Home Design + Decor – Laureen Loves

Outdoor Inspiration

April 17, 2020

We have been spending a TON of time outside these days. I’m trying to put a positive spin on the ongoing situation by thinking about how lucky we are to have had some beautiful sunny days in the midst of this quarantine time. Getting the kids to play outside 1-2 times per day helps keeps us all sane.

I’m so glad we put in a pool and backyard entertaining area last summer/early fall. We have been using the space so much – eating outdoors, swimming, watching movies outside or just bringing some puzzles out on the patio for a change of scenery. When we designed our outdoor space, our goal was for it to feel like an extension of our home. It’s certainly has lived up to that.

Below are some of my top outdoor picks. All of these items we have, and we’re using them a lot these days!

Outdoor furniture and accessories

We have two spaces in our backyard. The existing patio space is more of a dining area. We added this table, which we purchased last year. Ours seats eight (and I think you an squeeze in a few more) but this newer version has an extension. I would highly recommend protecting any teak furniture with teak oil and getting a cover for it in the off season or just for an added layer on rainy days. We have the table in the “natural” color. I’d love to get this little matching console table at some point.

As soon as I saw these chairs last year, I knew they would be perfect for our space. I waited for a 30% off sale to pull the trigger. For things that are a little more of an investment, I know it’s time to move forward when I find myself going back to the item over and over again after doing exhaustive research. I have the arm chairs on the ends of the table and the side chairs to fill the rest of the table. They’re great quality, clean really easily and are stylish. I have the light blue version called “Atlantic.” They’re 20% off right now with the code ATHOME.

I have a few other accessories like these pillows (although I have a nearly identical pair I found at HomeGoods), this rug near our outdoor fireplace, this rug under the outdoor dining table, and these lanterns in antique bronze. Outdoor lanterns are usually pretty pricey and I love these but couldn’t bring myself to spend that much on something that might deteriorate with Houston humidity. We’d love to get some outdoor string lights soon.

Kid-friendly entertaining pieces

Melamine plates are great for outdoor eating and perfect, non-breakable options when you have young kids. I recently purchased these glasses which are perfect for having in and out of the pool. I also have two sets of these coasters I bring out when we have people over.

Pool accessories & games

Everyone always gravitates toward these pool noodles. I have wanted this large Connect Four game for awhile and it’s been on my list of #thingsthequarantinemademebuy. The color way we have isn’t available anymore but there are other options like this one. I recently purchased these inexpensive beach towels to have on hand in our pool bathroom. Ben recently bought one of those little outdoor play houses and we customized it with some paint and hung this sign on it. The door was painted a greyish blue color we already had, and the kids have been playing pretend restaurant quite a bit!

Inspiring images that influence my home style

My home style skews on the traditional side and am consistently inspired by the South. I have been reading and flagging pages in Southern Living since I was 10. (It was a career highlight to travel to their test kitchens a few years ago and meet with editors, peruse the many kitchens they test recipes in, and see the massive amount of china, plates, napkins, etc. they use for recipe styling!) While a lot of Southern things catch my eye, I will often gravitate to coastal pieces, hence my love of all things Serena & Lily. Perhaps that’s because I grew up on the Gulf coast, but I love things with a beachy vibe. I am still inspired by my bucket-list girls trip to the Amalfi coast last year. I traveled to Positano, Capri, Tuscany, Florence and Venice with some of my best friends and I would transport myself there again in a heartbeat if I could! Positano and Capri were definitely my favorites, and I’m thankful for the memories of sitting on little outdoor patios and rooftop terraces while drinking wine and eating carbs! Maybe that was the ambiance I was going for when we designed our space. I love having books that have meaning and I bought this Italy coffee table book because it captured many of the beautiful places I visited last year. The Color Teil also has a lot of happy coastal images to peruse.

I’m a planner by nature, and I always love having a trip to look forward to. However, there are too many unknowns right now to move forward with any travel plans. So, for now we sit outside daydreaming about our next adventure while enjoying and sometimes just surviving in the chaos.

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Gifts Holiday Home Design + Decor Shopping

Gift Guide: All things blue & white

December 1, 2018

holiday gift ideas, gift guide, blue and white decor, home decor blue and white, chinoiserie gifts, ginger jar gifts

I’m definitely drawn to blues and whites when it comes to home decor these days. Blue tones seem to be more trendy, but I think it has a timeless quality as well. I know I’m not the only one who thinks this, as many of my favorite designers I follow on Instagram feature blue and white pieces like this in their home decor. Chinoiserie pottery or ginger jars seem to be quite popular especially in Southern homes. It’s a simple way to add a pop of color to neutral spaces. My top picks for all things blue and white are below. Many of these double as great hostess gifts!

