simple solutions: make it look intentional.

Old homes are wonderful. But they can be awkward.

Like our friends' house that has a built-in shelving unit with cubbies that are too small to fit anything other than a few pieces of mail. Or that bright carpet that seems to be a defining characteristic of the older generation of homes. 

There always seem to be odd spaces that can't quite be filled or features that never seem to fit.

And sometimes you just have to embrace it. 

You aren't always (and some of us aren't ever) going to live in a house that you designed every inch of. You won't always love every feature and sometimes you have to make due with those awkward bits. And that's true with most everything in life. 

Sometimes you just have to make the awkwardness look intentional. Kinda like jogging it out when you trip. (Happens all the time on the sidewalk outside our front window.)

So in honor of that embracing, here's our simple "make–do" project: how an awkward refrigerator nook turns into one of my favorite pieces in our home.

Funny isn't it? That some of our least favorite things can become our favorites with a little love and shift in perspective?

Do you have any awkward spaces that you've prettied up? I'd love to see! Share links to your "make–do" projects in the comments. 

simple solutions: the importance of planning.

The most important step in home decorating is planning. And there are so many facets of it: budgeting, ideation, measuring... All of which are important.

The ideation phase comes first. There's really no one way to do this, but it's always good to do some sort of window shopping so that you can get an idea of size, price, texture and what those items will look like all together.

Here are three tools to get you started:
1. Inspiration boards are always helpful. You can can create them digitally or using good ol' paper and scissors. Not sure what I'm talking about? Check out Lay Baby Lay to see their beautifully displayed inspiration.
2. Pinterest: the easiest way to organize your ideas. You can "pin" all your ideas onto a virtual pin board, along with the original site the item or idea came from and the item's price.
3. Walking. In malls, through thrift stores, in other people's homes (with their permission, of course). You can find amazing things online, but nothing beats being able to touch, smell and test–drive all your ideas.

Next up is the budget. Because you did your research, you know what you actually need and how much those items cost. The answers to those two questions will help you determine a reasonable budget. And once that price is set, stick to it! Yes, there are stunningly beautiful things out there that are the perfect fit for your home, but you'll be surprised what you can create on a budget.

Here are just a few examples (all of which were found on Pinterest; another great reason to use it):
1. A $250 chandelier for $9.
2. Faux metal lettering.
3. Wall art made from toilet paper rolls.

As you start planning out your space and researching items to fill it, never discard DIY projects. Sometimes you can find a used version of something cheaper than you can make it, but it's always worth it to check and make sure before you buy it from the store. As you can see from the first example, you can save a lot of money and still get something you love.

Now it's time to start shopping. But before you step foot out the door (or onto the Craigslist website), measure your space! That couch might only be $30, but if it won't fit in your living room it doesn't really matter. Getting out that ruler will only take a few minutes and will save you so much stress and time.

Helpful tools:
1. Measuring tape.
2. Paper and pen to record the measurements.
3. Heavy lifters to get those great deals in the house.


Did I miss any important steps? What tools have helped you?


P.S. Don't you just love Lay Baby Lay? Maybe it's just this baby, but I can't stop thinking about all those beautiful creations.

Oh, and if you fall in love with Pinterest and decide to join, look me up!

simple solutions: names mean nothing.

I married a guitar enthusiast. For a long time, his instrument sat in a corner of the living room, between the wall and bookshelf. Because this wasn't a very convenient or good looking place to store the guitar, item one on our home revamp list was to find it a permanent home.

We decided to hang it on an empty wall and started searching for a guitar hanger. The budget for our home revamp was a mere $20 so when the only hangers we found were half that and more, we got a little nervous.

All I really needed was a hanger, it didn't specifically have to be a guitar hanger. So I went to the hardware store and found exactly what I was looking for... a garage storage hanger, usually used for shovels and bikes. For only $3.

That hanger was made to hang a guitar, even if the tag said otherwise.

Just because a product comes out and says it's the solution, doesn't mean it's the simplest, or the easiest, or that it's the right solution for you.

Do-it-yourself projects often provide great solutions for situations like these, but they aren't always the easiest option. We could have tried to make a guitar hanger ourselves, but not for less than $3 or for less time than it took us to drive to the hardware store.

Sometimes we spend hours trying to recreate the wheel when someone has already done it for us; they just called it something different.

Am I the only one this has happened to? What unexpected items have solved your problems?
_______________________________________________________________________

Simple Solutions is a blog series about how to make a house a home and how to do so on a budget. You can find the rest of the series here. Have your own Simple Solution? Do tell! I love to share reader's solutions on the blog. Have a problem that needs a solution? Let me know and I'd be glad to help! Answers to reader's questions will be featured in this series as well. 

simple solutions.

The other night a friend and I were talking about our homes. She said that she doesn't like to bring things that aren't beautiful into her home; and that she wants to fill her home with unique things, items that can't be found in every other home on the block.

I find myself feeling the same way. And I don't think that's a bad thing. We all want to create a space to call our own, a place that reflects us, individually. And we can't get that when we mimic page 38 of the latest IKEA catalog. (Although I'll be the first to admit that just about everything in the catalog makes me swoon!)

While that has been an unconscious goal of mine, it's been hard to do on a college student budget. I've had to dig deep and squeeze out all the creative juice that I can to create a space that Jordan and I can feel at home in... without spending a ton of money.

It's also taken some compromise. For nineteen years, my room was my space, to be decorated how and with whatever I pleased. Now, each decorating decision needs two stamps of approval instead of one.

We've learned together, however, that the best things for us and our home are the simplest. And that's how we try to approach the decorating problems we face: with the simplest solution.

And I'd like to share a few of those solutions with you. So next week will be devoted to doing just that: starting Monday, we'll talk home and how we can each make our's a space where we (and the men in our lives) can feel comfortable and how we can do so frugally.


In other news... it's about time I shared some baby bump pictures with you all. (You might have to squint a little, but there is a baby in there. I promise.)

week 19

week 20