I am blogging over on the Lulu*s blog today! I am sharing a holiday outfit inspired by our decorations around the house. Here are a few sneak peaks of the outfit and our Christmas decorations. Boy, oh boy! I love decorating the house for holidays. Head on over to Lulu*s to see more pictures and read all about where I got my inspiration!!
Merry Christmas Everyone!
We hit the 1 year mark in our house and it lit a fire to finish stuff up around here. We slowed down there after Finley was born. I felt us getting a little complacent with how things were instead of working to make things feel done. I hate that. I don’t want to move 5 years from now and think too bad it never felt finished. You know? Anyway, the living room isn’t perfect but it’s almost done and I thought why not share it with you guys. I am pretty in love with the gallery wall I created above the couch. In a dream world I would buy a new couch but this one works with kids at the moment. You can’t see spills and well, they wipe up in a quick swipe. You can’t beat that.
The accessories are simple and we don’t usually keep anything on the coffee table because of little grabby hands. Especially now that Finley pulls herself up on things. I tried having one halloween decoration there the other day and after removing, putting it back and having it fall on her like 10 times I decided it wasn’t worth it. There is a time and a season for everything and this season of decorating is just simple. I put more effort in the gallery wall. We have very, very high ceilings in that room so it let me go big with the scale of everything. I tried laying all the frames on the floor first to organize how i wanted it on the wall, but then I couldn’t figure out how to get that onto the wall. That whole, cut kraft paper the size and shape of the frames and then tape them on the wall seems like way too much work for me. Plus, that doesn’t let me see how it will really look. My tip is to pick your focus piece (deer head), hang that where you want first and then add piece by piece as things fit. I feel like that ends up being more organic. For me, that works best!
Product list (as best as I can):
Couch: Raymour and Flanagan | Chair: Ikea | Lamp: Ikea | Striped Blanket: Ikea | Ikat Pouf: Target | Arc Floor Lamp: Urban Outfitters | Deer Head: Urban Outfitters | Look Up More print: Urban Outfitters | Skeleton Print: Urban Outfitters | Drift Wood: Hand painted | Sailor Print: Sean Wes | Crochet Bunting: Handmade (diy here)
Don’t you just love photo walls? Is is by no way a new thing but I have always just loved thousands of photos all in one place. The walls of my bedroom growing up were always covered floor to ceiling with pictures. I would say I’m a pretty nostalgic person. After a lot of research and one failed attempt at Walgreens, I decided to go with Printstagram to get a crap load of our instagram pictures printed. I could not be more pleased with the quality of the printing, paper or service. It’s quick, easy and relatively cheap (and there is an app!!).
I tried out like 3 different tapes, tabs, etc… to adhere the pictures to the wall. In the end, the thing that worked the best was 3M blue tape balls on the back. I didn’t want to use anything that would damage the wall or the pictures.
I started out with a level line of tape that I used as a guide for the first row of pictures. After that I just eyed balled all of them. Here is the first progress shot…
Rowan loves sitting on the stairs telling me about each picture. Always saying “Member that Mommy?”. I will be the first to admit that i’ve become completely obsessed with getting instagram pictures printed now.
If you don’t already follow us on Instagram, you can find us @jenloveskev or Kev’s @encrgothers
Last week I had the honor of sharing these pictures over on A Beautiful Mess (Love those girls!) but wanted to share here as well! Other than Rowan’s room, the family room is the only other space in our house that is completely finished. We’ve been able to get most of the house to where it feels done just not finished yet. I am now working slowly to finishing off each room. I don’t want 5 years to pass and still feel like we are moving in. It’s so rewarding to walk into a finished room and feel at home. I want the rest of the house to feel like that too.
The kitchen is a work in progress, but I am happy with it at the moment. Hopefully this summer we are going to paint all the cabinets. I just need to get my hands on a spray gun first. What attracted us to the house in the first place was the big open floor plan. The downstairs all flows in a big circle. I love being able to see everyone no matter where you are downstairs. Like I mentioned over on A Beautiful Mess, I know that everyone gathers in the kitchen during parties and gatherings. Since the family room is attached to the kitchen, I wanted it to be an inviting and welcoming area. I didn’t want it to be where we had the tv. We spend a lot of time in there as a family and I wanted toys, books and the idea being creative to be the focus of the room.
I created a little nook for Rowan to read, draw and hang her artwork. We have baskets for toys and the dresser is filled with puzzles and games for her to play with. I am proud of this room because for a long time I struggled with how to decorate the way I liked, but also making it kid friendly. I feel like we found a good balance. I have accepted that for the next little bit I will not have a bar cart with fancy glasses and vintage bottles. I am ok with that. I would much rather have a well loved home with little kiddos running around.
The shelves were a major labor of love. Let me just say the older gentleman that work at Home Depot during the day thought I was crazy. I was hell bent on getting them done before Finley was born. I was 9 month pregnant, pushing a cart with a toddler in it and getting pipes cut (and then recut) and threaded everyday for like 2 weeks. It was a lot harder than I thought getting all the measurements right for this stupid custom shelf. It paid off in the end. I love it, but for a good long while I thought it was never going to work.
Chaise Lounge Chairs: Ikea
Owl Pillow: Modcloth
Magenta Bolster Pillow: Target
Gold Table: Target
White Desk Chair: CB2
Dresser: Thrifted from Goodwill
White Table Lamp: Homegoods
Rowans Vintage Desk: Thrifted
Shelves: Handmade
Bruins Cat: Handmade
Rowans Chalk board: Handmade (Tutorial Here)
Hanging Planters: Habitat Restore
Floor Poof: Target
Deer Painting: Handmade
Baskets: Homegoods
Welcome to my personal lifestyle blog. It features topics such as motherhood, family life, fashion, cooking, and all sorts of adventures. I hope you enjoy what you find!
