MODERN AND FRESH FALL HOME

When Kristen and Lindsay asked me to participate in the Modern and Fresh Fall home tour, I didn't waste any time saying yes (though I probably should have!)! I'm a little late today, but I wanted to do a little something different instead of showing you around my home. Today I'm going to give you a few tips to make your home "modern and fresh" for this season.

 

I'm not a big pumpkin on the porch kind of person, so my fall decor would start with a fresh coat of paint on my front door. Because of the cooler months, I think any door could handle a rich jewel tone color. This teal rocks my mind. The color is Realm by Behr from Home Depot.

 

Another tip that I would give is to create a gallery wall of family photos. Use wood frames to add a little warmth to each photo. Fall to me is all about cool days and warmer clothes... I don't know about you, but looking at pictures of my family warms my heart a lot more than a hot drink:-)

And speaking of drinks... Lets stock that bar cart! I snagged this one from Target a few weeks ago and I'm so glad I did. I have been coveting bar carts for so long and I think it's just nice to have (especially one that's stocked!). Go ahead, spike that latte!

 

Continuing on... When was the last time you switched out your decorative pillows? Now is the perfect time! And while you're at it, try something different. I'm crushing on the color plum. To make it more dramatic in the space, I paired it with green and my chiang Mai dragon pillows and added leopard!

Oh so sexy! I actually think this is going to be in my bedroom. I haven't decided yet, but I love it so much!

 

Fall is also a good time to experiment with food. Me personally, I love my crockpot or even having a pot of soup on the stove.

The picture below is the beginning of some good 'ol lentil soup!

The after!

Again, I'll take the smell of a nice hearty meal in a crockpot or soup on the stove over a candle any day. This just screams fall to me!

 

Lastly, I think being able to wind down with a good book or magazine is the best end to the day. Or it could be a great lazy start on a fall Saturday morning!

Grab a fur throw, kick back and enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed hearing what a Modern and Fresh Fall home is to me. These are just a few tips to inspire you to welcome fall into your home. So easy to do, right?

So, who's up next? It's my favorite Instagram buddy Shavonda from A Home Full Of Color!

Feel free to take a look at all the previous fall tours!

2 – Sarah from Sarah M. Dorsey Designs

3 – Gabbi from Retro Ranch Reno

4 – Brittany from Brittany Makes

5 – Jesse from Scout & Nimble

6 – Julia from Cuckoo 4 Design

7 – Carolyn from Sweet Chaos Home

8 – Jennifer from The Chronicles of Home

9 – Bethany from Dwellings by Devore

10 – Carmel from Our Fifth House

11 – Kristin from The Hunted Interior

12 – Annekke from This That & Life

13 – Michelle from Décor and the Dog

14 – Cassie from Primitive & Proper

15 – Ally from From the Right Bank

16 – Shannon from Shannon Berrey Designs

17 – Danika from Gorgeous Shiny Things

18 – Kristin from Bliss at Home

19 – Jenna from Rain on a Tin Roof

20 – Jessica from Dear Emmeline

21 – Kelly from View Along the Way

22 – Sarah from Lacquer and Linen

23 – Eileen from A Creative Day Blog

24 – Sarah from Royal Marigold

25 – Lori from Lori May Interiors

26 – Jennifer from Dimples and Tangles

27 – Caitlin from Desert Domicile

28 – Sherry from Design Indulgence

29 – Lakeitha from Lakeitha Duncan Lifestyle Blog

30 – Shavonda from A Home Full of Color

31 – Angela from Number Fifty-three and Jennifer from Brave New Home.

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Living room edition

I thought it would be fun to share a few photos of the evolution of my living room after snapping a pic of its current state and sharing it on Instagram earlier. Have any of you been around long enough to witness all of these changes?!

(2009)

(2010)

(2012)

(2012)

(2013)

(Today!)

 

Happy Friday ladies!

 

NO APOLOGY NEEDED

 

This post is one that I have been hesitant to write.  It's a matter that has been heavy on my heart for a while and I went back and forth on if I should share my thoughts on the blog.  After speaking with another blogger earlier and her completely dismissing where I was headed with the idea of writing this post, I decided that it's something that indeed needed to be said and I was going to say it!

 

As you all know, I started making and selling jewelry a little over a year ago now.  It started just on a whim and took off faster than I ever expected it to.

 

(Amelia and Camilla necklaces)

 

Because I kind of threw myself into this "business", I had to learn things very quickly.  I also had to be very devoted to every little tidbit/detail that went into running the shop.  At times it gets very overwhelming and lonely. I'm not even going to get on how frustrating it is:)

 

Anyway, to make a long story short, I have become VERY DEVOTED to my shop.  I constantly try to figure out new ways to make it better, run smoothly, and basically make it into a great online source for must-have accessories.  But with all that came seclusion.  I don't hang out as much as I use to.  I'm not readily available as I once was.  Dinner is not a complete meal every night.  My friendships don't consist of the same quality time.  Because of those things, I found myself apologizing ALL OF THE TIME! I mean seriously, it even shows up on my blog.  How many times have I said I was busy and that I'm sorry?

 

 

(Amelia worn by @whippycake on IG)

 

Well, I'm tired of that.  We were all taught growing up that you apologize when you do or have done something wrong.  I attended a blogher sponsored event a few years back where we were invited to Coca-Cola to hear more about the company and one thing that I remember was one of the female VP's speaking and saying something along the the lines of as women, we are made to feel as if we are suppose to do everything.  And that if we for some reason, can't complete a task, we feel bad about it.  She went on to say that she has never apologized for doing her job.  How many times have you apologized for something that really didn't deserve an apology?  Like a friend coming over and you not having a chance to pick up the toys.  First thing out of your mouth is "Oh I'm so sorry that these toys are everywhere".  WHY is that?  Don't you have children?  Don't your friend know that?  What about being too tired to make dinner so you grab takeout.  Why apologize?  Didn't you make dinner every other night of the week?

 

 

(Stella necklace photographed by Kristin)

 

Let me jump back on track for a moment and get to the gist of this post.  I will not continue to apologize for eveything that I do just because I feel like I should have been able to do more! And I want you to take on the same mentality! I work now.  Not only do I work, but I run/operate a business that has only one employee...ME! And aside from all of that, I'm also a wife and a mother.  Those two jobs alone had already jacked up my social life so just imagine what running a fairly successful business is doing?

 

(Shelly from House of Smiths wearing the COCO necklace)

 

By no means am I trying to complain here.  Nor am I attacking anyone.  What I'm doing is trying to make sure that we (especially women) use our apologies at the right time.  We can't be all things and do all things.  But by doing this we also must be ready to accept that everyone around us can't handle it.  Most people realize that we grow and we change.  And if they aren't there, yet, it's ok.  Give them a little while and they will be totally understanding:)

 

How often do you apologize for things that you aren't doing wrong?  Let's change that today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LETTING GO OF HAVING THE PERFECT HOME

I've been thinking a lot about my home and how it works for me and my family.  I stress over things not being perfect.  I fret over not having at least one magazine worthy room.  I have even started to complain A LOT about how it's not the home I wish I had or would choose if I had to do it all over again.  Why is that, though?  There are so many people that wish they had what I have and not to mention the ones that come over and love the decorating I've done so far.  I'm lead to believe that I've gotten so caught up on what others have and what I see on social media, that I have adopted the "not good enough" attitude towards my home.

 

 

I was flipping through the latest IKEA catalogue and came across this:

Life at home is about creating space for everyday life as it happens.  For all the things you want to do.  For the things you love.  And for everyone that you spend your time with.  Because when the home works for the way you live, life simply becomes better.

 

How true is that?  I want our home to work for us.  I would love for my rooms to be pinned across Pinterest.  I would love for HGTV mag to say "whoa, we'd love to feature your home in our next issue".  But lets be honest, if I make that top priority, how will my family be able to truly enjoy the space we live in?  We have been here 5 years already and I haven't made one single decision for our home based off of what I think would really work for us.

 

 

 

That's probably one of the main reasons I stepped away from blogging for a minute.  I didn't feel as if I was making wise choices for my home.  AND I think I was working too hard.  I like doing different projects here and there, but this DIY stuff is tiresome lol!

 

 

 From here on out, my decorating decisions will be based around the needs of my family.  I think that's the only way I'll be truly happy with the space at the end of the day. 

 

 

I'll leave you with this (another saying from the smart people at IKEA)

 

Often, it's the smallest moments that matter the most.  Like being lazy in the sofa, legs crossed, talking about everything and nothing.  Or finding the time to be together, the most ordinary everyday things.  Don't be afraid to bend the rules to create a home that works for you.

 

Make your home work for you! Happy Tuesday!

 

A SIDEBOARD AND A FAMILY ROOM SNEAK PEEK

I'm inspired to blog again!! Like really inspired! I'll chat more about it this week (PROMISE!). Lets just say that I had the chance to volunteer at Haven. You know, the DIY blogger conference that takes place here in Atlanta? Yep, that one!

During some down time, I was allowed to sit in on a session by Emily A. Clark and Kristin which lead to me to redoing my sideboard/campaign dresser that's in my living room. It started out like this...

I love art groupings. I thought I was headed in the right direction with this, but it never really felt quite right.

After a little switcharoo, it now looks like this

It's not perfect and not to mention the terrible camera phone picture, but it's better I think:-) I'm thinking about switching out the lamp for 2 brass sconces I have. Maybe I'll do that later in the week...

My boys start school tomorrow so I'll have more free time! Between entertaining them, celebrating my anniversary, and working in my shop, I've been crazy busy!

I also made a few changes to the family room. Again, another phone picture, but I wanted to share the space with you:-)

Just edited the below image in my phone so picture temperature won't be so "warm".

I'll be back this week with more! How was your weekend?

 

SUMMER CLEARANCE SALE!

Hi Ladies! I wanted to let you know about the summer clearance sale I'm having in the shop starting today.  A lot of pieces have been marked down as low as $5!

 

 

I'm busy prepping new fall pieces that you are going to LOVE!!! Also, if you're not able to take advantage of the sale this time around, sign up for my newsletter (that I will only mail out periodically) to be informed of all the updates for the shop.  You can sign up for the newsletter on the website. 

 

And as always, follow me on instagram if you want to see all the happenings with not just my shop, but ME! I actually posted a picture of my family room on there that I haven't shared on the blog.  If you don't have an instagram account, that's fine.  You can still go to my page with the link and view all of my images anyway:)

 

Happy Monday Y'all!

 

SOUTH BEACH VACAY

This past weekend my husband and I took a trip to Miami to celebrate our anniversary. To say that it was fun would be an understatement!

If you're anywhere near the south, you know that we've been experiencing a lot of rain for some reason. We did manage to escape all of it in Miami though my weather app did show storms for the entire trip. Luckily we only got a two minutes worth of showers:-)

Walks on the boardwalk...

Fresh coconuts anyone? This guy climbed the tree to drop down coconuts and only charged $5. Is that a deal? I'd say so!

Our hotel was right next door to a gay bar (The Palace), and wooooo was that exciting!

My husband, on the other hand, didn't think so.

It was my first time seeing drag queens perform and I must say I totally enjoyed it! #Werk

Meanwhile, on the steps of our hotel, we enjoyed this wonderful concoction.. Not sure what its called, but it gave me life! I never would have thought I'd like piña colada and corona together seeing that I don't like them separate, but this was delicious!

I must admit, the entertainment on our side of the street wasn't too shabby.

Neither was the view of our hotel (Tides Hotel)

The beach was nice, but this is all I did... No water for me!

But I'd be lying if I said it wasn't tempting:-)

Over all we had a great time! The best part of the trip for me was spending time with this guy

Though we celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary, we met 14 years ago on the very same day July 7, 1999. A lot of growing has taken place over the years... I'm glad that we were able to grow together.

 

 

Tomorrow's post will be about the hotel. OMG GUYS!