Tag Archives: home decor

Welcome To My Crib: Walk In Closet Edition

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Welcome To My Crib: Walk In Closet Edition

Hello, MTV, and welcome to my crib! Your girl is all moved in and obviously the first thing that I wanted to show all of you in my new apartment is my GIGANTIC walk in closet. Perfect for a fashion blogger/shoe and clothing addict. Honestly, this closet is what sold me on the entire apartment and I am so in love I can’t hardly stand it. Check it out:

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There she is – ain’t she a beaut?! Setting up my closet was so much fun because it was like living my dream. I have always wanted a huge closet where I could proudly display all of my apparel and I finally have it. I had the movers take all of my shoe shelving from my old bedroom up into my closet and, although there was a hanging rod in there, I set up another hanging rack that I purchased from Target, because just one will never do. And, apparently two won’t do, either, because I have another extra one just in case!

Behind my clothes and shoe collection is extra storage, which will be nice, because I can put all of the random things that don’t have a home there. For now, it’s just shoe boxes but that might change for later! My closet is truly the piece de resistance of my apartment and I am so happy to be able to show all of you. :))) Tune in tomorrow for another tour of chez moi! xx

What is your closet like? How do you keep your closet organized? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Six Improvements To Make In Your Home

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Six Improvements To Make In Your Home

If you’ve lived in your home for a while, it can sometimes get a little boring having the same furniture and features that you’ve had for years. With general wear and tear, there are improvements that you might look to make when you have the budget and time to do it. So with that in mind, here are six improvements to make to your home:

Reinvent A Room:

Depending on how many rooms are in your property, you may have one or two spaces that are empty or are currently a storage space for extra bits and pieces that don’t have a home. This might be a great opportunity to reinvent a room and turn it into something that could be useful. When clearing out the room, try to declutter as much as possible. Then, look at the size of the space and figure out what might work well. Perhaps a walk in wardrobe or maybe a mini cinema room!

Improve Outdoor Space:

Outdoor space, unless you consider yourself a keen gardener, will often get ignored. It might be that the garden is too high maintenance or you’ve not invested any time or attention into doing it up. No one wants to spend their time in a space that might be messy or ugly to look at. So if you’re looking for ideas to improve your outdoor space, here are a few suggestions:

Be Bold With Color – When it comes to your garden, you can go crazy with color. The brighter the colors, the more appealing the space will look to you and your guests. Also, having a variety of plants and flowers will attract more wildlife.

Install A Pond – A pond is another feature that attracts wildlife and it also feels like you’re giving your outdoor area some extra luxury. When making a pond, make sure to dig the right size and in an area that is easily visible. Make sure the base of the pond and the sides are well sealed before filling it in with water. Add a variety of fish friends, too!

Add Levels And Different Materials – Adding levels and using different materials is what gives your garden space that wow factor. It’ll make your guests think that you’ve really put some effort into the space. Think about using more than just grass, perhaps marble, stones, and bark. Add decking for levels and hire patios builders to help with the more complex work.

Update Your Bathroom:

The bathroom can end up becoming a little dated, especially if you haven’t done anything since you moved. If you can’t renovate the bathroom fully, then start with the smaller items and work your way up. Tiling and painting can help dramatically transform it and adding new taps, a more modern toilet, and a rainfall shower can be the slightly bigger buys later on down the line. Make sure that the room is well ventilated and that you accessorize it with soft furnishings that match the theme of your bathroom.

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Pexels Image

Rearrange The Furniture:

Improvements don’t need to cost a thing, you can simply rearrange the furniture. When you first moved into your property, you will have likely put everything where you first thought it could go. Now is an opportunity to change up the space a little and rearranging the furniture can make a big improvement without spending any money. Start on each room individually and try changing the position of the biggest piece of furniture. If that’s not possible, then look at moving the smaller pieces of furniture and seeing if that makes any difference. To finish it off, replace or update your soft furnishings, and it’ll feel like stepping into a new room.

