Summer Updates in the Dining Room

Hi friends! I hope you are enjoying your Summer so far!

Today I wanted to share with you some updates I have made in the dining room. This room has gone through a few changes starting with a new paint color, new Ikea sideboard you can read about HERE, and I have finally broken down and added some new artwork on the walls.

It all started with this butterfly (or moth-you decide) picture that caught my eye. All of those rich saturated colors drew me in and I knew I had to have this picture.

So what's a girl to do with ONE picture? Hhhmm........decisions, decisions.

I decided to go on a manhunt for a matching frame and try to create a grouping.




After searching high and low I found these frames at none other than Wal-Mart that look almost identical and they came with white matings too. Score!

All I had to do now was add these prints I purchased online from a daily deals sight and hang them up.

Instant grouping! ....and I love it! It is just what this wall needed.

And of course I updated my Hemnes sideboard for Summer too.

I think new chairs and window treatments will be next for this room.

It is amazing what one picture can do. It can spark a creative streak and motivate you to decorate a corner of your home that was once bare and boring!

It feels good to no longer walk thru the room and see empty walls!

Jennifer

My Latest Project and Some Thrift Store Finds

Hi friends! Today I wanted to show you my latest thrift store finds.

I had a chance to run by the thrift store during the day....normally I go after work, so I was able to snag some things early before the crowd rushed in.

Here you will see a small load I had in my card.

I love this black shirt with a heart. The heart is in animal print....super cute and I can't wait to wear it out.

I also found a turquoise candle lantern, a couple baskets, and a small ironstone creamer/pitcher set.

If you follow me on Instagram you know all about this bench I found.  It is going down in the "Best Finds Ever" list of my thrift store shopping!

Then there were these two plant stands. My favorite thing to buy at the thrift store is outdoor décor.

Outdoor décor can be so expensive and it is fully exposed to the elements so I don't like to spent a lot of money on it, so when I find good deals like these metal plant stands I snatch them up!

I actually bought both of these and gave one to my Mom.

If you follow me on Youtube you got to see some of my latest thrift store finds.

The Spring time is such a great time to find deals at the thrift stores, and of course garage sales too!
I hope you have a chance to get out there and get some deals!

As far as my thrift store finds go, I am starting to post more of my thrifty finds on Instagram and Youtube, so hop on over to follow me there so you don't miss a beat!

I'm always thrifting and looking for deals so its going to be fun to start posting them on Instagram and Youtube where I can show you things in more detail.


Now, back to that bench.......

Jennifer

How to Shop for Faux Flowers

Hi friends! Today we're talking about decorating on a budget. If you're like me you like to change things out with the season and that can get costly over time so I'm here today to show you a way to maximize your hard earned dollar but still create a beautiful warm and inviting home.

How to get the look for less? Its easy! Just a little imagination and know-how is all you need!

I have been looking for pretty floral pieces to update my home but decent floral can be pricey, and rightfully so. There really is a difference between a quality faux floral and the cheap retail stuff BUT you can find some nice faux flowers if you know what to look for.

Here are my top four tips for picking out inexpensive faux floral:

1. Shape & Size:
Faux flowers should be shaped in the same manner as the real flower.
Normally manufacturers of the mass retail version have the petals too widely spaced and the stems and leaves are usually not shaped correctly either, and the worst is if size is not quite right. Often times bulkier flowers like hydrangeas or lilacs will not be as full as the real deal simply because they are cheaper and the manufacturer is trying to keep costs down, and when they do that.....boy does it show!

2. Color:
Faux flowers should be the same color as the actual flowers. I can't stand when I go shopping for faux flowers and see a flower in several different colors that is not natural to the real flower, or they use one color and there is no variation. In nature, real flowers have dimension and light or dark spaces on them. They are not one flat color so your faux version shouldn't be either!

3. Texture:
Faux flowers should have the same texture as the real thing. For instance, lets talk faux tulips. The stem and foliage on a real tulip is thick and kind of waxy or rubbery feeling. Faux tulips should be the same, but most of the times the cheaper versions feel nothing like the real thing. The cheaper retailers use a standard material for the foliage as they use on other flowers and it is nothing like the real thing. Often times it feels like fabric and is matte with no sheen. The foliage on a real tulip is thick and waxy thus reflects light, and so should the faux version.

