Screened In Porch Inspiration & Decor

 

  One of my favorite things about our newish house is the screened in porch. Having an extra space that my family can expand to with the comforts of a living room, but all the glorious fresh air.  Especially at the beginning of the pandemic, it was such a fun escape for us. 
So moving into our second year in this house, I wanted to continue to spruce up this space to be special. My inspiration since the beginning, and with the furniture we already got, has been southern Italy. My husband and I took a trip in the Fall of 2019, and I just felt so inspired and in love by the old charm of southern Italy.
With some subtle takeaways from this inspiration board, I have a foundation to my screened in porch, to which I will continue to add to over time as I find things that make sense, are loved and useful. I'm trying to be PATIENT when decorating a room and allowing them to take shape overtime.
But I still wanted to share the space as it is today, the bones and foundation:

Furniture
We LOVE Polywood because it's made from recycled materials, super durable and will last us forever. We chose cushions in "Air Blue" to give us that vacation vibe. We got a 5-piece set to fill our space, but you can get many different variations to individual pieces.

Here is how it's coming together, and as it gets warmer/closer to Spring, I hope to add more Italian-vibe details (accessories, plants, blankets).

Patio Accessories & Decor:

More to come, but hopefully this inspires you to start thinking about your outdoor space(s) for the Spring and Summer that are coming (and I'm so looking forward to that!).

Follow along here: BlogLovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

DIY Make Shift Work Space

  At the start of the pandemic, my company sent everyone home to work for two weeks. Two weeks turned into a month, turned into three, and now indefinitely.  So I've been making a work space do a bit more at a time. 
With my kids doing virtual school at home and my husband also working mostly from home, I'm lucky to have a spot to myself at all. I pretty much called our bedroom and have been evolving it a bit at a time.
I turned the little nook in my room that was my vanity into my working desk, but also had to keep all the other stuff that was there, too. So with some new storage and organization, it's a vanity and work space.
Items making my little nook a vanity + work space:
 

I was able to bring my work chair home - not the cutest - but after sitting my other one for many hours a day, it was a necessary evil. Otherwise, I spiced up the space with a fun rug (and cozy to my typically bare feet) and organized all the work/makeup & skin care items.
I also got an adjustable computer stand/lap desk so I can move about to different locations or stand to work. I've started also working in a new little space on the other side of my room in a more casual chair that is nice to mix things up.
As I work from home longer, I'm sure my habits and space will evolve further, but for now this is working for me.  How are you making working-from-home work for you?

How are you making your at-work-home space work?

Follow along here: BlogLovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

Organization for a Small Bathroom

  Ever since quarantine hit, and we've been spending 200% more time inside our home, I've been nesting like crazy. Plus, my home is still a semi new home, after just moving in a year ago! I like to think that getting all settled takes time, right? 
Then, I, like soooo many others, binged the first season of the Home Edit's new Netflix show last weekend and I've been rapid fire organizing different parts of my house ever since.  I feel like a lot of others are probably in the same boat? So, I wanted to share what I've been organizing and how that's working in my home... 
Starting with my small "master" bathroom:
It's a bathroom in our master bedroom, but definitely not what you think of as a master bath. ;) We live in an old house and a larger, two sink, bathtub AND shower kind of bathroom is one of the things we chose to give up for the area we live in (which we love).
So, I've been trying my hand at maximizing the sh*t out of this little bathroom and organizing it to maximize the space better.  I've found a few game changers I wanted to share so far (but let's be honest, it's an on going process of trying new ways to organize as I use it and learn).

Before

Before wasn't terrible (was it?) - I did have a basket at least, but it was too big and we just threw stuff in it to be buried and never seen again. And the top shelf was getting so crowded and I was knocking bottles down trying to get to what I needed constantly. 
The cubbies on the side of the sink weren't being used well at all (and I don't have a before pic for). Mostly just one item willy-nilly set there. So, I was able to actually find more space with these cubes.

After

I added a lazy Susan turntable to the top shelf to corral all my products. This is a huge game changer, because it holds a lot, but I can easily swivel it around to find the items I used most needed in that moment. 

To the bottom shelf, I added to clear pull out drawers to store items less often used. I chose this so I could use the space above the drawers, too. I actually just ordered a long clear tray to sit across the drawers to play odd sized objects in (see?  a work in progress).