Renovate Your Kitchen:

Kitchen renovations are sometimes necessary as it’s one of the most used places in your home. Therefore, the wear and tear will be clear on most of your appliances, particularly your everyday essentials like the kettle and oven. Kitchen cabinets are also the first things to fall off their hinges. Kitchen renovations are expensive but well worth the investment. It might also be financially beneficial to get it done if it needs doing as it can add value to your property if you sell it at any point in the future. Even if you start with replacing or painting the cabinets, that’ll make a difference. To begin your kitchen renovation, simply enter a search for “Queens kitchen renovations” (or your local area). The professionals you choose will be able to work with your vision while using their own expertise for an end result that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Insulate Your Property:

Insulation is important to your property, especially during the colder months. Overall, it helps to keep the heat in and the cold out. This can also save you a lot of money further down the line as you’re likely to save on energy because of it. So, to insulate your property, make sure your windows are either double or triple glazed. Insulate them with heavier blinds or curtains. Darker colors are going to attract sunlight which should, in turn, make your rooms a lot warmer. Insulation doesn’t need to be expensive as there’s a range of materials that are available at different costs. Try insulating your walls if possible and the loft space. If you have the DIY skills, you can always try it yourself, but it might be handy getting in a professional to do it.

Adding improvements to your home can help your space feel brand new, like when you first moved in. Change things up and see the difference for yourself!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Moving On Up: Family Dollar Haul

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Moving On Up: Family Dollar Haul

Hiya! The discount stores during my shopping hauls for moving have been my most frequented. And, my neck of the woods has a ton of them. Lol, us Akronites are partial to our Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, Dollar General, and Five Below. 😀 But, for good reason. I was able to knock off some items from my “to buy” list for a fraction of what I would have paid at Target or even TJMaxx, ready for when the movers come. Take a looksee:

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As I’ve mentioned in a few of my previous posts, the lighting in my apartment sucks on ice. It is really dark in there with not a ton of windows so I’ve been on the prowl for different lamps to brighten things up. I paid twenty bucks for the two lamps seen above, which will be perfect for my office and my bedside table. I also purchased four jumbo candles for five dollars apiece to create a nice glow that will smell really good! Especially the watermelon one – yum!!

And, finally, my storage bench. I have always loved these, but I have not been able to find just the right one so I was really happy to have snagged this one at Family Dollar. I got it for thirty-five dollars, which I consider a steal. I love the fabric and the shiny silver design and the inside storage is actually very deep so I’ll be able to fit a lot my things in there that I can’t quite find a place for. A successful haul, indeed. 😀

What is your favorite discount store? How do you create good lighting? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Moving On Up: Hobby Lobby Haul Edition

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Moving On Up: Hobby Lobby Haul Edition

Greetings! While shopping for my new apartment, I have had a little help. My clients have loved coming with me to pick things out and it has been so nice to have their personal touch in some of the items that I purchased. I told all of them that I want to use decorations that they chose in my home office and it has been such a blast seeing what they come up with.

During a shopping trip with one of my clients to Hobby Lobby, I ended up buying a new dinosaur and mermaid friend compliments of his recommendation. Check it out:

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This particular outing was really special to me because the client who I took is blind. So, we went down the aisles of Hobby Lobby and I would describe to him the things that would catch my eye and then we would give a yes or no verdict from there. However, I was told to get basically everything that I would tell him about!

As much as I would have loved to buy out the store, we went with the mermaid and dinosaur. I suggested something nautical because he loves to go to the beach and that idea sat very well with him. And, I friggen love the dinosaur and green is his favorite color so that was a no brainer! It was so special to me to have his help picking out some decor for my office and I can’t wait to put my new pals on my desk. 😀

How do you have your office space decorated? Are you partial to a particular theme of decor? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

What Is Visual Weight And How Can You Use It To Improve Your Home Decor?

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What Is Visual Weight And How Can You Use It To Improve Your Home Decor?

When you’re decorating, it’s important that you have a good sense of balance and symmetry in a room. It’s also important that you’re considering the size of the room that you’re decorating so that you don’t end up with large rooms that feel too empty or smaller spaces that are cramped and uncomfortable. Often, the furniture choices that you make have a big impact on this, but that’s not the only thing to consider.

Visual weight is an interior design term that refers to the weight that an object or surface appears to have, rather than how much it weighs on a scale. Understanding how to use visual weight to your advantage when you’re decorating your home will help you design the best space possible. Read on to find out more:

Color And Material:

The first thing to consider is the color and material of things around the room. As a general rule, darker colors and materials have a higher visual weight. Red tends to have the highest while a pale yellow has the lowest, blues and greens are somewhere in the middle. That’s why a room that is painted entirely red will feel very claustrophobic and so will a room where all of the furnishings are red.

