Warmer Weather Finds

The warmer months are here and I’m all about refreshing rooms and brightening up spaces in my home! The greatest update I did this season was changing out my traditional taupe living room sofas for a brighter, more contemporary look with a sofa and love seat from Jonathan Louis Furniture. I also updated some living room accessories. (For links to items in this post go here.)

I added this large contemporary white bowl to my coffeee talbe and filled it with vibrant green moss balls. This really brought in a pop of color againz the cosateal, nuetral furniture and pillows.

My new Jonanthan Louis customized furniture is part of the chic, tailored Pia Collection - and I absolutely love it! There were so many fabrics options to choose from, and after narrowing it down to three fabric swatches, I chose a beautiful, elegant fabric called Dover Ivory. This is a just live™ performance fabric. That means this fabric is durable, STAIN RESISTANT, soap cleanable and moisture repellant. Definitely check out Jonathan Louis and all their amazing furniture options for your home! #ad

Even though sofas, chairs and loveseats come with coordinating pillows, you don’t have to be stucke using them if they don’t strike your fancy. I always bring in my own pillows with different colorors, patterns and fabrics to create a more interesting look.

I also update my fireplace mantle decor. Again, like the coffee table, I kept the look pretty light and airy with a pop of green from some faux eucalyptus stems. I also added two more white clay vases that act as book end for the linen decorative books.

Click here to get links to all items shown in post.

A Little Tour of Down Stairs

Welcome to my home! I wanted to share with you what it’s like when you walk in my home. When you first enter you are greeted with a super long hallway with an enclosed balcony and a 20 foot ceiling. The celling then drops to a beautiful barrel arch.

A few steps inside the front door off to the right is my office. A few steps after that, also off to the right,is a coat closet and powder bath. (I need to take a pic of the powder bath.) If you continue down the hallway further you will find an arch on the left going to the mudroom and laundry room. Across the hall is another arch going to the dining room. If you still continue to go straight you will then enter the great room and kitchen. The ceiling is 18 feet high withe very high niches. I love the height of the ceilings, but not so much the niches. Still decide how to decorate them!

My Office. Next to my Office is a powder bath. I still need to take a photo of it.

Master Bedroom.

There are double doors leading to the master bath. I need to still photograph that space.

Mudroom area next to the laundry room.

Big Difference with this Laundry Room Remodel!

When we first moved into our home, the laundry room looked like this. It had one shelf with a bar for hanging clothes. One shelf wasn't enough storage, let alone any good at hiding messes. My husband Justin and I contemplated adding prefabricated oak cabinets from Lowes or Home Depot and painting them white, but the spaces was not wide enough for two sets of cabinets. Then we realized that in all honesty, we’re short people, so putting cabinets above the washer and dryer wasn’t really going to be something we were going to be able to access on a daily basis. And probably not without a step stool. Another realization was that our current washer and dryer were nearly ten years old and were not in the best condition. So we came up with a a great solution!

We decided to rip out the existing shelf and replace with a multiple shelf arrangement that would look aesthetically pleasing, and be able to hold boxes and bins to store items we wouldn’t need often. At the same time we decided to purchase front loader machines with the pedestal bases that would store the soap, dryer sheets, etc, the things we need regularly, and down low where we could reach them. So we drew up what the new shelves were going to look like with the measurements, and Justin got to work! First he dismantled the current shelf, and removed the old washer and dryer.

The he put in the the bead board and chair railing trim. He didn’t paint the trim until later. Here’s a photo of the right corner of the laundry room before we put in the bead board and painted the walls. After the bead board and chair railing trim were up, we started testing out paint colors. At this time we also got the new front loader machines.

With the bead board in on the surrounding walls, Justin started assembling the shelves. We used mdf for the shelves for cost and convenience.

After the shelves were in, Justin added a 1x4 piece of wood for the backing for the crown molding. After he put the crown molding up, we painted the shelves, crown molding, and bead board white. We just used a pure Valspar pure white paint from Lowes.