Another look at those cubes on the side of my sink vanity. And then I use the space between the sink and the wall/window to hang my hair tools (blow dryer, curling iron and flat iron).  

I have both my irons in heat resistant holders (with holes at the top so I can stretch them over the hook) so I don't have to worry about waiting until they're fully cooled off to put away. I also use them to lay my iron on while using it.

Every sink/bathroom vanity is different, but if you have space between yours and the wall -  consider adding hooks so you can optimize that space! My sink set up is Ikea, so these hooks came with it and work for its shape. You could get suction cup hooks for the side or hooks like what I have if measurements work.

We also added a floating shelf over our toilet to use that space (but it couldn't jet out too much as we walk in from the right side of the toilet).  I like clear bins because I can see what's in them, but with this being out, I liked the frosted look of this one. We keep our hair brushes and other items used often here.
This is a fake fiddle leaf plant, but want to test out a real one soon (I'm growing a baby spider plant now that I got off my big one to put here eventually). I like greenery for an addition of nature here. 
And that is pretty much it. 

Items Featured

Not Shown:
We have a pretty good size walk in shower that also has space for our dry towels. And we keep the trash can out next to our toilet. 

Not in my Bathroom:
I keep all my skin care and makeup in another space. I use a little area in my bedroom as a vanity for all of that, and I'll be sharing that soon - as I've had to transition that to a work space + vanity for this new world of working/living/everything at home. Stay tuned!
My kids share a separate bathroom, so all there stuff has a separate place to live.
And we use our hallway closet for back stock, extra towels, medicine, etc. 

Here are some other organization posts you can check out:
Organizing your kitchen baking section/cabinet (from my old house which I transitioned to my new one).
One way to organize your makeup in your bathroom (in my old house I didn't have a lot of drawers, so used a different approach that I'm doing in my new house).
5 different ways to store and organize kid toys!
Organize and decorate your shelving. 

Follow along here: BlogLovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

The Home Files: Must-Have Decor Books

  Home decor books are not the thing I dreamed of growing up and having my own space to decorate, they weren't the things I registered for when I got married, and the first time I got one as a gift, I wondered... what will I do with this?
But now? Now I can't get enough of them, and am thankful for those gifts in the past. Home decor books or coffee table books are so versatile in home decor, but also wonderfully useful, especially when you're stuck at home in a never-ending quarantine.  The only beach I'm visiting are the ones in this book, and I am reminiscing on last year's Italy trip (Rome and Amalfi Coast) through this book.
I use these beautiful and interesting books all over my home, also stopping to read them often (I use old regular books, too, especially favorites I can't part with).  They were a big part of my recent shelf re-decorating process (the reveal is here) and I stack them on my coffee table and side tables here and there.
Sharing some of my favorites and a few ways I use them below!

Shop my favorite books:

Follow along here: BlogLovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

Revealing my #Shelfie!

 
  I moved into my home about 6 months ago, and with it came two, big and beautiful built in shelves on either side the best plant window & window seat there ever was.  But the shelves, as beautiful as they are, have been a beast to bring to life with the right mix of personality and appealing design.
So, I have been playing with the shelf decor ever since moving in... from girlfriends coming over to help me (this was seriously such a good start!), to looking at #shelfie pics on IG far too long for inspiration, to lots of moving items around, stepping back to review, repeat. 
It's been a work in progress and I kept waiting until it was "done" before I shared, but really,  I don't think it'll ever be done.  Home decor is ever changing like our personal style. Seasonal for sure, but unlike how we use fashion to express how we're feeling, home decor allows us to set the stage for how we want to feel. 
So, below if you're interested, I'm sharing my before (more like after my first attempt) and where I'm at today with a few tips I've picked up along the way that are easy to apply to your own style!
Before

The shelves just felt too cluttered. Too many mixed match pieces with not a strong foundation. So I cleared it off and started over...
Currently

{I've linked to my shelf decor at the bottom of this post}
More white space = less cluttered look and feel. I also streamlined most of my frames, opting for the same white frame in varying sizes.  And then forming little vignettes on the shelves helped to create a cohesive design.