That doesn’t mean you can’t use colors with a high visual weight, but it’s important that you balance them with lighter colors, as well. The same goes for materials; using reclaimed wood in the home is a great way to get a rustic look, but it has a high visual weight. If you design a room with reclaimed wood on the walls and then fill it with wooden furniture, the balance will be off. You need to choose one or the other and offset the wood with some light furniture or pale shades on the walls.

If you need some visual examples, it can be helpful to visit a Furniture store in Rockwall, TX (or your local area) for inspiration. Browsing through the displays and fixtures in person can really help you start to picture your home in a different way. Be sure to snap pics as well as inquire about different color options to the staff for any pieces you might like.

Size:

Size plays a big role in visual weight so it’s important that you consider it when choosing furnishings and ornaments to put around a room. If you’re using thick curtains on the windows, for example, they have a heavy visual weight. If you combine that with a lot of large pieces of furniture, the room will start to feel cramped. If you wanted to have a big coffee table and some large armchairs in your living room, you’d be better off looking into blind installation rather than sticking with the heavy curtains, so you can balance out the furniture. When it comes to decorations around a room, you need to group them by size. So, if you’ve got a large sculpture on one side of the room, you need to balance that with something of a similar size, or a grouping of small objects on the other side of the room.

Transparency:

Any items that are transparent seem to have a lower visual weight, and you can use this to your advantage. If you’ve got a room where the walls and furniture already have a high visual weight, you can offset that by using clear vases or bottles to decorate with. This is also ideal for darker rooms where you want to improve the flow of sunlight and brighten the space up a bit.

If you experiment with visual weight and remember these rules when you’re decorating, your home will be stunning and guest ready in no time.

Featured Image By: Pexels

Moving On Up: What Else Do I Need?!

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Moving On Up: What Else Do I Need?!

Hello, hello! All of you have been following my process of getting ready for my move into apartment life and I thank you for it. I am so excited and, honestly, I wish I could move in right now! But, my move in date of April 20th will be here before I know it and I’m happy to say that pretty much all of my preparations for it have been made. Of course, there are things I still need, like home decor – but I’d rather get all of that once all of my furniture is moved in because then I’ll have a better understanding of how I want to decorate.

During moving prep, my shopping hauls definitely helped me feel more excited rather than stressed out and my bedroom has officially been overtaken with all of my purchases:

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^^^ So. Much. STUFF!!!

While I am feeling good about everything I have, I just know that I am forgetting some things and that is where all of you come in. Has anything been missing from my apartment hauls? What are some apartment necessities that I will need? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Moving On Up: Abbey Ann’s Haul

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Moving On Up: Abbey Ann’s Haul

Hiii everyone! In my neck of the woods in Ohio, there are several thrift stores called Abbey Ann’s. Rather than clothes, though, they sell furniture and unique knick knacks for your home. Going to Abbey Ann’s wasn’t even on my radar until my client’s mom suggested it and I am so glad she did, because I got all of the furniture I needed for my apartment for a whopping four hundred and thirty dollars. This includes the following:

 

  • Loveseat
  • Chair and footstool
  • Vanity and stool
  • Full length mirror
  • Coffee table
  • Two end tables

Unfortunately, I do not have pictures of the goods right now, because they are all covered up in my garage. But, I will definitely take pictures once they are all set up in my apartment. What I will say for now is, that I was a friggen fool for even considering purchasing all new furniture for my apartment when I got SEVEN things for less than what one new item would probably cost.

People tend to turn their nose up when it comes to thrift and consignment shopping and, I have to admit, I can be one of those people. But, I know a well taken care of item when I see it and all of the pieces that I picked out were of such high quality that I couldn’t pass any of it up. Not only that, but the owner of the Abbey Ann’s that I shopped at cleans all of the furniture up and sands or polishes them to make them look like new. In fact, he had just steam cleaned the loveseat that I bought two days before.