4. Movement:
I bet this is one tip you weren't expecting. Movement! Real flowers droop a little, have irregular petal shapes and move with the wind. Many cheap faux flowers are stiff and do not lean or hold themselves like their real versions do. A qualify faux flower should react similarly as the real flower when put in a vase or laid on a table. The petals should droop or land accordingly and not look stiff or posed.


Here is a floral piece I picked up a WM for $3 dollars. I separated it and made two arrangements with it.
Not bad for $3 bucks!

I cut three stems and put them in a flower frog I bought from a thrift store a long time ago.

And then took the other three stems and put them in this cute mini-hanging basket by my front door.

You do not have to spend a lot to have beautiful faux floral, you just have to know what to look for, so I hope you enjoy these tips and can keep them in mind the next time you are shopping.

Jennifer


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Adding Spring Touches

You may remember last year I started transforming my front room from yellow to gray.
You can read about it and see the before and after HERE.

After changing out the wall color I refreshed the space with new accessories and moved some things around.

I'm still playing with the space above the couch, but this space right as you walk in from the mudroom adorns two shelves and a sofa table I have had for about eight years. I have used this table in my kitchen and in the entry way at the other house, and really enjoy it here on this wall.

I keep the monogram and star on the shelves all year round but change out the other accessories with the seasons.

Starting with the top shelf I added a geometric sphere and planter from Ikea.

My decorating style is pretty traditional with a coastal cottage flair but the geometric sphere adds a little interest to the space.

On the bottom shelf I added a new Spring print I bought for a couple bucks from a daily deals website. I framed it in a white distressed frame with burlap matting I found on clearance at Target recently.

I wanted to add a mirror somewhere on this wall but didn't want to take up too much shelf space so I added a mirrored star. I use this star all year round and love it how it looks with  the mixed metal too. Not too brassy and not to silvery.
Its just right! 

Down on the table I keep it simple with a small lamp, monogrammed tray and polka dot mason jar filled with faux peonies.

I try to keep this space clutter free so I can sit my purse or keys down when I come in from the garage.

Here are those gorgeous peonies! I am obsessed with them and hope that his year my REAL peonies will actually bloom!
I planted them in 2014 and they come up every year but no blooms!!!!! :(

Across the room I have a gray slip covered side chair with a small stool turned table, and a glass vase with bright pink flowers.  I changed out my winter sweater pillow covers with this white and gray checked pillow, and added some color with this vase of flowers.

These flowers really add a punch of color and are a focal point in the front room.  Can you believe they are thrifted? I got the entire bunch for $5 bucks!

I love them!

So there ya have it.

Just a few Spring touches to brighten up the front room!

Jennifer

Farmhouse Plate Rack Reveal

He there friends! How are you? It has been a while but I am happy to share today's post with you, and I have many more in the works too.

If you follow me on Instagram you probably remember seeing the before shot back in November of what I am about to show you.

Its hard to believe that I found this cute farmhouse plate rack dusty and neglected on the bottom shelf at a local thrift store.

She's a little warped, but I hardly notice it and she still has a lot of life to live, so I brought her home with me and added some thrifted white plates. The two smaller plates are ironstone pieces I picked up over the years, and the wooden star I found at Nell Hills at Christmas time. It is actually a Christmas ornament but I like to use stars throughout the entire year around the house and I thought this added a nice touch.

All she needed was a good cleaning, some light sanding, and new coat of bright white spray paint to do the trick, and now she is the focal point of a farmhouse vignette in my kitchen.

Here she was when I found her. A $2.00 discarded wooden piece nobody wanted.

Then I set up my saw horses with a large piece of cardboard that I cut up from a box I had in the garage.....

and I gave her two fresh coats of white spray paint.

I even painted right over the hooks on the bottom too! Easy peasy!

Nothing like a fresh coat of white paint to breath new life into something old!

And now here she is and I love her! I am working on adding something above the plate rack and I will post pics of that after I figure out which direction I am going.

The cabinet is also going to eventually get an update too, along with the thing I am going to put above the plate rack. The entire space looks so different! You can read about how this space looked before at this link here.

For now, I am enjoying the updated nook in my kitchen.

Jennifer

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