I’m so excited to welcome Erin from Sunnyside Up to Holland, today!
Like I said earlier in the month, there are a handful of blogs that were some of the first I ever read, and they remain my favorites. Sunnyside Up is one of those. I really appreciate Erin’s enthusiasm for her family, her roles of wife, mom, and homemaker, and life in general. She’s waaaaaay more organized and fashionable than I’ll ever hope to be, and that’s why I love her posts on organizing and fashion so much. I soak those up like a sponge. (Erin gives awesome tips for overcoming frump in her Fashion Friday posts.) Best of all, Erin has a great sense of humor and a welcoming personality. I’m thrilled that she would spend the day in Holland, today, and know that you’ll enjoy her as much as I do. Take it away, Erin!
About a year ago I made an executive decision. I decided I didn’t like my house as much as I once did. (That’s about as executive as things get with me.) Styles had changed and I was itching for a change myself, but we were house hunting at the time and I didn’t know how much longer we would live in this house. I kept putting off changing my decor thinking that I would just wait, but my home wasn’t making me as happy as it once was. And being a stay at home mom = being home a lot. I quickly learned not to underestimate how important it is to love your home. Your home should make you happier than anywhere else. Not because it’s the fanciest, most expensive place around, but because it’s a reflection of you and the people you love. It’s an escape from the rest of the world. The one place you should feel the most “you.” So I decided I didn’t care if we were in this house two more years or two more days. I wanted to love my home again.It all started with a shelf.
One weekend I took the first step by re-painting a wall and my shelf.
I can’t even tell you how invigorating that felt!
It was a fun project and I was so in love with my new wall!
Even though it looked completely out of place and didn’t match anything else in my house.
There was a chance that any day we would be putting our house up for sale.
Kenny thought I was crazy. My realtor thought I was crazy. I knew I was crazy.
I just didn’t care. :)
Slowly I started making small changes to coordinate with my new wall.
Not wanting to spend a fortune, I just updated things with small purchases.
A dish towel here…a new vase there.
I also used my leftover wall paint to paint other things in kitchen that were previously red.
Magnet board in October.
Anthro apron was a fun addition. Even though I never use it, it sure looks cute. :)
And my magnet board today. Aren’t the typewriter magnets fun!? I picked those up at the last Queen Bee Market. And I love that picture of my girls on the beach in Maui. Summer time. :)
The next big change I made was re-decorating my hutch.I took everything off of it and sat with it completely empty for months.It felt good to have a clean slate.
It’s simple because simple is appealing to me at the moment.
I have loved switching it up with the seasons.
Our birthday spotlight was a fun addition. No cost since I just painted an old frame and used mini clothespins I already had on hand. (Clearly I got my money’s worth out of that can of aqua paint!)
Swapping out a few dishes in my clear shelves helped pull together all of the colors in my kitchen.
And the mantel has gone from red and black…
to the blue/yellow/white combo as well.
It was fun to add some happy decor to my kitchen table once Kole completed his “I have to be climbing on top of the kitchen table every 10 minutes” phase.
It was also fun to switch out ribbon and paint my black frames yellow taking them from drab…
to fab. (Or at least from dark to light.) :)
Summer decor isn’t complete without lemons.
So I added lots of them. :)
Kenny made me a happy wife when he bought me this Pottery Barn lamp after I had been eyeing it for months. I also added some fun summer lanterns from Z Gallerie. Eventually I want to move the lanterns to the kitchen and replace the clock. One thing at a time…
And my latest update: adding the magazine organizer from Ballards.
Something that looks as beautiful as it functions. My favorite kind of decor!
My last decorating project that I am currently working on:
Above my kitchen cupboards. This space is SO hard for me to decorate. It’s a tall space so I have to have big, tall decor. Plus I have a hard time keeping it from looking too clutter-y. I hate too clutter-y. In my next kitchen that we are currently designing there will NOT be a big open space like this above the cupboards.
So far all I have are these plates I bought at Z Gallerie.
They look a bit small for the space. I need to bring in other colors and figure out what I’m doing here. I’ll probably get it figured out and looking exactly how I want it just in time to move into our next house. :)
When I look back at all of these pictures I’m pretty happy about the transformation of my house over the past year. I have loved experimenting with different looks and have fun plans for the decor in my next house. (Like not going quite as overboard with aqua!)
Slowly, by completing one project at a time, my current home has become a place that makes me smile again.
And lucky for me, the rest of my family feels the same. HOORAY!
p.s. Since this is a wrap up of all things home decor, below are some links of past decor-related posts. Aside from the space I’m working on in the kitchen, I’m not changing anything else. Saving all of my decorating ideas and efforts for the new house! I love that I took pictures of each room so that after we move we will always remember our time here. I brought all three of my babies home to this house and it will always hold such a special place in my heart.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend with the ones you love, too!
Ruth you are the sweetest!! Thank you so much for all of the kind things you said about me and my blog. And for the shout out! I hope everything thing is going well with your move! Can’t wait to hear more about it once you get settled. Thanks again – I’m so glad we “met.”