After the room was painted, we went back and added this shelf with hooks to hold backpacks, gym bags, and coats. I found the cute metal hanging basket at Home Goods.

Loved framing my kid’s art work! It makes the room feel more inviting and the kids love showcasing their work!

Growing up and Changing Spaces!

I have two daughters fourteen years apart, and it was time to update both girls’ rooms. My youngest daughter recently turned three, so we changed her room from nursery to little girl’s room by taking down her crib and putting up a twin bed. My seventeen year old wanted to update her room up by creating a more sophisticated space. My goal for both rooms was wanted to keep the current color schemes so we did have to repaint and buy everything new.

Below is a photo of Annalise’s nursery before we made changes. When we put up her big girl bed, I knew exactly the bedding I wanted for her. Enter Beddy’s once again! I chose Beddy’s in Vintage Blush because it works wonderfully with the existing color scheme in her room! (And you can use code NISSALYNN for 15% off your order!)

Before!

After!

The white iron bed has a special place in my heart as we bought it for my first daughter 15 years ago and stored it in the attic hoping we would have another little girl again some day. When I found out I was having Annalise after three boys - I was over the moon! I was excited to put this bed frame again!

Love the blush poke-a-dot inside of Beddy’s!

So excited when my Beddy’s blankets arrived!

I used both the Gray Dot and Blush Beddy’s blankets and layered them to make the bed look extra “fluffy.” These blankets are so soft and comfy, I frequently curl up with them when watching TV. (And you can use code NISSALYNN for 15% off your order!)

Our oldest daughter, Kay-Lynn, turned 17 she wanted a little more sleek and stylish look for her bedroom. I wanted a way for her to keep her room more tidy! So I thought Beddy’s would be great idea for my teenage daughter too. Plus Beddy’s would help her make her bed faster before her friends come over!

Here is a photo of my seventeen daughters room before the room improvements. My daughter has her own style and she knew what she wanted to change. She chose the Modern Gray Bedddy’s in all cotton for her bedding. We also changed out the darker gray rug, for a lighter one, and removed the decorative pom poms in the corner. She picked out the hanging plant holders and the faux succulent plants all on her own. She kept the rustic wood signs (from Hobby Lobby), above her bed, but added lights around them to make them more fun. We kept the yellow and gray comforter that resting at the bottom of her bed. You can find a similar on here. We also added a small white desk, lamp, and chair so she has a place to do homework.

It’s amazing how changing out the bedding and a few accessories can make such a huge difference!

Before!

After!

Love the strong zipper on Beddy’s.

Spring Around the House!

Welcome to my home! I’m happy to share with you touches of spring I’ve added to my home! When enter my home you walk through a long hallway. Off to left is the mudroom, to the right is the dining room, and straight a head it opens up to the great room with nineteen foot ceilings.

It’s fun too decorate the mudroom!

I chose pink and white for my spring tables cape color pallet. You can find the cute pink bunnies here. And the darling bunny ear napkin rings are found here. Be sure to use code NISSALYNN for 10% off your purchase when purchasing the napkin rings.

I love lots of pillows with patterns and textures! To me, they add interest to any room.

I love faux florals. The look so life like these days!

The view looking our from the kitchen.

Bedding My Older Boys are Obsessed with!

This post is sponsored by Beddy’s, but all opinions are my own.

A few months ago my two younger children, ages seven and two, received Beddy’s for each of twin beds. Well, after seeing how easy it was for the littles to make their beds, and how soft and cozy the fabric was, my two older sons, ages fourteen and eleven, wanted Beddy’s too! (Seriously my fourteen year old was begging me to get a set for him! It was quite humorous.) Then once I placed the order to get the older boys a set for each of their beds, my fourteen year old kept asking me every day when they were coming!

Now you’re probably wondering why these older boys wanted this bedding so badly!? Let me explain why we love Beddy’s so much, and why we are a Beddy’s family through and through! It has really has changed our lives!

My husband Justin designed and customer built the board of button style back wall. He did an amazing job!

First off, Beddy’s has zippers all the way down both sides and across the bottom, so it’s easy for kids to make their beds - all they have to do is zip them up! As a mom, I love it because my kids don’t complain about making their beds anymore, and there are no more sheets and blankets all over the floor. The sides are quilted all around so it looks like the bedding is always tucked in, without the hassle of doing it yourself like real sheets or quilts. Beddy’s also has elastic along the bottom edge so it doesn't come off like a lot of sheets sets do.

My Dad just retired from working in the NFL for the past twenty years. He was a scout for several teams, and has two Super Bowl rings and a Scout of the Year ring. The autographed footballs came from him.

My boys love the minky fabric (100% polyester), because it’s extremely soft. The outer quilt fabric is 100% cotton. That’s important to me because my boys get hot - especially during Texas summer nights. Cotton is more breathable than other fabrics - which helps keeps their body temperatures down during the night and I don’t have to spend a fortune keeping the AC way down. Win-Win!

An upclose look at Beddy’s zipper enclosure. The distressed letter A came from Hobby Lobby.

My two smaller children have Game On Gray, a gray rugby stripe, which goes great in their Americana/car themed room. For the older boys I chose Game On, a blue rugby stripe, to go with their NFL football themed room. I like the blue stripes in the Game On because it’s a classic look that goes with anything. The blue really compliments my son’s existing NFL decor, rug and wood furniture.

You can see the inside of the Beddy’s bedding. The internal fabric is so plush.

The Beddy’s are so stylish and are perfect for all ages, as well different styled bedrooms. In my case Beddy’s was perfect for my younger two children and my for teens! I have to tell you, when I was shopping on the Beddy’s website, I was floored with all the wonderful patterns and styles they offer. They also have a fantastic selection of matching pillows and blankets to go with their bedding!

You’ll always grin trophies in boys’ rooms. These sit on a white dresser from Ikea.

The rug, lamp, and locker nightstand came from target.

I want everyone to know that Beddy’s is the greatest invention ever made in the bed making world!

Redoing our Bedroom on a Budget

It has been years since I updated our master bedroom, and it was definitely time for a change! My goal was to make the room feel fresh, calm, and classy - all without breaking the bank! To keep costs down, replacing the furniture and curtains were not options. So how do you easily give your master bedroom a makeover and stay in a tight budget? I’ve discovered there are four easy steps!

1. Plan

First put together a full plan of what you want the room to look like. Ask yourself what styles you like best and what colors make you calm and happy. Once you've decided which direction to go, start searching the web and Pinterest for photos of rooms that you are drawn to. Look closely at the photos you like to see what paint colors they used. Also, what color is the bedding? And what kind of accessories did they style the room with? Pick out what you like and pin, bookmark or write it down. Then decided which ideas you will implement in your room. I decided I wanted to go a modern farmhouse look with a lot of white in the room.

2. New Bedding

New bedding is a game changer! It’s the main focus of the room. It really sets the tone for the entire space. I kept the majority of my bedding white because I still wanted the room to feel light and airy like it did before. I did add new bedding with fringe lace on it - to add texture. I also wanted to add some pops of color, so I used some blue, white and gray floral shams. Then I added a white rose chiffon throw pillow to finish the look.

My super soft gray sheets from Linens and Hutch were the perfect way to add a bit of color and yet still keep the neutral color pallet. They are my go-to because they go with every style. And their premium sheets are my favorite!

3. Paint

One of the cheapest room transformations can be done with paint! Once you know the color scheme you want and have selected any new furniture or bedding - it’s time to pick out paint. After looking at paint cards, narrow your choices down to a few colors and then buy samples of each color. A sample jar is about $3.00 at Lowe’s. Go home and paint a fairly large (12” x 12”) swatch directly on the wall. I’d suggest painting a few of these on different walls so that you can see how the paint looks in the light and shadows. Too many people only paint a little square. This can be misleading as the new color can be influenced by the old paint color. When you paint a larger sample, you can see more of the new color. For our room I wanted a fresh look with more of a farmhouse shabby chic vibe. So we painted it a light grey called Agreeable Gray from Sherwin Williams.

