Bedding Favorites

I hate actually having to change bedding but something about fresh, clean sheets and a kinda sorta but not really made bed gives me the warm and fuzzies. I'm a sucker for neutral colors and simple prints but love fun, bright or bold throw pillows. Spring cleaning is on the horizon and always a perfect time to get rid of old bedding and bring in something new for the season. White is my go to but I tend to go inexpensive #becausekids #becausecats #becauseimaccidentprone. But go for the splurge if you've had your eye on something for awhile! I rounded up our tried and true faves and a few wishlist items too! 

Coffee Bar Favorites

Hi, Hilary here. Yes, I'm alive. Things have been pretty crazy around here and I honestly don't know how often blogging will fit into my schedule during this season. But it is something that I still love to do so hopefully most of you will stick around for those times that I do get a post up. 

Last week I took a photo of one of my favorite little spaces in our home. The coffee bar. I posted it on Instagram and pinned the photo. And people apparently love it. Who woulda thought?! While I absolutely love having a space dedicated to all things coffee...and a diffuser of course, I had no idea my enthusiasm about it would be shared by so many. 

So here's the deal. Our kitchen is kind of small. But we have a room in the front of our house that is supposed to be a formal dining room. We aren't formal dining kind of people so after we welcomed Fallon the obvious choice was to make it a playroom. And then the REALLY obvious choice was to make it a playroom/coffee bar. Everyone is happy, right? Yup. My coffee bar shares a home with a zillion toys. But having all things coffee in a dedicated space, one that I can keep looking nice among all the chaos and decorate for the holidays, it's really so special to me. So I thought I'd round up some cute coffee things that maybe my fellow coffee lovers will appreciate too! Can you even handle the cute stir spoons and swizzle sticks?!

Fall Home Tour

I'm just another fall loving basic white girl, and I'm totally okay with that. So it's no surprise that there are pumpkins and mums on my front porch, buffalo plaid pillows on my couch and pumpkin spice in my coffee. But seasonal decorating actually has been a bit less fun and more stressful since having kids and I simply mean that I just don't have that much time for it. So this year I've gone much more minimal with my decor than years past. Less time, less stress, less money. More fun! And, as it turns out, I actually love the less is more thing.

I started early, went through everything I already had and bought very few new things, with purpose. It was so helpful to me to put out what I wanted to use then only buy things with a specific spot to put them in mind. This worked out much better than my usual approach of going nuts on everything I like and trying to stuff it all in my house later. It was fun to use my open kitchen shelving to add decor with things we actually use like cups and bowls. And simply putting a pumpkin or fake bats pretty much anywhere suddenly makes it look like fall! 

I decided to stay classic with mostly orange, black and white and that helped to streamline the decor throughout my house. And I didn't worry about differentiating between "fall" and "halloween". Halloween is my most favorite holiday and Fallon is really getting into it this year too so we just went a little fall and a little spooky from the beginning. And after the 31st I'll just ditch the bats and probably keep the rest until after Thanksgiving. Make your own rules!

Axton's Nursery

I had no idea what I wanted to do in the new nursery until I was about 7 months pregnant. It was one of those things that just hit me as I was out shopping for something totally unrelated. The funny thing is, it took forever to finish Fallon's nursery but Axton's was done before he arrived. And usually I think it's the other way around! Honestly I didn't have to put much effort in this time because we had Fallon's crib and glider to use and my old bamboo furniture. White walls and curtains, black rug, a floor lamp, a little greenery and a few decorative accents pulled together the simple sort of jungle theme I was going for. Aside from painting and bolting furniture to the walls, the most work that went into the room was building the wooden bench. After we had everything in place in the room the space underneath the cute koala picture just needed something. And the DIY bench my friend Christina made for her home was exactly that missing final piece! So inexpensive and easy and it could go anywhere else in the house later on. I love the final result and can't wait to (hopefully) snap pictures of our little man sleeping here soon.

Fallon's Toddler Room

When we decided it was time to update Fallon's room from nursery to toddler space, my initial thought was just to simplify. I had so much fun decorating her room the first go round but may have gotten a bit carried away with....stuff. So everything came down off the walls,  the old furniture went out and we switched up a few things. I still love the light gray paint color I originally chose so it was just freshened up. And I kept it low key with white, brushed gold and blush accents. I absolutely love how it all turned out and Fallon is the most pleased with her big girl room!