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Cozy blanket – I can’t quit this blanket. You may remember that I’ve featured in another gift guide here. I have it in two blue colors, including the navy blue version, that sits in my living room. Braden has the teal version that he uses every night and sits on his bed. You really can’t go wrong with this blanket. My friend gifted it to me 2 years ago, and I have been buying them as gifts for other people ever since. It’s on sale right now, too for less than $30!

I love these ginger jar ornaments. I snagged them on sale recently for a little tree I have on my entry way. Once it get it together, I’ll share a pic, but I think it would make a perfect hostess gift. Same with these chinoiserie ornaments.

Speaking of chinoiserie, you really can’t go wrong with a vase or jar like this. I have picked up most of my blue and white jars at Home Goods, but William Sonoma has a lot of great options. I love these coasters as well!

I’d love to add these pillows somewhere in my house. I’m a fan of everything from her store! Another home item on my wish list is this tray. I like using trays to collect like-minded things so stuff doesn’t feel too cluttered. I actually have this print as a my guest room wallpaper.

I love a great coffee table book, especially if it doubles as travel inspiration. Let’s be real though — books can’t sit on my coffee table during this season of life because of my children, but they sit beautifully on a shelf and double as decor. 😉

An item I keep buying over and over again (and featured previously in this gift guide) and giving to people is this candle. It’s the BEST scent.

Are you a blue and white fan, too? I’m always on the hunt, so please share some of your faves! Happy shopping!

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Home Design + Decor Shopping

Last Minute Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Finds – Home Decor

August 4, 2018

home accessories, #nsale, nordstrom anniversary sale home decor

Home Decor Picks

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There’s only 2 days left (prices go up Aug. 6) for the annual Nordstrom anniversary sale. I shopped the sale when it first opened up to cardholders back in mid-July because that’s what you do when you wake up in the wee hours of night to feed a newborn baby — you online shop/catch up on reading on your phone. I talked a bit about this here in my first installment of this new blog series, the Pumping Chronicles.

I have a five week old, so I’m barely getting by these days. One way I do that is to automate my life by online shopping for everything I possibly can. I’m all about Instacart and Amazon, and I’ve always been a fan of shopping for things from Nordstrom online because they have great selection. So, with that, I’ve picked up some great fall clothes for everyone in my family from this year’s #Nsale, and I’ve found a few home accessories, too. Several items I have in my home that I picked up in last year’s Nordstrom anniversary sale like this runner, which I have in my mudroom, these pillows featured in this post, and this serving board, which I keep propped up in my kitchen near the stove, are included once again this year’s sale, so I thought I’d share. See below for more details, and happy last minute shopping!

Stay tuned for picks for the kiddos! So many great things for back-to-school/fall. I have to tend to a baby, so I’ll update this post later today or tomorrow!

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Home Design + Decor

5 Tips for a Curated Home + My Favorite Cozy Nook

May 10, 2018

We’ve been in our home for about a year now, and people often ask me how it feels to be all settled in. I wouldn’t know – ha! I shared a little about our misfortunes of working with a builder who turned out to be terrible here. I’ll share more one day in a post regarding tips for building a custom home, but it still irritates me to think about it, so I’ll have to mentally prepare myself to write this.

I’m not sure when I’ll ever feel 100% settled, but we’re getting there. But, I do have a few tips about curating a home, which I think is different from building a house. I’m also giving you a peek into one of my favorite little spots in our house, so let’s just dive right in.

5 tips for creating a curated home

1. Make a list of what your priority rooms are and determine what’s needed vs. a “nice- to-have” in those rooms. For us, the kitchen was probably the most important because it truly is the heart of our home and where we seem to hang out the most as a family. Did I get everything I absolutely wanted in my kitchen? No. You have to understand your budget and give and take. Perhaps your significant other just lets you run with making all the home design decisions. Ben is very hands-on and has a good eye for things. I will usually find something I like and show it to him. He’ll try to persuade me against things or talk me through the pros and cons, or how to simplify something I want (typical engineer) and we go from there. We’re definitely on the same page with our kitchen being an area we wanted “done” first. That included having a few things early on that we knew we’d use right away including barstools, a breakfast table and some chairs, which we purchased before we even moved into our home. Also, this is one area where I made sure to purchase the lights I really wanted. From there, I tried to accessorize the kitchen to make it feel cozy and approachable.

