The Best Hostess Gifts from Hearth & Hand and My Love-Hate with Shiplap

Oh my goodness I’ve been so excited about Chip & Joanna’s Hearth & Hand collection for Target! I had seen my local Target putting up these sheets around the collection so no one could see it yet and I was so tempted to peek! When the collection was revealed, it was exactly what I expected to see from them. It has Joanna written all over everything!

The pieces are very earthy and natural looking. They also have that homespun look that reminds me of classic Americana designs. I think its reasonably priced as well, which is always important! I went through all the pieces a million times and selected a few that I thought would be perfect as hostess gifts for the holiday season!

My Love-Hate Relationship with Shiplap

Joanna Gaines uses shiplap in pretty much every episode and she’s really good at designing with it. However, I’m not a big fan. I know, ridiculous aren’t I? Shiplap, when used by those who know what they’re doing with it and in moderation, can look great. The average person, like myself, will either install it wrong or make it look a little too Pinteresty. I love my pin boards but certain things are just overdone and shiplap is one of them.

I’m also not a fan of trendy anything. Similar to how dark wood paneling was popular way back when, shiplap is popular now. Give it a good 10 years and it will be – you guessed it- tacky. By all means enjoy the trend now but don’t invest too much. Trends come and go. Joanna certainly has beautiful taste in everything she designs but shiplap isn’t one of my favorite design pieces she often uses.

Have you bought anything from the collection? Let me know your thoughts on it!

Best Home Decor Ideas on a Budget

Happy Friday! It’s been a long week but luckily today, I’m headed out to a ranch near San Antonio, Texas for a weekend getaway with my boyfriend and his family (look for pictures next week!) I’ve been looking forward to this for the last month. Before leaving on my vacation though, I wanted to share a little tour of my apartment’s living room that I designed and styled on a budget! Living rooms should be cozy without sacrificing style, which is what I’m always trying to accomplish in mine. Keep scrolling for my DIY and home decor on a budget tips!

Ok first of all, if you haven’t embraced the tassel trend in your life, then you’re doing everything wrong. Tassel garlands are my favorite thing to decorate with and I have them all over my house. They’re inexpensive and can’t easily be destroyed by kids or pets. Or by boyfriends in my case. I found this adorable tassel garland at TJ Maxx for $5!

If you love pretty artwork on your wall like I do but don’t want to pay a pretty penny for it, then you’ll love this next DIY! If you notice in the pictures above, I have 3 framed quotes on my wall. Would you believe that each one cost me less than $7? Here’s how I did it- I bought the pretty gold frames from Michael’s on sale for $6 each and found the artwork for $1 on Etsy! I printed each quote out and put it in a frame for a cheap home decor DIY. Frankly, no matter how much money I make someday, this will be my go-to living room decor!

When you’re just starting out and have no furniture, it can be really difficult to get everything you need to make your apartment into a home. Furniture is pricey! Knowing that we needed something to put underneath our TV that we hung on the wall, I went out in search of a cabinet or something that would make the space look less empty and provide storage. I went to Nebraska Furniture Mart in Kansas City and came across this pretty gray hutch left over from a couple who only wanted the bottom half. The best part was that it was only $50! Needless to say, I put it in the back of my boyfriend’s truck and headed home.

Styling this was so much fun because it gave me lots of room to play around with accessories! My boyfriend, David, has loads of books so obviously the shelf quickly turned into a bookshelf. I placed little decorative items on the shelf with the books to give it a personal touch and then a little wicker basket to conceal David’s remote controls and video games.

The “eat cake for breakfast” sign has a broken hook from our move so I couldn’t hang it but also couldn’t bare to part with it mostly because I found it at Marshall’s for $9. Having extra pillows that came with our couch, I put them in the empty space underneath the shelf and added the frame for some added interest.

Styling a coffee table is no simple thing I’ve found. Particularly because my coffee table is an awkward shape. To add some height and interest to my coffee table, I placed a candelabra and stack of marble “Don’t Mess With Texas” Coasters on it. Frankly, I love how it turned out. It’s simple and still functional. When You have a boyfriend and kitty cat around you realize how quickly those two things become important.

Ok this is my favorite part! My adorable little chair by the window! David’s parents got me this turquoise chair for Christmas and then I added the soft blanket and little floral pillow, which you can find in the Target Dollar Spot for $3!

Home decor on a budget can be difficult but frankly, it gives me the opportunity to be creative and hunt around for great deals. I adore my living room and how well it suits my style! A beautiful space shouldn’t mean a big price tag and my space certainly didn’t come with one. Leave me a comment with your favorite ways to style your home on a budget!

How to Store Your Winter Clothes and Keep Them Fresh

Who else is incredibly happy that spring is on it’s way? This weekend I’ll be (spring) cleaning out my closet and putting away my warm winter clothes in favor of unpacking my favorite spring dresses. Being a Dallas style blogger means that I get to wear spring styles (see my picks here) before the majority of everyone else! How lucky am I? But I still love my winter stuff and want to store it neatly. Here are my best tips for keeping your clothes neat and fresh.

Clothes Storage Tip 1: Fold your clothes

I’ll be the first one to admit that folding clothes is the worst. I hate it with a passion. In my dryer right now, I have an entire load of clothes that’s been sitting there wrinkling for over a week. It’s a good thing my mom isn’t here. However, if you’re going to be storing your clothes in a box for awhile, it’s really important that you fold them and not wad them up in a ball. Can I also suggest that you wash all of the clothes before storing them, or is that too much?

Clothes Storage Tip 2: Use dryer sheets

After you’ve folded your clothes, between each layer of clothing unfold a dryer sheet to lock in freshness. I like to do this also when I’m packing my suitcase so things smell nice when I unpack later on! If you really like a fresh, clean smell, buy a few scented soaps and pack them around the storage box. No one likes the smell of stale clothing when they unpack! For added protection and freshness, keep your clothes in a vacuum sealed bag.

Here’s hoping the spring weather in Dallas spreads to the rest of you! All of my favorite fashion bloggers around here have the cutest outfits right now so I’ll be out in search of a few new spring trends to add to my wardrobe. Check out my recent style blog posts (here and here) for shopping inspiration!

 

Galentine’s Day Gifts for Friends

Oh my goodness, Valentine’s Day is only a week away and I’m so excited! I love love love this special day not because I like to eat pounds of chocolate (but I do), mostly because I absolutely adore the color pink and giving little gifts to my girl friends. I’m usually a pretty creative person and my favorite things to pick out are themed gifts. For this blog post, I came up with three gifts you’ll love to give to your gal pals!

Coffee themed gift

I’m a coffee lover and anyone who gets me a cute mug is automatically my favorite person. Coffee isn’t just something you sip at your desk, it’s a ritual in many cultures, something to be savored. I can totally get on board with that! My coffee ritual would include a little journaling and a delicious smelling candle like the cute pineapple one above!

Mani-Pedi gift

Who doesn’t love a fresh manicure every once in awhile? Painting nails can be really relaxing for some people including me, that is until I end up screwing them up by smudging an almost dry nail. Such is life, right? This bright red Essie nail polish is perfect for Valentine’s Day. Include a little nail kit and some hand cream and you have an adorable Galentine’s gift!

Baking lover’s gift

Some people just really love to bake. I wish I were one of those people. Unfortunately, I’m more of the ‘place and bake’ cookie kind of gal. For the special friend in your life who loves to throw on an apron, cookie cutters and sprinkles make the best gifts! And can we talk about how cute that dish towel is? It goes so perfectly with the whole theme!

If you find yourself going to a Galentine’s day party, don’t show up empty handed! Create a thoughtful gift that any gal pal would be excited to receive. Enjoy!

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Valentine’s Day for Her

Only a few more weeks until Valentine’s Day! Most of us girls get excited for this special day (unless you’re my mom who’s too practical for all of it.) I wrote this post specifically for you gals to share with your guys. It serves as a little “guidance” for them so they have a few ideas of what Valentine’s gift to get you. We all love the flowers and chocolate that’s a traditional part of the season, but in recent years men, including my boyfriend, have upped the ante a little.

Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

Last Year, David got me a really cute Kate Spade bag for Valentine’s Day and then took me out to dinner! While not every guy is going to want to put down the cash for a designer hand bag, he knows I’m a fashion blogger and that Kate Spade is my favorite brand ever. In my gift guide, I’ve included gift ideas in a variety of price ranges for however big your Valentine’s Day will be! Remember to send your man the link to your favorite item!

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