A Room That Feels Like Her Own- with LexMod and UrbanWalls

So we've been living in the apartment now for a month and a half and we have about two more to go! I know in the grand scheme of things this isn't all that bad or that long but for the littlest people in the house it can feel like an eternity. Don't you remember being little and how slow the time can pass!

 I want the girls to adjust to the changes we have made as best as possible. I still want them to feel comfortable and happy in their surroundings, especially while we spend these few months in the apartment.
If we were staying here a lot longer I wouldn't even hesitate to really get in to making it feel like home but because I know that we only have about 60 days left I don't want to go crazy. I also don't want to spend a crazy amount of money on furnishings and decor that may not work in the new house. So pretty much everything is temporary right now and so is the design.
The one thing that I have been working on is changing out all of the mattresses. Believe me its time! I also know that mattresses will work no matter the design and also it gives us all the feeling of something new and special just for us. What is more personal than your bed, right?!
With all of the new mattresses we have received lately, I wanted to get the little miss one also.
LexMod offers the Aveline mattress and with the amazing reviews and even more amazing price point we had to try it!

The Aveline is exactly what the reviews say....super cooling, soft but also firm enough that I haven't woke up one night so far with an aching neck or back....yes, I said I, because these days my little one will only sleep if she is right next to me and I mean thats the only time. So basically, she better have a mattress Mama is comfortable on too. 

So now that her new mattress is finally here I was looking around the room and wondering, what can I do to make it feel more like hers?

Thats when UrbanWalls came to the rescue! 

I had used the Urban Walls decals in her room design in the old house so I already knew how easy they were to use and once again they didn't disappoint. 

You can watch the application process HERE

But oh my gosh, what a difference some beautiful flower decals can make! 

I cut them exactly the way I wanted them to appear and then applied them to the walls, which are textured and you would never even know it. The decals applied perfectly!

Just a few over her bed cascading from the corner and then a few across the room on the opposite wall. Perfectly girlie but not overdone. Such a perfect way to dress up her space without being committed to having to repaint or repair the walls when we move in a few months. Just peel them off the wall and we are done! 

My Chairs are on SALE!

Hey, remember these chairs 

Yes, these right here...

And here....

 Well they are ON SALE right here....

So go get yourself a pair because they are beautiful, super comfortable and at that price you can't beat it! 

Kitchen Design for #8

In case you're new around here, we have recently sold our last home (you read more about that here) and are currently staying in an apartment while we prepare for the next move in to our new home.
We are super excited about the new house and my mind is going crazy with ideas on how I will approach the new design. I know I want simple, clean lines and modern but still with a bit of that farmhouse feel.
The first real major project will be the kitchen. So many ideas that I had to really narrow down what features we as a family would benefit from but also keeping it simple and not going completely bananas. We do have a budget after all and even though it would be so nice to have that $5000 range sitting there staring at me all day... its not really encompassing with our goal to simplify.
I know we want a large island because we, or really I should say he, as in my husband does the majority of the cooking. We also want to invest in a nice oven range. We will no longer have the double ovens like in our old kitchen so its important to have a range that will be able to handle all of the cooking/baking in one.
I'm going back and forth on the sink situation....do I want a farm sink again? Brian says yes, Im not sure. That is to be determined.....
I want to incorporate my three favorite elements of design, white, black and wood and so I'm thinking reclaimed wood island? Of course I'm going to stick with my first love Carrara marble and even though I would love to be adventurous with the cabinet color this time around, I know me. I will always love a white kitchen so white cabinets it is.
Oh another thing that I really want....my kitchen sink in front of a window. This will happen:)
We have a lot to think about and if you have been following me on Pinterest you will know that I'm pinning like crazy.
Here are just a few inspirational images that give me all the feels and hopefully are a little foreshadowing of whats to come for the new little house 8.

Combined Laundry Room and Kitchen

We have only been in our little apartment for a few weeks but the one thing that has become quite clear in this short amount of time is that our laundry room needs to either be in or very close to our kitchen in the new house. But why would I want to do that, you ask? Because it works! Like it works so perfectly I can't even tell you!
Our old house had the laundry room on the second floor near the bedrooms and that was okay but honestly I didn't spend much time up there. I am, like most moms, in the kitchen...all. day. long. and if I'm going to be on top of the biggest chore I have, well then it needs to be accessible to me all. day. long.
The first thing I do every morning now is wake up, start my coffee, take out the load I put in the night before, throw it in the dryer and start the next wash. Then I go about my day but I always make sure that I'm starting a load of wash right before bed to keep the routine going. I don't use a laundry bin anymore because A. we have no place to put it and B. in my opinion all that does is create more laundry in the long run...its like prolonging the inevitable and then you have so much to do it feels like an overwhelming task. No thanks.

So now I just keep a regular size laundry basket on top of the dryer and I do two loads a day. Usually a whites (all we have are white towels) and I alternate my dark and color washes. I also don't wait for super full loads anymore. I used to wait and than I would pack so much in the wash it would take a day and half to dry and fold it all. For two weeks now I haven't had more dirty laundry than what can fit in this basket at one time....its glorious!
As soon as we come home from the pool, its straight in to the wash for all of the towels and suits. No more out of sight out of mind laundry for me. This is why I am so obsessed with this kitchen/laundry room set up. Its so easy to keep the pace when its right there in front of you.
Well this has me on Pinterest and blogs searching for the right set up and one that would work the best for me. I am the launderer after all...
Here are just a few that I have found that I think could work quite well.

A new room for my oldest

My oldest's room when we moved in three years ago. It was bright and fun but as she got older she wanted something a bit softer so we started by changing out her bedding and added in some natural elements which made the room feel calm and more relaxed.

 We loved it like this but with the remodel of her little sisters room she was really hoping for something more and wallpaper for her own room was on the list. 

We searched and searched for the right paper. One that we would both be happy with. I love my girls input when it comes to designing their rooms but I also want their space to flow with the rest of the house.  Hygge & West is my first choice when looking for unique and beautiful paper and she immediately fell in love with Daydream in blush by Julia Rothman. 

Here is how it's all come together.....

A little more grown up than before but still sweet enough for a ten year old who thinks she's fifteen:)

One of my favorite touches is this No Boys Allowed pennant made by my sweet friend Erin with 

For The Love Of Letters.

Her new wood sign art work, which she chose herself, is all from Jaxn Blvd and I think its perfect for her room. 

Her bedding is Chic White from Beddy's and you guys I could probably write a entirely different post reviewing this product its that amazing!! I will be honest and say I was skeptical at first when it came to this bedding. I had a hard time imagining it in the room and I wasn't sure about bedding that zipped up? What?!? But it is awesome! Not only does it look perfect in here but you can't even tell it zips up on the sides and my daughter has a perfectly made bed everyday because its so easy for her to use. We both win! We have the matching pillowcases and dust ruffle to complete the look. I also have to tell you that the inside of this bedding is super soft minky fabric and now we all agree she has the most comfortable bed in the house! 

{Sources}

Wallpaper 

Bedding 

Pom Pom Blanket

Rug

Ghost Chair

Floral Throw Pillow

Wood Artwork 

Felt Pennant

Tufted Slipper Chair 

Lucite Tray (Homegoods)

Brass Lamp

Pom Pom Pillow, Gold Dots Pillow (Homegoods)

Entry Table and Lamp Source

So every time I post a picture of this table on Instagram I get a million {okay maybe not a million but pretty close} questions asking where it came from along with the stone lamp.
They are both Homegoods finds. Unfortunately that means they aren't available to run out and grab up. They were purchased awhile back. Table about 2 years and lamp about a month ago. Its certainly the grace of the interiors gods what you are going to find there!

Making the house work for us

My main focus for our home is always to simplify and to declutter. I want our home to work for us instead of us always working to keep up with our home. Less stuff. Less to organize, clean, pick up...etc. Am I right?!?
Over winter break I was on my usual mission for the beginning of each new year to get this house in order. I cleaned out closets. I organized drawers. I tossed so many things that I can't even remember what I threw away which means we didn't need it in the first place. While I was in the midst of the great clean up of 2015 our basement flooded. UGH. At first I was really upset that we had all this work ahead of us to now clean up the basement along with the rest of the house but then I realized it was truly a blessing in disguise. It was just the excuse I needed to just throw more things away! I have to say its so much easier to let something go when its sopping wet on a basement floor. Yuck.
When I declutter it pretty much all goes so how do I decide what stays?
These are the questions I ask as I purge my home.....Would I buy it today? Do I think its beautiful? Will I miss it in a week from now?
Yes, I have sold or thrown away things that I regretted.... for like a second. Seriously, I am not sentimental about stuff and I know I breath clean air when my surroundings are minimal and cozy. Not cluttered.
When its all said and done, in the end you won't remember the stuff anyway. Its the people and the places that you go that will make your memories sweet. Don't waste your time managing the stuff when you could be making memories.
There is nothing like the feeling you get when you know you have empty closets in your home. Yes, empty because you don't need all the crap you are hoarding inside of it.
I decided that if I bring something in to the house then two things must leave. Yes, two! I also don't shop anymore unless I have a plan. I know exactly what I am looking for before I head out. I have a list and if I happen upon something I have been wanting but didn't know I was going to find then I make a promise to myself that I will sell or give away whatever I am replacing it with. It's working and our home is becoming more thoughtful and less full everyday. Its wonderful. I am also replenishing my wallet in the process which is also good!

Now that the house was in finding its way to less stuff and the closets were all cleaned out. I started really thinking about the fact that we not only needed to keep up with our mission of less but also really make our home work for us in every way!
I needed to rethink the space inside these walls. How could we get our home to meet all our needs? First, I had to figure out what those needs were? I grabbed a sheet of paper and with the idea in mind to not over think this too much ( I can obsess a little over this kind of thing) I started jotting down our needs.....

We have a five bedroom home with the fifth bedroom on the main floor. Sometimes this room is a playroom and sometimes its a guest room. Which always involved a ton of rearranging every time we had guests coming and lugging a mattress up and down stairs multiple times! So dumb.
My office is next to the downstairs bedroom and to be honest I wasn't ever in there. Most of the time I was doing my work from the kitchen table, bed or in the living room. I had an entire room in my home that wasn't even being used and we were lugging furniture around the house every few weeks. So dumb.
Another room that wasn't being used was our dining room except for thanksgiving and the occasional birthday dinner. But I loved the way it looked! It was such an inviting and pretty space and the first room that guests saw as they entered our home. I didn't want to lose all that. But what was I trading for it?
I knew what needed to be done and today it happened. I said goodbye to my pretty dining room and moved the table and chairs in to the kitchen. I wasn't going to get rid of those...heavens!
I swapped them out for the kitchen table now turned desk and added in the arm chair. I can now use this space for when I really need an office and it still looks inviting to guests.  But we can still pull in the large table and use it as a dining room come the holidays. Easier to move tables for company then a dang mattress...am I right?!?

{before}

I think I can handle the room like this and I like knowing that its going to work so much better for us in the long run. I do miss my pretty table and chairs in here but I also know that I will get used to it in  the kitchen. 

The other changes that I made was turning the playroom back in to the guest room and my old office is now the kids playroom/craft/computer room. All in one room!

I've been thinking a lot lately about how I grew up sharing a room with a sister that was nine years younger than me in a home that we had one living room and one kitchen for gathering and only two bathrooms for five people and you know what? It was fine!! We actually thought we were doing pretty good considering we actually did have two bathrooms as opposed to some of my friends that only had one! What the heck has happened that we as parents think our kids should own every room in the house? Since when did having their own rooms not become enough? Why must they now have a bedroom, playroom, craft room, media room, etc. all full of toys and their stuff and do they really need all that stuff. I believe this is another post to come shortly. 

 This might sound cruel to some but my husband and I have decided to take our house back. 

I should of been clear, when I said I wanted our home to work for us...that meant the adults..ha!  

{photos of the playroom and guest room changes coming to the blog soon}

My Middle's Bedroom Makeover

Its been a little while since we completed our middles room and so I thought I would share a few behind the scenes images with you all on how it all came to be!
You might not remember but her room used to look like this below

I had an idea to make the space a bit softer and so we started by painting over the Sharpie wall and tearing up the carpet to the subfloor.

Once we had new white paint on the walls it was time to lay the plywood plank floors and install the Chasing Paper wallpaper.

After these steps were completed it was on to planking all of the walls and painting the planks white. 

Before any project I always create a design board so that I can visualize the entire space and I don't waste time purchasing items that I end up not loving once I see them all in the space together.

Of course the board is always tweaked a little as I go and because I am always working on a budget I have to improvise as the project is completed. I still incorporated all of the colors in to the finished space but some of the items changed. Instead of a white bed with mint green bedding, I flip flopped the look and painted her existing bed green and used white bedding. This was huge when it came to cost. I always try to use what I have before purchasing new items. Shopping your own home is always the best way to start when you are styling a space.

I found the perfect mint green paint below at hobby lobby and the application was super easy and not much over spray at all. Two coats the red was gone!

The one thing I wanted to add to her room was this dresser from The Land of Nod. But at $1299 it just wasn't in the budget so I started thinking that I would just recreate the look myself. Using the dresser she already had in her room. I used frog tape on the front to create the pattern similar to the LON dresser.

The design was far from perfect but after a few tries I was fine with it....I stopped going for "perfect" a long time ago. 

The next step was to paint over the tape with my favorite primer HERE. If you follow the directions this stuff will stick to anything and considering I didn't prepare the dresser for painting by sanding it, I needed to make sure this stuff was going to stick!

I let it sit for a week and then pulled off the tape. I didn't paint over it but instead used a polyurethane to seal it. 

The two side by side. I still love the lighter one but saving myself $1299 was worth it! 

Im still over the moon with how the space turned out. Its a small room and so I had to be creative with the design so it didn't feel crowded or over done. I needed a real plan for the space and stick to it so that I didn't find myself purchasing things that ultimately wouldn't work and wasting time and money in the process. I also knew that if I didn't have a design we both loved that I would end up changing it again and that would make for a grumpy husband and I didn't want that!