I wanted a white spindled bed but goodness the Jenny Lind ones are expensive! We went with this one while it was on sale and it's just perfect. Of course a twin bed meant no more crib sheets and opened up a whole world of bedding options. I jumped at the chance to work with Beddy's after seeing how amazing their sets looked in the homes of my friends! The Chic Gray is exactly the right amount of dark contrast with feminine ruffle details and you probably know by now polka dots speak to me. The comforter goes right over the mattress like a fitted sheet and stays in place then has a cozy top later that zips all the way around. It does not get any easier or convenient to make the bed and just zips right off to wash. And since Fallon is just as appreciative of pretty, snuggly blankets as her mama, she is loving the black and white spotted one we received with her new bedding. It will be so simple to teach her to make her own bed!

The rest of the room really just got a simple makeover. We switched out the curtains and rod, put her teepee in the corner when the rocker went to the nursery and left the bookshelves. The wire shelf I found last year at Hobby Lobby was really the whole inspiration for the room. Her metal hooks were spray painted to match and we found coordinating new hardware for her dresser that was just collecting dust at my parents' house. A little rearranging of baskets, books, a few decorative items and a new lamp + rug completed the space. No on is happier with the turn out than the girl who calls it her room. I linked as many sources as possible (or similar) below but please let me know if I missed anything!

Bed / Bedding Set / Spotted Blanket / Heart Pillow / Sign c/o Timber & Gray / Curtains (similar) / Curtain Rod (similar) / White Fur Rug / Area Rug / White Basket / Book Shelves / Teepee / Wire Shelf / Blush Pom Basket / Gray Pom Basket / Feather Hooks / Floral Rain Boots / Pink Trinket Box / Ballerina Doll / Floral Quilt / Headbands / Bows / Drawer Pulls / Wooden Tray / Lamp

Nursery Theme with Lorena Canals

Stylish, natural, functional, washable. These aren't words that typically all describe an area rug. But those are exactly the first three words that come to mind when thinking of Lorena Canals. I learned of these magical rugs when I was pregnant with Fallon and had to have one for her nursery. We actually tested out the washable quality long before we imagined when something spilled while setting up her room. A sugary orange drink was spilled right on the pretty little pristine white stars on baby's brand new rug. Everyone sort of panicked until I said it's washable! The orange was long gone before Fallon was born and that rug still looks brand new. 

When I was thinking about a nursery theme for baby #2 I just couldn't quite come up with anything I loved that was gender neural. We've chosen not to learn the sex of our baby, like we did with Fallon, until he or she arrives. And then I was shopping for something else one day and it hit me. A bit of a minimalist, understated take on the classic jungle theme. Black + white with some pops of green. Yes, that was it. White walls with black accents would be perfect! So, you bet I was excited when Lorena Canals was kind enough to send us a gorgeous black berber rug with tassels that was exactly what I wanted. I love that they have options for any room in your home and that can transition from nursery to toddler room and beyond. 

The rug arrived just as we were finishing up painting and moving in the furniture. You can tell right away the quality level of these rugs when you feel the weight and material. When we rollout and positioned the rug it was clear this was THE rug for the room and really pulled all my ideas together. If we change things up when baby is little older, the rug could find a new home just about anywhere else in my house. It's so versatile, handmade with all natural dyes and VCO free. And I mean, how can you not love a pretty rug that's easy to run a vacuum over or throw right into your washer to clean?! As a mom to a toddle tornado with outstanding mess making abilities plus 3 dogs and 3 cats, these qualities in a rug are everything. I want a Lorena Canals rug for every room in my house!

Organizational Favorites

Maybe it's the New Year, maybe it's nesting, maybe it's just me and my weird obsession with baskets. Whatever the case may be I have been on an organizational rampage, tearing through every room in my house trying to clear the clutter and corral the crap. It's been fun to figure out the spaces where organization is needed then find appropriate items to get things in order. I've been getting rid of so much that we don't need, simplifying in general and loving how even the smallest changes can make such a big impact. When everything has a place and everything is in it's place there's such a sense of peace in the house. I mean it lasts 2 minutes when the toddler is around but at least when I go to put something away I know that doesn't mean tossing it in a drawer or a closet then having to search for it later. I rounded up all my new and old favorites if you're on the organizational train too!

Living Room Inspo

The living space in the front of our house is supposed to be a dining room. Since we moved in 2 years ago it's yet to resemble anything close to a dining room, or really any other standard living space. It's just been our whatever room. Our giant turtle tank landed there and stayed and over time Fallon's toys were moved there as to not clutter the family room. Finally enough was enough. The turtles have been relocated to our basement and seem to be actually much happier there. And suddenly it was all very clear what exactly I wanted to do with that room. 