One of my favorite areas of our home is this cozy little nook in the stairwell landing near the playroom/game room. I’ve always been a fan of window seats, and I knew I wanted to put one here to have some storage and use up what probably would have been some dead space. There is a ton of storage underneath the bench cushion that houses wrapping paper, seasonal items and crafting supplies. This nook is the perfect spot to read magazines or work on my laptop when I need a change of scenery from my office. This chandelier in this area might be my favorite in the house! This nook was more of a “nice-to-have” but it was also turned out to be practical storage solution, and I’m really happy we have this spot in our home.

2. Create a budget and general timeline. Figure out what you’re realistically willing to spend on things, especially after pricing some things out. I have often found something I like and find a high and low version, and figure out what makes sense to splurge vs. save on. Again, lighting for me is really important, so we did splurge on some of this. I actually have two more spots in our house that need lights, including the baby’s room. We left a spot for a chandelier and just covered it up with one of those little caps so no one could tell until we were ready to buy one. So, I am currently on the hunt. Hardware (cabinet pulls) is actually something you can really save on if you look around. So, make your list and pick your battles based on your budget. Your timeline is also something to think about when you’re trying to “finish” your home. Sometimes your timeline is determined for you based on other aspects of life. Right now, my focus is the baby’s room. Since I’m less than two months out from having baby #2 (eek!), I really need to get on it. I know I’ m probably driving Ben insane with my mood boards and color palettes I’m showing him. I am basically getting him to execute my vision – ha! Accent wallpaper and window treatments are ordered. Picking out a paint color is next on the agenda. Oh, and moving Braden into a different room since he is currently in the room that’ll be for the baby. Details. 😉

As for timing and budget, we’re mindful of this especially when it comes to figuring out window treatments. Because all of our windows are custom sizes and we have pretty tall ceilings, we have to do custom window treatments around our house. I was so surprised when I got a quote for doing a mix of roman shades and curtains in 2/3 of our home. I could buy a car for what I was quoted. This was eye-opening for me, and I found that that the pricing doesn’t change that much either from place to place when you have to customize things. So, I am just tackling a few rooms here and there and will probably continue to do so for the next year or so unless we come across a money tree or win the lottery.

3. Seek inspiration. I follow several designers on social media that have given me inspiration for our home. Instagram and Pinterest are great tools for this. A few I regularly look at and flag for inspiration include: Studio McGee, Marie Flanigan Interiors, Caitlin Wilson, Bria Hammel Interiors, and Kathy Kuo Home. I also pull pantone colors and scour design magazines when I have a chance. I have a lot of home items on Pinterest so give me a follow if you’re looking for home design inspo for various rooms: https://www.pinterest.com/laureenloves/

4. Avoid comparison. I think social media has created a whole other version of the idea of “keeping up with the Joneses.” Everyone has a different path and a different style. Perhaps someone saved for five years to be able to buy an amazing piece of furniture, or perhaps someone you follow fell into some money from their parents. Or, maybe she scored an amazing HomeGoods find (I’m raising my hand here). Just go with what makes you feel happy in your home environment. I’ve had family members come to my house and tell me they don’t like something. I guess our family isn’t shy. This doesn’t offend me; I just choose to ignore them because my style is different, and it’s my home. I have a sticky-fingered toddler running around, and I like a really lived in, approachable home, so I keep this in mind when I am choosing items. So, I would think about the kind of home you want to create and adjust your mindset when you’re looking online for inspiration. I seek things for inspiration rather than for comparison, and I encourage you to do the same!

5. Add pieces that are sentimental to you. I have a few things around my house that I just love because they are special to me. I have this little elephant accent table that I placed in Braden’s room next to his rocker and it’ll be in the new baby’s room, too. My mom used to make a lot of ceramics in the 70s as a hobby when she lived in the Philippines, so this was in my house growing up, and I asked her to bring it to me when I was pregnant with Braden. I feel like this type of accent piece is trendy now, and I have seen them at Serena and Lily and Pottery Barn, but I love that I have one that is unique that my mom made. We also have a kids’ table and chairs that Ben had as a child, which I featured in this post. Before we were married, Ben’s family was moving out of their Dallas-area home and they were going to sell this table and chairs in a garage sale. I asked for it and hoarded it for 10 years before using it! We definitely had to paint it and give it a little TLC, but it’s something Braden uses every day, and I hope we can pass it along to other family members or our own kids one day.

The maps I have framed that line my stairwell are also sentimental to me, as we’ve picked up maps on most of our travels together from places like Italy, Croatia, Belize, Kauai, St. John and Puerto Rico. Many of them are large and framed, but we have a few smaller ones around the house, too. We recently framed one from Grand Cayman for Braden’s room. We took our first international family trip here and it was the first time taking B to the beach. I love that they remind me of the memories we’ve had over the years.

In summary, my key takeaway is that creating a home that makes you happy is a marathon not a sprint. More power to you if you can make a lot of decisions fairly quickly, or you’re working with a decorator who can help you cross the finish line faster. I am not opposed to the latter, but I think the home decor process is something I want to tackle myself. I’m not an expert by any means, but I’d like to think I have a good eye, and I like a layered, curated look. It’s satisfying to me knowing I was able to concept and create something for my home. And, I do have to be mindful of budget, so I have to take time with things, as I’m sure many people can relate to this.

I hope this was helpful, and if anyone has any questions or other tips to share on how to make your house feel like a home, please pass along! Or, if you have anyone you follow when it comes to home design interiors, share them with me! I am always on the hunt for inspiration.

If you’re in Houston and need someone to make custom bench cushions or roman shades, let me know and I’m happy to share the name of the person I work with. I have had her make several roman shades for various rooms in our home, including these pictured. She’s also made our breakfast nook bench cushions that are in a L shape. The store she works at has great fabric selection at a pretty affordable price point compared to other places I’ve been to. We’ve installed the shades ourselves, and we have had to do the measuring as well, but since Ben is super handy this is no problem for us. It’s actually not that bad to measure and install, and she provides tips for doing so. I’m currently making some custom shades for the baby’s room and will be reupholstering a chair just as soon as I select a fabric.

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Fashion + Style Home Design + Decor Kids clothing kids decor Shopping

Feelin’ Fruity

April 8, 2018

For the kids

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I’ve been drawn to whimsical, fruit-inspired items lately. Maybe because it’s spring, it seems like a lot more clothing and home decor pieces with lemons, pineapples and more are popping up. Or, maybe I’m paying attention to more feminine things (for me + baby ) since we discovered baby #2 is a girl. Either way, I’ve rounded up several fun and fruity pieces perfect for spring and summer!

Lots of items linked in the widget below.

Top picks

Target just launched this new line called Opalhouse filled with lots of adorable and affordable home decor pieces. It has a very bohemian vibe reminiscent of Anthropologie Home. I went to Target in-person today and things were a bit picked over, but I did get a flavor for everything and picked up this cute dish towel, bowl, and ordered a few things online like this gold trinket box. I think this pineapple lamp would look cute in an office or girl’s room (or this one) and this floor lamp might be a nice addition to a baby’s room.

I think this fruit alphabet book is just the cutest! I just bought for a friend who recently had a baby girl along with this veggie book, too. I’ll be buying for baby #2 soon. Also, I think it’s always cute to package up a baby gift that is somewhat themed. Pull together a gift filled with these swaddles, bibs, books, and these rattles and you have the perfect gift for a little baby girl! Braden had a cute little carrot rattle when he was a newborn that he loved. I’ll be scooping up this little banana and watermelon rattle for his sister.

Braden has this shirt from Zara Kids and he laughs every time I put it on him and tell him what it says. Baby Zara/Zara Kids clothing is my top store for doing shopping for Braden, and after perusing the girl clothing, I know it will continue to be a go-to for me. I mean — a fluffy pineapple or banana purse?!

When it comes to fashion for women, I think fruit prints are better when in smaller doses. But, in the right setting such as a tropical vacation, I think this little wrap dress or bikini would be perfect. I did score these pineapple earrings two years ago on a trip to Charleston, and I just started wearing them again when spring hit.

I think this stationary is so fun. You can never have too much stationary to use for little gifts for friends, teachers, kids birthdays, etc. And, if you have any spring or summer parties coming up where a fruit tray is present, why not have these little fruit toothpicks on hand?

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Family Holiday kids kids decor

Easter basket treats perfect for toddlers

March 28, 2018

I had good intentions of sharing this post several days ago, but my intentions seem to be really conflicting with what real life has to offer me lately. I’ll save that for another day or we could go down a rabbit hole. Speaking of rabbits, Easter has seemed to creep up on us. This weekend will be pretty low key for our family: we’ll have an Easter egg hunt with our neighbors and attend church. I think we have a birthday party to attend as well. I’ll be REALLY happy if I get to take a nap or two. The past week has been crazy busy around here, and I know I’ll be ready for a little R&R in a couple of days.

I’ve been collecting items for Braden’s Easter basket for awhile thanks to my impromptu visits to Home Goods and Target, so I thought I’d share a few of those items and other ideas that make the holiday festive. Keep in mind, I have a toddler boy who is 3 years 7 months. How the heck did that even happen, by the way!? Some of my suggestions are catered to his likes, but I think many of these items are perfect for both boys and girls.

