Entryway Updates!

Hello All! It's been a while since I've posted, I've been super busy with my new job and trying to get some things done at the house! I finally have a couple of updates I can show, starting with my entryway.

I finally put up my  "hello" vinyl decal that I bought before we even moved in!

Isn't it just adorable!!! I got it from this Etsy shop, but I don't see if for sale anymore! There are plenty others available on Etsy though. I just liked this one in particular because it had the little heart, which I thought was a cute touch.

I also got a new door mat to replace the lovely carpet remnant we had prior, 

and put out my owl sculpture my sister got me for Christmas.

I  feel like the mat is too small, though. It's a standard size, but it just looks shrimpy to me. I saw some larger ones at Target, so it may be getting replaced soon.

My "To-Do" list for out here now consists of changing out the light fixture:

Womp womp... not very impressive!

And getting some furniture for out here. I really, really want some rocking chairs, maybe in a fun, bright color like red or teal, with a small table for drinks and snacks!

On to the inside!

I haven't really made much progress here, except for my new rug. I found this 4x6 rug at Aldi (a discount grocery store) for $20! Who would have guessed? I really helps me visualize where I want to go from here.

My "To-Do" list for here is much longer! I need to replace the light fixture with my thrifted chandelier(once I decide on a color!), and paint the walls.

I also am keeping my eyes peeled for a entryway table at a good price. I think I'm wanting to get something and paint it dark teal, a couple shades darker than my kitchen. I will spare you the picture of the coat closet, which also is in need of some organizing.

What lies beneath...

And yes, that is an extremely aesthetic over the door hat hanger. Which has been the extent of my closet organizing thus far, and I hate it.

I've done a few other small updates, but of course nothing is completed yet. I've been sick all week, and so some of the things I had planned to accomplish are on the back burner for now. But I will have more coming up! 

Thrifting Adventures!

I hadn't been out thrifting in a few weeks, so I hit up a couple of stores over the weekend.

Let's start with what I didn't buy.

I absolutely loved this love seat. It was pretty dirty, and total the wrong color, but I love it. I've thought about it several times and may very well go back this weekend to look at it... maybe it could work in my future sewing room?

On sale... maybe still there next week??

I also saw this really nice wing back chair, however it was the wrong color, and there was only one. I'm really trying to find a matching pair for my living room.

What I DID buy:

This awesome knit striped pencil skirt. It fits perfectly and I am really loving skirts right now in this summer heat!

$2.99!!

This awesome nine west purse. It's in brand new condition! It looks more red in the photos, but it's really a deep coral.

And then, something that is really impractical right now but I really needed this past winter, a "real" winter coat!

This past winter was pretty cold (for florida) and all I had to wear was hoodies! This coat is adorable and fit great. Now I just have to wait like 6 months to wear it.... but I'm prepared! 

Living Room Updates- We Have a Couch!

We finally have a couch! We've been living here for 2 months now, and all we had to sit on were some random chairs and our bed! I fell in love with couch as soon as I saw it, and looked around for a while, but I couldn't find anything else that was exactly what I wanted and in my budget. So I bit the bullet!

This is from the Sofia Vergara collection at Rooms to Go. The price was very reasonable, and the it seems very well made. However I will say, that the delivery customer service left something to be desired. Long story short, they were supposed to call one hour ahead so my mom could come let them in(I was working), and they failed to do that. So it was a bit frustrating having to call them to come back and they were rather rude to me. BUT none of that matters now, because I have my awesome couch!

Time for picture overload!

Nailhead Trim along bottom

Super cute tufting!

The chevron pillows came with the couch, and I actually had my choice of about 40 different styles to receive! The center pillow was a $3 goodwill find.

Now, I just need to work on this bare wall. I'm picturing bookshelves on each sides of the TV, and maybe some art above the TV? Not to mention working on that paint swatch wall. One thing at a time!

Thrifting Saturdays!