A closer look at each shelf:

Tips
1. Texture
Mix textures to add contrast and depth to your shelf! I added two woven baskets (one to each shelf) to breakup my many frames, streamlined my books and added trinkets I found around the house to see a difference.  Plus, the baskets can hide a bunch of small stuff you don't really want displayed! Other ideas: little mirrors in the back can add some fun dimensions, pops of metal (bookends, trinkets, basket), bowls (think about your pretty serving wear you have stored away), plants - faux or real, etc.

2. Color theme or colorful
You can go many ways with this, and ultimately do what pleases you. The two options I toyed around with was either keeping in the same color family (like different hues of blue with neutrals) or keeping neutral with pops of (multiple) colors that work with my room.  I like a lot of colors, and was having a hard time narrowing it down - so I went with a neutral background with pops of yellow, blue, green and pink.  This also allowed me to work with different things I already had laying around my house, and showcase things I really love vs. be filtered by the hue fo the object.

3. Mix up proportions 
Wide, narrow, short, tall - mix it all up. Think about drawing the eye up and over to your most cherished pieces. Layer items to provide more depth by tucking taller objects behind or in front of shorter and wider ones (like a tall vase behind/in front of a wide photo).   This is where you can play with creating vignettes. 

4. Leave open space
Probably the place I struggled with the MOST. I want to fill every nook and cranny, and you really, really need open/empty/white space to keep the shelf from looking too cluttered (like in my before photo).  The best way to avoid stuffing it too full is to start with a blank slate - empty the shelf completely.  Then build slowly one vignette or shelf at a time, taking a step back or lots of breaks to let it digest! Then, be prepared to keep messing with it forever to come... 

Shelf Decor Items
1. Books

2. Baskets & Vases

3. Frames, Trinkets & Trays

Please share your own shelf inspo or design ideas in the comments below!

Follow along here: BlogLovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

Surviving COVID Quarantine - Tips for what to do!

  Like many others, I've experienced a wide range of emotions over the last 3+ weeks of quarantine so far. Thankful that we have a home and jobs, sorrow for those struggling, longing for my old life back, missing my family and friends, anger for having to cancel trips and other plans, fear for the unknown, sadness for my kids when school got cancelled, and so on and so on. 
But more that anything, anxiety for all the things above and the unknown of this situation still to come jumbled up at once .  For me, it's helped to not pay too much attention to the news and to take one day at a time. I'm choosing to be concentrate on the thankful feeling and think about all the things I can do vs. can't do. 
While my husband and I compete for the quiet spots in the house for our work meetings, and the kids are starting to get the hang of virtual school in-between kind of plying together/mostly fighting, we are finding a rhythm and comfort in other activities to make the most of the time home together.
Here are a few things that we have been doing:
1. GO OUTSIDE
Work outside Eat outside Walk outside Draw with chalk outside Draw on your friends' driveways Nap outside
Just stay away from other humans outside.
Getting outside has been my personal saving grace, and I can tell it helps my family, too. Even when the weather has been cold, we bundle up and go on a daily walk.  

2. EXPERIMENT
On a Zoom happy hour with some friends, we were talking about some at-home products to take the place of services we often get done elsewhere. We decided that we should each try something (that we can order online for delivery) and then we can share our findings!
This is the time when you can hide (or strategically position yourself) behind your computer, so a little experimentation isn't so scary.  Now is the time to take chances!
I have never done at home tanning/tanning lotion. And now with the sun peaking out, my pale skin is glowing and no one will see if I mess it up - I'm going to give it a try (I'll report back). I did some research, and found that St. Tropez Self Tan Express Bronzing Mousse was the easiest to apply for beginners (read: hardest to mess up).
One of my friends is going to experiment with at home hair care to cover her roots and another friends is testing out some at-home manicure products. 

{I also took this time to test a new hairdryer and skincare products!}

3. VIDEO CHAT (sometimes)
I dove headfirst into video chatting with all my friends, co-workers, family every day and night at first.  And while that is really helpful and makes me feel good to connect with my loved ones outside my house, I'm getting sick of staring at a screen! 
So, I pulled back a bit on the quantity of additional screen time activities outside of work and am focusing in on quality time each week (not every night). I'm loving Zoom best for video chat. Google hangouts is too walky-talky,  FaceTime is running slow for me, and WebEx is glitchy for me.
Blue blocking glasses have also been a new purchase that I feel like is helping me. I was starting to have a constant headache after so much screen time, and since wearing these glasses (only $15 and come in a lot of colors) most of the day, I haven't had a headache (so that's a win in my book!).

