September 24, 2015

Farmhouse Fall Home Tour!


I'm so honored to have teamed up with these ladies for the 2015 Fall Home Tour using the hashtag #farmhousefalltour. Remember we would absolutely love to see your Fall decorating so use the hashtag on Instagram and you may be featured on any of our accounts as a showcase! 

Now, I'm going to go ahead and tell y'all...lots of photos! I always tend to hold back photos of my own in fear of them not being "perfect" or just right for the photos but here recently, I heard the saying... "Progress, not perfection." And my, my how fitting for my life. So, without further ado, enjoy the Fall Home Tour at Home by Ally for 2015. Enjoy and let me know what y'all think!

We'll start with walking through the front door. If you follow along on Instagram (you can find HBA Here!) you will see I've been working hard on a project I've had in my head for some time in the entry! That reveal is coming soon so stay tuned for that! I have a very simplistic style. I don't like a lot of fuss or an "overly" decorated space or lots of accessories. I'd rather it be minimal where the room can truly speak to you and your family...



The front "formal" living area is going through those changes as well so although you won't see the full room in this tour, I am really excited for those changes and can't wait to show y'all! Now, let's make our way to the dining area... We recently found a "new to us" antique maple table that is larger in diameter to fit just one more slipcovered chair at the table. We also have two extra slipcovered chairs for guests in our office when the time comes so it's nice to have that flexibility! We plan to strip the table to its original wood state and just put a simple wax on it. I really am in love with raw wood, especially rustic, raw pine. Something about the warmth and rustic nature of it has my heart.




We also recently found a beautiful Allen & Roth chandelier (lantern style) with open sides at Lowes Home Improvement and we quickly switched that out over the weekend. It's a little larger than the last one and more substantial which I am in love with. My husband says it looks the same but what do they know ;-)


I picked up these custom pillow covers I had made yesterday also! I've had this idea in my head for these vintage bank bags for years! I simply had the idea of fraying the edge since the bags are smaller  originally and sewing the fronts onto simply linen white pillows. I LOVE the results! They are so authentic, original and not something you can just go buy anywhere! I'm planning to have more made as well as many other ideas I have for custom pillows to be carried in the store! If you haven't visited the HBA space at Vintage Living Marketplace, what are you waiting for? We have an amazing set of vendors and you really should go check it out! You can find the stores FB page HERE!











Below are my Decor Steals herb boxes! They also appear to be made of pine and although I loved them, I wanted to tone down the "orange-ness" of the pine boxes. I simply washed a white wash mixture over the boxes & wiped clean after a few seconds to give them more of a washed pine look. I also spray painted the handles matte black instead of a rustic reddish-brown that they original were. 

I added faux and real greenery as well as some mums for fall! I've had a few people ask me on Instagram do I seal the boxes when I water the flowers. The flowers I put in these are actually in pots. I simply take them out when I want to water them and leave them at the sink to be watered. Once the soil is semi-dry after watering, I place them back in their boxes. I do have wash clothes on the bottom of each box for excess drips just in case! ;-)







This sign has my heart. It's a custom sign that I'm giving away a FREE SIGN HERE. Go enter before it ends because Sophistiqa's work is AMAZING and I am so honored to have partnered with her and her hubby! They are the sweetest family and I am glad I have some of their work in our home!














This dork likes to photo bomb every picture. I think I have 30 of these with his "bunny." I just love him. Do you have animals that always seem to steal the spotlight when you are doing something? Or kids? Hehe...I'm sure y'all can relate! But he's cute so it'll be ok!






So, that's the tour. I really hope you enjoyed how I decorated our home for fall. I really enjoy no fuss decorating and love bringing natural elements into our home. I can't wait to show y'all all the projects I've been working tirelessly on! If you want to save any of these photos or Pin them on Pinterest, please feel free to do so by hovering over the photo and you'll see your option to "Pin on Pinterest." I really enjoyed teaming up with these sweet ladies so make sure you go to their blogs and show them some love for their homes too! I am so honored! 

