I always get a little exhausted when I see Christmas decorations hit the stores in September. It’s too early, right? What about Halloween? What about Thanksgiving? But then, I start to panic that all the really cute stuff will be gone before Halloween, so I need to get a move on it immediately.
I had the exact same thought process when I walked into my favorite At Home store this past week. It’s not time! It’s still pumpkin season! Oh, wait! That’s amazing! I better buy that before someone else snaps it up! The struggle is real, y’all.
Okay, so don’t freak out on me, you guys, but I bought some Christmas stuff in October. We have so much going on in the next two months, that I decided to just get a jump on it when I had time. I have never done this before, but last year we had virtually no holiday decorations in our home. I think we put up a tree a few days before Christmas and that was it. As with everything I do, it’s feast or famine. I do it 100% or not at all. So, I went ahead and decorated our master bedroom.
GASP! I know!
Come on over and see the cute things I got...and feel superior because you made it to November without being sucked into the holiday decor. HA! Click here!
Disclaimer – This post is sponsored by Floor & Decor. All opinions are 100% my own.
Sticks and stones may break my bones but they also make REALLY great DIY projects
Someone in the back yell “Keep on preachin’ Katie!” Ok ok if I must.
Stone is one of those things that probably gets the worst reputation but in actuality it steals hearts left and right. It’s like on Boy Meets World….remember Shawn Hunter? That is stone. The reputation is that it is a heavy and dirty material….not like ceramic tile or glass and requires maintenance to keep it in tip-top form. But in reality, stone has come a long way and I bet that you probably are already obsessed with it in some form or fashion. I know I am! I wanted to talk about four different types of stone tiles and my favorite ways to incorporate these into your own home.
I have always been a fan of slate. It is dark and dramatic but it can also be lighter and still provide a straight-from-the-earth charm that adds interest. I used slate in our old house for the fireplace and it held up great. I also love it in outdoor spaces like porches and hardwearing areas like mudrooms and laundry rooms. Slate is very coarse in appearance but you can also get it polished, honed or brushed. It is also very resistant to water so outdoor applications are GREAT. I think that a fun way to update slate appearance is the pattern in which it is laid. You can lay it in herringbone or cut it down into longer strips and do chevron or any other unique pattern. It’s a very cost effective item too!
Ledgers are gonna be your new EVERYTHING. I am so excited to use these somewhere ANYWHERE in my house. Basically ledgers are basically thin cross cuts of stone tile that are stacked tightly on one another. These are lighter weight than actual stacked stone but still give that rich appearance. They also do not require grout! I love them on fireplaces and for accent walls but some backslashes are perfect (think more bar and less messy areas). I also think that using them outside is a great way to add curb appeal. You can put them on outdoor fireplaces, kitchens or porch columns!
You know me and marble. We have this long standing relationship going. Like if someone else looks at marble, I get all NO ALL THE MARBLE IS MINE…..IT”S ALL MIIIIIIIINE!!!! And then my head explodes. I get insanely jealous because I literally want ALL. THE. MARBLE. It’s just so darn pretty! There is a reason why the Taj Mahal is completely clad in marble. Now marble does require sealing and it is lighter colored so it can stain but if you are obsessed with it and still need to be able to relax with your glass of red wine….go for a backsplash! Marble in bathrooms are great too (our guest room bathroom is all marble) just make sure to schedule your sealer
I was perusing the stone section of Floor & Decor’s website and I found some GORGEOUS stone tiles. The first one is marble but in a great shape and pattern that is much more personality than normal marble. The other two are TRAVERTINE and look so amazing! I think in general when people say travertine, you think of that 90’s warm colored tile that is in every bodies bathroom. It has so many great applications and it is easy to replace and shape so builders love it! I am still thinking that maybe travertine would be the way to go in our kiddo’s bathroom.
So now that you know all my favorite stone tiles, what are you dreaming about? Slate? Travertine? Or are you like me….completely addicted to marble? I can’t wait till my next tile job….which should be rather soon! I told Jeremy that I need the laundry room finished by Christmas….so yeah….time to get on that!
My passionate little Munchkin is in his big boy room with his older brother and now it is time to address the room for our two youngest – Max & LJ.
We decided a long time ago that we thought sharing a room was a great idea and this is the first time we are going to be doing a shared nursery! It’s kinda crazy to think we have two little ones in cribs. It’s kinda like decorating for twins which to me is a huge challenge. Fitting two cribs, a rocker and enough storage in one space for two people isn’t really easy. Then pile up limited wall space and some weird layouts and you can find yourself stuck!
As you may remember, the nursery looked like this….
Well, we had borrowed that brown crib and have since returned it. The large W and green mirror has been moved to the Big Boy Room and I am ready to recreate the space without repainting. The recliner/rocker is still going strong and we need to move it into the playroom because there is more space in there for reclining action (the playroom chair is dying a slow staining death). We want to keep the cubbies in here and the dresser. Everything else is kinda up in the air.
Right now the room looks like a bomb went off. We moved Will’s old crib in here temporarily for LJ but it is a really BIG crib and we are thinking that we can just sell it on Craigslist and replace it with two matching new cribs for cohesiveness. We also had a bed set up in here for when the Petersiks came to visit and haven’t taken it down again.
You can see we are in the middle of transitioning LJ’s clothing. It seems like every month I go through the size-up process with one of the boys and I dread it. I LOVE seeing their cute ‘new-to-you’ clothing but trying to figure out what fits and what doesn’t takes forever! One day I’ll have to show the massive amounts of boy clothing we have…it’s terrifying.
I really want this room to be calm. And to be slightly themed….you know me…I love a good theme I think that the idea of ‘flying’ is fun….anything that revolves around flying would be cute. I also like a little industrial look with turquoises and muted tones. I think they would play nicely with the gray wall color and the white washed brick accent wall.
The best part about this space will be that flying kinda represents both of these little ones. For LJ’s gender reveal video, we did a pillow fight….full of feathers…which go on a bird that FLIES. And with Max’s gender reveal video, we just went down to the creek and made paper airplanes….do you see what I am doing here with connecting these invisible lines?! I guess it doesn’t really matter if there is ACTUALLY hard core connectivity….the point is…the room will have an underlying theme and it will be “calm flying”… like “gliding”. And maybe that will help reduce the turbulence when it comes to bed time
(I’m very proud of that last line…just in case you were wondering.
This is such a fun DIY today! It’s something that is super inexpensive and makes a great gift.
My mom always tells stories about when we kids were little and she had literally no money. My dad was a public school math teacher and my mom stayed home with all four kids and she was able to DIY toys for us to help provide. She was so excited to watch us open our Christmas presents and see us play with our new homemade doll dresses (made from her old clothing) or a stick horse she adorned with tassels from her old boots. I give my mom a hard time. a lot. But in actuality, I am like her in many ways….and wish I could be MORE like her. Especially when it comes to creativity. That woman can’t help ooze creativity.
So this project today I should dedicate to her. I wanted to create a little stacking toy out of old scraps and it’s super easy.
You will need five stacking blocks. We used 2×6’s cut to 5 1/2″ (that makes them square). Sand the whole thing down really well. Then drill holes in the middle of FOUR blocks for the dowel rod with a 3/4″ bit. You can also drill holes randomly in each of those four blocks so the kids can practice balancing the blocks or finding the center hole. That will make sense later. The last block is the base and it also gets a center hole but this one is only 5/8″ so that the dowel is a tight fit.
Each block was sanded smooth and spray painted a different color in Rust-Oleum’s spray paint – Navy Blue, Seaside, Key Lime, Ocean Mist, and White. Once everything is painted, use a soft mallet to knock the dowel (mine was 5/8″ size cut to 6 3/4″) into the base hole. It should be really tight and hold it in place. Then let the stacking begin!
The best part about having those random holes is that the kids can create different combinations and figure out how to make the structure balance. My boys LOVE balancing and stacking and so this was the perfect little craft for them.
Now get to creating. I vote we all make everything we give our kids this Christmas. Oh kidding. There is no way I can sew a remote control car But still….that would be really awesome right? Maybe one year. Like when my kids say that all they want for Christmas is pajama pants and pillow cases. #neverhappening I would totally do it though when they are 16 and completely spoiled and bratty. Oh your friend got the new iPhone 64 plus asterisk……congrats you got a homemade pallet sign that says “Unpopular” Merry Christmas!
In true fall fashion, we hit up a legit pumpkin patch…aka a church front lawn where they sell pumpkins….but hey! it’s more festive than the pumpkin display at Walmart. Not that I am above bringing my kids to Walmart and taking their photos all over the inflatable pumpkin display. I have no shame, remember?!
So this was completely impromptu….I had it slightly planned in my head but didn’t tell Jeremy (no need to stress him out.) and on our way to grab some pizza, I casually mentioned “Hey let’s go over to the pumpkin patch and take some photos.” The kids aren’t dressed like internet babies…nobody is wearing moccassins or suspenders and I’m pretty sure that someone had jello smeared under their hoodie but that’s okay…I can do those photos later
We told the boys they had to pick ONE pumpkin. And they had to be able to lift it. That meant that the $50 pumpkins were off the table….literally, they stayed on the pallet in front of the church.
LJ loved the little excursion. There were cars going by and he got to climb all over the “balls”.
Weston ran ALL over….one end to the other and then tried to go through each pumpkin to lift it up.
Will’s mission was to find the largest pumpkin that he could carry.
LJ found the little guys at one point and started kissing them. I wished I had a photo of that.
It should be known that Weston always strikes a pose. It could be facial expression or body parts in the air….the boy loves a good pose and this one legged version is a current favorite. I should make him a flamingo for Halloween
Weston found this beast and I think the big boys thought they might be able to carry it #hahahahaha
Will does CrossFit. Good form bud.
After this photo, he said “I don’t think I could carry this one right now because my muscles are hungry.”
More pumpkin lovin….
At the end, Weston got to hold Maxi Knight on the chair and he was so happy. He wouldn’t let go! We had to pry his hands apart so we could take the baby! This dude is gonna make a great daddy one day! I know that’s weird to say considering he is only two but it’s true! Just don’t rush into that, mmkayson?!
Max was on the fence about the entire thing. I think he enjoyed the cars. That’s about it.
I might try to get a couple more pics of him in fall clothing (whip out the moccs!) but we shall see. A long time ago I cut out a pumpkin and put Baby Will in it….I don’t know if Max would go for that…..I think I would have to make him a pumpkin recliner or barcalounger or something for his chunky thighs
All in all….super fun and laid back and we bought the pumpkin that Weston found in the first photo of him. Right now it looks like a Ninja Turtle because we went to a pumpkin carving party last night. By default it is Michelangelo (orange one for those of you who need to brush up on your mutant reptile facts). Ninja Power!
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