Our family has no current need or desire really for a formal dining room. In a three bedroom house there has to be somewhere on the main floor for the kids to play and that is the perfect space. And it just so happens there's room for a cozy nook with a coffee bar for mama. Who needs a dining room when a playroom with coffee is exactly the kind of space for our family? It's all coming together and I can't wait to show off the final design but in the meantime, here's a little sneak peak. 

Galvanized Organizer / Light Fixture / Wire Shelving Unit / Area Rug / Throw Pillow / Chair / Cube Organizer / Buffet Table / Children's Table Set

Favorite Finds

I'll be honest, the end of summer left me feeling so uninspired I felt like I didn't have much to share, hence the lack of posts. But September has brought fall like weather and I'm suddenly all kinds of motivated to share new things as we welcome my favorite season. Fall fashion, fall decor, fall recipes, I have so many post ideas swirling around in my head now and I can't wait to get back into this blogging groove. It's a 60 something degree morning and Fallon and I are off to adventure. But first, my latest favorites.

The cutest little jogger pants for babe and total bonus points because they match mama's!

A cozy + festive blanket for all the cool weather snuggles

Hands down the best cardi coat of the season, I want to live in it, and I just might

Must try pumpkin muffin recipe for chilly fall mornings

My new favorite accent pillow that's perfect all year round

The perfect pair of OTK boots to go with everything fall fashion

Floral jams for Fallon that I wish came in my size

Want more favorites? Check out what Ashley, Heaven and Arin are posting about today.

Happy Friday!

How To Make An Entryway In A Small Space

Some homes have a mudroom, some have a foyer and some have a big hallway when you walk through the front door. My home has none of these so when we first moved in, my plans to update did not include an entryway. But thanks to all the beautifully styled options on Instagram and Pinterest, the creative juices started flowing over the winter.

Our front door is the main point of entry for any guests we welcome into our home. The stairs are off center with the hallway to the kitchen to the left and the dining room just beyond. The walkway to the powder room to the right and we have 4 windows across the front of the first floor of the house so there isn't much wall space. It didn't help that light switches had been placed in the center of the wall space that was available. But sometimes fewer possibilities are easier to work with.

The storage/shelving unit combos sold specifically for entryways are a one shot deal and fit well into many spaces. But when you're working with about 6 feet of wall space and a foot deep of floor space, you have to think outside the box. A simple bench and hanging shelf unit with hooks were the 2 pieces I felt would look best and be most functional. Unfortunately I can't link the exact ones I have as they aren't available anymore, but you can find many similar options here, here and here.

The walls had already been painted Silver Chain by Benjamin Moore so it was a shame that the wall had to be cut to move the light switches. Luckily my brother-in-law is an electrician and did it for us one day and Chris patched and painted afterward. But I was surprised at how little time it took and I would have absolutely paid someone to do it to get my entryway. Your light switches can be moved people! Make sure you measure the space and map out how much of it you want taken up by furniture. Using all the available space isn't always the best way to go. Pick your pieces to flow with with other surrounding areas but don't forget practicality is key! I really just wanted a nice area to put our keys and sunglasses and something to hang Chris's hats and my bags. 2 shelves, 4 hooks and a simple bench were perfect to hold all these things plus add a decorative touch. 

I am honestly so happy with the way it turned out and still amazed that just moving light switches and adding 2 small pieces made such a huge difference. It is one of my favorite little spots in the house. And now we don't spend 10 minutes looking for keys because they somehow ended in the fridge. Hopefully I'm not the only one that has happened to. 

Fallon's Fortress

We never planned to find out if we were having a boy or a girl when I was pregnant so I knew the nursery would have to start off gender neutral. I had ideas floating around in my head and slowly they started to come together and I came across things I liked. The plan was to create a grey and white room with navy accents and add a pop of color once baby was born and we had a girl or a boy as the deciding factor. I didn't expect to just be finishing up with an 8 month old little girl but Fallon's room is even better than I dreamt it would be. Hopefully she loves it too when she's old enough to appreciate it. So much time, effort and love went into creating this little space just for her. I'll always have those fond memories of picking out the paint color with my dad, the letters for the alphabet with my mom and Chris choosing her crib. Every little detail was thought out and I'll never be sorry we took the extra time to get it right. 

Metal + Wood Letter F

Changing Pad Cover

Feather Hooks

Crib / Crib Sheet - Similar / Faux Fur Blankets / Glider / Pouf

Moon + Cloud Mobiles / White Washed Wood Letter F / Love You To The Moon And Back Sign 

Rug 

I linked as many items as possible but if you want to know where something else is from please e-mail me or direct message me on Instagram. You may very well be able to find some items in store even though I could not find them online to link.