Pink Flamingos = Summertime

May 29, 2017May 28, 20172 Comments

Hello! Happy Memorial Day here in the States! I bet you all thought we fell off the face of the earth! Ha! Lauren is busy getting ready for her trip to Washington and I have been trying to get the end of the year stuff done at school. I haven’t felt very motivated either. I think I just have too much going on and the creativity just isn’t there. But I only have 4 days left (not that I am counting) and then I have my list of projects I hope to get done.

I did manage to change up my entryway a bit. I don’t know why, but I am crushing on flamingo’s! I just love them right now! So I decided to add some pink and a few of my flamingo things. Then the girls gave me more flamingos for my birthday and Mother’s Day, so I changed it a little again!

Here is the first version. I draped some pink pom-poms across the top and hung the flamingo plaque I found at the 99 Cent store.

I have had this pink bag forever and I added a white sparkly scarf inside. The Sunshine and Summertime printable I found at the Turquoise Home.

Lauren found the flamingo gift bag for me. I added some pink polka dot and some black tissue paper to it. A flowy, grassy plant and an oar finish it off.

I snagged the sand dollar candle holder off a Ross clearance rack. Love it!

A few rattan balls and starfish were added to a cloche.

Now on to the second version! I can’t believe Lauren found a turquoise tray with flamingos on it! Very unusual, but perfect for me!

I kept the rest of the vignette the same, just replaced the printable with the tray.

And Haley found the perfect throw! Blue with pink flamingos! This will go perfect in the guest room after it’s done here!

Just making these few changes has made me more than ready for summer! Are you ready too? Do you make changes around the house to reflect the summertime? I would love to hear from you! Hope you have a wonderful week!

Family Room Styled Shelves-Coastal Style

May 1, 2017April 26, 201710 Comments

Happy May Day! Hope everyone had a great weekend! Our weather is really warming up and I can’t wait for the summertime! I’ve been thinking about redecorating in the entryway to reflect summery things, so that’s on my to-do list. Summer reminds me of even more seashells (you didn’t think I had enough, did you?)and the beach, pink flamingos, lanterns, and all things California. What do you use to decorate?

I realized the other day that I had never let you know who had the most votes for our tablescapes. It was actually a tie! But we didn’t have too many votes, so I would say we all won! Lauren created Pink Summer Chic, Haley did Retro Turquoise Chic and mine was Seaside Charm. It was fun to see what we could all come up with! Thanks to all who voted!

Now on to today’s post. I hadn’t shown anything of my family room since we moved in. To be honest, it’s not very put together. It’s kind of become the dog hang-out room, but I have styled the mantel and the shelves, so I thought I would share those today. Someday, I want to whitewash the brick around the fireplace and really clean-up the inside, but that is going to have to wait for now. I’m really glad the mantle and shelves are white though. One less thing to paint!

I added this old aerial picture from the refinery where my dad worked. I’ve always loved this picture. It hung in my parents garage for years and I finally talked my dad into letting me have it. I painted the frame black and it was ready to go. I also added shutters to the sides. A small lamp, topiary and glass insulators were added for depth and interest.

When styling shelves or mantles, try to use different heights in the items you choose. The lamp wasn’t quite tall enough for my liking, so I used a couple of old books to make it higher. I also set the insulators on different height candlesticks.

I added a few coastal items to the shelves. I tried to keep it really simple and not over pack it. There are several coastal accents, plus other personal items. I also used a little bit of a green and blue theme.

Adding in different heights and textures creates a pleasing look. These are two of my favorite pictures of my girls.

Love the simplicity of just a basket of old books. I displayed the book pages, but using the spines to add color would look great too.

More books, a seashell, a twine wrapped bottle and a little wooden shoe. I love the little touch to my Dutch heritage! And it was turquoise! It was meant to be!

I added in a few California gardening books along with my whale tail. I also placed my glass fishing balls in a metal basket.

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I appreciate each and every one of you! It always makes my day to read your comments too, so be sure to let me know you visited!

*This post contain affiliate links for your convenience. any purchase made will not cost you any extra. Thanks for your support.*

Entryway Reveal-Before and After

April 25, 2017April 24, 201711 Comments

Happy Tuesday morning! No post yesterday, which hasn’t happened for awhile, but I was gone this weekend with Haley looking at a college. It was a great visit, but a long, very warm day, and then a long drive home. Needless to say, the blog post didn’t get finished. But it’s here now! I finally have the entryway to show you!

Here are a couple of before pictures. There was a closet right inside the door when you first walked in. I took the doors off and then Steve took off the door jambs and finished off the walls. We also removed the old linoleum floors. One thing I really like, is the cement floors underneath all the floors. I really am not sure what I want on the floor right now, so the easiest thing to do was to paint it! Really!

I found a great tutorial over at Vintage Revivals. She gives step by step instructions on how to do it. The first thing I did was buy the Porch and Floor paint. I found Gliddon paint at Walmart and it was on clearance for $11.00 #cheapskate. It was light gray, but I added little bit of darker gray from Haley’s room to darken it. I just poured it right on the floor and rolled it on! I used a brush to go around the edges. We waited to put on the baseboards until after I painted the floor so I didn’t have to be too careful. I love how it turned out. I think the kitchen is next!

I decided it was a little plain, so I found a stencil at Hobby Lobby that I liked and decided to try it out. If I didn’t like it, I could always repaint the floor. The stencil is by Designer Stencils and the design is Jaipur Damask. Oops blurry… I used chalk paint and a sponge blotter .

I chose to paint a random pattern on the floor. I laid the stencil where I wanted it. I dipped the sponge in the paint and then blotted most of it off on a paper towel. After most of the paint was off, I sponged over the design. I didn’t want the design to be too dark.

Once the paint was dry, I lightly sanded over the top. I wanted a bit of a worn look.

See, this is what I put up with! “Watcha doing, huh?” I’m lucky I ever get a picture without them in it!

After everything was done and clean, I added a black and white striped rug.

This is the area where the closet used to be. Doesn’t this look so much better?! Here is the post where we made the Old Door Table.

This is the area behind the door. I had an old piece of wood I covered with the same wall paper I used the living room. I added some hooks and hung a straw hat and a Ca. tote bag with some flowers. The sign came from Hobby Lobby. Here is a similar one.

I still want to put a coat of gloss over the floor to protect it. I will get that done when I paint the kitchen. Thanks so much for visiting today! I hope you have a great week!

*This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Any purchase made will not cost you any extra. Thanks for your support!*

A Spring Tablescape Contest

April 10, 2017April 9, 201710 Comments

It’s Spring Break this week! Yay! I was actually out of work 2 days last week too, because I didn’t feel well, but went back on Friday for our Jesus Lives party. The kids really enjoy that. We do some crafts, listen to the Bible story, dye eggs, decorate cookies and go on an egg hunt. It’s a fun filled morning, and now I am ready for the break.

*This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Any purchase made will not cost you any extra, but a little comes back to us. Thank you!*

This weekend I was putting some tablescapes together for a blog post, when Haley decided we should do a competition. We used to put together a place-setting complete with menu for 4-H competitions. She stated we should do it for the blog. We won’t tell you whose is whose and you can vote in the comments. The winner gets bragging rights, and if Haley wins, we will never hear the end of it! We collected all these things from around the house and had a great time teasing each other about who would win. So here we go!

Retro Turquoise Chic

This tablescape starts out with a white tablecloth and is layered with a turquoise, grey and white patterned napkin. A white plate is layered with a grey plate and a white napkin and silverware are laid by the side. The wood and white cake stand is topped with turquoise mason jars and a topiary to bring in some texture and coziness. A retro turquoise fan will keep you cool on those hot summer nights. Perfect simplicity for a summer dinner under the stars.

tablescapes 2017 turquoise and grey mason jar

tablescape 2017 turquoise and grey simple farmhouse

tablescape 2017 turquoise and grey place mat and fan

tablescape 2017 turquoise and grey farmhouse rustic simple

tablescapes 2017 turquoise mason jars and plant

2. Summer Chic

This is the perfect tablescape to add a little glam to your table! A navy blue tablecloth is layered with a bright pink runner. A stack of plates combines white and gold, both solid pieces and ones with designs. Silverware is packaged into a crisp white napkin. Simple details, such as a white bunny with gold ears, white and pink peony and a green fern add to the chic. Add a few candles for the perfect dinner with someone special.

tablescapes 2017 gold, and pink with bunny and flower

tablescapes 2017 bunny, flower, plant pink

3. Seaside Charm

This tablescape features a white tablecloth with a burlap runner. A white and turquoise chippy metal charger is layered with a grey rattan plate holder and a turquoise plate with white trim. A grey swirled napkin is topped with a starfish. Flatware tied with rope adds to the coastal look. A twine wrapped candle inside a rope and glass candleholder adds some ambiance and charm. Glass floats and a little burlap treat bag bring in some character and texture. Great for imagining yourself at the sea.

tablescapes 2017 nautical starfish, candle lantern, glass floats

tablescape 2017 nautical turquoise, blue and grey

tablescape 2017 nautical turquoise, burlap, glass floats, candle

tablescapes 2017 nautical starfish turquoise plate, rattan plate, metal charger

So, which one did you like the best? Let us know in the comments and I will let you know next week who the winner is! This was a lot of fun for us and we hope you enjoyed it too! Have a great week and a blessed Easter!

For your convenience, here are some links to similar items on Amazon. There is no extra cost to you, but a little bit comes back to us. Thank you!

Hallway Bathroom Makeover-Rustic Nautical

April 3, 2017April 2, 201718 Comments

Can you believe it? I can finally show you one of the rooms in my house? It’s taken me long enough! This isn’t a complete renovation, just a makeover. The biggest item changed out was the floor. So here we go!

We have to start with the before. Isn’t it pretty? There was brown carpeting in front of the sink and linoleum in front of the shower and toilet. The medicine cabinet and mirror were a nice 1970’s touch. The light fixture wasn’t too bad, in a retro kind of way, but we wanted something more updated. The baseboards were some kind of rubber stuff I didn’t even know existed. The toilet and the faucet were recent updates, so we left them. We also changed out the knobs on the vanity so they fit in better with the new updates.

The first thing to go was the carpet and the old linoleum. We had it torn out before we even moved in! We lived with the cement floor for a couple of months and finally got the tile put in. We thought we had enough of the leftover flooring, but we didn’t. Which is okay, because I really like this grey 18″ tile we found at Home Depot.

Lauren and I painted the room before we moved in also. We used Benjamin Moore Simply White, which is what we used in the whole house. As you can see, we also took out the mirror and medicine cabinet that was from the 1970’s. We added in the pallet mirror that Steve made last summer. We also used pallet wood for the baseboards. Steve cut them all to fit and then I stained them and nailed them in. I love how they tie in with the mirror and give the room a rustic look.

I loved this idea when Haley showed it to me! We found the dock cleats at Walmart in the sporting goods section, tied some rope on and it makes a great towel holder.

We also found this amazing hanging light to replace the old one. It’s actually very similar, just a little more updated.

Haley made this whale string art, which is the perfect addition to the room.

I added another rope towel bar on the other side of the room with a fun turquoise and white striped towel.

I also created this California chalkboard subway art that perfectly compliments the room.

The small hand towel is perfect for a teenagers bathroom! I really like how this room turned out! It’s so much more my style and feels clean and fresh. Now on to the next room!