I recall my parents doing an Easter egg hunt for us growing up, giving us Easter baskets full of treats and peppering the front yard with colorful eggs filled with candy. We’d collect them in the yard while dressed up in our new church outfits and pose for pics. I appreciate that my mom did that for us, and I love creating little traditions for Braden that hopefully he’ll remember one day, too. I still have to supplement his Easter basket with some candy because I got into that the past few days. #pregnantladyproblems But for the most part, many of these items are easily found on Amazon, which per the norm, is how I roll. My neighbor told me that we’re definitely winning the package game on our block since we get a ton of stuff everyday. I can’t imagine life without the convenience of online shopping!

I have a basket from the past two years that I will pull out once again for all the treats, but I also picked up another basket because it was just so soft and cute. I’ll probably fill this one with smaller treats and let him bring it to school for his spring party and Easter egg hunt. The other bucket is much larger and I got at Target two years ago. I’ve linked a a couple below plus all the treats I have currently hid in a closet until later this week.

Easter basket essentials

Baskets: cute white bunny basket and larger basket with liner that could be used year after year
Books: We have a few of these from previous years (God Gave Us Easter, I Love You, Honey Bunny, Happy Easter, Mouse! and Llama, Llama Easter Egg.) We’ve been reading this one, The Story of Easter, a lot lately which, of course, helps give some context to the holiday that is much more meaningful. I ordered this little set of four books, which I should be receiving in the mail tomorrow. And, this Blaze an the Monster Machines obsession continues, so I found this book that I know he’ll love.
Spring/Summer essentials: I got Braden a pair of swim trunks and new sunglasses. This kid has more sunglasses than I do!
Playdoh eggs – We’re all about the playdoh lately, so these cute little eggs are perfect.
Artsy items – coloring book, paint, and dry erase markers or colors to use on the art easel are always a hit. I also have a random stash of things I pick up at HomeGoods like this model car kit for him to paint.
Plastic Easter eggs – I have a ton leftover from last year but I would go to the Dollar store if I needed more.
Bunny ears – $1 in the Target One Spot section. I pretty much have a whole cabinet with seasonal items from this section. Target created this section for suckers like me.
Items that fit into the eggs:
- Dinosaurs
- Bandaids – lately, they are basically stickers. I picked up a ton in the One Spot Target section and tons of options on Amazon are available like this pack.
- Stamps – One Spot at Target finds
- Stickers – One Spot at Target has a ton. Here are some cute eggs and bunnies.
- Edible items – I have hoarded some candy that I like (and Braden likes as well) because I pretty much deserve it for all my crafty mom Easter basket shenanigans. Fruit snacks like Annie’s Bunnies are always a hit, and the small boxes of vanilla yogurt raisins, which are Braden’s version of crack that I just buy at the grocery store (much less expensive than Amazon.) are always a winner, too.

We are so fortunate to have built-in playmates on our street, so we’re doing an easy potluck Easter breakfast after the kids do their Easter egg hunting. I picked up some Easter egg hunt signs from Target for the yard. Cute signs linked here and here. Getting paper plates and cups for them is another fun way to make the morning a little special for them. I picked up some at HomeGoods weeks ago because I go to HomeGoods and come home with a bag of random things every time. Tell me I’m not alone! I’ve seen the meme that basically says: I go to HomeGoods so it can tell me what I need not vice versa.

Cupcake toppers to put on muffins (store-bought or homemade) are super easy and I have Peter Rabbit ones I picked up at HomeGoods ( are you surprised?) and also saw these cute toppers the other day, too. I bought Braden a few things for his kids table that we’ve already been using like this plate, cup, napkin and utensil set. I bought a set of two so we will have for family breakfasts in the future because I’m a cheesy mom who likes to set up a kids’ table for holidays. Ben – don’t hate. We’ve been using these items the past week or so. I did a Thanksgiving kids table as well, which I shared in this post.

I have a feeling I’ve probably bought too many things and some items will end up getting saved for later. The good news is many of these items are perfect for using over and over again like the baskets or the books, so don’t feel too guilty for buying all this random stuff.

Let Amazon Prime be your friend and make your life easy if you’re still working on putting together baskets. Otherwise, I have seen plenty of cute items at my local Kroger, HomeGoods, Target, World Market, and Pottery Barn Kids. William Sonoma and Nordstrom have festive items, too.

My MIL gave me a Easter bunny cake mold recently, which Ben and his sister told me they remember as children. It’s 3D, sort of like this one. Honestly, this looks like something I could easily turn into a Pinterest fail. This looks really intimidating and sort of gives me anxiety to think about making it. Can you imagine how long it would take to make this? This link say it’s a weekend project. Um, no. If I get a big wave of energy, perhaps I will share my efforts.

If you have any other fun treats or Easter traditions, I’d love to hear!

