Tag Archives: refresh

Jun25

Dry Goods Haul: Blu Pepper Sweater Edition

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Dry Goods Haul: Blu Pepper Sweater Edition

Hi! This past weekend, my friend Danielle and I hit up Summit Mall for a little retail therapy. It has felt so good to have actual shopping trips again instead of plopping down in front of my laptop to scroll through endless pages on TJMaxx’s website! Our outing was fabulous and she introduced me to one of her favorite stores, Dry Goods. I had been in this store once several years ago and didn’t care for anything I tried on so I never bothered with it again.

This time around, however, was a great success and I found two new tops there, helping to complete my summer wardrobe refresh. The light sweater we are about to discuss was something I originally picked out for Danielle and it looked so cute on her that I had to try it too! We both fell in love with it and are now twinsies. 😀 Check it out:

I just adore my new Blu Pepper sweater and it is really a perfect all seasons option. It is light enough that you could wear it for an outdoor meal during a chillier summer evening and will layer so well during the colder months. I thought it looked amazing on Danielle and, not to toot my own horn, but it looked awesome on me too. Thanks to the charcoal grey and dusty rose color combo as well as the not too tight or too loose fit, this Blu Pepper number is universally flattering.

While the side button details are cute, the real piece de resistance are the elbow patches! I am a huge sucker for them and like the old school flare that they add to modern clothing. The details, color, and shape all work together incredibly well and I am so happy with my purchase. At first glance, this sweater seemed a bit too Plain Jane for me but I ate my words as soon as it was on and am so excited to be twinsies with one of my favorite gals! ❤

Do you have any clothes that you would consider to be universally flattering? What are your favorite details in clothing? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun23

How to Easily Brighten Up Your Home On a Budget

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How to Easily Brighten Up Your Home On a Budget

If your home is looking a little dull, what are some of the things you can do to brighten it up without spending much? If you want to get creative with your living space but don’t have a huge budget, there are plenty of ways that you can change the look and feel of your house without breaking the bank. Here are a few suggestions for easy ways to brighten up your home on a budget:

Paint the Walls:

A fresh coat of paint can significantly brighten up space and, when on a budget, you don’t have to work on the entire house but can paint one or two walls in each room. Make sure to choose bright colors that coordinate well with your decor. For a more professional outcome, consult interior painting companies. You’ll make fewer mistakes and end up with satisfactory results. For affordable color schemes, try pastels or choose a single color for the whole space.

Add Plants or Flowers:

Plants add life to any setting and are an affordable option when livening up space. You can also use plants and flowers to hide out-of-place furniture in your living room, hallway, or kitchen. Choose vibrant flowers that will make the space feel fresh, new, and elegant. Flowers and plants also make a room look expensive without spending a fortune. If you have some extra time, try planting some vegetables in containers for decoration inside the house. For the best results, place the plants at strategic locations near the windows and the front door to give your home a more natural look.

Buy New Curtains or Rugs:

One of the easiest ways to change a room is by replacing the curtains with new lighter or brighter ones. For some inspiration, you could start by browsing the selection with a company like Regency Knights (or a similar business in your local area). From sheer and gauzy curtains to thick panels in a variety of shades, you will be sure to find options that match your home’s aesthetic. You will be amazed at the difference it makes! Switching your rugs up is another good option too. If you can’t replace all of the curtains or rugs in your house, start with the ones in the living room, then move on to other rooms such as bedrooms and the kitchen. The most used rooms should come first.

White and Off-White Décor:

Just about any color scheme looks good with white or off-white décor, so it’s a great way to create a new look without spending much money. To get the most out of your investment, buy furniture, wallpaper, and artwork in coordinating but bright colors. This will make your home feel more spacious and radiant.

Lighting:

Think about the colors of light bulbs you use. Warm-colored light will create a cozy atmosphere that can make any room feel more inviting. This type of lighting is better in rooms for relaxation like the living room and bedroom. Brighter white lighting is good for rooms with high activity like the kitchen. You may also want to consider adding decorative lighting like table lamps or wall sconces for an even softer glow.

Refresh Carpets:

Vacuum and shampoo carpets, then add a deodorizer to keep smells at bay and refresh the color so they don’t look dull. If you’ve had the carpets for a while, replacing them eventually would be a worthwhile investment.

As you will realize, these suggestions don’t require much money and most of them are easy DIY projects – no local professional required!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Jun19

Summer Check List For Your Home

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Summer Check List For Your Home

Whether for yourself or your home a makeover is always a good idea! There is no need to overspend to refresh your home as the weather changes. All you need are a few simple but effective solutions to suffice so let’s discuss further with a summer check list for your house:

First Things First:

There is literally nothing worse than returning home from work on a hot day to an equally hot house. If you haven’t already, it is so crucial to get your air conditioning checked by a professional for the continued comfort of yourself, family, and pets. Don’t forget to get your refrigerator repaired if it is on the fritz by a local professional or appliance repair Winnipeg to keep your ice cream and popsicles from melting! Summer party foul.

