed both. When the shed arrived, it had just plywood for both so I was excited to get started and get some walls and floors down. For the floors, we went with pine 1×6 boards. Originally, I was just going to leave them as-is, and add a poly for a protective coat, but then a reader informed me (you guys are SO helpful…keep sending me all your tips) that if I went that route, the floors would darken over time leaving us with a 1950’s cabin vibe (a look that I love, actually), but not the Scandi look I am going for for this project. So…in order to keep these floors from darkening, I am going to use a white stain that I’m hoping will keep them light and bright. I considered a lime wash, but was discouraged when I started researching the process. Seems so complicated! For now, the plan is to stain with a transparent white stain and then lots of poly to protect and seal them.

 

For the walls, we are going to use the same tongue and groove pine planking that we used for our stair well project that we completed this winter. I’m a big fan of the texture that it brings to a space. Also, it lends itself to a more casual look and I’m all about casual, comfortable spaces.

Because the floors are going to be so bright and natural light isn’t an issue for this office space, I am thinking about painting the long wall (the one that doesn’t have a window) a deep, matte black. Originally, I was contemplating trying the shou sugi ban technique, where you actually singe and burn the wood for a dark and dramatic effect. But, since the paneling is already installed and I don’t want to burn the shed down, paint will have to do!

See how much lighter the paneling is (on the left) versus the old plywood (on the right)??? The plywood has a lot of orange and pink undertones that I am just not feeling. This project is really making me get creative because I LOVE a rustic look, but for the shed, if I go too rustic, then it starts to resemble that murder shack look that I am desperately trying to avoid. So balance is the key here, folks.

So that’s the skinny on our progress for our second week! Guys, I cannot wait to get to the pretty stuff…furniture, lighting, accessories….ya know, the fun part! Have any questions for me? Hit me up! Until next week!

Decorating, DIY, Home Improvement, one room challenge

rustic modern office space – one room challenge: week one

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Well….here we go again! It’s time start another round of the One Room Challenge…only this time, spring edition 2019. Last fall, was my first stab at the ORC and I had so much fun transforming a boring little half bath into a rad, ostrich filled powder room. So, I’m back again, but with a whole new game plan! Here’s what I’m thinking!

1./2./3./4./5./6.

Now, as some of you know, my hubs works from home full-time. When we first moved into our house, we made the loft area at the top of the stairs (the space that I now lovingly refer to as the mom loft) into his office. Well, it didn’t take us long to figure out that that space was not going to work…think screaming toddlers, barking puppies, and a constant flow of kids coming and going with their friends. My hubs needed a quiet place to work so we had to come up with a solution that would better suit the needs of our very busy, and very LOUD family. After some research, we found a local place where you design your own shed online and they bring your designs to life and build it on site. The whole process only takes a few weeks and then they come and deliver your new shed in the spot of your choice. It took some convincing by the hubs, but eventually I caved and here we are!

THE BEFORE

Okay, here’s our starting point. A truly blank slate.

We added the window boxes that you see but they didn’t make it through the winter…but that’s another story (insert eye roll here). We also added electricity, cable/internet and have also wired it for two exterior lights that will flank the front door. The outside is cute….but wait until you see the inside…gulp.

GENERAL DIRECTION I’M HEADING

Ok…so the goal for this project is to transform this murder shack into a cozy, rustic office; heavy on the PNW vibes. The walls will be shiplap all the way around and the long wall without any windows is going to get the shou sugi ban treatment. Can’t wait to try that! If I can find one that is the right size, a wood stove for the corner and a built-in to house some stacked wood. His desk will stay in the same location but we have a new desk picked. There will also be a seating area to hang out for when one of the kids or myself go out to deliver a hot coffee or a sandwich for lunch. This is just a quick run-down and meant to give you an overall and very general idea of the direction that I’m heading. That’s it for now!

And stay tuned because I have a few surprises up my sleeve too! See ya next week!

 

Decorating, Home Improvement, Living Room

Spring refresh for the living room with Barn & Willow

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This post is sponsored by Barn & Willow

Hiya guys! Long time, no see…errrrr blog?? Anyways, I’m writing today to talk curtains. And to admit that I am guilty of committing a big faux pas when it came to hanging curtains in my living room. I know, I am ashamed. I now see the error of my ways, and am trying to redeem myself. Wait until you guys see how some new curtains DRAMATICALLY changed the look and feel of my living room!