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Home Design + Decor kids kids decor

Kid’s Room Inspiration: Chalkboard & Magnetic Wall

March 6, 2018

I’ve wanted to create a chalk wall for Braden for awhile, so of course I turned to Pinterest for inspiration. I have two boards saved with playroom and kid’s room ideas here and here. Give me a follow on Pinterest while you’re there! https://www.pinterest.com/laureenloves/

We have a space upstairs that doubles as a playroom and game room, and I debated whether or not I wanted to create this space in there, but ultimately, I landed on putting this space in Braden’s room instead because:

1) We are in the process of shifting him to a new room that’s just a tad farther from the master bedroom that’s more of a “big kid” room. His current room that’s closer to the master will be for the new baby. In B’s new room, there’s a wall that needed something on it, so the chalkboard idea made sense here.

2) I wanted to create space that made him feel special and excited about the transition. We have a queen bed in his new room. When we made the transition to him being out of the crib, I didn’t think he would be ready to go straight to an adult size bed since he likes to move around quite a bit, so I thought easing into a toddler bed in his current room, which feels familiar to him, before moving him to a queen would be best.

While it’s been nice having this room double as an extra guest room, we’re not living in a McMansion with multiple guest rooms; we’re making one guest room downstairs,which is actually my new office — also a work in progress. I hope to share that soon! I’m definitely in nesting mode since I’m now in my second trimester and am no longer on bedrest, so I’m trying to maximize this time to get things done around the house. For me, this means it’s time to purge, organize and make some decisions when it comes to home decor. While on bedrest, I had a lot of time sitting, staring at blank walls, empty spaces and even boxes that still needed to be sorted through. Eek, I know. We’ve been in this house for almost a year, which I can’t even believe. While one would think you’d edit and purge before you moved to a new house, we did not because – well, because life. Building a house and moving while two people work full time jobs wore us down. I don’t think I ever want to move again.

Anyway, back to home decor. I think decorating is a marathon not a sprint, and I don’t have the budget or the decisiveness to pull the trigger on things and complete the transition from new house to new home. I love a curated home, and I’m definitely taking my time with picking up pieces here and there so I feel like our home has a personality. All that said, I’ve made quite the honey-do list for my handy husband and have prioritized rooms, with Braden’s being at the top of the list since he’s here and all. 😉 I don’t have the head space right now to think of the baby’s room yet (total second child problems already!).

So, that brings me to the chalk wall. I’m lucky in that I can show my husband a picture, and he can usually build what I want or tell me if it’s worth it to buy it. He’s my Ben of all trades!

Chalkboard and Magnet board details:

I wanted the chalk wall to also have a magnetic element to it. Braden is doing such a good job of learning his letters and our kitchen fridge is not magnetic. At our old house it was, and he was so good with learning all the different animals when he was younger while were in the kitchen cooking. Playing with magnets kept him entertained while we made dinner, so I would highly recommend these animal magnets for kids ages 1-2 and these letter magnets for kids ages 2.5 – 4.

I came across this chalkboard and magnet board, and I knew it would be perfect for B’s room. I love the barn door element. If I had my way, I’d have multiple barn doors around my house but alas, the hardware for barn doors is a little pricey. So, what a fun way to bring this element into the home and not break the bank. (I have a spot for a barn door in my house that we left open that we’ll put in one day. Don’t you worry, sweet husband. It’s on my list. 😉 ) I think this chalkboard is meant to be in a kitchen or mudroom, and I think hanging in these rooms would be fabulous, too! I’ve been finding some great things at this retailer lately. I bought this beautiful brass light fixture for our playroom/game room and I’m really happy with it. I’ll share more on that soon, but if you’re looking for a cool brass fixture, I highly recommend this one! And, good news — there’s a great sale going on now for up to 30% off, plus free shipping if you spend 100+. This sale ends on 3/6. Use code STOCKUP to take advantage of this amazing sale! I don’t think I’ve ever bought anything from this site without at least a 20% off coupon, so sign up for their email alerts so you know when the good sales are happening (which are pretty often!).

Details on the benches:

I have been a fan of navy buffalo check print for awhile and love that it has made a resurgence lately, probably due to Caitlin Wilson’s impeccable taste and design talent. I want EVERYTHING in her store and as soon as I win the lottery I will be buying tons of her rugs, throw pillows, and wrapping every room in grasscloth wallpaper, etc., etc., For now, her style serves as serious design inspo for me. So, when I saw these ottomans online, I knew I had to find a spot for them. I originally thought they would be great in front of B’s bed but I like them better in front of the chalkboard. B sits on them while he draws or plays and he can kneel on them if he needs to reach a little higher.

I plan to share more of Braden’s room once I get it a little more squared away. Same on my office! I’m sort of working in chaos right now. I hope you enjoyed this little peek into B’s room, and check back for more home posts soon!

Chalkboard & magnet board | I like a couple of others as well – Farmhouse chalkboard or Gray Chalkboard | Buffalo check ottomans | Galvanized Metal Letter

Animal magnets | Alphabet magnets | Eraser| Eraser & Chalk set

The links in this post contain affiliate links, and I will receive a small commission (AKA pennies) if you make a purchase after clicking on some of them. This is a mandatory FTC disclosure, which a lot of bloggers/influencers don’t follow, but I’m trying to follow the rules and be transparent. It takes some time to source things and share the things I love, and I’m happy to share the great things I come across, as I’m sure you might just love them as well. Thank you for your support and taking the time to read my blog!

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Family Holiday Home Design + Decor kids

Thanksgiving Kids’ Table & Tips for Entertaining Kids During the Holidays

November 10, 2017

I just love the holiday season, and Thanksgiving might be one of my favorite holidays because it’s a great time to get together to see family and friends. Because of the season of life we’re in, it means we are often accommodating to feeding and entertaining children who come over for these family and friendsgiving get-togethers. Eating is still hit or miss for us with a toddler, so keeping him occupied while food prep is happening is key. I love putting crayons and stickers out for the kids to get a little crafty with before they eat dinner!

In my head I’d like to think I can create amazing Pinterest-inspired tablescapes, but in reality, I’m barely getting by, so this Thanksgiving kids’ table setting is very accessible for anyone using some basic festive items you can get at Target or Amazon. Some of my decor like the chair backers and plates I picked up on sale from Pottery Barn Kids in previous years, but you can find pretty similar pieces out now like these backers and plates that are adorable. I found some other kids’ table decor items that are on sale like these plates, bowls, placemats and napkins.

I’ve included a few tips below for keeping the kiddos happy and occupied while the adults are mingling or doing food prep.

Tips for Keeping Kids Entertained during Thanksgiving

Crayons with built-in coloring placements are perfect for the kids’ table, and it also gives you the opportunity to talk to your kids about what they’re thankful for this season so you can write down those memories. I’m a sucker for my my kid’s homemade art, so having him color a place setting every year and seeing how they progress over the years is something I plan to do for the next few years. We are having our second annual Friendsgiving ( pot luck get-together with all my yummy holiday favorites) so I’ll probably use this tablecloth for a larger kids’ table.
These cute pumpkins are festive and are great way to bribe the kids to eat some veggies. These little jelly pumpkins are delicious, too.
Give them some things to keep them entertained after dinner, too. I’ve filled the chair backers with fall stickers, playdoh and bubbles, which are all some of Braden’s favorite things right now.
Make things personalized. I love the little place card settings, as it makes each child feel special and causes them to know they have specific spot claimed at the table which, in turn, might make them stay put for a little longer than usual. 🙂

I feel like I’m learning new tips all the time about being a mom and dealing with toddlers. If you have any secrets for making the holidays fun and stress-free for the whole family, I’d love to hear them!

This table and chairs are my husband’s from his childhood. He can remember eating at this table with his siblings during the holidays, and I just love that we have it now and Braden is using it everyday. I have dreams of B and his cousins eating together at this little table! We did repaint it to make it feel a little more modern.

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Gifts Home Design + Decor Shopping

Holiday Gift Guide: Hearth & Hand with Magnolia at Target

November 6, 2017

gifts for kids, gifts for holiday, joanna gaines, target, hearth and hand

I know I’m not the only one drinking the Fixer Upper/Magnolia/Chip and Joanna Gaines kool-aid. The Gaines’ authenticity and refined modern farmhouse style has won over many, myself included, and their new Hearth & Hand partnership launched at the motherland yesterday.

Perfect timing since it seems everyone likes to get rid of all their pumpkins as of Nov. 1 to trade them in for wreaths, garland and shiny Christmas décor. I don’t really have my life together to be at this point yet, but I definitely made a trip to Target this weekend and scoped out the best of the new Hearth and Hand line to put together this little gift guide for you. Overall, there is a little bit of everything at various price points, so it’s pretty easy to get a piece of their style without breaking the bank. And, all of it just really, really nice quality, too. Win, win!

I have been jotting down more holiday gift guide ideas, and I’ll be sharing at least one per week since I’m all about the online shopping these days since I don’t like to take my kid with me into stores unless I like apologizing repeatedly to sales people and haphazardly trying to refold everything he touches. :/

What’s on your wishlist from the Hearth & Hand with Magnolia collection? Let me know!

For the kiddos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

For the festive holiday lover: 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

For the hostess: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

For the home decor enthusiast: 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

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Home Design + Decor

Lucas Family Home Progress: Quick catch up and wood floors

April 5, 2017

white oak, solid wood floors, custom home

Oh, where do I even begin…

If I had to give any advice to anyone considering building a home, I would say try to stock up on patience because you’ll need it for this process! It’s been a crazy, crazy few weeks, and it’s been hard to even have the energy to write about it. We went through a very frustrating few weeks because essentially nothing was happening. Frustrated doesn’t begin to describe it. Let me try to sum it up for you since my last update on the home front which you can read here.

We sold our current house. Yay! We had multiple offers, so we are very thankful for that. The clock started ticking once we went under contract in Feb. We did not tell our builder we had the option for a lease back and instead told him that we had to be out by the third week in March to light a fire under him. It’s April, and we’re not in our house so that didn’t really work…
We found out our builder was basically misappropriating funds. What does this mean? We would give him money, and then he would not pay subcontractors. The whole time we’ve been building, we have to sign over funds from our construction loan for the work that will be done in the next phase. We found out there were multiple companies who were owed money from Nov. – Jan. for work that had already been done or mostly completed. Because they weren’t getting paid, they weren’t coming back to finish the job or delivering materials for other parts of the job. For example, the company who supplies all the trim, molding and doors for the house wouldn’t start making our custom front door because they weren’t paid for all the materials from months ago. Our builder said, “I’ve been working with them for 20 years, that’s BS.” It’s BS that a company wants to get paid for a service they provided? How ludicrous, right? *Insert sarcasm times 10 here*
We let the bank in on how terrible the situation was and they were pretty much livid. By this time, we had already extended our construction loan twice. To have it renewed a third time is pretty rare, and they were pretty much fed up with the builder like us. We made a plan to bypass our builder and start working with the subcontractors directly and issuing them checks vs. having funds given to the builder.
To fire our builder could cause more issues, putting our house into a holding period, so we were basically being held hostage by his poor planning and mistakes. He pretty much ruined all relationships with subcontractors by being so late on payments. We consulted with multiple attorneys. We threatened legal action. We actually got in contact with another couple who is also building a house with our builder and they were having a similar, frustrating experience with him. We ended up meeting them in person, and walking them through our house which is much farther along than their house is. It was nice to meet very nice people to commiserate with. Half of this couple is an attorney who specializes in construction law. It was shocking to us that our builder would be this daft.
In an effort to get out house done, we started dealing with the subcontractors and started paying them directly. Ben basically took over as the builder, lining up workers, paying people what they were owed even though that money was already dispersed to the builder. The hope was we would just get that money back after suing the builder.
Ben had a little come-to-Jesus talk with the builder, who gave us a mediocre apology and promised to “finish our house.” Once everyone was paid and work was being lined up, we allowed the builder to get involved again, but we still would not issue any funds directly to him. All trust was lost here, so I wasn’t about to sign over any money to him.
Work started happening pretty regularly again. There was still so much poor planning on the builder’s part with the coordination of getting people in at certain times, etc. But, things were at least moving along.
The countertops were put in the house. We did marble throughout and everything looks great! We went back and found some different marble a couple of weeks ago because the place we got it from, 3KA Stone, had some new options come in from Turkey. I love the clean look of white marble.
Painting happened recently and that was A LOT of work to get done. A ton of prep work goes into painting. We chose colors months ago, which was such a hard process. We kept things pretty neutral and added some color on cabinets, Braden’s room and the bathrooms. I will probably add more color in the dining room and other areas once we figure out furniture and how I want to decorate everything. I will probably do a whole other post on paint at some point.
Floors were stained a few days ago, as you can see from the pictures. It was hard to decide the color. Part of me wanted to do a lighter stain, which you see so much of now in modern farmhouse style homes or coastal homes. But, I’m pretty traditional and wanted a traditional stain would stand the test of time. We ended up doing a color called coffee brown. Fitting since I love me some coffee. 😉 The pictures were taken before the flooring people put down a coat of polyurethane, which seals the floors and makes them look so much better. They look a bit dull in these pictures but look great now that they’re sealed. They’ll get another coat of this later this week and be 100% done by the weekend. Will post more pics soon.

So, that’s pretty much the abbreviated version of what’s gone on as of late. We closed on our house last week so we’re renters at this point. Our house looks like it’s been hit by a tornado right now with boxes in corners everywhere. I can’t wait to be out of this transitional period. It’s driving me a little batty, and I’m pretty much run down. I have been sick for the past week and finally went to the ENT and got on antibiotics for a sinus and ear infection after not being able to swallow all weekend. Fun times, ya’ll.

The end is in sight. More to come soon!

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