Refresh Your Fabrics:

During the warm weather, it is all about breezy flowy fabrics both in fashion and in your home. Ditch the heavy drapes on your windows with gauzy curtains and pack up your throw blankets and plush rugs for the fall. Less is more when it comes to summer home decor and just the sight of heavy fabrics on a hot day can feel suffocating! Opt for bright throw pillows, thin and colorful traditional rugs, and billowy curtains for a cool and comfy atmosphere.

Change Up The Color Palette:

Nothing looks more chic in the summertime than neutral colors like white or beige paired with bold pops of color. Of course, the same goes for fashion too! Don’t bother making over your entire home, just focus on improving the room you will spend the most time in. The living room is an excellent option. Could you imagine relaxing on a beautiful beige canvas recliner with pleasing pops of orange or turquoise scattered throughout the room? That sounds heavenly to me!

Plants & Landscaping:

If you have a green thumb, a potted plant display in your house could make a unique statement as well as improve your air quality. No worries if you can’t even keep a cactus alive – that’s what wildflower bouquets from the farmers market on your kitchen and coffee tables are for! Flowers go a long way on both the interior and exterior of your house and the beautiful blooms are sure to make your family and neighbors smile. Start a gardening club with your friends and have fun getting your hands dirty.

Check, check, and double check. Your home is now perfectly summer ready!

Jan4

5 Ways To Instantly Refresh Your Home

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5 Ways To Instantly Refresh Your Home

Even the best-designed house can become tired and worn looking without some maintenance now and then. Taking time to refresh the look of your home can help you fall in love with it all over again and give it a new lease of life. Here are five simple ways to help refresh the look of your home without breaking the bank:

Paint Touch Ups:

The daily wear and tear of life can be hard on your interior walls, especially if you have children or pets. Walls can easily become scuffed or scratched and the paint can suddenly look less appealing. Touching up paint does not mean to redo the whole wall. If you have paint leftover from a decoration, keep it in storage and when the wall inevitably becomes marked, use the paint to cover it up and make the wall feel brand new again. If you don’t have the right color paint for a wall, use a magic eraser. The erasers work by dissolving the paint slightly allowing you to use the surrounding paint to cover up the scuff. If the scuff or scratch is small, then an eraser can easily deal with them.

Should you want to do a total overhaul of the paint in one room of your home or all of them, that is just as well. Talk about a makeover! Of course, this is going to be a big task and you might want to leave it to the professionals instead of taking the DIY route. If you do not have the time, skills, or desire to DIY then simply enter a search for “Best Painters in San Ramon” (or your local area). Not only will they take on the job but they can give you advice about the best colors to improve the appearance of your home.

Replace Old Carpet:

If your carpet has been stained or threadbare, then it can make the whole room feel very worn out. Investing in high-quality flooring can make a room feel fresh without the need to completely redecorate. Millennium Hardwood Flooring is excellent if you want a high-quality finish installed by experts. Replacing carpet with hardwood can restore a room’s elegant feel and give it a classical, homely atmosphere. You will stand and walk on it every day, so good quality flooring is worth investing in.

Reposition The Furniture:

If your furniture has always had the same configuration since you moved in, then consider what other options you may have for laying out a room. In large rooms, bringing furniture away from the walls can help them feel cozier and zone off spaces. Smaller rooms can be made to feel bigger by bringing furniture away from the center of a room and allowing for a natural flow from one door to the next. Remember that furniture can always quickly be changed back, so have fun. Try out a new position and if you don’t like it, then rearrange it back to the way it was or go for something new again. You might discover a new configuration you would never have thought would work.

Exterior Painting:

If you don’t get the spark of joy you long for when you arrive home after a hard day’s work, then consider an exterior paint job. Painting your house different shades or even highlighting features like window sills and door frames can help give your home a new lease on life. Remember that external paint needs more protection. Buy paint suited to your walls such as masonry or specialist wood paint.

If you are looking for a major exterior change, you can always paint your fence! Choose a color that compliments your home. For example, a forest green fence would look stunning if you have a navy blue house. You will want to invest in some Eco friendly wood paint for this project to help better protect your fence from the elements and provide long lasting, rich color.

Declutter:

Finally, remember the easiest way to refresh your home is to declutter. It is easy for our homes to become filled with bits and pieces that we no longer need. Take time to clear out your cupboards every season. Decluttering frequently makes the task less onerous and allows you to enjoy your space free from mess.

If your home is still feeling cramped even after a good declutter session, you might want to consider the furniture in your home. Huge pieces of furniture take up valuable real estate in the space and limits your freedom to move around. If you are doing a furniture overhaul, services provided by companies like Dump Runners furniture disposal (or a similar one in your local area) can take care of the heavy lifting and disposal for you. Then, you can find furniture that is more suitable to your home.

