Showing posts with label Inspire Me Monday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Inspire Me Monday. Show all posts

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Oh the Lighting Possibilities

Hope you all are enjoying your weekend so far! I have an unexpected dining room lighting update to share with you next week! But, before I dish out all the details of the update, I wanted to fill you in on the process first.

To jog your memory, this is the lighting fixture we are working with. It was gold in a previous life, but appears to have been spray painted bronze at some point. Personally, this chandelier is not my thing. All that crystal is way too fussy for my taste and the dark green shades weren't doing anything for me either. So, the search began for a new light...
When we first moved into this house, I was thinking of going with something like this to coordinate with our schoolhouse lights in the kitchen and breakfast nook. But, after thinking about it long and hard, it just wasn't my favorite look for a dining room and was way out of my price range.

I also seriously considered a light like this. I love the look! However, after seeing them in person, I realized it just wasn't bright enough for my light craving self. Maybe I'll find another spot for a light like this? This one is from Pottery Barn, but Lowe's and Home Depot have similar options for less.

Next, I fell hard for this chandelier I saw featured on Love Grows Wild. I about fainted when I saw the price tag, though! I started looking for similar chandeliers in a lower price point, but was unsure of how I would like the exposed bulbs. I decided to take all of the shades off of my chandelier to test how I would like the bare bulbs and hated how bright the bulbs were. That nixed a whole slew of chandeliers off of my list, as a good amount of chandeliers have exposed bulbs. 

I also really loved this style of lighting fixture. It's probably my all time favorite. But it's just a tad too rustic for my house at this point. It's gorgeous, though...and also way out of my price range. ;)

When I finally got my head out of the clouds and started shopping in my price range, I found this one that I liked. But, the candle parts are too yellow/amber for our dining room. Sigh. Why couldn't they be white? :(

Then, last month, I found a chandelier at Lowe's that I actually liked, was in my price range, and went well with our house! But, a new light was not at the top of our priority list, so took a picture and filed it away for another day. 

Knowing it'd be a while before we could spend the money on the light, I decided I'd do a quick update to our existing light by removing all of the crystal and replacing the green shades with white ones. I ran into Lowe's this week to grab new shades and was floored when I realized they were $5 per shade! I needed 9 shades, so there was no way I could justify paying $45 to update a chandelier that I didn't even like. 

Defeated, I started to leave empty handed, but just had to check on the chandelier that I liked first. I hate to leave you hanging, but this post is already way too long, so I'll share the rest of the story on Monday! Hint-- I literally danced in my driveway when I got home from Lowe's! ;)

Have a great rest of the weekend! 

Monday, April 27, 2015

Ch Ch Ch Changes + Inspire Me Monday

Tell me you pictured the 90's Chia Pet commercial when you read the title?! Ha!

I'm excited to share some changes I made to the blog! Usually, I spend my weekend doing home projects, but this past weekend, I spent a good chunk of time giving my blog some loving. After nearly 3 years of blogging, it was time for some updates!

My sweet hubby taught me some basic coding (He's a patient, patient man!) and I was able to create galleries for easier access to previous posts. I created one for projects, one for seasonal decor, and one for recipes. Go check them out!

I've also updated my other tabs as well. Don't forget to follow along to keep up to date on the blog. Check out my social media and subscribe buttons on the sidebar! I hope the changes are helpful!

I'll leave you all with a little eye candy for Inspire Me Monday! I love picking up fresh flowers from the grocery store and am always looking for floral centerpiece ideas for our dining room. Check out these great floral centerpieces from around blogland! Remember to pin from original source. :)


You can't go wrong using a mason jar as a vase and I'm loving the color of this one!


I love the look of the bright green apples as the vase filler!


I've been a long time fan of these rustic boxes filled with jars and flowers. I've been wanting to build one for years. Time to get it done already, right?!


I love the simplicity of this collection of jars and flowers! This would be a great way to display grocery store flowers!


This crate beautifully corrals jars of flowers and is made with paint stirrers! Such a great mix of rustic and elegant!

Pick up some flowers at the grocery store and try some of these ideas out for a fresh table centerpiece this week! Happy Monday, Everyone!

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Inspirational Gallery Walls

While I'm busy putting the finishing touches on our hall gallery wall, I wanted to show you a few of my favorite gallery walls around blogland right now. Enjoy! Note: Please pin from original sources.
I had been toying with the idea of a gallery wall in the hallway for months and this picture sealed the deal for me. I love the floor to ceiling frames! 

I love the incorporation of wood tones in this gallery!

The keys, plant, chalkboard, and letter are all such fun additions to this gallery!

I'm a sucker for a curvy frame and incorporated them into my gallery wall, too. 

Perfection! 

I love the entire look and colors and especially love that oval mirror!

I'm loving the patterned and striped frames! 

I came this close to getting a galvanized letter for our wall. Love it!

I'll be back with our completed hall gallery next! 

Monday, April 6, 2015

Sunshine, Sniffles, and Spring Cleaning

Hey, Everyone! Sorry it's been a few days since my last post! I was sick for a week, then we traveled to Florida. It was great to see our family and take the kids to the beach!
We just got back in town and I'm trying to dig my way out of the mound of housework I need to catch up on from when I was sick, plus all the unpacking there is to do. Not to mention, it's spring cleaning time!

To get me inspired to clean, clean, clean, I put together a round up of some great spring cleaning schedules and resources for you!

A Bowl Full of Lemons has a 30 day spring clean challenge going on. I love that it's broken down into small chunks that I can get done during my kid's naptime!
 I love how Tried & True broke her deep cleaning tasks down by room.
Little Ms Robinson has a great comprehensive cleaning list if you are more of a checklist kind of person. There is something so satisfying about checking the box, isn't there? ;)
The DIY Village has a great list of things you don't want to forget to clean!
The How-To Crew has some great cleaning tips!
DIY & Crafts has a list of cleaning hacks that will make your life easier!
I'm going to go put on some Uptown Funk and scrub away! Comment with your favorite cleaning tunes! I need some jams inspiration! :)

Happy Cleaning!

Monday, March 16, 2015

Inspire Me Monday- Michaels Window Shopping

Note: This is NOT a sponsored post. I was not compensated by Michaels in any way for writing this post. Michaels has no idea who I am, except for the store employees who may have seen me both this morning and this afternoon. Doesn't everyone go to Michaels twice a day? Cough cough... ;)

Hey Friends! Hope you all had a great weekend! I recently popped into Michaels to grab a couple things and was completely sucked into their spring/summer decor aisles. There are some really cute things out right now! I was thoroughly impressed with the style of their decor. The one negative, though, is that much of it was ridiculously overpriced. So many of the items you could DIY for much cheaper, though!

I decided to snap some pictures so that you could window shop with me! These were all taken with my phone while wrangling two kids (Do I get some kind of trophy for that?! Ha!), so please excuse the poor quality pictures. ;)

I'm in love with the coastal/cottage vibe going on in their decor! It's right up my alley! That rope frame and rope mirror would be an easy and inexpensive DIY!
More coastal inspired decor. I swooned over it all, especially that clock! 
Wouldn't these be easy DIY projects? And check out the price tags! $24.99 for a painted piece of wood with random knobs and hooks? $14.99 for a can with a chalkboard label and a fake plant? Adorable, but ridiculously overpriced! You could make these for a fraction of their prices. Sorry Michaels. 
I loved all of their glass bottles and jars mixed with rope. Another easy DIY! Reminds me of this post I saw recently on how to make a knotted rope jar. And that starburst mirror? Love that!
They have a TON of chalkboard items. Tons and tons and all adorable!
And last, but not least, they also had a great assortment of message and bulletin boards. I love that they all have hooks for extra storage. 
Were you sucked into Michael's spring display, too? What were your favorite things? Hope you enjoyed window shopping with me!
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