This post may contain affiliate links

Halloween is almost here and I desperately need to get some Halloween decor out soon! I felt like it just sneaked up on me this year :) But, until then, and of course after then when all the 'spook' is gone, here's a video tour of my fall dining room! I talk more about what I look for in creating the perfect fall tablescape along with the easiest place settings you can do. We are super casual around her, so truth be told, those come out only for pictures or if we are entertaining those "certain" guests...you know what I'm talking about :) I'm sure you have those 'guests' too! 

Hope you enjoy! Don't forget to ask any questions in the comments if you have any :) 



You can find the rest of the tour in picture form by checking out this post (click here).


Other links:
Jute Rug (affiliate): Amazon
Metal and Wood Chairs (affiliate): Amazon
Buffalo Check Fabric: Hobby Lobby
Faux Beam Tutorial

Now I'm off to finally finish editing the pictures for the playhouse that took me a month to build! Can't wait to share it will you all!

You can check out my front living room video tour here:

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” 

Continue reading

Share:

 This post contains affiliate links.
You guys! I just realized that last week was marked 9 years of this blog! What?! That is just completely crazy. I feel like I just started blogging two years ago. Thrifty and Chic is seriously almost a decade old....which totally makes me sound way old! :) Since my blog is 9 years old, that means I have been living in my house for 10! I remember first stepping foot into this place; I totally had that feeling that everyone talked about. We almost didn't even look at it. This listing was in a bottom pile of houses that were on the market that we could afford, and technically had the correct attributes, but the pictures on the MLS were far from beautiful. We looked at houses probably for about 2 months, and started scratching at the bottom of the pile. We went to this house "because it was in the area". And little did we know that it would be our future home. It was perfect! Better than any other listing. Thank goodness for horrible MLS pictures or else this house would have been gone super quick and we wouldn't of had a chance.

So, every year, I like to look back on how much change has happened to our house since the year we moved in and when I started blogging. Most of the before pictures below are how I decorated in the first year. I think it's just so fun to see the difference and how much time can change a place.

Entryway
Before:

We laid new flooring, put some molding on the walls and added some decor. Doesn't seem like a lot, but made a huge change.
After:

Entryway Board and Batten: Tutorial

Front Room
Before:

Our front room actually sat pretty vacant for the first few months after we moved in. We had no furniture to furnish it with. This was one of my first attempts at decorating it with what we had. This room actually has seen more changes than any room in my house. But, luckily, it has stayed pretty much the same for the last couple of years. I added some planking/shiplap to the back wall along with a faux fireplace. I obviously updated my furniture and added some new decor too.

After:

Wood Sunburst Mirror: Tutorial      Farmhouse Ladder: Tutorial      Faux fireplace DIY: Tutorial      Wire Hamper: Amazon    Bench: Target     Console Table: Target     Sofa Bed: Ikea      Bench: Target     Rug: Rugs USA   

 Living Room
Before:

 The before picture of this is probably into the 2nd year of us living in our house. Back then I was obsessed with candles. They were everywhere. I also was in that weird place of what the heck to do with these alcoves. I seriously despised them, but later on, was very thankful for them and how much character they ended up adding to the space once I added the shelves. Updates in here have been the board and batten along every wall, the fireplace and mantel planking, the new flooring, and updated furniture and decor...so, actually, a whole lot of change :)
After:

Shiplap: Tutorial     Media Console: Tutorial      Builtin shelves: Tutorial    Wreath: Tutorial    Rug: Amazon      Clock: Tutorial     Ruffle Pillows: Amazon    

 This is one of the pictures from the MLS. Not the best, huh?

 Here's that area 9 years later:

 Now this is a before picture of my living room right when we bought our new sectional; which is actually still the one we have in it today.

And of course, the after:

Dining room
Before:

 As you can tell, my whole theme in here was Tuscany. I was soo close to adding Venetian plaster to all these walls. It was a thing back then, and I'm so so glad I didn't do it! It was but a year or so later that I ended up adding these planks (or now called shiplap) to the back wall. It brightened up the space like crazy and added the character I always wanted in my home. This table is actually still the same in here. It has it dings and places where the veneer has peeled off, but I can't let it go! :)
After:

Jute rug: Amazon    Farmhouse Chairs: Amazon     Striped Turkish Towel/Blanket: Amazon

 Master Bedroom
Before:

 The bedding set in my master bedroom 9 years ago was a hand me down from my mother-in-law. The duvet cover was a wedding present, and those pillows and curtains were probably some of my first ever DIY projects :) Since then, we have upgraded to a much larger bed, along with new decor. Since it's a vaulted ceiling in here, I wanted to break up the wall and add the square board and batten.
After:

Ruffle Pillows: Amazon      Bedding: Crane and Canopy      Lamps: Target      Nightstand: Tutorial

 Master Bathroom
Before:

 This tub is what sold me on the house. Seriously, as if I didn't want to buy it anyway when we first walked in, this sealed the deal! In here, I added the floating shelves and updated the curtains. That's pretty much it.
After:

Floating shelves: Tutorial     Ruffle Curtains: Amazon

Laundry Room
Before:

 I always have hated my laundry room. It was a pass through between the living room and garage. It was small and tight and completely lacked any character or storage space...which my house so desperately needed. I add some shiplap and shelving in here last year, and now it's actually a decent place to do laundry! :)
After:

Shelves and Shiplap: Tutorial

 Guest bathroom
Before:

 This bathroom is super small, like really, what you see is what you get. It was a big beige box. Really though, all I remember is how tall the beige ceiling are in here. It was just boring. So a few years ago, I updated it with some board and batten and paint!
After:

Board and Batten: Tutorial     Diamond Wall Tutorial

Kid's Bathroom
Before:

 All this decor was brought over from our apartment. Technically, this bathroom was only used like twice a year until we had children. So, when I wanted to redo it, I had to really make the cost low since there really wasn't any reason to do so :) $60 completed this transformation. It has stayed like this until this day!
After:

Bathroom makeover Tutorial 

Guest Bedroom/Kid's Room
Before:

 Can you imagine having a guest spend the night in this room? Well, it's probably not so bad, but definitely what I wouldn't call inviting :) This was even before I put blinds in the room. It got so hot in there during the summer. Now, it's my little girl's room. It did see it's time as a nursery for a bit too.
After:

Girl Bedroom Reveal and Sources

Guest room/Kid's room
Before:

Once our first kid came along, my 'office' aka dump everything in there room became the guest room/office. I did make this a little more inviting and actually had some good tips on storage ideas and how to share an office and guest room in one of my posts. But since then, another little came along and I had to dismantle everything and move in a crib :) Technically, this room is a little different now than this picture shows. We have some different pieces and a toddler bed in here now, but the look is quite similar. 

Nursery Tour and Sources

Well, I hope you enjoyed going down memory lane with me! Even if you don't blog, I encourage you to start taking pictures of our home. It's so much fun to look back at them and see all the changes!


 Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Continue reading

Share:

The below post contains affiliate links. 

Hi friends! Summer is almost here and I'm trying to soak in every second of it! I feel like it doesn't last long around here anymore. Let's just say that I hate snow, so summer is my favorite season and I wish it lasted all year! Today, I'll be sharing some rooms in my house for the Summer Home Tours hosted by the wonderful Marty from A Stroll Thru Life. If you are new here and stopping by from Thistlewood Farm, welcome! I have been a big fan of Karianne's for awhile, go check out her beautiful home if you haven't already!  A little background on my home, I have lived in our custom built house for almost 10 years! Crazy how fast time flies. I have had my ups and downs about moving and finding a place a little more suitable for us, but for now, we are staying. I've slowly been adding the character that I love to our house. We bought it with all beige walls, carpet and tile. Luckily, I've come to adore the walls, we ripped up most of the carpet, and I'm just ignoring the tile :)

You'll notice through this tour that I'm a lover of all things neutral. I do have two kids and a pup...and my husband for that matter...so as you can tell, my stress level is probably pretty high from trying to keep a white house white! haha :) It's really not though :) We live in a comfortable house; I try to not freak out over the little things. In our front room, I'm pretty sure there are like 3 dirty paw prints on the couch that I didn't notice before. My dining room table shows some crazy love from all the years of eating and crafting on it with my children. I'm sure if you look closely in any picture, you'll notice that our house is actually lived in and not perfect. But, it's just the way I like it.

For the summer, I kept this relatively the same from the spring. If it's still making me happy, why change it? I have had some notable changes in a few rooms, so lets get on with the tour :)

My front room does a load of work functioning as a living room, guest room, and play room; it's the first room you'll see off our entry way. 

Barn Doors: Tutorial

You would never guess that this room is trashed with toys three quarters of the day :) 

Wood Sunburst Mirror: Tutorial

This ladder adds the perfect functional touch during summer housing away all the blankets. 

Farmhouse Ladder: Tutorial

This bench was the best decision ever. It houses all the play kitchen toys. It's functional and pretty! As for the gallery wall, all these pictures are of my oldest. I decided to create a gallery wall in a special place somewhere in the house dedicated to each child.

Faux fireplace DIY: Tutorial      Wire Hamper: Amazon    Bench: Target

If you read my blog, or heck, even just look around my home, you will quickly notice I am obsessed with pillows and blankets. So, having a place to stash my collection in every room is a must. Most rooms, I have like five places to stash them :) This hamper was an awesome find and adds the perfect charm to this room.

One of my favorite new accessories in here is this bread bowl. This thing is massive! I still need to figure out how the heck to style it. For summer, I just added a whole lot of greens.

