Unpacking our Bags

moving in

 

We’ve been moved in for awhile now, but we can finally look back and decompress. Although, we still have a box or five that still need to be sorted.

Moving day was a crazy blur. We left the old house and did both closings the same morning. We handed over the keys and a few tears were shed, but we were really happy to learn a disabled military veteran would be buying the house. We were just excited to get an offer, but this was icing on the cake. He was most looking forward to the running trails and impressed by the neighborhood. We thought he’d be an excellent fit!

So, we were homeless for a few hours before going to our second signing.

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Choosing the Perfect Rug

how to find the perfect area rug

 

Maybe perfection is that elusive, unachievable thing that you’ll always be chasing in your home. Maybe it’s an ongoing process that evolves over time. This is a new philosophy for me – Usually I know what I like and what I don’t like. I either fall in love with something, or I don’t. But that’s just not the case with this new area rug.

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Patio Pillows

DIY Outdoor Patio Pillows

 

Outdoor Pillows

It was about time we decided to set up a patio table on the deck outside our bedroom. And pillows were the most exciting part! It was actually my first project that I had planned, even before we moved from the old house. I had bought fabric weeks before we even moved. Call me crazy, but it was my #1 project idea since May.

There are so many fun and funky patterns of outdoor fabric, why would you buy them from the store? And I think they’re a little overpriced if you buy them from a Target or Home Goods. So I headed to Joanne.com to find a few patterns I liked. Luckily there were many! And a few cute ones in-store too. They were even all 40% off! All I needed to do was buy some stuffing and I used my sewing machine to do the rest.

Mix’n & Match’n

 

outdoor fabric

Here’s what I found on my first round of shopping in Joanne.

outdoor pillow patterns

 

In love with the geometric one.

Mix 'n' Match

 

I ordered these three on Joanne.com.

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5 Tips for Staging your House

setting the stage banner

5 Tips for Staging your House

If you’re in the midst of trying to sell your house, you know how stressful it can be. But if you follow some of these basic tips, it doesn’t have to be hard.

  1. Get help – A staging person has a great eye and experience. When in doubt, have someone walk through your house and uncover your blind spots. Many realtors offer to include this for free and have connections in the industry who consistently stage houses that sell.
  2. Borrow – Ask friends and family for select pieces of furniture before footing a bill on new things. Thrift shops and consignment stores can be your best friend.
  3. Keep it simple – Neutral paint colors, sparse furniture and minimalistic decorations are the name of the game. Clean, clean, clean! I could say it again. It makes such a difference. People like to envision what they could do to a space, not see that someone’s living there.
  4. Storage – Invest in a storage unit, or rely on friends and family to hide away your clutter. Nobody wants to walk into the garage and see mountains of odds and ends. On that note, hide away anything that is valuable to you. If someone makes an offer, they may ask for you to leave that favorite rug or those expensive pillows behind in order to seal the deal.
  5. Breathe  – This is a process with lots of moving pieces. Get yourself a good team and do what you can to best prepare your home for showings. After that, let go and trust that things will work out. It’s important to get good sleep during this transition and eat healthy (even if you’re not able to use your kitchen.) It can feel chaotic, but it will all be worth it once you get a happy buyer for your house 🙂

 

Stage Presence

Here’s how we did it. We were pretty confident in our staging abilities, and guess what? We didn’t do too bad! When Barb the professional came in, we didn’t have a whole lot to change. Mainly this is because we had already cleansed the premises and shipped all our possessions off to various garages.

If you’re currently trying to stage your home, you don’t necessarily need to hire a professional staging person. Although, you may find it helpful. Luckily Joe’s parents had some furniture to lend us and his mom got to be the personal shopper for staging. I’ll try to give as many details as I can.

 

staging layout drawing

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Gingerbread House

pretzel gingerbread house header

I absolutely love making gingerbread houses and try to build one every year! Last year I bought a kit, but after seeing this log cabin, I decided I should try making one myself! So I found a handy contractor and hired him and his cousin to help me out 🙂

At first, they were acting way too cool for such childish activities, but once I got started they kind of took over! The outcome wasn’t as picturesque as this, but there was joy in the process. And isn’t that what matters?

The Tools

I rounded up all the graham crackers, gumdrops, peppermint candies, hard candy, frosting, pretzel rods, and sprinkles I could find.

how to make a gingerbread house tools

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Halloween Costumes

halloween costumes

Costumes: An Anthology

I’m surprised I didn’t post anything about Halloween costume-making last year. But by now I have two years’ worth of costume concocting photos. Mwa Ha Ha. Would you rather buy your costume or make one? Or maybe you have a tried and true go-to that you wear annually. (I wore my pirate costume 3 years straight. I was in a pirate phase.) I’m definitely a fan of making something out of existing clothes or thrift finds.

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July Updates

Goodbye July

Hello August

July has been fun, but August looks just as bright! This week we’ve got some legitimate updates, some random things, and some cute things… So let’s just dive right into them, in that order.

Plant

I’ve purchased a lovely new plant. The YMCA was selling them for charity, so I picked it up for $10. I seem to do ok with tropical plants, and nothing else.

Sago Palm

It’s called a Sago Palm and is not really a true palm at all! It’s doing well so far. (2 weeks)

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Inspiration

daily inspo DIY inspiration

 

Inspire the Spirit

That’s really what inspiration is, right? Something good for the spirit? This post is another roundup of things that have visually stuck with me over the past couple weeks.

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Movie Room Roundup

movie room updates

Little Updates, Big Difference

Well this room has certainly come a long way since it was here:

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New Apartment Love

 

 

 

 

Apartment Department

Hello IKEA

Welcome to your new apartment, now may I introduce you to IKEA?

Renting a new apartment can be a lot of fun, and a lot of work. I’m jealous of my friend Maria in that she gets a fresh canvas to decorate. Not jealous of all the packing and unpacking involved. I’m so excited to see her put it all together. Mainly so we can get around to that house-warming party! Here are some of the fun ideas she already has.

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