A Vintage Rug for the Kitchen & a Giveaway!

I have partnered with SF Rugs for this post. All expressed opinions are 100% my own. Full disclosure.

I have been wanting a vintage rug in our kitchen for a long while and now I finally have one! Our kitchen renovation has been a very slowwww process to say the least, but we are still plugging away at it. Maybe it will be completely done by the time we put this place up for sale? Let's hope…

We started by painting our wooden cabinets light gray and adding hardware. It did make a huge difference to the look in here. Click here if you missed the BEFORE post.  

Rustic Bohemian Thanksgiving Tablescape

I have received product from Raymour & Flanigan in exchange for this post. All expressed opinions are 100% my own. Full disclosure.

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching and devastating events taking place around the world, I have been spending a lot of time reflecting on all that I have to be grateful for. And there is so much. It is easy to get caught up in all of the "wish I had's" or "if only's" and lose sight of the blessings right in front of us. The beautiful real life I have right now. My little family, our health and the love we share.

That is what I plan to do this Thanksgiving:

See all of the big and little blessings in the here and now.

One blessing I had this past year, was the ability to give my dining room a mini redo thanks to the good folks at Raymour & Flanigan. If you have followed me for awhile, you may have seen my dining room before that only ever had thrift store and vintage finds.

That worked for awhile, but those pieces had definitely seen better days. I was really feeling it was time for some big changes furniture wise, which is when Josh and I headed out to see if we might find a brand new table that fit our style.

Fall Home Tour: The Porch & Kitchen

Welcome to the first installment of my fall home tour for 2015! If you came by way of Cozy Little House, I am thrilled you popped in for a visit. Be sure to head back over if you missed Brenda's tour. Today, I will be giving you a tour of our front porch and a rarely seen room on my blog…the kitchen!

I hope you enjoy your visit here today and do come back on Thursday, when I will share my second installment with the living room and dining room tours.

Let's get started…my husband and our two small children live in a tiny town just outside of Rochester, NY. The weather has been all over the place here lately, but just started to feel like fall. This is definitely my favorite time of year.

Oh, hello fall {free printable}

Fall is is pretty much here in my book (except for the extremely hot weather we are experiencing right now in Western New York), so, for me, it's time to start bringing the warmth and beauty of autumn all throughout my home. Today, I am excited to usher in fall with several other talented bloggers as we share decorating vignettes, along with free printables, for you to enjoy all season long!

I love, love, love this time of year. I really can't say it enough. So much beauty to behold and comforts that bring me back to the best memories of childhood: jumping in leaves, going to pick out pumpkins, selecting a Halloween costume, good food, family get-togethers, the scent in the air. There is pretty much nothing that I don't love about fall expect maybe that it is too short. It always seems to go by in a flash. Oh if I could just hold onto it for a bit longer. 

Log Cabin Home Tour: Kitchen & Dining Room

As I mentioned last week, I have been preparing a full log cabin home tour from our recent stay in the Adirondacks. Today, I am so excited to get it started with the kitchen and dining room! If you missed the personal side of the trip, you can check that out here. I will have follow up posts with tours of the living room, master bedroom and more, in the coming weeks so stay tuned. For now, come on in and enjoy a virtual tour of this dreamy log home's kitchen and dining room…

My mom was actually the one who found this rental cabin listed on vacationrentals.com. I have a thing for log cabins and was so excited when my mom showed me this one. The reviews were great and it looked amazing in the pictures. It was honestly even better in person! 

25+ Ways to Decorate with Affordable Vintage Finds

I love decorating with vintage finds, mostly because they have charm and character but also because I am super thrifty. I love to find a bargain. Always have and likely always will. I scour thrift stores, flea markets, antique malls, garage sales and even the side of the road to find unique and affordable (or free!) pieces. Today, I am sharing a round-up of ways that I have decorated with and repurposed some of these vintage finds in my own home.

The majority of these images have appeared in previous blog posts, so be sure to click on the links beneath each for more details!

 

Coastal Inspired Altered Bottles {Making Memories from the Sea}

With summer in full swing, many people are heading to beaches and lakes to get away, so today I am sharing a project to keep some of the memories alive from those trips, while adding a coastal touch to your decor. It only requires an old bottle, some embellishments and letting your creativity flow. You could embellish these bottles with nature collected along the shore, pieces saved from trips passed or items that remind you of a previous vacation.

I made these "Ocean Relic" altered bottles, as I affectionately named them, for my online shop back in 2009. I shared a glimpse of them last week in a vignette I decorated back then, before they were shipped off to their new owners.

Altering vintage bottles into works of art was a pastime I thoroughly enjoyed for a long time. Back when altered art was all the rage…I couldn't get enough. I stayed up till the wee hours of the morning creating. I sold a lot of my art pieces first on eBay and then Etsy and my own website. Mixed media and collage art are still huge passions, but I don't get a chance to do it as often now. Since these are still some of my favorite creations, I wanted to share how I went about making them and inspire you to create your own.

A Cottage Style Summer Vignette {a look back to 2009}

Since I haven't had a lot of time to decorate for summer lately (other than the small bit I did on our front porch recently), I thought I would share a vignette from our former townhouse that I set up the summer of 2009. Decorating was basically my life then. I lived for creating these vignettes. Not a whole lot of time (or space) for them these days…but it is still a passion.

