Showing posts with label lowes home improvement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lowes home improvement. Show all posts

March 11, 2016

Alittle update on me, our house & the sale

HI GUYS!

I wanted to quickly write on here because so many of you have been following along wondering about how things are going, when my next sale will be and what is new with our little house!

Let me first begin with saying that like always, I tend to stay 110% busy- full speed ahead! Lately, it's been somewhat the opposite… After some personal things happened, unexpected bills & sicknesses, I've been laying low being a home body. And it's been nice! I've been purging, going through things, getting inspired in new ways and just getting some "me" time. Which was apparently much needed. I really encourage all of y'all to put the phone down for 10 minutes. Sit at your table & eat a meal. Take a bubble bath. Leave the phone inside & go OUTSIDE. Enjoy the sunshine. Go to bed early. Laugh at the chaos. You'll be so glad you did.

I'll start with the day we moved in. The walls were a very pale yellow with a hint of cream in them. It was fine but we definitely were already thinking of going in a different direction. I wanted those cove ceilings to pop and really accent the beautiful hardwoods. All of our trim & the ceilings included all seemed to either not been painted in years or were all painted an antique white. I'm a bright white trim kinda gal so I definitely had a long to-do list ahead of me when we moved.


I can't believe I even watermarked the image below but this was a week or so maybe into moving I believe? Everything was EVERYWHERE but hey, that's real life.


All cleaned out below when I was headed in a different direction for the front room. Although it appears to be narrow (which not saying it isn't…) it is actually has a very wide open floor plan which makes it feel much larger than it actually is. 




Pre-board & batten above and then below you can see our Christmas entryway. You can see that blog post by clicking here. That was a fun little project to do but now my brain has been wandering...


And here's your most recent shot below, today. This morning to be exact.



Off subject, look at that cute little cupboard! I have big plans for that sweetie pie. We've had our windows open for awhile now and that's one of my favorite things is feeling the wind on a nice day like today. Beautiful outside, sunny… can't really complain too much!



About a week or so ago, I took it upon myself to step up and prioritize my projects. I'm definitely guilty of getting ahead of myself and then I wonder how I wind up with like 100 projects that are not finished. I told myself I was going to give the entire front room a fresh coat of Oatlands Subtle Taupe by Valspar (My go to "greige", comparable to Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore but not as costly.) I also wanted to give all baseboards a deep clean, finish the shoe molding around the entire space, give all baseboards a couple coats of new, fresh bright white paint as well as the window openings, door & even our adorable cove ceilings. So…what was I thinking?! Just kidding. Y'all, I got it all accomplished believe it or not. And these pictures prove it! It definitely feels great in this front room, very light and airy and comfortable. My goal for our home has always been comfort and the feeling of being welcomed. I don't care for fussy decor, bright & distracting colors or lots of clutter. I want our home to tell the story of us…and become ours. I wanted it to be our safe place, the place everyone feels comfortable, the place where folks are always welcome and friends are always close. 

Sometimes I get really upset/frustrated because when I say we decorate and do our home on a budget just like everyone else, I mean that. Although I have nothing against folks who can order from Pottery Barn, Ballard Designs or Restoration Hardware and get your room "accomplished" in a matter of days… we don't really have that luxury to be able to financial spend at that caliber… although I would enjoy it for one day I'm sure ;-) I am constantly stalking Craigslist, I have definitely taken things right out of the trash or off the curb & I've repurposed items or thrifted them for our home to feel collected, unique but to give us the look I wanted…for hopefully a fraction of the cost.

I can't wait to show y'all more. And my plans for the space. Now, about my next sale. On account of  many personal things that were unforeseen this month, I won't be having my sale in March. However, I AM planning to have one in April. We are currently working out the logistics of a location for this sale! Y'all will be the first to know when we do have that date and I can't wait to interact with all of y'all and show you my unique, finds that are perfect for your unique home. Thank y'all for the support, it means the world. Remember to follow on Instagram & Facebook if you want some peeks into our daily life. 


And most importantly, make home yours. And remember you are always welcome here.

December 9, 2015

Christmas Sunroom 2015 "Farmhouse Christmas"

I'm really excited to finally be sharing our Christmas home tour for 2015. Although we are ALWAYS working on different projects in our home, I have taken some time this year to really add that festive touch of Christmas to the main living areas of our home. I've teamed up with some other awesome bloggers who also will be sharing their beautiful homes so I highly encourage y'all to stop by and show them some love! There is nothing like a good ole' home tour! 


Now, I know how I am when there is a good home tour…and even more when it's Christmas. I really try to read what the writer is writing but I look at the photos first…and then I read the post. So I'll keep the words light. For today, unlike a lot of the other folks, I'll only be showing you our sunroom because I have a few other projects this month I want to show you in different spaces so I will save those for another time! I really enjoyed decorating in here this year. We previously had painted the sunroom with an oops gray that I loved for like a month. I still did/do like the gray but something came over me the other night and I was craving my go to color, "Oatlands Subtle Taupe" by Valspar, which a very close match to Revere Pewter just about. I really enjoy the light and brightness of this space! Enjoy!





I purchased a few of these very cheap mercury glass votive candle holders from Marshalls. They have a slight reflection of a snowflake although it is hard to see that in the photos. I sprinkled some pine cones on the top of the TV stand and flocked the garland with mostly naturally things like my NC pine trees, some red berrie picks from our tree out front & some old fashioned lights. I'll more than likely add some fresh greenery when it gets closer to Christmas… but I want to enjoy them before they die off ;-)







I have LED candles in the lanterns that are on timers so they are super pretty at night… I'm thinking after looking at these photos I'll go get some plain red satin ribbon and tie the tops of those cute little trees from Michaels. I'm really a sucker for anything simple… and although my tree is decked out, that is really it. I don't like a lot of fuss and really wanted my tree to take center stage.



















Below I used old architectural porch salvage spindles and simply drilled small holes in the top points & threaded some twine through to create my own custom ornaments! I really love these since I've never seen anything like it and even better, this is something I made and won't be able to find in a store!



There's something about this deep classic red that has my heart this year. I really wanted some heavy, glass old fashioned style ornaments and these below did not disappoint. I purchased these from Tuesday Morning in a variety of patterns & even colors. If you look closely at our tree, you will see that there are red, white and silver ones that also mimic mercury glass. I didn't really purchase anything new this year except for the woodland style "birch wood" ribbon which I got in NC at a local shop & these ornaments above. Everything else I really pieced together with things I've had over the years. 





Thank you mama for this cute little driftwood reindeer I've had for years! I stuck some fresh boxwood & a cute tag on him for some festivity! 



And thank you to my daddy for my cute little vintage ice skates that hang on my grandmothers old sled. 


All the pine cones I had fun picking up last time I was up in North Carolina visiting my folks. North Carolina will always have my heart, with its tall pines…. and southern accents! I miss home lots, especially this time of year so anything to remind me of it will always mean a lot to me and these are no different. I'll be keeping these out for awhile I have a feeling...















 I hope y'all enjoyed a small glimpse into our Christmas sunroom! I can't what to show you more so please stay tuned! As always, I love to hear your thoughts and how your holidays are going!

XO




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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