Instant Updates

Good Morning!!

I hope you all are having a great week so far!  This past weekend, I made a quick trip to Pottery Barn and absolutely fell in love with all of their new décor.  I definitely go through stages where I am ALL about buying things for the house—and then I run out of room and get back on my fashionista kick—and then I run out of room in my closet, and you get the point, the saga continues!  Pottery Barn has such a lovely, rustic elegance theme that I adore.  Although, somewhat pricey, it’s hard to achieve that look at just any ole’ store.  We love Antiques in our home, so that mixed with a few newer pieces really brings in the “homey” feel that we strive for. 

Over the past couple of years, while decorating my own home, I’ve realized that it’s not always about buying new pieces of furniture or “statement pieces” as I like to call them to update your space.  Sometimes, just by adding a few pieces here or there, you can have a totally different look for a lot less money. (Meaning you can keep a few extra Benjamin’s in your wallet, ladies!)  Changing out pillow covers, adding new candles, switching out lamps or lamp shades, new decorative accents and beautiful greenery always does the trick.  Here are a few suggestions:

Pillow Covers: Down pillows are exactly what I want to lay my head down on after a long day at work while relaxing watching reruns of The Kardashians. They are so comfy and have a much different look than just any regular pillow.  And the best thing about them—you can buy fun pillow covers instead of a completely new pillow!  I love everything from plain and simple to patterns and stripes, and mixing the two usually adds the best effect.  These are a few of my faves:

Candles:  Oh, the ambiance you can create with a single candle!  I am obsessed with lighting candles all the time, not just when we have company.  I feel like it softens the mood and relaxes your mind!  Plus, who doesn’t want their home to smell lovely?!?  There are so many different things you can do with candles—lanterns, candle holders, centerpieces, etc.  I love having jar candles sitting around, but I also have decorative candles that I don’t actually burn—they’re too pretty!!  The great thing now is that you can also buy LED candles that are kid friendly, but just as beautiful.  That is what I keep in most of my lanterns because I’ve found it easier to simply flip a switch, rather than having to worry about spilling wax all over the place.  (Trust me, I’m speaking from experience!)  Here are some great examples of decorating with candles:

Lamps & Lamp Shades: I cannot tell you in words how much I love lamps.  If it were up to me, I would never even turn on an overhead light!  I have lamps all over my house in every room.  I love the way the house feels first thing in the morning when it’s dark outside and you flip on a lamp (bright lights in the morning are a no, no for our house) and start the coffee.  Now if it’s light outside and the sun is shining bright, I open the blinds all over the house first thing.  I love the natural light that shines in!  However, lamps on or off make for great decoration and of course, functionality.  These lamps below are perfect for updating your space with a new look:

Decorative Accents & Greenery:  This category is for sure my go to.  I buy waayyy too many “sit around things” as J calls it, but it’s so fun!!  I love rummaging through Antique stores to find old books or cameras (J never seems to have a problem with this one, that’s the photographer in him…) that actually have meaning to sit around.  But then again, I buy other things to decorate with like birds or birds’ nests and “friends”.  My sweet mother in law started me on this—we always buy pretty little (small) animal figurines to sit around.  Whether it be birds, owls or reindeer at Christmas, we go a little overboard.  So if you come to my house and see things like this, you’ll understand the obsession.  Not everyone gets it, but we love it.  And last but not least, greenery!  Plants make a home feel warm and inviting.  (Just as long as you can keep them alive, a dying plant is not so pretty to look at!)  Unfortunately, I did not get the Green Thumb gene, but with J’s help, I’ve learned a lot on the upkeep process and have managed to keep our greenery looking fresh.  Just make sure your plants have plenty of light so they can look their best all day long!  Here are a few fun Decorative pieces and Plants:

Now that I have made everyone (including myself) in the mood to rearrange, update and spend money, my job here is done!  In my book, it’s okay to spend a little extra cash on key pieces for your home that will make you fall in love when you open the front door.  If you’re like me, your home is your favorite place to be and where you spend most of your time so you want it to feel comfortable and cozy.  Happy Tuesday everyone!!

Xoxo,

Meg