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2 In decor/ home decor

Tips to give your living room a refresh

My first home decor project of the new year. My living room refresh is up on the blog. We spend a great deal of time in our living room. It’s the center of our home. But with two boys and a dog, it gets alot of wear and tear. As much as I want our home to be aesthetically pleasing, we also live in our space. So practicality, functionality and materials that can be easily washed are essential.

Here are some of my tips for giving your living room a refresh.

And as always, you can shop the post by clicking on the links throughout.

1.) Switch out your accent colors. It’s a known fact I love to decorate with neutrals. Whites, creams and grays never go out of style. We painted the walls in all of our common areas “Alabaster White” by Sherwin Williams. I like to keep my furniture and decor neutral so that you can then just switch out different color accent pieces when you want to change things up. I love pairing blues/greens with neutrals for a calming yet bright feel. Add some turquoise glass jars or vases and some greenery. Here are some of favorites below.

2.) Add or replace your curtains – changing your curtains can really change the look of your room.

This was our living room BEFORE with the original sheer white curtains that were leftover from our previous home.

This is our living room currently with new curtains. Rather than buying new curtains, I used two dropcloths. Look at what a difference it makes. Stay tuned for a tutorial coming soon!

3.) Switch out your pillows – You can never go wrong with too many throw pillows. It’s the easiest way to switch up your decor and change it for the seasons. I used to just buy a bunch of different throw pillows. But then I got smart and invested in a few nice pillows and now just switch out the pillow covers.

I found all of these on Amazon and linked below.

I also made these farmhouse personalized pillow case covers. Available in my Etsy shop!

4.) Add or replace your rug – An area rug can really warm up a space. Our original rug was from Wayfair and I loved it! But being that it was in a high traffic area, I wanted one that I could clean easily. Enter Ruggable – rugs that are waterproof, machine washable, and easily interchangeable. On Black Friday, I purchased this one from Ruggable. It comes with a non-slip pad and a washable rug cover – life changing!

5.) Update your wall hangings or photos – Just changing a few of your wall hangings or switching out your photos can change the look of your space. I added this arched mirror above our end table. I linked a few of my favorites below.

Check out some of my other decor ideas

How to style your bookcases

Modern Farmhouse Bathroom Update

Nursery Reveal

Big Boy Room Reveal

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January 11, 2020 By Nicolle

6 In DIY/ home decor

DIY engineer prints of your kids

This post may contain affiliate links

If you’ve been on instagram or pinterest I’m sure you’ve seen those really big black and white photos you can do of your kids. They are also called “engineer prints” and I have been wanting to do them for my two boys for awhile now. I typically don’t decorate with many pictures throughout our home but I thought these were a fun way to add some personality to a room.

Here are my tips for DIY engineer prints of your kids:

And for more decor inspiration, be sure to check out my Etsy shop!

1.) Start with a plain background. I chose a blank white wall in my house and used that as my backdrop. This will make your subject (in this case your child) pop.

2.) You’re gonna want to use a quality camera. Because these are engineered prints, if you were to use the camera on your phone, the picture is going to come out very pixelated. Using a camera will keep your image clear.

3.) Do some editing. I like to use the Lightroom App to brighten my photos. And then I made them black and white.

4.) Get them printed. I had these printed at Staples for like $3.50 each. (They are 24×36 inches)

5.) Frame them. I chose these white frames from Amazon. But if you’re hanging them on a lighter wall I think a dark brown or black frame would look good.

Now for my next project … convincing the hubs to whitewash this knotty pine to modernize it a bit. What do you think?

Check out some of my other projects here:

Whitewashed brick fireplace

Farmhouse Bathroom Makeover

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November 2, 2019 By Nicolle

8 In decor/ farmhouse decor/ home decor

How to style your bookcase

This post contains affiliate links meaning I make a small commission.

One of the things I get asked often is for tips on how I style my bookcases. My entertainment center and built in bookcases are a big focal point in our home and I have had so much fun styling them. I like to change out some of the items as the seasons change too. It’s a great way to freshen up the room.

Here are my tips on how to style your bookcase.

And be sure to scroll to the bottom where I’ve linked some of my favorite items to decorate with.

1.) Start fresh – First take everything off of your shelves. Gather all of your decor from your shelves and throughout your home and put it in a pile so that you can see everything in your collection.

2.) Choose your color palette – Think about the color palette in your room and choose pieces that complement it so as to make it look cohesive. I decorate my home in natural colors like white, creams, gray, and greens to give the room an open and airy feel.

3.) Create balance – Balance each side with items of equal proportion. You want it to look balanced, not necessarily symmetrical. But it also doesn’t need to be “matchy-matchy” which I personally think makes it look more staged.

4.) Add books – Stack them vertically as well as horizontally, with some in the center and others to the side to create a mixture. I made these custom books with our names to add a personal touch. Head to my Etsy shop to see some of my other collections or create a personalized set of your own.

5.) Add faux or real plants – My personal favorites are either dried hydrangeas, eucalyptus and boxwood. I added little boxwood wreaths and tied them with some ribbon to decorate the doors. This is a great way to add some color. Using different sized vases and pitchers is another great way to add dimension.

6.) Use decorative trays and baskets – Not only is this a great way to give your items a home, but it also adds different elements and textures such as metals and woods as well. I like to store blankets in some baskets on the bottom shelves to make the room a little more cozy.

7.) Less is more – Your shelves should not look cluttered. It’s ok to leave some shelves almost bare. It makes it appear bigger.

Shop some of my favorite decor items below:

Baskets

Books

Boxwood Wreath

Decorative beaded garland

Decorative tray

Tiered stand

Check out some of my favorite farmhouse decor items on Amazon

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September 30, 2019 By Nicolle

0 In DIY/ home decor

Easy DIY Sweater Pumpkin

I am so excited to share my latest DIY project with you all! It’s super easy, cheap and cute for fall. Fabric pumpkins are all the rage this season. I’m sharing this easy DIY Sweater Pumpkin I made for $5!

You will need:

– A small pumpkin (I used a small faux one I got in the dollar bin).

– Twine

– An old sweater (I used one I had in my closet that I didn’t wear anymore but you can also go to Goodwill and get one. The tighter the cableknit or weave, the better.)

– Ribbon

Directions:

1.) Start by taking your pumpkin and inserting it through the bottom of your sweater, feeding through one of the sleeves until the tip of the stem is sitting right at the ribbing of your sleeve.

2.) Twist the sleeve tightly around the stem of your pumpkin. Take your twine and start wrapping around the covered stem, from bottom to top. Then go back down and work your way back up again. Cut the twine and then hold in place with either a hot glue gun or some Modge Podge.

3.) Next cut the sweater at the bottom of the pumpkin. You can tape to hold to the pumpkin or throw a couple of stitches in to hold it together but this part is not going to show.