{Blue Blocking Glasses, $15, come in lots of colors}

4. DO SOMETHING NEW
Take up a new project or skill, like try a new type of art or dance. Maybe a house project you've been putting off or better yet, a new skill, just for fun.  I know we are all learning some new skills for thriving in this new WFH, virtual school facilitator and keep everyone alive stage - but something else, something purely for fun...
Even better, learn something with your kid(s)/family/partner.  I haven't done this yet. Trying to get into our new schedule with virtual school and work, but I have two ideas on my mind:
1. Learn to play the Ukulele (tons of free lessons on YouTube + relatively inexpensive to get the instrument if you don't already have one. We already have one!)
2.  Stop motion with Stop Motion Kids Camp (for kids and adults). I plan to do this with my son!
My friend has been working on her Tarot Reading skills - which can be done on our virtual happy hours, so already very useful and interesting for us all.

@fflowks
5. DUPE YOUR KIDS
...into doing things that helpful, but also while having fun. This is the ideal time for me to brush up on my creative parenting skills. 
For example, we have a lot of big trees in our neighborhood/yard, so a lot of sticks laying around.  If I asked the kids to pick those up, they'd complain all day and probably hardly actually do it.  So, instead, I gave them the idea that they could build a house out of sticks!  That's all I had to do for them to get to work collecting allllll the sticks into a pile! Success.
I have also resorted to paying them to be outside. Well, paying them to clean out all our flower beds free from dead leaves, which happens to be outside. They are outside using energy, we get to get work done quietly, AND the yard work is getting done! It's a win-win situation.
And finally, my kids came up with a "secret family language" (kudos to them for this idea) that is keeping them busy writing notes in this language. Busy + practicing spelling in a new way! Win-win.

6. COOK MORE
This could also fall under "experiment" or "do something new" but I've been using this time to get a little more actual cooking in vs. just warming up dinner in the microwave. Get creative with pantry staples and items that can be more easily found in the current landscape. 
I had gotten two new cookbooks for Christmas and just ordered another one to keep my creative juices flowing (while being healthy), but you can also find a wealth of recipes online! 

My favorite cookbooks are Skinnytaste, Sheet Pan Suppers &  Skinnytaste One & Done (for Instapots, crockpots, sheet pan meals, etc)

7. ORGANIZE
Something, anything... small or big... it'll help! I've been cleaning out closets and drawers when I need a break from all the screen time for something more hands on. Seeing the progress relatively quickly has been encouraging for me.
My favorite storage containers for organization:

  

These cute drawer storage tins made it even more fun to organize!


What are you doing to stay sane?
Shop the products in the above post here:

Follow along here: BlogLovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

Amazon It List: Quarantined Edition

 



It is a weird, scary, anxious time for all on planet earth right now.  Without getting too much into my feelings about it all (at this time), I wanted to share some items that are helping us get through our quarantined life (or those that I'm ordering and considering due to to our new found life of doing everything from home). 
As of now, Amazon is still shipping, so here is my "Quarantined Edition" of the Amazon it List!  
My tip for handling deliveries in this time: open deliveries outside, throw/recycle packaging away outside, then wipe down contents with lysol before bringing into your home. As always, wash your hands when done.   Life At Home 
Not sure about you, but we have stocked up on freezer goods or freezing fresh produce (more than canned foods) so that we can keep eating the fruits, veggies, meats and meals we're used to as much as possible throughout this time. We currently don't have a secondary freezer, and not a lot of space to store one, so I have done some research on small options!
Extra small (that locks, so kids stay out), small and small chest

With lots of home time, my kids are spending a ton more time in comfy clothes (including pajamas). These jammies are adorable, super soft, come in many clothes and with and without ruffled edges and Nora loves this lightweight leopard sweatshirt (great for transition from winter to spring).
During this first week of quarantine, both my kids turned to art a ton. Which I loved. I'm getting some art craft supplies to fuel the next month (?!).

