$45 Laundry Closet Makeover REVEAL (Before and After)

So there's good news and bad news. The good news is the laundry room/closet makeover is complete.  The bad news is the washer decided to conk out completely about 3.2 seconds after I added the final touch and now we are shopping for a new washer.   I really wasn't planning to take the laundry room makeover that far - after all I was on a $100 budget here - but when life gives you lemons you make lemonade  a broken washer the laundry piles up fast!

That being said....I could not wait a minute longer to finally reveal my new laundry room.

Patio Tour and Plans for a Mini Makeover

So I'm like super excited.  This weekend - after what seemed like the eternal winter - we finally were able to get out the patio furniture.  I know! I know!  The back patio is pretty much the reason we bought this house exactly three years ago.  It totally expands our living space from the spring through the fall and I am uber excited that the snow has finally melted and we got...wait for it...a 79 degree day on.a.weekend!

Here's a little patio tour of the bare space. See why we love it?

Spring Coffee Table Vignette

If you follow me on Instagram you got a little sneak peek of this 'project' earlier this week.  It's not even really a project as much as it is an experiment.  I'm experimenting to see - for the first time in five years - if I can successfully keep coffee table decor in tact for more than five minutes.   My kiddos have kept hands-off so far and we're working on day four here!

Every time I flip through Pottery Barn or West Elm or Ballards I notice how nice their coffee tables look. I wanted something to add a little pop to my living room and this did the trick.  I gathered some items I already had pulling from various rooms, holiday decorations, storage boxes, and the bookshelf. 

My New Mohawk Home Rug {And a $150 Rug GIVEAWAY!}

 

So a few weeks back it was my birthday.  I had a bad birthday.  Nothing was going right...in fact everything was going wrong.  I told my husband, that night, I wanted a birthday re-do.

The next day I received an email from Jamie.  She's the blogger behind So Much Better With Age which had been hosting a Mohawk Home Rug giveaway.  In her email, she informed me I was randomly selected as the winner of a Mohawk Rug.   Who me?  I won something? Say it ain't so! Happy, Happy Birthday to me, in deed! I got my re-do and I also finally got a rug for my dining room.

HELP!! My Laundry Closet Needs a Makeover

Perhaps it's because I've been seeing the same four walls of my house for too many consecutive days this winter...that doing laundry actually feels like a retreat most days.  It's five or ten minutes that I can hide upstairs alone when no one is asking me for a drink or to find their Batman (no the other one) or calling from the toilet that "Mommy, there's a problem" only to find out the 'problem' is that he can't get his superhero underwear (oh sorry, mask) on his head without my help.  WHAT is going on!!???!!

Oh wait, I retreat upstairs to switch the laundry and I'm faced with this and it's like WHAM BAM thank you MA'AM this is no haven this is an ugly, inefficient, and scary small laundry room closet. 

Christmas Party Ideas {& Christmas Home Tour}

Alright alright, I'll do a Christmas home tour. You twisted my arm.  Not really...but I have been dragging my feet about putting a together a post wrapping up all my DIY Christmas decorations.  Since I hosted a little Christmas dinner party the other night, I thought combining the two would be a great way to take you on a little home tour - while also sharing some Christmas party ideas.

Let me start off by saying I love to decorate and plan parties and the Christmas season is my favorite, so you know I was totally in my element.  I'm sure I seem like a total over-the-top hostess, but I actually enjoy all the little details that go into make it something special and something to remember.  This year we kept it simple and small and only had three other couples (minus our combined 9.5 kids) for the dinner party.   Technically, I guess the.5 was there....

10 Christmas Front Porch Ideas {On The Cheap}

In case you haven't picked up on it yet from all my recent posts, I have been slightly obsessing over my Christmas front porch decorations.  We typically decorate with icicle lights and a pretty wreath, but this year I really wanted something more Pottery Barn front porch-ish - ya know with lots of textures, layers, and personality...something really welcoming and inviting.  Of course, I didn't want the PB prices so I've been slowly working on creating a budget-friendly Christmas front porch and I think I've finally got it!

I spent less than $60 to create this entire front porch and all I started with was the wreath - which I made-over this year.  I've said it before and I'll say it again: To keep your decorating budget down, shop your house before the store!

Fall Home Tour: 10 DIY Fall Decorating Ideas {for busy moms}

 

If you've been following along for awhile you know I've been decorating for fall since what feels like  the first of September August.  This year I made a lot of DIY fall decor so I thought I'd do a great big roundup and take you, my lovely readers, on a fall home tour.   Like a lot of you, I am a busy mom to two little ones, so I know DIY decorating ideas must be fast, easy and cheap.

You're welcome, in advance :)