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September 17, 2015

New Sophistiqa Wall Art & a giveaway!

I am SO excited and honored to have teamed up with Sophistiqa from Etsy for a great gift away specifically for Home by Ally readers! Y'all. I have been SO, SO impressed with this husband and wife team! I stumbled upon their shop little while ago...Joanna and I have put our heads together for a custom sign that spoke to me and my outlook on life. I immediately thought of this Mother Theresa quote. I've read this quote on bad days and good, for comfort when I needed it most and what better way to remember it than to have it hanging in our home!

First and foremost, go take a look at their shop HERE! Something that really speaks volumes to me is the dedication and time this husband and wife take in their craft. They were so patient with me as I sent multiple ideas over their way and have been so helpful with choices and putting our heads together to find a sign that fit my home and heart best. A few personal things, Joanna & Jared have 7 children! Go mama (and daddy!)! Their love for their large family greatly shows through their work, personalities and collaborating on this sign. 

Jared & Joanna share a passion for Sophistiqa, where they love creating personalized home decor for their customers. The name Sophistiqa is derived from the word "sophisticated" and their love for travel and culture! They also own their own photography business based out of Springfield, MO and also have a second studio in San Antonio, TX! It is called J. Design Studios, which they have owned & ran since 2007! Talk about having some talent, right? Check out their photography website if you're local to those areas but also please know that they are available for destination wedding photography by clicking HERE! So impressed with these two.

I asked what their favorite sign in their shop right now was & a quick response from them was the GIANT American Flag sign they have in their production room. Hanging at 48 inches by 72 inches, which hangs vertically in a very cool, vintage finish! They have told me they hope to create signs which will put smiles on their customers faces & continue to create signs that competitors can't replicate. This, is most definitely what makes them stand out to me. So, today, I am honored and SO excited to be hosting a giveaway of a sign JUST like mine for HBA readers! 


I'm so impressed with the quality of this sign. I choose my own quote in a burnt umber frame color with charcoal lettering and a white background. They are about 2ft wide by 4ft tall, so perfect size for a LARGE impact in your home! And the great thing is, they are of course available for custom orders so if you have a certain size, quote or style you want, they would love to hear about it!


I choose to hang this sign in our sunroom. I had Mr. HBA hold it up for me a few different places but with this quote and how much it speaks to my heart, I wanted to see it everyday. Everyday, I wake up and let my dogs in the backyard which is right through the sunroom. I stand and sip a glass of orange juice or milk...and just take in the morning. What a beautiful thing to see each morning, right?









Enough about my sign, Jared & Joanna are giving away a sign just like mine to a lucky winner! Use the rafflecopter below to enter to win one for yourself! Feeling impatient & want to go ahead and buy one now? Use code HomebyAlly10 to get 10% off your order. I hope you guys enjoy this giveaway & get a beautiful sign for your home! I will be back later to show you this sign decorated for fall & our fall home tour! You may have also noticed you can visit me at {homebyally.COM} now instead of blogspot! Have no fear, if you still use the blogspot, my blog will still come up! But we are now official with the whole dot com and everything ;-) Really, long time coming... haha!



a Rafflecopter giveaway




You can "Pin" any of the images above by simply hovering over the image & click "PIN!" You can also do any of the others at your choosing...but the more you do, the more entries you get! Also, this giveaway is sponsored by Sophistiqa and Home by Ally and in no way includes or is affiliated with Blogger, Facebook, Pinterest or Rafflecopter. All opinions are my own. No purchase neccessary. Valid to legal US residents only, 18 years and older. Giveaway will run for exactly 7 days from date of annoucement. 9/18/15 till 9/25/15. The number of eligible entries will ultimately determine the odds of winning. Winner will be randomly selected through Rafflecopter & will be selected in the days following the 9/25/2015. If price is forfeited or not claimed within 3 business days of being contacted, we will draw another winner. Void where prohibited by law.

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