Due to the pandemic, all of this extra time at home makes you notice the changes your place might need even more. Use your time well and refresh your house with the tips above!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Feb3

Easy Ways to Update Your Kitchen on a Budget

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Easy Ways to Update Your Kitchen on a Budget

If your kitchen hasn’t been looking its best for a while, now is the perfect time to do something about it. You can combine your spring cleaning with a kitchen renovation project that will make you happy, add value to your home, and ensure that the most important room in the house is looking its best. Whether you are looking to revamp your kitchen yourself or call in the professionals, here are some easy ways that you can update your kitchen:

Refresh Your Flooring: We sometimes neglect our kitchen floor for the simple fact that it is not in our eyeline as much as the cabinets, walls, etc. However, since the floor spans the whole of the kitchen, it is important that it always looks its best. Paying for a professional slate floor restoration or to have your wooden floor polished, for example, may seem like an unnecessary expense, but is something that you should aim to do each year or, at the very least, when your kitchen starts to look drab, because it can add a whole new lease of life to the room without you having to do much else.

Paint Your Cabinets: If you’re bored of your current kitchen cabinets, you need nothing more than some sandpaper, a block of wood, and a can of paint to put things right. Sand down your current cabinets before applying a lick of paint in the color of your choice for a quick kitchen update that won’t cost you very much at all.

Of course, if you are planning on completely renovating your kitchen piece by piece, the cabinets are the best place to start once you have saved and are ready to begin work. The improvement will be immediate and it will give your kitchen a brand new appearance. Look for reputable vendors for your cabinetry like Lovech. The last thing you want is splintering or stuck cabinet doors after you just replaced them!

Get a Handle on It: Updating your kitchen can be as simple as switching out your tired old cabinet handles for shiny new ones. There has never been more choice in the door handle department than there is at this moment, so whether you’re looking for traditional brass handles or something a bit more glam, your local hardware store should have you covered.

Add New Accessories: If your old tablecloth, curtains, and serving tray are looking worn, either upcycling them so that they look fresh and new again, or purchasing new alternatives will give your kitchen a real boost, and it won’t break the bank either.

Reclaim: The rustic look works well in the kitchen, which is why it might be worth keeping a look out for any old and abandoned stuff that might look like a good addition to the area. Old copper pots, wooden beams, and ancient barn doors will all add a unique touch to your kitchen for very little money. Reclaimed wood can also be used to build new shelving units, spice racks, tealight holders, and a myriad of other things that will compliment your kitchen. So, if you’re a keen crafter, this is one possibility for updating your kitchen. If crafting is not your thing but you love the rustic vibe, you might want to consider calling in the pros. From simple to in depth styling options, they will be able to help. Just enter a search for “Kitchen remodeler in Scottsdale, AZ” (or your local area) to achieve your design dreams.

Refresh Your Furniture: Another thing that you can do is refresh your kitchen furniture. Sand and re-varnish your table and chairs or paint them a brand new color for a big change. Or you can reupholster your chairs and even turn your dining table into a work of art using mosaic tiles – the choice is yours.

Featured Image By: Flickr

Jan25

Wait! Try These Tricks Before Throwing Out Tired Furniture

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Wait! Try These Tricks Before Throwing Out Tired Furniture

Furniture can only last so long before it starts to look a little tired. Your immediate thought might be that you need to get rid of a piece of furniture that’s going downhill. However, if it’s something that you love, you don’t need to say goodbye to it just yet. There are some easy things that you can do to rescue your furniture and avoid having to throw it out. Some things you can do yourself or you could get a professional to help you out. Before you throw out that sofa or cabinet, here’s what you could do to save it:

Start By Giving It a Clean: The first thing you should do with a tired piece of furniture is to clean it. You could be amazed by how much of a difference it makes. Furniture made from wood, metal, or plastic can be very easy to clean. You only need to dust or wipe it down, perhaps with some soapy water or special cleaning solution. But upholstered fabric can be a little trickier to get clean. Some pieces have removable covers that you can put in your washing machine. You might also want to consider an upholstery steam cleaner, which will make it easier to get the fabric clean.

Reupholster Fabric Furniture: Some upholstered furniture might still look rough after you clean it. Perhaps there are holes or tears in the fabric or it has just become very worn down. You don’t need to throw it out, though. You still have a chance to rescue it by reupholstering it. You can replace the fabric with something similar or give it a completely new look. This is a job you could attempt to do yourself. However, if you’re unsure about it, it’s just as easy to get a professional to do it for you. Get some quotes to make sure that you get the right price.

Repair Wood: Wooden furniture can end up with lots of little blemishes in its daily use. You might notice scratches, stains, or cracks in the varnish. There are some simple ways for you to fix these issues on your own. For example, you can repair scratches using moist coffee grounds by applying them for a few minutes and then wiping away. Oil and vinegar can help to remove stains, while sandpaper and nail polish can help you repair varnish. If you have bigger issues, such as loose joints, you could fix them yourself or have the furniture repaired by a professional.

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Pixabay Image

Paint or Varnish: A lick of paint is often a good way to give something a new lease on life. If your furniture is looking a bit dull, painting it could revive it. Just make sure that you use the right type of paint for the material. You could also choose to use varnish or a new stain on your wooden furniture if you want to refresh the surface. You could create an entirely new look or just give your furniture a subtle refresh.

See if you can save a piece of furniture before you decide to get rid of it. It could last for another few years!

Featured Image By: Pixabay