Having nice curtains somehow makes me feel very adult. I liken it to spending a Saturday shopping for a new refrigerator or getting excited at the checkout line at the grocery store because the checker offers up a coupon for one of your items. Both things I love! Anyways, back to business…curtain business!

Here is my old curtain situation and a perfect example of how NOT to hang your curtains. I was making a couple of mistakes that are often made when hanging curtains. The panels were too short which forced me to hang the rod just slightly above the window frame. It leaves you with a very blah effect, and nobody wants blah! Let this be a lesson to you, and learn from my mistakes. If you lift the rod, it lifts the eye which makes your ceilings look higher and your space bigger. Another common mistake is not having the rod wide enough (also guilty of this), on both sides of the window, so that your curtains are forced to be hanging partially over the window, blocking light and making the window look smaller (windows look small = room looks small). Extend the rod at least 6-10″ on either side of the window frame so that when the curtains are pushed totally open you can see almost all of the window.

I partnered with Barn & Willow and replaced these tired, old panels with the most beautiful drapes…notice how I used the word drapes instead of curtain? It’s because I’m fancy like that, now. But seriously, it was such a fun process to choose my new panels because they allow you to get the exact look that you have in mind. I wanted my new panels to look light and bright, so I chose their organic cotton panels in the ivory color. They even allow you to decide how you want the tops to look with pleats, the style of pleats, or a soft top. Yes, really! I didn’t realize that I had a preference until I went through the options and studied the differences between all the different looks. Isn’t that such a cool option?!

This is my panel with the soft top option that lends itself to a more casual look, which I love!

I chose these panels, and am so impressed with the texture and weight of the fabric. They definitely look and feel like a quality product. And as a bonus, they are fully lined and have drapery weights at the bottom of each panel. Why weights, you ask??? Well, they make your curtains look better! The weights keep your pleats in place and make it so they don’t flap about. A little detail that makes them feel so special, ya know?

Now, on to the pretty pictures.

What do you guys think? Isn’t it amazing how different my living room feels? And did anyone notice how much bigger my windows appear? My living room feels so fresh and bright now! A BIG thank you goes out to Barn & Willow for sponsoring this post, and for being so helpful and patient! Thank you for reading and Happy Spring…only one more day!!!

Decorating, DIY, one room challenge, Renovating

Tiny, Funky Half Bath: One Room Challenge Reveal

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*this post contains affiliate links

Ohhhhh myyyyyy goshhh….today is the day! It’s been six weeks in the making and I am so excited (and SOOOOOOO relieved) that today is FINALLY reveal day for the One Room Challenge!

Are you ready for this? Ok – first, if anyone needs to catch up, here are links to Week 5, Week 4, Week 3, Week 2, and Week 1. Also, let’s take a walk down memory lane to remind you what this space used to look like.

This little powder room is just off our front entrance so this update was much needed as it’s one of the first sights you see when you enter our home. Did you just die of boredom? Or maybe just doze off for a quick nap? Just me? Well…this new view is giving me all those good feeling feels.

One of my goals for this house when it comes to design choices is to just go for it! Every wall (and ceiling) was beige when we moved in and so I am doing my best to inject some personality into this place of ours.

The room all started with when I found this wallpaper from Milton & King. Everything else was planned with this paper in mind. I wanted to keep the art simple and opted for a single statement piece with a map from Mapiful. It was so fun to customize this baby with a simple black and white map of the city in which we live. It feels like a special touch!

I’ve always loved this sink and think that it gives the room a funky, retro vibe. I’m so happy to have finally found a place to use it!

I wanted to keep the lighting modern and simple and I think this light from Modern Komfort works perfectly for this small space.

I’m so excited to have a new powder room for our guests to enjoy as we will have a house full of family while we host Christmas this year. I owe my boo a BIG thank you for all his hard work and for not running away when I said, “I found some ostrich wallpaper that I wanna use in the bathroom.” Also, a big thank you to Phil, my dad, and my sister and her husband for donating their time to help me out as well!  Welllll…what do you think? I hope you love it as much as I do! And be sure to check out all of the other reveals! I did a little snooping around today and have already found some amazing transformations!

Decorating, Home Improvement

Mission accomplished: the perfect entryway rug

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This post is sponsored by Magic Rugs

Hi guys! It’s Monday and the sun is out in Oregon! Seems like the perfect time to show you a little refresh that I’ve been working on to give my house some more fall vibes. First of all, does anyone else decorate for the Holidays? I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz about decorating in a more subtle way (i.e. introducing rich colors with pillows and layering up cozy throws for added texture) rather than flooding your house with pumpkins, ghosts, and goblins. I’m kind of riding the fence on this because I love a good excuse to add a pillow or a throw, but I also enjoy the occasional corny decoration. All in moderation, right? And why not? Anyways…feast your eyes on my fall entryway!

I have been searching and searching for the right vintage rug and I finally found her, ain’t she a beaut? I was sold on a vintage rug for this space as its a high traffic zone and vintage rugs are made to LAST. I have purchased many a rug from big box stores and always found myself replacing them once a year (or even a couple times a year). WHAAAAAA? Eventually, I began to realize that with all the money I was spending on disposable rugs, I could buy a better quality rug and clean them myself or take them to have them cleaned when needed. With all this being said, I am not opposed to buying a rug from a big box store, but I really appreciate a rug that’s made with materials that are meant to last, year after year.

For my entryway, I was lucky enough to work with Magic Rugs and am so excited to share this source with all of you because if you are like me, and cannot resist the charms of a vintage rug, I gotcha covered. Magic Rugs has over four thousand rugs in stock and you can call them any time with questions that they will be happy to answer for you. And….wanna know the best part? Their prices are actually affordable! So let’s go shopping! I thought I would share a few of my favorites that I found on their site. The first and second rugs would be perfect in a kitchen or a bathroom (adds tons of patina and warmth to a room full of hard surfaces) and I like the third one for a living/family room type situation…maybe layered on top of a jute rug if you’re feeling fancy. Ps. If you like any of these rugs, just click the images for links to see each rug in closer detail.

                 

The rug that I chose for my entryway is so beautiful and I am SO happy with the quality. It is soft underfoot and fits my entryway like a glove. It was exactly as pictured on their website which I think is really important. There’s nothing worse than ordering something online, only to be disappointed that the pictures didn’t accurately represent what you thought you were buying. amiright? The colors are perfect for my house with deep reds (I can’t seem to stop using reds lately. Who am I???), blues, and pops of orange. I’m in love!

I think it really makes a big impact to my entryway while adding lots of texture. And I am getting all the cozy vibes now!

So there you have it! My entryway is looking all Fall-y and cozy with its beautiful new rug! We are busy planning Halloween costumes over here and as of right now, I have a zombie, a vampire, and a bumblebee! Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Oh and I’ll be back on Wednesday with my One Room Challenge update for week three…gulp.

 

 

 

Decorating, DIY, one room challenge, Renovating

one room challenge: week two

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Well that was fast! This week FLEW BY. I can’t believe we are already in the second week for the ORC. Last week, I let you in on my exciting plans to update our tiny powder room as a part of the One Room Challenge. Let’s have another looky at ye ol’moodboard:

1. // 2. // 3. // 4. // 5. // 6. //

This week is still slow moving and I am still finalizing all the plans and waiting for items to start arriving. The biggest change this week from last week is that I decided on a style of wainscoting that will go on the bottom half of the wall – underneath the most fabulous wallpaper that has ever existed. I was scrolling for inspiration for a modern style of wainscoting online because I was sure I didn’t want to go with the traditional look when I found this little beauty. I showed my husband and he is game (albeit a tincy bit scared) to give it a try! Wish us ALLLLLLLLL the luck.

Source Unknown – but if you know, let me know and I’d be happy to credit them. 

It will definitely be painted. I’m thinking somewhere in the neighborhood of a charcoal – but I will have to wait and see the wallpaper in person before I can make a final decision. We went toilet shopping this week (I know what you’re thinking…yes, we know how to have a good time) and selected a new toilet which is something that we have been wanting to replace in all of our bathrooms – the current ones are really small and low to the floor. Weird, right?

Our next mission is remove the current sink. We will have to move the plumbing to accommodate a wall mounted faucet because of the sink we chose. We originally found the sink with a navy border from Rejuvenation, but the navy was making things hard to coordinate. After a bit more googling, we ended up finding it in black at a few other spots, and for a bit cheaper, too. Easier to incorporate and less money? Sounds like a win-win to me! Here’s a little refresher in case you forgot what that looks like.