And me? I'm just surviving with my at home coffee situation (I have a full review here), and snacking on these healthy candies. 
Home Work Life
I know a great deal of you are now working from home and being a stay at home parents - and that's a whole lot of work all at once. We're starting to find our new groove here. But what I still need to figure out is a better longer-than-we-wish solution for a better and more comfortable work space.
You can turn any surface into a desk space with this multifunctional desk pad (a la my dining room table).
And one thing I've learned from working from home 6 days in a row... I miss my office chair/standing desk.  My back and neck hurt.  This chair is very reasonable and highly rated, and this one comes in a cool grey color. But what I'm really contemplating is this standing computer stand on wheels (I can roll it away from my kids!).
Now that I'm starting at screens even more (especially with my social life also exclusively through screens), I'm finally caving on getting some blue blocking glasses.

Stay Healthy
not 100% sold that vitamins do a TON, but they can't hurt. From the research I've read, Vitamin D is super important to support your immune system, and there is some rising research on elderberry. So both me and the kids are leveraging those (adult elderberry one and this kids version also has vitamin d + zinc included)!
Also helping me both mentally and physically is home workouts. There is NO shortage of free working resources online. I honestly love searching YouTube and doing yoga and cardio classes and finding strengthening moves. Some of my favorite local studios have started live streaming, too (I did a yoga class via Zoom with Darling Yoga, and loved that).
Here are some of my favorite home workout equipment (don't need a ton!):

What it saving you on Amazon in this time?

Follow along here: BlogLovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

New Home, Who Dis?

 

  This is a bit overdue, but in the midst of my girls trip to wine country,  back to school and Italy (more on that soon), we moved a whole half of a mile into a new home!  Moving... especially from your first house where you brought your babies home... is so bittersweet (no matter how far, or not far the move). But we're so excited about our new home, which offers more space, a beautiful backyard, and completely different lay out. 
We are trying to get settled and quickly getting used to all the new noises and flow. Unpacking has been the bane of my existence... for every one box I unpack, I swear 2 more reappear. And because of the new layout, a lot of our old furniture didn't work - so I am also madly selling things on Facebook Marketplace and Poshmark.  
This also means... (cover your eyes, Greg!) we need new things! BUT I am <trying> to be patient and take my time to get the right things which will be clear once I've figured out how we'll use the new space and what kind of room designs/vibes I am feeling.  The fun part is starting those designs - which I've already begun!
For now, I just wanted to say good-bye (digitally) to the old home and give you a little taste of the new home...
You can see more of our old home starting here and scrolling down.
Good-bye sweet house:

I'm not sure what is worse... packing or unpacking? 🤷

But we tried to make it easy on our awesome movers (and us later on to have the right boxes in the right rooms, and at least on the right floors) by color coding the boxes with different colors of tape:

 

And did I mention how awesome our movers were? Of course it ended up being close to 100 degrees that day, and they worked HARD. We had some furniture that didn't end up fitting around a turn to get to the downstairs staircase, and they did a bunch of re-work + ended the full day with everything in tact and nothing broken!  O'Connor's Moving does local (Kansas City area) moves and you should call them if you are moving.  

And even though we moved into our new home 6 weeks ago - we still have boxes to unpack and things to organize and furniture to order.  But we're sure glad to be here! We love the cul-de-sac, and already our neighbors! 
Hello new home!

Perhaps my favorite room... 

 The screened in porch! This is also the first room we bought new furniture for right away. We did a bunch of research and landed on this Polywood set because it will LAST FOREVER and it's made with Sunbrella fabric, has great reviews and comfortable. 

This furniture comes in a lot of different color combos and sets, but we loved the bright blue with the white, which makes me feel like vacation mode out there. (will love it even more when we paint all the exterior and it's not that brown/green).

Despite the boxes on boxes still happening, I'm finding joy in little vignettes.  Especially those calling Fall. Pumpkin everything coming right up.
These seasonal Meyer's soap (dish and hands) smell amazing. Highly recommend.  And if you get a big pumpkin dish, fill that right up with candy corn and peanuts. 

And the kids love our backyard, which came with this little swing set and lots of room to run and play.  
Now give me all your 'how to decorate your entire house without killing your bank account' tips! Please, and thank you! :)

Follow along here: BlogLovin, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook