Tag: decorations

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Spring Style on a Budget

Hi friends! Happy Wednesday! I hope you had a wonderful Easter if you celebrated it. Easter signals a turning point for spring to me no matter when it falls, but when it’s in mid-April, there’s truly something sweet about it.

One of my favorite things about April and spring is the transition of seasons. Don’t get me wrong, I love cozying up with a fuzzy blanket and warm drink to read by the fire when the snow is falling, but I also really love the sunshine and crave it after a long winter.

As we transition seasons, I like to change up my space too and there’s easy ways to go about it without breaking the bank.

Here’s my tips for freshening up your home for spring:

–Change up your candle or diffuser scents.

I always love to have a candle burning when I’m at home. In the winter I tend to burn warmer scents, like pine, cinnamon, chocolate or peppermint. But in the spring and summer, I like to burn scents like lemon, orange, and gardenia (floral scents are always a win for me!) You can go for more expensive candles, but I have also found affordable ones in different sizes at Marshall’s, Target or Home Goods. 

Here’s a winter candle I love. I got it from Target from the Magnolia collection.
And a spring scent, also from Target.

In addition to burning candles I really enjoy essential oils and have found that they work for me. In the winter months, I like to use peppermint, pine, lavender, or a mixture to fight colds and germs.

An example of winter oils I use.

Some oils that fight off germs.

In the summer, I love to use lemon, lemon grass, orange, grapefruit to name a few.

And some spring and summer oils I enjoy.

You can find essential oils at most stores, I like to pick up different oils from Marshall’s or T.J.Maxx, but I have also seen them at Target and Giant Eagle. The smaller sample sizes work great if you are trying them out for the first time.

A look at my nightstand with my diffuser, books and lamp. (Notice the clear surfaces)

By bringing out a new scent it signals a change in season and it gives your space a new smell.

-Bring in fresh flowers.

I LOVE flowers. In the summer, one of my favorite things to do is go for walks outside and cut fresh flowers in my garden. I love the scent, the pop of colors and bringing nature inside.

Now, as far as springtime goes, not all flowers may be in bloom yet, but don’t let that stop you from bringing in flowers. You can easily go to a floral shop for a bouquet, but I have found that some grocery store flower bunches last longer than the floral shops.

For example, this bouquet lasted me a month.

Once again, you don’t have to spend a fortune on fresh flowers, you can pick them or get them from a less expensive place, but this action brings some nature indoors and it changes the atmosphere for the room. 

-Change out sheets and blankets.

Doing a good, deep cleaning always feels good in the spring, I personally have heavier blankets on my bed in the fall and winter and it always feels great to take them off and store them for the spring and summer. I always have a few pairs of sheets that I use on my bed, in the winter, I use fleece sheets that are a darker color, but come spring and summer, I bring out a lighter and brighter pair of sheets for my bed, I put the heavier blankets in storage and bring out some lighter throws on my bed and chair. Another small action, but it refreshes the space and it uses the things you have and you are changing things out. Now, you can buy some new sheets or blankest to freshen up the space for spring, but first, check what you have in storage or around your house before making a purchase. You never know what you can give a second life too.

–Clean off Surfaces

For many, springtime is a time of cleaning and sorting and getting rid of things. You may have put away all the winter decor and aren’t ready to pull out summer decorations. Use the springtime as a time to clean things off your surfaces and give yourself some breathing room. You don’t have to replace decorations with decorations, it’s okay to leave surfaces clear. This also allows you to see if you need any spring decorations, of you are okay with clear spaces.

I like to keep the things I have on my night stand to a minimum.

Those are four ways to get into the spring spirit while on a budget. You don’t have to spend a ton of money to get your space feeling spring like.

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Fabulous living

Fall Bucket List Recap

Hey guys! Happy Wednesday! Even though we are in the middle of November and still have about a month of fall left, I wanted to recap my fall bucket list before we get into the holiday fun between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Here’s a recap of my fall bucket list.

Here’s my bucket list all marked off.
  • Apple Picking
I collected lots of apples and made some tasty recipes too!
Up-close of the apples.
  • Niagara Falls

I didn’t get to Niagara Falls, but I’m making a plan to go next spring or summer.

But I did get to go to another set of water falls in New York in Letchworth State Park.
  • Kinzua Hike
A beautiful fall day for a hike at Kinzua State Park.
  • Hockey Game

I didn’t make this happen, but I’m hoping to head to some local games this winter.

  • -Cider Press
I went to a pumpkin patch that at a cider press on site.
  • Decorate Pumpkins
Collected lots of pumpkins and used the to decorate my house.
  • Collect Leaves
Some of the leaves that I saw on the walk.
Then I used them to decorate my desk in my room
  • Scary Book and Movie
This was a chick read with a Halloween/mystery twist.
  • Celebrate Halloween 
Decorated my house for Halloween. (The pumpkins are from Mason Farms)
And I ate a lot of sweet candy, probably too much!
  • Fall Walk
Nothing beats a fall walk. If you are looking for places to walk, check out my blog post on places to walk or hike.
  • Enjoy Hot Apple Cider

I was enjoying a cup of hot cider every morning but work, but I never snapped a picture…blogger fail.

  • Make A Fall Treat
I made cut out cookies for Halloween
I made apple crisp and apple bread from the apples I picked.
I made s’mores cookies for the first time.
And of course fall trail mix.
  • Mason Farms
Here’s the pumpkins I got from Mason Farms.
  • Fall Festival

I didn’t make it to a fall fest this year, but I clearly enjoyed lots of fall fun!

I hate to see summer end, but I always look forward to the changing leaves and fall fun. That’s just a little peak into my fall fun! What are some of our favorite fall activities?!

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Fabulous living

Dorm Room Tour

Hello all!

Happy Tuesday and welcome to the new month of November, the semester is flying by, I can’t believe that Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away. I had intended for this post to go up months ago, but a funny thing called life happened. But, better late than never, right?!

Today, I’m going to be giving you a peak into my dorm room this year, one of the perks of my job on campus is getting my own room and bathroom, and let me tell you, after sharing a bathroom for 20 years…having my own bathroom has completely changed my life. I have lived in the same building for the last three years so if the rooms look similar, that’s why.

I have used the same room décor from year to year, with adding a new piece or two each year.

Here’s a peak into my room from freshmen year, I had a roommate freshmen year and we coordinated our colors. It was average sized, we each had our own dresser, desk, wardrobe, and bed. It was nice to have a roommate since I never shared a room with anyone, we are still best friends to this day, but I have to admit it’s nice to have my own room again.

Freshmen Year

Sophomore year was my first year solo, so I had more freedom with the layout of my room. With my own room, I had more space so I got two chairs from Bed Bath and Beyond. They weren’t too expensive but they will last me through college. I enjoyed the layout of this room, but I didn’t have a bathroom, I was okay with that since I still had my own room.

Sophomore Year

Sophomore Year

Now, here we are with junior year. I decided to had more portraits and posters to cover up white space. I went with a Paris theme for my bathroom. Teal, Black, and White are my colors with pops of gold mixed in. I love my set-up with this room, from the placement of things, to the view, and bathroom, it has been my favorite space to decorate thus far.

Junior Year

Junior Year

Bathroom

Love my view and this cute little corner

Some of my wall decor, I love this print of Paris at night

Another wall with the New York City skyline

This year has been my favorite set-up so far. I love the way the room flows as well as the space I have, it’s almost like a mini-apartment, it also give me great practice and ideas for when I have my own space one day.

I’m so glad I was able to finally show you all my dorm room for the year, considering I spend most of my time here, it’s about time you see my space. I’m looking forward to see where I am living next year and how I will decorate that space.

What are your best memories from decorating your first place on your own?

Have a great week!

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Fabulous living

DIY Dorm Decor

Hi friends!

I’ve got something fun planned for today. Like any college student, money is tight for me and Pinterest always tempts me to try new things.

I have two fun DIY crafts for your dorm room, apartment or home. I’m also collaborating on these crafts with my good friend, Olivia. We met through our job and classes and I’m so glad I got close to her this year. Give her blog Liv Simple a read for all things from fashion to college living. After you are done reading my blog, head over to hers to see how she put her own creative spin on these DIY crafts.

Now, onto the DIY part. The worst thing that can happen to any college student (or adult) is to lose their keys. Now, we can always say we are going to put our keys on our desk or in our purse, or even buy a plastic command hook to stick them on. But, let’s be honest, dorm rooms are kinda sterile if you don’t have decorations. So why not kill two birds with one stone and make a place to hold you keys and have it decorative. I made this cute key hook for $11!!! And here’s how you can too.

First, I got all these supplies from Michael’s Craft Store, but I’m sure you can find them or similar ones at your local craft store. I got paint, a hook, and wooden decorative pieces to make my key hook more fashionable. I spent a while on Pinterest finding what I wanted to do, but once I did I was happy with it.

Here’s your materials: a hook with a plaque (already assembled), paint, a wooden letter, and some other decorations,

Plan out how you want your key hook to look, play around with it before you paint it.

Now, comes the fun part. Paint it. Choose colors that will go nice in your room. My room is turquoise with black and white so the colors were easy to choose. Having a hard time deciding colors? You can never go wrong with neutrals.

After I let them dry over night, I assembled them the next day using a hot glue gun, wood glue would also work.

The finished product

Now onto DIY craft number 2. I am a huge fan of candles, I love how they can change to mood of a room but unfortunately, they are not allowed in my dorm building. This is a great alternative to making it feel you have a candle burning with worrying about the fire. Also, not a fan of the smells but love the look of a candle, this is another great idea. Olivia found these mason jars at Pat Catans and they were on sale for $1!!! Buy some tealights from any craft or home goods store and pop them in to the mason jar. Another inexpensive way to decorate a room. When you turn the tealight on, it will make you feel like you are burning a candle when you aren’t at all. These could go in your bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, even living room, where ever  you like to put your candles. This is another inexpensive way to make your dorm, apartment, or house a bit more cozy.

You can style it on your desk

Here it is all lit up at night

These are two inexpensive and DIY ways to make your dwelling more cozy and functional. Overall, a Pinterest success. Have you had any Pinterest successes or fails!?