I spent the better part of this Saturday out thrifting with my mom. I wasn't really looking for anything specific, but I still managed to find some good deals. Here's my haul:

I got this awesome, summery dress:

And this really cool beaded sheer shirt.

I made a boo-boo with this one though. I thought that I should just hand wash it, but the label said it was ok, so I threw it in the washing machine, and this happened:

:( sad face

I may try to resew on the lost beads, because it's only that one small section that came off. I don't know if I really have the patience for that, but I really really liked it and I can't really wear it as is.

I also scored this sweet Jessica Simpson wristlet, practically in new condition:

The tag was marked "2 pieces $12.99" but I looked and looked and could not find the other piece. When I asked, the manage said someone had stolen the matching bag. I didn't really care, I just wanted the wristlet. So he said $1.99!!! AND it was 50% off day, so I paid a whopping $1 for it!


I also saw this vase, which I'm labeling "Angry Owl". He did NOT come home with me.

Why so angry?

But this awesome blingy chandelier did!

I paid $20 for all it's brass and crystal glory, and I absolutely love it! This baby is getting spray painted and hung in my entry, as soon as I finish the 5,000 other projects I need to do.

So sparkly!

I also really was attracted to this light as well, but I just couldn't picture it anywhere in my house, so he'll have to get adopted another day.

Sorry, awesome wood chandy!

And lastly, I got these awesome brand new pillows for $2.99 each.

I've been wanting to pull some green into the living room, and these do it perfectly. They also perfectly match my home goods ottoman! I bought him just a few weeks ago.

I'd been wanting one of these for a long time, but I just couldn't justify the $400-$600 price I had been seeing.... I was super excited when I saw the $179 price tag on this one, and I snatched it right up!

I'll take some better photos of it once I get the living room better put together. So far, the only furniture we have in there is this ottoman and the Tv and stand. But hopefully for not much longer!!

When Waiting Pays Off

I've been eyeing this rug on Target for a few week now. It's a beautiful sunny yellow indoor/outdoor rug. When I saw that in store they carry a smaller size, 3x5, I knew it would be perfect for my kitchen.

Threshold Yellow Indoor-Outdoor Rug

The price for the smaller size was $29.99. which is a reasonable price, but I've really been trying to hold back on my spending. Since we just bought a house funds are lower than normal, plus we don't have much in the way of furnishings right now, and there is a lot we need. So, I did what I usually do when I really want something and don't want to buy it yet - I stalked it!

Then one evening I strolled by that area, and happened to see one out of the package. I thought this would be a great time to see what it looks like on the ground, so I unrolled it out on the floor, and that's when I saw this glorious sticker:

Score!

That's right, $8.98 lower, just because someone opened the package! Possibly it was purchased and returned, but it looked flawless so I snatched it right up! Combined with my 5% off for using my Target debit card(Best thing ever!) I scored it for right under $20!

Now, decor wise, all I have left in the kitchen is to sew my curtains, finish painting, arrange my milk glass and maybe a few finishing touches!

Learning when to say "NO".

Yestersay I took a casual stroll around my local Target. Their clothing department was largly lacking in any good deals, but they had TONS of home decor clearance... Which brings me to today's title: learning when to say "NO".

I have an inclination to purchase things that I don't need, and sometimes don't even like that much, just because "It's a great deal!"

This is how you end up with clothes you never wear, home decor that never quite "goes" with your style, and buyer's remorse. 

Take these rugs, for example:

 

 

Both really beautiful rugs, both on clearance for $15! What a deal! I wanted to buy both! But then I stepped back. I had my master bathroom in mind, but the yellow one is too wide, and the paisley one is not long enough. 

They went back on the shelf. Then I saw a dark gray 5x7 area rug half off(didn't get a photo!), making it $40! I started to reason with myself, "I could make this work, right?"  Then I realized I didn't even like the rug that much. It went back. 

 

My small bank account also helping in putting those things back, but so did years of purchasing items only to watch them go unused. Guess I've learned something after all this time!

 

I did purchase one clearance item, and that was this quilt. I really did need a new comforter, mine was 6 years old and literally falling to shreds. This one is the perfect colors, super soft, and I know from experience Target quilts are good quality. So I pulled the trigger!

 

Sorry for the dark pics and frumpy pillows, it was night time!

Gambit approves!

 

As time goes on, I hope I can continue to resist impulse buying, and remember to stick to items that I both need AND love! If you don't love it, why are you spending your hard earned money on it? Just some food for thought, have a happy Monday!

How to Make a Home Decor Mood Board

I just recently discovered a website that allows you to make mood boards, easily and for free! I am addicted to this now! You may share my difficulty with picturing all the elements of a room together. I know the general direction I want to move in, but it's hard for me to envision the entire project.

This site, Olioboard, is awesome for that. You can use their stock images, upload your own, and even search for specific brand items! Even if it's not the exact piece you have in mind, it still gives you a pretty good idea of what the finished room will look like.

 Here are the two boards I've recently made:

Living Room Mood Board

Master Bedroom Mood Board

So what do you think? The site is extremely easy to use, and for people like me who don't have photoshop or mad photoshop skills, it's a great resource.

P.S. No sooner had I posted my entry yesterday, and our Realtor called and said our roof was up! So of course I had to run out and see!

House Update and Couch Dilemma

So, we went by our house this weekend, and they are already starting on the roof! It's really just flying by now.

In the meantime, I've been trying to decorate the house in my head, which is not a very easy task! Even though the house is bigger than our condo now, and we will need some new/more furniture, I'm planning on living there for a few months first. That way I can get a better idea of what we need and what will/won't work for us.

However, that isn't stopping me from window shopping! We stopped into Rooms to Go on Sunday, because I really wanted to see this couch:

Cindy Crawford Hadly Gray Sofa

Online, it looked like a nice fabric, and just the perfect shade of gray. I really, really love light neutral toned couches, but I'm afraid of wear and tear, so I thought this was a nice compromise. However, I did not feel the same when I saw it in person.

I really wish I had fixed that pillow... OCD alert!

This is the loveseat, they didn't have the couch on the show room in this color. The fabric is some type of tweed, and David declared that it looked like "old people furniture" when he saw it. I was mostly disappointed in the color. Up close, the fiber strands are black and tan/brown, and even just standing in front of the couch it's obvious that it is not gray. It also was a little bit too firm for our liking and David did not like the short arm rests.

Next I found this lovely sectional, which I did like, it had a nice medium gray color, and was very comfortable. But for some reason David does not like sectionals, and also I really don't know if I want to get locked into a sectional because there is only so much you can do with it.

So, we meandered around the store a bit more, and then I saw this:

Cindy Crawford Sidney Road Sofa

And I fell in love. It's soft chenille, very plush and luxurious. I should have taken a more detailed photo, but that nail head trim runs around the entire front and back of the couch. And that inside tufting!! Gorgeous. My ONLY concern is how light the fabric is. It's a touch darker and more gray in person. Actually, I was surprised when I got home and saw they had listed the color as "taupe" because in person I would have said light gray.

This is the matching love seat.

Matching Love seat

I'm not really sure if I want to go with the matchy-matchy couch-love seat combo however. If it were up to David, he'd "buy the room" and be done with it. I hate the idea of having the same exact tables/lamps/rugs as everyone else!

I'm toying around with the idea of that sofa, with one of these or similar love seats:

Skyline Settee

Skyline Love Seat

I love both of those, my only issue is that I don't really want to order furniture online, unseen, and also they are both "special order" meaning no returns. But something along those lines would be nice.

We still have a few other furniture stores to check out, including Ikea. But I think it's safe to say that the Sidney Road sofa is a top contender.

I haven't had a lot of time lately to complete any projects, but I have several on my "waiting list", so as soon as I have something completed I'll share it. Thanks for reading!