How I Destroyed My Bedding (and what I bought to replace it!)

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m no Martha Stewart. I’m not even close. I burn popcorn in the microwave, I leave my clothes in the dryer for days, I always forget about the pasta boiling on the stove, and my mom still has to remind me to take my vitamins. Yesterday, I hit a new low- I ruined my bedspread in the washing machine.

Earlier in the day I noticed that my pristine white comforter wasn’t so white anymore. I poured some laundry detergent in the washing machine, stuffed the comforter inside, closed the lid, and turned it on. About an hour later I returned to take my comforter out of the washer. I looked inside and not only was my comforter still covered in soap, part of it had gotten caught on something and ripped. Upon further inspection, it also had burn marks in several places. Doing what any young, 20-something would do, I called my mom. Apparently, it’s hard to fit feather-filled comforters in a standard sized washer. Good one, Liz.

I went to Marshall’s that afternoon to pick up a new comforter and I find a really cute one! It was on sale for $49.99! The designer is Cynthia Rowley. I absolutely love the coral and aqua blue colors that were chosen. It absolutely lights up my room and gives it more color.

My walls are white, and while I love the look of cleanliness white creates, sometimes things get white-washed. I wanted to avoid that when choosing a new comforter. I think it turned out well!

 

Something else I avoid in a bedroom is having a boring nightstand! I don’t want it to be cluttered but I like to stack coffee table books and a decorative piece or two for some visual interest. Tell me what’s inspiring you in your bedroom with a comment below!

Christmas Decorating on a Budget

Oh my goodness, Christmas is a week away! I’m freaking out! I haven’t watched half the movies I wanted to (namely Eloise at Christmastime, Elf, Christmas with the Kranks, and the Santa Clause). I haven’t baked a thing, not a single gift wrapped, still have shopping to do, and I’m not in the Christmas spirit! I keep saying to myself “Liz get in the spirit of the season! Hurry up!” and it isn’t working. I’m getting annoyed and running out of time. The big day is almost here and I haven’t done a thing to celebrate.

Anyway, rant over. I was walking through Target the other day and they have the cutest things for Christmas/winter decor. Some of it was already on sale! I’ve put together a few of my favorites for you guys in hopes of inspiring you to do some last minute decorating! I have so many cute things in mind for next year that I’m stocking up on Christmas everything December 26th.

The first thing I’m buying is that adorable ornament wreath! Everything you see in this post is from Target so it’s affordable. There’s nothing I dislike more than when bloggers or writers try to pass Pier 1 Imports off as “thrifty decorating.” There isn’t anything thrifty about spending $65 on a wreath. However, $20 I can work with.

Most of the pieces shown above I pictured in a living room and dining room setting. For example, the little silver tree could sit on the fireplace mantle or on a coffee table next to a stack of books. My number one tip for decorating is to keep it clean. There’s no need to overload your house (or lawn) with tons of knick knacks. Remember that less is more. Also, stick to a simple color scheme using no more than three coordinating colors.

Still need some Christmas inspiration? Check out my Christmas-inspired Pinterest page!

Favorite Ornaments for Your Tree

Oh my goodness, where has the time gone? Last I checked it was the day before Thanksgiving and now it’s Saturday. I’ve been so busy with festivities and work that I really haven’t taken the time to respond to your comments or write. Oops. Sorry, life got in the way.

You’ll be surprised to know that after my wonderful Thanksgiving meal and wonderful pie, I did not partake in any pre-Black Friday adventures or even any actual Black Friday adventures. That’s right, I didn’t shop at all. While I feel a little bent out of shape about it, I can honestly say it feels good to save my money for things that I actually will need. It about killed me to watch my Instagram feed blow up with everyone’s fabulous finds. I really pouted after seeing one blogger’s splurge at Kate Spade and a few other stores. Oh well, maybe next year?

Christmas Tree Ornaments!

For many of us, Christmas decorating is well underway. While my tree has yet to go up, I found the perfect tree for myself at Target! It’s a 4 foot pre-lit white tree that literally sparkles! I decided that a tree like this has to have cute ornaments. I found adorable “food” themed ornaments at Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland online. These ornaments range from $5-$15 and they’re all made of glass. Here are the one’s that I’m wanting on my tree!

What’s your favorite? Let me know!

A Thanksgiving To-Do List

Good morning to all who are reading this in their pjs with coffee before noon! To the rest of you, get up and smell the fresh brew and feel the sunshine! As I’m sitting here writing, there’s a million little things buzzing around in my brain and one of them is how Thanksgiving is only a few weekends away. Honestly, show of hands how many people are prepared? Yeah, none of us. I’ve compiled a list of things that you can save to your computer consisting of to-do’s that you might not have thought of yet. I’ll illustrate each bullet point beneath the list. To save the list, simply right click on the image and then select “save” in the options that come up.

Thanksgiving Preparation

First of all, have you planned your menu? Maybe you have. That’s great. For those of you who haven’t, figure it out. You’ll probably want a big turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, mac and cheese, cranberry sauce, gravy, green beans, rolls, a salad of some sort, and lots of pie. Also, don’t forget that if you’re having house guests that you’ll need food and a meal plan for breakfasts, lunch, and dinner the rest of the time they’re staying.

Moving down the list, you need to finalize the guests who are coming. Is Uncle Bob still coming from Pittsburgh? You might want to check on that.

After you have finalized the head count for the big day, you can make your grocery list based on what your recipes call for and how many people are coming. Go through the cabinets and refrigerator to make sure you have everything the recipes call for.

Check out Pinterest for centerpiece ideas for your table. It can be simple candles with a few small pumpkins sitting around them or more elaborate, just make sure you have what you need ahead of time.

Next, write down the overall plan for the weekend. What time will you serve dinner? Will there be Black Friday shopping? Having a general idea of when things will take place is going to ease your mind.

If you’re having overnight guests, then make sure you have enough towels, air mattresses, sleeping bags, pillows, blankets, and toiletries. Pick up a few extra tooth brushes and travel sized items for the forgetful people. You also might want to consider having a small coffee bar in your kitchen for the coffee addicts that way no one is running out to Starbucks for their java fix.

An important part of getting ready is dealing with all the cleaning. Take a few hours every week to deep clean the house. Start with the kitchen and wipe down cabinets, stove, and anything that shows finger prints. Move on to the bathrooms and clean the toilet, shower, and wash the walls if you can. In the living room, clean any furniture that might have stains. You might also want to dust given that electronics tend to be magnets for it. Clean around switch plates where dirt marks tend to show up overtime.

For the outside of your home, make sure the entrance that will be most used looks welcoming. Put out fresh mums and a few pumpkins. I’m convinced that flowers of any kind make an entire home look a hundred times better.

Next, consider what personal things you need to get done. Make your hair appointment now if you need a color or trim.

Do you plan to go all out on the decorations? If so, then go ahead and start putting out the decorations. It’s one less thing you’ll need to do.

If your dinner will be a little fancier, then polish the silverware and clean the china off.

Last but not least, make sure you have enough seating and table space for the guests that are coming. You can rent tables and chairs from party stores if necessary.

Thanksgiving is a holiday that has so much work put into it. We expect everything to be perfect. It won’t be, but we want it to. Growing up, Thanksgiving wasn’t picture-perfect. My mom tried so hard though! She never burnt any of the food or forgot the pumpkin pie; however, there are some things you can’t control. For instance, until I was 16 every major holiday was spent with my parents, sister, grandma, and I. After Grandma died, it was usually just the 4 of us unless I brought friends home from college. However, without any grandparents or extended family around, it made it difficult to accomplish the “perfect Thanksgiving”. Moral of the story, don’t expect the day to go off without a hitch. Some things are out of your control.