An addition to this space is my wood sunburst mirror that I made years ago. It was a staple in my dining room, but I decided I wanted a little change in there. So, I moved it back in here. I love how massive it is :) 

The topiaries were an awesome yard sale find from a interior designer clearing out her inventory. 

I added some new euro pillows to this sofa bed along with a macrame round one. For some reason, these totally speak summer to me :)

Speaking about the sofa bed, this is one from Ikea. You wouldn't believe the amount of storage it has under it! It's the perfect addition to make my front room easily convert into a guest room. 

Console Table: Target     Sofa Bed: Ikea      Bench: Target     Rug: Rugs USA

Here's a quick glimpse at our entry way. I had it in me to paint all my natural knotty alder years ago and I'm so glad my husband talked me out of it. I just love it now! 

Let's get on with the tour and check out my dining room. This is the room where messes happen. It rarely looks like this. My oldest is like a tornado of chaos and this is her stomping ground. I had to peel off so much tape from this table before taking the pictures haha. and don't mind all the nicks and dings...oh, and craft paint. I love the color of it, and I'm so not ready to paint it yet, but it sure shows it's age :)

Jute rug: Amazon    Farmhouse Chairs: Amazon     Striped Turkish Towel/Blanket: Amazon

I obviously like Amazon ;)

My addition in here is the gallery wall full of dried lavender I picked from my garden. I actually loved my sunburst mirror in here, but thought after 5 years of having it here, it was time for a little change. I'm so glad that I love these just as much!

For the table scape, I kept it simple with faux greens and white vases.

The addition of these slipcovered chairs in here made a huge difference in this space. It's like a casual elegance. Plus, I'm all for white stuff that can come off and get washed! Makes my life a whole lot easier :)

As I mentioned before, my other rooms have stayed pretty much the same since the spring tour. Welcome to my living room:

Shiplap: Tutorial     Media Console: Tutorial      Builtin shelves: Tutorial

Wreath: Tutorial

 I had high plans to add some additional board and batten around all the walls in my living room, but ran into a hiccup with things. Until I figure that out, it's going to be staying like this. 

 Here's a glimpse of the gallery wall for my youngest. My husband once accused me of never having any actual pictures of the family in our house. Now I bet he will keep his mouth shut :) I about have a gallery wall full of pictures in every single room. 

 You may have noticed in this picture that I am a little obsessed with stripes at the moment. I wasn't so sure about adding the striped pillows in here with the striped rug, but I never notice it clashing, so I say it's good ;) 

Rug: Amazon      Clock: Tutorial     Ruffle Pillows: Amazon

 Welcome to my bedroom....which never looks like this. I did really good for about 3 months making the bed every single day and keeping up with laundry. Well, let's just say that that ship has sailed :)

 But, it's totally fun to look at pictures and remember what it could look like. 

Ruffle Pillows: Amazon      Bedding: Crane and Canopy      Lamps: Target      Nightstand: Tutorial

 This looks eerily similar to that in my dining room. I was thinking about taking these frames and putting them in my dining room instead of building new ones. I'm glad I didn't. They just make this room. 

Well, I hope you enjoyed the tour! Keep an eye out next week, I'm going to be raw and take you on a tour of my real-life house. Like, old cups, food, toys, dirty clothes, all of it...even my kitchen which I never show! :) No holding back on this one. It's fun to look at blog worthy and instagram worthy photos, but I realized how it's completely hard to hold yourself up to those standards, sometimes just plain ruining your day not thinking that you are good enough or that your house is good enough. It's great for inspiration, but sometimes, you just have to know the real life behind those photos, you know? Trust me, we live here and are making memories. My house only looks like this 4 days of the year....and that's probably not every room. If I actually managed to clean every room and keep them all looking nice at the same time for more than 3 seconds, I deserve some sort of award :) 

Next on the tour is Hymns & Verses, you won't be disappointed! Go check her beautiful house out :) And if you want to continue on and see the rest of the tours from this week, check them out below: 

Monday – June 11

A Stroll Thru Life

Pink Peppermint Design

Setting For Four

Nesting With Grace

Cuckoo4Design

Southern Hospitality

Tuesday – June 12

ZDesign At Home

Inspiration For Moms

Clean & Scentsible

Simple Stylings

Life On Virginia Street

Remodelando La Casa

Wednesday – June 13

Our Southern Home

House By Hoff

Our Fifth House

Dimples & Tangles

Decor To Adore

Follow The Yellow Brick Home

Thursday – June 14

Haneens Haven

Monica Wants It

Duke Manor Farm

My Sweet Savannah

11 Magnolia Lane

Life Love Larson

Fri –June 15

Decorating Delirium

Thistlewood Farm

Thrifty & Chic

Hymns & Verses

Starfish Cottage

Far Above Rubies

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” 

Continue reading

Share: