Happy Halloween! Now that our kids aren't quite so little, we enjoy dressing up our dogs. They seem to enjoy it. Really, they enjoy anything that gets attention from their people. And the treats. They enjoy the treats the most!
October 31, 2014
October 29, 2014
Family/Living Room Storage & Organization
When we decided to paint our wall unit rather than retire it for a console with a tv hung above it, our main consideration was storage. We store a bunch of stuff in there, both decoratively and behind closed doors. In fact, storage was taken into consideration throughout our family room and today I am sharing where we keep things. Let's start with decorative baskets that are also so very functional.
October 25, 2014
Saturday Spotlight Feature and a New Chair
Hello and Happy Saturday! We have had a busy week of painting (our family room wall unit) and planking (a wall in our family room). We are right in the middle of the planking so that is what is on the agenda during our free time this weekend. We also took a trip to Ikea for a few small items and ended up coming home with a chair! The new Stocksund chair to be exact.
October 24, 2014
Our "New" Wall Unit
Our family room can feel very dark. It is the only room in our home that is built at grade level (on a cement slab with no basement underneath) and it can sometimes feel a bit like a basement, even though there are plenty of windows. I knew that the dark leather furniture and dark wall unit weren't doing anything to lighten the space. So we decided to paint the wall unit white. Painting accomplished just what we hoped. It brightened the whole room.
October 22, 2014
Fall Porches
Hello friends! Today I am sharing a few more pictures from Upstate NY in fall.
First, we will start on the back porch. We added a tree stump as a side table to the rocking chair.
October 20, 2014
Striped Drapes {and Lantern Light Fixture}
Hello friends! Recently, I have been getting lots of questions about the striped drapes in our living room so I thought I would talk a bit more about them today. When I saw them in TJ Maxx, I thought they would be perfect for my youngest boy's room. They cost just under $30 for the pair and I left the store a happy camper. I have had my eye out for striped drapes for a while now. They also had a pair that was khaki and white, but I liked the gray better for his room. When I brought them home, I thought maybe I would try them out in the living room for a couple of weeks because I was craving some change in there. Here they are in our summer living room.
October 17, 2014
Waxed Autumn Leaves
I have been wanting to try dipping leaves in wax to preserve them for a couple of years but never quite got around to doing it. When we were in Upstate NY last weekend, we finally did. It was a fun and easy project! First, we took a nice long walk to gather some pretty leaves.
October 15, 2014
Columbus Day Weekend in the Mountains
Columbus Day weekend in the Adirondacks might just be my very favorite weekend of the year. The leaves were a bit past "peak", but they were still gorgeous. This gazebo is down by the lakefront portion of the town of Schroon Lake, NY.
October 14, 2014
Easy & Affordable Boy's Bedroom
Earlier this year, my youngest and middle boy decided that they no longer wanted to share a bedroom. They each wanted their OWN room. That day. They had made the choice to share a room a couple of years prior but the honeymoon was over, as sometimes happens with brothers. I had been planning on claiming this extra bedroom as my space. I had a whole board on Pinterest dedicated to my new super organized home office. So this is not one of those well planned out spaces in our home. This was more of a load up the whole truck with Ikea furniture because that's what fits the budget type of room. But my boy is thrilled with his space and that is really all that matters.
October 10, 2014
October Around Our House
Hello friends! I am looking forward to the three day weekend thanks to Columbus Day on Monday. I added a few more fall touches around the house and also found a great Target clearance deal this week and you know how happy that makes me:) Meet my new $11 lamp base...
For that price, it just sort of jumped in my cart. Somehow, they still had 2 on the shelf, which really got me excited because to snag 2 lamps for the price of half of a regular priced one, well that is too good to be true. Unfortunately, the second one had a big hole in the back of it so I only ended up with one. However, I might check out a few more Targets in the area to see if I can find another. I love me some lamp symmetry on a console table.
October 8, 2014
An Autumn Picnic
On a beautiful fall Saturday in the Adrondacks, Matthew (my 9 year old) and I decided to set out on a picnic. We had picked up this green plaid metal picnic basket at a local sale. It was a bit rusty, but the wooden handles won me over. We brought it home, grabbed a few snacks and headed down our favorite trail.
October 6, 2014
Finding My Own Style {with Inspiration from Sarah Richardson}
Last year, when a writer/stylist asked me what my design style was during an interview for a magazine, I realized I didn't have an answer to that. Sheesh...a blogger that mostly blogs about houses should know that answer off the top of her head! I stumbled through my answer of farmhouse country mixed with casual mixed with a bit of glam (referring to the one crystal chandelier in my master bath). Since then, I have taken some time to look around my own house and my Pinterest boards, and I realize I was right in my answer, but a more simple word to use may have been eclectic. A little bit of everything that I love and speaks home to me. I really think the most interesting, warm and charming homes have a collection of styles that is unique to the people who live there. This window seat and bookshelves are the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning. We created this space a year ago and it still makes me happy to open my eyes and see this, because it is so perfectly "me".
It has taken me years to be confident in my own style. When we were first married, I decorated in a very country style. However, over the years, that style began to feel dated and I started decorating in what was more trendy. But it never felt like me. Watching Sarah's Richardson's HGTV shows was a game changer for me. My "A-Ha" moment as Oprah would say. Sarah was using quilts and antiques and creating gorgeous spaces combining a variety of styles. Her version of country didn't feel corny at all. I was inspired in a way that I had never been before by a designer.
October 3, 2014
Recipe: Our Favorite Apple Cake
This is always one of the first recipes I make in the fall. It is an old family recipe that fills the house with the delicious scents of the season, and uses up a few of the many apples we have picked.
October 2, 2014
Autumn in the Adirondacks {2014}
Happy October! Have the leaves started changing where you are? In the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate NY, the leaves were at their peak this past weekend. It was glorious! It never ceases to amaze me how breathtakingly beautiful everything turns this time of year.
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