Life was sure easy back then. It is very different now and a lot harder in some ways, but I wouldn't go back. I love spending my days with the little ones and even though that means less time doing the things I used to do regularly, it is worth it. I hope you enjoy this "look back" at my cottage style summer vignette…

Styling a Rustic Shelf {with kids in mind}

Hey everybody! Life has been busy with the little ones and my grandfather, whom I love and adore, is not doing well. I have been trying to visit as often as possible, and even though he is 96, saying goodbye is never easy. Prayers are welcomed that the rest of his days are as pain free as possible and filled with peace.

Today, I am sharing a guest post that I did last month for Jennifer Rizzo with some tips for styling shelves while keeping young children in mind. As you may know, I have two preschool/toddler age children, fifteen months apart, so my decorating has changed a lot in the past few years. I still love to decorate, but have found the need to make compromises to keep my home well styled, yet safe and fun for my children. I actually enjoy the challenge of combing both elements (most of the time – finding places for all of those toys in a tight space is a challenge all its own).

Home Improvements Made Easy {with Build.com}

I received product from Build.com in exchange for this review. All expressed opinions are 100% my own. Full Disclosure Policy.

If you are a long time follower of mine, you probably know that my husband and I are renovating our 1930's home that we bought back in 2010. If you are new here, you can read more about that on my home tour page. One of the rooms in our home, that needs the most upgrading is our kitchen. We have been pretty slow at getting things remodeled to our personal style, but recently I discovered Build.com which has helped us along in the process! I shared a sneak peek of our latest addition in my Holiday Home Tour last week.

When I went the site for the first time, I couldn't believe the wide array of products that they offer. No matter your style or what you are looking for to remodel your home, it is more than likely they will have it.

Outdoor Thanksgiving Table Ideas {Fall Back Patio Tour}

Last month, I shared a guest post over at Yellow Bliss Road with my never-gonna-happen-in-this-lifetime-unless-I-move dream of hosting a Thanksgiving dinner outdoors. It is already very chilly here in Western, NY, so we will be spending the day indoors, but I wanted to share the post here anyways, in case it might inspire some of you who live in a warmer climate than I!

Cozy Eclectic Fall Living Room

As promised, I am continuing to share more posts of my home decorated for fall. About a month ago, I revealed my fall home tour, but I wanted to share each space in individual posts throughout the rest of the season. Today, we are heading back into my living room for another look around at some of the details I didn't show previously. Hope you enjoy!

Rustic Fall Front Porch

Last week, I shared my fall home tour, but I took so many photos that I wanted to share more with you in individual posts about each space. Today I am sharing more details of our rustic front porch!

Vintage Thread Ball Mini Pumpkins

I am excited to be participating with so many talented bloggers this week in the Festival of Fall hosted by The Everyday Home blog! I am sharing a super easy diy craft that you can make in an afternoon and reuse year after year: mini faux pumpkins made from vintage thread balls.

This project is so easy! All you will need are some vintage thread balls (that you can usually find at thrift stores or antique shops), some small sticks found outside, and green sheet mossor excelsior wood shred (*affiliate links).

Vintage Eclectic Fall Dining Room Reveal {and some “real life” thrown in}

Today, I am sharing my dining room reveal with hints of early fall decor. I have never shared this room fully before, even though I have shared my mantel often. There are many reasons for this, but basically it's because it is a work in progress and not yet where I want it to be. Not even close.

It is a little preemptive to call this a "reveal" post, since there is still so much work to do, but I decided to take my own tagline "advice"and find beauty in the imperfections of it. I am sharing some of those imperfections throughout this post, so you can get a glimpse of real life around here.

Sometimes, I know it can feel like bloggers always have everything so "nice and neat and finished." I want to assure you…it is not the case around here. We are always a work in progress, no matter how pretty the pictures.

Thoughts of Fall on My Mind

I don't know about you, but fall has been on my mind for awhile. It always happens once August hits: I begin dreaming of those beautiful autumn days that are on their way.

We are approaching my favorite time of year, and I can't help but get excited. I can hold off, of course, on the winter's cold for quite awhile, but oh, how I wish I could make fall stay longer.

A Visit to a Country Farm

Last week, the kids and I had the opportunity to visit a friend of mine down on her farm just over a half an hour away. Hazel and Owen were so excited to go and see "all the animals," and I was excited for some adult chat with my friend Julie while our children played.

Julie and I went to high school and college together and had plenty to talk about since both of us are stay at home moms with two kids, and she recently joined the blogging world. I was also looking forward to photographing some of the beautiful surroundings and farm animals, but alas, children can foil some of those plans. Owen was pretty shy and insisted I hold him all throughout our tour of the barn.

Rustic Minimalism: Get the Look {Sundays at Home No. 22 Link Party & Features}

Today's features, at Sundays at Home No. 22, are all about "rustic minimalism." If you love the rustic look but with a modern edge, this is the way to go.

I am looking forward to what you have to link up this week to inspire us with and so happy with how this party has grown. I appreciate all of you. If this is your first time here, I am so glad to have you. Have a look around, visit some other link-ups and please link up your latest home decor, diy projects, recipes, Etsy shop items and more below!

Rustic and Industrial Decor {Sundays at Home No. 21 Link Party & Features}

It is week twenty-one here at Sundays at Home! I have some inspiring rustic and industrial home decor features for you this week that I can't wait to share!

Seasons of Home: Midsummer Botanical Mantel

Welcome to Seasons of Home Summer Edition 2014! I am thrilled to be sharing a botanical mantel vignette in my dining room with you today. Be sure to visit the other talented bloggers participating after you leave here!