I’m really proud of myself, because after furniture shopping I pretty much have all of the big necessities that I need and I got it all for a price that was a steal. Now, all I have to do is pick up a few more random needs and I will be all set for moving day. That wasn’t so hard, after all! 🙂

Do you have a store similar to Abbey Ann’s in your area? What is the best deal you’ve ever scored at a thrift or consignment shop? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Moving On Up: Target Haul Edition

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Moving On Up: Target Haul Edition

Hello! During my shopping for my move, Target has been especially kind to me. I have gotten the most useful things from there, including pots and pans, Tupperware, a trash can for my kitchen and a bunch of other odds and ends to help fill up my apartment. And, I got all of the goods below for prices that I was comfortable paying, which made me happy. Moving has proven to be expensive (Surprise, surprise lol) so balling on a budget has been a necessity. So, thank you to Target for helping me get the following:

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It’s hard to pick what I am most excited about from my Target haul, but I’d probably have to go with the box set of The Hunger Games, haha. I love those damn movies and books so much so when I found the set for TEN DOLLARS, I couldn’t pass it up! Plus, until I decide what entertainment subscription I want to get, I just plan on watching a movie when I have some time to sit and relax. So, this purchase will definitely help fill a random few hours or maybe even a whole day on the weekend for a marathon…and wine.

My other bigger buys include a folding shelving unit for my office, potentially, and a floor lamp, which will look really nice beside my TV set. As I mentioned in other haul posts, the lighting in my apartment sucks so finding floor and table lamps has been a major priority. I hate dull lighting so brightening things up is an absolute must.

And, finally, I love the armed pillow I got for when I’m reading and I also grabbed some bathroom supplies including three sets of a bath towel, hand towel, and wash cloth as well as a new scruffy and some Jergens. A more odds and ends purchase but they definitely needed to happen!

Which entertainment package are you subscribed to? How do you create good lighting in your home? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Moving On Up: Keurig Edition

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Moving On Up: Keurig Edition

Hi! I, admittedly, am not the biggest coffee drinker in the world now post surgery. I am much more of a tea type of gal. But, a Keurig was definitely an apartment necessity for when I’m extra tired in the morning or am entertaining guests. I planned on ordering one for myself off of Amazon, but my parents beat me to it and got me a little red Keurig. Check it out:

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I am really happy to have a compact Keurig that won’t take up a lot of room in my kitchen, because I don’t have a lot of counter space. This design is just what I need and having it in red was an obvious must! Of course, a Keurig isn’t complete without k-cups, which I purchased at Target.

I got a deal on the Archer Farms brand which made each pack of k-cups seven dollars if you buy two or more so I picked out three delicious sounding flavors in Buttery Caramel, Caramel Macchiato, and Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee. These will be tasty hot or cold and I can’t wait to serve a cup to my guests!

How do you drink your coffee? What is your favorite k-cup flavor? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Moving On Up: Bed Bath And Beyond Haul Edition

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Moving On Up: Bed Bath And Beyond Haul Edition

Hi! Preparing for my move has been a very positive experience for me. In fact, I just hired movers yesterday to help me out during the big day. Thank you, Two Men And A Truck! 😀 I am feeling good, because I pretty much have gotten all of the big stuff that I need to take care of out of the way. Including setting up my internet, electric, the movers, and getting all of the furniture I need. Now, it’s all about the little odds and ends, like some of the following that I picked up from Bed Bath And Beyond:

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I got my dad a salt lamp for Christmas this past year and I liked it so much that I had to get one for the apartment. The lighting in my place isn’t the best, so I’ve been on the hunt for floor and table lamps to help brighten things up. I think that my new salt lamp will look perfect on the vanity I got for my bedroom and will be a great night light, too.

I also picked up some supplies for my bathroom, a toothbrush holder and a value pack of toothbrushes to go with it. I didn’t even know Bed Bath And Beyond sold toothbrushes but they don’t call it Bed Bath And Beyond for NOTHIN! And, finally, my drinking buddies! I bought this pack of drink markers from TJMaxx for my cousin, Laura, who microblades my eyebrows and we both loved them. So, I was insanely happy to have found a pack for myself at BB&B. These cute pool boys will help keep me company in my apartment and will be very handy during my housewarming party. Nobody better pocket theirs, though! 😡

With every shopping trip, I feel more and more prepared for my own place. My credit card is on FIRE but, at least it’s racking up points on Amazon so I can get more stuff! 😀

Which stores offer the best credit card or rewards program? Do you have any silly drink markers? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah