How To Achieve The Farmhouse Look

The farmhouse look is definitely a trend I am completely on board with. I love it. I think we have to give HGTV's Fixer Upper credit for this one. Joanna Gains is best known for her classic farmhouse style. She has an effortless way of making homes beautiful, and though she doesn't always use her classic style, viewers swoon towards her decor. Achieving this farmhouse style is easy when you know what to look for and how to use the pieces you find. 

One thing that is classic farmhouse style is using fresh flowers and greenery. Joanna does this all the time and it's beautiful. 

This wooden vase centerpiece is from Kirklands. I love how the vases are at different heights and the mix of the rustic wood with the glass bottles. This would look beautiful in the center of a farm table. 

This hanging vase trio from Magnolia is another favorite of mine. This would look adorable in a little girls room, or even on a back porch. It's a piece that is so unusual and so beautiful it will be a showstopper anywhere. 

I love using fresh flowers in decor. It brings such a fresh feel to the space. Don't be afraid to step outside the box either. It doesn't have to be your traditional vase of flowers. Anyway you can bring fresh floral in a room will make a huge impact. 

Another way to incorporate farmhouse style is to mix materials, such as metal and wood. This is a trend you will see a lot out in stores. This tiered tray from Antique Farm House is such a great way to incorporate this trend. I love using trays like this for entertaining. The different heights add interest to your table, plus they're really pretty to look at! 

Lighting is a fun way to bring out farmhouse style. This beautiful chandelier from World Market is another great way to use mixes materials. Everything about this piece is beautiful. I love the lantern look. This light would look perfect in a kitchen over an island, or in a dining room over a table. 

Let's talk wall decor. This is an easy way to add design to a room and with the right piece it can add some farmhouse style. You have probably seen wall signs everywhere lately. They are a huge trend and I love it. This one is from Etsy and is one of my favorite sayings. I've seen it all over Instagram and I'm surprised I haven't bought one yet. The simplicity of the design and what it says emanates farmhouse style. 

On the topic of wall decor, chalkboards are a classic farmhouse staple. They are rustic and simple and the perfect piece of wall art. You can change out what it says from season to season, or you can use them for to do or grocery lists. This chalkboard from Gordmans is a great one. It has hooks on the bottom so it really is a dual purpose piece. 

I can't talk about farmhouse style without talking about tables. When you think farmhouse you probably think farm table. This is a staple item when incorporating farmhouse style. There are a lot of different styles of "farm tables". These are a few of my favorites. 

All of these tables are perfect for farmhouse style. They are each different and all fit into the style. They are rustic, yet can be made formal with the right chairs and accessories. Put a beautiful table runner on it and a pretty floral arrangement in the middle and you have the perfect centerpiece to your home! The dining table is one of my favorite pieces in a home. It's where the family gathers and so many memories are made. 

I hope this helped you think of ways to incorporate farmhouse style into your home. When in doubt, just tell yourself to channel your "inner JoJo". 

Thanks for reading! 

Housewarming Party!

We are finally moved in, the paint has dried, most of our boxes are unpacked, so of course the next step is to have a party! I love planning events and hosting get togethers so I was so excited to finally be able to host a party in our NEW HOUSE! 

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Planning a party can be pretty stressful, especially when you are trying to make your house look presentable all at the same time. It's important to remember that your house doesn't have to be 100% the way you want it. Each room doesn't have to be completely renovated and picture perfect. This was something I had to remind myself of often. 

Other than stressing over the appearance of your house, the first thing to consider when planning a housewarming party is the guest list. You need to decide who you want to invite. Do you want to keep it to family only, or do you want to have both friends and family? We decided to have two separate parties, one for family and one for friends. The party we had this weekend was family only. This was the invitation we chose from zazzle. I prefer sending out invitations over sending a text message. I love picking out cute designs and personalizing them. Plus, who doesn't love getting mail?

Once you have decided on the guest list, the next step is to start thinking about the food. What kind of food do you want to serve? Do you want a theme? Do you want it to be a meal or just light snacks? We invited around 65 people so we decided to make the party an open house, and with an open house it is easier to not have a full meal because people will be arriving at different times.

For the food we had shredded chicken and BBQ beef sliders, a cheese tray, crackers and dips, different chips and dips, a fruit tray and a veggie tray, and a variety of different desserts. I wanted to make sure all the food we had was easy to eat without the need to sit down at a table, so I wanted the menu to consist of finger foods. I had these really cute chalkboard signs that I got from Kohl's and Hobby Lobby that I used to label all the food. I also used cake stands to help with the presentation of the food. Having food displayed at different heights adds interest to your table. 

For drinks I made lemonade and iced tea and displayed them on the back porch in glass dispensers. We also had pop and water in our metal bin John and I redid. 

We had tables and tents set up outside, which was great because it ended up raining. The rain didn't stop us all from enjoying the day! We had the best time with our families and are so happy they could celebrate our new home with us!

I can't wait to start planning our next party!

Thanks for reading! 

Moving Tips

We've moved! We are so excited to be home owners and I am so excited to get to decorating our home!

Moving can be stressful. When we moved to California it was right after we got married and John was already living out there so his stuff was already there. We needed to have all of my stuff moved and all of our wedding gifts.

This is where my first tip comes in. Make sure you hire a reputable moving company. We chose a moving company without looking at the reviews. BIG MISTAKE. My stuff ended up taking around 2 months to arrive! We would call frequently to find out where it was and when the estimated date of delivery was, and we got the response "I don't know where it is". Really? You don't know where ALL MY BELONGINGS ARE?! It turns out it never left Ohio. We ended up having my dad go pick it up from the warehouse where it was being stored and then having a more reliable moving company bring my stuff to California. Needless to say when we moved back to Ohio we made sure to book a reputable moving company, and we are so glad we did.

My next tip is for when you get your keys. Yay! You've signed your name a thousand times and now the house is yours! Next step, cleaning. This is my least favorite and favorite part. Cleaning, yuck. However, it gives the house a fresh start. When we moved in we had a few containers of Clorox wipes, a vacuum cleaner, and a carpet steamer we rented from Ace Hardware. I also lined all of our kitchen cabinets and drawers with contact paper. That is not easy and not fun but so worth it. I got about half way done and decided to just line them instead sticking the paper to the bottoms. Great idea!

My third tip is to label your boxes when you're moving. That way when the movers bring your stuff in they know where to put the boxes, and it makes unpaking easier. No need to search for your coffee mugs in a box filled with clothes!

I hope these tips helped! I will be posting some house pictures soon along with some changes we've made so far! Thanks for reading!