4. Accessories

I kept the same glass ball lamps - I still love them because they add sparkle and I love the round shapes. I added the mirrors above the night stands to help make the room look larger, and to bring in a touch of glam. Then I swapped out the florals and added the clock and books. I kept the white window treatments, as white goes with almost everything, and then added a gray vintage patterned rug to finish off the look of the room.

I loved how the room turned out! It feels fresh, and it feels good every time I walk into it.

So next time you're ready to update a bedroom on a budget, follow these four easy steps and you’ll be good to go!

XO,

Nissa-Lynn

Appliance Shopping Stress Free with Nebraska Furniture Mart

Let’s be honest, when one of your household appliances starts to give out, you probably panic. I know I do! Because having to replace it is not a small cost. And then there’s the comparison shopping, hoping for the best deal, picking out the right brand, and delivery issues. After many years of buying appliances at various stores, I found the perfect solution - Nebraska Furniture Mart! #Sponsored

I got my dishwasher and microwave from there, so when I was in the market for a new stove, I skipped the other retailer’s websites, and headed straight to NFM.com. Once at their site, I found it very easy to navigate. I started my search for ranges by filtering “slide in stainless steel range”, and based on my current kitchen measurements, I knew I could only fit a 30 inch wide range so I added that to the search criteria. Then I was able to compare brands, appliance options, and price. A list of ranges came up and I fell in love with this wonderful Frigidaire 30'' Slide-In Gas Range. I was able to order it right then and there from the comfort of my home. Although I must say, whenever I get the chance I love physically going to Nebraska's store and wandering aimlessly down the home decor isles. I love looking at all their visual displays.

After the range was ordered and I received a confirmation number and installation date. I couldn’t wait for that day to arrive! I didn’t worry about a thing and Nebraska Furniture Mart’s customer service department called two days prior to delivery just to confirm with me that everything was good to go.

On the day of installation, I was like a kid on Christmas morning! The installers called ahead to let me know they would be at my home in about 45 minutes. I kept looking out the window for that big white and green truck. They came right when they said they would - right on time! How often does that actually happen? Once the truck pulled up to my driveway two Nebraska Furniture Mart employees jumped out, and let me tell you, these two guys were the nicest installers I’ve ever met! They were so positive and helpful and were great people people. Besides their attitude being so pleasant, they totally knew what they were doing. They disconnected the gas line and removed my old stove and then carefully took my new stainless steel slide in range off the truck and delicately unwrapped it. The men worked together to install it and hook up the new gas line. They also showed me information in the owner’s manual, and taught me all about the features of my new range. They cleaned up all the trash and made sure I was comfortable with everything before they left. Seriously, it was the best installation experience I’ve ever had! And they didn’t even mind posing for pictures!

The difference between my old and new oven is amazing! I specifically wanted a stainless steel range without a back for a sleek, modern design. My prior oven was all back and I felt it just got grease on it all the time, not to mention being a bit of an eye sore. The black was such a stark contrast against my white kitchen cabinets. I also feel this new range helps to “open up” the kitchen making the space appear a little larger.

The new oven came with a larger bottom drawer - something I’m in always need of because i have a lot of cookie sheet and cake pans.

See the faux pink roses on the island - those are from Nebraska Furniture Mart too! I bought them at the store in their home decor section!

The entire experience was a exceptional. Nebraska Furniture Mart has definitely figured out how to make a customer happy. The entire process from selection to installation was a breeze! #NFMatHome #NFMStyle

Beddy's is a Game Changer!

Let’s be real, kids are terrible at making their beds. Their top sheet and blankets always just end up on the floor, making the room look messy. This drives me crazy!

As a mother of five children, I am always looking for tips and tricks to help cut down on clean up around the house.

Enter Beddy’s! Where has this been all my life? It has seriously made my life easier. Beddy’s has zippers all the way down both sides and across the bottom so it’s easy for kids to make their beds - all they have to do is zip them up! It’s a game changer!

