State of the Kitchen

There are many times I am reminded of why I don't spend a lot of money on furniture and décor in my home. Between three boys and a dog something gets broken or stained several times a week. One of the last things to bite the dust were my counter stools in the kitchen. They do get heavy use since it's my kids favorite spot to eat and do homework. If you remember, the seats were a natural woven material. My kids have a habit of fidgeting when they do homework and would pull on the strands without even realizing they were tearing the seats apart. Sometimes I just throw my leg over their lap to keep their hands and legs still while they read their homework passages. If they started fidgeting too much they would fall over and take the stool with them. That's called karma, kiddos! I kept trimming the loose strands with scissors, but the final straw was a huge, thick red stain that looked a lot like spaghetti sauce covering one of the seats. How does that even happen? If you have kids, you know there are some stains you look at and decide that it's not worth the trouble to clean. So, I was on the hunt for new counter stools that would be completely kid-proof. I laughed at the upholstered seats. I cringed at the thin, metal industrial stools that already have several dents in them just sitting on the store shelf. I finally settled on an industrial stool from World Market.

The seats are wood so they are easy to clean and dark enough to hide any minor stains. I love how heavy and stable they are, too. I'm hoping the kids won't fall over so easily. The best part is they can swivel in circles to make the stool higher instead of having to sit on their knees when doing homework. They do tend to swivel back and forth as they are fidgeting during homework time, but that's better than falling off the stool or yanking the seat apart. Yes, my kids are a mess!

I do like the way the stools look in the kitchen, too. The wood seat just adds another layer of warmth in my mostly white kitchen.

The wood doesn't match perfectly with the dining chairs, but it's definitely close enough. You might notice a few other minor changes around the kitchen. 

 

The blue Le Creuset utensil organizer next to the stovetop adds color and even another way to add natural wood grain with the spoons.

I added a bit of fall to the kitchen with items I already had around the house. Bath & Body Works Leaves candle is still my absolute favorite scent.

That is a new Dash and Albert kitchen rug. My other blue striped one got a big snag in it when I put it in the dryer. I started air drying this one and it only takes a couple of hours to get it mostly dry. I do like the smaller blue stripes better anyway.

 

A wide shot of the kitchen and breakfast room from the living room.

 

I can't believe it's been almost four years since I gave this kitchen a facelift. It looks better and homier every year as I slowly tweak it. It can be a bit tight in here with a family of five. If it were just about five feet wider I could add one or two more stools at the island. It functions really well for the most part and it's just one of those rooms that feels good. Maybe that's why everyone gravitates here? I know it can't be my cooking!

Fall Fashion 2014

I have been in a fall clothes buying frenzy lately and I've found some great stuff I just have to share. I know my choice in fashion isn't why you visit me here so this will be a rare post. Don't worry, I have made a few changes on the home front to show you soon.

I know I'm not the only one gearing up for fall weather right now. Since Christmas is right around the corner I try to get my family outfitted for our cooler months by November. It's too stressful trying to buy everyone new clothes AND Christmas presents at the same time. Oh, don't forget about decorating for Christmas! Most of us don't have unlimited budgets and that kind of time on our hands so I'll take whatever help I can get. So, when I stumbled upon two amazing fashion blogs I took notice. I love finding new blogs to ooh and ahh over. They have always been interior design related until now. These bloggers do have a similar style to mine and I noticed I already own (or have wanted to own) some of the items they blog about. Even if you have a different style there are so many fashion bloggers out there to get inspiration, just like interior design.

The first one is The Northeast Girl. Here are a few of her looks.

 

 

Cute, right? I love the preppy, yet modern looks. I've noticed a New England preppy look is very similar to a Southern girl preppy look. I wonder who loves monograms more? She has a good mix of outfits that are casual for everyday and also for the workplace.


You also need to check out The Sweetest Thing Blog. Not only does this girl have amazing style, but her hair is straight out of a shampoo commercial.

 

 

Yes, this girl out-haired me. She does give out hair tips and even posts video tutorials.

Now, on to my good finds! I have so many new things I've bought that I made a new Pinterest board here so I don't inundate you with good stuff. If it's not on sale, check for a coupon because I almost never buy anything at full price.

 

 

The blouse comes in so many different colors and I'm starting to think that all of the fashion bloggers out there own one. These Mother jeans are amazing! I found them on sale at Anthropologie and got an extra 25% off this weekend. I'm on my third gold tassel necklace now since I have a habit of getting them hung on everything. This one was so cheap since it was from the Juniors dept. And, the black leggings with faux leather inserts were just too cute to pass up. All of these links are in my Pinterest board as well as many other recent finds.

Also, check out my fashion and beauty inspiration board here. You'll see things like this Clare V clutch that is hard to find since it's become so popular.

This is the only place I've seen it still for sale. Shhh...because I haven't bought one yet.

Finally Fall

I promise I didn't forget about fall! I was just doing a good job of ignoring it. The kids wouldn't stand for that another day and demanded we pull out our Halloween and fall decorations. Well, here it is! It might feel like summer outside, but fall greets you the moment the front door opens.

 

 

 

One thing I love about blue and white is that it goes with everything. It's a great choice for the seasonal decorator.

 

That's my husband's face in the mirror if you are wondering. Oops!

 

I also decorated the mantel a bit. It's much more neutral to match the great room.



 

The only thing I added was the mercury glass pumpkin and wheat in the vase. I'm keeping it simple because by this time next month it will be time to decorate for Christmas. Can you believe it? I need to make something pumpkin before the season passes me by!

Pretty Hamptons Home

Did anyone watch Million Dollar Listing LA last night? One of the realtors was showing possible vacation homes in the Hamptons to his client and the first home had me hitting the pause button each time they showed a new room. I found pictures for you on the Bravo website because sharing is caring.

 




















It has all of my favorite features...white woodwork, dark floors, a white cottage kitchen, pretty windows and transoms, and a wine room. These are all things I've tried to incorporate into my home, with the exception of the wine room since I don't have the space. I did seriously consider turning the mudroom into a wine closet. But, let's get real. I drink wine, I don't store it!

Boys Industrial Workspace

I should have known that buying my 12 year old son a desk for his room would mean that his little brother would also want one. There were two major problems that almost had me saying no. One, I know my 8 year old will not be able to sit in his room alone to do homework. If he happened to see a squirrel outside the window his homework would be completely forgotten. The second problem is his room is super tiny. He already has a full size bed, nightstand and dresser that barely fit. Where could I possibly put a desk? He did have a little space next to his bed, but I didn't think I could find that small of a desk so I mentally scratched the idea. Well, I happened to notice a tiny industrial desk at World Market several weeks later that I knew would fit, and it does!

I also bought a metal chair at World Market to go with it. I love the rubber feet on the bottom so it doesn't scratch his wood floor. I was a little worried it might be uncomfortable, but it doesn't seem to bother him. Ah, youth.


Can you believe I found the sconce at Lowe's for $40? I've always admired this type of light, but the price tag has always been too high. I suppose if you wait around long enough someone will make a knock off version.

I'm a huge fan of pinboards in kids rooms for displaying their favorite artwork. All of my boys look at them regularly, and show off their projects to friends and family.

 

I love the little slot in the desk (just like when I was in school). He's already storing a few school papers in there that he doesn't have room for on his pinboard. Even if it doesn't get much use, it's good storage. He didn't say much about it, but I wasn't surprised since he's always been a boy of few words. I could tell by the half smile/smirk he loved it. I knew he would since he's drawn towards everything rustic and industrial. He might be quiet, but he's got style!

A Cute Nightlight: Boys Bedroom Update

If you remember, all three of my boys' bedrooms are getting makeovers. I've got the youngest two boys' rooms almost finished. The only thing left to do in their rooms is paint the trim and add a few accessories. It's the caulking and painting of the trim that I hate with a passion. Accessorizing is fun, but I've put it off in lieu of other projects that need my attention more. I've still managed to pick up things here and there as I'm out shopping. On a recent Ikea trip, a red lantern caught my eye and I knew it would be perfect for my son's room. The best part is it was only $8! It's fairly large and he didn't have a place to put it so I decided to hang it on the wall.

I used a garden hook I found at Lowe's to hang it. It was just over $3. You can't beat that! Unfortunately, they only had them in black so I had to spray paint it. To make it easier to paint I screwed the hook into a scrap piece of board I had in the garage. This way I was able to paint the entire hook and screws at once. I also use this method when I spray paint drawer pulls and knobs. Any time I paint hardware I use a spray paint with primer in it. I don't like using anchors to hang things since they make big holes in the wall, but it's absolutely necessary for something this heavy. It took me a while to hang this because I wanted to make absolutely sure this is the spot it was going to go before I used those dreaded anchors. I didn't think there was a better spot than next to the bed since it makes the perfect nightlight once you put a candle in it, faux of course.

It doesn't put out a lot of light, but it's just enough to make my son comfortable sleeping alone...most of the time. ;)

 

Neutral Home Office Reveal

Remember that mudroom I was planning on finishing last week? Well, I took one look at the mess in there and shut the door on it. I'm not kidding. I literally shut the door after opening it and thought this can wait. After spending all summer long at home with the kids I wanted to celebrate them going back to school with a much needed shopping trip. ;) I found a large wall clock at ZGallerie last Monday I knew would be perfect in the office and it spurred a week long decorating spree. I've always thought of myself as a slow DIYer. Well, I obviously make up for it in the shopping department!

If you remember, this home office used to be a formal living room. We hired a contractor a couple of years ago to build two walls to enclose it and add a set of French doors, and voila...we have a home office. I bought the main furniture pieces, but I never finished decorating since I had already moved on to other projects. Well, it is now done!

I tried to camouflage the TV by adding a photo gallery of the kids above it and tall accessories on either side. I think it works since my mom never noticed it when she first looked at the room. The downside of having a TV in here is that my husband never wants to leave. He said he just needs a bar set up in the corner somewhere. I think he watches too many soap operas.

I have always loved neutral rooms and thought it would be a good choice in here since my husband and I share this office. I mixed light and dark shades of neutral, a touch of rustic for him, and a bit of feminine for me. I noticed I gravitated towards the darker shades and more rustic pieces while shopping this week, probably because I have fall on the brain!

This is also Mario's favorite room. The chair near the window is his spot to bark at all the neighbors walking by.

He takes his guard dog job very seriously.

 

Unfortunately, he is also the reason there isn't a rug in this room. It's a good thing he's cute.

This room is heavy on accessories. I noticed it helps distract your eye when the room is cluttered with work-related messes. I think I will have to try this approach in the great room. That room gets messy fast!

 

As with all of my rooms, this one was also done on a budget. Here are the details of where I got most everything.

Pottery Barn Desk-Found secondhand online
Credenzas and Baskets-Ikea
Desk Chair-World Market (with a coupon of course)
Desk Lamp-Ikea
Credenza Lamp-TJ Maxx
Wall Clock-ZGallerie
Shelves-Target
Mirrored Map Picture-Homegoods
Key on Wall-Garden Ridge
Burlap Pinboard-Homegoods
Orange Tray-Target
Side Chair-Target
Plaid Throw-Ikea
Throw Pillow-Pottery Barn
Drapes-Ikea
All Picture Frames-Target
Horse-ZGallerie (years ago)
Glass Vase on Desk, and Hourglass and Iron Globe on Wall Shelf-World Market
Globe on Credenza-Homegoods
Box on Credenza-Bought last year at Homegoods
Gray Candle on Credenza-Ikea
Letter Tray on Desk-Target
Copper Candleholders-Bought last year at Target
Basket on Desk with Accessories, "C" on Desk, Stack of Books on Desk, "&" on back Credenza-Hobby Lobby

 

 



 



 

Savvy Southern Style