So that’s where we’re at after our first week. I know that’s not too much of an update, but just wait until next week after demo has been completed! That is going to be fun, but we will also be down one bathroom which I hadn’t really thought of until…..well, just now. The wallpaper, and a fun addition to be hung on the wall are both supposed to be arriving in the next week, so those will be fun to share as well. Hit me up with any questions! Until next week!

Decorating, DIY, Home Improvement, Renovating

tiny funky half bath – one room challenge: week one

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I’m coming at ya today with some very exciting news! I’m officially taking part in my first One Room Challenge! What’s that, you ask? Well….lemme fill you in. The One Room Challenge is a bi-annual design event where participants completely renovate a room in six weeks. Everyone checks in once a week with a progress report (or lack thereof) and spills the beans about the good, the bad, and the ugly. This event is designed to encourage and inspire, which is totally my cup of tea.

The space that I’m going to focus on is our teeny tiny downstairs half-bath. It’s small and since this is my first go-around with the ORC – I figured it was kinda the perfect fit. So, here’s my vision. And I’m going to give myself permission to change my mind at any point. Mmmmmmkay?

1. // 2. // 3. // 4. // 5. // 6.

This lil’baby of a bathroom is located just off of our front entrway. Soooooo, it makes sense to me that it should be pretty as guests see this room right as they walk into the house. Also, weighing in at just 23 square feet, I feel like I can manage her.

As far as the game plan goes, it’s pretty simple. The floors will stay the same as they are the same wood that carries throughout the entire lower level. I’m thinking about some kind of wainscoting to wrap around the entire room – but modern. Still working out the details on that so we’ll see what I can come up with. And then my crown jewel of the entire room is going to be my ostrich wallpaper from Milton & King. It’s so fun and quirky and I’m in love. I think I’m going to give it a big hug when it’s finally installed.

Alright!!! Here we go! I will be back next week with all the updates!!!!

 

art, Decorating, Living Room

My art ledge refresh with Art To Frames

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This post is sponsored by Art To Frames

Hi everyone! With the kids FINALLY back in school, I’m feeling recharged and ready to make some changes around here before winter comes! I always get the bug to purge all the things in the Fall because I know we are all going to be inside a lot more the next few months. Also, it’s so much easier to get rid of all the old toys and excess stuff when the kids are at school and they aren’t here to try and talk me into keeping said stuff.

I’m excited to share a collaboration with you today that I have been working on the last couple weeks with Art To Frames. If you have been following along for a while or you ever see any of my instagram posts, then you already know I love collecting vintage art. I started going to thrift stores years ago when there wasn’t any room in the budget for art, and slowly but surely, I have accumulated a collection that I love. I even have a few special pieces that I believe to be quite valuable — so YAY to that!

The biggest downfall to collecting old art is the old frames that can sometimes accompany them. Think dirty, fabric frames that are sometimes falling apart or at the very least, in rough shape. So when I find a painting that I love, I buy it with the expectation of having to replace the frame. Kind of like house shopping, if it has good bones and you love it…go for it! It’s much less of a commitment than a house, but you get the idea.

When Shimmy(the most helpful person on the planet), from Art To Frames reached out and asked if I wanted to work together, I thought maybe I had died and gone to frame heaven! I’m. Your. Girl.

The past few months, I have been putting aside a few pieces that I thought would work well on my art ledge for a bit of a winter/autumn vibe so these were the paintings I had in mind when I placed my order.

I knew I wanted a natural wood finish look for most of them and added a few white frames to keep it fresh and modern. The variety of selection at Art To Frames is crazy good, not to mention that they are hand-made out of solid wood. When they arrived, they were packaged perfectly and not even one had a crack, a ding, or any other kind of damage. Also, I think it’s noteworthy to add that every frame comes with the hardware attached to hang them right on the wall! Easy shmeeezy.

Most of my paintings were leaning on the ledge so I simply left the hardware attached to the backs in case I get the urge to move to a new locale. The one painting that I did hang on the wall was this special fellow.

Oh hello, handsome. My husband and I disagree about this guy. He thinks he’s creepy while I think he’s spectacular. What say you?

So here’s my little update for the fall and I’m loving it so much that I just might leave the art ledge as is for the entirety of the winter….maybe. The moral of this little story is if you find yourself in the market for some custom-sized picture frames of gorgeous quality, look no further than Art To Frames. Mmmmmmmmkay?

Alsooooooo…..I haven’t forgotten about the concrete counter post that I promised last month. I’m working on it, but I have these three small humans that have been keeping this mama BUSY. Anyone else making any Fall/Autumn (which do you say?) updates around their house? I’d love to hear!

Decorating, DIY, Home Improvement, kitchen remodel, kitchen remodel, Paint

Six months and three faucets later…the true story of a diy kitchen remodel

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This post is sponsored by Inmod

I’m so excited to share our finished kitchen with you guys today! It was a long, long process and it feels BEYOND good to be all finished up! Our kitchen was a diy through and through and has me feeling some major pride. We were newbies to some of the projects (tiling) but also old hats at others (painting the kitchen cabs). But, this story has a happy ending and we are thrilled with how it came out!

Let’s take a look back at where we began, shall we?

Although we kept the original footprint of the kitchen, we changed almost everything else. There wasn’t really anything wrong with the kitchen before, but it wasn’t our style and just kinda fell flat. That feeling of blah.

Our first task was removing the old upper cabinets and the vent hood. I hated how the original cabinets were floating in the middle of the wall. Our ceilings are high at nine feet and that area above the cabinets didn’t seem like a good use of space. Our kitchen is small so wasted space is a no no. This seemed like an opportunity for tile all the way up to the ceiling and some open shelving.

For tile, we chose the 2×6 weathered white zellige from Cle Tile. I have been in love with this tile ever since Emily Henderson used it in her kitchen last year. I have never tiled anything of this scale before and I was actually pretty nervous about tackling this project, but it turned out to be kinda fun! My sister and her husband came for the weekend to help us and we made a party out of it! I definitely recommend drinking cocktails while tiling…as long as you can keep your lines straight. The tile came out beautifully and I LOVE it. It’s my favorite part of the kitchen. And let me tell ya…it’s even better in person.

For the open shelves, we tracked down a local who sells wood slabs of all kinds. All we had to do was decide on a type of wood and he cut it down to size for us. We ended up going with a couple of slabs of maple. I wanted a light colored wood with some grain and the maple fit the bill. It’s a hardwood too so that’s another bonus. After they were hung, I sealed the shelves with wax.

Our countertops are concrete and we poured them ourselves. I’ve actually been getting so many questions about them and the process that I am going to dedicate an entire post just to the countertops. Coming soon! It was a BIG job but they are perfectly imperfect and just what I was envisioning for the kitchen! A big thank you to Jimmy and Dani for coming from Idaho and showing us the ropes.

Deciding on the faucet for the kitchen sink was a tough one for me. I don’t know why exactly, but I ended up ordering three before I settled on this matte black guy. My husband wanted to kill me (not really…but, kinda) but my folks ended up adopting the first one for their kitchen and the second one is living out its days in the box in the garage. I’m confident we will find it a new home though! Maybe Facebook marketplace or craigslist?

For our cabinets, we painted them Hidden Falls by Benjamin Moore and added new brass hardware from Cb2. The new color is a deep green with some blue undertones and I love the moody vibe it gives the kitchen.

And just when we were putting the finishing touches on the kitchen, Inmod approached me and asked if I would be interested in working together. I jumped at the shot. You see, I couldn’t decide on bar stools for the new kitchen and after the whole faucet debacle, I knew I needed to be sure of my decision (i.e. not order online and then hate them in person). Inmod is famous for their crazy big selection of modern, mid-century, industrial, and Scandinavian furniture. They also sell styles from world revered designers such as Eames, Wegner, and Saarinen, just to name a few! So knowing this, I knew I could pick some bar stools that would function well and look beautiful in the new kitchen.

I ended up choosing their Sigfred Barstools in the tobacco color and I’m. In. Love. They have a beautiful leather padded seat with the most lovely stitching detail. The legs are a black metal and I love how it plays so well with my matte black faucet. Aren’t they the perfect pair? Putting them together was a breeze, and I assembled them by myself one evening while my husband gave the baby a bath. I finished before he had his jams on!

And because we eat all of our meals at the bar in these barstools, I can attest to their comfort. We spend a lot of time in this area because we don’t have a dining room (but this is a whole different story, for another time). Also, it is worth mentioning that there may have been a spaghetti supper on their first night in the house and they wipe up beautifully. I’m a big fan, can you tell?

So there you have it! The kitchen is done! What do you think? Does anyone have any DIY tales where something went horribly awry?? Did anyone order multiple kitchen faucets? I want all the details. Leave me a comment…I’d love to hear!