Let me tell what makes this product so amazing. First, the ZIPPERS. My younger kids make their beds everyday now because all they have to do is zip them up! No more sheets on the floor, no more blankets thrown in a pile on the bed. It’s made and stays that way! When zipped up it creates a cozy, snuggling feeling. And I have found it’s wonderful in helping little ones stay in their covers. It is also super easy to unzip and remove the top layer for washing and drying.

Second, the fabric is awesome! Even my 7 year old noticed how soft and comfy it was. He couldn’t wait to sleep in his bed! The minky fabric is extremely soft and 100% polyester. The outer fabric is 100% cotton. That’s important to me because my son gets very hot and cotton is more breathable than other fabrics - which helps keeps his body temperature down during the night. The bottom has an elastic like a fitted sheet so it stays secure to the mattress and off the floor.

Third, quality! I am very particular about bedding, and the stitching and construction of Beddy’s are top notch. It so well made that I am positive it will last me a long time. My sister came over the other day and was so impressed with the quality that she is now going to order Beddy’s for her three year old.

I have to tell you, and I am not making this up, my 12 and 14 year old boys now want Beddy’s for their beds! If that doesn’t let you know how wonderful this product is I don’t know what will.

Let's Talk About Pillows!

Tired of the current color scheme in you home?  

Pillows are one of the easiest and least expensive ways to change the feel of 
an entire room!

Here we have two shots of the same living room. They both have the same
furniture, rug and window treatments, same white tray and white candle sticks. I just changed out the pillows and the florals! Now the room has an entirely different feel!

Mix and Match

Mix and matching fabrics and different textures is a fantastic way to create an interesting look. It also looks more professional and custom - like you had direction from a decorator or designer. Here I have a navy block design pillow from Chloe and Olive a linen fabric paired with pillow from Home Goods in a polyester fabric.

Remember pillows don’t always have to match perfectly. Below is a fuzzy leopard print from Home Goods paired with a chiffon rose patterned pillow from H&M. Totally different styles and fabrics (one heavy, the other light), and yet, they compliment each other perfectly!

Inserts

Most pillows are sold just as pillow covers. So you will need to purchase the inserts for the covers. I have found that inserts at Pottery Barn are a little more expensive then other places, but they do last much longer! You are paying for quality! I've also used cheaper inserts from Ikea. They're great on the budget at around $7.00 an insert. Below are some Ikea pillows and inserts. Pillows from discount stores, such as Home Goods, Ross, Walmart, and Target normally
come with the inserts included.

3-D Elements

Another fun to dress up your pillows is with 3-D elements. Beads, tassels, buttons, rhinestones, and sequence all add texture and visual interest to the pillow - and to the piece of furniture it's being displayed on. See how the broach in the photo below, adds elegance to the gray ribbon. Without it, the the pillow wouldn't look half as fancy!

You can add elements yourself to any existing pillow with by hand sewing the item on. or using a glue gun.

Zippers

When choosing a pillow color, you might want to take into consideration the zipper. Most pillows have a dress zipper (right photo below). It does the trick, but if you're constantly switching out pillow covers, or if the pillow is being laid on a lot, the zipper can fall apart pretty easy. However, pillows with a YKK zipper (right photo below,) such as these from 
Chloe and Olive, are much more durable! Some pillows don’t have a zipper at all but an “envelope” closure instead. Where the fabric folds over top of teach other.

Holiday Pillows

Pillows are the especially perfect for decorating for the holidays! In fact, it seems almost every home decor retailer has a line of holiday pillows now! Pier 1, Target, Pottery Barn, and Home Goods, are just a few of my favorite places to buy holiday pillow goodness! Boutiques and specialty home decor stores are other places to get one of a kind pillows that the masses don't have. Krumpet's Home Decor is one of my favorite online home decor stores for holiday goodies.

It's been fun sharing my thoughts and experience on pillows with you, now go out and have some fun some shopping!